Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1650 Filming
Tyrian purple was a process, not just a color. The emperor was obligated to use Tyrian purple dyed with snail shells, without exception; this was a matter of principle. Because of this iconic Tyrian purple, the legendary dye, extracted from only a tiny spoonful from ten thousand snail shells, was a testament to the Roman emperor's wickedness.

"The life of the Roman emperor is truly unimaginable," Shangluo said, looking around. "You live a much more luxurious life than my senior brother."

"This is not a good thing. Logically speaking, the Romans shouldn't be so extravagant. This kind of lavish culture was initially regarded as a decadent custom passed down from the Persian court and was resisted by the senators who considered themselves guardians of morality. Of course, over time they would find that the Persian court culture was truly enjoyable; it was almost prepared to make the monarch feel comfortable."

This is even different from the east.

Zhu Xianxi disliked living in the Qianqing Palace and preferred to live in the Xiyuan Garden because Chinese court etiquette was not about comfort. The emperor's dragon throne had no side rails and no backrest, so one could only sit on half of it. The throne was extremely uncomfortable, and the main hall, built for ceremonial purposes, was far too large.

Ordinary houses often have some soft furnishings inside, such as using screens as partitions or Korean paper for the ceiling, to make even large houses more comfortable. However, the Qianqing Palace cannot be decorated in this way, because the Qianqing Palace is a ceremonial venue left by the ancestors for the successor emperor, and there is very little space left for the emperor to arrange himself.

The rest of the palace was pretty much the same, not much better than the Qianqing Palace.

So, the emperor has lived in the West Garden for a long time. This was essentially his private residence, where he could decorate as he pleased. The buildings in the West Garden have undergone several renovations; the three-story building currently in use was rebuilt 15 years ago for electrification upgrades, around the time Zhu Xianxi was in junior high school. However, by then, he had a say in the construction of the buildings, and his current office is furnished according to his own choices. That's true comfort.

In terms of imperial enjoyment, this was still inferior to that of the Roman emperors. After all, Zhu Xianxi could not possibly bring Tyrian purples into his home in any sense.

"But speaking of which, we're actually the only user of Tiraga Purple in your area."

“That’s natural,” Shangluo nodded. “It’s like ‘the evil purple usurping the red.’”

The Zhu family happens to have the surname Zhu, which is taboo with the color purple, so naturally they wouldn't use it.

Even disregarding the dyes, this room was far more "degenerate" than Zhu Xianxi's place; for example, a low table seemed to have been preserved on the bed.

"That table, yeah! When you were at my house, you ate breakfast in bed because of this?"

“Mmm,” Victoria replied. “Our habit is to eat breakfast slowly in bed, which takes about two hours. We also wash up in bed without moving.”

"So you start work at 10 o'clock?"

"About the same?" Victoria thought for a moment. "Work from 10 am to 1 pm, then lunch, afternoon tea at 3 pm, dinner from 5 pm to 7 pm, dinner lasting until 9 pm. What about your senior brother?"

“He would get up at 4 a.m. to refine elixirs, and after finishing at 6 p.m., he would eat takeout—delivered by Jinling Hotel, right at the door. He would start court at 6 a.m. and the political affairs hall would adjourn at 11 a.m. He would have a quick lunch in between, and then work at home in the afternoon, having dinner at 5 or 6 p.m.

"This is too austere! This is practically the diligence of Rome at its founding! Doesn't the emperor enjoy anything at all? Can this kind of life really bring him happiness?"

"Hmm," Shangluo thought for a moment, "He seems quite happy. He seems to enjoy this kind of life."

Zhu Xianxi is a man who enjoys being busy. He hasn't grown tired of wielding such power.

As for his diet, it was quite simple; he had eaten in Shangluo many times before.

"So, our scene starts when I'm eating breakfast?"

"Yes, that's how the plot is set up." In the early days, receiving guests was a form of Roman court etiquette—only close and distinguished guests could participate in the monarch's early ceremonies, theoretically.

Of course, excluding everyone else and leaving only one person is a different matter.

"I feel a little uneasy," Victoria said, glancing around. "Could we add another person?"

"It's not in Yanqiu's script. Should I discuss it with her?"

"Fine, one is fine too. But I need a lot of people to get up early. Can you manage by yourself?"

"for example?"

"Water for brushing teeth and rinsing mouth, breakfast, clothes, incense, job introductions, etc. Frankly, there's no reason for guests to participate in these tasks; at most, we'd meet them during the process. So, I suggest a compromise: how about hiring some servants to do it? That way, there won't be anyone else in the room."

"I never expected to have anything to do with me here." Speaking of servants, that's the head chef.

"Your Majesty, it's been a long time." Projecting his will onto an ordinary automaton, he greeted Victoria, "May you be well."

"Thanks." At this point, she no longer wanted to pursue the Automaton's betrayal. The Colombian Automaton Nation was unstoppable; they had already received the protection of Aurora and were no longer under his control.

At this point, it's already quite good that the chef can still maintain respect in front of him.

"So, my job is to serve His Majesty as an actor?" he asked Shangluo.

"Yes. So, how many people can you send?"

"As many as you want, Your Majesty."

"What do you think, Victoria?"

“25,” Victoria stated the number. “Send 25 people. If you know what to do, you can start right away. If you don’t, go ask Ms. Agatha.”

The head chef looked at Shang Luo: "So, Your Majesty, in which process will your role be introduced?"

What are the specific processes involved?

"Simply put, by entering at different times, you can see different aspects of Queen Victoria—in the first stage, she's still in bed. In the second stage, she's having breakfast in her pajamas. In the third stage, she's getting ready for formal attire, changing out of her pajamas. Which part would you like to see?"

"Huh?" Shang Luo was taken aback. "Is this something I can decide?"

“The second part,” Victoria began. “This part is very good, but to be honest, I don’t see any guests in the earlier stages. I only see servants at different stages, and at most, I see guests after I’ve put on formal attire. It’s really nice to see people in my pajamas, but I’ll just consider it a sacrifice for my film and television image.”

(End of this chapter)