Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 11 So, everyone, be optimistic, don't always dwell on those worries, life's tolerance for mistakes is greater than you think.
"Ah, he's alive again!" Zhu Youjian exclaimed as he sipped a bowl of plain porridge.

I don't know why those leaders love holding meetings so much. Anyway, Zhu Youjian's head was about to explode after this court meeting. He finally understood why his grandfather and brother hid in the palace and didn't want to attend court. He didn't want to attend court anymore either; it was just too exhausting.

Some things seem insignificant until weighed, but once weighed, they can be as heavy as a thousand pounds; some difficulties may seem insignificant from afar, but once you actually try to solve them, you'll regret it so much that you'll want to gouge your own eyes out and slap yourself twice.

Zhu Youjian ordered a reclining chair to be brought over and lay down in the corridor of the Qianqing Palace. Interestingly, this reclining chair was actually the work of his elder brother, Zhu Youxiao.

Looking back through his memories, he even recalled the time when Zhu Youxiao had carved hand-carved dolls for him, including a Guan Yu and a Qin Qiong, with movable hands and feet, and a rotating head and waist. Unfortunately, these were later confiscated by Sun Chengzong and were never returned.

Perhaps Sun Chengzong feared that the emperor would become obsessed with frivolous pursuits and lose his ambition. These devout Confucian believers, acting on their own wishful thinking, wanted to educate the emperor into a wise, sage, and virtuous ruler. However, the final result was often contrary to their expectations.

Perhaps their initial motivation wasn't, as many conspiracy theories suggest, to turn the emperor into an idiot and decentralize power to them; it was simply a matter of cunning.

The autumn wind is blowing again. Zhu Youjian is lying on a chair, watching the sun slowly set, and suddenly feels a little chilly.

The eunuch Wang Chengen thoughtfully covered him with a blanket made of Shu brocade. Shu brocade felt soft and smooth to the touch, unlike silk which was light and airy, almost impossible to hold. Although it was also woven from silk, Shu brocade had a sense of weight. Shu brocade had two sides; the inner side was smooth, while the outer side had a textured feel, with beautiful patterns embroidered on it using gold threads mixed with silk threads.

Sighing inwardly, Zhu Youjian thought, putting aside everything else, just in terms of aesthetics, those wild boar belts were a devastating blow to China! The clothing and customs of the Chinese people—so many people risked their lives to protect them, weren't they? Perhaps this was a love that came from the bloodline; even poor people, dressed in Han Chinese attire, even if tattered, looked more pleasing to the eye than the Manchus.

As September approached, the sweltering heat of the past few days was merely an anomaly caused by the subtropical high pressure, commonly known as the "autumn tiger." Hot weather easily makes people irritable, and as the temperature cooled down, Zhu Youjian's mood improved somewhat. Governing a large country is like steaming small steamed buns; one cannot rush it, for the more hasty, the more likely problems are to arise.

After the meal, Zhu Youjian wandered aimlessly around the inner palace. His parents were dead, and that was it. Now, no one in the inner palace cared about him. Compared to his predecessors, who suffered mistreatment in the outer court and had to act subservient in the inner palace, his situation was far better. So, people should be optimistic and not dwell on worries. Life's tolerance for mistakes is greater than imagined, and the Ming Dynasty, this wrecked ship, has an unusually thick bloodline; it can at least float for another decade or so.

Newly formed military-political alliances are ruthless in war. The Ming Dynasty, this great empire, has existed for over two hundred years—not twenty, not eighty, but over two hundred. Even the terrifying Red Empire didn't last past one hundred years, so how can we expect much from this old thing like the Ming Dynasty?

The Ming Dynasty wasn't defeated by wild boar hides or by refugees, but by time. Zhu Youjian's advantage was also time; he was still young and in good health. If he could stabilize the situation and hold on, he could simply wear down the Later Jin. After all, Nurhaci, who had once struck fear into the hearts of the Ming army, hadn't he died of exhaustion?

The Forbidden City is 753 meters wide from east to west and 961 meters long from north to south. Two-fifths of the northern part is the inner palace, and the southern part is the outer court, which separates from the Qianqing Gate. So, the Forbidden City, the cage that imprisoned the emperor, is actually quite small; walking around it is about the same distance as walking from one end of a village to the other.

The inner palace was also called the Three Palaces and Twelve Courtyards. The Three Palaces were the Qianqing Palace, where the emperor resided; the Kunning Palace, where the empress resided; and the Jiaotai Hall in the center. The three main halls were on the central axis, with six courtyards on each side. Unbeknownst to him, Zhu Youjian had lost his way and ended up in the Kunning Palace.

By now, darkness had fallen, and candles were lit inside the Kunning Palace. The Kunning Palace was also called the Central Palace, so the Empress could also be referred to as the Empress of the Central Palace. The Kunning Palace faced south, with a width of nine bays connected by a corridor and a depth of three bays. This "bay" was actually a unit of area; the Kunning Palace actually had twenty-seven rooms. To prevent the emperor from falling into the water, being struck on the head, or being strangled, even inside the palace, Zhu Youjian was always followed by a group of eunuchs. The eunuchs carried lanterns, which emitted a warm yellow light, but could only illuminate a small area. Under the cover of night, the deep palace seemed less imposing and more terrifying than during the day.

Zhu Youjian saw that the East Warm Pavilion was completely dark, while only the West Warm Pavilion was lit. It seemed that his sister-in-law was still having a tiff. She used to live in the East Warm Pavilion.

Kunning Palace was more than just a palace; it carried profound political significance. Qian (乾) represents Yang, and Kun (坤) represents Yin, signifying the emperor and empress respectively. These two palaces were not only places of residence and rest but also where they conducted state affairs. Zhang Yan's voluntary move out of Kunning Palace signified her relinquishing her power as empress, but Zhu Youjian (Emperor Zhu Youjian) later allowed her to move back.

"His Majesty is here again," a palace maid reported to Zhang Yan in a panic.

It was late at night, and Zhang Yan was somewhat flustered. According to normal reception procedures, she should have ordered the palace gates opened to greet him. However, as soon as she opened the bedroom door, she saw Zhu Youjian's young face. The two brothers looked very alike, and for a moment, Zhang Yan even felt a little disoriented.

"Your Majesty, what urgent matter brings you to see me so late?" Zhang Yan asked.

“It’s getting cold, and my sister-in-law has just moved back to Kunning Palace. I was worried that she might not have prepared warm bedding in the rush, so I came to check on her,” Zhu Youjian said sincerely.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your concern. The room is fully furnished, so there is no need for you to trouble yourself. My sister Zhou has been talking about Your Majesty a lot lately. I'm afraid Your Majesty is too busy with state affairs to visit her often, so she misses you very much. Your Majesty, please go back." Zhang Yan said with a stern face.

"Why is my sister-in-law being so distant with me? I came, and she wouldn't even let me into the house, she wanted to send me away?" Zhu Youjian pretended to be sad, wiping away non-existent tears, and continued, "Today in the outer court, those officials all bullied me. My brother is leaving, does my sister-in-law not want me either?"

Zhang Yan had never encountered such a tactic before. Seeing Zhu Youjian's sorrowful expression, she felt a pang of pain in her heart, and the image of the chubby-faced boy who used to call her "sister-in-law" came to mind again.

Zhu Youxiao was indifferent to her, but Zhu Youjian often brought her what he thought were the best things to please her.

Moreover, she heard that Zhu Youjian's birth mother, Liu, was beaten to death by order of Emperor Guangzong. This child lost his mother at a young age. How pitiful!

Zhang Yan remained silent for a moment, then quietly stepped aside to let Zhu Youjian enter the house.

(End of this chapter)