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

Chapter 13 Nuclear-Powered, Ultra-Long-Lasting SSR Legendary General Card: Loyal Marquis Qin Liangyu
"Oh no, I overslept and I'm going to be late for work! Oh, wait?! I'm the boss, so it's alright. You're just scaring yourself." Zhu Youjian first frantically threw off the blanket, then silently covered himself back up.

Moreover, the temperature is just right now, and with a warm and soft woman in his arms, he's too lazy to get out of bed.

The court assembly proceeded as usual, and the ministers were required to pretend that the emperor was on the dragon throne. He had previously instructed the eunuchs not to wake him unless it was something important.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Zhou Yufeng asked, rubbing her eyes and still feeling groggy.

She propped herself up with one hand and raised her head, but her shoulder slipped out of her loose inner garment, revealing a glimpse of snow-white skin along with it.

Although it's not a huge object, it's easy to hold in one hand, with a rounded and upright shape. It's excellent in both feel and appearance.

"Oh dear, Your Majesty, it's daytime now," Zhou Yufeng exclaimed slightly, then her voice turned into a soft pant.

During his period of reflection, Zhu Youjian rose, and with Zhou Yufeng's help, put on his everyday clothes and tied up his hair.

"Cheng'en, what time is it now?" Zhu Youjian asked.

"Your Majesty, it is now the hour of Si (9-11 AM)."

"Is the morning assembly over?!"

"No, Your Majesty, are you going to attend court?" Wang Chengen inquired.

"I'm not going. If I go, those censors and ministers will keep nagging me," Zhu Youjian said with a sigh.

"That's because you're too lazy," Wang Chengen thought to himself.

"What's on the agenda for today's court assembly? Why is it taking so long?!" Zhu Youjian asked casually. Generally, court assemblies begin at five in the morning and end at nine, but it's already past ten. Of course, a session lasting the entire day like yesterday was a complete exception.

Wang Chengen replied, "It's still the same main issues as yesterday. Today, the Ministry of War proposed that Yuan Chonghuan be reinstated and once again serve as the Commander-in-Chief of Liaodong. Many officials from other ministries also echoed this, but the Cabinet did not approve it, so the debate was quite intense. Grand Secretary Shi of the Cabinet advocated recalling Yuan Chonghuan, but the Grand Secretary and the other two Grand Secretaries did not agree."

Zhu Youjian frowned slightly, but he did not comment on the matter. Instead, he asked, "Has the batch of memorials drafted yesterday been completed and sent over?"

"Only a portion has been delivered; the remaining Grand Secretaries say they haven't reached an agreement yet. The Embroidered Uniform Guard reported that last night the Grand Secretary said he was getting old and his strength was failing, and he seemed to be considering retiring."

"So the Embroidered Uniform Guards are that capable? They can even eavesdrop on the Wenyuan Pavilion. I'm afraid Huang Lijie deliberately had the Embroidered Uniform Guards tell me this," Zhu Youjian mocked.

Wang Chengen was speechless.

Zhu Youjian visited his brother at the Qianqing Palace, and it was clear that his brother had slept peacefully the night before.

In the Maocheng Hall to the west of the compound, Zhu Youjian stared speechlessly at the mountain of memorials piled up there. This wasn't even backlogged; it was just a day's worth of paperwork!

With a bitter face, he opened the memorial. Unlike the memorials presented at court meetings, the ministers at that time recited simplified versions, which only extracted the core content.

However, memorials to the throne have a fixed format. They begin with a general overview, rambling on about various points of reasoning, and then analyze and argue from multiple points (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) and offer suggestions. In short, it is a very complex document.

Moreover, this isn't like grading essays. Some primary and secondary school teachers claim they can score an essay in two seconds, but if the emperor dared to do that, his ministers would dare to slip in their own opinions. Once the memorial is approved, it becomes an official administrative document. You can't just change orders every day; that would only infuriate the emperor.

“Every absurd system has its reasons. No wonder the previous emperors were reluctant to attend court because the noise gave them headaches; and they were unwilling to review memorials because it hurt their eyes.” Zhu Youjian looked at the huge pile of traditional Chinese characters in the memorial and was so annoyed that he wanted to tear it up.

Wang Chengen, seeing Zhu Youjian's bitter and resentful expression, felt somewhat helpless. He was also a Grand Secretary, and by rights, the emperor should have allowed him to help with the imperial red ribbons. However, he, as Grand Secretary, had never been allowed to do so. Of course, Wei Zhongxian had also been stripped of the power to do so, and thinking about this made him feel slightly better.

"Huh?!" Zhu Youjian pulled out an interesting memorial from the pile of memorials. It was a congratulatory memorial from Qin Liangyu, the Pacification Commissioner of Shizhu, congratulating him on his ascension to the throne and expressing her loyalty to him, the new emperor.

Zhu Youjian held the congratulatory letter as if he were admiring an unparalleled beauty, his mouth watering.

Of course, this wasn't because he had any strange thoughts about Qin Liangyu; she's over fifty now. It's just that this is a legendary general card of SSR level, no less powerful than Sun Chuanting!

Marquis Qin Liangyu, known for her loyalty and bravery, was not only a formidable warrior but also remarkably long-lived. She lived until the fifth year of the Shunzhi Emperor's reign, continuing her resistance against the Qing even after the crystal exploded. Her entire family remained loyal and devoted until her death. With over forty years of military service, her footprints covered the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the Great Wall, and the vast land of China—truly a remarkably resilient and powerful general!
Zhu Youjian was starting to get restless. In truth, it was a real waste to send the White-Spear Soldiers to Liaodong to deliver the goods.

The White-Spear Soldiers, who had virtually no connection with the various factions and parties of the imperial court, were the most suitable to be summoned to Beijing to maintain order.

Moreover, Qin Liangyu was not only a skilled fighter, but also an expert at training troops, making her an ideal candidate to wipe out the capital's garrison.

Moreover, Qin Liangyu's status was quite special. Unlike other generals, she was a hereditary chieftain, providing her own rations and controlling both military and political affairs. She didn't have to beg for food from civil officials and could therefore disregard the court's officials.

Essentially, all she needed to do was be loyal to the emperor, since her hereditary chieftain status was certified by him. In some ways, she was even more useful than Sun Chuanting, and like the nobles, she was a natural royalist.

"Cheng'en, does Qin Liangyu have a daughter?" Zhu Youjian asked, repeating his old trick.

Upon hearing this, Wang Chengen's expression was quite interesting, but he still said, "Your Majesty, Madam Qin Liangyu and the late Ma Qiancheng, the Pacification Commissioner of Shizhu, only had one son, and we have never heard of them having a daughter."

Zhu Youjian was somewhat regretful. He dipped his brush in blue paint and wrote a long, sycophantic passage on the document: "General is a heroine, no less than any man. My admiration for General is not something that has only been a day ago. When my elder brother was in power, he often spoke to me of General's bravery and heroic bearing, which I admired greatly."

I will remember the injustice done to General Ma Qiancheng's husband and will surely exonerate him in the future. How could I forget the great hardships and sacrifices that General Ma and his family endured in the bloody battle of Hunhe?

I have carefully read through the congratulatory letter presented by the General. After reading it, I am very pleased. The General's unwavering loyalty to our Great Ming Dynasty is as clear as the sun and moon, and Heaven and Earth bear witness to it. I will always believe in it.

Having just ascended the throne, I am filled with trepidation and need the assistance of pillars of the nation like you, General.

September has arrived in the blink of an eye, and the weather in the capital is gradually turning cold. I wonder if the General is doing well in Shu? The General is advanced in years; please take good care of yourself and keep warm. The fate of our Great Ming Dynasty, and the stability of my empire, all depend on the General.”

Normally, the emperor used cinnabar to review memorials, hence the name "red cinnabar." During periods of national mourning, to express grief, the emperor switched to using blue pigment made of lapis lazuli.

However, this pigment was used for painting. When writing, the ink was applied thinly and was prone to fading. Therefore, the Ministry of Revenue submitted a memorial stating that the financial figures were quite sensitive and that fading would cause confusion in the accounts, which would be very troublesome. They requested that the Grand Secretaries and the Emperor continue to use red ink when reviewing this part of the document.

After writing it, Zhu Youjian affixed the seal of the Directorate of Ceremonial and his personal seal to the congratulatory letter.

Then she drew a white jade belt from her waist and asked, "Cheng'en, do you think this belt suits Madam Qin's waistline?!"

Wang Chengen's eyelids twitched. What did it mean to be "beloved by the emperor"? He was so envious!

"Lady Qin Liangyu has been granted an imperial title and inherited the title of Pacification Commissioner. The court needs to issue her an imperial title robe and official robes. The Imperial Wardrobe should be able to find records of her taking measurements for the robes. However, it is said that Lady Qin is tall and robust with a full figure, so Your Majesty's belt is probably a bit too short."

"I see." Zhu Youjian said with some regret. He then took off his sword and handed it to Wang Chengen along with the congratulatory letter, instructing, "Go to the Imperial Wardrobe and get a suitable jade belt, and transfer a thousand taels of gold from the Imperial Treasury. Have the Embroidered Uniform Guard deliver all of these to Qin Liangyu."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "Let his son Ma Xianglin go to the capital to attend the late emperor's funeral, and order him to bring three thousand White Spear Soldiers to carry the late emperor's coffin."

(End of this chapter)