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

Chapter 2. His face was as fair and radiant as jade, truly a rare beauty!

According to the ancestral precepts set by Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty were required to attend court every day.

However, even the prime minister system that he abolished was resurrected, and the rule of attending court every day was naturally broken by later emperors.

During the Ming Dynasty, civil officials always spoke of ancestral precepts, but they only invoked them when it was not in their favor. When the emperor himself was being lazy and giving them freedom, no one would bring up ancestral precepts to object.

Ironically, Emperor Chongzhen was one of the few Ming emperors who managed to attend court every day. Yet, despite his relentless efforts, the Ming Dynasty fell. Sometimes, effort doesn't guarantee a good outcome; going in the wrong direction can lead to nothing.

So what's the point? He exhausts himself and ruins the country. Zhu Youjian, a time traveler, wisely abolished daily court sessions, opting instead for a two-day work week followed by a one-day rest—a schedule better than any god's, which greatly disappointed the group of upright officials who had initially supported him.

This group of people, how should I put it? They are indeed incompetent, but not all of them are corrupt officials. In terms of their niche, they are more like angry young people.

When a hot-blooded minister meets a hot-blooded crown prince, sparks fly and they inevitably end up together.

However, times have changed. Zhu Youjian no longer had the energy to indulge their madness, and he was determined to continue his slacking off to the very end.

"Ugh, I have to go to work again tomorrow. How annoying. Should I change it to three court sessions a month? No, I've only just become emperor. This is too decadent." Zhu Youjian thought listlessly, rubbing his face.

After transmigrating, he was particularly proud of his face.

Praising oneself is just self-aggrandizement; praise from others carries more weight. Emperor Chongzhen's good looks were documented and certified by the Korean envoys, who wrote the following in their history books: "His face was fair and radiant, with long eyebrows that reached his eyes, pupils like black lacquer, red lips and a beautiful mustache, a voice like a resounding bell, and a graceful and extraordinary demeanor. He was truly a peerless figure."

"Your Majesty, the meal is ready. Please move in and dine," said a eunuch who did not look like a eunuch as he approached.

This man has well-defined features, a full moon-shaped face, sharp eyes, and eyebrows that slant into his temples. He exudes an air of integrity and straightforwardness, and it is no exaggeration to describe him as having a dignified appearance.

"Holy crap, he's almost half as handsome as me!"

He was none other than the renowned Imperial Guard's top expert, Eunuch Cao Huachun! Unfortunately, there was no martial arts training here, and Cao Huachun told Zhu Youjian that he did not know how to fight.

However, Zhu Youjian would not underestimate this eunuch Cao because of this. Although he could not fight, he could fight. After Cao Huachun became the chief eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration, he organized and trained the Brave Guard Battalion and discovered fierce generals such as Sun Yingyuan, Huang Degong and Zhou Yuji.

At its peak, the Brave Guard Battalion was able to crush both wild boars and peasant rebels, but unfortunately, it was ultimately powerless to reverse its fate and was worn down by continuous rebellions.

But what could be done? The problems of the Ming Dynasty couldn't be solved by winning a single war. People would die if they didn't have enough to eat, and those who didn't want to die would rebel. Without solving this fundamental problem, rebellions would never end. In the late Ming period, the Ming army was still quite capable; at least most of the time, they could crush the peasant uprising armies.

However, despite his thick eyebrows and big eyes, Cao Huachun is not stubborn and knows how to please his superiors. He is not yet a governor and has no army under his command, only a large group of cooks.

After Zhu Youjian entered the palace, Cao Huachun tried every means to prepare delicious food for him, serving more than a dozen dishes a day, and not repeating the same dish for several days.

The key issue is that he had never eaten or even seen many of these strange ingredients before. If this meal had happened 380 years from now, he would probably have been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Zhu Youjian had a good appetite. As the saying goes, "If you give up now, the world will suddenly become vast." Being carefree, he was not easily anxious. He ate heartily, feeling that he would get fat if he continued like this.

This is another point of contention. Generally speaking, people should eat vegetarian food during the national mourning period, but no one seems to care about this.

In the outer court, his brother did not leave him any regents or figures with power and prestige like Zhang Juzheng who could act as regent; in the inner court, apart from Wei Zhongxian's faction, there were only the old men he brought from the Prince Xin's residence, whom he "replaced with new titles and entered the palace to take charge of affairs."

Wei Zhongxian's faction is now all bark and no bite, living in constant fear and trying to curry favor with him.

Originally, Wei Zhongxian was desperate and prepared to fight to the death because Zhu Youjian, during his time as Prince Xin, had repeatedly made similar statements about killing the eunuch faction and accusing Wei Zhongxian of bringing disaster to the country and the people. He said: "Wei Zhongxian usurped the power of the state, stole from the imperial treasury, framed loyal officials, and treated many lives as worthless. He is as ruthless as a wolf and tiger." "This villain is just one person. The officials in the outer court followed him, and this is how things came to this. His crimes are beyond reproach."

However, after Zhu Youjian entered the palace, he spoke to him gently, saying, "The late emperor said that you are diligent and loyal, and can handle important matters."

This left Wei Zhongxian somewhat bewildered. Although he didn't know if Zhu Youjian was acting, he still refrained from taking any drastic actions and chose to align himself with the new emperor.

No matter what, he was just a eunuch. Now, the people below were in chaos, all hoping for his downfall, and his orders were no longer effective. This terrified him, and he gradually woke up from the illusion of absolute power, realizing that he was nothing without the emperor. Since the emperor had given him a chance, he couldn't be ungrateful.

"Is the Empress Dowager in Kunning Palace?" Zhu Youjian asked.

"Your Majesty, Empress Yi'an has moved to Cining Palace," Wang Chengen replied.

"Ciqing Palace?!" Zhu Youjian frowned; he was unaware of this matter.

The affairs of the inner palace are managed by the Empress and generally do not go through him. There is currently a power vacuum, as his wife, Lady Zhou, has not yet been made Empress. Therefore, in principle, the inner palace should still be managed by his sister-in-law, the Empress.

Zhu Youjian was actually reluctant to make Lady Zhou empress because her father-in-law, Zhou Kui, had such a terrible reputation. Selling his own grandson to the enemy—was that something a human being could do? Not to mention his corruption. The Ming Dynasty's selection system for empresses was incredibly bizarre; most empresses came from humble backgrounds, and Zhou Kui didn't even have a proper family—he was just a fortune teller. Yet, these commoners, once they became imperial relatives, instantly and inexplicably learned to embezzle.

Guarding against maternal relatives and imperial clansmen, after all this guarding, who can the emperor ultimately rely on?! The emperor has truly become a lonely figure, trapped in this deep palace, ruling with nothing to do but refrain from issuing edicts beyond the Forbidden City.

"Let's go to Cining Palace. I want to have dinner with my sister-in-law. I'll also invite the Princess Consort to come along," Zhu Youjian said.

"Does Your Majesty need to inform Empress Yi'an in advance?" Wang Chengen asked, pausing for a moment.

"No need."

"Your Majesty, His Majesty has arrived!" A palace maid from Cining Palace rushed in to report.

"Your Majesty?!" Zhang Yan was stunned for a long time before she realized that it was the new emperor Zhu Youjian, not her husband. Thinking of this, tears welled up in her eyes again.

After a while, Zhang Yan suppressed her grief, wiped away her tears, and got up to greet them.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. May Your Majesty be well?" Zhang Yan bowed and said.

"I am well," Chongzhen said, then reached out to help Zhang Yan up, and said gently, "We are all family, sister-in-law, there is no need for such formalities."

"Hmm?!" Zhu Youjian was taken aback when he saw the tear stains on Zhang Yan's face. He asked with some concern, "Has Your Majesty been wronged? If anyone has bullied you, you can tell me, and I will definitely seek justice for you. Before he left, Your Majesty specifically instructed me to take good care of you."

"No, no, no one bullied me. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I just miss the late Emperor." Zhang Yan awkwardly pulled away from Zhu Youjian's hand that was supporting her.

"Uh," Zhu Youjian finally realized his mistake and felt a little embarrassed; he really hadn't meant to. However…

Zhu Youjian sized up his sister-in-law. As the saying goes, one should wear mourning clothes to look beautiful. Zhang Yan was one of the five most beautiful empresses in ancient times, and her beauty was recorded in history books.

Zhu Youjian was a normal man, and it was hard for him not to be moved by such a beauty.

She was tall and graceful, with a face like Guanyin, eyes like autumn waves, and a complexion like the morning glow reflecting on snow, or like a lotus emerging from the water; her hair was like spring clouds, her eyes like autumn water, her mouth like cherries, her nose like a hanging gall, her teeth white and fine, her forehead full and broad, her cheeks graceful and pleasing, her neck white and long, her shoulders round and straight, her back thick and flat; her steps were like light clouds emerging from distant peaks, and her voice was like white stones passing through a secluded spring.

"Oh my god," Zhu Youjian felt a pang of guilt. Zhang Yan was five years older than him, and as his elder brother, she was like a father to him, and as his sister-in-law, she was like a mother to him. Even his princess was chosen for him by Zhang Yan.

However, compared to the beautiful older sister Zhang Yan, the little girl Zhou Shi really didn't arouse much interest in Zhu Youjian. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gotten married in February, and now it's August, and the princess is still not pregnant.

Zhu Youjian stared intently at Zhang Yan, whose eyes darted away, her head lowered, and her face slightly flushed.

"Your Majesty, what brings Your Majesty here?" Zhang Yan couldn't help but interrupt the awkward silence.

"Ah, I heard that you haven't been eating much lately, and I was worried about your health, so I asked the Imperial Kitchen to bring some food over so we could eat together. Also, there are some things I'd like to discuss with you. Oh, and I've also sent someone to fetch the Princess Consort," Zhu Youjian said.

Zhang Yan opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. She felt both touched and uneasy.

The eunuchs filed in carrying trays, but Zhu Youjian dismissed them all, leaving only the two of them in the room. Zhang Yan sat upright in her chair, her fingers nervously clutching the hem of her dress.

"It is like this," Zhu Youjian said earnestly. "I feel that the Princess Consort is still young and comes from a commoner background. She is also somewhat weak-willed. I do not think she has the ability to manage the harem. Therefore, I would like to ask my sister-in-law to continue to manage the harem on her behalf."

"Huh?!" Zhang Yan was stunned for a moment. "But this is against the rules, and His Majesty is going to make the Princess Consort Empress. How will she handle this?"

"This is a good thing for her. The matter is settled. Please continue to take care of it, Your Majesty," Zhu Youjian said without a doubt.

"But, but..." Zhang Yan felt that this was wrong, but it was not good to disobey orders directly, so she was anxious and paced around in circles.

"Ciqing Palace is deserted, so please continue to stay in Kunning Palace, Your Majesty. I'll have someone help you move your things back later," he continued, effectively silencing Zhang Yan's attempt to refuse.

"How did Prince Xin become so domineering after becoming emperor?" Zhang Yan felt troubled and helpless about Zhu Youjian.

After finalizing the matter, the two fell silent for a moment, staring at each other for a glance before each counting the grains of rice in their own bowls, each lost in their own thoughts.

Zhu Youjian suddenly remembered a historical record: "In the seventeenth year of Chongzhen's reign, Beijing fell, and Empress Zhang Yan, the Empress Yi'an, hanged herself." Thinking of this, Zhu Youjian felt sorry for his sister-in-law.

(End of this chapter)