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

Chapter 21 The Poor Empress of the Empire, A Hairpin and Old Clothes
"Sister-in-law, what brings you here?" Zhu Youjian was a little surprised. He had just been thinking about what excuse to use to find Zhang Yan, but she had delivered herself to his door.

“Your Majesty, I heard that we are struggling to raise enough money to build the late Emperor’s tomb. I have saved some money from my annual tribute and income from my estates over the years.” After saying this, Zhang Yan handed the dressing box in her arms to Zhu Youjian.

Zhu Youjian opened the wooden box and found only three hundred-tael banknotes, several dozen taels of small gold and silver, and even jewelry such as gold and silver hairpins, jade pendants, and bracelets.

The items weighed several pounds, but if this were the wealth of an empress of an empire, it would be pitifully small. Zhu Youjian noticed that Zhang Yan's hairpin had been replaced with a thorn hairpin, and her clothes, which were already somewhat faded from washing, made Zhu Youjian's heart tremble.

Zhang Yan lowered her head slightly and said somewhat shyly, "I know these aren't worth much money, but I hope Your Majesty will accept them, so that I can do my part. After all..."

Zhang Yan didn't say what she wanted to say next, as it would inevitably sound like she was harboring resentment. The country was facing a difficult situation, and she didn't want to so hastily conclude that Zhu Youjian didn't care about his brother's affairs after his death. Although rumors were already circulating in the court and among the people that the late emperor and the current emperor were friendly brothers but the younger brother was disrespectful.

Zhu Youjian also noticed that Zhang Yan's eyes were slightly red, clearly indicating that she had just shed a small pearl. They were currently in the Maoqin Hall of the Qianqing Palace, which was the study on the west side. To enter, they had to pass through the main hall. In the main hall, Zhu Youjian was lying with his head facing north and his feet facing south. Zhang Yan had to pass by the late emperor's coffin first to get there, and seeing the coffin would inevitably remind her of him, causing her sadness.

Zhu Youjian took a deep breath and said earnestly, "Sister-in-law, rest assured, most of the money for my brother's mausoleum has been raised. I will do everything I can to raise the rest so that my brother can be laid to rest as soon as possible. I will accept the money you brought, but please take these hairpins and bracelets back. Even women from commoner families have several pieces of gold and silver jewelry to pass down through generations. As the Empress of a nation, how can you wear wooden hairpins?"

Seeing that the emperor had seen through her embarrassment, Zhang Yan's face flushed red. She clutched the hem of her dress, looking rather flustered. Zhu Youjian poured the loose coins onto three silver notes, then put the jewelry back into his dressing case, leaving only a hairpin clutched in his hand.

"Come, let me put it on for you," Zhu Youjian said as he walked up to Zhang Yan, the two of them now less than half a meter apart.

“No, Your Majesty, let me do it myself.” Zhang Yan refused repeatedly. However, Zhu Youjian ignored her rebuttal, quickly inserting the gold hairpin with kingfisher feather inlay into Zhang Yan’s hair bun, and then pulled out the hairpin made of a simple yellow thorn branch and was about to throw it away.

"No, it took me a long time to make that," Zhang Yan said, sounding aggrieved.

Zhu Youjian, both amused and exasperated, stuffed the bramble into the box as well.

"Let's go, sister-in-law, let's have lunch at your Kunning Palace," Zhu Youjian said, holding a dressing case.

"Mmm," Zhang Yan responded softly.

The Emperor and Empress Yi'an joined forces, walking side by side down the road. Zhang Yan lowered her head, her expression seemingly somewhat lost.

After a quick meal, Zhu Youjian left. Watching his departing figure, Zhang Yan felt a pang of anxiety again. All of this culminated in a soft sigh within the deep palace. This palace had accumulated countless regrets over the centuries; could she be an exception?
Zhu Youjian wasn't actually as carefree as Zhang Yan had perceived; his smile stretched from ear to ear. Compared to the ministers, his sister-in-law was far too naive, her emotions written all over her face. Dealing with them was exhausting, but dealing with his sister-in-law was truly relaxing and delightful, making him feel much less tired.

"Your Majesty, may I record your meal with Empress Yi'an today?" The old eunuch of the Imperial Household Department asked quietly, holding the "Daily Records of the Imperial Ceremony." He had already given up struggling, as the "Daily Records of the Imperial Ceremony" had long been altered beyond recognition under the emperor's strong intervention.

"Write it down, write it down, record it truthfully, but don't embellish it," Zhu Youjian said, waving his hand.

The old eunuch readily agreed, took out a brush, moistened it with his tongue, and began writing in the notebook with a beaming smile:
On the day of Xinmao in the eighth month of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign (1627), Empress Zhang, née Yi'an, went to the Qianqing Palace to present silver for the construction of the imperial mausoleum. She had given all of her private savings, totaling 337 taels of silver and 19 taels of gold, which she personally presented to the Emperor. The Emperor praised her sincerity and ordered the Directorate of Ceremonial to register and receive the funds.

At 9:35 AM, the Emperor and Empress returned to Kunning Palace together. The Emperor walked with dignified steps, while the Empress followed him with a sullen expression.

At lunchtime, the emperor served three bowls of rice and then seven chopsticks for the next meal. The next meal was not finished, so the emperor ate the rest.

Before dawn, the Emperor returned from Kunning Palace to Qianqing Palace. The Empress Dowager leaned against the pavilion and watched him leave through the palace gate, her face showing great pleasure.

Something was wrong, very wrong. Zhu Youjian saw the old eunuch's increasingly arrogant smile and immediately sensed something was wrong. He snatched the daily records and took a look, and his vision went black.

What does it mean for the emperor to walk with his head held high and the empress to look shy?

The emperor ate three bowls of rice with a great appetite and served the empress seven times. The empress, however, had a poor appetite and did not finish her meal. So the emperor took the remaining half bowl of rice from the empress and ate it!

The emperor and empress parted ways. The empress leaned against the window, looking reluctant to leave, while the emperor, with his back to her, revealed a wild smile?!

"Why are you writing daily records? Ah, you might as well go write vernacular novels. Remember to share half of your royalties with me."

"Your Majesty, don't tear it!" The old eunuch was heartbroken.

"Forget it, let's leave it at that. Nobody reads this anyway." Zhu Youjian gave up and tossed the notebook back to the old eunuch.

The old eunuch stroked his little notebook with heartache, only to find that the page he had just written on had been torn in half.

It's okay, we can just find some glue to stick it back on later. Anyway, the original copy of the Daily Records will have to be copied again.

After returning to the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youjian felt a bit bloated, so instead of taking a nap immediately, he spread out paper and pen and began writing a letter:
Dear Uncle Gui:
I am your nephew, Zhu Youjian. My brother has passed away, but the Ministry of Revenue refuses to fund the construction of his imperial mausoleum. There's constant fighting in Liaodong, and I owe soldiers their wages, which I can't pay. The soldiers are on the verge of revolt!
I'm so poor! My allowance isn't even enough to support these palace maids and eunuchs. Several eunuchs have starved to death, and the palace maids are all sallow-faced and have already gone through menopause in their teens.

Uncle Wang, please have pity on me and lend my nephew some money to tide him over. Anything from silver coins to copper coins, cloth, or grain will do. My nephew won't be picky. Please!
After finishing writing it, Zhu Youjian summoned Wang Chengen and had him make dozens of copies of the letter, sending one to each of the princes.

Such as Prince Lu Zhu Shouyong, Prince Fu Zhu Changxun, Prince Tang Zhu Shuohuang, Prince Qin Zhu Yichang, Prince Zhou Zhu Suzhen, and so on.

After reading the outrageous stuff written by the emperor, Wang Chengen could hardly bear to look at it, and his understanding of "the emperor's shamelessness" reached a new level.

(End of this chapter)