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

Chapter 34 Sun Chengzong arrested Sun Chuanting.

The next day, the court officials remonstrated with the emperor for his disrespect and impeached Duke Zhang Weixian for overstepping his bounds.

Zhu Youjian punished himself with three cups of wine and humbly accepted advice, but did not change his ways; poor Zhang Weixian was fined half a month's salary and confined to his room for ten days to reflect on his mistakes.

After the court session, Zhu Youjian looked at Zhang Weixian's resentful little eyes and felt a little sorry for him, so he invited him to the palace for a meal. He was served imperial wine and delicacies, and after the meal, they rode out of the city together to go hunting.

"Again?!" Zhang Weixian's face turned green. He hurriedly said that his concubine was about to give birth and he had to rush back to the mansion. He couldn't accompany the emperor on the hunting trip.

Zhu Youjian chuckled and shook his head.

Back in the inner palace, Zhu Youjian found that his wife was in a bad mood: the Siamese elephants had all given birth, but her belly still showed no signs of pregnancy.

They've been married for so long and have had plenty of sexual relations, but why haven't they seen any results? She began to doubt herself, and the recent inexplicable birth of two sisters only worsened Zhou Yufeng's mood.

Zhou Yufeng sat in front of the mirror, staring blankly at herself. Only by seeing her increasingly beautiful appearance could she regain a little confidence. Footsteps sounded, and Zhu Youjian's figure gradually entered the mirror.

Zhu Youjian then stood behind her with his arms outstretched, but Zhou Yufeng got up and dodged away as if in a huff.

"I brought you a gift, are you sure you don't want to take a look?" Zhu Youjian tempted.

Zhou Yufeng froze, feeling that it would be embarrassing to turn back, but if she didn't go back, she was so curious that it was like a hundred claws were scratching at her heart. She was extremely conflicted.

"Alright, I've left the gift here. Open it when you're in a better mood," Zhu Youjian said and left. Zhou Yufeng was left alone in the room, and she felt even more aggrieved.

After waiting a while, Zhu Youjian didn't return. Zhou Yufeng went to the door and peeked out, looking around to make sure the emperor was indeed gone. Unable to contain her curiosity, she went back inside to examine the so-called gifts Zhu Youjian had given her.

On the dressing table lay a bright yellow imperial edict, and Zhou Yufeng's heart pounded in her chest. With trembling hands, she unrolled the scroll, and the contents of the edict came into view:

By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:
I believe that Heaven is strong and Earth is harmonious, Yin and Yang are in their proper positions; the cauldron and the ritual vessels are in place, and the foundation of the nation is thus prosperous. I beseech your consort, Lady Zhou, who is of outstanding beauty and virtue, gentle and kind, and possesses the virtues of a virtuous and respectful woman, embodying all six virtues perfectly.

By the grace of the Empress Dowager Cixi, you are hereby established as Empress with a golden book and golden seal.

You shall occupy the central palace, devoutly uphold the ancestral lineage, and harmoniously propagate the teachings of the underworld; you shall be kind and benevolent to your consorts, and serve as a model of maternal virtue for the entire world.

Awesome!

September 9th, the seventh year of the Tianqi reign
"Plop," a tear fell onto the jujube wood table, spreading and almost landing on the imperial edict. Zhou Yufeng quickly rolled up the edict, then covered her mouth, crying and laughing at the same time.

Zhu Youjian had also figured it out: he would definitely need to expand his harem in the future, so rather than finding a strong empress and causing chaos, it would be better to make Zhou the empress. He was taking advantage of Zhou Yufeng's gentle nature. Besides, Sun Shixiu was a scheming and manipulative girl who didn't seem like a docile person. It would be better to make her empress sooner rather than later, so as to prevent her from having any improper thoughts.

"What's that little green tea doing?" Zhu Youjian had unknowingly gotten lost in the harem again...

Inside Chuxiu Palace, Sun Shiwan was torturing Sun Shixiu by sparring with her while wielding a large spear. Sun Shixiu, who was usually prone to cunning and trickery, was no match for her sister and could only struggle to cope.

"Sister, I was wrong, please forgive me!" Sun Shixiu pleaded desperately.

"What did you do wrong?!" Sun Shiwan continued to press.

“I did nothing wrong! The Emperor summoned us sisters to the palace just to lust after us, didn’t he? It’s only natural for me to be close to the Emperor and my husband, how can that be called seduction?” Sun Shixiu shouted, her neck stiff. “You can do whatever you want in private, but you shouldn’t do it in front of Sister Zhou! How is she supposed to face her?” Sun Shiwan said coldly, her eyebrows raised.

"My sister! The emperor has three thousand beauties in his harem, and if you don't compete, you won't even get a whiff of the emperor's scent! Shouldn't we sisters support each other? How can we fight amongst ourselves?" Sun Shixiu threw away the wooden stick, crouched down with her head in her hands in defense. Sun Shiwan's spear stopped steadily an inch in front of her forehead; the slightest misstep would result in a bloody head.

"Ahem, actually, there aren't three thousand beauties in the harem, nor three thousand palace maids. I only have three wives now, including the two of you," Zhu Youjian said, peeking out from outside the courtyard.

"Your Majesty!!!" Sun Shixiu, who had been so sharp-tongued just moments before, stammered. Her sister, Sun Shiwan, also felt embarrassed, her face turning red to the roots of her ears.

"You're quite skilled with the spear," Zhu Youjian praised. After saying that, he took the wooden pole from Sun Shiwan and demonstrated a set of moves in a very professional manner.

Sun Shiwan frowned as she finished reading, then looked at Zhu Youjian, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating.

"Everyone praises my archery and horsemanship skills, saying they far surpass those of my court officials," Zhu Youjian said with considerable pride.

Sun Shiwan's face was contorted in pain as she went through all the sad things that had happened in her life.

"Laugh if you want! I'm not really stupid. Of course I know they're saying that to flatter me. How could my fancy footwork compare to real martial arts on the battlefield? Isn't this just like the saying, 'My wife praises me because she loves me; my concubine praises me because she fears me; my guest praises me because he wants something from me'?"

"Pfft," Sun Shixiu couldn't help but burst into laughter first, laughing so hard her stomach hurt and she couldn't straighten up.

Sun Shiwan stopped laughing. She looked at Zhu Youjian thoughtfully and said, "Your Majesty just used the spear. Your technique was skillful and not bad at all. It's just that you haven't practiced stance training, which made your lower body unstable. If Your Majesty wants to learn, I can teach you."

"Huh?!" Sun Shixiu's smile froze. She stared blankly at her sister, her mind racing with curses.

"Very well! When I have some free time, I will definitely come and ask you for advice. Also, stop messing around with these two clotheslines. I will have a eunuch find you some proper spears from the armory later."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Sun Shiwan smiled, as if palace life was not as dreary as she had originally imagined, and the emperor was not a rigid and boring person.

"By the way, Your Majesty, this is a memorial my father asked me to present to you." Sun Shiwan handed the memorial, "There Must Be Weaknesses in the Enemy's Situation," to the emperor.

Zhu Youjian opened it and found that it was a military paper by Sun Chuanting showcasing his skills. He had mastered both literary and martial arts and was selling them to the imperial family. This was Sun Chuanting's personal profile, intended for seeking official positions.

The general idea is to emphasize turning the enemy's weaknesses into our own advantages through strategy and psychological warfare, which comes from the "Art of War" by Sun Tzu: "The form of an army is to avoid the strong and attack the weak, to make the enemy appear without us having form" and "If you prepare in front, you will be weak in the rear; if you prepare in the rear, you will be weak in the front."

"Are you descendants of Sun Tzu?" Zhu Youjian asked curiously.

Sun Shiwan was utterly bewildered by the emperor's thought process. She shook her head and said, "Sun Tzu lived a hundred generations ago, and his descendants are long gone. My ancestor was a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard during the Hongwu era, but my father did indeed study Sun Tzu's Art of War."

"What a pity, your memorial is too late!" After saying that, Zhu Youjian, under Sun Shiwan's questioning gaze, took out a memorial and handed it to her, explaining with a wry smile, "Sun Chengzong, the governor-general of the three border regions of Shaanxi whom I just appointed, took a liking to your father when he passed through Shanxi. Now he has submitted a memorial recommending your father for an official position. What do you think would be a good official title for him?"

“This humble woman dares not offer any opinion; I leave it all to Your Majesty’s wise decision,” Sun Shiwan said cautiously.

"You can write to your father more often, and you don't need to be too restrained in the palace. If any wicked servants bully you, don't suffer in silence; you can come to me to complain," Zhu Youjian said earnestly.

Being reported and ordered to delete and modify the content is heartbreaking and painful.

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(End of this chapter)