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

Chapter 45 Sun Chuanting, Governor of Yansui

"Your Majesty, I want to go back." Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Sun Shixiu was restless. She was very brave when she was seducing the emperor, but she became timid after actually succeeding.

"Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back. You've come all this way, how can I let you leave like this?" Zhu Youjian laughed. He hadn't been near any women for many days, and if this continued, he was starting to doubt the meaning of being this emperor.

“Your Majesty, the lights are still on…” Sun Shixiu’s eyes blinked and trembled.

"Why turn off the lights? I want to keep a close eye on you." Zhu Youjian brushed aside Sun Shixiu's hair.

"Hmm!" Sun Shixiu wanted to say something more, but her mouth was covered. She closed her eyes, and after a while she slowly opened them, only to find the emperor looking at her with a half-smile.

They had been fooling around all night, staying up very late. Fortunately, they had a day off the next day and didn't have to attend the morning court session. When the sun was high in the sky, the two of them slowly woke up.

Sun Shixiu nestled against Zhu Youjian's chest and asked, "Your Majesty, were you really just talking to my sister that night?"

Zhu Youjian smiled faintly and said, "Guess."

"Oh, Your Majesty~ just tell me!" Sun Shixiu said in a clingy manner.

“Really,” Zhu Youjian replied.

Sun Shixiu's eyes lit up, and she said happily, "Your Majesty, shall I go back now?"

At Chuxiu Palace, Sun Shixiu had already circled around Sun Shiwan for the third time, but Sun Shiwan hadn't even glanced at her, which made her feel somewhat discouraged.

"Sister, look at me!" Sun Shixiu couldn't help but say.

Only then did Sun Shiwan raise her head to look at her, her gaze indifferent, as if she were looking at a fool.

Sun Shixiu opened her mouth, but the words she wanted to say seemed to be stuck in her throat, leaving only a feeling of frustration. In the end, she said nothing and retreated from the house like a defeated rooster.

Sigh! After Sun Shixiu left, Sun Shiwan let out a long sigh, feeling lost. From the moment her sister entered the room, she hadn't turned a page of her book.

Unable to continue reading, Sun Shiwan got up, went out into the courtyard, picked up a spear, and began practicing martial arts.

"Don't practice today, go and rest," Sun Shiwan said to her younger sister.

"I'm not going to practice, I'll just sit here and watch you," Sun Shixiu said, looking aggrieved.

"Didn't you get what you wanted? Why are you so dejected?" Sun Shiwan asked without turning her head.

“It’s just not quite what I expected,” Sun Shixiu said.

"What's the difference?"

“I think His Majesty still favors you the most. No matter what I do, I can’t compare to you. Why is it that everyone has always liked you more since we were little?” Sun Shixiu said with a sob in her voice.

Sun Shiwan rolled her eyes and said, "His Majesty likes our father the most, not you, and not me."

"Huh?!" Sun Shixiu was stunned, and even forgot to cry.

In Guyuan County, Ningxia, at the Governor-General's Office of the Three Border Regions, Cao Huachun, dressed in a red python robe, was reading an imperial edict. Cao Huachun had just returned to the capital from Yansui and had been sent out again by the emperor. He hadn't been to the kitchen for two months. He had succeeded in pleasing the emperor by preparing delicious dishes, but the emperor's way of valuing him seemed to have gone astray, leaving him feeling somewhat disheartened.

By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:
I believe that the stability of the nation depends on its pillars, and the security of its borders relies even more on its strong defenders. Sun Chuanting, formerly a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, possesses profound knowledge and insight, and is skilled in practical matters. Now, Yansui is a crucial town, frequently plagued by enemy threats. Therefore, I hereby promote you to Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, to be the Governor of Yansui and other local areas, to oversee military affairs, and to manage provisions and supplies.

"It seems His Majesty has great faith in Boya. Congratulations!" Sun Chengzong said happily.

Sun Chengzong submitted a memorial to the emperor recommending Sun Chuanting, expecting at most a fourth-rank official position such as a provincial administration advisor, since Sun had only previously held the fifth rank. Now, his direct promotion to the second-rank governor was a meteoric rise.

Sun Chuanting bowed and thanked him, but there was not much joy on his face.

"But are you filled with fear and anxiety?!" Sun Chengzong said, stroking his beard.

“I fear I will not be able to convince the public,” Sun Chuanting replied.

“I am quite familiar with the Commander-in-Chief of Yansui. I can write him a letter and ask him not to make things difficult for you. In my opinion, with your talent, Boya is more than qualified to be a governor. Why belittle yourself?” Sun Chengzong comforted him.

Sun Chuanting declined Sun Chengzong's offer, as he also had his own pride. Being inexplicably made a relative of the emperor by virtue of his own family was already enough to draw criticism; he didn't want to rely on Sun Chengzong's name and influence any further.

“You…” Sun Chengzong pointed at Sun Chuanting and shook his head helplessly.

Along with the imperial edict of appointment came a letter from his daughter. Sun Chuanting opened the envelope, and the bold, unruly handwriting came into view.

In her letter, Sun Shiwan said that the emperor treated her and her sister very well. On their very first day in Beijing, he took them to the Embroidered Uniform Guard's elephant training center to see the elephants.

Sun Chuanting frowned slightly upon seeing this. The world was in such a state of chaos; how could the emperor have such leisure time?! However, when he saw that a baby elephant had been born in the Ming Dynasty, a slight smile appeared on his face.

Sun Shiwan said that the emperor even specially ordered the Imperial Kitchen to prepare vinegar for them and asked if they needed to replace rice with noodles.

Empress Zhou and Empress Zhang were both very kind and did not bully them by abusing their power. They were also very free in the palace and could practice martial arts as usual. The emperor was skilled in archery and horsemanship, but his martial arts skills were not very good.

Of course, after the brief greetings, Sun Shiwan also passed on some useful information to Sun Chuanting:

The emperor did not purge the eunuch faction, and Wei Zhongxian is now by his side; the officials of the court have not changed much, and the Grand Secretaries and the Ministers of the Six Ministries have not been replaced; the court has recently won two battles, including a great victory in the southwest, but the governors of the five provinces have been replaced; the emperor has replaced the imperial guards, causing an uproar among the officials.

Closing the letter, Sun Chuanting was somewhat worried. He wondered how his daughter, living deep within the palace, could possibly know so much about what was happening in the outer court! He feared that his daughter might break the rules in order to obtain information, and what would happen if she offended the emperor?

“Lord Sun, you may reply to the two empresses, or if you have any memorials to submit to His Majesty, you may hand them over to me,” Cao Huachun said softly.

"Then I'll trouble you, sir." Sun Chuanting thanked Cao Huachun, then reached into his robes and fumbled for a tattered purse, freezing in place. He had been meddling in other people's business and had exchanged some rice for food to distribute to the starving people, but he had forgotten about this earlier.

Sun Chengzong saw Sun Chuanting's predicament. He had always abhorred bribing eunuchs, but for Sun Chuanting's sake, he still took out a small bag of silver and stuffed it into Cao Huachun's hand.

This was the Imperial Tutor, so how could Eunuch Cao dare to accept the money? He repeatedly declined. So Sun Chengzong simply put the silver back into his sleeve, reached out and led him aside, saying, "Eunuch Cao is of noble character. I have prepared some coarse tea for you!"

It was indeed coarse tea; one sip and it was all broken leaves and foam. Cao Huachun dared not drink any more and could only stare blankly at the teacup.

The next day, Sun Chuanting bid farewell to Sun Chengzong and, with three or five attendants, set off from Guyuan City in Ningxia, heading southeast towards Yansui Town.

(End of this chapter)