Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 25 I still remember the place where I rode bamboo horses in my youth; today, the imperial carriage passes through the front courtyard.

The clatter of horses' hooves echoed through the empty Forbidden City.

Zhu Youjian held Zhou Yu's slender waist with one arm and gripped the reins tightly with the other. The horse beneath him trotted lightly on the imperial road paved with bluestone slabs.

A chilly autumn wind blew in their faces, making their hair a little messy.

Zhou Yu was initially a little nervous, gripping Zhu Youjian's clothes tightly with both hands, but soon, the novel and exciting feeling made her forget her fear.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed from the wind, but her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Slow down, Your Majesty, slow down..."

Her voice trembled slightly, but was mostly joyful.

Zhu Youjian smiled and, instead of slowing down, gently squeezed the horse's flanks with his legs, causing the horse to accelerate suddenly.

"Hurry up!"

"Ahhh... I said slow down!"

The group rode along and soon exited Xuanwu Gate, arriving at Qianming Gate, the entrance to the West Garden.

The moment I stepped through the doorway, the view suddenly opened up before me.

The boundless lake rippled in the morning light, like a huge brocade spread out.

The lakeside is shaded by lush greenery, dotted with strangely shaped rocks, and pavilions and towers in the distance are faintly visible in the thin mist, resembling a fairyland.

"Wow……"

Zhou Yu couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. She was born in the water towns of Jiangnan and was used to seeing small bridges and flowing water, but she had never seen such a vast and magnificent royal garden.

Zhu Youjian was also captivated by the scenery before him, and he couldn't help but rein in his horse, slowing it down and letting it stroll along the lakeside.

He looked around and found the West Garden in autumn to have a unique charm.

The wind carries the scent of water and grass, and a few water birds skim across the lake, leaving ripples in their wake.

The leaves on the trees have begun to turn yellow, and occasionally a few are blown down by the wind, fluttering in the air like golden butterflies.

In the grass, unknown autumn insects continued to chirp tirelessly, adding a touch of vitality to the tranquility.

Zhu Youjian took a deep breath, and felt that the gloom that had been weighing on his chest for days dissipated with this breath of fresh air.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, no wonder so many emperors in history indulged in pleasure and became incompetent rulers.

In such a place, surrounded by such beautiful scenery, who could remain unmoved?
If he hadn't transmigrated to this critical juncture when China was sinking and the land was in turmoil.

He probably also wants to try the life of a tyrannical ruler with three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines, indulging in nightly revelry!

These past few days, he has been working tirelessly, spending his time either in the Qianqing Palace, the Wenhua Hall, or the Wuying Hall.

Although those palaces were magnificent and the spaces seemed vast, they exuded a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.

The ceremonies of persuading him to ascend the throne, the enthronement ceremony, and the court assembly made his temperament heavy.

In just a few days, the maneuvering and strategic maneuvering made him almost forget something.

The entire Forbidden City, along with the Western Garden before him, belongs to him.

—I am the Emperor!
In later generations, even among the so-called heads of conglomerates and business tycoons, who could truly own a city as their residence?
Beyond this city lies Beijing, a city with a population of one million.

Further out lies Hebei, the area surrounding Beijing, with a population of tens of millions.

Further out lies the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty, with hundreds of millions of people!
Beyond this vast land lies an even wider world.

The vassal states of East Asia, the countries of Southeast Asia, and even as far away as Europe and the Americas...

Now that he has come to this era and become the master of this land, why can't he make the whole world the "Western Garden" of China?

Once this thought arises, it spreads like wildfire and can no longer be contained.

An indescribable surge of heroic ambition welled up in his chest. Zhu Youjian could no longer suppress the surging emotions in his heart. He suddenly raised his head and let out a long roar towards the vast lake!
"what--"

The boy's cry, though childish, was full of life and echoed in the empty West Garden, startling a flock of gulls and egrets.

Zhou Yu was startled by his sudden action and shrank back.

But when I turned around and saw his spirited appearance, I couldn't help but yell "Ahhh!" along with him.

For a moment, the shouts of the two young boys and girls echoed throughout the deep palace.

After calling out for a while, the two stopped and couldn't help but smile at each other. Zhu Youjian was in a great mood. He dismounted and then reached out to help Zhou Yu down as well.

He called out to Gao Shiming, who had been following far behind.

"Gao Banban, find someone to inform Tu Wenfu that in two hours, I will personally go to the inner training ground to inspect the inner guards."

"The slaves obey the order."

Gao Shiming bowed in agreement, then waved his hand, and a young eunuch immediately took the order and hurriedly ran towards the palace.

After arranging things, Zhu Youjian took Zhou Yu's hand, and the two strolled slowly along the lakeside path.

Warm sunlight filters through the treetops, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

These past few days, he has been feeling depressed and eager to make things work, so he has inevitably acted hastily and ruthlessly, with a hint of hostility in his actions.

Just now, he didn't show it on his face in Qianqing Palace, but when he helped Zhou Yuyue onto the horse...

What I was really thinking about was a blitzkrieg inside the training grounds.

Then, we'll beat the drums and muster the troops on the spot, looking down with murderous intent at the "Mamluks" that Wei Si from Hebei trained for him, and see what kind of people they really are.

He had even planned how he would react if the Qing army performed poorly, and how he would take the opportunity to purge the inner court.

In short, it's practically a standard, wish-fulfillment story trope reminiscent of a twisted dragon king.

But at this moment, after being bathed in the beautiful scenery of the lake and mountains and surrounded by the lovely lady beside him, the gloomy mood was swept away, and his mind became clear.

He immediately realized the problem with his choice.

A surprise inspection may seem impressive, but it actually undermines one's own foundation.

If the military performs well, that's fine; but if they perform poorly under such a surprise inspection—that's almost a certainty.

So what was lost, besides the reputation of the Imperial Horse Administration, was even more so the dignity of the emperor himself.

This army was the Imperial Guard, theoretically the core military force protecting the emperor and safeguarding the capital.

Its greatest value lies in its existence.

As long as he exists, his true combat strength will forever hover between extremely weak and extremely strong.

This is what is meant by "existentialism" as a weapon.

Civil officials will be wary, the Beijing garrison will be wary, and the guard posts in the capital region will be wary.

There are many ways to eliminate the "clean army" (a term referring to a group of people who are corrupt or unsavory), and we can take it slowly, like boiling a frog in lukewarm water. There is no need to be so impatient, much less to expose our own weaknesses in this way.

"Profit should not be taken to extremes, and power should not be exhausted..."

Zhu Youjian said to himself softly.

"Be patient and avoid haste"—these four words are easy to say but difficult to do.

Especially for those who wield great power, restraining their desires and impulses is far more difficult than releasing them.

Once he understood this, he felt a sense of relief and his mind opened up.

He turned to look at Zhou Yu, a genuine smile on his face.

"Come on, Changqiu, I'll show you around this West Garden."

He took her hand and pointed to a group of buildings in the distance.

"When I was a child, my father brought my brother and me here to play a few times."

“Back then, we rode bamboo horses here, and my brother made me cry, which scared me so much that I cried too, haha.”

"Come on, turn the corner ahead and go all the way to the end, that's the Leopard House. You're from Jiangnan, you've probably never seen a leopard before, right? Haha, I'll show you."

"Let me tell you, that leopard might look fierce, but when it cries, it's just like a kitten..."

The warm afternoon sun cast two long, thin shadows.

One of them was taller and walked at a leisurely pace, while the other was shorter and hopped around like a butterfly.

　You might think I'm just rambling, but I genuinely love this chapter!

　　I want both sweet love and the vast land under heaven!

　　Additionally, based on suggestions from netizens, Zhou Yu was given the nickname "Changqiu," inspired by the popular Chongzhen-era YouTuber, Fox Zhouzhou.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)