Zhu Yijun asked and said with a smile: "Mother, do you still remember the clock designed by your son when you visited the palace that day?" Queen Mother Li nodded and said she did.
Zhu Yijun said: "Zhang Jing has been busy supervising the construction recently, but it has already been completed." After that, he was about to ask someone to ask Zhang Jing to bring the clock to show the Queen Mother. Queen Mother Li stopped him and said: "It has been very busy these days.
I have some free time today, and I have made an appointment to go to Ciqing Palace to anoint the Huizi sign. I will look at the bell another day. Can you tell me how this bell is related to the ills in the palace?"
Zhu Yijun heard for the first time that Empress Dowager Li actually wanted to play card games. His eyes lit up and he said, "But playing horse-drawing? My son also wants to go to Ciqing Palace. We, my mother-in-law, can talk about it on the way. I wonder if it's possible?"
A month ago, Empress Dowager Li met the emperor and asked him to watch a card game. She severely criticized him at best, and punished him by kneeling down at worst, just because he had playful thoughts.
But today, Empress Dowager Li had been completely "conquered" by her son, and was filled with warmth in her heart by the emperor's words, "We are two mothers," so she nodded with a smile.
This was also intentional by Zhu Yijun. When he spoke to Empress Dowager Li, he gradually changed the name he gave to her, giving her psychological hints, gradually downplaying her identity as Empress Dowager Bingzheng, and gradually increasing the weight of the role of "Zhu Yijun's mother"
, now it seems to be working well.
So the two of them cleaned up and sent someone to tell the Supervisor of Ceremonies that the Empress Dowager would not read the excerpts today. If any important military and national affairs were to be reported to Ciqing Palace, Chen Hong and the others would make a summary and read them in the evening. The two of them were in high spirits and would not read the excerpts.
Take a chariot and walk to find Queen Mother Chen.
When Zhu Yijun visited the palace last time, he saw the gait of Empress Dowager Li. He knew that she had bound feet. Today, he saw that she was walking faster than before, so he asked: "Can the empress dowager use shoes that can be divided into left and right shoes?"
Empress Dowager Li asked, with a smile on her face, and said: "My son, I wonder how your exquisite heart was born. These shoes are divided into left and right feet, which are indeed much more comfortable. Nowadays, all the officials in Ciqing Palace and the regular palace have taken them.
Take the shoes back and do the same."
Then he smiled and said: "The toothbrushes, nail clippers, gloves, glass lamps, scented soap and other items you asked them to donate are all very useful."
The objects that Empress Dowager Li mentioned were all made by Zhu Yijun this month by the craftsmen in the inner palace according to his instructions. They just used the knowledge of later generations to peel off a layer of window paper.
For example, glass lamps can actually be made from glass in the Spring and Autumn Period in China, but like Arab countries, they have always been used as handicrafts to make various colors, called medicinal jade, fake jade or colored glaze. If the glass craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty fired a piece that was nearly transparent
, usually thrown away as defective products - but unfortunately, they never thought of blowing the molten glass with a pipe.
So in the Ming Dynasty, if you saw a scholar with a piece of glass pinned to his belt, it did not mean that he was a time traveler, it only meant that he was poor.
Zhu Yijun whispered: "Mother, in fact, my son learned these things in his dreams. Now in the whole world, only our palace can do this." Queen Mother Li nodded after hearing this.
Zhu Yijun continued: "My son wanted to make use of these things, plus the clock, and some other ideas of the son, and arranged for the guarding eunuchs to open imperial shops in various places. We will mark it as "in-house" and specialize in things that are not available in this world, and the price is not
Let’s drive casually?”
After hearing this, Empress Dowager Li wanted to laugh and keep a straight face at the same time, but she sighed helplessly: "Your Majesty has rarely made such childish remarks recently. I don't know whether this matter will be successful or not, but the officials of the foreign court are sad about it.
"
Zhu Yijun said with a smile: "My child came up with the idea that what he takes first must be given first. The guarding eunuchs in this place don't have important official duties. It's better to abolish the guarding eunuchs and build in-house shops instead."
Empress Dowager Li said: "This is a big deal. We need to discuss it with Zhang Hong, Chen Ju and others."
When Zhu Yijun saw that Queen Mother Li did not spit, he couldn't help but said anxiously: "My son has asked Zhang Jing to conduct market research. If it is spread out, the profit in the third year will reach one million taels."
Queen Mother Li didn't understand what "market research" was, but the words "one million taels" were clear. She was dumbfounded and asked with a smile: "How can it be half of Taicang Yin?!"
Zhu Yijun said: "The way of heaven is to make up for the excess of damage. Anyone who can afford to buy built-in items is nothing more than a noble relative, a wealthy businessman and a high-ranking official. These people may not be as calculating as our mother-in-law. —One of them doesn’t care about money, and the other has a desire to compare. If one family has it, how can the other families look at it? They will definitely buy it soon..." In this way, Zhu Yijun popularized Empress Dowager Li on the road Let’s learn a little bit about the monopoly industry in the market economy.
Empress Dowager Li didn't understand what she was hearing, but one million taels of silver moved the most noble woman in the world. She finally hesitated for a long time and said: "It's not urgent at this moment, let me think about it carefully."
Zhu Yijun said obediently: "My son will not act recklessly. I will ask Mr. Zhang in the next few days."
Empress Dowager Li was completely relieved after receiving this sentence. She was originally worried that the emperor's gradual pro-government would lead to his own whims and even shake the imperial court. Seeing that he was still plotting against her and Zhang Juzheng as before, her only doubt was dispelled.
While he was talking, Ciqing Palace arrived, and when the eunuch praised his name, Zhu Yijun took two quick steps and opened the curtain himself to let Empress Dowager Li in.
In the Nuange where Empress Dowager Rensheng lived, Concubine Wen, Concubine Shangshou and Empress Dowager Chen of the Jiajing Dynasty were sitting and chatting. After hearing the name of the eunuch, Concubines Wen and Shang hurriedly got up, and Empress Dowager Li was revealed. They immediately paid homage.
According to the rules of the royal harem, concubines of the old emperor who are not respected as concubines by the new emperor are placed below the queen of the new emperor and above other concubines. If they are named concubines or concubines, they are above the queen. , under the Empress Dowager.
Concubine Wen Gui and Concubine Shang Shou were both over forty at this time, but they were not canonized as concubines by Emperor Longqing. Although they were a generation older than Empress Dowager Li in terms of civil etiquette, Empress Dowager Li and Empress Dowager Chen had to perform state rites. In the future, these two queens will also bow to Zhu Yijun.
Empress Dowager Chen also stood up and said with a smile: "Sister, I have a lot of free time today, we want to-" Suddenly her eyes widened and she shouted: "The sun is really rising in the west, why is the emperor here at this time?"
Wen and Concubine Shang hurriedly visited Zhu Yijun again. Zhu Yijun met the two "little grandmas" from the Jiajing Dynasty. He was not impressed and hurriedly called out. He smiled and said to the Empress Dowager Chen: "The empress has given the emperor a leave today. Come here. Playing tricks with the Queen Mother."
Everyone chatted for a while, but Empress Dowager Chen couldn't wait any longer, so she called Empress Dowager Li and Concubine Wen and Concubine Shang to sit at the Kang table, and asked the palace maid to take out the cards and start playing.
When Zhu Yijun looked at it, it turned out to be the Ma Diao recorded in history. Later generations had different opinions on when the Ma Diao originated. The earliest record of the Ma Diao was in the fifteenth year of Wanli, and some said it was practiced in the Chongzhen period.
Today, when Zhu Yijun saw the attitude of the four harem ladies towards Ma Diao, he knew that this game had been popular in the Ming Dynasty for at least ten years, and probably even earlier. After careful study of the cards, although there were only forty, there were already examples of mahjong in later generations. prototype.
Zhu Yijun smiled slightly and made a secret plan, but did not reveal it at this time. After watching for a while, Zhu Yijun said that he would go back to practice Chinese calligraphy. Empress Dowager Li said happily: "Yesterday, the daily lecture in the Wenhua Hall was suspended for one day. There will be no morning lecture tomorrow. Let's continue the lecture.