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 remembered.
Zhu Yijun said: "Zhang Jing has been busy supervising the construction recently, but it has already been completed." After that, he ordered someone to ask Zhang Jing to bring the clock to the Queen Mother. Empress Dowager Li stopped and said, "I have been very busy these past few days. I have some free time today. I have made an appointment to go to Ciqing Palace to apply the Huizi sign. I will look at the bell another day. Please 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 crane? 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 would severely criticize him at worst, and punish 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 his name, 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 inform the Supervisor of Ceremonies that the Queen Mother would not read the book today. If important military and national affairs were reported to Ciqing Palace, Chen Hong and others would abbreviate them and watch them at night. The two of them were so excited that they walked to find Empress Dowager Chen instead of riding on the chariot.
When Zhu Yijun visited the palace last time, he saw Empress Dowager Li's slim and graceful gait, and knew that she had bound feet. Today I saw that she was walking a little faster than before, so I asked, "Can the queen use shoes that are 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 for left and right feet. They are indeed much more comfortable. Nowadays, all the officials in Ciqing Palace and the regular palace have them. Go back with the shoes and do the same."
Then he smiled and said: "The toothbrushes, nail clippers, gloves, glass lamps, scented soap and other things you asked them to donate are all very useful."
The objects that Empress Dowager Li mentioned were all made by Zhu Yijun this month according to his instructions. He just used the knowledge of later generations to peel off a layer of window paper.
For example, glass lamps were actually made of glass in the Spring and Autumn Period in China, but like Arab countries, they were always 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, they would usually throw it away as a defective product - but unfortunately, they never thought of blowing the molten glass with a pipe.
So in the Ming Dynasty, if you saw a scholar wearing a piece of glass on 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 wants to make use of these things, plus the clock, and some other ideas of the son, and arranges 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: "The emperor has rarely made such childish remarks recently. I don't know whether this matter will be successful, but the officials of the foreign court are sad about it. "
Zhu Yijun smiled and said: "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 Empress Dowager 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 "million taels" were clear. He was dumbfounded and asked with a smile: "Can you get half of Taicang Yin?!"
Zhu Yijun said: "The way of heaven is to make up for the excess of damage and make up for the deficiency. Anyone who can afford to buy built-in items is nothing more than relatives, wealthy businessmen and high-ranking officials. These people may not be as calculating as our mother and daughter - —One of them doesn’t care about money, and the other has a desire to compare. If one family has it, can the other families look at it? They will definitely buy it soon..." In this way, Zhu Yijun popularized it with Empress Dowager Li on the road. A little knowledge about the monopoly industry in the market economy.
Queen Mother Li didn't understand what she was saying, 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 hearing this. She was originally worried that the emperor would gradually become more pro-government, which would lead to her having wild ideas and even shaking the court's agenda. Seeing that he was still plotting against himself and Zhang Juzheng as before, his only doubt was dispelled.
While he was talking, Ciqing Palace arrived. 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 Nuan Pavilion where Queen Mother Rensheng lived, Concubine Wen Gui, Concubine Shang Shou and Empress Dowager Chen of the Jiajing Dynasty were sitting and chatting. After hearing the eunuch's praise, Concubines Wen and Shang hurriedly stood up. Empress Dowager Li's body was revealed, and they immediately paid homage.
According to the rules of the royal harem, concubines of the old emperor who are not respected as concubines or concubines by the new emperor are placed below the new emperor's queen and above other concubines. If you are granted the title of concubine or concubine, you are above the queen and below the empress dowager.
Concubine Wen Gui and Concubine Shang Shou were both over 40 years old 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, they had to pay state rites to Empress Dowager Li and Empress Dowager Chen. 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 have to -" Suddenly her eyes widened and she shouted: "The sun is really rising in the west, why is the emperor here at this time?"
Concubines Wen and Shang were busy visiting Zhu Yijun again. When Zhu Yijun saw the two "little grandmas" from the Jiajing Dynasty, he didn't care much about them and shouted out quickly. She smiled and said to the Queen Mother Chen: "The Queen Mother has given the Emperor a day off today and has come to play with the Queen Mother."
Everyone chatted for a while, but Empress Dowager Chen couldn't wait any longer. She asked Empress Dowager Li and Concubines Wen and 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, he saw that it was indeed the horse crane recorded in history. Later generations have different opinions on when Ma Diao originated. The earliest record of Ma Diao is in the fifteenth year of Wanli, and some say it was practiced in the Chongzhen period.
Today, Zhu Yijun saw the attitude of the four ladies in the harem towards Ma Diao, and he knew that this game had been popular in the Ming Dynasty for at least ten years, and probably even earlier. Studying the cards carefully, you can see that although there are only forty cards, they already have the prototype of later generations of mahjong.
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 and practice Chinese calligraphy. Empress Dowager Li said happily: "Yesterday, the daily lecture in the Wenhua Hall was suspended for one day. We will not go to the morning tomorrow, but we must not slack off in the lecture."
Zhu Yijun's mouth twitched and he agreed.
...
