Chapter 55 Carefree and Worry-Free
"Yes, I will withdraw." Hearing that the Empress Dowager did not pursue the matter further, Chen Hong's heart suddenly felt relieved, and after making a bow, he slowly backed out.
Looking at the Heaven-Revealing Emperor who was emitting a soft snore, Consort Shao gently stroked his face and slowly said: "It's time to find someone to serve him, it's not good for no one to be by his side, I wonder how the selection is going!"
The next morning, Emperor Tianqi got up very late. Looking at the sun outside, he knew that today's early court session was not going to happen. Fortunately, the current ministers were already used to the monarch not attending the early court sessions, as Emperor Wanli had not attended for over 30 years, so Emperor Tianqi's behavior was nothing out of the ordinary.
In fact, the emperors of the Ming dynasty were still quite relaxed. The memorials from all over the country had to be submitted to the Grand Secretariat first, and the Grand Secretaries would write their opinions on how to handle them before they were presented to the emperor for a final decision. If the emperor thought that the method proposed by the Grand Secretariat was not good, he would not approve it in red ink, but instead return the memorial to the Grand Secretariat, where the Grand Secretaries would draft another proposal.
Sometimes the emperor was too lazy to review and approve documents, so he would entrust this task to his eunuchs. This was also one of the responsibilities of the Director of Ceremonial Affairs. Liu Jin and Wei Zhongxian, who were both extremely powerful, were trusted by the emperor as Directors of Ceremonial Affairs. Due to the emperor's laziness, these individuals had some opportunities to usurp power.
He slowly sat up and said to the outside, "Lan'er, come in." In the many years since coming to the Ming dynasty, only one person had been serving by the side of Emperor Tianqi - Li Lan. The emperor liked this clever and sensible little maid very much, and secretly regarded her as his own kin in this life.
But the person who pushed open the door made Tianqi Emperor stunned, because the person who came in was not Li Ran, but a teenager. The clothes on her body were extremely luxurious, and behind her followed a teenage boy with a fearful face, obviously being bullied by the little girl. Looking at the smiling little girl, Tianqi Emperor couldn't help but sigh, lightly patting his own forehead.
It was not someone else, but the sister of Emperor Tianqi, the daughter of Empress Dowager, Princess Zhu Wanjun of Hepu, who had come. Following behind him was Emperor Tianqi's half-brother, Zhu Youjian, who had just been appointed as King Xian and would later become Emperor Chongzhen. At that time, Zhu Youjian did not look like an emperor, nor even a prince, but rather like a small, pitiful man, with a helpless expression on his face, following behind Zhu Wanjun.
"Big brother, Wan'er is very angry." Zhu Wan also didn't give Tianqi Emperor a salute. In her heart, this person was just her big brother, not some emperor.
Looking at the high-spirited Zhu Yuankun, Tianqi Emperor was a headache. Although he liked this little sister very much, he really didn't have any experience in taking care of little girls.
It was Zhu Youjian who was more well-behaved, bowing to the Tianqi Emperor and saying in a soft voice: "Your younger brother pays his respects to Your Imperial Majesty, I hope you are well."
"Go, didn't you see I'm talking to the emperor? Stand behind me." Before Tianqi Emperor could say anything, Zhu Wenyun stretched out her small hand and pinched Zhu Youxiao's ear, pulling him back behind her.
Zhu Wanjun's face was full of ferocity, while Zhu Youjian's face was full of grievance, daring to be angry but not daring to speak.
"How did you two end up here?" Tianqi Emperor, seeing Zhu Wenyun leaning against him, hastily suppressed his smile and attempted to change the subject.
"We live here, brother don't interrupt. I asked you, last time you promised to take us out for fun, when are we going?" Zhu Wanjun's age was young, but she wasn't easy to fool around with, her hands were on her hips, and her small face was tightly pressed against the Tianqi Emperor.
The Emperor Tianqi could only shake his head and smile wryly, the last time he unintentionally said to take her out for a walk, because of this he had been hiding from her for a long time, but unexpectedly still couldn't avoid it. Just as Emperor Tianqi was at a loss, footsteps suddenly sounded outside, and upon seeing who came, Emperor Tianqi's face lit up with joy.
It was none other than the Empress Dowager, Consort Shao. In fact, she had been standing outside for a while, watching the brother and sister's affectionate interaction, which brought great comfort to this woman who had suffered greatly from palace struggles. For Consort Shao, these days were incredibly beautiful, and she never thought she would have such a wonderful later life, able to enjoy such family bliss. If in the future she could see her daughter get married and Emperor Tianqi give birth to a crown prince, then this life would be without regret.
Looking at Emperor Tianqi staring straight at her back, Zhu Wanjun seemed to feel that something was wrong and hurriedly turned around. When she saw the meaningful face of Empress Shao, she was stunned. The expression on her face changed rapidly, pitifully looking at Empress Shao with tears in her eyes: "Mother, you have to take charge for me! Emperor brother is bullying me."
The Emperor Tianqi was stunned, this acting skill is simply against the sky. Seeing the little girl constantly winking at him, Emperor Tianqi couldn't help but want to spank her hard.
When the Tianqi Emperor saw that Empress Dowager's gaze fell on him, he was taken aback and hastily said, "Mother, it's not so." Before the Tianqi Emperor could finish speaking, Empress Dowager smiled and shook her head, reaching out to grab her daughter's ear and scolding with a smile, "This palace has been here for some time now. Who is your imperial brother bullying you? It's clearly you who are being reckless and want to go out of the palace. You're really lawless."
Seeing the plot not being fulfilled, Xiao Yatou didn't lose hope. She stuck out her tongue at Tianqi Emperor and laughed: "Let's go, kid, follow me." Not only did she run towards the outside herself, but also pulled Zhu Youjian away who was just about to pay his respects.
"It's really not her fault, it's me who spoiled her." Consort Shao gazed lovingly at the gradually disappearing Zhu Yuankun and smiled.
"Wan'er's sister is so lovely, I really like her, this is what a family should be like!" The Tianqi Emperor also felt some emotion, only when he saw this little girl could the Tianqi Emperor smile so carefree.
"You attend to His Majesty's dressing!" Consort Shao smiled and nodded, instructing the palace maid who followed behind her, before turning around and leaving the room.
The one serving Tianqi Emperor was a palace maid who was already quite old, looking over 40 years old. Although she took good care of herself, she couldn't hide the ravages of time.
Looking at the obedient palace maid, Tianqi Emperor couldn't help but think that perhaps she would never be able to leave this imperial palace for her entire life. She had never experienced things that ordinary women should enjoy. Getting married, having children, these common things for ordinary women were unusually hard to come by for them.
"The slave and servant girl pay their respects to Your Majesty." The palace maid walked to the bedside and saluted Tianqi Emperor, saying respectfully.
"Where is this?" Tianqi Emperor suddenly remembered that he was attending a family banquet last night, how could he sleep here?
"Your Majesty, this is Cining Palace." The palace maid replied hastily after a brief pause.
First of all, thank you to book friends 120921051025168 and XiaoTang246 for their rewards. Secondly, I humbly ask, why didn't any of my collections increase this morning? It seems very strange!
