Chapter Fifty-Six New Year

  "Oh, help me get dressed!" The Tianqi Emperor instructed the palace maid as he lightly stepped down from the bed. Many things had not been adapted to during this period of time, but this enjoyable thing was learned eight or nine out of ten. It seems that no matter when, people are always lazy!

  "How many years have you been in the palace?" Tianqi Emperor asked casually while the palace maid was dressing him.

  "Your Majesty, I entered the palace as a slave at the age of nine and it has been thirty years now." The palace maid hesitated for a moment before speaking in a light tone.

  "It's been thirty years, how many thirty-year periods can a person have in their lifetime? Why did you enter the palace in the first place?" At this moment, Emperor Tianqi had his first impulse to release these palace maids from the palace, and for them, staying here might not be a good thing after all.

  "That year, my family was hit by a drought and we were forced to flee. In the end, my parents had no choice but to sell me. After being passed from one human trafficker to another, I was finally bought by an official and brought into the palace. It's been thirty years now." The palace maid spoke in a very flat tone, as if she was talking about something that had nothing to do with her, but to Tianqi Emperor, it seemed like there was no life left in her words. It seems that after living in this place for so long, people have become numb and soulless.

  "Where is the Empress Dowager? I will go and pay my respects." The Tianqi Emperor asked the palace maid behind him, lightly adjusting his clothes after washing up.

  "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is currently in the Buddhist hall reciting scriptures. However, just before she left, she did leave a message." The palace maid seemed to have anticipated the Tianqi Emperor's thoughts and slightly hesitated before bowing respectfully and speaking in a gentle tone.

  He said. The Tianqi Emperor was slightly stunned and couldn't help but think: "It seems that the people of this world have grown old, and they all have a common hobby, which is to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures."

  "The Empress Dowager said that the Jiangshan of the Great Ming cannot withstand any more turmoil, and hopes that Your Majesty will be diligent in governance and love the people, do a good job, and the Empress Dowager will be very happy. As for those empty rituals, don't bother with them, the Emperor's thoughts are already known to the Empress Dowager." The palace maid was obviously quoting the Empress Dowager, possibly because she had spent more time by her side, and seemed to have a similar demeanor, the Tianqi Emperor found it amusing but didn't expose her.

  After leaving the Cining Palace, Emperor Tianqi returned to the Qianqing Palace. After finishing breakfast, he came to the Imperial Study Room. Seeing Li Lan and Chen Hong already waiting here, Emperor Tianqi's heart warmed slightly, perhaps this was the feeling of being waited for!

  Through this life in the palace, Tianqi Emperor gradually understood why so many emperors of the Ming Dynasty favored eunuchs. For these princes who grew up in the deep palace, paternal and maternal love were a luxury. Their fathers were busy with their careers (in fact, they were indulging in pleasure), while their mothers were busy assisting their fathers (in fact, they were keeping an eye on their lustful husbands). As a result, these people had no time to care for their own sons. On the other hand, the eunuchs who watched the princes grow up may have been motivated by self-interest or affection - after all, they were childless themselves! In the end, they treated the princes very well, at least in the princes' eyes. This trust and affection established from childhood was not only difficult to sever but also made it hard for outsiders' words to take effect.

  For the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, most of them had an unfortunate childhood, perhaps this is the main reason for their incompetence.

  "We have seen the Emperor." With a light wave of his hand, indicating that they should rise to their feet, the Tianqi Emperor asked Li Lan: "Is there any urgent memorial?"

  Because the Tianqi Emperor liked Li Ran, this little maid, and she was also literate, many memorials were helped by her to be approved by the Tianqi Emperor. Even if she didn't help the Tianqi Emperor approve them, the Tianqi Emperor had to let her read the memorials and then read them aloud to himself. Although the current Tianqi Emperor is not like the historical Tianqi Emperor who knew nothing, he has no way with traditional Chinese characters and classical Chinese. Not to mention writing, now he can't even understand what he reads.

  "Your Majesty, there is nothing important to report." At this time, Li Ran was even more mature and steady, and it was hard to find the shadow of that yes-girl again.

  "En", Emperor Tianqi nodded slowly and said to Chen Hong, "Go and bring Wang An here." After seeing Chen Hong leave, Emperor Tianqi turned to Li Lan and said, "Lan'er, I think the palace maids are really too overworked. Letting them grow old and die in the palace seems too cruel. I want to release a batch of palace maids from the palace. What do you think?" Emperor Tianqi shared his thoughts with Li Lan, which had become his habit during this period of time.

  "Your Majesty, I'm telling you the truth. Your Majesty may have good intentions, but if this edict is issued, many of my sisters will not survive." After some time getting to know Tianqi Emperor, Li Lan knew that he liked her straightforwardness and would not only not punish her but also reward her, so she spoke freely without any reservations.

  "Why should I say that? The palace maids who do not want to leave the palace, I naturally will not let them go. Only those who want to leave the palace, I will let them go." Tianqi Emperor knew very well that many palace maids had lived in the imperial palace for their whole lives and when they grew old and weak, lost the protection of the palace, not only could they not live a better life but also easily lose their lives. Such things have happened frequently throughout history.

  "It's naturally the best for Your Majesty to do so, I thank you on behalf of my sisters in the palace." Li Lan didn't expect that Emperor Tianqi had already thought of everything she had in mind, and her admiration for him grew even more.

  The news of the Tianqi Emperor dismissing the palace maid had just come out, and the capital was suddenly filled with discussions, followed by unanimous praise. Countless officials, countless memorials, for a time, it seemed as if the Tianqi Emperor had become the most wise emperor under heaven, and the Great Ming Dynasty seemed to be in a prosperous era of peace.

  Winter arrived in such an atmosphere, and in this desolate winter, everything seemed to have quieted down. The world was at peace, and the ministers and Emperor Tianqi were idle all day long. The only thing that raised suspicions was that the imperial villa east of the capital had not been very quiet recently, with intense explosions constantly being heard, making it difficult for people in the capital to rest well.

  Although some officials reported the matter to Emperor Tianqi, the memorial was like a mud cow entering the sea, with no news at all. Some people also sent their own servants to investigate, but they were chased back by a group of thugs. Everyone knew that there must be something unusual here, and even those who had a mind already knew that it was the sound of cannons inside, yet no one went to look for trouble.

  Since this matter occurred in Huang Zhuang, Emperor Tianqi must have known about it. Since nothing was revealed, these ministers simply didn't bother to look for trouble.

  Apart from this matter, it seems that Beijing has suddenly become home to a number of Westerners, with blonde hair and blue eyes, speaking various languages, yet not many people are paying attention.

  And so, in a peaceful and serene atmosphere, this year finally came to an end, ushering in the first year of Tianqi.

  Today's final chapter, please click, collect and vote!