I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 61 Empress Dowager Zhang's Defense is Broken
"Empress Dowager!" A eunuch ran to the side of a carriage in the palace, panting, "I just saw Your Majesty go to the Bell and Drum Department after retiring from court."

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, revealing Empress Dowager Zhang sitting inside. She had originally planned to stop Zhu Houzhao on the way to the Leopard House, but she didn't expect Zhu Houzhao to change his itinerary.

"That's great. Let's go to the Bell and Drum Department." Empress Dowager Zhang was slightly happy. She didn't want to stop Zhu Houzhao in public, as that would embarrass her. Now that Zhu Houzhao had gone to the Bell and Drum Department, she could talk to him in a closed environment.

"Wow, why is the stage covered with cloth? And the band is quite large! Is it necessary to use such a large band for one play?" He felt very surprised by the troupe sent from Nanjing.

He looked left and right, his eyes full of curiosity, "Your erhu is different from ordinary ones!" He reached out and snatched an erhu from a musician.

This is a treble erhu modified from an ordinary erhu. In the past few months, Qin Yuelan has not only recorded music scores, but also modified some traditional musical instruments according to Zhu Houxuan's instructions to make them more suitable for performances by large orchestras such as folk music orchestras.

The musician whose instrument was taken away was terrified, but he couldn't suppress the feeling of pride in his heart. He was going to bring honor to his family today, and he didn't expect to meet the emperor himself.

Just as Zhu Houzhao was studying the high-pitched erhu, Zhang Yong rushed in hurriedly, "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother is here, what should we do?"

Zhu Houzhao's body stiffened and his face became stern. He casually threw the high-pitched erhu to the musician.

"Since we are here, we should make the best of it. If I leave like this, won't it seem that I am afraid of her?" Zhu Houzhao sat on a chair in the audience.

It's called an auditorium, but it's actually just a wide chair with a small coffee table next to it.

Empress Dowager Zhang walked in, and the people accompanying her tactfully brought a similar chair and carefully placed it side by side with Zhu Houzhao.

Empress Dowager Zhang sat down without saying a word. Zhu Houzhao just nodded slightly in greeting without saying a word, and their eyes did not even meet.

The two most distinguished people in the Ming Dynasty sat together like this.

Then the two of them fell into silence, and the palace servants around them all stayed away, fearing that they would never see the sun again tomorrow after hearing a word.

The two of them just remained silent, and they both understood each other's purpose tacitly, but Zhu Houzhao was determined not to speak first, which made Empress Dowager Zhang very uncomfortable.

In fact, Empress Dowager Zhang had already prepared her words in her mind, but she just couldn't say them several times.

She was Empress Dowager Zhang! Emperor Hongzhi doted on her for more than ten years and never refused any of her requests. She had long forgotten what it felt like to ask for help, not to mention that the person in front of her was her son. In today's words, she was extremely arrogant.

Zhu Houzhao was even more determined. He had long been fed up with Empress Dowager Zhang's evil behavior of supporting her brother, but suddenly he encountered her like this, which made him a little at a loss for a moment.

"Your Majesty, Queen Mother, the backstage is ready. Shall we start?" Zhang Yong was well aware of the awkwardness between the mother and son, but at this moment he was the only one who could break the silence.

Empress Dowager Zhang and Zhu Houzhao nodded at the same time, and both of them felt relieved.

Empress Dowager Zhang was glad that this gave her more time to prepare herself mentally.

The music started immediately, and the expressions of the two people who were full of worries eased a little as the music started.

Then they put aside their worries and almost forgot what they were going to do today.
There was no other way. The new play was too wonderful. The wonderful scenes and novel songs made them dazzled. Even though they were the most distinguished people in the empire, it was the first time they had seen such a wonderful drama.

Even Empress Dowager Zhang, who didn't really like watching plays, as a middle-aged woman, couldn't resist such a somewhat melodramatic plot.

Zhu Houzhao was extremely excited, especially the wonderful fighting of Sun Wukong played by Zhou Shan, coupled with the majestic background music, which made him want to slam his head, but when he thought of Empress Dowager Zhang sitting next to him, he had to hold back.
The plot has reached the stage where the Queen of the Kingdom of Women bids farewell to Monk Tang. Queen Mother Zhang has completely forgotten about the matter of pleading for mercy, and her heart is completely with the ups and downs of the plot. As the song "It's Hard to Say Goodbye" sounded, Queen Mother Zhang felt that she was completely struck.

——It’s hard to meet each other, but it’s also hard to leave each other

——How can I express the thousands of words in my heart?
This line of lyrics particularly fits her current mood, allowing her to immerse herself in the lyrics
——I am full of tenderness
——He left with a stronger will
——I only blame this life for not being able to

Empress Dowager Zhang's eyes were wet without knowing when. Although the meaning of the lyrics was a little off, she immediately thought of the most important man in her life - Emperor Hongzhi Zhu Youtang. It was impossible for them to have no feelings for each other after being married for 18 years, and that man had left her forever.
——I can’t express my sincere love to you.
——Silently wish for peace
——It is often difficult for people to fulfill their wishes in this world

——Let’s see how many times the moon will be full again
——Gone, gone
——From now on, I will be haunted in your dreams
The two words "gone far away" directly broke the defense of Empress Dowager Zhang. She felt all kinds of emotions surge into her heart, which immediately broke down all her reserve. The familiar figure appeared in her mind, and she burst into tears for a moment.
——I can’t express my sincere love to you.
——Silently wish for peace
——It is often difficult for people to fulfill their wishes in this world

——Let’s see how many times the moon will be full again
——Gone, gone
——From now on, I will be haunted in your dreams
Empress Dowager Zhang cried even louder. That man had gone far away from her. She could only dream about him from now on.
The crying of Empress Dowager Zhang attracted everyone's attention. Everyone was dumbfounded. The people on the stage did not dare to perform anymore. They all knelt on the ground trembling with fear, their heads pressed tightly against the ground, not daring to breathe.
Zhu Houzhao, who was closest to Empress Dowager Zhang, noticed her abnormality at the first moment. He was a very smart man and immediately understood why Empress Dowager Zhang was crying.
The place fell into dead silence, with only the increasingly loud crying of Empress Dowager Zhang echoing in the place.
Zhu Houzhao sighed softly. He knew he couldn't watch this any longer, so he stood up, walked gently to Empress Dowager Zhang, and said softly, "Mother."

Just when he was halfway through his words, he felt Empress Dowager Zhang suddenly hugged him: "Zhao'er, I miss your father! I miss your father!"

Zhu Houzhao felt the hot tears of Empress Dowager Zhang pouring out continuously, and soon soaked his dragon robe.
After hearing what Empress Dowager Zhang said, his nose felt sore and tears almost came out of his eyes. A figure also emerged in his mind - a gentle and elegant middle-aged man who always looked at him lovingly with tired but loving eyes.
He will never forget that look.
Time flies! Four years have passed in the blink of an eye! Zhu Houzhao thought in a daze.

He could ignore his feelings for Empress Dowager Zhang, but he could not give up his feelings for Emperor Hongzhi, which was the feeling he cherished most.

"Mother, please accept my condolences." Zhu Houzhao put his hand on Empress Dowager Zhang's shoulder.

"I miss your father!" Empress Dowager Zhang kept repeating this sentence. The sadness contained in it made those who heard it cry.

Zhu Houzhao also hugged Empress Dowager Zhang tightly, holding back his inner grief and said: "Mother, please accept my condolences. Your health is the most important thing. Don't hurt yourself by crying. If you do, my father's spirit in heaven will be worried when he sees you."

Zhu Houzhao's words made Empress Dowager Zhang cry even louder, and she began to cry out of breath.

Zhu Houzhao quickly poured a glass of water, hoping that Empress Dowager Zhang would drink some water to calm down, but Empress Dowager Zhang retched as soon as she drank it - this is the normal reaction of the human body when emotions fluctuate violently.

Zhu Houzhao comforted Empress Dowager Zhang softly for a long time, and she finally recovered. Because crying had consumed too much of her energy, she soon fell asleep.

Zhu Houzhao asked the palace servants to carefully send Empress Dowager Zhang back.

The scene fell into silence again. After Zhu Houzhao calmed down, his face darkened.

He knew Empress Dowager Zhang well. Given her proud and proud personality, she would never cry like this even if she died under normal circumstances. But today, she was really moved by the scene.

He could also confirm that Empress Dowager Zhang's crying today was completely from the heart. He could feel the emotions contained in Empress Dowager Zhang's words, which were only longing for his father.

Now he was in a dilemma. Empress Dowager Zhang acted at the right time and did not mention the two Zhangs at all, but it made it impossible for him to attack them.
He just felt extremely angry inside that such a good opportunity was wasted like this!

"Who the hell wrote this plot and music?" Zhu Houzhao said angrily.

Then he looked at Zhang Yong fiercely and roared:

"Check it for me! I want all the information about this person in front of me within half an hour!"

(End of this chapter)