Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

Chapter 132 National Origin
On that day, another major event spread throughout Beijing.

Concubine Zheng also gave birth to a son, the second son of the emperor.

Emperor Wanli was so happy that he immediately appointed Concubine Zheng as Imperial Concubine, ranking only below the Empress. Emperor Wanli was so excited about having a son that he wanted to find someone to talk to right away.

He paced back and forth in the East Warm Pavilion for a few steps, then suddenly stopped, looked at Wei Qing, and ordered: "Wei Qing, go and call Zhang Yunxiu to me. I have something great to tell him."

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid that Zhang Sicheng will have something good to say about him." Wei Qing bent his old waist and smiled.

"Can his good deeds be as great as mine?" Emperor Wanli bit his cheek and replied angrily.

Wei Qing, who was standing by, did not keep the secret and reported directly, "This morning, Zhang Sicheng got a thousand gold coins and is now busy with social events."

"Ah, he gave birth to a daughter?" Emperor Wanli was greatly surprised.

"Yes, this morning." Wei Qing shouted respectfully and stood there with his hands hanging down.

After bowing his head and pondering for a moment, Emperor Wanli suddenly raised his face and ordered, "Well, send someone to the inner storehouse to pick out a few decent things and give them to Zheng Xier as rewards. Remember not to give them too expensive or too cheap, so that someone won't accuse me of being stingy."

"Yes."

Wei Qing responded with a smile and left with a promise.

Five days later, Concubine Zheng finally recovered a little, and Emperor Wanli couldn't wait to bother his beloved concubine. He looked at his beloved concubine's weak appearance, and his heart was filled with excitement, and he almost couldn't control himself.

Concubine Zheng lay on the bed and hooked her finger: "Come here."

Emperor Wanli moved his cheek obediently as if he was being controlled. Concubine Zheng suddenly raised her head and gently bit Emperor Wanli's ear.

Just at this moment, Emperor Wanli felt as if a caterpillar was crawling across his heart, feeling both itchy and comfortable.

Sticking out her tongue playfully, Concubine Zheng suddenly hugged the emperor's arm and said with seductive eyes, "Your Majesty, the Queen has no children. I want to adopt this son to the Queen."

"Do you think it's good?"

"That's your son, why do you want to give him to her?" Emperor Wanli was a little puzzled.

Is there any mother in this world who would give her child to someone else for adoption as soon as she is born?

However, Concubine Zheng had her own plans.

Since the emperor already has an eldest son, if her child wants to ascend to the throne, he must maintain his status as the legitimate son.

Otherwise, no matter how hard she tried, she would not be able to prevail on those civil servants.

So, following Zhang Yunxiu's suggestion, he made up his mind and decided to give his newborn son to the queen.

The queen is the legitimate mother of all the children in the harem, so it is natural that she deserves it.

"Your Majesty, the Queen and you are deeply in love and have been married for seven years. Now she has no children. I am afraid that she will be lonely in her old age, so I thought of giving this child to her for adoption." Concubine Zheng responded according to the words she had prepared in advance.

"Okay, as long as you are willing, I will go and talk to her right away." Emperor Wanli stroked Concubine Zheng's cheek and replied softly.

"On behalf of this child and the Queen, I thank the Emperor."

"Why thank me? The most important thing for you now is to take good care of my health. Do you understand?"

Emperor Wanli chuckled, his eyes flashing with excitement and enthusiasm. Concubine Zheng nodded slightly, lowered her eyebrows and whispered, "Your Highness, I will definitely recover soon, and then serve Your Highness well."

"That's right." Emperor Wanli kissed Concubine Zheng on the forehead, then stood up and said with a smile, "Then I won't disturb your rest for now. I'll go talk to the Queen about this matter."

After saying this, Emperor Wanli waved his hand and left Concubine Zheng's palace.

Walking to the inner room of Kunning Palace, Emperor Wanli saw Queen Wang sitting at the desk, writing something carefully.

Queen Wang is twenty-two years old this year.

They got married in the sixth year of the Wanli reign, and it has been seven years now.

Recalling the days when they were newly married, Emperor Wanli could not help but feel intoxicated. At that time, he did not need to worry about anything. He just went to the West Warm Pavilion to sit every day like now.

As soon as the day comes, I look forward to sunset so that I can make love with the beauty in front of me.

Spring and autumn came and went, and so many days and nights passed, all of which made him reminisce endlessly.

Looking at her now, the beauty before me hasn't changed at all.

The soft nose wings, the warm cheeks, the white neck, the pair of curved eyebrows, and the cherry-like mouth slightly opening and closing, all arouse endless reverie.

She was wearing a bright yellow long dress with a hanging tail, which looked even more graceful and luxurious under the sunlight.

Emperor Wanli felt heat rising from his lower abdomen and walked forward quickly.

Queen Wang also noticed the person coming. She looked up and saw that it was the emperor. She quickly rolled off the chair and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty, I greet you."

"Your Majesty, please excuse me."

Emperor Wanli helped the empress up and then looked at him angrily.

Queen Wang knew what this look meant, and her cheeks flushed with shame. She whispered, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, it's daytime now. If my mother knew about this, I would be too ashamed to face anyone."

"Mother will not know." Emperor Wanli said, picking up Queen Wang and running straight to her inner palace.

Queen Wang was also a woman, and her desire was immediately aroused by this.

She took the initiative to climb onto the emperor's neck, closed her eyes tightly, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she was inviting him.

The two of them went to bed, and Emperor Wanli quickly peeled Queen Wang into a lychee with the shell removed.

Looking at the fair, tender and lively body, Emperor Wanli could no longer control himself and pounced on her like a hungry wolf.

Two quarters of an hour later,

Emperor Wanli was sweating, panting, and locked naked in a brocade quilt.

Next to him, Queen Wang, with a rosy face and messy hair, exuded a fragrance like orchid. She gently wiped the sweat off the emperor's forehead with her jade hands. "Queen, I have something to discuss with you." After panting for a few seconds, Emperor Wanli tilted his head to look at the queen and said.

"Your Majesty, it's daytime now. One or twice will be enough," Queen Wang replied timidly. She thought the emperor wanted to have sex seven times a night, so she shook her head firmly.

Emperor Wanli was stunned for a moment, then he reacted and said sternly, "Do you think I am a lecher? Can't I discuss other things with you?"

"I acknowledge my guilt." Queen Wang replied in a low voice with a tense face.

Emperor Wanli still refused to forgive her. Finally, Queen Wang acted like a spoiled child and Emperor Wanli reluctantly forgave her.

"Your Majesty, please speak quickly." Staring directly into the emperor's eyes, Queen Wang urged anxiously, "We should also get up. Otherwise, if the Queen Mother finds out, I will be too ashamed to face anyone."

"Okay, since you've been so well behaved today, I'm determined to give you a reward." Emperor Wanli put his hands behind his head and said complacently.

"What reward?" Queen Wang became interested.

"I'll give you a dragon son." Emperor Wanli said without hesitation.

Queen Wang blushed, and she spat in her heart, saying angrily, "Your Majesty, the imperial physician said that I was injured when I gave birth to Xuanmei, and I'm afraid I will never be able to conceive a child in this lifetime. How can Your Majesty give me a son?"

In the deep palace, a mother's honor lies in her son. Without a son, even if she is the queen, she still cannot be free from rumors.

"Look, you're still angry." Emperor Wanli smiled, put his arm around Queen Wang's rosy shoulders, and explained, "I said I would give you a son, and I will definitely give you a son."

"It depends on whether you want it or not."

Who wouldn’t want to have a son?

Queen Wang was moved, so she asked anxiously: "How will the emperor give it?"

"Concubine Zheng gave birth to a prince, you know."

"Yeah, so what? It's not mine."

Emperor Wanli smiled upon hearing this, and then dropped a bombshell: "Concubine Zheng said that the Queen sister was injured and would have difficulty giving birth in the future. As the head of the six palaces, the Queen sister cannot be childless, so she gave her son to you for adoption."

"Really?" Queen Wang stood up from the bed, her big watery eyes full of disbelief.

She is also a woman, so she naturally knows the importance of a son to a woman.

Concubine Zheng was so courageous that she was willing to give her newborn son to herself.

Although the two had a good relationship, it wasn't to this extent.

"Your Majesty, did Concubine Zheng really say that?" After being stunned for a few seconds, Queen Wang looked at the emperor blankly and asked.

"Replacement guaranteed."

Emperor Wanli grinned and continued, "She also said that as the queen, all the sons of concubines in the harem should serve you as their legal mother. She was just setting an example."

"How can I bear this?" Although she was happy in her heart, Queen Wang still refused on the surface.

"You can bear it, because you are my queen." Emperor Wanli hugged Queen Wang and said solemnly, "After this child is adopted by you, you must treat him as your own and not treat him with disrespect."

"I obey my orders."

As Queen Wang spoke, she struggled to get dressed and stood up.

"where are you going?"

"I will go to see my sister and her son."

"Forget it, Concubine Zheng is still resting." Emperor Wanli waved his hand and refused, "And that kid is nothing to look at. He's wrinkled and ugly now. Don't scare you."

Queen Wang also gave birth to a daughter, so she naturally knew all the details.

However, the sudden joy of having a son instantly made him overwhelmed.

Once he was happy, he readily agreed to the unreasonable request of Emperor Wanli.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, more than twenty days have passed since Concubine Zheng gave birth.

Emperor Wanli named his second son Zhu Changxu.

At the same time, the second son was adopted by the queen.

In this way, according to the Ming Dynasty rules: "The eldest son is chosen based on age, not virtue; the son is chosen based on nobility, not age."

If all of them are legitimate sons, then the oldest one will be chosen to inherit.

If you are a bastard's son, no matter how old you are, as long as you have a legitimate son, the inheritance position will still belong to the legitimate son.

After Zhu Changxu was adopted by the queen, although he was younger than the eldest prince, he had the status of a legitimate son.

He is the queen's eldest son.

No matter how much others complain, it cannot change his status as the eldest son.

On the day when her son was adopted by the Queen, Empress Dowager Li summoned Emperor Wanli.

The mother and son sat down. Empress Dowager Li glanced at her son and could not help but remind him, "Emperor, Chang Yu is now adopted by the Empress. Do you know what this means?"

"Your son knows." Emperor Wanli nodded in reply.

"Okay, it's good that you know. Where do you put Chang Luo? They are all your sons." Empress Dowager Li persuaded earnestly, "When Concubine Gong heard this, she cried bitterly. They are all your sons, why do you treat them differently?"

"Mother! It was Concubine Zheng and the Queen who insisted on doing this. Even though I am the Emperor, I cannot stop them." Emperor Wanli glared and pushed all the responsibility away. "Besides, the Queen is the legal mother of all the concubines in the harem. The Queen has no children, so Concubine Zheng adopted a son. This shows that she respects the Queen in her heart."

"Okay, but since you have made up your mind, I will not say any more. I just ask you not to be too harsh on Concubine Gong and her son."

"My son, I know."

(End of this chapter)