Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

Chapter 21: Flying a Kite in the East Wind

Ever since the emperor issued the imperial edict, the whole court was in a state of panic. There were all kinds of rumors, some saying that the Prime Minister had offended the emperor, and some saying that the Prime Minister had offended the empress dowager.

Officialdom has always been like this, observing people's words and expressions, praising the powerful and bullying the weak.

There are some rules for stepping on people. At the beginning, the lowest-ranking person in each party will submit a memorial.

Try the emperor's reaction. If the emperor neither refutes nor agrees, then the person of higher rank will continue.

From the censors of the six departments to the assistants in the halls, until the goal is achieved.

If the emperor had issued an edict to reprimand them immediately, that would have been the end of it and they would have only suffered a small loss.

As soon as Zhao Ning's memorial was submitted, the emperor immediately issued an edict to dismiss Zhao Ning from his post and exile him three thousand miles away, never to employ him again.

At the same time, Zhang Juzheng also had a son.

According to the Ming Dynasty system, even if one was the Crown Prince or the Grand Tutor, he could only inherit the throne to one son.

To have two sons is a great blessing from heaven.

Now, the officials who were watching the fun became speechless and kept silent.

The Prime Minister Jian is in the emperor's favor, and no one dares to pull the tiger's whiskers anymore.

Emperor Wanli was in a very good mood recently. He not only received the money, but also received two imperial edicts.

The feeling of having the power to decide life and death without going through the cabinet simply made him intoxicated.

This is what an emperor is.

Just as he was intoxicated, a eunuch outside the palace suddenly reported that Zhang Yunxiu wanted to see him.

Wanli was overjoyed. He jumped down from the dragon throne and rushed to the palace entrance in a hurry.

There, Zhang Yunxiu was standing there, wearing a green robe and holding an object in his hand.

When the emperor and his minister met, Zhang Yunxiu was the first to pay his respects. Emperor Wanli waved his hand, pointed at the thing in Zhang Yunxiu's hand and asked, "Is this the fun kite you told me about?"

"Yes." Zhang Yunxiu nodded and replied.

"Come on, take me out to play." Emperor Wanli was very excited.

"Your Majesty, this kite needs a large space to fly, and there is no such large space in our palace." Wei Qing reminded.

"Ah?!" Wanli looked frustrated. His mind raced and he suddenly thought of something. He clapped his hands and shouted, "Who said there's no such thing? Isn't there a large open space in front of the Huangji Palace?"

Wei Qing was almost frightened to his knees. What place is the Huangji Palace?
That is where ministers hold court. If you fly a kite there, you will be drowned in the saliva of officials.

"This is my palace, I have the final say!" Emperor Wanli glared at Wei Qing, then looked at Zhang Yunxiu and asked, "Zhang Yunxiu, do you dare to accompany me to fly a kite?"

"I dare."

"Your Majesty." Wei Qing almost cried.

"Just shut up and be timid. What great things can you accomplish? If you don't tell me and I don't tell you, how can other officials know about it?" Wanli pursed his lips, counted the heads in the hall, and threatened, "Anyway, you are the only ones who know about this."

"If anyone knows about this, I will send you all to guard the imperial mausoleum."

After saying that, he strode down the stairs and headed straight to the square of Huangji Palace with Zhang Yunxiu.

The Huangji Hall was originally called the Fengtian Hall. It was built during the Yongle period and renamed the Huangji Hall in the 41st year of the Jiajing period.

In front of the hall there is a large square about fifteen meters wide and twenty meters long, paved with bluestone floors.

The square is surrounded by white marble pillars at the four corners, and the warm sunlight shines on it, forming mottled light and shadows.

It was March, the spring was warm and the wind was gentle.

It was a great time to fly kites. When the group arrived, Emperor Wanli glanced at the empty Huangji Hall and said with emotion: "I rarely come here when I am not attending court. I didn't expect that today I would find this place quite different."

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and continued, "When your majesty goes to court, he always discusses national affairs and is very nervous. Today, I came here just to play. After coming here for a while, my mood is different, and the scenery I see is naturally different."

After he graduated, he returned to campus and had the same feeling.

I quite want to buy some osmanthus flowers and put them in the wine, but in the end it doesn't feel like the feeling of a young man traveling.

Wanli glanced at Zhang Yunxiu and said with a smile: "Your state of mind has some of the old master's insights."

"Thank you for your compliment, Your Majesty." Zhang Yunxiu smiled, handed the kite in his hand to the emperor, and introduced it, "You will run for a while with the kite, and then let out the long string after it flies up."

"I know." Emperor Wanli disagreed and snatched the kite from Zhang Yunxiu's hand.

I saw him let out a small piece of string, then dragged the kite and ran fast on the wheels.

Wei Qing and the others were so frightened that they chased after the emperor like a hen protecting her calves.

The kite was behind the men, drifting in the wind and soon becoming airborne.

Emperor Wanli looked very proud. He slowed down his pace and looked up at the kite flying higher and higher.

For a moment, he looked a little dazed.

When he was six years old, he had to get up at 12:00 a.m. every day to study various classics and historical articles. Later, although he became an emperor, he was always controlled by others. How could he be as carefree as he is today?

The Queen Mother and Mr. Zhang always reminded him to be a good emperor.

He also always used Emperor Jiajing and Emperor Zhengde as negative examples to teach him to be diligent in his work and love his people.

In his opinion, those two emperors were real emperors who could do whatever they wanted.

Just when Emperor Wanli was distracted, Zhang Yunxiu beside him reminded him: "Your Majesty, the kite cannot be flown too high, otherwise the string will break easily."

Before he finished speaking, a gust of wind blew up, and the kite in Emperor Wanli's hand swayed from side to side, and the silk string broke with a snap.

Emperor Wanli staggered, and several eunuchs beside him hurriedly supported him, with concerned looks on their faces.

"Your Majesty, are you okay?" Zhang Yunxiu asked anxiously.

"I am fine." Emperor Wanli shook his head with a bitter face, and suddenly laughed at himself, "No matter how high this kite flies, after all, there is a string in my hand holding it. It doesn't matter if it breaks. Once it breaks, I will be free."

Zhang Yunxiu heard a hint of sadness, so he quickly changed the subject: "I have another kite. If the emperor likes it, you can take it."

"No need." Emperor Wanli waved his hand and said with a smile, "I have had a lot of fun today. Didn't you also say that? A steady stream of water will last a long time."

As he spoke, he actually had plans to return to the palace.

Now Zhang Yunxiu became anxious. He kept glancing outside from time to time, and was extremely worried when he saw that the person who came had not arrived yet.

"What are you looking at?" Emperor Wanli asked suspiciously.

"Ah?!" Zhang Yunxiu seemed to have just woken up from a dream. He looked at the emperor and said calmly, "Your Majesty, what did you just ask?"

"Let me ask you, what are you looking at so stealthily?" Emperor Wanli snorted unhappily.

"Is there a person there?" Zhang Yunxiu pointed at the four-cornered flying pavilion in the distance.

"where?"

"There, in the third pavilion in front of you, there seems to be someone inside."

"Really." Wanli clapped his hands and pointed at Wei Qing beside him and ordered, "Wei Qing, go and bring that person over here. I want to ask her what she is doing here."

Wei Qing said "yes" and left.

(End of this chapter)