Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 417 History may not record my innocence, but it will remember his empire!

The Forbidden City, Kunning Palace.

This is not the original Kunning Palace, but a new palace that Zhu Yunwen carefully planned and built after ascending the throne.

As soon as the project was completed, Empress Gu Panjun couldn't wait to move in.

The newly renovated Kunning Palace is magnificent and imposing, showcasing the imperial majesty.

Compared to the old, rustic palace, its area has been greatly expanded, and its scale is several times larger than before.

Stepping inside the palace, the exquisitely carved railings and jade steps exude unparalleled magnificence in every detail.

Gu Panjun's room was like a treasure trove, with all sorts of rare glass porcelain, antiques and trinkets arranged in an orderly fashion. Looking around, the room was filled with glittering jewels, and the air of wealth was overwhelming, making people dazzled.

Moreover, the room's layout is extremely novel and unique, exuding a luxurious style without feeling cluttered or tacky.

It's a world apart from the old-fashioned, rigid layout of the past.

At this moment, Gu Panjun, dressed in an extremely luxurious outfit, sat languidly on a large, soft sofa.

This sofa is a rare item newly developed and produced by the factory this year, and its design originated from Zhu Yunwen's personal conception.

Previously, the concept of a "sofa" had never existed in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yunwen felt that the chairs in the palace were made of hard material and uncomfortable to sit on for a long time, so he came up with the idea of ​​"inventing" a sofa.

The first person fortunate enough to be the sofa user was naturally Empress Gu Panjun.

It must be admitted that this sofa is incredibly comfortable; sitting on it, it feels as if all the fatigue in your body can instantly disappear.

However, many pedantic old Confucian scholars in the imperial court had reservations about this object. They complained that sofas were too casual for people to sit on, lacked proper decorum, and went against the norms of etiquette.

Even so, after the factory began mass production, apart from the dragon throne, which represented supreme authority and was not replaced to maintain the solemnity of the court, the concubines in the harem all added sofas to their own bedrooms.

Hearing that many high-ranking officials and nobles outside the palace followed suit, buying sofas to place in their bedrooms with their wives and concubines, some even regarded them as "flirting" items to enhance the romance of their boudoirs.

However, in public, when talking about sofas to others, these people put on a sanctimonious act, vehemently criticizing sofas and claiming that they would never use such a luxurious and decadent item.

However, in private, he is a completely different person, secretly enjoying the comfort of the sofa.

Only Daming Department Store, with its detailed purchase records, could uncover the true nature of these people who were two-faced.

"Your Majesty, these are all jade jewelry pieces presented to you by the Marquis of Zhulu. They are truly exquisite!"

Beside Gu Panjun, a palace maid gracefully knelt beside the sofa, her hands steadily holding a warm jade plate filled with jade jewelry that emitted a soft, emerald glow.

Each piece is crafted from the finest jadeite, with exquisite craftsmanship; one glance is enough to tell that it is of great value.

“It is indeed beautiful.” Gu Panjun raised her eyebrows slightly and smiled faintly. “No wonder the Da Ming Daily has been praising it so much for days, saying that the jade from Bago is unparalleled in the world and is the best jewelry that women all over the world dream of. Now it seems that it is indeed well-deserved.”

Although she spoke these words, her eyes showed none of the surprise and joy that an ordinary woman would have when receiving precious jewelry. Only the smile on her face was like a bright and dazzling flower in spring, yet it seemed to hide a few unspeakable deep meanings.

"Of course!" The palace maid's eyes shone with a joy and envy even more intense than Gu Panjun's. Her eyes were as if drawn by a magnet, never leaving the jade jewelry for a moment. Her gaze seemed to wish she could take all these rare treasures into her possession.

"I've heard that jadeite is divided into eight grades, and once it reaches the icy variety, it can be considered an extremely rare treasure."

"What the Marquis of Zhulu presents to Your Majesty is all glass-type jadeite, which is even higher than ice-type jadeite. Moreover, it is the most precious green jadeite among glass-type jadeite, which can be called the king of gemstones. Each piece is priceless and cannot be found anywhere on the market."

"Only someone of Your Majesty's incomparably noble status is worthy of such a rare treasure."

"Look at this bracelet, it's so beautiful it leaves me speechless, I don't even know how to describe it."

As she spoke, the palace maid carefully picked up the bracelet and was about to put it on Empress Gu Panjun's fair wrist.

Unexpectedly, Gu Panjun subtly moved her hand away, her expression calm and her tone even, and said, "It is indeed a rare and good thing. I think most women in the world would like it."

"Here's what we'll do: have someone deliver this bracelet to the Jinling Auction House, which is under the Daming Bank."

"Take this jade bracelet for example. Her Majesty the Empress wore it for a while, but she got tired of it and didn't want it anymore, so she put it up for auction."

"This is the finest of all treasures. Have the auction house promote it extensively and hold a public auction to ensure it fetches a very satisfactory price."

From its inception, Daming Bank has been engaged in mortgage lending business.

There are always prominent families and wealthy merchants who, due to temporary needs, will mortgage their long-standing ancestral property, vast and fertile fields, magnificent houses, and even rare treasures to the Ming Dynasty Bank in exchange for loans to meet their working capital requirements.

However, things are unpredictable. Later, due to many complicated reasons, some borrowers were unable to repay their bank debts, and as a result, these collateral items naturally fell into the hands of the bank.

In response to this situation, Daming Bank specially established a dedicated auction house.

This auction house not only auctions off collateral seized due to debt defaults, but also accepts consignments of treasures from wealthy merchants.

However, the auction house has extremely strict requirements: the items to be auctioned must be genuine rare treasures with extremely high value in order to be auctioned at the Jinling Auction House.

Upon hearing that Her Majesty the Empress was going to send the rare jade bracelet to auction, the young palace maid was utterly astonished. Her eyes widened, and she blurted out, "Your Majesty, such an exquisite bracelet, you don't intend to keep it for yourself, but instead send it to auction?"

In fact, this is not the first time the Empress has put palace items up for auction.

Take, for example, the brocade sofa she's sitting on right now; it's already the third one.

The first two were both sent to Jinling Auction House.

The auction house used the "soft couch once sat on by the empress" as a gimmick, successfully attracting a group of dignitaries to bid, and finally sold it for an astonishingly high price.

However, it was one thing for the sofa that the empress had sat on to be auctioned off, since after it was sold, the Imperial Household Department would go to the workshops under the Ministry of Assets to purchase brand-new soft sofas for the empress to use.

But this jade bracelet is completely different. It is a rare treasure, one of a kind in the world. Once it is sold, it will be difficult to find the same one again.

The young palace maid was filled with doubt and could hardly understand why the Empress, who was richer than a country and had no shortage of money, would want to exchange such a rare treasure for money.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to keep it for yourself, to admire and play with it every day?
How radiant this bracelet is!

If it were me, I would definitely wear it immediately without hesitation, cherish it, and would never give it away.

Gu Panjun gently shook her head and said, "Didn't you hear what I said?"

"I'm already tired of wearing it; people always crave novelty and dislike the old."

"Although this jade bracelet is extremely precious, it feels a bit cumbersome to wear on my wrist and is quite inconvenient to move around in."

"I recently acquired new jewelry. As for these old items, they're of no use to me. They're just an eyesore. I might as well put them up for auction, which would be a good use of them."

"But Your Majesty, you have clearly never worn this bracelet before..."

As soon as the young palace maid uttered her words, she realized she had misspoke and quickly looked up, only to meet the Empress's gentle yet meaningful gaze.

Startled, she quickly lowered her head and said respectfully, "This servant understands. Her Majesty the Empress must have grown tired of this bracelet for a long time, which is why she decided to discard it and send it to auction."

Gu Panjun nodded slightly and said, "That's right."

"The jewels, jade artifacts, and exquisite porcelain in my Kunning Palace must be auctioned off after a period of use, and then new items must be purchased to replace them."

"I like new things."

"But it should not be done too frequently. If it happens too often, these items will flood the market and it will be difficult to get a high price."

"After all, these items have acquired a royal aura in the Kunning Palace of this palace. After circulating around and then being auctioned off, it is not unreasonable for their value to increase tenfold."

The palace maid quickly agreed: "It's not just ten times; the prices of many items at auction are more than a hundred times higher than the original purchase price of the Imperial Household Department."

"After all, it is a precious treasure that Her Majesty the Empress once used."

"Those wealthy merchants, and even powerful and noble families, which one of them wasn't fighting tooth and nail to get their hands on it?"

"Who wouldn't want to bask in the Empress's noble aura?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Panjun's lips curled into a beautiful smile, even more radiant and captivating than the jade bracelet. She then asked, "Let's calculate the accounts. I believe I now have twelve million taels of silver in my account at the Great Ming Bank, right?" "Your Majesty, as of five days ago, the account balance totaled twelve million, three hundred and sixty thousand taels, seven hundred and fifty-three cash." The palace maid, extremely attentive to matters of the money, answered clearly and concisely, "The bank pays interest daily on time, so the current amount is definitely more than that."

Gu Panjun nodded again and instructed, "After the jade bracelet is auctioned off, the proceeds should be deposited into the account of the Great Ming Bank, just as before."

"This servant understands, and will certainly instruct the eunuchs on duty to handle this matter properly," the palace maid replied respectfully.

After a moment's thought, Gu Panjun continued, "Let's give the rest of these jewelry pieces to the other concubines in the palace."

Tell them that these are all items that I used and that are no longer rare, and give them to them as a reward.

"Yes!" the palace maid replied.

After explaining everything, Gu Panjun said nothing more.

She turned slightly to the side, pulled out a book from under the elegant cover of the sofa, and then sat down and began to read it attentively.

Looking at the Empress, who was engrossed in her books, the palace maid hesitated for a long time before finally speaking out her doubts: "Your Majesty, please forgive my impertinence, but do you really have no interest in these treasures and jewelry?"

"After observing carefully for a long time, I always felt that what Your Highness truly cherished were the tens of thousands of books hidden deep in the inner chamber."

"This servant often feels that only when Your Majesty is with you, or when you are immersed in books, does Your Highness show genuine joy."

"But if Her Majesty is not fond of these extravagant and luxurious things, and has little interest in jewelry, why does she decorate Kunning Palace so splendidly, and wear so many pieces of jewelry on a daily basis?"

"On the contrary, they hid those precious books deep in the palace, not letting outsiders see them easily. I really can't understand why."

Upon hearing this, Gu Panjun put down her book, a slightly teasing smile blooming on her face, and gently scolded, "You silly girl, you always say nonsensical things."

"Who says I don't have a fondness for jewelry and have no interest in luxury?"

She paused slightly, her gaze drifting into the distance, her thoughts seemingly drawn to the turmoil outside the palace: "People outside the palace often say that I, the Empress, am greedy for pleasure, indulging in extravagance, spending money like water every day..."

Her words flowed gently like a babbling brook, but were abruptly interrupted by an impatient palace maid.

The palace maid, filled with righteous indignation, blurted out, "Your Highness, those rumors from the streets are utter nonsense!"

“This servant serves Your Highness day and night. I have seen everything you do. How could I not know?”

"Take the daily meals for example. The Empress only makes a show of it, and then bestows those delicacies on other concubines in the palace or servants. She rarely touches the food herself."

"Only when the Empress truly enjoys a dish will she take a few bites."

The palace maid calmed herself down a bit, looked around, and said, "Look at this Kunning Palace. At first glance, it is magnificent and resplendent, with the whole room shrouded in jewels."

"But in my eyes, Your Majesty seems to have never really cared about these treasures, and your gaze has never lingered on them for long."

"And they always keep saying they don't like them and want to replace them."

"In fact, these items were all auctioned off and converted into silver, which was then deposited into the Daming Bank."

"The money obtained was far more than the cost of purchasing these items."

"This servant is truly perplexed. Your Majesty is not short of money, so why do you act in this way?"

The palace maid's tone was full of confusion.

"If Your Majesty truly detests extravagance and has no interest in these luxurious jewels and ornaments, then you are free to refuse these offerings."

"In this way, when the news spreads throughout the palace, it will earn the Empress a reputation for being a 'virtuous empress' who is frugal and good at managing the household, and all the ministers will praise you."

"But now, even though they are unhappy inside, they disregard public opinion and pretend to be extravagant and wasteful, and are still desperately accumulating money. I really can't understand the reason behind this."

As Gu Panjun's close confidante, the young palace maid had a deep relationship with the Empress. At this moment, the doubts that had been building up in her heart poured out like a flood. She spoke without any restraint, pouring out all the questions that had been buried in her heart for a long time, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

Gu Panjun listened quietly to the palace maid's heartfelt words, her expression calm as still water, yet her eyes seemed to hold a thousand waves of emotion.

"History may not record my innocence, but it will remember his empire!" she sighed softly. "A wise ruler's robes must be spotless, but someone always has to wash away the mud on them."

The young palace maid looked bewildered and said, "Your Majesty, what are you saying? I can't understand a single word."

Holding a book, Gu Panjun gently tapped the little palace maid's head, her voice gentle and with a hint of a smile, saying, "You, it's because you don't read enough books that you have so many questions."

"If you really want to know the answer, go to the palace library in your spare time and read more books. The more you read, the more you will naturally understand."

"But this servant is really stupid!" The little palace maid pouted slightly, like a puffed-up little bun, and muttered softly, "Her Majesty the Empress reads books and has a photographic memory. She can remember every word and sentence in the book without any error, and she remembers them clearly."

"But as for me, my eyelids start to droop as soon as I open a book, and I just want to sleep. Moreover, my memory is extremely poor. Even if I read it many times, I still can't remember the contents."

As the palace maid spoke, a glint of light suddenly flashed in her eyes, as if she had remembered something extremely interesting. She then smiled and said, "With Your Majesty's talent and learning, if you were to participate in the imperial examination, in my opinion, the title of top scholar would surely belong to Your Majesty."

"At that time, all scholars in the world will be impressed by the Empress's talent and will willingly admit defeat."

"You're spouting nonsense again." Gu Panjun said softly, "As a woman and the Empress, how could I possibly participate in matters of the imperial examinations?"

"Besides, the world is vast and full of talented people. If I were to take the imperial examination, I might not even pass the first level (举人). If I could pass the second level (秀才), I would be burning incense in gratitude."

The young palace maid waved her hands repeatedly and said, "This servant does not think so. In this servant's eyes, Her Majesty the Empress's learning is far superior to that of many Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations)."

"And who says women can't participate in the imperial examinations?" the young palace maid said excitedly. "This year, His Majesty issued an edict adding many new subjects to the imperial examinations."

"One of the medical disciplines even specifically encourages women to apply."

"His Majesty said that in the past, all physicians were men, and because of the differences between men and women, many sick women could not receive proper treatment. Now, he has issued a decree to encourage women throughout the land to study medicine so that women's illnesses can be treated better."

"The Imperial University of Peking also set up a class for female doctors, which was specifically designed to recruit female students to study medicine."

"As you know, there are now female doctors in the imperial harem, aren't there?"

"It's much more convenient than having male imperial physicians come to the palace to treat patients in the past."

"I've heard that many female doctors in the palace are also eagerly anticipating the spring imperial examination for the medical department next year."

Gu Panjun smiled and said with emotion, "This is truly the best possible outcome. With more female doctors available, sick women across the land will be able to receive timely treatment."

“In the past, when women consulted doctors, they faced many inconveniences due to the difference between men and women, and were hesitant and unable to speak freely.”

"His Majesty's move is truly a blessing to the world; he is indeed a wise and benevolent ruler!"

The young palace maid nodded repeatedly, her expression full of reverence, and said with certainty, "His Majesty is wise and can be called the greatest ruler of all time. Even Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang are inferior to him. Everyone in the palace agrees on this."

After saying that, as if afraid of missing something, she continued in rapid succession: "Looking at the whole world, only a woman as beautiful and charming as the Empress can match a great ruler like His Majesty. It is truly a match made in heaven."

Gu Panjun's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile, but she did not respond with words.

Her stunning beauty, illuminated by the soft light, shone like the bright moon in the night sky, radiating an otherworldly charm.

The young palace maid's gaze shifted to the jade bracelet placed to the side, a hint of reluctance in her eyes, and she murmured softly, "Does Your Majesty really not want this bracelet?"

Gu Panjun picked up the book again, her demeanor elegant, and said, "I have already explained everything clearly, you girl, don't ask any more questions. I am feeling a little tired right now and would like to be alone for a while. You may leave now."

"This servant understands." The little palace maid carefully picked up the jade plate, slowly stood up, and walked lightly towards the outside of the hall.

As she walked, she muttered in a whisper, barely audible to herself, "I really can't figure out why Her Majesty the Empress is doing this."

Her steps seemed light, yet they were very swift, and she arrived at the entrance of the bedchamber in no time.

Just then, a loud announcement came from outside the hall.

"The Emperor has arrived!"

……

(End of this chapter)