My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 300: Two million taels of silver for a birthday celebration? Emperor Chongzhen, what's wrong with you?
Following that, Zhu Cilang toured other parts of the Firearms Research Institute.

For example, workshops that produce flintlock rifles and glass.

In the flintlock musket production workshop, workers were skillfully operating various machines, assembling parts into exquisitely crafted flintlock muskets.

The flintlock muskets had smooth, hard bodies and straight, precise barrels, exuding a cold, austere aura.

It must be said that the production of flintlock muskets is getting higher and higher these days, and the production mode is somewhat similar to the assembly line of later generations.

The workers have a clear division of labor, each performing their own duties. Every link is closely connected, like a sophisticated machine that operates efficiently and stably.

The result of this is higher production efficiency and better product quality.

Every flintlock musket underwent rigorous quality testing to ensure it could unleash its maximum power on the battlefield.

Moreover, not long ago, a batch of flintlock muskets, totaling ten thousand, was delivered to Sun Chuanting.

If all goes well, it should arrive in a few days.

With these 10,000 flintlock muskets, Li Zicheng's side is probably in for a tough time.

Meanwhile, in the glass manufacturing workshop on the other side, a similar scene of bustling activity unfolded.

Workers are pouring molten glass into various molds, and after cooling and processing, exquisite glass products are born.

The glass products were crystal clear and varied in shape, some resembling blooming flowers and others like birds about to take flight. They were so beautiful that people couldn't put them down.

However, glass is a rare commodity, so production doesn't need to be too fast at the moment; production usually resumes only after one batch is sold out.

The prices are also outrageously high, mainly targeting wealthy and powerful businessmen.

In conclusion, the development of the Firearms Research Institute is quite good.

After a while, Zhu Cilang reluctantly left the Firearms Research Institute and then prepared to return to the Eastern Palace.

At this moment, he felt exceptionally cheerful, as if he could see an even brighter future for the Ming Dynasty.

Just as Zhu Cilang was preparing to return to the Eastern Palace, Wang Jiayan, the Minister of Rites, rushed to the palace.

He was walking hurriedly, his face showing a mixture of anxiety and confusion.

Just now, Emperor Chongzhen suddenly sent someone to summon him, asking if there was something important he wanted to discuss with him.

Upon hearing this, Wang Jiayan dared not hesitate for a moment.
They rushed over without stopping!

To be honest, Wang Jiayan was still a bit confused at this moment, because he really couldn't figure out why Chongzhen wanted to summon him.

After all, he had previously asked Emperor Chongzhen whether he should hold a birthday banquet, which Chongzhen had already refused.

So he figured he wouldn't have anything to do for a while.

The next task for the Ministry of Rites was actually quite simple: the most important thing was to prepare for the sacrificial ceremony.

Although a sacrifice had already been offered after the Battle of Songjin, since another great victory had been achieved in Mongolia, it was natural to report to the ancestors and heaven and earth so that the ancestors would know that the Ming Dynasty had once again achieved a glorious victory.

However, this time the scale is not as large as before, and simple preparations are sufficient.

Besides that, it was time to prepare for the New Year, but there really wasn't much to prepare for, because Emperor Chongzhen had never really cared about such things; he just followed the usual simple procedures.

So he really didn't know what Chongzhen wanted to see him for.

Upon seeing Emperor Chongzhen, Wang Jiayan hurriedly bowed:

"I see your Majesty!"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, then asked:
Do you know why I have summoned you?

Wang Jiayan was speechless for a moment, thinking to himself:

How am I supposed to know what you want from me?

Although he felt somewhat helpless, Wang Jiayan dared not show it on the surface, and instead said respectfully:

"Your Majesty, I am unaware."

Chongzhen didn't seem to care much, he just smiled and said:

“The Crown Prince came to see me before and said some things to me. Some of his words made a lot of sense to me, so I thought about it again and decided that I should have a proper birthday celebration.”

"This is why I've come to see you!"

Chongzhen's smile carried a hint of relief and emotion, as if he were still recalling his conversation with Zhu Cilang.

Upon hearing this, Wang Jiayan was momentarily stunned.

Not
Didn't we agree before that it wouldn't be allowed? Why is it being allowed now?

His eyes widened slightly, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

But he quickly realized what was happening and hurriedly said again:

"Your Majesty is wise! His Highness the Crown Prince is truly both loyal and filial! Your Majesty, please rest assured that the Ministry of Rites will do its utmost to handle this matter! I just wonder what the budget is for this birthday celebration?"

When he said this, Wang Jiayan was very careful, and even his voice was quieter.

There's no way around it; the emperor's birthday celebrations have to have a certain scale, right?
There are ways to handle 100,000 taels of silver, and there are ways to handle 1 million taels of silver. He needs Chongzhen to give him a definite amount before the Ministry of Rites can begin to process it.

Emperor Chongzhen had actually discussed this matter with Zhu Cilang beforehand.

Although Emperor Chongzhen was always frugal, he understood that a grand birthday banquet played an important role in enhancing the cohesion and unity of the court.

Moreover, Zhu Cilang explained to him in detail the various benefits of holding a birthday banquet, which changed his previous opinion.

So immediately afterward, Chongzhen said without hesitation:

"Let's do it according to the standard of two million taels of silver!"

When Wang Jiayan heard the figure of "two million taels of silver", he was completely stunned!
What the hell is this?

What's wrong with the emperor?
Why did you suddenly become so arrogant?

It should be noted that when he reported to Emperor Chongzhen, he said that 500,000 taels of silver could be used to celebrate a birthday, but Emperor Chongzhen still thought it was too much and too wasteful.

But how come it suddenly skyrocketed to two million taels, four times higher than he had previously said? This is really a bit outrageous!
But for the Ministry of Rites, this was actually a good thing. After all, if they had really spent tens or hundreds of thousands of taels of silver to hold this birthday celebration, it would have been very frugal and they would have had to make do with many things.

However, if the budget were increased to two million taels, then the Ministry of Rites would be able to organize a proper event.

They could invite more civil and military officials, prepare a more lavish banquet, and set up a more magnificent setting, turning this birthday banquet into a grand celebration.

Thinking of this, Wang Jiayan quickly said:

"Your Majesty, I obey! I will make the preparations well and will not fail Your Majesty's trust! I will make this birthday banquet beautiful and satisfy Your Majesty."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded in satisfaction. "Go! I believe you will not disappoint!"

Subsequently, Wang Jiayan left the palace under the guidance of a eunuch.

Even after leaving the palace, Wang Jiayan's face was still full of excitement.

It should be noted that the Ministry of Rites had not held a proper birthday banquet for the emperor for more than a decade.

Over the past decade or so, the work of the Ministry of Rites has become mundane and tedious. They are like a group of forgotten people, unable to find their own value and meaning.

Because the emperor did not celebrate his birthday, others such as the empress, crown prince, and princes naturally could not celebrate their birthdays either. This led to the Ministry of Rites becoming quite unfamiliar with the procedures for organizing birthday banquets.

Many things have been almost completely forgotten.

If the emperor doesn't celebrate his birthday again, they probably won't know how to proceed, and the Ministry of Rites will become increasingly meaningless.

Organizing this birthday banquet has finally given the Ministry of Rites a sense of purpose and value.

Do you think Wang Jiayan wouldn't be happy?

Besides, this matter is not as simple as just organizing a birthday banquet.

Because when the emperor celebrates his birthday, all civil and military officials in the court must be notified, including those in the capital and those not in the capital, and even those in remote places such as Liaodong and Yunnan.

This was an important court ceremony and a way for the emperor to demonstrate his authority and status.

Then officials would present congratulatory messages and birthday gifts; these were the basic procedures.

Congratulatory messages were officials' blessings and respect for the emperor, while birthday gifts were their filial piety and loyalty to the emperor.

And right now, it might be snowing in some remote areas, so this round trip could take two months.

If we don't act now, what if the emperor's birthday banquet arrives and some local officials' congratulatory gifts and memorials are not delivered?

If the emperor is unhappy, won't it be him, the Minister of Rites, who will suffer?

Thinking of this, Wang Jiayan's steps became even more hurried.

He must inform everyone of this matter as soon as possible so that everyone can be prepared.

He also personally oversaw every step to ensure the birthday celebration proceeded smoothly without any mishaps.

On the other side, Zhu Cilang had just returned to the East Palace. As soon as he stepped into the familiar courtyard, he saw Zheng Xiaomei and Qiqige.

However, at this moment, both of them were dressed in their finest attire, radiant like beautiful flowers blooming in spring.

Seeing this scene, Zhu Cilang felt a surge of amusement well up inside him, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up. Then he asked:
"Look at you two, dressed so formally, where are you planning to go?"

Qiqige, always an impatient person, was the first to speak upon hearing this:

"Where else could we go? Of course, we're going to pay our respects to your father and mother! We were planning to wait for you to go with us, but you've been busy all morning, and just now you rushed out with that eunuch. You must be going to the palace too, right?"

Why didn't you take the two of us with you earlier?

There was a hint of reproach in her tone, as if she were complaining that Zhu Cilang hadn't invited them when he entered the palace.

Hearing Qiqige's words, Zheng Xiaomei quickly tugged at Qiqige's sleeve and said:

"Qiqige, don't say that. His Highness must have important business to attend to at the palace. How can he take us with him? That would only delay His Highness's business."

At the same time, Zhu Cilang finally understood the meaning behind their words.

Then, with a slightly apologetic smile, he said:
"That was my oversight. I should have brought you two with me when I went to the palace earlier."

Although the previous trip to the palace was to discuss important matters with Emperor Chongzhen, it would have been fine to bring Qiqige and Zheng Xiaomei along. They could have kept Empress Zhou company and chatted with her.

Zhu Cilang then discussed important matters with Chongzhen, so as not to delay anything.

Unfortunately, it seems it's too late now.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Xiaomei quickly said:

"Your Highness, there's no need to say that. It's really alright. We can just visit Father and Empress again tomorrow. It's no big deal."

In ancient times, there were strict rules for paying respects to the emperor at the palace. Generally, one could only go in the morning. Now that the sun was gradually setting in the west, it would be against the rules to go later.

Zhu Cilang didn't know what to say after hearing this, and simply nodded.

Suddenly, at that moment, the matter of Chongzhen and Empress Zhou talking about choosing a crown princess for him suddenly came to Zhu Cilang's mind again.

Zhu Cilang looked at Zheng Xiaomei again, thinking that he should tell her about this so that she could be mentally prepared in advance.

Then, Zhu Cilang said with a slightly solemn expression:
"By the way, I have something to tell you, and you need to prepare in advance."

Seeing Zhu Cilang's solemn expression, Zheng Xiaomei's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly asked:

"Your Highness, please speak. I am all ears."

Zhu Cilang said directly:
"It's like this, Father and Mother are discussing choosing a Crown Princess for me. They summoned me to the palace earlier to discuss this matter."

what?
Crown Princess?
Before Zheng Xiaomei could react to these words, Qiqige, who was standing next to her, immediately started making a fuss.

She stared wide-eyed, her already bright eyes wide with disbelief, and exclaimed loudly:

"No, isn't she your Crown Princess? Why are you choosing another Crown Princess?"

As he spoke, he pointed at Zheng Xiaomei.

It was obvious that Qiqige was unfamiliar with the customs and habits of the Han people and thought that the Crown Prince's concubine was the same as the Crown Prince's wife.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Xiaomei, who was standing nearby, quickly explained:
"Qiqige, don't misunderstand. I'm not the Crown Princess, I'm the Crown Prince's concubine."

"Does it make any difference?"

Qiqige was a little confused. She still didn't understand the difference between the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince's concubine.
Zheng Xiaomei sighed softly and patiently explained:

"Of course it's different. Strictly speaking, the Crown Princess is the Crown Prince's only legal wife. She has to go through a formal investiture ceremony, a grand ceremony held in the ancestral temple, and her name must be written into the royal genealogy."

"As for the Crown Prince's concubine, she is just an ordinary concubine. Her status is worlds apart from that of the Crown Prince's wife."

Actually, Zheng Xiaomei originally wanted to say that the Crown Prince's concubine was actually a "concubine," but she felt that saying it was a bit inappropriate and too demeaning to herself, after all, she was a woman with a strong sense of self-respect.

Therefore, the relatively euphemistic term "concubine" was used.

Qiqige finally understood. She frowned, thought for a moment, and then said:

"Simply put, the Crown Princess is like the first wife, and the Crown Prince's concubine is like a second wife, right?"

Zhu Cilang was speechless!
Although that's the meaning, you can't say it so bluntly!
(End of this chapter)