Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 201 Zhu Youxiao's Carpentry Stall

In the early Ming Dynasty, the title of "Guifei" wasn't a distinct rank among concubines, but rather the highest designation among consorts, placed alongside virtuous and virtuous consorts. However, over time, and given its inherent connotation of being the "chief of all concubines," the title's status gradually rose. During the Xuande reign, it was granted a title of imperial seal and imperial seal, effectively becoming a new rank. Once second only to the empress, the title of "Huang Guifei" (皇贵妃) saw it relegated to third rank.

The title of Imperial Noble Consort was established during the Jingtai period.

In August of the seventh year of the Jingtai reign, Emperor Gongren Kangding conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort on his favorite concubine, Tang. This was the first time the title of Imperial Noble Consort appeared in history. However, Tang served as Imperial Noble Consort for only five months, and her fate was tragic. On the seventeenth day of the first lunar month of the eighth year of the Jingtai reign, Emperor Yingzong was restored to the throne, and Emperor Jing was deposed as Prince of Qin. His concubines were demoted, and Tang's Imperial Noble Consort status was revoked. A month later, Emperor Jing died suddenly, and Emperor Yingzong ordered Tang to be buried alive with him. Tang accepted the sentence silently, and was buried alive at Jinshan at the age of nineteen.

In the second year of the Chenghua reign, Emperor Xianzong conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort on his favorite concubine, Lady Wan, making Wan Zhen'er the first recognized Imperial Noble Consort in the Ming Dynasty. Thereafter, the title of Imperial Noble Consort became second only to the Empress, the most prestigious position among the imperial concubines in the Ming harem. During the Ming Dynasty, the title of Imperial Noble Consort was not a fixed institution. Nor was there a limit on the number of Imperial Noble Consorts. For example, Emperor Shenzong simultaneously conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort on Lady Wang and Lady Shen. Emperor Shenzong also conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort on Lady Wang Gong, the mother of the Crown Prince, while Lady Zheng was still alive, because the Crown Prince's concubine, Lady Wang, had given birth to his eldest grandson, Zhu Youxiao.

This shows that the emperor conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort primarily because of favor, and secondarily because of merit. Generally speaking, the emperor could confer the title of Imperial Noble Consort simply because he wished, without requiring any special conditions. With Xu Guangqi in charge of the Ministry of Rites, it could be said that even a minor incident occurred. Simply obeying the imperial edict and going through the motions was enough.

But Zhu Changluo didn't want to give Li Zhulan the title of Imperial Noble Consort. With the Central Palace empty and the Empress Dowager absent, the Imperial Noble Consort was supposed to assume the Empress's authority and manage the harem. She even interfered with the prince's wedding. This woman was incredibly capable. As soon as she lost her exclusive favor, she began forming cliques and attempting to forge a rival faction against the Mi Palace.

However, Zhu Changluo would not suppress Li Zhulan for Mi Mengshang's sake. If she could become arrogant due to her favor, she could also become arrogant due to her favor. He certainly wouldn't beat or kill any concubines without permission, or they would have to be careful about how they slept. His only concern was to ensure that no vicious struggles of life and death occurred in the harem.

"Wei Zhongxian left your palace. It's the New Year, but he doesn't come to visit your palace?" Zhu Changluo asked with a smile.

"He came here once when he just left. He came here again before the New Year and brought me some snacks like candied dates and sweet cakes. I gave them all as rewards to the servants below." Li Zhulan had no doubts.

"Isn't it delicious?" Zhu Changluo scratched Li Zhulan's nose affectionately and asked casually.

"Thanks to the Emperor's mercy, my palace is never short of money, so I don't need his little things. My only concern is whether he can help share the Emperor's worries." Li Zhulan said, "After all, he is a servant from my palace. If he returns in disgrace, it would be a disgrace to me."

"You're really sensible." Zhu Changluo asked again, "Will he tell you about what's happening outside?"

Hearing the word "outside," Li Zhulan suddenly felt a sense of danger. She observed the emperor's expression and said cautiously, "If he doesn't say anything, I won't ask."

Li Zhulan was very smart. When the assassination incident happened, it was she who finally persuaded the crown prince to accept Zheng Gong's apology. By keeping the peace, she won the favor of her father and consolidated her position as crown prince.

Zhu Changluo made no comment, but instead patted Li Zhulan's hand, motioning her to embrace him. Obediently, Li Zhulan climbed onto the emperor's shoulders, then, with narrowed eyes, offered her sweet lips. A moment later, Zhu Changluo lifted her up and laid her on the nearest bed. He then stripped her clothes piece by piece, leaving only the silver bell hanging from her ankle.

Zhu Changluo gave her a gentle push. Li Zhulan's cheeks flushed, and she turned over with understanding.

The expected foreign body sensation did not come immediately, instead, there was a slap on the buttocks that was between pleasure and punishment.

"Ah!" Li Zhulan stared at him and cried out in anger. She turned sideways and saw the emperor looking back at her with a wicked and angry look.

Snap! Li Zhulan screamed with surprise every time the emperor slapped her. This slapping continued for a long time, until the peach blossoms on Yuyuan Peak bloomed, their red reflections like blood. Zhu Changluo finally leaned over her, leaned close to her ear, and whispered softly, "Things outside are meaningless. Don't make yourself unhappy."

Li Zhulan was stunned, then felt wronged. Wei Zhongxian hadn't said anything to her, and she didn't dare ask him to do anything for her. But just as she was about to explain, she was interrupted by a strange feeling. "The imperial concubine is dead!" She shed tears, silently enduring the storm of attacks.

In the end, Zhu Changluo still did not seriously question Li Zhulan whether she had colluded with Wei Zhongxian to force Mi Mengshang to death.

It just hit her in a different way.

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The government offices in the capital are sealed on New Year's Eve and copied on the sixth day of the first lunar month, but the City Patrol Censorate under the Censorate, the five thousand households of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Five Cities Military Commission are not included. These government offices that maintain public security in the capital can be said to be open all year round.

During the Lantern Festival, Pang Zongguang, the Imperial Censor inspecting Central City, would focus his attention on the Zhaomingfang and Chengqingfang areas. On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Pang Zongguang rose early as usual and strolled the streets, lantern in hand. Arriving at the Lantern Festival, he found a few scattered stalls selling handicrafts.

He didn't care much, because to set up a stall at the Lantern Festival, one only had to pay a "fire fee" of one or two taels of silver to the Central City Military Commission one day in advance. As for who owned the stall, it was a matter of first come, first served. As long as there was no fighting over the stall, the Military Commission would not intervene.

Pang Zongguang looked around, hoping to find a breakfast shop. However, before he found a breakfast shop, a stall selling wood carvings caught his attention first.

When Pang Zongguang came to the stall, the young man guarding the stall and the strong men in servants' clothes behind him immediately stood up. What Pang Zongguang didn't notice was that there were several pairs of eyes staring at him from behind and above his head.

"Sir, would you like to buy one?" The young man saw Pang Zongguang's official uniform and the lantern in his hand and immediately guessed his identity.

"Young man, have we met somewhere before?" Pang Zongguang always felt that this young man looked familiar.

"In reply to your Excellency's words," the young man said with a slight bow, "If I had the good fortune to meet you once, I would certainly remember you. But unfortunately, I do not have such an impression."

"Young people are quite good at talking." Pang Zongguang stroked his beard, nodded, and didn't think about it anymore. The imperial inspector saw countless faces in a day, so it was normal to occasionally run into one or two familiar faces.

Pang Zongguang picked up a wooden Maitreya statue and asked, "What kind of wood is this made of?"

"Rosewood." The young man replied.

"What a beautiful piece of wood." The Maitreya statue was so exquisitely crafted that Pang Zongguang couldn't let it go. "Did you carve it yourself?"

The young man looked fair and clean-shaven, with a soft, short beard on his chin, giving him the air of a delicate scholar. But Pang Zongguang also noticed the obvious calluses and scars on his hands. This made it even harder for him to associate him with the eldest son, who had stood at the head of the line during the New Year's worship. At least at that time, the eldest son's interest in wood carving had not yet become widely known. He also didn't think the emperor would allow his son to condescend to such a place to sell wood.

"To answer your question, sir. I carved it myself." Zhu Youxiao raised his head slightly, with a confident smile between his eyebrows.

"How much?" Pang Zongguang prepared to pay. His mother was a Buddhist, and if he gave her such a gift, she would definitely be happy. It just so happened that this year the emperor had supplemented the salaries of low-ranking officials and subsidized the interest. After paying off the principal to the bank, he still had quite a bit of money left, allowing him to indulge in a little luxury.

"Ten taels of silver each. Take your pick." Zhu Youxiao obviously did not have a detailed understanding of the market conditions.

"What! How much?" Pang Zongguang was shocked by the young man's offer and quickly put the wooden Maitreya statue back.

"Is it a lot?" Zhu Youxiao picked up the wooden Maitreya that Pang Zongguang had put down, looked at it from left to right and said, "It took me five days of my free time to make this Maitreya. I still think ten taels of silver is not enough." Zhu Youxiao just felt that Pang Zongguang did not know the value of the goods.

"Yes, it's less." The eunuchs and guards standing behind Zhu Youxiao echoed.

"Wow, young master. I'm afraid only your father is willing to spend ten taels of silver to buy this thing from you." Pang Zongguang shook his head and smiled.

"What do you think it's worth?" Zhu Youxiao suddenly thought of the story of Zou Ji persuading King Qi to accept advice.

"I have no fate with this Maitreya." Pang Zongguang left the wood carving stall with a smile.

Although Pang Zongguang didn't have much money, he still disdained to bargain openly. He decided to come back later, wait for the young master to bump into things a few times and face reality, and the price would naturally come down. If the young master didn't want to sell, or if Maitreya was taken away by someone else, then it didn't matter. It was just that he had no connection with Buddha.

Not long after Pang Zongguang left, another middle-aged man dressed as a scholar came to the woodcarving stall. He was carrying a backpack, a foldable wooden table hanging on his right shoulder, and an easel in his right hand.

"Sir, would you like to buy a wood carving? Ten taels of silver each. Take your pick." Zhu Youxiao decided to stick to the price of ten taels of silver for the time being.

"I won't buy this." Zhu Youxiao occupied the spot where the middle-aged Confucian scholar had set up his stall yesterday. The middle-aged Confucian scholar originally wanted to argue with Zhu Youxiao, but when he saw that there were many people and a tall and strong man standing behind the young man, he wisely set up his stall next to the wood carving stall.

The middle-aged scholar thought to himself: Ten taels of silver, you'd better go and rob it.

"Sir, what are you selling here?" Zhu Youxiao asked the middle-aged Confucian scholar.

"Isn't that obvious?" The middle-aged scholar pulled out scrolls one by one from his backpack. Then there was a set of four treasures of the study and some colorful paints. "Selling paintings."

"Can I take a look?" the young man asked.

"Of course." The middle-aged scholar nodded.

"Thank you very much." Zhu Youxiao thanked him, picked up a scroll and opened it, then said bluntly: "Your landscape painting can only be said to be mediocre."

"Hey, kid, you're so arrogant!" The middle-aged scholar's face froze, and then he snatched the scroll.

"Just keep talking, don't use force!" the burly man next to Zhu Youxiao shouted. "Be careful or I'll whip you."

"What are you doing? Under the Emperor's feet, in broad daylight, are you really planning to commit violence in the street?" The middle-aged scholar was startled by the strong man's sudden scolding, but he remained firm. He was certain that the evil slave would not dare to attack, after all, the inspector was still walking in front of him. Unlike the stall issue, if a fight really broke out over this, he would be in the right.

"We're just out for fun, it's none of your business." Zhu Youxiao waved his hand to signal the strong man to retreat.

"Yes." The burly man glared at the middle-aged scholar again.

"Sir, I am sorry for speaking my mind and causing you displeasure." Zhu Youxiao apologized with a fist salute.

The middle-aged scholar unfolded the scroll, examined it carefully, and was satisfied. "You speak your mind. Ha! Are you a good painter?"

"No." The young man said truthfully.

"Then just go and play with your wood. Don't talk to me if you don't understand what I'm talking about." He unfolded a piece of work that he was most satisfied with and hung it on the easel.

Zhu Youxiao couldn't paint, but he could appreciate it. However, he wouldn't compare famous artists with the middle-aged man in front of him just to show off his eloquence. "Sir, you're right. I've been reckless."

"If you don't mind, could you tell me how much silver you have sold in the past few days?" Zhu Youxiao asked.

"Five small paintings, three large ones, and two current paintings. Seventeen taels and five cents in total." The middle-aged scholar raised his head proudly. It was the Beijing Lantern Festival. During any other time, he would have had to consign his paintings to a painting shop. And there was a good chance he wouldn't sell a single one in ten days or half a month.

The young man was startled and asked, "How did you bid for this painting?"

The scholar chuckled and said, "A large painting is two taels, a small painting is one tael and five cents. If it's a custom painting, it's also two taels. No bargaining."

The prices of Ming Dynasty paintings and calligraphy were relatively low. The highest recorded prices for works by famous artists, such as Zhu Yunming and Wang Chong, were no more than 20 taels of silver after changing hands many times.

The prevailing price was often two or three taels of silver, or even less. Dong Qichang, then the current Junior Minister of the Imperial Academy and Director of the Imperial College, wrote in a letter, "The price of mounting the Hongtang scroll is one and a half taels. This painting is worth one price, but it's my loss. But please don't let anyone else know." Even if it was a secret friendship price, one and a half taels was far too low. This is why Tang Yin, known as Tang Bohu, wrote in his poem, "Green mountains, white hair, old and stubborn, my life of pen and ink is hard and arduous. No one wants the rice paddies on the lake, so who will buy my Zhongshan paintings?"

The young man thought that selling so many works for only seventeen taels and five cents of silver was pitifully little, but seeing the middle-aged scholar's expression, he knew that this was something he should be proud of, so he smiled and complimented him, "Sir, you are truly amazing."

"You understand now." The middle-aged scholar was a typical donkey that obeyed the command. He immediately perked up after being praised like this.

(End of this chapter)