Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 254 The Empress is Pregnant and the World is Free from Illness (Part 2)

In the dead of winter, it gets dark very early.

Just after dusk, night quietly descended.

At this moment, Zhu Jue had just returned to Kunning Palace and was hurrying towards the kitchen.

At this time of year, the kitchen would usually be filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.

This was all because Empress Zhang and Empress Zhang would tease Xiao Zheng Chenggong while waiting for him to have his meal, just to make him happy.

The kitchen was quiet that day, as if no one was there.

Zhu Jue went inside and was taken aback.

Empress Zhang and Empress Zhang are both here, as is young Zheng Chenggong.

Empress Zhou seemed rather sullen, and Empress Zhang and Xiao Zhengcheng were also affected, their faces full of worry.

He slowly sat down, his face serious, and asked, "Xiao Hui, what's wrong? What happened?"

Unexpectedly, Empress Zhou slowly shook her head and remained silent.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Jue couldn't help but look at Empress Zhang.

What exactly happened here?
Empress Zhang hesitated for a moment, but still gritted her teeth and said, "Your Majesty, it has been more than three years since you ascended the throne, and none of your concubines have given birth to a son or a daughter yet. Everyone is very anxious."

This prince is crucial to the continuation of the nation's line. If you have any problems with that aspect, you must quickly get the imperial physicians to find a way to treat him.

Uh, so that's what you guys were worried about.

It's been over three years, and none of the many concubines have given birth to a son or a daughter. It's definitely not the concubines' problem, but his.

It's impossible for all the concubines in the harem to be infertile; only his infertility could cause this result.

How do you say this?

He's not infertile, he just hasn't been trying to conceive.

Domineering CEOs are all focused on their careers and don't really care much about having children, and this remains true in later generations.

However, it is unacceptable for an emperor to be without an heir; the lack of a prince to inherit the throne could truly shake the foundations of the nation.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jue was taken aback for a moment before awkwardly nodding and saying, "I did indeed overlook this matter."

Your Majesty, don't worry, I'm fine. It's just that I haven't considered having a prince yet.

"Perfect timing, the New Year is almost here, and I won't be as busy this year. I'll put in extra effort then and try to get Xiao Hui pregnant."

That's too blunt. What do you mean by "put in more effort"?
You didn't even try to cover it up.

Upon hearing this, Empress Zhou blushed deeply with embarrassment.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zheng couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, is it possible to conceive a child simply by trying harder?"

This kid!
What kind of question is that?

Empress Zhang blushed deeply upon hearing this.

Zhu Jue nodded seriously and said, "Yes, you'll understand when you grow up. If this child puts in a little more effort, she can indeed get pregnant."

Oh dear, you still say that.

Empress Zhou asked shyly, "Your Majesty, aren't you hungry?"

I was just joking.

Zhu Jue smiled slightly, then raised his hand and said, "Alright, let's eat first."

He actually has some free time now.

This is because the development of the Ming Dynasty has already been put on the right track, and the capital city has been fully developed.

The Ming Dynasty's industry has now laid a solid foundation, and steam engines can not only meet military needs but have also been extended to civilian use.

The transportation problem has been gradually solved. Ships and horse-drawn railcars can basically meet the transportation requirements at sea and on land. He doesn't need to worry about the development of trains, as Song Yingxing had already had the idea for a long time.

As for the rebels and the Jurchens, although he hadn't yet wiped out the rebels or completely defeated the Jurchens, the rebels were already suppressed by Pan Yunteng, and the Jurchens had been beaten into submission by Sun Chuanting. He only needed to use feints and other tactics to slowly wear them down.

However, that will have to wait until spring, and it won't affect his ability to have a baby.

Right now, the only thing he needs to keep an eye on is the Haihe Shipyard.

He didn't really need to worry about that side. Lu Xiang-sheng, Song Ying-xing, Bi Mao-kang, Yuan You, and Tian Hong-yu were all busy there. He only needed to check on the progress every day or two and give them some supervision.

Now that he finally has some free time, he really should step up his efforts to have a baby.

He's always been decisive and efficient; if he says he'll have a baby, then he'll have a baby.

The New Year holidays haven't even arrived yet, and he's already putting in a lot of effort.

He's put all his effort into Empress Zhou; he hasn't even gone after the other concubines yet.

This is because if the Empress cannot give birth to the eldest son of the Emperor first, and another concubine gives birth to the eldest son, it will be another problem.

His father, Emperor Taichang, was born out of wedlock.

The struggle over the succession during the Wanli era was so intense that it shook the very foundations of the Ming Dynasty.

He didn't want to cause such a thing.

If the eldest son of the emperor is born out of wedlock, those officials in the outer court will definitely start plotting against him again.

At that time, Wanli was only a little rebellious and did not strive for progress like he did. Even so, the officials in the outer court made a huge fuss over the succession, which angered Wanli so much that he did not attend court for decades.

If he were to produce an illegitimate eldest son, the officials in the outer court would certainly go even further than during the Wanli era.

This struggle for the throne is no joke; once the officials in the outer court start making trouble, they probably won't be able to be stopped even if they are killed.

He would naturally not give officials from the outer court such an opportunity.

Therefore, he focused all his efforts on Empress Zhou, wanting to produce the eldest son of the legitimate wife first.

As for whether he can father a prince, there is no doubt about that.

Emperor Chongzhen did not have just one son in history.

The legend of Zhu San Taizi is quite famous.

This proves that Emperor Chongzhen had at least three sons.

His body is still in good shape; it's just that he didn't pay attention to it before and didn't try hard to have children.

Now that he's focused and putting in the effort, producing a legitimate eldest son will definitely not be a problem.

His efforts delighted Empress Zhou, who was radiant with happiness every day. When she whispered secrets to Empress Zhang, she couldn't help but giggle shyly.

Seeing this, Empress Zhang also put in a lot of effort, and she actually had the imperial kitchen stew a highly nourishing soup for her every day!
This left Zheng Chenggong somewhat bewildered.

This is because in the past he could eat whatever he wanted.

There were some dishes he couldn't eat right now. They looked so tempting, but Empress Zhang wouldn't let him touch them. When he asked why, Empress Zhang just blushed and wouldn't tell him.

Zhu Jue was busy having children, while Lu Xiangsheng, Song Yingxing, Bi Maokang, Yuan You, Tian Hongyu, and others were also busy. The dock and waterways of the Haihe Shipyard were taking shape at a speed visible to the naked eye.

With the New Year approaching and the weather getting colder, Lu Xiang-sheng, Song Ying-xing, Bi Mao-kang, Yuan You, and Tian Hong-yu still didn't want to rest. The soldiers of the Beijing garrison, the young and strong artisans, and the young and strong farmers were all full of energy and didn't want to stop working at all.

It's all because he pays high wages; he pays double for working in the freezing cold.

Such opportunities don't come often. We celebrate holidays every year, so it doesn't matter if we don't celebrate them this year. Everyone wants to take advantage of these opportunities to make more money.

Zhu Jue saw that everyone wanted to continue working, so naturally he wouldn't stop them. He also wanted the Haihe Shipyard to be completed as soon as possible.

He simply doubled the wages of all the soldiers, artisans, and farmers in the Beijing garrison, and paid them four times the usual wages during the holidays!

This made the soldiers of the Beijing garrison, the young and strong artisans and farmers even more excited, and even the local elderly, women and children were overjoyed, because their wages had doubled.

All they did was wash vegetables, cook meals, and boil water. Such easy work earned them two taels of silver a month, and it was paid per person, including the elderly, children, and women.

How could they not be thrilled to make such money?

(End of this chapter)