Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 216 Princess Yongning, Zhu Yaoying? The Royal Bloodline within Jingyang Palace

Cining Palace.

Since the disaster in Jiangnan, I have heard that the prices of cloth and silk have skyrocketed in various places. Empress Dowager Li has always prided herself on caring for the people, and this time will certainly be no exception.

A few days ago, she issued an order that all the concubines and palace maids in the harem must engage in weaving and spinning, and there should be no slackness.

The expenses of the imperial harem should be reduced even more, so as to set an example for all the people.

"Da da da--"

Each time the reed is pushed, it makes a short, sharp sound.

Inside the Cining Palace, dozens of palace maids gathered together, operating looms, creating a cacophony of sounds.

Empress Dowager Li sat in the head seat, and her skill in manipulating the shuttle was also very adept.

She came from a commoner family, so she was naturally knowledgeable about textiles and weaving.

In stark contrast, a woman with delicate features standing next to her appeared quite clumsy in her technique.

However, he would often find himself in a state of chaos, and only Empress Dowager Li could save the day.

Empress Dowager Li helped straighten the lines while scolding her.

“Ying’er, I’ve always told you to get good at needlework, but you never listen. Now that it’s needed, you’re so unfamiliar with it.”

"Your son is really not good at needlework, and it is much more comfortable to read and write."

The speaker was Princess Yongning, Zhu Yaoying. She was still young, but her eyebrows were as dark as ink, her skin as white as snow, and her nose was delicate and straight.

Such a beautiful woman, who could have imagined that she would marry a consumptive man and never know how to have sex again?
"As a princess, your every word and action represents the face of the royal family. If you do not engage in needlework, how will you manage the expenses of your household when you go out to establish your own residence and guild?"

"Your subject does not wish to go out."

Zhu Yaoying shrank back, looking very frightened.

As expected, Empress Dowager Li immediately raised her eyebrows and said, "What kind of behavior is this? You will be of marriageable age next year. It is your duty to be a good wife and mother!"

"There's no need to talk about maidservants; as a princess, you will naturally have servants to help you."

"But royal women should be role models for women all over the world. Now the people of Jiangnan are suffering from disaster, and the world is short of silk and cloth. Winter will be here in a few months, and when cloth is scarce, how many more innocent people will suffer? Although you are not the emperor and do not need to shoulder the great responsibility of the world, you should still act like a princess."

Empress Dowager Li gave another lecture.

"From this day forward, you must come to Cining Palace every day to weave with me. If you slack off in any way, you will not be spared."

Zhu Yaoying, looking as silent as a cicada in winter, could only obediently nod.

"Your subject will humbly follow Your Majesty's teachings."

She couldn't disobey; unlike her brother Wanli, she couldn't act arbitrarily.

If she didn't listen, Empress Dowager Li would send people to confiscate all the novels and books in her palace, which would be even more painful than killing Zhu Yaoying.

After reprimanding her daughter, Empress Dowager Li then gave instructions to the palace maid beside her.

"Whatever was written in the Wanli Xinbao, and what the emperor did, must be read aloud truthfully, without the slightest error or omission!"

The palace maid, fearing she might offend the Empress Dowager, dared not slacken her efforts and quickly picked up the newspaper to read aloud.

"Recently, His Majesty the Benevolent and Wise Emperor once again visited the Xishan Drama Theatre and provided meticulous guidance to all its staff. In particular, regarding the future development of the Xishan Auction, he issued the following decree."

Princess Yongning, Zhu Yaoying, who was sitting to the side, took the opportunity to stop her work and start to slack off, listening to the contents of the newspaper.

She carefully observed her mother's expression.

As expected, Empress Dowager Li's expression was not very good after hearing that the emperor had gone to the Western Hills one after another.

The emperor brother is the same; he acts so ostentatiously. If he were to make money, he would make money. If he had been more restrained, there wouldn't have been so much gossip.

People now visit the Western Hills more frequently than they visit the concubines' chambers; some have even filed complaints with the Cining Palace.
As she read, the palace maid felt the Empress Dowager's sharp gaze, and her voice grew softer and softer.

"Read! Why aren't you reading? Tell me everything the emperor did in the Western Hills!"

The palace maid was so frightened she was almost crying, but she forced herself to suppress her fear and continued chanting.

"His Majesty the Emperor has placed great expectations on the Xishan Auction House. Going forward, Xishan will focus on developing its appraisal and auction services, living up to His Majesty's earnest teachings. The Xishan Auction House will strive to grow stronger and provide a fair and just auction environment for the people of the capital."

"His Majesty the Emperor made a special visit to the Xishan Crosstalk Troupe, and provided extremely detailed corrections and evaluations of some of their performances. His Majesty has issued an edict clarifying this."

"Hmph~ It seems the emperor didn't go to the Western Hills to check on the safety of the refugees, but rather to have some fun there, didn't he?"

The shout startled the palace maid, who immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "This servant didn't know, this servant didn't know, please forgive me, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!"

Seeing that the palace maids were being caught in the crossfire, Zhu Yaoying quickly stepped in to smooth things over, waving her hand and saying...

"This is none of your business. Give me the newspaper and you may leave."

"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness! This servant will now depart!"

Reading the newspaper to the Empress Dowager was a chore.

The emperor has been neglecting his duties lately, and Empress Dowager Li was furious upon hearing the content. This inevitably affected the palace maids who were reciting the text, and several of them had already been flogged in the past few days.

Seeing the palace maid hurriedly leave, Empress Dowager Li made no attempt to stop her. Her anger subsided somewhat, but a hint of helplessness appeared on her face as she said, "The Emperor has grown up; he's no longer the child who listened to me. It seems no one in the court can discipline him."

A few years ago, Empress Dowager Li was still able to use the story of Huo Guang replacing the emperor to threaten her.

But the emperor has grown older in the last two years. Does she still want to tell the emperor, who has been in power for many years, "The weighty responsibilities of the nation cannot be borne by you alone"?
That would undoubtedly give outsiders something to talk about and undermine the emperor.

Zhu Yaoying had heard that her mother had been disciplining her brother, the emperor, in recent days.

It always went in one ear and out the other.

For example, the emperor was advised to be diligent in his duties and not to indulge in pleasure all day long, but the emperor turned around and went to Consort Zheng to study vernacular novels.

They also advised the emperor not to get involved in the affairs of Xishan, and that he shouldn't spend his days lingering at the Xishan auctions as the emperor, but the emperor still did as he pleased.

"Mother, although my brother the Emperor is sometimes a bit dissolute, he is not as despicable as you think."

Look at the Xishan workshops; when they were first established, they solved the livelihood problems of hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
"My brother, the Emperor, always cares about state affairs; it's just that his methods are somewhat different."

"While Xishan may have relieved the plight of the displaced people, it also fueled a culture of extravagance."

Empress Dowager Li, feeling somewhat weary from the recent rumors circulating in the capital, spoke slowly.

“He ignores everything I say. The other day I advised him to be diligent in his duties, but he turned around and went to Consort Zheng’s place. Now he’s gone to Xishan. He’s busy with countless affairs every day.”

Now only Consort Zheng and Zhang Shiyuan's words carry weight; my words are useless.

Zhu Yaoying's expression stiffened. She knew that Consort Zheng was alright, as Empress Dowager Li had given her many warnings. However, she was still dissatisfied with Zhang Shiyuan. She smiled and comforted him.

"Your Majesty's words are somewhat biased. Zhang Shiyuan has indeed acted somewhat absurdly, but he has still done some good deeds. The matter of the plague in the capital and the matter of the refugees in Xishan are ultimately acts that benefit the country and the people."

She then pointed to the kerosene lamp beside her.

“Zhang Shiyuan is a genius. All the things he has invented are useful. When the Empress Dowager was unwell a few days ago, it was the doctors at Renmin Medical Hall who cured her.”

"You seem to know him quite well?"

Zhu Yaoying looked embarrassed: "Your subject was merely stating the facts."

"Never mind, never mind~"

Empress Dowager Li shook her head repeatedly, looking helpless.

"But I can't control all that. Since returning to Cining Palace from Qianqing Palace, matters of state have become irrelevant to me."

The harem is forbidden from engaging in politics; this is an ironclad rule passed down from Emperor Taizu, and almost no one dares to violate it.

Aside from extraordinary times, such as after the Tumu Crisis when the emperor was captured and the court was leaderless, the Empress Dowager was needed to support Prince Zhu Qiyu's ascension to the throne.

In the past, when the Wanli Emperor ascended the throne at a young age, Empress Dowager Li was needed to take charge of the overall situation. Now, unless the Wanli Emperor causes great resentment among the people, Empress Dowager Li really has no reason to interfere in politics.

"Ai--"

Empress Dowager Li sighed heavily, recalling her father, Li Wei, when he visited the palace to ask her to help the Shanxi merchants.

The Shanxi merchants and the Li family share the same lineage, so naturally they should provide them with good assistance.

Empress Dowager Li even pushed Prince Lu out, but after the lotus root coal incident, she hesitated.

These people have gone too far. If we let them continue arguing, they might get burned.

Empress Dowager Li couldn't help but sigh, "That Zhang Shiyuan is truly unfathomable, seemingly both righteous and wicked. You can say he's bad, constantly corrupting people's hearts; yet you can also say he's good, having saved countless lives."

"From what I can tell, this person is not a bad person at heart, but his methods of doing things are a bit unusual."

Upon hearing Zhu Yaoying's words, Empress Dowager Li immediately narrowed her eyes and said with some vigilance.

"What? You've seen this person before?"

"Ah!" Zhu Yaoying's face flushed. "What are you saying, Mother? Your Majesty, I have hardly ever left the capital. How could I possibly have met Zhang Shiyuan?"

"Your subject merely read some newspapers and heard some rumors."

"Read less newspapers and get to know female workers better; that's the right thing to do."

Zhu Yaoying trembled and quickly bowed obediently.

"My son, I obey."

"That's all."

Empress Dowager Li rose from the loom, waving her sleeves as if she were drenched in weariness.

"The affairs of the court are for the ministers and the emperor to worry about."

"It's good that Mother thinks this way."

Zhu Yaoying felt somewhat fortunate and respectfully bowed.

But Empress Dowager Li changed the subject, saying, "I can ignore matters of the court, but I cannot ignore matters of the inner palace!"

"What Mother says is true," Zhu Yaoying said with a hint of helplessness. "The matter of Jingyang Palace?"

(End of this chapter)