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

Chapter 339 The old man can't board the ship of the new era! Has the Wanli Emperor taken flight?
"Fourth Brother knows perfectly well what's going on, so why pretend to be confused?"

Zhang Yunxiu said with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"Hey!"

Zhang Jianxiu suddenly smiled and his eyes narrowed.

"You wouldn't actually have feelings for Princess Yongning, would you? Marry the princess? That's a huge deal."

"Why not take that Japanese woman as a concubine, then marry a girl from an official's family? Wouldn't that be a carefree and comfortable life? Why bother being a miserable prince consort?"

The courtyard of Consort Gong inside the medical clinic was also guarded by the Imperial Guards. He naturally had a good understanding of the relationship between Zhang Yunxiu and Princess Yongning.

It wasn't just Zhang Jianxiu; everyone in the capital knew that although the Imperial Son-in-Law was a high-ranking official of the first rank, he was practically a "prisoner."

The emperor's son-in-law was not allowed to leave the capital without the emperor's permission, and was strictly prohibited from associating with princes and nobles. Even his meetings with princesses were sometimes restricted.

Many nobles and officials in the capital looked down on the honorary title of "Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant".

If an ordinary family could get married into this family, they might consider it a great blessing. But what is Zhang Yunxiu's status?
As they spoke, the two walked back to the study side by side.

Zhang Yunxiu poured himself a cup of tea, tilted his head back and drank it all.

"This matter is not that simple."

He had barely finished speaking when a figure outside the study stopped in his tracks.

Zhang Juzheng was unaware that he had quietly appeared under the eaves.

On the surface, he pretended to admire the scenery in the courtyard, but out of the corner of his eye, he kept a close eye on the study door, listening to every word of the conversation inside.

Inside the study, Zhang Jianxiu was also earnestly advising: "Shiyuan, this matter is absolutely unacceptable. The constraints of being a consort are an ancestral precept passed down by Emperor Taizu Gao. How can we easily disobey it?"

If you really like her, I'll go to the brothel tomorrow and find you a girl who resembles Princess Yongning.

Upon hearing this, not only was Zhang Yunxiu speechless, but even Zhang Juzheng outside gritted his teeth and glared fiercely at Zhang Jianxiu's figure.

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head helplessly and said, "In the past two hundred years of our dynasty, how many things have been done that violated the imperial ancestral precepts?"

Zhang Jianxiu was speechless for a moment, he really didn't know how to refute it.

The emperor and his ministers of the Ming Dynasty always spoke of the ancestral teachings of the Ming Dynasty, but every time they listened, they only listened to what was beneficial to themselves.

If everyone truly regarded the ancestral teachings as the guiding principle, how could the Tumu Crisis have occurred? And how could the Jiajing Emperor have dared to indulge in Taoist practices and neglect state affairs for so many years?
Ultimately, the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions" were nothing more than a useful tool, used to maintain appearances when needed and discarded when not.

Unable to refute, Zhang Jianxiu changed his approach and advised, "Even if ancestral rules can be modified, your father will absolutely not agree to this matter. Shiyuan, you should know how much your father has placed on you."

Zhang Yunxiu seemed somewhat intoxicated as he drank his tea.

“Father wanted me to be like Zhang Juzheng, like Yan Song or Yan Shifan, but even as the Grand Secretary, there are many obstacles. The position of Grand Secretary is indeed something to be held, but not in this way.”

Zhang Yunxiu wants to be both the emperor's son-in-law and the prime minister; he's really trying to reach for the heavens!
“This is absolutely impossible!” Zhang Jianxiu said resolutely, his brows furrowed.

Even the unreliable Zhang Jianxiu felt that this matter was absurd.

Zhang Yunxiu squinted and smiled, “Times have changed. In the past, how would you have known that Xishan could rise to prominence and help the court solve the problem of money and grain? If the Ming Dynasty wants to be revitalized and has a new look, it cannot stick to the old ways.”

If you ask me, Father is getting old and should step down and pass the position to a more capable person. If I were to become the Grand Secretary, things would certainly be different.”

As soon as he said this, a creaking sound suddenly came from outside.

Zhang Jianxiu nearly fell off his chair. He looked out the window and, hearing no more noise outside, cursed angrily.

"Why are there so many rats lately!"

Zhang Yunxiu glanced outside, a slight smile playing on his lips, but said nothing.

Zhang Jianxiu took a deep breath. He seemed to realize something and asked in a low voice.

"Is Shiyuan truly devoted to Princess Yongning, or does he have ulterior motives?"

Zhang Yunxiu slightly raised his eyes, his gaze so frank it was unsettling, yet his words were somewhat strange.

"Both are true. Father is old after all. He is a remnant of the old era and can no longer board the ship of the new era."

Our goal is not just this small place, but the stars and the sea.

"Remnants?" Zhang Jianxiu was both shocked and puzzled.

He quickly stepped forward and covered Zhang Yunxiu's mouth.

"A son should not speak ill of his father! Shiyuan, you must not speak recklessly!"

The old era? The new era?
What exactly are the stars and the sea?
Why must he be a prince consort?

Zhang Jianxiu felt his mind buzzing and couldn't make sense of it.

Seeing his fourth brother's bewildered expression, Zhang Yunxiu smiled slightly, but his eyes glanced out the window out of the corner of his eye.

Zhang Juzheng stood there, his face turning pale and then red, his long beard trembling slightly with anger. He almost rushed in to teach this insolent brat a lesson.

But he took a deep breath and finally suppressed his anger.

Having learned his lesson, Zhang Juzheng is now wiser and won't gain any advantage from a direct confrontation with Zhang Yunxiu.

He turned around, trying to appear calm, and slowly put his hands behind his back, pretending to admire the scenery, but his back looked much stiffer than before.

Within a few days, the rewards from the Ming Dynasty arrived at the Huitong Hall.

The envoys from various countries were somewhat bewildered as they looked at the mountains of goods piled up.

Annamese envoy Nguyen Van Trung stared at the coal and various daily necessities among the gifts, and was immediately enraged.

He dared not make a sound outside, but once he returned to the meeting hall, he couldn't help but complain.

"There are treacherous officials causing trouble within the Ming Dynasty!"

Ruan Wenzhong slammed his fist on the table indignantly.

“In previous years, the rewards were all fine silks, satins, gold, silver and porcelain, but this year they are all coarse items! There must be some treacherous officials who have embezzled our rewards. We must report this to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!”

Whether there were treacherous officials or not is unknown, but Ruan Wenzhong knew in his heart that if he could make a big fuss, the Ming Dynasty would have to make up for it to save face.

Although the Tibetan envoy was not very proficient in Mandarin, he was so anxious that he started gesturing incoherently.

"Wrong, wrong! These coal and tea leaves are exactly what we need!"

For Tibet, tea, a daily necessity, is far more important than porcelain, gold, silver, or reliable fuel like briquettes.

Although some coal from the Ming Dynasty flowed into the grasslands, there were ultimately too many monks and not enough meat—this is the literal meaning of "too many monks and not enough meat."

Many later generations have a misunderstanding, believing that the governance of Tibet was mainly the result of the Qing Dynasty's vigorous promotion of Lamaism.

This is actually putting the cause in the opposite order of cause and effect.

Tibet has always been a theocratic region. As early as the Tang Dynasty, during the Tubo period, the Zanpu (king) promoted Buddhism with royal power and used Buddhist doctrines as law.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the core problem in governing Tibet lay in the proliferation of internal factions, which led to constant disputes.

The Tibetan envoys who came to the Ming Dynasty this time numbered nearly a thousand. These people belonged to different religious kings, including the King of Transformation, the King of Assistance, and the King of Transformation, etc.

At this moment, when these Tibetan envoys saw the gifts from the Ming Dynasty, they were not at all disgusted. Their eyes were green with envy. If it weren't for the Ming Dynasty's ministers and troops guarding the outside, they would have definitely started fighting.

"This is the commentary on the Lankavatara Sutra!"

A Tibetan envoy who looked like a monk exclaimed in surprise.

Among the gifts, he found a box of scriptures, and his eyes lit up.

Another monk scoffed, "This is a distorted scripture, annotated by a heretical monk from the Ming Dynasty. Burn it!"

What is poison to one is honey to another. Some monks despise it, while others rejoice as if they have obtained the true scriptures.

“You are the one who has misread the scriptures,” the monk retorted, holding up the scriptures.

"This is a posthumous work by the eminent monk Zongle during the Hongwu era, and its commentary on the scriptures of Tibet is extremely insightful!"
The so-called reincarnation of a Living Buddha is essentially a "return by vow," a "voluntary choice" made for the benefit of all sentient beings, and must be in accordance with "causal conditions."

How can this be controlled by ordinary mortals? The proper way is to sincerely recite the true scriptures and rely on the Buddha's power to draw lots to determine the outcome!

The Tibetan delegation's initial joy quickly turned into a dispute over Buddhist doctrines, stemming from a scramble for goods.

The other envoys from the vassal states were utterly dumbfounded by what they saw, especially after some simple translation.

Annamese envoy Nguyen Van Trung was the first to lose his composure. He lowered his voice but spoke with exaggerated emotion and deep sorrow.

"This is a conspiracy! This is a conspiracy by the Ming people!"

But no one in the room paid him any attention. Looking at the gifts filling the courtyard, the Korean envoy, Yi In-shin, couldn't help but stroke his beard and say something with emotion.

"These are just the tip of the iceberg. It truly reflects the grandeur of a superior nation. I have heard that these lotus root coals, glass, tea, and silk all come from the Western Mountains."

They looked ordinary, but they were all specially supplied to the princes and nobles of the Ming Dynasty. Those glasswares were incredibly expensive in the Western lands.

The Japanese envoy, Hosokawa Yusai, barely glanced at the other goods; his gaze was fixed solely on the box of soaps and bar soaps. He spoke leisurely to Hosokawa Iya.

"It is said that this is a gift from Lord Zhang Shiyuan. This soap is extremely rare even in the Ming Dynasty, so it is clear that he put a lot of thought into it. In the future, when you study with Lord Shiyuan, you must serve him well."

Hosokawa Iya, dressed in a light green pleated skirt and with a touch of makeup, already resembled a lady of a high-ranking official's household in the Ming Dynasty.

She leaned closer to the soap, inhaling its delicate fragrance. Though momentarily captivated, her expression quickly sombered.

"My daughter always felt that this must have been a gift from the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. She sent a visiting card a few days ago, but it has been ignored ever since. She doesn't know what Lord Shiyuan really thinks."

Zhang Yunxiu didn't seem interested in her at all.

Hosokawa Yusai, however, showed no concern and simply offered a reminder.

"The Lantern Festival of the Great Ming Dynasty is approaching. According to the officials of the Ministry of Rites, the Ming court intends to hold a poetry gathering this year. You have been reciting poems of the Great Ming Dynasty since you were a child, so this is an excellent opportunity."

Upon hearing about the poetry gathering, Hosokawa Iya's eyes immediately lit up, and he nodded repeatedly.

"Father, rest assured, your daughter will certainly live up to your expectations."

After the fifth day of the first lunar month, although many government offices in the capital were still on holiday, many officials were still on duty.

The most miserable were the officials of the Ministry of Rites.

From New Year's Eve to New Year's Day, first there are envoys from vassal states, then preparations for the "New Year's Day court audience," and now the court is also holding lantern festivals and poetry gatherings for the Lantern Festival. It can be said that they are extremely busy.

It was only the sixth day of the first lunar month, and the Wanli Emperor in the palace was in high spirits again.

He said he would lead the envoys from the vassal states on a tour of the capital, to see the magnificent landscape of the Ming Dynasty and its ever-growing prosperity.

First, we visited a number of royal temples, such as Da Ci'en Temple, Huguo Temple, and Fahua Temple.

Emperor Wanli was obese, but he was unusually agile and would sometimes even speed up when walking, which amazed many envoys from vassal states.

Zhang Yunxiu stood beside the Wanli Emperor and whispered a reminder.

"Your Majesty, the road ahead is downhill. Remember to fold down the wheel rims."

"I know, I know."

Emperor Wanli, with a ruddy complexion and his round belly protruding, slid forward a little further due to inertia, like a ghost.

Turning his head again to look at the panting officials and envoys from vassal states chasing after him, he felt incredibly pleased.

He couldn't help but look at Zhang Yunxiu, who had followed him, and said with emotion.

"It takes a thousand days to train an army for one day to use it. Shiyuan's carriage shoes are truly exquisite. It was worth the half month I spent practicing in the Qianqing Palace. They have finally come in handy."

Zhang Yunxiu was quite helpless; Wanli really did not resemble a proper emperor!

The invention of this "car shoe" requires tracing back to a historical secret.

In his later years, Emperor Wanli suffered from a severe foot ailment, which often led to him skipping court sessions. There is even a record of him "summoning his cabinet ministers to the Wenhua Hall, where he sat on his imperial couch with his feet dangling from the cushions."

Later research suggests that Emperor Wanli's leg ailment was more likely a combination of chronic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetic foot.

Emperor Wanli was only nineteen years old at the time, and his body was naturally not yet at that stage.

However, his leg ailment was already showing signs of worsening, and coupled with his ever-increasing weight, it was extremely difficult for him to travel without a sedan chair.

In order to help the emperor go out more often and make a good impression in front of his ministers, Zhang Yunxiu specially ordered the School of Mechanical Engineering to manufacture these shoes with wheels.

Similar to the roller shoes of later generations, they had special small wheels attached to the bottom of the shoes.

If the Wanli Emperor was too lazy to walk, he could slightly lift his feet and glide using the momentum of his body.

Even during the New Year's Day court ceremony, when Emperor Wanli participated in various ceremonies, he still wore these "carriage shoes," which were supported by his personal eunuchs. He didn't have to exert any effort himself; instead, he floated forward like a giant Buddha, exuding a unique majesty.

Given Emperor Wanli's weight, these Roller shoes were naturally not easy to control.

So, in order to be able to control it smoothly, the emperor practiced diligently, just to show off in front of his ministers.

Emperor Wanli stopped in front of the Great Ci'en Temple, turned to look at the crowd that had barely caught up, and stood with his hands behind his back, exuding an air of superiority.

"Since you are all too tired to walk, I will stop and wait for you."

The Korean envoy, Yi In-shin, was panting heavily as he chased after him, and he had no choice but to bow and say something.

"Your Majesty's skill in light-footedness is truly admirable; I, your humble servant, am filled with awe!"

The sedan chair was carried by many people, and as soon as the Korean envoy opened his mouth, praise from the envoy and his ministers poured in.

"I never imagined His Majesty the Emperor possessed such skill."

"Your Majesty's noble stature is just like that of my grassland warriors!"

Compared to the flattery of court officials, the admiration from the vassal states was truly pleasing to the Wanli Emperor.

He smiled and gestured with his hand as he spoke.

"Your Excellencies flatter me. I have only been practicing diligently in my daily life. As the saying goes, Heaven rewards diligence. You all have been traveling in my Great Ming Dynasty these days, so you should also learn humbly so that you can return and serve your country."

"I will heed the Emperor's instructions!"

The envoys bowed in unison, and in their eyes, the Wanli Emperor truly seemed to be protected by divine powers.

But the officials from the Ministry of Rites standing behind them had different expressions.

Yu Youding, the Minister of Rites, was particularly furious; his face looked as if he had swallowed a fly, yet he dared not speak out against it.

He lowered his voice and asked, "Prime Minister, when did His Majesty learn this skill, which is so advanced?"

He dared not utter this "unseemly" phrase.

Zhang Juzheng stood there, his expression stiff, his face turning pale and then purple, before finally sighing and saying...

"We can't worry about that now. Just arrange for people to protect His Majesty's safety and make sure nothing goes wrong in front of the envoys."

Yu Youding sighed and could only nod helplessly.

"Yes."

But as soon as he finished speaking, he heard Zhang Yunxiu exclaim in surprise from not far away.

"Be careful, Your Majesty!"

With this exclamation, Yu Youding turned his head sharply and saw a huge yellow sphere flying out like an arrow from the slope at the entrance of Da Ci'en Temple.

(End of this chapter)