Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 357 Reflecting on People's Hearts, Black Gold Warms the World

Zhu Youjian sat with a smile, his gaze as clear as fine wine, slowly sweeping over the three women with different charms before him.

Instead of revealing the answer, he enjoyed the suspense for a moment.

In the utter silence, only the little drum in Consort Jingbei's heart beat most urgently.

Her bright almond-shaped eyes glanced at the simple wooden box, then at the ugly black cake, and finally settled on the emperor's unfathomable smile, making her heart ache as if a hundred claws were tearing at her.

"Your Majesty..." she finally couldn't help but say in a soft, coquettish voice, "Stop keeping us in suspense and show us what this interesting object is that made you come all this way."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian laughed heartily, the sound echoing in the solemn warm pavilion, dispelling some of the tension.

He reached out and gently patted the longest sandalwood box. The box was smooth, carved with lotus scroll patterns, and felt warm to the touch.

"Very well, as you wish, my beloved consort." He looked at Consort Jingbei, his eyes full of doting affection. "I know you always complain that the bronze mirrors in the palace are dim, and you have to lean close to the window to draw your eyebrows. The light and shadow shift, and the reflections become uneven. Today, I will bestow upon you a 'Mirror of Reflection,' which I guarantee you will like."

After speaking, he gently flicked the clasp with his slender fingers, and with a soft click, the lid opened.

All eyes turned to him.

However, the contents of the box were not as dazzling as one might have imagined.

The emperor took out a mirror that was about one and a half feet tall and one foot wide. Its back was made of finely carved sandalwood, with a "joy on the eyebrows" pattern inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The craftsmanship was top-notch, but it was still just the kind of luxury of ordinary palace utensils.

A hint of doubt flashed in Consort Jingbei's eyes. She had originally thought it would be a treasure that was larger and brighter than a Western mercury mirror, but it turned out to be just a wooden mirror.

Zhu Youjian took in this subtle expression, and his smile deepened.

Holding the back of the mirror, he slowly stood up, walked to Consort Jingbei, and said softly, "My beloved consort, please come forward."

Consort Jingbei rose as instructed and stepped forward with a hint of curiosity.

She wondered to herself, could there be some secret behind this wooden back panel?
Zhu Youjian watched her lean closer, and just as she was about to see the details of the glasses frame, he suddenly flipped his wrist!
"what--!"

A short, sharp cry of surprise escaped from Consort Jingbei's mouth.

She felt as if she had been suddenly pushed by an invisible force, and instinctively took a step back, covering her mouth with one hand and pointing at the mirror with the other. Her beautiful eyes widened, and her pupils contracted to their maximum size in an instant.

The entire East Warm Pavilion fell into a suffocating silence.

It was as if an invisible hand had seized everyone's breath.

Zhou Jingshu and Zhang Yan were also startled by this sudden turn of events and stood up quickly, stepping forward.

The moment their eyes fell upon the mirror, they too gasped and stood frozen in place.

In the mirror, there is a world.

A world so real it's outrageous!
Consort Jingbei saw herself.

She had never seen herself so clearly before.

That wasn't a blurry, yellowish, hazy reflection in a bronze mirror, but a living, breathing person!

She saw her red lips slightly parted in surprise, saw each long eyelash trembling slightly in the light, and saw a strand of hair sticking up at her temple due to her slightly flustered movements.

She could even clearly see the shimmering light deep within her own eyes, caused by the extreme shock.

this is too scary!

This mirror seems to have the power to steal souls and spirits!
"This...this is..." Jing Beifei's voice became hoarse from shock. She stretched out her finger in disbelief and touched the mirror with trembling hands.

A cool touch came through, and my fingertips aligned perfectly with the outstretched fingertips in the mirror, without the slightest deviation.

Zhou Jingshu stood aside, and what she saw was a beautiful, poetic version of herself.

The woman in the mirror had eyebrows like distant mountains shrouded in mist, and eyes like autumn waters rippling across the sky. On her moon-white palace dress, the embroidery of orchids seemed to be as fresh as dew.

She saw a faint blush rising on her cheeks from excitement, a blush she had never seen before in any bronze mirror.

Zhou Jingshu involuntarily lowered her head, her heart pounding like a deer's. Half of her amazement was at this divine object, and the other half was ashamed that she was so clearly exposed to her own scrutiny.

However, Empress Zhang Yan's shock was completely different from that of the other two.

She stepped forward and gazed quietly at herself in the mirror.

Her naturally beautiful appearance remained unchanged, and her dignified and noble demeanor was undiminished.

However, under this "Mirror of Reflection," every detail was ruthlessly magnified.

She could clearly see the very faint, extremely faint line at the corner of her eye.

It wasn't the relentless passage of time that left its mark, but rather the traces of sorrow that quietly grew within the palace walls during countless sleepless nights, for the sake of the nation, for loved ones, and for the precarious future.

The dim yellow light of the bronze mirror blurred everything perfectly, allowing her to immerse herself in the self-comfort of still being beautiful.

At this moment, the mirror, like the most rigorous historian, faithfully records and presents every subtle worry in her life.

For a moment, Zhang Yan was overwhelmed with mixed feelings, including surprise, sighs, and a touch of indescribable desolation.

"Is the truth of things really this good?" She stretched out her well-maintained hand, gently touched her cheek, and looked at the crystal-clear movements in the mirror, murmuring to herself.

Zhu Youjian took in the changes in the expressions of the three men and understood their situation.

He handed the mirror to Wang Chengen, letting it stand steadily on the specially made stand, before slowly speaking.

"This object is called a glass mirror. It is neither copper nor silver, but sand and stone formed by intense fire. It is a new creation of the Institute of Science and Technology."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the three stunningly beautiful faces in the mirror, still etched with shock, before continuing:
“A mirror is not only for reflecting one’s appearance, but also for reflecting one’s heart. A bronze mirror is dull, like looking at a flower through sand; one sees the form but loses the spirit. I believe that all women in the world are born beautiful and have the right to see their own faces clearly, just as I hope to see every inch of the fabric of this great Ming Dynasty.”

"I have ordered the mass production of this mirror. In the future, this mirror will no longer be an exclusive possession of the palace. I want it to enter every household, so that every woman in the Ming Dynasty can see her most authentic and clear self in front of her dressing table."

These words, spoken calmly and deliberately, carried a powerful weight.

Consort Jingbei and Zhou Jingshu were captivated by what they heard.

Zhang Yan was deeply moved by the saying that one can judge a person's heart by their appearance.

Looking at herself in the mirror, and then at the indifferent young emperor, she suddenly realized that her past understanding of him was perhaps as blurry and unreal as the reflection in the bronze mirror.

……

The atmosphere inside the warm pavilion became intense because of this glass mirror.

Consort Jingbei had long lost her earlier languor. She circled the mirror, looking at herself from left to right, occasionally letting out a small gasp of surprise, as if she wanted to see herself clearly for the past ten years or so.

Zhu Youjian smiled slightly, not wanting to disturb their enjoyment, but simply gave Wang Chengen a wink.

Wang Chengen understood, bowed and withdrew, and a moment later, he led two young palace maids in.

One person held a red-gold basin carved with two phoenixes facing the sun, filled with steaming hot water, while the other held a clean white cloth.

"Your Majesty, this is..." Zhou Jingshu turned around in front of the mirror and asked curiously.

Zhu Youjian walked to the carved brocade box and gently opened the lid with his slender fingers.

A fresh, delicate, and incredibly pure fragrance instantly wafted from the box, like an invisible hand gently brushing against the noses of everyone present.

The fragrance initially smelled like jasmine with morning dew, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to be mixed with the delicate fragrance of orchids in a secluded valley. It intertwined with the rich ambergris in the hall, and instead of clashing, it added a touch of refreshing complexity.

"It smells so good..." Consort Jingbei's attention was immediately drawn to it. She leaned closer and saw a square piece of pure white jade lying quietly on the bright yellow silk lining of the brocade box. On the square piece, two small seal characters were engraved in relief—"Jade Beauty".

"This is... soap?" Zhou Jingshu asked hesitantly.

The soap used in the palace was specially made by the Imperial Pharmacy, a mixture of pig pancreas, bean powder, spices, and other ingredients. Although it was of the highest quality, it always had a faint fishy or muttony smell, and if used too much, it would make the skin dry and rough.

"It is soap, but it is not soap." Zhu Youjian took the jade-white square in his hand, feeling its smooth and solid texture.

He walked to the golden basin and said in a deep voice:

"Although the soap used in the palace can remove dirt, it has a fishy and pungent smell and can damage the skin. This is a minor matter, but it is related to the comfort of daily life. I have always thought that in life, we should strive for excellence in everything we do, from clothing and food to housing and transportation. The so-called investigation of things and extension of knowledge is about working hard in these details."

As he spoke, he immersed the square piece named Jade Face into the warm water, then rubbed it gently with his hands folded together.

Instead of the usual cloudy residue that comes with soap dissolving, a large amount of incredibly fine and dense white foam appeared in his hand!
The bubbles gathered and soon filled his palm, like a handful of first snow or a wisp of cloud.

As the foam emerged, the fresh floral fragrance seemed to be fully activated, becoming even more intense, instantly overpowering the ambergris and filling the entire warm room.

This clean fragrance refreshes the mind and makes one feel completely relaxed.

"This... what a divine object this is!" Consort Jingbei exclaimed again.

Ordinary soap can't produce such abundant and white foam.

This is practically like Taoist magic!
Zhang Yan and Zhou Jingshu were also dumbfounded.

Their understanding was once again overturned.

If a glass mirror is like a new world that is forcibly carved out for what the eye can see, then the scene before us is the complete domination of what the nose can hear and what the skin can touch!

Seeing their shocked expressions, Zhu Youjian smiled gently. He didn't say anything, but turned around and looked at Zhou Jingshu.

"Jing Shu, come here."

Zhou Jingshu blushed and, under the smiling gazes of Zhang Yan and Consort Jingbei, walked shyly to the Emperor.

Zhu Youjian took one of her slender, jade-like hands in his hand; that hand was as warm and smooth as jade, soft and boneless.

He gently placed his foamy hands over the back of her hands and slowly and carefully washed them. The warm water, the silky foam, the pure fragrance, and the powerful warmth emanating from his fingertips.

Zhou Jingshu felt a surge of heat rise from the bottom of her heart, instantly spreading throughout her body, and her face burned as if on fire.

She dared not look at him, and could only lower her head to watch how the white foam covered every inch of her skin, taking away the unseen dust and leaving behind an indescribable refreshment and moisture.

After the washing was completed, a palace maid handed over a soft towel.

Zhu Youjian personally dried her off.

Zhou Jingshu raised her hand, brought it to her nose, and inhaled a faint yet lingering fragrance.

Looking at those hands again, the skin was not dry at all; on the contrary, it seemed to have been nourished by the most delicate spring rain in Jiangnan, with a fair complexion and a moist glow, and an incredibly smooth texture.

"I have named this thing 'fragrant soap.'" Zhu Youjian held her fragrant hand, his voice low and gentle. "The fishy smell of soap and the astringency of soapberry have been removed. I added flower dew, milk, and olive oil to it to make this product. Though it is a small thing, it can cleanse the dirt; though the method is simple, it can change customs."

Zhu Youjian held her fragrant hand, his gaze deep and intense as he looked into Zhou Jingshu's shy, bright eyes. His voice was low and solemn:
"These hands are meant to shape the future of the Ming Dynasty and to present you with the most beautiful things in the world."

These words, though spoken softly, carry a weight heavier than a thousand pounds.

At this moment, Zhou Jingshu's heart was completely filled with immense happiness and warmth, so intense it was almost unbearable.

She raised her head, her eyes glistening with tears. A thousand words were left unsaid, but in the end, they were reduced to a barely audible "hmm".

Consort Jingbei picked up another bar of soap with a different scent and tried it, just like the Emperor. She was immediately captivated by the wonderful experience and exclaimed repeatedly, "Your Majesty, if this were to become known, I'm afraid all the women in the world would go crazy for you!"

Zhang Yan watched this scene quietly, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

A mirror changes the way we see; soap changes the experience of using it.

Both of these items precisely address what women care about most.

Her brother-in-law, who seemed to be making sweeping changes in the court, was actually incredibly perceptive and had a terrifyingly keen understanding of human nature.

He used a mirror to let them see the truth, and a bar of soap to give them the ultimate pleasure.

So……

Zhang Yan's gaze finally fell on the last and most inconspicuous item: the rough pottery basket containing the ugly black cakes.

She had a vague premonition that the shock brought by this last item would far exceed that of the previous two.

……

At this moment, the atmosphere inside the warm pavilion was completely under Zhu Youjian's control.

The visual impact of the mirror and the sensory overhaul brought by the soap have filled Consort Jingbei and Zhou Jingshu with trust and anticipation for the emperor's amusing items.

Consort Jingbei pointed to the basket of dark, round cakes, her tone no longer showing any disgust, but instead filled with the curiosity and admiration of a little girl: "Your Majesty, what about this black stone? What magical use does it have? Could it be... a treasure that can turn stone into gold?"

She had said this as a joke, but at this moment, she felt that even if the emperor could truly turn stones into gold, she wouldn't be surprised at all.

Zhu Youjian's smile gradually faded. Instead of answering directly, he asked Zhang Yan, "Sister-in-law, how much silver and charcoal does the palace consume each winter?"

As the former empress, Zhang Yan was naturally very familiar with the palace's expenses.

After a moment's thought, she replied, "Your Majesty, in years of severe cold, the six palaces in the east and west, the Cining Palace, and the Qianqing Palace alone would consume no less than a million catties of silver-bone charcoal in a single season. This charcoal is made from fine wood from the Western Mountains, and it is not easy to produce. A hundred catties of fine wood can only yield ten catties of good charcoal. It is very expensive; the market price of one catty of silver-bone charcoal is equivalent to a month's worth of food for an ordinary person."

“One million catties…” Zhu Youjian repeated the number softly, his eyes becoming incredibly deep, as if piercing through the magnificent palace walls and seeing into the distance.

He slowly walked to the basket of black cakes, bent down, and picked one up with two fingers.

The round cake was riddled with holes, resembling a honeycomb, and black powder clung to his fingertips, creating a jarring contrast with his bright yellow dragon robe.

"This thing, I call it honeycomb briquette." He held up the briquette, his voice deep and powerful. "It is not made of wood, nor cast from silver. Its raw material is the lowest grade of coal dust from Mentougou in western Beijing, mixed with yellow soil and water. Its cost is less than one percent of that of silver-boned charcoal."

One percent!

The three women were simultaneously startled.

Why would the emperor take such an important step in bringing such an inexpensive item into the Kunning Palace?

Zhu Youjian ignored their confusion and continued, "However, its firepower is stronger and it burns longer than silver bone charcoal of the same weight. Moreover, because of its perforated shape, ventilation is smooth, combustion is complete, and smoke is also less."

As he spoke, his gaze slowly swept across the three women's faces, his eyes filled with a sorrow as heavy as a mountain that they had never seen before.

“Imperial sister-in-law, Jing Shu, my beloved concubine, I know that in your eyes it is black and ugly, filthy and unfit for public display.”

The emperor's face became extremely solemn, and he looked out the window at the sky dyed golden red by the setting sun, as if he could see the entire world.

“You have no shortage of charcoal, and there will never be cold in the Forbidden City. Whether it is silver bone charcoal or red silk charcoal, it is just a common warmth in winter for you.”

"but!"

He suddenly raised his voice, which was as loud as a bell, making the three women's hearts tremble!
"The people of the Great Ming are in dire need! In this vast northern land, once winter arrives, it is a thousand miles of ice and ten thousand miles of snow! In and around the capital, how many families have frozen to death in the endless cold nights because they cannot afford charcoal? And how many green mountains have been indiscriminately cut down because the wealthy and powerful burn charcoal for warmth, leaving them scarred and devastated? Once there is a rainstorm, they become flash floods, destroying fertile fields and leaving corpses everywhere!"

This series of questions struck the hearts of the three pampered young ladies like heavy hammer blows.

They never imagined that the warmth of winter that they took for granted was actually such a cruel reality.

The cold numbers on those memorials transformed into vivid, yet painful, lives in the emperor's mouth at that moment.

Zhu Youjian held up the honeycomb briquette in his hand, his eyes burning with intensity, as if he were holding up the fate of the entire Ming Dynasty.

"These tiny lumps of coal may seem as worthless as mud to you. But in my eyes, they can ensure that millions of people in the capital, every household, can safely get through a warm winter! They can protect the vast green mountains of my Great Ming in the north! A single lump of coal represents a life! A piece of land!"

"The mirror and the soap are to soothe the hearts of those in the harem; this black gold is to warm the hearts of all the people under heaven!"

"I showed you mirrors and soaps today so that my family could live comfortably. But I showed you this lump of coal so that you would know that my heart holds not only this small harem, but also the hundreds of millions of people of my Great Ming Dynasty! And this vast and boundless world!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire warm room fell silent.

Their gazes were fixed on the man holding the black coal.

At this moment, the dragon robe he wore was no longer a symbol of power, but a heavy responsibility.

In his eyes, there were no personal joys or sorrows, only the pulse of the mountains and rivers, and the suffering of the common people.

This is the real emperor!
The coquettishness and liveliness on Consort Jingbei's face had long since disappeared. Zhou Jingshu's eyes were filled with even stronger love, but that love also contained a sense of pride, like looking up at the stars.

Zhang Yan, on the other hand, is experiencing a violent emotional storm.

She stared blankly at the young emperor who had the world on his mind. In a daze, his figure overlapped with another figure before her eyes.

That was her deceased husband, the Tianqi Emperor Zhu Youxiao.

They share the same intelligence and the same passion for investigating things.

But he used all his extraordinary talent on mortise and tenon joints and chiseling and planing.

He could create exquisite wooden figures and make dragon beds with automatic mechanisms; he was immersed in his own little world.

He was a good carpenter, but not a good emperor.

As for Jian... he was also obsessed with investigating things, but what he investigated were sand and gravel, grease, and even the most lowly coal dust.

His knowledge, however, concerns people's livelihood, finance, and the fate of the nation!

Both possessed the same intelligence, but one used it for personal enjoyment, while the other used it to bring peace and stability to the nation.

A world apart!

Zhang Yan was filled with mixed emotions: grief for her deceased husband and melancholy for the past. But in the end, all of these feelings turned into an unprecedented sense of relief and comfort.

She straightened her clothes and gave Zhu Youjian a solemn and deep bow.

Her voice was filled with heartfelt admiration:
"Your Majesty's benevolence and wisdom are a blessing to the Ming Dynasty and to all the people! If the late Emperor could know this in the afterlife, he would surely be gratified!"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Youjian was startled and quickly stepped forward, firmly supporting Zhang Yan with both hands before she could fully kneel down.

"Your Majesty's sister-in-law, you absolutely mustn't!"

His voice also trembled almost imperceptibly, not with the majesty of a ruler, but with the deepest respect and admiration from the bottom of his heart.

Zhu Youjian helped Zhang Yan stand up straight, took a deep breath, but did not look at her. Instead, he looked at the deep sky outside the palace, as if he could see through time and space and see the figure of another person.

"You flatter me, Your Majesty." He spoke slowly, his voice deep and resonant. "In truth, I have never dared to forget my brother's dying wish."

The moment the words "Royal Brother" were mentioned, everyone present held their breath.

Zhu Youjian's eyes also reddened slightly. He seemed lost in memories and said softly, "My brother, the six words 'Yao Shun' carry immense weight and echo in my heart day and night. All I have done is to do my best, not wanting to disappoint my brother's expectations, not wanting to let him down."

If Zhang Yan's words just now were a tribute to the late emperor, then Zhu Youjian's genuine expression of emotion at this moment was like a key that instantly unlocked the long-sealed, most tender, and most painful box in Zhang Yan's heart.

The late emperor's haggard face, his tightly clenched hands, and his eyes filled with expectation and resentment before his death overlapped for a moment with the resolute and composed young emperor before me, who was leading the Ming Dynasty to a new life.

"He made the right choice...he really made the right choice..."

All the turmoil, grievances, longing, and immense relief that had been forcibly suppressed could no longer be contained at this moment.

Zhang Yan swayed slightly, unable to maintain her dignified demeanor any longer. She subconsciously turned to the side and gently rested her head on Zhou Jingshu's shoulder beside her.

At first, there was only a silent trembling, but then, a long-suppressed sob came out softly, and hot tears instantly soaked the clothes on Zhou Jingshu's shoulders.

(End of this chapter)