Zhu Youxiao was hunched in his chair, his mind full of random thoughts, disappointment, anger, powerlessness, sadness, and all kinds of emotions intertwined. He was too lazy to move even a finger.
Zhang Yuer appeared at the door of the hall holding a cat and looked around.
Then, she walked in quietly, put the cat on the blanket on the small table, walked to the imperial desk, silently bent down to pick up the urgent news on the ground, and put it on the desk.
Facing the maid's inquiring gaze, Zhu Youxiao forced a smile.
Seeing the emperor smile, Zhang Yu'er pursed her lips and said softly, "Your Majesty, I went to see a friend I know in Luan Palace yesterday. She will be leaving the palace in a few days."
After a pause, Zhang Yuer smiled and said, "She even asked me to kowtow to the emperor to thank him for his grace on her behalf!"
Zhu Youxiao was infected by this girl and felt a little lighter and more cheerful.
He smiled and waved his hand. When the girl came closer, he put his arms around Yu'er's waist and rested his head in her arms, looking for peace of mind in the warmth and fragrance.
Zhang Yuer felt the emperor's intimacy and also understood the young emperor's loss and loneliness. She bravely reached out and touched the emperor's face.
"Hmm," Zhu Youxiao hummed softly, reached out to hold down her soft hand, and let out a deep breath as if feeling both satisfied and relieved.
"I also met the Eighth Princess." Zhang Yu'er felt that talking more would help the Emperor relax, so she continued, "She likes Lady Bai very much, and Lady Bai is also willing to be close to her..."
Listening to the maid's soft voice telling about the big and small events of yesterday, Zhu Youxiao's mood gradually calmed down.
"I think I have three younger sisters, right?" Zhu Youxiao sat up straight, gently patted Zhang Yu'er's hand, and said, "The Eighth Princess is the youngest one?"
Zhang Yuer said uncertainly: "I think so. I'm not sure either."
After a pause, Zhang Yuer said hesitantly, "The Eighth Princess is quite cute, but she doesn't seem to be very popular in the Luan Palace."
The Eighth Princess was probably born to Consort Li. After failing in the palace relocation case, Consort Li went to the Luan Palace to live out her retirement, carrying her daughter in her arms.
Wei Zhongxian used to serve under Li Xianshi. He was in power in the palace, so Li Xianshi would not be treated unfairly.
But now Wang Tigan is in power, so naturally he won't give any special care to this old concubine who has an old grudge against the emperor.
It was common for palace servants to flatter the powerful and bully the weak. Seeing that Consort Li had lost her position, they would certainly not serve her so wholeheartedly. The Eighth Princess must have suffered as well.
The child was innocent, and hatred should not be transferred to her. Besides, this Zhu Youxiao was not the same Zhu Youxiao, and he did not have such a deep hatred for Li Xianshi.
Zhu Youxiao called Wang Tigan and asked him about it, only then did he know that he did have three younger sisters: the sixth sister Zhu Huiyan, the seventh sister Zhu Huijing, and the eighth sister Zhu Huiti.
The sixth and seventh children were both born to Concubine Fu Yi, and were eleven and ten years old respectively; the eighth child was the only daughter of Concubine Li, and was nine years old.
The three princesses all lived with their mother in the Luan Palace, where there were residences such as the No. 1 Palace, the Renshou Palace, and the Jifeng Palace, which were specially provided for the concubines to live in their old age.
"Since the Heluan Palace is the place where the Concubine Dowager lives in her old age, daily expenses are indispensable. Palace servants who are snobbish and bully the master cannot be kept here." Zhu Youxiao's tone was light, but it was also a bit cold. "Wang Ban, you go and investigate. We must deal with it today."
Wang Tigan understood what was going on as soon as he heard it. Although it was not him who ordered it, such things were very common in the palace.
Just like the concubines who were banished to the cold palace, some snobbish palace servants would never be as diligent and respectful as before.
However, the emperor entrusted this matter to himself, obviously thinking that he had some connection with it.
Wang Tigan responded while trying to guess what was going on.
Zhu Youxiao continued, "Tell the Empress that I will have lunch with her at noon, and also with my six, seven, and eight sisters. Send someone to inform them as well. Also, have the Empress send someone to the inner treasury to withdraw some gifts, and prepare more lunch."
"Yes, I will obey your order." Wang Tigan kowtowed and accepted the order, then stood up and walked out.
It must be some blind servant who treated the princess badly, causing me to be implicated. Wang Tigan gritted his teeth as he walked, determined to teach these slaves a lesson.
…………Dividing line………………
Thousands of miles away, in Japan, Edo Castle.
At this time, the Japanese shogunate was controlled by Tokugawa Hidetada, the second generation shogun of the Tokugawa family.
After two generations of wars led by Tokugawa Ieyasu and Tokugawa Hidetada, the Toyotomi clan was destroyed and a unified situation was established in Japan.
A banquet was being held in the General's Mansion to entertain the angels from the upper kingdom. This was already the third such banquet in recent days.
Tokugawa Ietada was slightly tipsy, and he was excited again as he looked at the calligraphy and paintings unfolded by his attendants.
Look, the famous scholars of the Celestial Empire are really awesome. These calligraphy and paintings are absolutely treasures among treasures. They can be passed down from generation to generation and treasured.
Dong Qichang finished painting and returned to his seat, where he drank with a calm expression, as two Japanese women attentively served him. But his heart was filled with joy. He knew he would return to the inn and see boxes of silver again!
You say these Japanese people, they speak in bird language, but they are really rich! This mission really made them a fortune.
"Father, another famous person has come here, hoping to pay a large sum of money to acquire the calligraphy and paintings of the Ming Dynasty angel, Lord Dong." Tokugawa Iemitsu approached his father and reported in a low voice.
Tokugawa Hidetada smiled and said, "The Ming Dynasty's sending of envoys is extremely beneficial to the reputation of our Tokugawa family and will help us better control the daimyo of various regions."
After a pause, Tokugawa Hidetada emphasized, "Therefore, I am prepared to accept all the trade conditions proposed by the Ming Dynasty and to facilitate this matter as quickly and effectively as possible."
Tokugawa Iemitsu agreed and said, "Father, you are absolutely right. Merchant ships without official Ming Dynasty documents will not be allowed to trade. This will also help the shogunate strengthen its control over the daimyo."
Tokugawa Hidetada touched his chin, smiled and nodded, picked up his wine glass, stood up, left his seat and toasted Dong Qichang.
The relationship between Ming and Japan reached a freezing point when Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Korea. After Tokugawa Ieyasu came to power, he first made peace with Korea and asked Korea to convey his message, hoping to repair the Sino-Japanese relations that had been interrupted by the war of aggression against Korea, but was rejected by the Ming Dynasty.
After the Tokugawa shogunate completely wiped out the remaining forces of the Toyotomi family in the Summer Campaign of Osaka, Tokugawa Hidetada asked Japanese monks who came to China and Zhejiang merchants who had lived in Japan for a long time to act as intermediaries, intending to restore commercial exchanges between China and Japan.
Tokugawa Hidetada believed that even if the two countries could not restore the trade agreement, at least legal private trade should be restored, but this was still ignored by the Ming Dynasty.
That’s right, the Ming Dynasty is so awesome!
The Portuguese are here and want to do business, get out!
The Spaniards are here and want to do business, get out!
The Dutch are here and we still have to do business, so get out!
Japanese, get out of here!
We have to fight a few wars to force the Western barbarians to run to Japan and indirectly buy Ming Dynasty goods.
The specific process was as follows: the Western barbarians first went to Japan, sold their spices, glassware and other goods in exchange for silver; then they bought silk fabrics, ceramics, medicinal materials and other goods from Chinese merchants in Japan and shipped them back to their country.
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