Chapter 18
Empress Cheng was radiant and beautiful, fond of wearing gorgeous clothes and with her hair covered in pearls and jade. She acted arrogantly and domineeringly, always looking overbearing.
He only went to Kunning Palace on the first and fifteenth day of every month to have lunch with Empress Cheng, as a way of giving Empress Dowager Zhang some face.
He never stayed overnight in Queen Cheng's bedroom, but slept every night in the quiet Chengqian Palace.
On March 16, the second year of Huiyuan, Ningning gave birth to their eldest daughter.
He gave his eldest daughter a nickname - Guanyinbi.
Guanyinbi also had a heart disease. Her crying was always weak and she easily choked when drinking milk. She was a fragile and sickly child.
Ningning was worried about Guanyin's maid day and night.
He arranged for female doctors to take turns guarding Chengqian Palace, and selected eight wet nurses to feed Guanyin Bi. The number of palace servants in Chengqian Palace also doubled.
More than a month before Guanyinbi turned one year old, he had already given her more than 300 amulets.
But a lion cat raised by Queen Cheng walked into the bedroom where Guanyinbi was staying. Guanyinbi was learning to walk by holding on to the wall at that time. She was frightened by the lion cat and burst into tears. Her lips turned purple from crying and she could only breathe out but not in. Even the female doctor was helpless.
Guanyinbi died young.
He was furious and summoned Empress Cheng to the Qianqing Palace, scolded her for a full hour, and then punished her to return to the Kunning Palace for a year of self-reflection.
Empress Cheng died of illness a month later due to excessive worry.
He gave Empress Cheng the posthumous title of Xiaozhen.
Because there were no women of marriageable age among Empress Dowager Zhang's relatives who could be sent into the palace, he was able to enthrone Ningning as queen as he wished.
On September 15, the fourth year of Huiyuan, Ningning gave birth to their second daughter.
The child had asthma and died before he was a month old due to accidentally inhaling reed fluff before he was even a month old.
On the second day of the second month of the sixth year of Huiyuan, Ningning gave birth to their third daughter. Like Ningning, this child had both heart disease and asthma. No matter how carefully they took care of the child, they still did not let her live.
Ningning gave birth to three daughters for him in succession, and then witnessed all three daughters die in her own arms. She was both physically and mentally damaged, and it was impossible for her to get pregnant again.
Empress Dowager Zhang made a big fuss about this and instructed the ministers who were loyal to her to submit a petition asking him to depose Ningning from the position of empress.
Ningning didn't want to make things difficult for him, and she didn't want to continue living in Kunning Palace and be saddened by the past, so she knelt down and begged him to depose her.
Unable to resist her pleading, he issued an edict to depose the queen and asked her to move to Yuxi Palace in the Western Garden to recuperate.
When Zhu Mingji woke up from his dream, he found his pillow was wet and there were tears in the corners of his eyes. He was filled with melancholy and uncontrollable sadness.
The dream was so real, as if those things had happened before.
*
The next day, Zhang Xihua came to the classroom early to study as usual, but the students gathered together to discuss the major events that happened in the capital last night.
On the seventh day of the fifth month of the sixteenth year of Hongde, the emperor died of illness in the Qianqing Palace, leaving no children.
Zhang Xihua knew the death date of Emperor Hongde, so she suggested that Zhang Yining and Zhu Minghe's wedding date be moved forward by one month to yesterday. Fortunately, they accepted her suggestion, otherwise the marriage would have been a distant dream.
The desk in front is empty. I guess Zhu Mingji won’t come today.
Zhu Mingji's father, Prince Xiang, and Emperor Hongde's father, the late emperor, were brothers. Logically, Prince Xiang should have succeeded Emperor Hongde after his death, but Prince Xiang died earlier than Emperor Hongde, and Zhu Mingji was Prince Xiang's only son, so the throne naturally fell to Zhu Mingji.
The news of Emperor Hongde's death has reached Taiping Prefecture, and the envoy who came to welcome Zhu Mingji to the throne will soon arrive at Taiping Prefecture.
Zhang Xihua didn't think any more about it and continued to review his lessons in preparation for the special examination to be held by the new emperor next year.
*
The Zhang family celebrated the New Year of the first year of Huiyuan in the capital.
Zhang Shunning, the eldest daughter of the Zhang family, became a noble concubine, but this noble concubine was different from the noble concubines of previous dynasties. Because Emperor Huiyuan inherited the throne as his cousin, Zhang Shunning should be the nominal widowed sister-in-law of Emperor Huiyuan, while Empress Dowager Zhang, the biological mother of Emperor Hongde, was still the empress dowager. Empress Dowager Zhang and Noble Concubine Zhang should be mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
The empress dowager and imperial concubines during the reign of Emperor Hongde were different from those during the reign of Emperor Huiyuan.
In order to show his respect to his widowed sister-in-law, Concubine Zhang Gui, Emperor Huiyuan rewarded her mother's family, the Zhang family of the Yongjia Marquisate, with a mansion located in the Zhengchongbeifang of the capital.
Two months ago, the Zhang family moved to this mansion in the capital.
The capital city is different from Taiping Prefecture. It is mostly populated by aristocratic families and noble families. The Zhang family currently has no children serving as officials in the court, so after coming to the capital, the people who interact most frequently with the Zhang family are still their old friends.
After Mrs. Zhang had inquired about Zhang Xihua's feelings several times and learned that Zhang Xihua had no interest in Cui Susu, she asked Concubine Zhang Gui in the palace to find a good marriage for her granddaughter.
In addition to being busy with ancestor worship and New Year's greetings during the New Year, Mrs. Jiang and Mrs. Li also had to prepare a dowry for Cui Susu.
"The girls in the family have all gotten married, and this huge house has become a lot quieter." said Mrs. Jiang as she was walking on the snow to Yangrongzhai to pay her respects to the old lady.
Madam Li smiled and said, "When Erlang gets married this year, the young couple will have a lot of children. Our family will be full of life again."
When it comes to Zhang Xihua's marriage, Mrs. Jiang starts to have a headache.
Xihua can't even get married, let alone marry someone.
"I don't force Erlang to marry and have children. As long as he feels happy in his life, that's fine."
"Sister-in-law, are you going to let Erlang do what he wants? Although our family is not the most prominent in the capital, with Erlang's looks and talent, he can even marry the princess of a prince's mansion." Mrs. Li said.
She didn't even dare let Xihua marry an ordinary woman, let alone a princess from the royal family.
Madam Jiang thought that it was fortunate that the prince of Prince Xiang became the emperor. If the truth ever came to light in the future, Emperor Huiyuan would probably take into consideration their childhood friendship and playmate relationship with Xihua and give a light punishment or even forgive the Zhang family.
When they arrived at Yangrongzhai, the female doctor who treated Old Madam Zhang had not left yet. Madam Jiang and Madam Li were asking the female doctor about Old Madam Zhang's condition in the outer room.
The female doctor raised her right hand and made a "four" gesture.
Mrs. Jiang understood.
Madam Li said, "I wonder if the old lady will wait until the day when Erlang will take the imperial examination this spring. She has always wanted to see a top scholar from our family."
Mrs. Jiang felt sorry for her little daughter who was so absorbed in studying and writing that she forgot to eat and sleep. She didn't care about the test results. She was satisfied with whatever her little daughter did.
"Your brother-in-law shouldn't be like the old lady and say things like that in front of Erlang, even though the fate hasn't been decided yet. It makes Erlang feel like a mountain is weighing down his heart."
Madam Li smiled awkwardly and went into the inner room to serve the old lady medicine.
*
On February 15th, Zhang Xihua went to the Imperial Examination Hall to take part in the imperial examination. The questions were not difficult for her and she answered them with ease. After all, she had practiced writing eight-part essays for at least ten thousand times in her daily life.
Sure enough, when the spring examination results were announced, Zhang Xihua was the first place winner.
Everyone in the Zhang family was in high spirits, and more than twenty people came to propose marriage to Zhang Xihua in one day.
There were even ladies from noble families who used the excuse of visiting the palace to pay their respects to Concubine Zhang Gui, but in fact they had their eyes on Zhang Xihua as a son-in-law for their daughters and had repeatedly inquired Concubine Zhang Gui about him.
Concubine Zhang Gui also selected the name cards of several outstanding noble ladies and ordered the eunuchs to deliver them to the Zhang family.
Mrs. Jiang was worried about this. It was a perfect marriage, but Xihua was a girl.
Zhang Xihua has recently turned down many invitations to tea parties, poetry gatherings, polo clubs, and other gatherings, and has focused all her attention on preparing for the palace examination.
On March 28, Zhang Xihua changed into the uniform of a tribute scholar and entered the imperial city with the other 302 newly-selected tribute scholars.
Xu Pingzhi, Chen Ang, Jiang Yang and Zhang Xihua traveled together. Among them, Xu Pingzhi ranked second in the imperial examination, Chen Ang and Jiang Yang ranked sixteenth and nineteenth respectively.
Xu Pingzhi: "Erlang, as long as you perform normally today, you will definitely achieve the top three honors."
Zhang Xihua shook his head slightly and said, "Heroes are everywhere in the world. Brother Pingzhi, your literary talent surpasses mine."
But she was not being modest. The top scorer in this subject was indeed Xu Pingzhi.
Xu Pingzhi smiled but said nothing.
The tribute scholars came to the Huangji Palace and waited for the emperor to arrive.
About an hour later, all civil and military officials had arrived, and Emperor Huiyuan entered the hall and took the throne.
After everyone knelt and kowtowed to Emperor Huiyuan, Prime Minister Cheng of the Cabinet took the examination paper handed to him by the eunuch and read out the policy questions in front of the candidates taking today's palace examination.
Zhang Xihua sat down to answer the questions. After a little thought, he had a draft in his mind and wrote it down on paper.
Zhang Xihua pretended to glance casually at Emperor Huiyuan sitting on the dragon throne.
This was the first time she saw Zhu Mingji again after nearly a year.
Now he is the supreme ruler of the palace. The bright yellow dragon robe he wears makes his complexion shine brightly and his temperament is extraordinary.
Emperor Huiyuan noticed that Zhang Xihua secretly glanced at him, and when he looked at Zhang Xihua, Zhang Xihua was already writing furiously.
He just looked at Zhang Xihua like this, not feeling bored. Sometimes when he saw Zhang Xihua frowning, he would frown too.
The eunuch whispered to him, "Your Majesty, half an hour has passed. You can return to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. The examiners will be invigilating here."
He waved his hand to refuse, still sitting on the dragon throne, his gentle gaze falling on Zhang Xihua.
After the palace examination, he didn't know when he would find a reason to summon Zhang Xihua.
At sunset, the examiners collected the papers and the candidates were led out of the Huangji Hall by officials from the Ministry of Rites.
That night the lights in the cabinet were on, and the ministers were selecting the examination papers that could be sent to the emperor.
Prime Minister Cheng first read Zhang Xihua's test paper, praised Zhang Xihua highly, and rated this test paper as first-class.
Later, Prime Minister Cheng read Xu Pingzhi's test paper and praised him from the bottom of his heart.
"Xu Pingzhi's writing style is upright and simple, and his insights are unique, comparable to Zhang Xihua's writing."
Half of the six cabinet ministers were optimistic about Zhang Xihua, while the other half were optimistic about Xu Pingzhi. In any case, Zhang and Xu would either be first or second.
After the first-class examination papers were sent to Emperor Huiyuan for review, he first asked for the opinions of the ministers and finally decided that Xu Pingzhi would be the first in the first class, while Zhang Xihua only got the third place.
Prime Minister Cheng asked the reason.
Emperor Huiyuan pointed at Zhang Xihua's examination paper and said, "This boy has never encountered any setbacks in his studies and doesn't know how to avoid the spotlight. I have chosen him as the third place winner only to dampen his ambition and teach him the principle of 'brilliance without glare, like still waters running deep.'"
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