Chapter 35
"It's not that hard. There are many conveniences in living in the world as a man." Zhang Xihua said truthfully.
Wan Yuru: "In my opinion, being a man has its advantages, and being a woman has its advantages. You must have studied very hard for so many years to become such a good official. I just feel sorry for you for how you managed to get through it."
When Zhang Xihua saw tears in Wan Yuru's eyes, he felt more and more guilty towards her.
"I have wasted your youth, and I really shouldn't have done that. I will find a way to return those 20 million dan of grain to you. If you wish to leave, I can write you a letter of divorce and set you free."
Wan Yuru shook her head gently. "I'm not saying anything about food or not. I'm not trying to brag about my family's wealth. Money is the most worthless thing in the world." Suddenly, she thought of something and smiled knowingly. "I understand. His Majesty must like you very much. Does His Majesty know that you are a woman?"
This time it was Zhang Xihua's turn to shake his head.
Wan Yuru sighed, "That's hard to say. I don't know if His Majesty likes you because you're a man, or because you're you. Look, you're such a pitiful person."
She took Zhang Xihua's hands and looked her up and down.
"I want to help you. Anyway, I don't worry about my future."
Wan Yuru insisted on continuing to play the role of Zhang Xihua's wife, and she played the role for eight years.
Wan Yuru managed the Wan family's business to great success, and Zhang Xihua was promoted several times. In the 16th year of Huiyuan, he entered the cabinet and became the youngest cabinet minister. He was promoted to the Minister of Revenue and the Grand Secretary of Dongke.
The number of cabinet ministers has dropped from seven in the first year of Huiyuan to two in the seventeenth year of Huiyuan.
The chief minister of the cabinet, Jiang Chunfang, gradually lost his right-hand man, but when Zhang Xihua entered the cabinet, Jiang Chunfang was still very disdainful of Zhang Xihua, a "young man". Almost all political affairs were decided by Jiang Chunfang alone. Jiang Chunfang always relied on his seniority and did not listen to Zhang Xihua's opinions at all, not knowing that Zhang Xihua's opinions were often the emperor's opinions.
Zhu Mingji had a deep grudge against Jiang Chunfang. On the sixth day of February in the seventeenth year of Huiyuan, during the regular court session, he issued an edict severely criticizing Jiang Chunfang for abusing power for many years and dismissed him from all his official posts.
All the officials under the Danchi understood clearly after hearing this decree. Ever since the emperor intended to reorganize the cabinet, they had expected that there would be a day when the young emperor would hold all power in his own hands. However, they did not expect that this day would come so soon.
Officials who had been dependent on Jiang Chunfang in the past were all in danger.
After the regular court session ended, Zhang Xihua went to the Qianqing Palace.
In the palace, a little boy wearing a red python robe was running around holding a windmill. Seeing Zhang Xihua step into the palace, the little boy happily ran to Zhang Xihua, bowed to her, and opened his arms to ask her to hug him.
Zhang Xihua picked him up and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a silk handkerchief.
This is the youngest son of Zhang Yining and Zhu Minghe. Three years ago, he was adopted by the childless Zhu Mingji as his son, and last spring he was officially canonized as the crown prince.
"Uncle, are you going to the southeast to fight the Japanese pirates? Can you take me with you?" Zhu Yunpei said, hugging Zhang Xihua's neck.
"When His Royal Highness the Crown Prince grows up, I will take him to the war, okay?" Zhang Xihua caught a glimpse of the bright yellow figure that appeared at the entrance of the main hall. He quickly put Zhu Yunpei down and walked forward to kowtow to Zhu Mingji. "May your Majesty be well."
Zhu Mingji snorted coldly, and after saying "No need to be polite", he said to Zhu Yunpei: "Brother Pei, your uncle is a scoundrel. He just recovered from his illness in the past few years, and now he is going to the south to seek death again."
Zhu Yunpei's heart was most with Zhang Xihua, "Father, uncle is not seeking death. Once uncle goes to the north, he will defeat the Japanese pirates."
Zhu Mingji touched Zhu Yunpei's head and ordered Deqing to take the little guy to play in the imperial garden.
"The position of Prime Minister is so hot under the collar for you. I've been planning for so many years, and you're going to hand it over to someone else with just one word, and go fight your life in the midst of swords and spears." Zhu Mingji sighed softly, "I'm tired of asking you this question. When will you let go of your family, country, and the world and put me first in your heart?"
"The Japanese invaders have plagued the southeast for many years, and the people there are suffering terribly. I beg Your Majesty to let me go south." Zhang Xihua recommended a suitable candidate for cabinet minister to Zhu Mingji.
"It seems that all my years of planning will come to nothing. I'm just making wedding clothes for others." Zhu Mingji was filled with hatred at this moment. He hated her for being good at planning for the country but not so good at making a living. He hated that he and her had been king and minister for many years, but they were just king and minister. "You went to the southeast this time. When will you come back?"
"Next spring." Zhang Xihua said with a smile.
*
On the winter solstice of the 17th year of Huiyuan, snowflakes began to fall in the southeast, where there had been no snow for a hundred years.
In the military tent stationed in Kinmen, Zhang Xihua, with a face as pale as paper, sat behind a desk writing a victory report to be sent back to the capital.
Qingque took a white fox fur coat and put it on Zhang Xihua. With red eyes, she choked with sobs and said, "Master, can you please allow me to ask the military doctor to take your pulse?"
Zhang Xihua shook his head. "I know the date of my death very well. After nearly a year of fighting, the Japanese threat has subsided, and I can retire now."
Her eyes were unfocused, and she coughed lightly after putting down her pen. The silk handkerchief she used to wipe her lips was stained red with blood.
"Qingque, when I die, cremate me on the spot and scatter my ashes into the sea. Don't let His Majesty see my remains and only add to his grief. Also, when you return to the capital, tell my mother that I am unfilial and unable to support her for the rest of her life. Finally, the divorce letter I left for my wife is in the copy of 'Salt and Iron Theory' in the study. Please hand over the properties that are now in my name to my wife as compensation."
As she spoke, she was out of breath and straightened her fox fur coat.
Qingque couldn't hear her voice clearly, so he moved closer to her to listen to her.
The bluebird heard her say in a very weak voice, "My lord is in the north; how can he let me die facing south?"
Qingque hurriedly helped her up, but at the moment when the two of them were about to turn around and stand facing north, she collapsed, closed her eyes, and there was no sound.
*
When the news of victory from the southeast reached the capital, Zhu Mingji stood on the city wall, but he did not see her among the triumphant army.
Deqing led Qingque up to the tower. Qingque held the scroll and knelt before Zhu Mingji, crying, "Your Majesty, this is the young master's legacy."
Zhu Mingji showed an expression of disbelief. His hands trembled as he took the scroll. He slowly unfolded it. The person in the painting was exactly the same as Ningning whom he often dreamed of.
"Where are his bones? Where is his coffin?"
"Before he died, the young master instructed me to cremate him on the spot, and his ashes were scattered into the sea according to his will." Qingque was already in tears.
Zhu Mingji suddenly realized that she was a girl, she was a girl.
I didn't realize she was a girl for all these years.
"Did she leave any last words for me?"
Qingque shook his head.
"What were the last words she said before she died?" Zhu Mingji felt heartbroken and completely hopeless.
"My lord said, 'My lord is in the north, how can I die facing south?'"
When the work is done, I will leave, hiding my body and name.
How could he not fulfill her wish?
In history books, he was the king and she was the minister, but they were just king and minister.
Later, he lived in the Western Garden and never attended court again. The painting was hung in his bedroom for him to admire day and night.
The longing for him became a disease that penetrated into his bones.
On August 15, the 32nd year of Huiyuan, the emperor died in Yuxi Palace in the Western Garden.
The painting has turned to ashes. He was the one who burned it.
Fifteen years, a full fifteen years, he could not let go until his death, he could not let go of the female top scholar of that year.
*
April 30, 2102, Aoki City.
Zhang Xihua, who had returned to modern times for a year, gave up joining the Ming History Institute.
Because there was a period of history that she experienced twice, and there was a person that she loved twice.
She could not look directly at history. Every word in "History of Ming Dynasty: Chronicle of Emperor Shunzong" was too heavy for her. Shunzong was his temple name, which means to govern by doing nothing. He lived in the Western Garden for fifteen years because of grief, but no one knew what he was sad about because the reason was not recorded in history books.
Zhang Xihua roughly knew what he was grieving.
Perhaps the last words I left for him were too heartless.
If she had said, "My husband is in the north, how can he let me die facing the south," would he have felt better?
Today is the weekend, and she went to visit the Municipal Museum because a dragon robe of Emperor Shunzong of Ming Dynasty was loaned by the Municipal Museum from a private collector for exhibition.
Through the glass, she saw the dragon robe he had worn more than six hundred years ago, and his figure appeared in her mind.
A shadow of a person was reflected on the glass, perfectly overlapping with the vermilion dragon robe hanging on the floor-length clothes hanger.
The figure in the glass seemed to be wearing the dragon robe, and the robe fit his tall figure very well.
"Ningning."
A gentle voice sounded behind Zhang Xihua.
She looked back, her eyebrows curved, but tears were welling up in her eyes.
"Why are you here?"
"It's the Sinking and Floating Boat." Zhu Mingji held out his hand to her. There was a small red flower on his palm. "He said thank you for giving him so many small red flowers. I'm his gift to you in return."
Zhang Xihua knew that Chen Fuzhou had a research project with the highest level of confidentiality. She met Zhu Mingji today and roughly knew what the research project was.
"Do you have an ID card?" Zhang Xihua asked.
Zhu Mingji nodded.
"Did you bring it?" Zhang Xihua asked again.
"I brought it." Zhu Mingji said.
Zhang Xihua took his hand and held his fingers tightly.
"Let's go to the Aoki City Civil Affairs Bureau to get a marriage certificate."
"Can I go home and change my clothes first?" He went out today wearing a casual white T-shirt and light blue jeans.
"You look very good like this. You don't look like a 600-year-old man at all. You look more like a pure boy." Zhang Xihua stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek.
Zhu Mingji blushed and scratched his neat short hair.
His shy look made him look more like an innocent 18-year-old boy.
*
Fortunately, this spring has not passed.
Fortunately, at the end of spring, I met my beloved again.
Every day with you in the future will be a small reunion.
(End of full text)
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