Upon hearing this, Eunuch Liu opened the memorial and respectfully read it aloud.
"Play
Your subject Han Zhongyu respectfully wishes Your Majesty good health.
Everything is going smoothly in Tai'an Prefecture, thanks to the support of the Lady Jingde, who was bestowed the title by the Emperor. The people of Tai'an Prefecture are stable, and everything is on the right track.
The Emperor has a discerning eye for talent. Lord Jingde is intelligent and kind. He has spent half a year and devoted all his resources to developing a new object called glass. Its exquisite beauty surpasses that of crystal. Using it to replace paper for windows makes the room exceptionally bright. Mirrors made from it reflect people more clearly than bronze mirrors. Tea sets and wine cups made from it are also exceptionally beautiful.
Jingde Township Lord's Words
"Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the land, all people are subjects of the king. Even if we suffer countless hardships and exhaust our family wealth, if the things we develop are not used by the emperor, we should not enjoy them."
Therefore, I specially sent this glass and its derivative products to Your Majesty via express courier service, which is 600 li away.
Wishing Your Majesty good health and a prosperous New Year!
Respectfully presented by Han Zhongyu, Governor of Tai'an Prefecture
The Emperor, who had been leaning back in his chair rubbing his temples, was so angry upon hearing Han Zhongyu's memorial that he laughed out loud.
"He gave everything he had and exhausted his family fortune!"
That Han Zhongyu! He's here to plead poverty to me! And he's even doing it for a woman. Han Zhongyu's really something!
"Fine, have someone take this to my private storeroom. Come, follow me and see what this precious glass is all about! Even Lord Han, who treats money like dirt, is starting to crave wealth!"
After the emperor finished speaking, he strode out first.
Eunuch Liu trotted ahead to lead the way for the Emperor.
The emperor's whereabouts are always watched by eight hundred pairs of eyes. The imperial study is the only place where he is not disturbed at will. As long as he leaves the imperial study, he will definitely run into a concubine every few steps, and occasionally he may even run into a few princes or princesses.
So, when the emperor walked into his small storeroom, all the empresses, concubines, princesses, and princes with any standing behind him were there!
The Empress Dowager was focused on self-cultivation and did not concern herself with worldly affairs. In the harem, the Empress was still the most respected. Consort Chu, who was also Chu Mingzhu's sister, was barely on par with the Empress. However, her family's power had declined, and she relied entirely on the Emperor's favor. Compared to the Empress, she was still somewhat lacking in confidence.
Seeing the Emperor's high spirits, the Empress thoughtfully said...
"I heard it's a new thing sent by Han Zhongyu, even better than glass."
Today, I've also broadened my horizons!
As soon as the Empress finished speaking, Consort Chu scoffed.
"What kind of glass palace doesn't have in this world? Maybe this country bumpkin has never seen the world and is just trying to show off his finds that he finds interesting!"
When something new comes along in the palace, whichever palace it ends up in, the masters and servants there will walk with their heads held high for a month or two. So, no matter how good or bad the item is, or whether they like it or not, everyone will fight for it!
The Emperor thought that since it was the New Year, everyone should just have some fun. He didn't care what Han Zhongyu had gone to so much trouble to send. He would let his favorite concubines choose, and the rest of the emperor would receive his favors. Everyone should just have some fun!
When the palace servants opened the carriage covered in cotton cloth, the water shimmered in the sunlight, and the nobles who hadn't paid much attention before were all stunned!
Even the emperor couldn't help but sigh.
"Indeed novel! Han Zhongyu wasn't exaggerating!"
After saying that, he couldn't help but step forward and touch the thick glass, tapping it and listening to the pleasant tinkling sound. He nodded in satisfaction.
"That's interesting!"
After looking at the two carriages in front, he went to look at the mirror behind.
When you see the gleaming dragon robe in the mirror, with each fine gold thread clearly visible, and your own eyebrows and eyes even more distinct, standing in front of the mirror is like another version of yourself staring at yourself!
He couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Well done! What a fine Lady Jingde! No wonder Han Zhongyu paved the way for her. She's worth it!"
Imperial Concubine? Come and see, can this compare to the finest glass?
If you feel it's not as good as others, then you won't get any of the food here!
Consort Chu was also utterly shocked!
She prided herself on having seen countless fine things, and had long heard that the emperor had bestowed the title of Lady of the Countryside upon a country woman, but she hadn't taken it seriously. This time, when she heard that Han Zhongyu had specially sent several cartloads of new items made by that country woman to the palace, she didn't pay any attention to them either. If she hadn't heard that the emperor wanted to see them, she wouldn't have bothered coming!
There's no way around it. Logically speaking, it's hard for a favored concubine in the palace to look down on a country girl. In fact, she wouldn't even care about a daughter of an official!
Before seeing the object, none of the people present thought there was anything wrong with what she said!
As it turned out, the thing she looked down on was shining brightly here, especially since she had just ridiculed the other party for being unsophisticated. She immediately contradicted herself, feeling embarrassed and frustrated!
Unfortunately, the Emperor used her words to make fun of her. If it were in private, it would be fine, just a little flirtation between the two of them. But now, in front of so many concubines, she was losing face no matter what she said!
But she didn't dare offend the Emperor by saying the things weren't good, and besides, she really liked them, so how could she bear to give them up? She could only feign a coquettish expression to save face.
"Your Majesty is deliberately bullying me! I was ignorant this time! But you absolutely cannot leave me without this!"
The Emperor listened and said cheerfully
"Haha! Okay, then you can have this cup and mirror set!"
"Your Majesty, you should choose one too, and send one to the Empress Dowager as well!"
The Empress smiled gently.
"Your Majesty, I thank you!"
Only ten mirrors were made in total. Two were sent to the Han family, and eight were sent to the palace. Consort Chu, who is currently favored, chose one first. The Empress chose one, the Empress Dowager sent one, and the Emperor also wanted to keep one for himself. So, four mirrors were sent away.
The remaining four sides became prey for the wolves!
All the concubines, princesses, and princes stared expectantly. The Emperor was only forty-one years old. His eldest son was seventeen, the second prince was born to Consort Duan and was sixteen, the third prince was born to the Empress and was fifteen, the fourth prince died at the age of six, and the fifth prince was born to Consort Chu and was fourteen.
There is also the sixth prince, born to Consort Yi, who is eight years old; the sixth prince, born to Consort Ning; and then there is the seventh prince and the fifth princess, born to Consort Chu.
However, only the first, second, and third princes are present at the moment. The rest are too young; some are studying at the Imperial Academy, while others are being kept indoors by their wet nurses during the winter.
As for the princesses, apart from the fifth princess who was born to Consort Chu, the fourth and fifth princesses all came with their mothers.
Although the Empress and the Emperor's relationship was merely one of mutual respect, their eldest daughter, Princess Zhaoyang, was still greatly favored by the Emperor and felt most at ease in his presence. Seeing that her mother and grandmother's portions had been decided, she immediately began to whine and say...
"Father, Grandmother and Mother have already received theirs, now it's my turn to choose!"
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