Chapter 182: Discussing Life with the Empress

Of course, this improved matchlock musket would not be mass-produced and deployed in military warfare.

If he truly wanted to manufacture them, Zhu Youxiao would only produce a small batch and send them to the front lines in Liaodong to meet urgent needs.

These improved matchlock muskets manufactured this time were actually meant to validate the new craftsmanship of the Hundred Crafts Institute. Judging from the current situation, Xu Guangqi and his people should have succeeded.

Gently setting down the matchlock musket in his hand, Zhu Youxiao's eyes were filled with regret.

Zhu Youxiao did not ask to fire a shot himself. In truth, although he very much wanted to fire off a few rounds, this improved matchlock musket was simply not on the same level as the flintlock he truly wanted.

"Forge some for now—make five thousand and send them to Xiong Tingbi." After a moment of thought, Zhu Youxiao spoke in a calm tone.

Although Zhu Youxiao wished he could mass-produce flintlocks right now, given the current state of the Hundred Crafts Institute, it was uncertain when flintlocks could even be manufactured. So for now, he would give Xiong Tingbi some improved matchlock muskets.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Your servant will arrange it immediately." Bi Maokang answered excitedly from the side.

Zhu Youxiao nodded, then strolled around the place a bit more before finally returning to his Qianqing Palace with Empress Zhang.

Seeing Empress Zhang's bright, star-like eyes quietly fixed on him, Zhu Youxiao smiled warmly and teased, "What is Baozhu looking at? Do you think your Emperor is very handsome?"

Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Empress Zhang's face flushed red, as if tinged with two patches of peach blossom bloom. She bit her lip and said, "His Majesty is naturally handsome."

Zhu Youxiao discovered that Empress Zhang was especially beautiful when shy—truly like a bright pearl radiating a soft glow, with a subtle scholarly elegance between her brows and eyes.

"Then in the future, I'll let Baozhu look more. But for now, let the Empress first tell me—what were you just looking at?"

Empress Zhang thought for a moment, her eyes filled with admiration, and said with a gentle smile, "I truly never expected Your Majesty to be like this. I had heard some rumors about Your Majesty outside the palace before, and I'd heard things inside the palace too, but what I saw today is something I never imagined before, nor ever heard of."

This question piqued Zhu Youxiao's curiosity, so he reached out and took Empress Zhang's jade-white slender hand, asking with a smile, "What do they say about me outside?"

"Outside they say Your Majesty ascended the throne at a young age, but has his own ideas and will be a capable Emperor." Empress Zhang said after thinking for a moment, but her eyes dared not look at Zhu Youxiao. She kept her head lowered, appearing somewhat shy.

Gently pulling her along, Zhu Youxiao brought Empress Zhang into his embrace. Holding her slender waist, he smiled and said, "Baozhu's words are insincere. Although I have never left the palace, I know full well what they say about me outside."

"They surely say that I ascended the throne young, haven't read many books, don't understand the way of the sages, dote on sorcerers in pursuit of immortality, favor eunuchs, and employ powerful ministers to throw the court into chaos."

"Am I right?" As he spoke, Zhu Youxiao lowered his head to look at Empress Zhang, a self-deprecating smile on his face. "They also told you to persuade me often, to make me walk the righteous path—for the sake of the Great Ming and the people of the realm, you, as Empress, should put in more effort."

Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Empress Zhang panicked. She quickly reached out to hold Zhu Youxiao's broad hand, looked up at him, and shook her head, saying, "Your Majesty, it's not like that. They simply don't understand Your Majesty. Once they come to understand you, they won't say such things anymore."

Hearing Empress Zhang's words, Zhu Youxiao immediately laughed, as if he had heard something particularly amusing.

"They truly don't understand me. But if they did understand me, they still wouldn't speak well of me—rather, they'd become even worse, even calling me the greatest fatuous ruler in all of history." As Zhu Youxiao spoke, he hugged Empress Zhang.

"Do you know why I say this?" Looking down at Empress Zhang in his arms, Zhu Youxiao asked.

Empress Zhang looked at Zhu Youxiao cautiously. She wanted to know what the true thoughts in her Emperor's heart were.

But Empress Zhang could discern nothing. She shook her head in bewilderment and said, "I truly don't know."

"Because the people of this world, no matter the era, always speak for themselves—speak for their own interests. Only when I do as they think and as they say will they speak well of me. As long as I don't act according to their thoughts and words—no matter whether what I do is for the Great Ming or for the people of the realm—they will never say good things about me."

Looking at Empress Zhang's expression, Zhu Youxiao hugged her tightly once more, then said, "This is the world. This is the human heart."

"I tell Baozhu these things not to ask you to do anything, but to tell you this: since you have entered the palace and become my Empress, there are some things you cannot avoid. So before you do anything, don't listen to what others say—use your own eyes to see."

After saying this, Zhu Youxiao looked at Empress Zhang and said, "In the future, if anything happens, you may speak the truth to me."

"In truth, I trust very few people. Among the ministers of this realm, I cannot tell whether they are loyal or treacherous, nor whether their words are true or false. So I cannot believe them."

"Even if they speak the truth this time—what about next time? Who can guarantee that what they say next time will be true?"

"So, I need to hear the truth. I want to hear the truth. In this palace, the only one who can speak to me is you, Baozhu. So from now on, before me, you need not hide anything—just speak the truth directly."

"If you too will not speak the truth to me, then I fear I will never hear a true word. As the Emperor of this realm, everyone says I possess all within the four seas, yet the hardest thing is to hear a single word of truth."

Looking at Zhu Youxiao's expression, Empress Zhang was no longer shy. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Zhu Youxiao's waist, resting her head on his shoulder, and said, "What if I say something Your Majesty doesn't like to hear?"

"As long as it's the truth, I will love hearing it." Zhu Youxiao said with a smile.

"Then let me speak one truth. In fact, before I entered the palace, quite a few people did approach me through various means, telling me to earnestly admonish Your Majesty—not to employ eunuchs, and to rely more on the court ministers." Empress Zhang nodded as she spoke.

"Then what does Baozhu think now?" Zhu Youxiao looked at Empress Zhang with curiosity and asked.

"Isn't Your Majesty already relying on the court ministers? Grand Secretary Xu Guangqi—I've heard his name before. But outside, there's a great uproar. It seems Lord Xu's doctrines differ from many others'."

"I have read some books and know some historical allusions, so I cannot tell who is right and who is wrong."

"After all, even the sages once argued among themselves. Their ideas were all different, and many matters were either one way or the other. Today, I actually feel that Lord Xu is an upright minister." Empress Zhang tilted her head as she spoke.

"People outside all say that Lord Xu has deceived Your Majesty and fawned upon you. But I saw with my own eyes today—Lord Xu knew full well that his words would anger Your Majesty, yet he still spoke them, and not for his own sake. So I believe he is an upright minister."

Zhu Youxiao nodded. He hadn't expected Xu Guangqi to have won favor in Empress Zhang's eyes.

Still, he asked, "Then what does Baozhu think of Xu Guangqi's proposal today?"

"I feel that Lord Xu's words make sense—after all, matters of state come first." Empress Zhang said: "Although many places in the palace have fallen into disrepair and need rebuilding, the Great Ming truly needs funds right now, so let's pause for a while. When there's money, we can build again—build an even better palace. But I don't understand such matters; the specifics should still be decided by Your Majesty."

Hearing Empress Zhang's words, Zhu Youxiao smiled. He reached out and gently pinched her nose, saying, "This matter is a good thing, but we can't let Xu Guangqi and his lot get their way so easily—otherwise they'll push their advantage. Let me tell you something."

So Zhu Youxiao recounted how the Donglin Faction had embezzled his father's silver.

"These ministers standing in the court—all day long they spout benevolence and righteousness, but when they actually see silver, their eyes shine brighter than anyone's, wishing they could haul it all back to their own homes. I'm not building palaces anymore, putting that money toward state affairs—but the precondition is that we don't let them carry that gleaming white silver back to their houses."

Zhu Youxiao looked down at Empress Zhang, wanting to see her reaction.

But unexpectedly, he saw Empress Zhang with eyes wide open and mouth slightly agape. Her O-shaped mouth looked so appealing to Zhu Youxiao that he leaned in and kissed her.

Kissed by Zhu Youxiao, Empress Zhang immediately grew shy and buried her head in Zhu Youxiao's embrace, refusing to come out.

"What is Baozhu thinking about? Why have you gone quiet?" Zhu Youxiao asked, gently holding Empress Zhang.

"I was just thinking—such a huge sum of money, how much must that be? Those people's hearts have turned rotten. They actually moved such important money into their own homes! Your Majesty must punish them severely!" Empress Zhang said from within Zhu Youxiao's embrace.

"Then how does Baozhu think they should be dealt with?" Zhu Youxiao continued asking.

"I don't know." Empress Zhang shook her head and pouted slightly. "Let Your Majesty decide."

Hearing her words, Zhu Youxiao immediately laughed. The Empress was at the joyful, carefree age of youth, yet after hearing his words just now, a hint of vexation had crept onto her countenance—something she could not set aside from her brow or her heart.

Zhu Youxiao turned to look at Chen Hong standing to the side and instructed, "Have the Directorate of Ceremonial draft an edict: state that state finances are strained and the people are suffering. I cannot bear to increase the burden on the common folk, so construction within the palace shall cease. As for when construction will begin... not until every common person in the realm has a roof over their head. Otherwise, I will never build a new palace."

Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Chen Hong raised his head in disbelief.

How could His Majesty say such a thing?

Although Chen Hong very much wanted to advise his master, he also knew he could not open his mouth on this matter. He could only bow and say, "Yes, Your Majesty. This servant will see to it at once."

Chen Hong turned and left.

Empress Zhang looked up at Zhu Youxiao, her eyes full of little stars.

"What does Baozhu think of my doing this?" Zhu Youxiao asked, lowering his head to look at her as she raised hers.

Empress Zhang nodded and said, "If Your Majesty acts this way, the whole realm will surely be grateful and virtuous, and no one will speak ill of Your Majesty anymore. It's just that this is somewhat of a hardship for Your Majesty!"

As she spoke, Empress Zhang embraced Zhu Youxiao and said, "Then why not reduce the allowances on my side as well."

"If that's so, then let it be done." Zhu Youxiao nodded and did not stop Empress Zhang.

This matter was something he had intended to use to build up his reputation anyway, to dispel the hostility that had been brewing in the court over the past period.

Bringing Empress Zhang along now was not a bad thing either—it could establish an image of a virtuous empress for her.

As for his own promise, not building a new imperial palace was no great loss; he wouldn't have the money to build one in the future anyway.

Besides, he had no hobby of building gardens.

Of course, repairing the old palaces didn't count.