Chapter 669: Records of Ministers of the Restoration

In Kunning Palace, Empress Zhang and Zhu Youxiao sat facing each other, a table between them bearing several dishes and a jug of wine.

It was no grand spread—just ordinary home cooking.

Zhu Youxiao picked up the wine jug, poured himself a cup, then poured one for Empress Zhang and said, "Drink one with me."

"Very well, Your Majesty." Empress Zhang beamed with joy.

The husband and wife looked at each other, then together raised their cups and took a sip.

After so many years of marriage, Empress Zhang knew Zhu Youxiao well, and she knew His Majesty had been in a very low mood these past few days.

After all, on ordinary evenings, His Majesty rarely drank.

Tonight's wine was nothing special—just the common homemade wine of ordinary folk. The dishes on the table were nothing fine either, no delicacies from land or sea, just the plain fare of common households. And in a bowl off to the side, there was even a half-gnawed pickled vegetable.

Empress Zhang did not know why His Majesty had placed that pickled vegetable there, but she knew there must be deep meaning in it.

Too many old ministers had died recently. Not just His Majesty—even Empress Zhang herself felt somewhat despondent, and a mournful atmosphere hung over the entire court.

"Do you know why I brought out a pickled vegetable?" Zhu Youxiao picked it up and took a bite. Then he raised his cup and sipped his wine, and the expression on his face suddenly became utterly vivid.

All his features seemed to scrunch together, and then he let out a comfortable sigh.

"Your consort does not know." Empress Zhang said with a smile: "Your Majesty can tell me."

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said with a smile: "That was the first time I met Zhang Chong. Among all my officials, perhaps everyone stands out, and not a few are famous throughout the realm, but the one who left the deepest impression on me was Zhang Chong."

"At that time, he was merely a warehouse keeper in the Ministry of Revenue, drawing a meager salary every day and living in poverty. Even so, he never embezzled a single coin or grain of the Ministry's funds."

"And after I befriended him, he invited me to a drink. That meal had two dishes—one was this very kind of pickled vegetable, and the other was this: boiled eggs."

"At the time I laughingly asked him, 'Inviting someone to a meal like this—don't you feel embarrassed?'"

"Zhang Chong told me then: 'I serve as an official of the Great Ming and draw the Emperor's salary—every bit of it is the people's flesh and blood. That I can eat my fill and dress warmly already puts me ahead of the common folk of the realm. That I can occasionally enjoy a drink is already a pleasure beyond what many know. Drinking humble wine has its own flavor. In years past when I could not afford wine, I could only watch others drink. Now, a cup of cloudy wine each day—I am content.'"

"After all these years, I have never forgotten his words, or the way he drank."

Seeing Zhu Youxiao's reddening eyes, Empress Zhang fell silent.

Empress Zhang knew of Zhang Chong—he had passed away a few days ago.

Zhang Chong's household had few members, and his official rank was never high. Even at death, he was only a chief steward of the Hundred Crafts Institute, managing its materials.

"This pickled vegetable I got from Zhang Chong's home. His son said he still drinks the same way now—one pickled vegetable, one boiled egg. And every time, he is happy, unlike before."

"Zhang Chong's son said his father used to drink in gloomy silence, but now every drink is a toast of joy."

"Though his salary grew and his days improved, he never gave up that habit. In his own words: now that the Great Ming is well and life is good, he is happy, so every meal is a joyful drink."

"Zhang Chong's son said his father often spoke of the time he invited Your Majesty to drink, using exactly these two dishes to go with the wine."

Looking at Zhu Youxiao, whose tone was calm but whose eyes were red, Empress Zhang reached out and took his hand directly.

She could feel His Majesty's hand trembling—even his whole body was trembling.

"There are still many who came out with me back then. These men never gained high office or lavish rewards; they remained frugal and thrifty, even harsh on themselves. But it is precisely because of them that the Great Ming stands where it is today. Now, they have all left me…"

"Your Majesty, your consort is here, the Great Ming is here, and the ministers who hold the realm, Your Majesty, and the Great Ming in their hearts are here too. The Great Ming will only grow better, and the common people of the realm will live better and better." Empress Zhang held Zhu Youxiao's hand and comforted him softly.

"I want to build a cemetery." Zhu Youxiao looked at Empress Zhang and said quietly.

"Whatever Your Majesty wishes to do, do it." Empress Zhang looked at Zhu Youxiao and said with a smile: "Whatever Your Majesty does, your consort supports you."

"I want to build a cemetery for these men and bury them there, right beside my own imperial tomb. When I pass on a hundred years from now, I will sleep alongside them."

Hearing this, Empress Zhang smiled and said: "Wonderful!"

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said with a smile: "I will have steles carved recording their deeds; and I will have scholars compile a book, a Record of Ministers of the Restoration, to write their histories and let their names be remembered for a hundred generations."

"Excellent, excellent!" Empress Zhang patted Zhu Youxiao's hand and laughed.

In truth, in all their years of marriage, this was the first time Empress Zhang had seen His Majesty so emotionally stirred.

A smile remained on Empress Zhang's face—she knew His Majesty had always been exhausted.

The aging and passing of ministers at court had truly weighed heavily on His Majesty.

The meal lasted a long time. Zhu Youxiao drank two jugs of wine and finished that one pickled vegetable and two boiled eggs. In the end, Empress Zhang helped him to the bed, and he fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Zhu Youxiao rose very early.

Though he had drunk the night before, he had not slept late. There were matters to attend to today, so Zhu Youxiao got up early and changed clothes with Empress Zhang's assistance.

He dressed very formally—he even put on the ceremonial court robes.

Because this morning, Zhu Youxiao was to hold the morning court.

For the emperors and ministers of the Great Ming, holding morning court should have been a perfectly normal matter.

But the current emperor was not like that. In the first few years after his accession he had attended a few times, but afterward less and less. In recent years he had essentially stopped holding morning court altogether—the institution existed in name only.

Yet no one could have expected that the Emperor would suddenly announce he was holding morning court.

This should have been an utterly routine affair, but at this moment in the Great Ming, it became a momentous occasion.

No one dared be negligent, and no one knew what the Emperor intended to say at court.

All at once, the hundred officials grew tense.

After changing clothes, Zhu Youxiao did not linger in Kunning Palace but headed straight to the front.

He looked entirely spirited, and to complete the ensemble, a long sword hung at his waist.

By the time Zhu Youxiao arrived at the front, the ministers were already waiting there.

Every face was grave; they stood respectfully, and no one spoke.

Everyone was awaiting the Emperor's arrival, awaiting the important matter the Emperor would proclaim.

Zhu Youxiao ascended the steps one by one and finally seated himself upon the dragon throne.

All the ministers knelt together in full ceremonial obeisance, crying out in unison: "We pay our respects to Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said: "Ministers, rise."

Everyone stood and respectfully took their places to the side.

They had all attended this morning's court, yet no one had prepared a routine memorial, and no one chose to be a nuisance at such a time.

The Emperor had stayed away from the morning court for so long, and now suddenly appeared — surely he had something to announce, and it must be something major.

At a time like this, for someone without any sense of the moment to step forward with a memorial — what kind of official lacking all tact would do such a thing?

If anyone did that, their official career probably wouldn't last much longer.

His gaze sweeping across everyone, Zhu Youxiao spoke slowly: "Since I ascended the throne, eleven years have passed. In the court, my ministers have been diligent and devoted, and I have gotten along quite well with all of you beloved ministers. Now the Great Ming has swept the barbarians to the north and settled the state within — this is truly the merit of all you ministers."

"Many ministers have accompanied me along this journey, through wind and rain, giving their all. In the past six months, ministers of the court have left me one after another — some departed, some retired to their hometowns to enjoy old age. My heart is deeply pained."

Everyone listened, and the expressions on their faces relaxed considerably.

Clearly, if the Emperor was saying this, then there was no matter of punishment in store for everyone.

This was a good thing for everyone, though many still felt uneasy. After all, many of those standing in the court were already old.

Zhu Youxiao's gaze swept across everyone, and he continued: "What you have done for the Great Ming, I remember it all. Today I wish to announce one matter. Han Kuang, this time the imperial edict shall be read by you."

This was something no one had expected — including Han Kuang himself.

Clearly this imperial edict must have something out of the ordinary about it, otherwise he would not have been chosen to read it.

He had served diligently in the court for so many years — this was His Majesty rewarding him.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Han Kuang acknowledged, and hurriedly took the imperial edict from Chen Hong's hands beside him.

Unrolling the edict, Han Kuang cleared his throat and read: "By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Since the Three Sovereigns governed the world and the Five Emperors established the order of men, emperors have taken the nurturing of the people as the foundation of the state. They should honor Heaven's love of life above, extend grace to all things; when the sovereign is enlightened, his ministers rise to prominence, and court and commonalty are of one heart."

"Surveying the governance of all past dynasties, none surpass the glory of this court. Harmony fills the air, and songs of praise resound. Not a single day have I failed to uphold the imperial code, not a single matter have I failed to personally review. Rising before dawn and eating late, consumed with anxious thought and weary spirit. The traces of Yu have been united, ushering in an age of great peace; the heart of Yao has not yet wearied, yet suddenly the misfortune of illness arises."

The ministers below all wore somewhat strange expressions.

What kind of edict was this?

The first part was all well and good — but then why did it suddenly turn to praising himself?

Everyone knew that the Great Ming was in an age of resurgence, and the current Emperor was a sage ruler of that resurgence. This had long been settled.

Normally when people flattered the Emperor, they would say such things too — even more nauseating words could be spoken. But who could have imagined the Emperor saying it himself?

If you said that surveying history, none surpassed the glory of this court — no one would refute that.

The current prosperity of the Great Ming, the wealth of its people — surveying all of history, indeed there had never been anything like it. Praising himself a bit in this regard could be considered reasonable enough, nothing too excessive.

But look — what did you say afterward?

Rising before dawn and eating late, consumed with anxious thought and weary spirit — who would believe that?

But there was nothing to be done. If the Emperor said it, then you could only listen.

Everyone kept their heads lowered with solemn expressions, and some even began nodding, with an air of "indeed, it is so."

Zhu Youxiao saw the ministers' reactions, but his own expression did not change.

He had said it deliberately. These days, his mood was very bad, and the mood in the court was even worse.

Many of the old ministers had already begun to harbor thoughts of retirement — not wanting to die in office, preparing to return to their hometowns to enjoy their remaining years, rest and recuperate, play with their grandchildren, and live a few more years.

Sun Chengzong and Xu Guangqi, for instance — both of them had actually submitted routine memorials. Who knew what the two of them were thinking?

That was why Zhu Youxiao had come up with this plan — on the one hand, building a mausoleum garden to settle people's hearts; on the other, he had to extol their achievements, and later write books and establish biographies for them, letting their names go down in history.

The dead would naturally receive glory — but wouldn't the living also want their own achievements written up handsomely?

This was bait for them.

Since he had to praise his ministers, he naturally had to extol this dynasty as unmatched by any other.

These were all tricks learned from Li Shimin — when it came to revising history books and belittling one's predecessors, the Tang dynasty definitely ranked high on the list.

Li Shimin belittled his father and belittled his elder brother to elevate himself; Wu Zetian belittled Li Shimin and belittled Li Zhi to elevate herself, tampering with historical records — watching that was simply deranged.

The Qing dynasty was the same, compiling history according to their own wishes.

Zhu Youxiao didn't even know whether even three-tenths of those historical materials were true.

Probably not even three-tenths.

So what if he praised himself a bit now?

He hadn't even called himself the "Perfect Old Man."

In this strange atmosphere, Han Kuang's tone shifted — from praising the Emperor and the court to praising the ministers.

In one sentence: the Great Ming had such merit and virtue, surpassing all dynasties. Besides my own brilliance and martial prowess, it was also inseparable from the assistance of you all.

You are all beings who surpass the famed ministers of every age in history!

I shall build a mausoleum garden for the deceased ministers, placed beside my own imperial tomb, so that they may enjoy remembrance by later generations.

At the same time, I shall also compile a book — a *Records of Resurgence's Famous Ministers* — putting you all in it, letting your names go down in history, letting future generations gaze upon your achievements.

Then the topic shifted — to emulate the old affair of Tang Taizong's eighteen famous ministers in the Lingyan Pavilion, the first batch of the Records of Resurgence's Famous Ministers would also number only eighteen, and everyone could nominate each other.

This was something Zhu Youxiao had found for them to do, to keep the court from being lifeless and gloomy all day.

Those people had died — he himself was very, very unhappy about it. He could grieve alone, but the court absolutely could not have this kind of mournful atmosphere.

The court as a whole still had to be positive and upward-striving. Everyone should be optimistic and cheerful, work hard and do their jobs well — that was how it should be.

There was still so much to be done — what time was there to leave for you to grieve?

So Zhu Youxiao had thrown out this plan.

Looking at the excited faces below, Zhu Youxiao knew the plan had succeeded.

Sun Chengzong and Xu Guangqi would not leave either — judging by the looks on those two, even if they wanted to go, they would wait until the book was finished.

As for when this book would be compiled — that would probably be anyone's guess. In this regard, Zhu Youxiao had absolute confidence.