Chapter 156: The Emperor Also Takes a Half-Day Off Today (Contains 0.5 Parts Slice of Life)

"Use Wu Kongjia as a lever, get a clear picture of the pain points among low-level clerks, unblock the corresponding bottlenecks, explore pathways for clerk advancement, and then deliver a set of combination punches to overhaul grassroots clerical governance."

After writing this line of jargon, Zhu Youjian set down his brush and let out a long, deep breath.

On the desk, the other dozen or so booklets had already been closed one by one and placed into that specially made red sandalwood box.

For the past hour and more, he had been holding private one-on-one talks with the fifteen core members of the New Policies team.

Talking about ambition, talking about difficulties, talking about what His Majesty can give you, talking about what you want, talking about your family, talking about your aspirations.

Strip away the layers of rhetoric, and the core is nothing more than eight words — know what they desire, and let each talent be fully used.

When a sage governs, beyond reward and punishment, the key lies in the hearts of men.

If you want a horse to run, you must not only give it ample fodder, but also let it see the richest, most lush pasture on the far horizon.

And what he, the Emperor, had to do was point out to each person that one-of-a-kind pasture.

This skill, honed in his previous life, now applied to the finest elite of the Great Ming, brought with it a peculiar kind of pleasure all its own.

After placing Wu Kongjia's booklet into the box and locking it as well, Zhu Youjian stretched with deep satisfaction, his joints emitting a faint series of pops and cracks.

He turned his head and asked, "Companion Gao, what is on the schedule this afternoon?"

Gao Shiming, who had been standing in attendance the whole time, bowed and said, "To answer Your Majesty, this afternoon may have a schedule, or it may have none."

"Oh?" Zhu Youjian raised an eyebrow and turned around. "What sort of answer is that?"

Gao Shiming replied unhurriedly, "The original arrangement was to summon Excellencies Yuan Keli, Wang Qia, Liu Hongxun, and Hou Xun. However... did Your Majesty not dismiss all the ministers early from duty today? Then what of Your Majesty yourself?"

He paused, and a note of heartfelt emotion crept into his tone. "Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, this slave has seen you rise early and retire late, day after day."

"Rising at the hour of the rabbit to inspect the Brave Guard, personally plow the farmland, and review memorials."

"In the afternoons, receiving groups of ministers in audience, with one conference after another without end."

"And in the evenings, still reviewing the day's gains and losses, studying the classics, histories, and official documents, often not retiring until the hour of the boar."

Gao Shiming made a deep bow, his expression more solemn than it had ever been.

"This slave has served through four reigns, and never have I seen a sovereign as diligent in governance as Your Majesty."

"Yet from the Daoist perspective on nurturing life, a bow drawn too tight is easily broken, a vessel filled too full easily spills. Tension and release in due measure — that is the way of endurance."

He raised his head and looked at Zhu Youjian with earnest eyes. "Therefore, this slave presumes to earnestly beg Your Majesty to also take a half-day's rest today."

Zhu Youjian, hearing this, fell silent for a moment.

He looked at this beardless, pale-faced eunuch who always wore a deferential smile, and a thread of warmth flowed through his heart.

After a moment, his expression softened, and a teasing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Companion Gao, those are the words of a sycophant."

Gao Shiming merely shook his head slightly, only smiling, and offered no defense.

Zhu Youjian shook his head, and felt that he really ought to rest for a while.

Keeping his nerves wound too tight would indeed cause problems — he still wanted to live to see the day he could drink a cola.

— Come to think of it, was the preparation of carbon dioxide a First Industrial Revolution technology, or a Second Industrial Revolution one?

However...

When he actually stopped, he felt momentarily at a loss.

In his previous life, he had been a card-carrying member of the lying-flat party, never missing a single minute to slack off whenever possible.

Yet ever since transmigrating, an intense sense of crisis and the enormous temptation of steering the fate of a nation had driven him forward at a frantic pace, almost without pause.

The pleasures of a feudal emperor... were actually somewhat foreign to him.

Zhu Youjian could not help but ask, "Within this palace, what is there to provide amusement?"

At these words, Gao Shiming immediately perked up.

Although he had urged the Emperor to rest, he dared not truly act the sycophant. Those things that lure a sovereign into depravity — such as gambling, animal fights, carpentry, and the like — absolutely could not be mentioned.

But proper entertainments — the palace had no shortage of those.

His eyes darted, and he proposed, "Your Majesty, how about... summoning the Bell and Drum Office? Have them perform a puppet play?"

Zhu Youjian searched through the original host's memories and shook his head, utterly uninterested.

Squeaky, drawn-out singing paired with sluggish movements — no amusement whatsoever.

In his later era, he had been thoroughly steeped in all manner of classic television dramas and films.

Not to mention the dimensionality-smashing, brain-devouring short videos.

One line — "You wretch! You dare seduce my husband!" — brought into this world could absolutely set off a literary revolution.

Still, perhaps he could draw on some experience from later ages and turn drama into a propaganda tool.

Speaking of which, that Ruan Dacheng might be worth reinstating.

The man's moral integrity was shattered beyond repair, but he truly was a master at writing operas — just the person to have him write some scripts promoting the New Policies, combining education with entertainment.

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty?" Gao Shiming, seeing the Emperor's mind wander, could not help but call out softly.

"Ah?" Zhu Youjian came back to himself and silently cursed himself for truly having the disposition of a beast of burden.

He waved his hand. "No, think of something else."

Gao Shiming, seeing this, thought again. "Then... how about going to Longevity Hill to shoot a slingshot? This slave has heard that in Your Majesty's youth, you were quite fond of that pursuit."

Zhu Youjian searched his memories again and found this was no lie — the original Chongzhen really had enjoyed this.

But he still shook his head. "If We wish to hunt, We shall naturally use a bow and arrow. A slingshot... ultimately holds little interest. Think of something else."

Gao Shiming furrowed his brow, a vague sense of unease creeping over him.

Surely there couldn't be not a single thing he liked to play?

Racking his brains, he spoke again. "Then... how about reading some vernacular novels? The palace library is quite well-stocked. There are proper works like 'Mirror of Human Exemplars' and 'Illustrated Guide to the Women's Quarters,' historical narratives like 'The Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' and also collections of strange tales and the supernatural like 'Ear Talks' and 'Traces of Immortals and Buddhas.'"

Novels?

Zhu Youjian's thoughts began to drift again.

The main storyline of 'Loyalty Record of the Liao Sea' needs to be reworked. Wang Sancai has killed a man and is about to go on the run — perfect chance to use his perspective to weave in the smuggling in Liaodong, the corruption of the generals, the brutality of the Later Jin, and how the imperial censor dispatched by His Majesty and the Embroidered Uniform Guard turn the tide.

Writing novels wasn't the point — smuggling in personal messages and political allegories, that was the point...

Stop! Zhu Youjian slammed the brakes on his own train of thought, cursing inwardly.

Irritably, he waved a hand. "Forget that one too. Anything else?"

Gao Shiming's expression had already grown rather awkward. He had not expected that persuading the Emperor to take a day's rest would prove so difficult.

He rattled off several more in succession: chuiwan, circus acts, cuju, drum and wind music...

But Zhu Youjian's head shook like a rattle-drum — not a single one could pique his interest.

So boring... this life as the Ming dynasty's Emperor.

Novels were boring, operas were boring, music was boring — even the spring palace pictures he had secretly leafed through were rendered with such veiled, abstract brushwork...

A world without computers, without the internet, without games — truly so boring.

Zhu Youjian sighed and gave up entirely.

"Forget it. I don't care for any of these." He rose from the imperial seat and flicked his sleeves. "Escort the imperial carriage to Kunning Palace."

"I might as well go see whether Changqiu has cooled off yet."

(Attached illustration: After the third Daily Lecture, the latest daily schedule of the Eternal Prosperity Emperor)

(End of chapter)