Chapter 1120: The Elixir of Immortality Is in Hawaii? (Please Subscribe)

The time is now the fifth month of the thirteenth year of the Ming's Hongxing era — by the Western calendar, June of 1660. Time flies; in the blink of an eye, Zhu Cilang is already an uncle in his thirties, while his Imperial Father Chongzhen has reached the nominal age of fifty.

Fifty is a major birthday, and as the Ming's foremost filial son, Zhu Cilang naturally had to put on a proper celebration for the Chongzhen Emperor. So in mid-fourth month of the thirteenth year, he temporarily halted his seemingly endless personal campaigns and brought the court grandly down the river, only returning to Old Mountain Palace at the beginning of the fifth month.

That day, he was in the newly completed Palace of Benevolent Longevity at Old Mountain Palace, drinking milk tea with Chongzhen, who had just returned from hunting at the Old Mountain hunting grounds, when a memorial from the Kingdom of Japan arrived.

Because the memorial from the Kingdom of Japan concerned a piece of Emperor Zhu's filial devotion — the elixir of immortality being prepared for the Retired Emperor Chongzhen's fiftieth birthday — Zhu Cilang had given verbal instructions that any memorial from the Kingdom of Japan was to be brought to him the moment it arrived.

So after the seal-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Huang Xiaobao, received the Japanese memorial forwarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he immediately delivered it to Zhu Cilang.

Emperor Zhu took the memorial and began leafing through it; when he finished, he merely sighed softly.

Sitting across from him, the Retired Emperor Chongzhen was drinking milk tea while discussing with Mary Mancini which Western clocks were the finest — Mancini favored clocks from Milan, while the Chongzhen Emperor preferred those made in Amsterdam. But even while discussing clocks, the Retired Emperor Chongzhen was keeping an eye on his filial son Zhu Cilang. Seeing him sigh, he asked curiously, "Our son, has some new trouble arisen in the Kingdom of Japan?"

Zhu Cilang handed the memorial back to Huang Dabao, then said, "Imperial Father, what arrived today is a memorial from the Queen of the Kingdom of Japan."

"The Queen of the Kingdom of Japan?" Chongzhen was taken aback. "Wasn't the previous Japanese king a man? How did he turn into a woman?"

"He didn't turn into a woman — how could one even do that?" Zhu Cilang shook his head. "They've replaced him with a woman. This woman was the Japanese king once before: she ascended the throne at seven, abdicated at nineteen, and became Retired Sovereign."

"Retired Sovereign at nineteen?" Chongzhen mused: worse off than We are! We had the throne seized by an unfilial son — what happened to her? At nineteen she already had an unfilial son capable of seizing the throne?

Zhu Cilang continued, "She spent seventeen years as Retired Sovereign from the age of nineteen, and then at thirty-six she actually returned to the throne. Truly, the world is unpredictable!"

What? She even returned to the throne? Chongzhen's eyes lit up. He had already been Retired Emperor for thirteen years — in another four years, would he have a chance?

"How did she return to the throne?" Chongzhen probed.

Zhu Cilang shot Chongzhen a glance and said irritably, "She returned to the throne by sleeping with the traitorous minister Tokugawa Mitsukuni!"

Oh, sleeping with a loyal subject and filial son. Chongzhen furrowed his brow — this he could not imitate! He was quite willing to go to bed with someone, but he had no idea who the traitorous ministers were!

Zhu Cilang added, "Tokugawa Mitsukuni is already preparing to marry the Queen of Japan. From now on, Japan's shogunate and imperial court will be merged into one!"

Chongzhen nodded. "Our son, was that what you were sighing about just now?"

"Of course not," Zhu Cilang said. "Your son only needs the Japanese Imperial State to become the Kingdom of Japan — I don't care what surname the King of Japan bears. Besides, I've already arranged a stumbling block for Tokugawa Mitsukuni. He'll have headaches enough in the future!"

The memorials from Tokugawa Takakazu and Hoshina Masayuki had actually arrived a few days earlier than Queen Meisho's memorial, so Zhu Cilang already knew that Hoshina Masayuki was preparing to become Xu Zhengzhi — from now on, Kyushu would be an independent kingdom within Japan!

Zhu Cilang had it all planned out: every future Ming emperor should have a consort from the Xu family of Kyushu. Through that connection, the Xu family of Kyushu would be firmly tethered to the war chariot of the Ming Empire.

"The Queen of Japan acknowledges in her memorial that she is a descendant of Xu Fu. She also says her ancestor Xu Fu never found the immortal island beyond the sea, and therefore never obtained the elixir of immortality."

Chongzhen thought to himself: you unfilial wretch, you still want to live forever? Aren't you afraid that if you live too long, unfilial descendants will overthrow you?

"Imperial Father, do not be anxious!" Emperor Zhu then consoled Chongzhen. "The Queen of Japan mentions in her memorial that her ancestor Xu Fu left behind many clues concerning the immortal mountain beyond the sea. This immortal mountain lies in the center of the Pacific Ocean, more than ten thousand li southeast of the Kingdom of Japan. Your son will organize an expedition fleet to search for it as soon as possible, so Imperial Father still has hope of tasting the elixir of immortality."

The "immortal island beyond the sea" in the center of the Pacific, more than ten thousand li southeast of Japan, was of course Hawaii!

Because Hawaii does not lie on any ocean current or shipping route, Zhu Cilang was preparing to send out exploration ships to search for it; if found, they would occupy it as quickly as possible.

And to launch such a large exploration project, there had to be a pretext — otherwise the Navy Ministry, soon to be separated from the Ministry of War, would have trouble preparing a budget!

Chongzhen smiled and said, "Our son, do not set your hopes too high. The matter of immortality is far too fantastical; it is not something a sovereign should believe in."

Zhu Cilang nodded. "Imperial Father's instruction is correct, but your son is filial — how could I bear to watch Imperial Father grow old and frail, his health gradually declining?"

"What nonsense is this?" Chongzhen grew angry at the words. "Where is your father old? Where is he frail? Your father's health is excellent — living another fifty years would be no problem at all! As for you — do not overwork yourself with state affairs. Take good care of your health, and only then can you prolong your years. If you feel state affairs cannot be left unattended, why not let Tuhao'er gain more experience? That child is exceptionally clever, much like you when you were young!"

Zhu Cilang smiled. "Tuhao'er is King of the United States; sooner or later he must go to his kingdom, so he should indeed begin gaining experience early. But it is still too soon — wait until he finishes at Nanjing University. Actually, attending middle school and university is itself a form of experience, better than being cooped up in the palace. After he finishes university, let him serve two years as a soldier, then spend a few years gaining experience at the Royal Chamber of Commerce, and he should be shaped into something useful. In the future, the Crown Prince should be trained the same way."

"The Crown Prince too?" The Chongzhen Emperor was startled. "Our son, governing the state is not the same as doing business or serving in the military. One must understand the art of emperorship and possess the ability to command subordinates!"

Zhu Cilang shook his head. "One who would be emperor must at least possess above-average ability and learning, must understand something of the ways of the world, must know something of the people's hardships, and must have practical management experience. Ideally, he should have managed a trading house, served as a local official, and spent several years gaining experience in both the Grand Secretariat and the Marshal's Office. Only then can he handle affairs with ease."

Emperor Zhu of course knew how to cultivate a worthy sovereign — later ages offered far too many examples to draw upon.

He glanced at Chongzhen. "With a bit more experience, at the very least one can avoid becoming a fatuous ruler!"

Later generations always spoke of the late Ming as rotten to the core, yet Zhu Cilang could not think of a single later nation — however rotten its roots — that would hand absolute power of life and death to a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old shut-in with no work experience, no social experience, no proper schooling, and who had barely ever left his own front door!

Even America and Russia would never hand the nuclear button to such a person — who knows, he might bring about the end of the world!

The Chongzhen Emperor knew this unfilial wretch was using him as a negative example again. He snorted, stopped drinking his milk tea, and rose to his feet. "We are tired from hunting at Old Mountain today and wish to rest early. You may withdraw as well!"

Zhu Cilang knew he and Chongzhen had once again reached the point where half a sentence was too many. So he rose and bowed to the Retired Emperor Chongzhen. "Imperial Father, your son takes his leave."

Mary Mancini, who had come with him, also curtsied, and the two of them left the Palace of Benevolent Longevity together, heading toward Pang Family Garden (Mancini's residence).

But they had only just reached Zhu Cilang's sleeping quarters, the Palace of Mount Yan, when Huang Xiaobao presented another memorial to Emperor Zhu. Zhu Cilang took it and saw it was a request for an audience. The person requesting the audience was Zhu Cilang's eldest son, Tuhao'er — Zhu Hehao.

Zhu Hehao was now a fourth-year student at Old Mountain Middle School, and in a few months he would be taking the university entrance examination. Although he was a prince and could rely on a recommendation letter from his imperial father to get in through the back door, Zhu Cilang still hoped his son could pass on his own merits!

So he had already given instructions that Zhu Hehao was to take the examination under a false name; if he failed, then they would use special privileges and go through the back door.

(End of Chapter)