Great Ming Dynasty Wen Chao Gong

Chapter 146 The Queen Mother’s Birthday Banquet

In a restaurant in the capital, Chen Zheng, the minister of Honglu Temple, hosted a banquet for Dong Qichang alone.

"Brother Dong, this banquet is really a bit abrupt, I'm really sorry." Chen Zheng raised his glass to Dong Qichang.

"Brother Chen, you're welcome. You are now a fourth-grade official, in charge of Honglu Temple. Dong is just a minor official." Dong Qichang took a sip of tea and said.

"That's different. Brother Dong is the teacher of the emperor's eldest son. When the emperor's eldest son takes the throne in the future, brother Dong, you will be extremely valuable." Chen Zheng said.

"You can't say this nonsense. Now the dispute between the country and the country is intensifying. Dong wants to return to his hometown and become a rich man."

"The situation is already so serious. It seems that Chen is really ignorant."

"There's nothing wrong with being ignorant. The more you know, the more things you have to worry about. Dong is really too busy these days."

"Brother Dong, in fact, I wanted to get to know Zhang Shaoqing this time as a guest. Previously, Zhang Shaoqing served as an attendant in the Hanlin Academy, patrolled Ningxia, went to North Korea as an envoy, and wrote many important articles. It can be said that Jane is in the heart of the emperor. Why did he suddenly come to my Honglu Temple as a young minister? Such a big Buddha is placed in a small yamen like mine, so Chen doesn’t know how to work now. "

"Zhang Shaoqing and I are considered friends. He has always been polite. He is not so difficult to get along with, right?"

"To get back to Eunuch Chen, I would like to take a closer look, maybe I can recognize him."

"That's not the case. Brother Chen Xian did a good job at Honglu Temple and I haven't heard of anything wrong."

"Oh? Zhang Xiao, can you use this instrument?" The emperor became interested.

The music started playing, and the emperor didn't say anything else. He just listened with peace of mind. Soon, the song was finished.

……

"That's right. But Matteo Ricci only paid tribute to such a harp, so you have to be careful." The emperor warned.

"Then I really don't understand what your Majesty's intention is with this personnel adjustment."

"But you are right to be more polite to Zhang Shaoqing. On the day Zhang Shaoqing left the Hanlin Academy, Wang Cifu personally bid farewell." Dong Qichang said in a low voice.

Zhang Xiao moved in front of the Atlantic piano. It looked familiar. It was just a piano.

"Oh? There is such a thing. It seems that Zhang Shaoqing came to Honglu Temple just for experience. I thought too much." Chen Zheng was a little surprised after hearing this.

"Come here, put a chair in front of this Atlantic harp." Chen Ju quickly ordered after seeing the emperor's look.

"Zhang Xiao, this is the Atlantic Qin attacked by Matteo Ricci, a man from Xiyi. Have you heard of this Qin?" Chen Ju asked.

Zhang Xiao gently pressed his fingers on the keys of the Atlantic piano, pressing the keys one by one, and sure enough, different sounds were made. Okay, this is an ancient piano.

"Zhang Xiao, then come forward and take a look." The aloof emperor finally spoke.

"Your Majesty, I need a stool to facilitate my playing. I have seen similar instruments before. Although the timbre sounds slightly different, the playing method is basically the same."

"Well, let's continue playing? Is this piece so short?" The emperor was a little dissatisfied.

In the imperial study room, Zhang Xiao looked at the large equipment in front of him, a little confused.

"It's not that simple, but Zhang Shaoqing is indeed knowledgeable and talented. Your Majesty will have to reuse him sooner or later."

"Zhang Shaoqing was indeed polite when he spoke, but I really don't understand how the imperial court placed such an important official in a deserted yamen like Honglu Temple. I'm not afraid of Brother Dong's jokes. I don't dare to assign him any work now. Him. Those who come out of the Hanlin Academy are expected to hold important positions. It is normal for the outstanding ones among them to become ministers of the six departments or even to join the cabinet. I don’t know now that the imperial court placed Zhang Shaoqing here in Honglu Temple. It’s not that Chen didn’t handle his errands well before.”

"Your Majesty, I dare to give it a try."

The stool was handed over and Zhang Xiao started to play. Yuan Shikong himself had practiced piano. The fortepiano was also a piano, so playing a simple piece of music was not a big problem.

"Your Majesty, I am not very familiar with this piano yet, so I played a simple song to give it a try."

"Forget it, what's the name of this song? I've never heard it. Do you have any lyrics?"

"Your Majesty, this song is called "Two Tigers", and there are lyrics. I can write them out now."

"It's such a short song, just sing it."

"Then Chen started singing. Two tigers, two tigers, running fast..." Zhang Xiao had no choice but to hold back his embarrassment and sang the song again.

"This word is a bit interesting. Is it a ballad spread in Southeast Asia?" the emperor asked.

"This is a ballad that I created myself. It is just a game." Zhang Xiao replied. I can't help it. I don't even know how many books I copied. What's wrong with copying songs?

"I didn't expect you to be proficient in music theory. Please keep the lyrics and music score of "Two Tigers" later."

"The minister obeys the order."

"Now let's get down to business. I ordered you to talk to Matteo Ricci before, but did you ask about the purpose of Matteo Ricci and his party? Which country do they represent? Is it the Franco Kingdom? If they are Envoy, why didn't you even present your credentials?" the emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, I have talked with Matteo Ricci. He is relatively honest and has explained everything about his background. They are not envoys, but missionaries sent by the Christian sect to the Ming Dynasty. Come to the Ming Dynasty. Most of the missionaries settled in Macau. Matteo Ricci also traveled in Guangdong and other places for many years. In recent years, he went north to Nanjing, and then went all the way north to the capital along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal."

"What kind of existence is this Christian Pope? How many people and territory does he have? Will those Western countries listen to his orders? As you mentioned before, can Henry VIII of England still fight with him? The pope fell out and established his own sect. How powerful is this pope now?" the emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, this is a long story. The Pope of the Cross Church is both the leader and the secular monarch. It is a long story. Please let me explain it in detail. Let's start with Pepin's dedication of soil..." Zhang Xiao began to tell. We started with the origin of the Roman Pontiff, the history of the Papal States, and also talked about the history of the Crusades.

"According to what you said, this pope still has some power. With just one order from Popes Urban II and Ingeson III, so many countries sent their elites to join the Crusade, and some even The king did not even care about his country's internal affairs and wanted to fight for Jerusalem from the Crescent Sect. Where is this Jerusalem that can attract so many Western princes and nobles to fight for it?" The emperor looked at the globe.

"Your Majesty, it's on the east coast of the Mediterranean, above Egypt." Zhang Xiao reminded. "Oh? It is indeed a crucial place. No wonder the competition is so fierce." The emperor sighed as he found the location of Jerusalem.

"Your Majesty, it's not just for this reason. This city of Jerusalem is the holy land of Crossism, Crescentism and other religions. If you occupy this place, you can get strong support from the Pope. The Pope of the Cross levies tithes in various countries and extracts from each country. One-tenth of the income can be said to be quite rich. Whoever gets the support of the Pope will have a great reputation. The Franco Kingdom also has the support of the Pope, so the expedition to conquer the New World can be so smooth. "

"If that's the case, the people sent by the Pope, even if they are not envoys, can still meet them. But have you found out clearly that Matteo Ricci came from thousands of miles away and took great pains to change his appearance and even put on Confucian clothes? , what exactly do you want?”

"According to Matteo Ricci, what they want is to settle in the capital, preach, and build temples. After all, they are missionaries, and missionary work must be their first priority. However, in order to increase the possibility of the success of the missionary letter, Matteo Ricci and others They also need to send some gifts and teach some knowledge of astronomy, geography, and mathematics. Now they mainly want to teach officials, so they dress and speak like Confucian scholars."

"I see, then I probably know about it. After the Queen Mother's birthday ceremony is completed, I will find time to see Matteo Ricci."

"Your Majesty is holy."

"And the history of the Papal State that you just mentioned can also be written into a book for reference."

"Your Majesty, the minister is no longer in the Hanlin Academy. It is a serious crime to arbitrarily compile history books. Even if it is from a foreign country, it cannot be written casually."

"Oh, I forgot. Then I will go back and tell the Hanlin Academy to handle it. There is one more thing. The Queen Mother's birthday ceremony will begin in a few days. After all, Matteo Ricci is a barbarian and does not know the depth. Now this Just play the Atlantic. But do you know any other songs? This "Two Tigers" is too simple."

"Weichen doesn't specialize in music theory, so he doesn't know many songs, and some songs may not be suitable for this Atlantic Qin."

"It doesn't matter, I'll ask the Jiaofang Secretary to help you find a few suitable songs for you to practice as soon as possible. You can eat and live in the palace these days. At night... forget it, you should go home at night. I will A carriage will be sent to pick you up on the day.”

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Zhang Xiao replied, but secretly complained in his heart. Even if he went back to ancient times, he would still have to perform, but there was nothing he could do.

"Oh, by the way, one more thing, Chen Ju, please pass the military report and the memorial to Zhang Xiao." The emperor ordered Chen Ju.

Zhang Xiao took a look and saw the good news from Liaodong Town and Nurhachi's request to pay tribute to Beijing.

"Your Majesty, this is a national matter. I am only a young minister of Honglu Temple now. I have no position to discuss politics. It is not convenient for me to discuss politics." Zhang Xiao asked.

"I ask you to discuss it now, so you can discuss it. You won't stay in Honglu Temple forever." The emperor said.

"Your Majesty, if Nurhachi can take the initiative to propose coming to Beijing to pay tribute, regardless of his deeds, he is naturally the first loyalist of our court. If he wants to come to Beijing, naturally the court must receive him well. As for the great victory achieved in Liaodong Town, that is naturally gratifying Congratulations, with such a great victory, Buyan Khan did not dare to act rashly. General Dong has guarded Liaodong for many years and has repeatedly made military exploits. He also ensured the logistical supplies for my army to conquer Japan and aid Korea. His achievements are not small. The imperial court is commending the aid. When it comes to courting civil and military officials, the civil and military officials in Liaodong cannot be ignored, so it is not impossible to reward them together."

"Zhang Xiao, it stands to reason that you are also a hero who aided the DPRK and conquered the Japanese, and you are still a great hero. Now that I am demoting you, do you have any complaints?"

"Thousands of mistakes are all the fault of humble ministers. I never dare to be arrogant about taking credit."

"Zhang Xiao, I will never forget your contribution to North Korea. Someone at Honglu Temple will tell you, you should practice the piano carefully these days."

"I would like to thank Your Majesty for your great kindness."

A few days later.

The Queen Mother's birthday gift came as scheduled, and everyone from the Queen to the concubines sent congratulatory gifts to the Queen Mother.

"Your Majesty, this is the Diamond Sutra that I personally copied. Your mother has worshiped Buddha for many years. I hope this gift from you will satisfy your mother," the Queen said.

"Queen, you have worked very hard in managing the harem these years, and the Ai family has seen it. The Ai family will keep this Diamond Sutra with them. You should also pay attention to rest and take good care of yourself." The Queen Mother said.

"Thank you, Queen Mother."

"Mother, this is the golden Buddha that I invited from the Da Bao'en Temple. I also invited the Queen Mother's men." Concubine Zheng, who was usually domineering, also respectfully presented a gift to the Queen Mother today.

"Hey, the Buddha statue made of gold is too extravagant. That's all. I'll accept it. Madam Zheng, you have given birth to several heirs for the emperor in the past few years. You should also rest more and save more for your descendants. It’s good to have some blessings, you must not argue with others about everything, and you need to be more cautious in doing things.”

"I, my concubine, will remember your mother's teachings." Concubine Zheng also replied respectfully.

"Mother, these are the four treasures of the study produced in Huzhou presented by my concubine." Concubine Wang Gong spoke timidly.

"Ms. Wang, you were an old man who stayed with me before. Later, you received the favor of the emperor, had an heir, and became a concubine. You must also be diligent and thrifty, and be harmonious in the harem."

"Concubine, please remember this."

Then the concubines entered one by one and were showered with various gifts.

The Queen Mother also talked earnestly with each of them, asking all the concubines to express their gratitude.

The Queen Mother gave instructions one by one, and she was a little tired. She squinted her eyes and rested for a while. When she opened her eyes, she saw the emperor waiting respectfully beside her.

"Mother, my son was busy with the affairs of the previous court and came back a little late. Preparations for the banquet are about to begin. The banquet can begin when the queen gives the order," the emperor said.

"The Ai family is already at this age, and all the delicacies from the mountains and seas no longer taste good. But after the banquet, there will be a big show. What show has been rehearsed tonight?" asked the Queen Mother.

"This... my son has not remembered everything for a while. Chen Ju, please tell the Queen Mother."

"Empress Dowager, the plays to be sung tonight include "Mu Guiying Takes Command", "Palace of Eternal Life", "Dingjun Mountain" and "Admiral Li's Ping of the Japanese". There will be surprises later, and I recommend them to be tricks you have never seen before, Queen Mother." Chen Moment said.

"The previous ones are old plays. This one, "Admiral Li's Conquest of the Japanese," is about the war to conquer the Japanese and aid Korea. What's new next? Is it a new play?" the Queen Mother asked curiously.

"Admiral Li's Pinging of the Japanese is indeed a new play. It tells the story of Li Rusong leading his army to conquer Pyongyang and expelling the Japanese pirates from Seoul. As for what new tricks will follow, you will know when the time comes, and I will keep it to your satisfaction," the emperor said.

"It can't be something too luxurious, as it will make your blessings less." The Queen Mother said.

"Mother, don't worry, my son is not extravagant or wasteful," the emperor said quickly.

(End of this chapter)