gnovel Chapter 75 Zhu Biao: Is our father on the verge of becoming a tyrant?!
Chapter 75 Zhu Biao: Is our father on the verge of becoming a tyrant?!
Empress Ma patiently explained with a smile:
"The face mask... is a beauty product personally formulated by Yao'er. It feels cool and moisturizing on the face, soothing the skin. After using it, the face is hydrated and clear, and feels very comfortable."
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up instantly, and he became extremely interested, so he quickly asked for it.
"Such a wonderful thing? Then next time I see Yao'er, I'll have to try it too, and I'll take good care of it!"
After a few lighthearted words, Zhu Yuanzhang's smile faded, and he began to speak seriously about Zhu Yao's marriage, expressing his feelings with a sigh.
"Girl, we really think alike, we're so in sync."
"Yao'er has made tremendous contributions to us. I originally intended to directly bestow upon him the title of Prince and bestow upon him great honor."
"But then I thought it was inappropriate. He doesn't know my true identity yet. It would be too abrupt to bestow a title upon me rashly, and it would definitely expose our identities. So we can only put it aside for the time being."
"After much thought, the safest course of action is to arrange a good marriage for him. Those twenty-odd girls are all top-notch matches that I have carefully selected, so he won't be wronged in the slightest."
Empress Ma nodded slightly, agreeing with his judgment, then frowned slightly and pointed out the key difficulty.
"The girls are all top-notch women, impeccable in character, appearance, and family background."
"But Chongba, have you considered the real difficulties? More than twenty of them are the legitimate daughters and noble ladies of meritorious families and powerful clans."
"Firstly, how do you convince the elders of each family to allow their precious daughters to travel to Chenzhou for a blind date?"
"Secondly, how do you convince these privileged young women themselves? How do you explain Yao'er's background and family history to them?"
Upon hearing the barrage of questions, Zhu Yuanzhang froze on the spot, scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed expression.
"Ah... I was so busy picking people that I didn't really think about these intricacies."
Seeing his careless manner, Empress Ma glared at him with annoyance and waited for his solution.
Zhu Yuanzhang straightened his chest, raised his head, and waved his hand with a confident smile.
"Don't worry about it, girl. I have a way of handling this, and I guarantee everything will go smoothly!"
Seeing his confidence, Empress Ma said no more and quietly rested against the carriage.
A moment later, Empress Ma suddenly frowned slightly, her body stiffened slightly, and a hint of discomfort flashed across her face.
Zhu Yuanzhang, with his keen observation skills, immediately noticed her unusual behavior and quickly bent down to inquire with concern.
"Hey girl, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell from the bumpy journey?"
Empress Ma shook her head slightly, her face showing a hint of helplessness and embarrassment, and replied in a low voice.
"It's nothing, I just suddenly feel unwell, it's probably because my period came early."
The palace maid accompanying him immediately knelt down in fear and hurriedly begged for forgiveness.
"This servant deserves to die! This servant was negligent and forgot to prepare the things Your Highness needs from Granny Chen. This servant has failed in her duty!"
The cloth used by women in ancient times was coarse, thick, and cumbersome, with poor water absorption, making it stuffy, sticky, and extremely inconvenient to use.
In that critical moment, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly remembered the wooden box that Zhu Yao had given him as a parting gift, and his eyes lit up.
"Don't rush! We have some good stuff here!"
He quickly stopped the palace maid from apologizing, and swiftly took out the freedom points given to him by Zhu Yao, handing them to Empress Ma.
"This is something Yao'er specially left behind, called the Freedom Point, which is specifically for dealing with menstrual discomfort in women. You should try it."
Empress Ma was skeptical, but carefully used the cloth according to the instructions. In just a moment, the discomfort on her face disappeared, and she was filled with shock.
She truly felt that this freedom was a hundred times more useful than the old Chen's method that had been used for generations.
It is thin, soft, and fits snugly against the skin. It feels dry and not stuffy, and it is highly absorbent, preventing leakage and stickiness.
The heaviness, itching, and dampness that used to plague me during menstruation have vanished, and I feel completely relaxed and comfortable in all my movements.
Empress Ma exclaimed in genuine amazement, her tone full of praise: "Yao'er, this child, has actually come up with such a thoughtful and ingenious object. He is truly extremely clever."
Looking at the fine items before him, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded repeatedly in admiration, feeling even more confident.
"Yes, this item is novel, practical, and thoughtfully designed; it's a must-have for women."
"With such an ingenious, heartwarming, and thoughtful gift paving the way, coupled with Yao'er's own outstanding character and talent, there's no doubt that those young ladies from noble families will be captivated!"
......
When Zhu Yuanzhang and his entourage returned to the Jinling Imperial Palace, they had barely stepped into the Imperial Study when Crown Prince Zhu Biao and Prime Minister Hu Weiyong entered together and bowed to report on the recent affairs of the court.
Holding a thick stack of government affairs files, Zhu Biao reported in a clear and organized manner on local conditions, taxes, and official conduct.
Hu Weiyong followed suit, submitting additional memorials on key matters such as the transfer of court officials and the implementation of laws.
Zhu Yuanzhang leaned lazily on the dragon throne, casually glancing at the files, not having the patience to listen to the details, and waved his hand dismissively.
"Alright, alright, you two can handle these trivial matters yourselves. There's no need to ask me about everything."
"You have made your own decision and may leave now."
Zhu Biao and Hu Weiyong were both taken aback. They exchanged a glance, then bowed and accepted the decree before leaving the imperial study.
Stepping outside the palace and away from the forbidden area, Zhu Biao's brows were furrowed with worry, and he murmured a sigh.
"Father has been behaving very strangely lately. He used to be diligent in governing and caring for the people, personally handling all matters, but now he is perfunctory and negligent in his duties."
"If this continues, Father Emperor will become addicted to leisure and neglect state affairs, which will likely lead to the downfall of the nation and is certainly not a blessing for the country."
Hu Weiyong, however, was perfectly clear-headed and had already seen through the reason. He pretended to be calm and gently comforted Zhu Biao.
"Your Highness need not worry. His Majesty is not neglecting state affairs; it's just that his mind is no longer on trivial matters of the court."
"I suspect that Your Majesty has other more important matters on your mind and has no time to attend to these mundane affairs."
After speaking, Hu Weiyong cupped his hands slightly, turned around and left calmly. He was secretly delighted that the emperor's mind had shifted and he had no time to control the court officials, so he, as the prime minister, was becoming more and more comfortable!
Inside the imperial study, Zhu Yuanzhang dismissed everyone and sat alone on the dragon throne, pondering how to properly arrange for more than twenty women from prominent families to go to Chenzhou to meet Zhu Yao for marriage.
His gaze inadvertently swept over the hot pot base and a box of exquisite Liberty Point products on the table, and a sudden inspiration flashed into his mind.
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up, and he immediately raised his voice to issue an order to the outside world.
"Summon the two tigers to an audience!"
Erhu quickly stepped inside, bowed respectfully, and awaited orders.
Zhu Yuanzhang ordered in a deep voice, "Immediately convey my oral decree to summon all the officials whose fathers are those twenty-odd women awaiting marriage to the palace for a banquet."
"We should personally host a banquet to entertain them and have a good chat with our beloved ministers."
Erhu received the order and dared not delay, immediately leaving the palace to deliver the decree.
A group of civil and military officials of the third rank and above received imperial decrees to attend a banquet in the palace, all of whom were filled with confusion and bewilderment.
Everyone was speculating: there had been no grand ceremonies, no bestowals, and no accountability for wrongdoings in the court recently, so why did His Majesty suddenly hold a banquet and summon them without any reason?
Despite their doubts, no one dared to disobey the emperor's will. They quickly straightened their official robes and rushed to the palace for the banquet.
When everyone arrived at the banquet hall, they looked up and saw that instead of the usual imperial cuisine, there were dozens of exquisite small pots.