Chapter 2646: The Capital (Part 2)

"Ah, him." The Emperor remembered. When the memorial reporting Zheng Zhilong's death had arrived at the Imperial Desk, he had felt somewhat shocked, but the news had not weighed on him as heavily as other ill tidings. After all, this Zheng Zhilong had originated as a sea bandit. He had maintained many unclear connections with the Folangji, the Red-Haired people, and Japanese pirates alike. Though he had accepted the court's amnesty and recruitment, his loyalty had always been questionable—he had quite the reputation for obeying military orders while ignoring court summons.

When Zheng Zhilong died in battle, the Emperor had felt some regret but no great sorrow. He had long received reports from the Jinyiwei describing how Zheng Zhilong had carved out his own domain in Fujian, occupying Zhongzuo Suo and acting with the authority of a local lord. Governor Zou Weilian had indulged him blindly, and toward the Court, Zheng had shown not a shred of reverence. Whenever the Court discussed transferring troops northward to support Liao, he had found endless excuses and delays, unwilling to exert any real effort.

Given enough time, his power would have grown too great to control. The Emperor harbored deep distrust toward the military strongmen who had risen in recent years. Yet state affairs grew more difficult by the day, and he urgently needed martial generals willing to risk their lives. He had no choice but to indulge them.

"He did possess some measure of loyalty, at least." Though his feelings toward military generals remained poor, in this moment he suddenly realized that along the entire Southeast Coast, only the Zheng Family still commanded a powerful maritime force.

Though they had been defeated at the hands of the Kun Thieves, that very defeat had created a blood feud between the two sides. The Emperor found himself thinking of Zou Weilian again—how the man had once pacified Zheng Zhilong and calmed the sea bandit disasters plaguing Fujian's coastal waters. He had been a meritorious subject, at least effective when it came to dealing with pirates.

Now, with some measure of regret, the Emperor wondered why he had listened to the court discussions that led to Zou Weilian's dismissal. Had he not done so, he would at least still have a high-ranking governor who understood the Kun Thieves' situation. Although he had re-conscripted Zou this year to serve as Vice Minister of War, the man had died of illness before assuming office.

Dwelling on this, the Emperor grew increasingly vexed. His antipathy toward Wen Tiren deepened by several degrees.

"Your Majesty, shall we ready the carriage...?" The Manager Eunuch, noticing that the Emperor seemed lost in thought, inquired with utmost care.

Chongzhen asked instead: "This Zheng Sen—how old is he?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, I have heard he is still a child, not yet fifteen years old."

"If that is so, then presumably someone is assisting him."

"This..." The Manager Eunuch lowered his voice. "Replying to Your Majesty, regarding matters of local officialdom, this slave knows nothing of the situation..."

The Emperor sneered. "You probably received no small benefit for delivering this tea."

The eunuch's face went pale with shock. He immediately knelt and kowtowed, saying: "This slave would not dare..."

The Emperor did not speak, letting the man continue knocking his head against the floor. Yet his mood did not sour. This slave had certainly taken silver, but in doing so, he had actually provided a useful reminder.

The Zheng Family, he had heard, still retained considerable strength—still a major force along the Southeast Coast. Though Zheng Zhilong had died, this might not necessarily be a bad thing. Now the head of the Zheng household was a mere teenager. He would naturally lack his father's wild, untameable nature and would inevitably need to rely on the Court's favor.

"Rise," the Emperor said lightly, then immediately ordered: "Ready the carriage!" Observing the Manager Eunuch's fearful, panicked expression, he felt quite satisfied with his own "unfathomable imperial will."

Chengqian Palace had once been a place he visited often. But in recent years, as state affairs grew more difficult by the day, he frequently worked on political matters deep into the night. Even his sleep had become restless, and he had little mood to favor his concubines. His visits to Concubine Tian had grown infrequent.

After Gao Yingxiang was captured, brought to the capital, and executed, the Emperor finally recovered some interest in pleasure. He began visiting Noble Consort Tian again to relax his spirits.

Compared to Empress Zhou and the other concubines, Noble Consort Tian was not necessarily more outstanding in appearance. But she was intelligent and multi-talented, skilled at reading people's moods. Her taste in clothing and pleasures ran to the elegant and novel. Coming to Chengqian Palace allowed his perpetually tense, exhausted mind some measure of relaxation.

Inside Chengqian Palace, everything had already been prepared for the Emperor's arrival. The dinner originally made several hours ago had been entirely cleared away. The table was now laid with twelve dishes of refined fruit plates to accompany wine. Since dinner time had long passed and the Emperor had very possibly not eaten, six dishes of Jiangnan dim sum had also been specially prepared.

Noble Consort Tian had been born in Yangzhou, and her father Tian Hongyu often sent people to Jiangnan to collect various fresh goods, novel clothing materials, and jewelry to send into the Palace. Thus, everything within Chengqian Palace—whether the hall decorations, clothing, or cuisine—featured novel Jiangnan styles. This was quite famous throughout the Back Palace, and the Emperor was fond of it.

In recent years, Chengqian Palace had acquired no small number of Australian goods. Before Chongzhen even entered the palace hall, he noticed that the lighting here was unusually bright compared to other places. From the corridor to the inner hall, eight "Australian oil lamps" had been lit. Though the Kun Thieves were now at war with the Court, this did not affect the enjoyment of such goods both inside and outside the Court. Australian oil lamps and Australian candles were especially prized for their exceptionally bright light, and high officials, nobles, gentry, and wealthy households still used them. The Palace was no exception.

However, the oil was expensive. After war had erupted in the Two Guangs, not only did prices remain high, but supply became intermittent. So even within the Palace, Australian oil lamps were mostly used only when the master was reading or writing. It was rare to see them used so liberally just for illumination.

The Emperor initially felt his Beloved Concubine was being somewhat extravagant. But having walked the dim Imperial Road through the deep night, the sight of this brightly lit palace hall gave him a feeling of warmth and comfort. So he said nothing more about it.

Noble Consort Tian and the palace eunuchs and maids welcomed him into the hall. The interior had been rearranged, with the displays and furniture replaced. Concubine Tian's palace had originally contained many Australian items. However, two years ago, when war had broken out in the Two Guangs, the Australians—who had previously appeared so docile and obsequious—had suddenly transformed into fierce Kun Thieves. They had seized the Two Guangs and leaped to become one of the major threats that gave the Court headaches. The eunuchs had remarked among themselves that even the Eastern Barbarians, who caused His Majesty endless trouble, had never taken a Great Ming province. Yet the Kun Thieves had in one stroke taken two of the Thirteen Provinces! No wonder the news had sent His Majesty into thunderous rage.

For this reason, many of the "Australian goods" in the Palace had been quietly put away to prevent the Emperor from "stirring up emotions at the sight of such things" and triggering his wrath. Only practical items like Australian lamps and Australian candles had been kept.

However, in these past two years, the Court had faced too many troubles. Even though the Kun Thieves had already been added to the screen in Qianqing Palace, they could not compare in importance to the "Roving Bandits" causing chaos everywhere and the "Eastern Barbarians" stationed mere hundreds of li outside the capital. Since the Kun Thieves had taken the Two Guangs, they had lowered their flags and silenced their drums, making no further moves. Consequently, these objects had quietly reappeared one piece at a time—compared to other playthings, Australian goods were far more practical. Items like thermos bottles, oil lamps, Australian candles, and Australian fire (matches) were difficult to give up once one had grown accustomed to them. Still, everyone remained careful. In front of the Emperor, no one dared mention the word "Australia." They used "Nanyang" as a substitute.

The meal spread on the table was exquisite, but the Emperor had no appetite. First, he had just eaten several pieces of Tiger Eye Nest Silk Candy because he had missed dinner, so he was not particularly hungry now. Second, the situation of recent days had left him with no heart to enjoy the delicacies before him.

Noble Consort Tian, seeing that Chongzhen's appetite remained unstirred and that he showed no interest whatsoever in the meat and fish dishes, hurriedly called for someone to bring a bowl of clear soup. She advised the Emperor to take a few mouthfuls of warm soup to settle his stomach.

Chongzhen had no appetite, but he could not bear to refuse his Beloved Concubine's good intentions. He reluctantly nodded. When the soup bowl's cover was lifted, a strand of delicate fragrance filled the palace hall. Looking at the soup Concubine Tian had brought, it was clear as water, with only a few small pieces of snow-white, translucent tofu floating within, along with some slender green vegetable leaves. These were pea shoots.

It was now the depths of the Cold Winter Twelfth Month. Even the Emperor found it difficult to obtain fresh vegetables. Though Fengtai's cave greenhouses could provide "counter-season vegetables," they offered nothing more than leeks and cucumbers. Green leafy vegetables were extremely difficult to come by, let alone such fresh pea shoots.

Picking up his spoon, he drank a mouthful of soup. The taste was exceedingly light—just a hint of salt and the clear fragrance of pea shoots. The fresh flavor was subtle, but the aftertaste left a strand of light, fresh sweetness in his mouth. He scooped up a piece of tofu and placed it in his mouth. The tofu was incomparably smooth and tender, with no bean smell whatsoever. It required no chewing—pressing it lightly with his tongue caused it to break apart.

After finishing the soup, his belly felt warm, and his appetite returned. He praised: "This bowl of soup is excellent! How was this tofu made so fine and smooth?"

Noble Consort Tian, seeing his complexion warm, hurriedly distributed the dishes and served him rice. She explained slowly: "Tofu originally has a distinction between North and South. Northern tofu uses brine and has a coarse texture. Southern tofu uses gypsum, so it is softer and more tender. Now there is a new method that uses Inner Fat (Nei Zhi—lactone) to coagulate the tofu. Compared to Southern tofu, it is a hundred times softer and more tender, making it most suitable for soup."

This Inner Fat tofu was precisely a product newly developed by Lingao's Food Factory. Since tofu could not be transported over long distances, they sold this Inner Fat coagulant for making tofu instead. It was available in the capital as well, where tofu shops specifically purchased it for production. Because it was "foreign goods," the price was higher than regular tofu, and common people could not afford to eat it.

Though the Court and the Kun Thieves were in a situation like water and fire, this did not prevent various "Australian goods" from continuing to spread far and wide. As for the fresh pea shoots, they had actually been produced in Fengtai using Senate soilless cultivation technology. Many light industry and agriculture technologies had spread far more widely than the Senate had ever imagined.

In truth, Noble Consort Tian was well aware of the connection between these bean shoots and tofu and the Kun Thieves. After all, many items within this Chengqian Palace—the floor clock, the full-length dressing mirror, various rouges and powders—had been obtained from Guangdong by her father.

Chongzhen said with some interest: "The creations of this world are truly wondrous. Zhen had only heard of brine-set tofu. I did not know there was also gypsum. And now this 'Inner Fat' has emerged. There is a proverb among the common folk: 'Brine sets tofu—one thing subdues another.' Zhen truly wishes that, like setting tofu, I could find several capable ministers and great generals to completely subdue these Roving Bandits, Eastern Barbarians, and Kun Thieves."

Concubine Tian said: "Your Majesty is a Restoring Sage Master, rare throughout the ages, born with heroic martial spirit. These Three Bandits will sooner or later be swept clean from their nests!" After speaking, she added: "Your Majesty, please eat."

Having drunk the soup, the Emperor felt much more spirited. He nodded in agreement. Noble Consort Tian immediately had the palace maids serve rice, and they dined. The palace maids brought tea. Chongzhen's thoughts returned to the matter of Zheng Sen. The Zheng Family had spent money bribing palace eunuchs to present this New Tea tribute—they must have some intention behind it. Someone was likely acting as an intermediary, handling these arrangements. The Manager Eunuch naturally knew who it was. But the Emperor was unwilling to let the eunuch "succeed" so easily. He decided he would personally inquire into this matter tomorrow.

(End of Chapter)