Chapter 173: Beauty Guasha talks about Suzhou and Hangzhou

Attending?

Holding a spoon, Zhu Yunwen observed Consort Ning, who appeared uneasy and flustered like a trapped deer. The woman, usually poised and aloof, now exhibited a hint of vulnerability due to illness. Especially under the veil of shyness, her face blushed, and even her fair neck carried a touch of red.

A maid brought a bowl of clear water, and Zhu Yunwen instructed, “Everyone, leave.”

Consort Ning looked at Zhu Yunwen, her eyes revealing a hint of pleading. As the maidservant and eunuch departed, the door closed, leaving only the two of them. Lady Ning felt a sense of helplessness and an indescribable desire.

Zhu Yunwen placed the spoon in the bowl, sat on the bed, and gently said, “I won’t take advantage of your illness. Let me remove your upper garment first and perform guasha^[1]Gua sha (Chinese: 刮痧), or kerokan (in Indonesia), is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practice in which a tool is used to scrape people’s skin in order to … Continue reading to relieve the heat.”

“Guasha?”

Consort Ning raised her head and looked at Zhu Yunwen. In an instant, her emotions became chaotic.

It’s unclear whether it’s due to Zhu Yunwen’s thoughtfulness that moved her, or a sense of loss from unfulfilled desires, or simply a feeling of confusion.

Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly and said, “Guasha. Please remove your upper garment, noble consort.”

“What is guasha?” asked the noble consort, puzzled.

Zhu Yunwen explained the art of gua sha.

Many people mistakenly assume that gua sha was widespread in ancient times, as if there were massage and gua sha parlors on every street…

This is actually a misconception. Just because gua sha is a traditional Chinese medicine technique for meridian and acupoint therapy doesn’t mean it has been a tradition for two or three thousand years.

In fact, the theoretical foundation of gua sha can be traced back to the Western Han period (some argue Qin or Warring States, not yet conclusively settled, with the mainstream belief being Western Han) in the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon, stating: “The meridians enable us to distinguish life and death, treat various illnesses, adjust deficiencies and excesses; they must be unobstructed.”

Although gua sha is not explicitly mentioned in the Inner Canon, its principles are rooted in the text.

Records of using hemp and nettles for guasha treatment appeared during the Tang Dynasty. Documentation of guasha treating goitre became more prevalent in the Song Dynasty. It wasn’t until the Yuan Dynasty that guasha gradually developed in the folk.

In the early Ming Dynasty, guasha was still considered an informal folk method, and the imperial physicians at the Imperial Medical Academy naturally wouldn’t use such a method for treatment.

The guasha therapy matured during the mid to late Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty.

After hearing Zhu Yunwen’s explanation, Consort Ning, knowing it was a treatment for her illness, felt moved and asked, “How did Your Majesty learn about this method?”

Zhu Yunwen smiled and said, “I read about it in a book. Since the imperial physician’s methods are ineffective, I decided to try my own. Are you willing to give it a try, noble consort?”

Consort Ning raised her hand to massage her temples. The dizziness and pain were discomforting, so she reluctantly agreed, “I am willing, but Your Majesty, please turn away.”

Zhu Yunwen looked at Consort Ning, shook his head slightly, and said, “You are my consort; is there a need for such formality?”

Consort Ning blushed even more, clutching the thin brocade quilt with both hands.

Zhu Yunwen chuckled, knowing her noble temperament, then turned around and said, “Alright.”

Consort Ning, seeing that although Zhu Yunwen turned around, he remained seated on the bed, couldn’t help but sigh softly. She slowly untied her outer garment, revealing the white undergarment.

Above the undergarment, there were delicate and blooming branches of red plum.

Beneath the undergarment were graceful and undulating curves.

Gently pulling, the undergarment slid down, revealing smooth and tender skin.

“Ah—”

Seeing Zhu Yunwen looking her way, Consort Ning hastily picked up her undergarment to shield her chest, pulled up the blanket to cover herself, revealing only half of her head. She complained, “Your Majesty…”

Zhu Yunwen took a few breaths to calm himself, suppressing the restless agitation. He weakly defended, “It wasn’t intentional.”

Consort Ning’s face blushed, scolding, “Being unintentional is even more infuriating…”

Zhu Yunwen suddenly felt depressed; the words made it seem like there was some truth to them.

“Since Consort Ning thinks so, then in the future, I’ll be intentional…”

“Your Majesty, you are bullying your humble concubine.”

Consort Ning appeared more aggrieved.

Zhu Yunwen chuckled, signaling Consort Ning to lie down. He gently pulled open the silk quilt, gazing at the tender and smooth back of Consort Ning, involuntarily swallowing saliva.

“How much longer does Your Majesty want to look?”

Consort Ning turned her head inside, her delicate body trembling slightly.

Zhu Yunwen awkwardly smiled, reaching out to take the spoon from the water bowl. The water droplets from the spoon fell on Consort Ning’s back, and then he gently pressed and scraped with the spoon, asking, “Does this pressure hurt?”

Consort Ning replied in a low voice, “It doesn’t hurt.”

Zhu Yunwen dipped the spoon again, applying a slightly stronger pressure this time. After a few scrapes, a clear red mark appeared, and within the red mark was a purplish-black sha.

“In hot weather, don’t move around much. Stay in Zhongcui Palace, and if there’s anything, let the palace maids handle it,” Zhu Yunwen said while performing the scraping.

Consort Ning gradually got used to it. Hearing Zhu Yunwen’s concern, she smiled and replied, “Your Majesty, yesterday was the pre-handover inspection, and Lady Luo and Consort Xian were also keeping an eye on it. How could I stay alone in Zhongcui Palace? It’s just that my body is not cooperative.”

Zhu Yunwen chuckled, “You are the only one in the harem who dares to refuse my invitation, like a cold plum blossom, pure, cold, and proud. Now that summer has arrived, with your cold temperament, even the heavens can’t bear to watch.”

“Your Majesty, we agreed not to mention this matter…”

Consort Ning complained.

Zhu Yunwen looked at the increasing number of sha marks and sighed, “Actually, I also know that over the past year, I’ve neglected you, Consort Xian, and Lady Luo a lot. I apologize for that.”

Consort Ning quickly said, “Your Majesty, please don’t say that. It would distress me. The matters of the Great Ming Empire are all in Your Majesty’s hands, and I understand the heavy responsibilities. I’ve heard that Your Majesty is constantly worrying about state affairs, unable to sleep at night. I regret that I can’t help share the burden for Your Majesty.”

“You have already done enough. If the harem can truly support itself financially, it will be your greatest contribution.”

Zhu Yunwen expressed his gratitude for Consort Ning and the others’ efforts.

The financial situation of the royal family often correlates with the security and stability of the nation.

In some cases, the emperor may be extremely wealthy while the imperial court faces financial difficulties. Conversely, there are situations where the emperor is financially strained, unable to afford jewelry for his wives, while the imperial court is financially sound.

Of course, the latter scenario is rare and easily disrupted.

It’s not uncommon for emperors to embezzle state funds for personal use. Some argue that the funds in the national treasury are beyond the emperor’s reach, as the Ministry of Revenue can refuse to disburse them. However, it’s essential to remember that in a feudal monarchy, the emperor holds the highest authority. If the Minister of Revenue refuses, the emperor can replace them with someone who will comply.

Moreover, emperors don’t necessarily need to overtly demand funds; there are other covert methods. After all, the emperor also has duties and responsibilities and needs financial support. The court supports officials, and the emperor is no exception; he receives a salary. For example, in the Song Dynasty, the emperor could receive a monthly salary of 1,200 guan. The empress and concubines would also need financial support.

If directly seeking funds is problematic, increasing the emperor’s salary is a viable option. In a time when even pork prices are rising, why shouldn’t the emperor’s salary be adjusted?

As the royal expenditure from the national treasury increases, problems are likely to arise. Zhu Yunwen is well aware of the risks involved. That’s why he has undertaken reforms in the harem, turning it into a workshop, aiming to address these issues and achieve a separation between the finances of the royal family and the state.

Consort Ning replied softly, “This is all I can do, Your Majesty.”

Zhu Yunwen scraped across Lady Ning’s back and ribs before moving to her neck, saying, “The tranquility of the harem allows me to focus on state affairs. There are too many matters at hand during this period. If there are no such trivial matters next year, I will take all of you to Hangzhou and Suzhou. How about that?”

“Really?”

Consort Ning was pleasantly surprised, her body moved slightly, but was gently restrained by Zhu Yunwen.

“Isn’t it just going out for a walk? Why such excitement?” Zhu Yunwen chuckled.

Consort Ning smiled and said, “Your Majesty makes it sound easy. How often can I leave the palace? Moreover, Your Majesty is the sovereign; it’s not easy to leave the capital. If we truly go south for a stroll, I would be delighted.”

Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly and asked, “If I remember correctly, Consort Ning is from Hangzhou, right?”

Consort Ning seemed to recall her family and replied, “My family is not far from Lingyin Temple.”

“Oh, Lingyin Temple, that’s indeed a good place.”

“Has Your Majesty been to Lingyin Temple?”

“I have—In my literary travels,” Zhu Yunwen quickly corrected himself.

Consort Ning smiled and said, “Then, during the future trip to Suzhou and Hangzhou, may I invite Your Majesty to visit Lingyin Temple?”

Zhu Yunwen laughed heartily, placed the spoon back in the bowl, took a handkerchief, and gently wiped away the water stains on Consort Ning’s back. He said, “Consort Ning, do you wish to visit your home? Very well, I promise you. When we travel south in the future, we will stay at your family’s place, how about that?”

“Your Majesty, on behalf of the Han family, I express gratitude.”

Consort Ning was overjoyed.

Zhu Yunwen arranged the beddings, his expression turning serious. He said, “However, you are not allowed to inform your family about this. The purpose of the southern trip is to investigate public sentiment and commercial conditions. If it’s known by others and precautions are taken, what I see might not be genuine.”

“I understand, Your Majesty. I will never speak of it.”

Consort Ning turned around, looking at Zhu Yunwen with assurance.

Zhu Yunwen reached out, brushed away a strand of hair from Lady Ning’s face, and said, “Rest for a while. Have your meal when you wake up.”

Consort Ning squinted slightly, watching Zhu Yunwen leave. She softly said, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Zhu Yunwen waved his hand, smiling, and opened the door. He instructed the maids outside, “Make sure to take good care of Consort Ning.”

Leaving the Zhongcui Palace, Zhu Yunwen went to the Jingren Place and Chengqian Palace. It was only when the sky was getting dark that he returned to the Kunning Palace.

Ma Enhui was sitting on the side, fanning a breeze over the small bed where Zhu Wenkui lay. Seeing Zhu Yunwen’s arrival, she stood up and bowed.

Zhu Yunwen took Ma Enhui by the hand and approached the small bed. He looked at the sleeping Zhu Wenkui and asked in a low voice, “How long has he been asleep?”

Ma Enhui, while fanning Zhu Yunwen, replied, “It’s hot, and he just fell asleep.”

Zhu Yunwen furrowed his brows and said, “The Astronomical Bureau reported unusual heat this year. The Safety Bureau’s investigation revealed that temperatures in areas such as the Huai River, Shandong, and Northern Zhili have exceeded those of previous years.”

Ma Enhui comforted, “Your Majesty, I’ve heard that the summer harvest is progressing smoothly in various regions, and the autumn crops have been sown. It’s a bit hot, but as long as one avoids walking in the scorching sun, it shouldn’t be a problem. The heat will pass, and it’s unlikely to lead to a drought.”

Zhu Yunwen shook his head slightly and said, “I’m not worried about a drought but rather concerned about flooding.”

“Flooding?”

Ma Enhui looked at Zhu Yunwen with some confusion.

With the weather being so hot, it seemed evident that a drought, not flooding, would be the concern.

Zhu Yunwen couldn’t explain the atmospheric convection issue to Ma Enhui, especially in this era without satellites, making it impossible to predict where air currents clashed and when.

However, based on his experiences from later years, the hotter the weather, the more intense the rainfall.

Many times, an extreme phenomenon is often followed by another extreme.

Zhu Yunwen’s anxiety grew, and he instructed Shuangxi at the door, “Summon Yu Xin, Zheng Ci, Zhang Xianzong, and Qi Tai.”

“Your Majesty, it’s already night.”

Ma Enhui looked at Zhu Yunwen with concern.

Zhu Yunwen shook his head and said, “Empress should rest first. I need to understand some matters.”

Ma Enhui watched Zhu Yunwen leave in haste, shaking her head with a bitter smile.

Being the Emperor might seem to come with endless glory and power, but who could truly understand the sorrows and hardships behind it?

Wuying Hall.

Zhu Yunwen looked at the four ministers who had hurriedly arrived, and after they bowed, he anxiously asked, “In the past month, have there been reports on rainfall in various regions, especially along the Huai River and Yellow River?”

Yuxin seemed puzzled and replied, “Your Majesty, both inside and outside the capital have been scorching hot recently, with no reports of rainfall. In the areas of Jianghuai and the Yellow River, there have only been reports of heat harming people, but no mention of rainfall. Even if there is rain, local authorities wouldn’t report such trivial matters, so we are not aware.”