Emperor Zhengde of Ming, Zhu Houzhao, Is My Father

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Blurb:

He was an emperor.

He lived for thirty-one years, and played for thirty-one years.

Who was this lucky fellow?

My father, Zhu Houzhao.

My grandfather and grandmother had no other son, so they were very indulgent with my father.

My father was a top student when he was young, but the older he got, the worse he became.

Well, at first he was a bold and resourceful emperor. Later, he became obsessed with the Leopard House.

He played himself to death.

Everyone knows about my father’s condition: he couldn’t have children!

So when I suddenly appeared as his son, his first reaction was to “refuse with all his might.”

But from our looks to our interests, we were almost exactly alike.

In the end, my father had no choice but to acknowledge me.

I thought that as my father’s only son, I’d be as doted on as he was and could do whatever I pleased.

Unfortunately, even the most indulgent parents are still just like ordinary parents. They all want their sons to become dragons, and push them to study.

The “happy life” I’d imagined never came to be.

Teachers and books were all around me.

I flung my books to the floor.

Why could my father play around, but I couldn’t?

We were both only sons. Who was more precious than the other?

So I started “neglecting my studies for pleasure.”

Of course, I was still little and hadn’t found any interesting ways to have fun.

So I simply followed my father around and watched how he played.

When Zhu Houzhao was nearly thirty, he still had no children. He knew he might never have an heir.

But one day, a Taoist priest showed up with a four-year-old child and solemnly announced that the boy was his son.

Zhu Houzhao refused to believe it. He had been unable to father a child for years, so how could a son suddenly appear?

But the child looked so much like him, and his ministers and empress dowager kept urging him, so he “reluctantly” acknowledged the boy.

He thought that now he had a son, he could rest easy.

Little did he know, it wouldn’t be that simple.

The boy hadn’t inherited any of his talent for reading or learning.

But when it came to “having fun,” they were so alike that Zhu Houzhao had to admit the boy was clearly his own flesh and blood.

That wasn’t what bothered him, though.

What bothered him most was that wherever he went, the little rascal followed right behind him.

But was the Leopard House any place for a child?

Zhu Houzhao wouldn’t let him join in.

But the boy seemed to be having a pretty good time anyway, and his games were more sophisticated than his father’s.

He either promoted glassmaking or discovered crops with high yields.

The people of the Ming grew wealthier and their lives became more comfortable.

Zhu Houzhao felt he had lost.

“Zaiyin, can you bring your father along to play?”

Bonus blurb:

He’s tugged Yang Tinghe’s beard and patted the heads of the “Eight Tigers.” Who is this arrogant little boy?

It’s me, Zhu Xiaoyin!

“I hear there’s someone claiming to be an imperial son?”

Qian Ning, the “imperial son”: “I wouldn’t dare!”

“I heard Father likes Qian Ning best and even granted him the imperial surname. He claims to be an imperial son!”

“Father, which ‘son’ do you love more, him or me?”

Zhu Xiaoyin threw a tantrum, rolling around on the floor.

Zhu Houzhao had a headache. He couldn’t hit or scold him.

He could only grit his teeth and say, “Of course I love you the most!”

One day, Zhu Xiaoyin heard a piece of gossip and happily shared it with his father.

“Father, I heard that some fellow named Zhu Shou had his credit stolen by Wang Shouren!”

“And then he put on a whole show, pretending to capture Prince Ning with his own clever plan!”

Zhu Xiaoyin cupped his face, looking exasperated. “That guy sure is full of himself!”

Zhu Houzhao’s face darkened. Which bold soul had let that “embarrassing history” slip?

It had to be that old rascal Wang Shouren!

Life in the palace was lively, full of interesting people.

Of course, Zhu Xiaoyin hadn’t forgotten the “old beggar” he’d first met, who was destitute but a brilliant painter.

His father said the man was terribly unlucky!

Later, the man kept trying to worm his way into the “big shots’ circle.”

Zhu Xiaoyin promptly pushed him back out. “Save that little bit of brainpower for painting. Don’t fall into another trap.”

Yin means boundary or limit.

It shows that the protagonist has a sense of boundaries when he plays, and won’t cross the line.

It also hints that he will keep Zhu Houzhao in check.

Coming soon: Eating My Way Through the Song Dynasty

After transmigrating into the Song Dynasty as an orphan of the Zhao clan, Zhao Huan said he wasn’t actually miserable at all.

He was supported year after year, and apart from being barred from taking part in government affairs, he could do whatever he wanted.

So Zhao Huan became a wealthy and carefree member of the imperial clan.

Eating and drinking every day.

But he never expected that even eating and drinking would draw the ruler’s attention.

It was because he:

Ate lamb skewers and pork jerky with Wang Anshi,

ate braised pork with Sima Guang,

ate raw fish, drank century egg and lean pork congee, and had Fuling mustard greens with Fan Zhongyan,

eat crab roe buns with Ouyang Xiu,

eat Dongpo pork and drank cocktails with Su Dongpo,

had barbecue with Di Qing,

and ate whole roast lamb with Wang Shao, who expanded the Song Dynasty’s borders by 1,800 li...

The ruler: “You’re a member of the imperial clan. Why are you eating and drinking with all these civil and military officials?”

Zhao Huan insisted he was innocent.

He really didn’t have any “sinister schemes.”

It was their “shared interests” that brought them together.

The ruler: “Really? I don’t believe you!”

With no other choice, Zhao Huan had to reveal his preferences and bring out the person he was “dating in secret.”

The ruler took one look and wondered when his own commander of the imperial guards had gotten involved with Zhao Huan.

First he was furious, then he was delighted.

After that, he arranged an elaborate wedding for the two of them.

Zhao Huan and Lin Yi: “Now we’re really tied together!”

Lin Yi: His dull, flavorless life rippled with the arrival of one person.

Theme: A prosperous country and a strong people