The fire striker ignited the red brocade quilt, and a faint glow slowly flickered.
"You..."
Murong Jing'er's lovely face paled. She had never imagined that the young gentleman before her would be so bold as to openly set a fire. She tried to put it out, but Zhu Yunwen stopped her.
"Are there any valuables in the room? Take them with you."
"You'll bring disaster on yourself!"
Murong Jing'er spoke anxiously.
Zhu Yunwen shook his head. "Get your things and come with me."
Murong Jing'er watched the burning quilt. Before long, it would set the bed alight, and then the whole room would catch fire. Looking at the confident, unruffled young gentleman before her, she sighed mournfully, walked aside, and took a mahogany box from the bottom of a chest.
Zhu Yunwen opened the door and told Shuangxi, "You have a quarter of an hour to evacuate everyone here. Remember, not one person can be left behind! If you miss one, you'll stay in the fire."
Shuangxi glanced at the flames in the room and shuddered, then shouted shrilly, "Fire! Run!"
Chaos erupted.
Someone tried to come and fight the fire, only for Liu Changge to kick him out.
The emperor had set this fire. Without his permission, no one could extinguish it.
Zhu Yunwen stood beside the railing, watching leisurely as people fled in panic. Quite a few men and women were barely clothed, their flesh exposed. Some young gentlemen remained fairly composed, nodding as they looked toward the fire, probably pondering what sort of poem would suit the occasion.
There were even old men in their sixties and seventies. Damn it, at your age, you're still coming out to make merry?
Aren't you afraid of coming in on your feet and leaving flat on your back?
In the room behind him, the bed began to burn.
Holding her wooden box, Murong Jing'er stood beside Zhu Yunwen. Her initial shock and bewilderment had given way to calm. She had nothing left to worry about.
Let it burn. That would be just as well.
This place had given me nothing but humiliation, never anything beautiful.
"You should leave. This is the Jiaofang Office. If someone investigates, you'll suffer for it."
Murong Jing'er spoke worriedly.
Zhu Yunwen glanced at Murong Jing'er and said calmly, "Then let them come."
Murong Jing'er did not know who Zhu Yunwen was, but seeing how assured he was, she said nothing more. Looking down, she saw a fat, big-eared middle-aged man running over with a group of people. At the sight of the burning room, he kicked a woman who was trying to flee and shouted, "Who dares run! Get water, all of you, and put out the fire!"
"Oh no, Cheng Fengluan is here! Hurry and run," Murong Jing'er exclaimed in alarm.
Zhu Yunwen looked back at the flames. He reckoned it would take a while before they reached the neighboring room. Everyone nearby had scattered, so no one would be hurt, and he relaxed.
The Fengluan was a ninth-rank official, the keeper of the Jiaofang Office's seal.
Cheng Fengluan stormed upstairs with his men. A servant pointed at Liu Changge. "He won't let us fight the fire."
"Insolent! This is the Jiaofang Office, government property! How dare you behave so outrageously! Tie him up!" Cheng Fengluan shouted harshly.
Zhu Yunwen pulled Murong Jing'er two steps back and told Liu Changge, "I've often heard that you're skilled in martial arts. How about showing us a move or two today?"
The corner of Liu Changge's mouth twitched. My dear emperor, I'm a soldier. Isn't making me deal with these street thugs a bit beneath me? But there was nothing he could do. The emperor had spoken; what choice did he have?
As it turned out, part-time hired muscle was no match for a professional.
After a thorough beating from Liu Changge, a dozen or so men lay on the floor, groaning.
Sweat beaded on Cheng Fengluan's forehead. Through gritted teeth, he shouted, "You may know a few moves, but do you think you can escape the law? I will report this to the emperor and bring you to justice!"
"Say that once your report reaches the emperor."
Liu Changge rubbed his fists. That had hardly been satisfying.
"All right, the fire is burning properly now. Stop playing with him. Cheng Fengluan, is it? However many people the Jiaofang Office has, bring every one of them to the Rites Ministry. If even one is missing, your skin will hang outside the Meridian Gate!"
Zhu Yunwen walked toward the stairs, then looked back at Murong Jing'er, who remained rooted to the spot. "Come on. What are you standing there for?"
Murong Jing'er hurried after him.
At the sight of the Great Ming Security Bureau token in Liu Changge's hand, Cheng Fengluan went cold all over. Especially after Liu Changge announced who he was, if Cheng Fengluan still could not guess that the man just now was the emperor, all his years in office would have been wasted.
"Get to work."
With that, Liu Changge followed them.
Shuangxi ran over as well. Zhu Yunwen gave him a few instructions, and he returned to Cheng Fengluan's side. "You may put out the fire now."
Trembling, Cheng Fengluan kicked a nearby servant several times and shouted, "What are you standing around for? Put out the fire and evacuate everyone!"
Three rooms burned before the fire was finally extinguished.
Cheng Fengluan did not grieve over the damaged property, but the task ahead terrified him. He assigned a group of men to summon everyone in the Jiaofang Office, young and old, line them up, and take them to the Rites Ministry.
There were nearly seven thousand people. The vast procession caused a stir along West Chang'an Street. Both the Nanjing Garrison and the Five Army Commandery heard the commotion and imposed security restrictions.
Xu Huizu hurried toward the palace. Before he reached Chengtian Gate, he saw four people strolling leisurely along the street. He looked closely. Good heavens, isn't that His Majesty?
"Your Majesty? Wh-what is going on?"
Xu Huizu hurried forward to greet him while arranging for soldiers to protect the emperor.
Zhu Yunwen waved a hand. "Don't be so nervous. No one is going to harm me. Let me introduce you: this is Murong Jing'er. Shuangxi, summon everyone in the Rites Ministry. They'll work through the night today. Until the work is done, no one gets to go home to sleep!"
Xu Huizu's eyes widened, and he cupped his hands toward Murong Jing'er.
Murong Jing'er was rather numb. Looking at the smiling Zhu Yunwen, she swallowed, hurriedly knelt, and cried, "Murong Jing'er kowtows to Your Majesty."
Zhu Yunwen helped Murong Jing'er up and looked behind him. The people from the Jiaofang Office were approaching in a dense mass. Judging from the tense atmosphere, they were probably fretting over their uncertain future.
"I do not like hells on earth."
Smiling, Zhu Yunwen released Murong Jing'er and told Xu Huizu, "Assign men to maintain order. Have everyone line up in ten columns, with the heads of the lines outside the Rites Ministry's main entrance."
Xu Huizu acknowledged the order and assigned men to maintain order.
The women of the Jiaofang Office did not know what was happening. At the sight of the soldiers, some of the timid ones began to cry. After a while, however, they realized that the soldiers were not harassing them, merely standing there to maintain order, and they relaxed.
Rites Minister Chen Di, Left Vice Minister Chen Xingshan, Vice Minister Huang Guan, and the other officials had already received the imperial command and hurried out to greet him. The other departments had also heard the commotion and came out to investigate. Seeing the emperor, they all knelt in homage.
Zhu Yunwen pointed at the Rites Ministry's entrance. "Set up ten tables here and prepare to release the Jiaofang Office's personnel from their status and register them as ordinary citizens. And have the Revenue Ministry's people come over to handle this together."
"Release them and register them? Ah, Your Majesty, if it's only one woman, surely we don't need ten tables?"
Chen Di glanced at Murong Jing'er beside Zhu Yunwen and smiled.
The corner of Xu Huizu's mouth twitched. Damn you, keep smiling. You'll be crying soon enough.
Zhu Yunwen turned around, and the others stepped aside. Chen Di and the other Rites Ministry officials looked up to see column after column of women slowly approaching. There appeared to be no fewer than several hundred.
The procession entered the Thousand-Step Corridor and advanced slowly. Those at the front had already reached the Rites Ministry, yet the end of the procession was still nowhere in sight.
Chen Di shuddered and looked at Zhu Yunwen with a rueful smile.
Zhu Yunwen smiled calmly. "Everyone, make your preparations. Liu Changge, pass the word: any woman of the Jiaofang Office who has no home to return to, no relatives to turn to, and wishes to enter the palace may be registered among the palace women's households. Those who wish to return home may be registered as farming households. Those with a craft by which they can earn a living may be registered as artisan households... Everyone shall choose her own registration category."
The Rites Ministry officials were rather dazed. With so many people, how many household registrations would they have to write?
Wouldn't this work them to death?
Shuangxi brought over a chair. Zhu Yunwen sat to one side and said, "Murong Jing'er, we'll start with you."
Murong Jing'er gave Zhu Yunwen a long look. Encouraged by him, she approached Chen Di's table, then looked back at Zhu Yunwen once more before saying, "Murong Jing'er, eighteen years old, originally from Suzhou Prefecture... Register me among the palace women's households."
Chen Di had no choice but to get to work.
Looking at her new household registration, Murong Jing'er walked up to Zhu Yunwen and knelt. "Thank you for Your Majesty's heavenly grace!"
"Thank you for Your Majesty's heavenly grace!"
The women of the Jiaofang Office knelt in homage, one after another.
Wave upon wave of voices traveled from the head of the procession to its unseen rear. Countless onlookers were moved by the scene.
After hearing about the commotion outside the palace, Ma Enhui fell silent for a while, then led a group of maids out. She arranged for eunuchs and palace maids to set up stoves and pots outside the palace gates and brew hot tea, and ordered the Needlework Bureau and the Cap and Hat Bureau to send out a batch of warm clothing.
Though the autumn night was not cold, there was still a slight chill.
Some adults were fine, but the elderly and young children could not withstand the cold.
As the emperor's wife, how could she fail to give fuller consideration to what he had overlooked?
Ma Enhui had the various directorates of the Inner Palace clear more than three hundred rooms to temporarily house those registered among the palace women's households. Those who had chosen other categories would stay at the Jiaofang Office for now. Early the next morning, they would receive severance payments and go their separate ways.
For a time, the people of Nanjing City were deeply moved. Amid their cheers, the names "sage emperor" and "sage empress" took root in their hearts.
On the seventeenth day of the eighth month of Hongwu Year 31, Zhu Yunwen abolished the Jiaofang Office and established the Arts Bureau, appointing Murong Jing'er as keeper of its seal.
That day, a total of four thousand two hundred and sixteen female entertainers were released from the Jiaofang Office. The remaining two thousand six hundred were organized into the Arts Troupe, responsible for dance, folk performing arts, acrobatics, and other performances, under the authority of the Inner Palace.
Chang'an Palace.
Ma Enhui sat beside the desk, repeatedly rolling her eyes at Zhu Yunwen. When a maid asked what she wanted for lunch, she pulled a long face and said, "What else can we eat? Just fetch a coarse steamed bun today. I'll make do with a couple of bites."
Feeling exasperated, Zhu Yunwen instructed the maid to prepare everything as usual, then said to Ma Enhui, "Is that really necessary?"
Ma Enhui snorted. "Your Majesty truly doesn't know the price of firewood and rice because you don't manage the household. That Arts Troupe has a full two thousand six hundred people-two thousand six hundred mouths to feed. In previous years, we had only a little over eight thousand palace maids, and they already cost nearly three hundred thousand taels of silver a year. Now that we've added so many more, how are we supposed to cover the expense?"
"That is a problem." Zhu Yunwen frowned, then looked at Ma Enhui and said earnestly, "How about we really do have coarse steamed buns for lunch?"
"..."
Ma Enhui was speechless.
Before you continue