The subordinate's name was Ji Gang, a small flag of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He had red lips and white teeth, and looked like a girl. Because of his good looks, he was usually responsible for holding the flag in the front row when the emperor traveled.
Being good-looking has always been an advantage in ancient and modern times. Ji Gang was not a reckless person. He first went to the harem to inquire and then returned to the Jinyiwei Yamen to report to his superior Mao Xiang.
At this time, outside in the martial arts arena, Mu Chun was lying on a stool and receiving twenty spanners. The executioner held the boards high up and swung them vigorously, and it looked like that was the real deal.
Mu Chun was sweating, but when the board landed on his butt, it didn't hurt as much as he imagined. Mu Chun figured out the trick and screamed deliberately:
“Ah! It hurts!”
“It hurts so much!”
"I guess I won't be able to ride a horse for three days!"
They are showing mercy, so you can't expose it. You have to cooperate.
Accompanied by Mu Chun's exaggerated scream, Mao Xiang buried his head in the intelligence report and asked, "Is it done? When will she leave the palace?"
Ji Gang chuckled, "No - Lord Mao, Hu Shanwei is not an ordinary palace maid who can be sent away by finding faults. She was admitted as a female official through examination, and she also left her name with the Empress. She was given a pair of boots as soon as she entered the palace. This matter is not easy to deal with."
Mao Xiang raised his head from the pile of intelligence and asked, "Why does the Queen favor her so much?"
Ji Gang pointed at Mu Chun who was screaming outside and said, "It's all because of that precious golden nugget who can't be beaten or scolded..."
Ji Gang told the story of Mu Chun asking for the Queen's grace and offering flowers to the Buddha. Mao Xiang was even more puzzled, "Why did Mu Chun help her for no reason?"
Ji Gang said, "Master Mao, you have to ask Mu Chun. Master, we Jinyiwei and the female officials have always kept our distance from each other. Why are you targeting Hu Shanwei for no reason? What crimes did that girl commit? New female officials are all learning palace rules in the Palace Administration Department. Palace Administrator Fan is very strict, so it is difficult for us to intervene."
The originally simple matter became more and more complicated. Mao Xiang was annoyed. "I want you to do the job, not to listen to your nonsense.
Ji Gang thought for a moment and said, "Okay. After all, making trouble out of nothing is what we Jinyiwei are best at. I'll take my leave and find a solution right away."
When Ji Gang reached the door, Mao Xiang said again: "Just drive her out of the palace, don't hurt her, don't kill her."
The difficulty suddenly increased, like throwing a piece of fragile tofu out of the palace without damaging it. Ji Gang suddenly felt a headache, but he didn't dare to ask why, so he agreed reluctantly.
Mao Xiang looked at the pile of intelligence on the table with a worried look on his face. He never expected that this woman had not remarried and even passed the examination to become a court lady in the palace. This was trouble...
Mao Xiang was upset and slapped the spy away with one palm, then strode to the martial arts field. At this time, Mu Chun, who was lying on a stool, was performing exaggeratedly, and his voice was almost hoarse. If you covered your eyes, it sounded like he was screaming!
Mao Xiang snatched the board from the executioner's hand, swung it up and hit him on the buttocks.
Mu Chun suddenly felt as if a bucket of hot oil was poured on his buttocks. He jumped up from the stool on the spot in pain. When he turned around, he saw that it was Mao Xiang who was personally carrying out the punishment!
Mao Xiang said coldly: "Get down, twenty strokes, and three more."
Mu Chun tried to get close to Mao Xiang, "Uncle, please let me go. I will definitely repay you in the future."
Mao Xiang: "Your last name is Mu, and mine is Mao. What kind of nephew are you?"
Mu Chun said, "You and my father were both adopted sons of the emperor. You call each other brothers. Isn't your brother's son your nephew?"
Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang had more than 20 adopted sons. Mu Ying was the most outstanding, fought on the battlefield, and was granted the title of Marquis of Xiping. Mao Xiang was the most unknown. He had always been by the side of Emperor Hongwu as a personal guard, shielding his adoptive father from arrows and was the most trusted attendant of Emperor Hongwu.
Therefore, Emperor Hongwu established the Jinyiwei, a trusted intelligence agency, and appointed Mao Xiang as the commander of the Jinyiwei to serve as the emperor's eyes and ears and monitor the world.
The Jinyiwei became famous throughout the world for executing the entire family of Prime Minister Hu Weiyong in one day, imprisoning and interrogating all the officials who pleaded for Hu Weiyong, and fabricating charges against him.
The unknown Mao Xiang suddenly became "famous", and officials and civilians alike were terrified when they heard his name.
In order to remain loyal, Mao Xiang remained single and unmarried, without the burden of a family. He looked at this shameless nephew, and the stick became heavy, and he was a little reluctant to hit him, but he said:
"You just call someone uncle just to avoid being beaten. If your father knew, he would never forgive you."
Mu Chun said flatteringly: "You are not someone else. You are my father's brother with a different surname. It is only natural for me to call you uncle."
After saying that, Mu Chun surrounded Mao Xiang and kept calling him, "Uncle, uncle, uncle, uncle..."
As long as he doesn't get beaten, it's okay to call him godfather, let alone uncle.
Mao Xiang threw away the stick and said, "I still owe you three strokes. I'll remember this and make up for it when you make a mistake next time. My good nephew, I heard that you made friends with a female official recently? How did you meet?"
Mao Xiang was the eyes and ears of the emperor. Mu Chun wondered in his heart, who wanted to know, the emperor or Mao Xiang? He did not dare to hide it. Anyway, the things in the palace could not be hidden, so he told him about the abuse of Hu Shanwei by his stepmother that he had witnessed in the Hu Family Bookstore.
“… I saw that she was a girl without even a pair of shoes, and felt very sorry for her, so I asked the Queen to give her a pair of boots.”
Mao Xiang pondered and said, "I thought the stepmother was okay before... Why is the Hu family in such a mess now?"
Mu Chun sensed something strange, "Master Mao knew Hu Shanwei before?"
Mao Xiang's eyes widened and he changed the subject, "Are the books in the Imperial College and Xiping Marquis's Mansion not as good as a private bookstore? Tell the truth, you skipped classes many times to go to the bookstore to read books. Are you attracted to that girl?"
Mu Chun shook his head. "You can't read books without borrowing them. I just like to read books for free in bookstores, but I don't buy them. I like the subtle atmosphere of being condemned by the bookstore owners and clerks with their eyes, and being driven away with feather dusters and mops, but not daring to drive them away directly. I feel very nervous all the time, and time is running out. Therefore, I am extra focused when reading, cherishing the books in my hands, and engraving every word in my heart."
"I like to eat noodles on the street, stroll on the street with a bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts in winter, and eat grilled lamb skewers in the smoke at night. These street foods are much more delicious than the palace banquets..."
Mu Chun talked incessantly, and Mao Xiang thought that it was normal for a child who grew up in wealth and glory to have such quirks. Just don't have an affair with that female official.
After figuring out the relationship between Mu Chun and Hu Shanwei, Mao Xiang went back to work, copying down important intelligence information for the emperor to review.
Four days later, it was the eve of the Palace Rules Examination.
Meixiang, an old palace maid, was walking on the East Chang Street of the West Six Palaces with a food box in her hand, when she met a patrolling team of Jinyiwei on the way.
The flag bearer at the head was Ji Gang. He greeted Mei Xiang, "Madam Mei, who are you delivering food to?"
Meixiang is an old palace maid who has been in the palace for many years and has some respectability in the palace.
Meixiang put down the lunch box and said, "My teacher has an exam tomorrow and is studying late tonight. I'll bring her some snacks as a midnight snack."
It was common for palace maids to worship female officials as their teachers. Ji Gang asked, "What kind of snack is it?"
Meixiang said: "Yam cake and osmanthus cake, and the sweet rice wine I brewed myself."
Ji Gang pretended to be greedy, "What a coincidence, these are all my favorites. Aunt Mei, please be kind enough to let me have a few bites."
After saying that, without waiting for Meixiang's reaction, Ji Gang opened the food box. Sure enough, there were two plates of snacks inside, white yam cake, yellow osmanthus cake, and a pot of wine.
Ji Gang ate two pieces of each and kept saying they were delicious. Mei Xiang didn't dare to stop him, but when Ji Gang picked up the wine pot, she quickly said, "Ji Xiaoqi, there are no cups here, it's not convenient. If you like, I'll give you a pot tomorrow."
Meixiang was worried that Ji Gang would drink from the spout of the jug and dirty it, so how could she have the nerve to give it to the teacher again
Fortunately, Ji Gang just opened the lid and smelled it, "Hmm, it's sweet, but I like strong liquor, the kind that burns my throat."
Ji Gang put the wine jug into the food box, "Thank you, Aunt Mei."
Meixiang breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards the Sixth Bureau and the First Department with the lunch box.
She didn't know that Ji Gang had already sprinkled the medicine powder into the snacks and wine jug under the pretext of being greedy.
When we reached the corridor, it was dark, and every room was brightly lit. There were bursts of reading sounds coming from it. Meixiang brought a lunch box to deliver a midnight snack, "Teacher, you don't have to bother teaching me the Book of Songs tonight. Just focus on preparing for the exam."
Hu Shanwei had just finished dinner and didn't want to have any snacks. He was about to pour a glass of sweet rice wine to moisten his throat when Meixiang suddenly said, "Wait a minute."
Hu Shanwei closed his hands and looked at Meixiang in confusion.
Meixiang smiled and picked up the wine pot. "This sweet rice wine needs to be heated up before it tastes good. Drinking it will warm your body and boost your spirits. Teacher, wait a moment. I'll go and heat up the wine."