The "Imperially Composed Record of Filial Piety and Kindness" promulgated by Emperor Hongwu changed the old rule of "no two emperors in the country, no two emperors in the family", and advocated "equal respect for both parents". The royal family implemented the system of burying the emperor and the empress together, and the emperor and the empress were placed in the same temple and enjoyed sacrifices together.
When Empress Ma died, all the ministers in the court wore mourning clothes for 27 days and then wore plain clothes for 100 days. Officials were prohibited from performing music and performing sacrifices, and marriages were suspended for 100 days. The common people were required to hold funerals for one month. The funeral was held with higher standards than that of any empress in previous dynasties.
August.
All civil and military officials in the capital wore plain clothes when entering the court to perform the ceremony of consolation.
Military officers of the fifth rank and above and wives of military officers of the third rank and above wore linen shirts, linen skirts, linen veils, and linen shoes. They were not allowed to wear makeup or gold or silver jewelry. They went to the Kunning Palace in turn to pay their respects.
Emperor Hongwu proposed the posthumous title of Empress Ma - Xiaoci, so Empress Ma was called Empress Xiaoci thereafter.
Emperor Hongwu summoned the princes who had already been enfeoffed to the capital to attend the funeral of Empress Xiaoci. Even the deposed Prince Qin, who was confined to the countryside of Fengyang to farm, was recalled to the capital.
September.
The shrine for Empress Xiaoci has been completed, and the coffin is about to be taken out for burial. The memorial will be made to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and sacrifices will be made to the God of Mount Zhongshan, with prayers being made to the gods to protect the Empress and allow her to rest in peace in the afterlife.
Everything was ready, and the princes from all over the country rushed to the capital to mourn and send off the funeral. Crown Prince Zhu Biao led the princes and princesses to escort the coffin of Empress Xiaoci to the Xiaoling Mausoleum on Mount Zhongshan. When they were at the foot of Mount Zhongshan, the originally sunny weather suddenly turned into a storm, making the roads difficult to travel, and they were about to miss the auspicious time for burial in the underground palace.
The grief-stricken Emperor Hongwu was furious and was about to kill the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, who was calculating the date. Fortunately, the eminent monk Zong Le in the funeral procession had an idea and said four verses: "Rain falls and the sky sheds tears; thunder roars and the earth mourns. All the Buddhas in the West, send off Ma Tathagata together."
It means that the death of Empress Xiaoci caused grief among heaven and earth, and moved all the Buddhas to come and see the Empress off.
After hearing this, Emperor Hongwu spared the unfortunate Imperial Observatory. At this time, Zong Le led his eminent monks, including Zen Master Daoyan, to chant sutras and pray for blessings. Miraculously, after a chant, the rain stopped and the clouds cleared, and the funeral procession continued to move forward.
Emperor Hongwu firmly believed that this was a miracle, and he looked at the monks who were chanting sutras differently. The grief-stricken Emperor Hongwu pointed out the monks to the princes one by one and said, "The monks will follow you back to your fiefdoms. You must build temples for them and pray for Empress Xiaoci from time to time. Don't make any mistakes."
The princes and monks agreed, and Zen Master Daoyan pointed to the fourth prince, Prince of Yan, Zhu Di.
At the end of September, the princes returned to their fiefdoms one after another with the eminent monks appointed by Emperor Hongwu and built temples to express their grief for Empress Xiaoci.
Since the King of Qin fainted several times at the funeral, indicating that he had changed his ways, and the Ming Dynasty was busy with the southern expedition, and famous generals such as Mu Ying gathered in Yunnan and Guizhou, the defense was empty, and the Northern Yuan Dynasty began to harass the border again and again. In view of this, Emperor Hongwu ordered Xu Da, Duke of Wei, to guard the border in the northeast, and decided to give his son another chance, restoring his princely title and ordering him to return to his fiefdom to guard the northwest border.
The second piece of news was really bad news for Hu Shanwei, who was feeding the deer in the Xiaoling Mausoleum.
Deer are auspicious animals, so Emperor Hongwu released 2,000 deer at the Xiaoling Mausoleum at one time...
Emperor Hongwu thought that deer were auspicious animals and did not consider how to feed them. The trees, flowers and plants in the mausoleum area were not enough to feed two thousand deer. Moreover, it was already frost in October and all things were withering, leaving even less food. The rations for the two thousand deer were the same as those for the military horses, and they ate grass, bean cakes and other things.
In addition to feeding two thousand deer, Hu Shanwei also had to raise the pair of green peacocks that Mrs. Mingde presented as a tribute. He was busy serving the birds and beasts every day and had almost no time to be sad.
Since Empress Xiaoci passed away on the tenth day of the eighth month, Hu Shanwei was sent to the Xiaoling Mausoleum by Mao Xiang in accordance with Empress Xiaoci's will. She had to guard the Xiaoling Mausoleum for three years and was not allowed to leave the mausoleum area. It was tantamount to house arrest, but also a form of protection. After all, according to Emperor Hongwu's temper, anyone who dared to cause trouble in the Xiaoling Mausoleum would basically be seeking death.
Empress Xiaoci used this decisive method to cut off Hu Shanwei's relationship with the palace, just like when he first entered the palace, he was in Tibet, almost isolated from the world. At least in the palace, Xiaoling Mausoleum is in Zhongshan in the suburbs. In the past, it was difficult for the court ladies to come here.
It was Ma Sanbao, who also paid close attention to the king's every move, who brought her the news that the king of Qin had restored his title. Ma Sanbao was the only boy and girl who was still alive among those who were abducted and killed by the king of Qin. The queen of the king of Qin, Wang, practiced Buddhism with her hair uncut and was named the Pure Immortal Master. The eunuch Ma Sanbao had been serving Wang in the nunnery and occasionally interacted with Hu Shanwei.
Three years passed, and the eunuch had grown into a young man. Ma Sanbao angrily threw a bean cake at the sika deer, "Such a beastly person, who shed a few crocodile tears, actually got another chance! What about those who died tragically? What about Liu Siyan who had his tongue cut off? Who will give them a chance?"
Hu Shanwei also felt a deep sense of powerlessness. "What can I do? I am also desperate. I will be trapped here for three years. After three years, the King of Qin will probably become a wise king who has turned over a new leaf. This sinister villain will definitely come to retaliate against us."
Ma Sanbao said, "I can't just sit and wait for death. This time, I came here not only to tell you the news about the King of Qin, but also to say goodbye to you. Thanks to the recommendation of the Immortal Master Qingjing, I have been studying Buddhism with Zen Master Daoyan for the past three years. This time, when Empress Xiaoci was buried, Zen Master Daoyan participated in chanting sutras to stop the wind and rain. The emperor pointed the Zen master to the King of Yan and asked him to build a temple in Beiping, Yan, to pray for Empress Xiaoci. I will go to Yan with Zen Master Daoyan. Three years later, when you leave Xiaoling Mausoleum, if the King of Qin makes trouble for you, you can go to Yan to find me."
Ma Sanbao has found a powerful protector in Prince Yan.
Hu Shanwei smiled and continued to feed bean cakes to the deer. "Thank you for your kindness, but in three years, I should find a way to return to the palace. There is something very important that I swear to complete."
Empress Ma protected her in her last words before her death. If she could not avenge Empress Ma and find the real murderer, she would die with regrets.
Let's say that Ma Sanbao followed Master Daoyan and the King of Yan to Beiping in Yan. Master Daoyan was quite talented in poetry, and when he set out, he wrote a poem titled "On October 1st, the ship set sail from Jinling to Beiping":
The water is vast under the Stone City, I board the official ship alone and go far away. I feel sorry for myself for eating and sleeping with the guards, who will laugh at my clothes and bowl mixed with military uniforms
Deep in the night, the sound of oars shakes the moon, in the cold morning, the shadow of the solitary mast is covered with frost. After going through all the hardships, I have no worries just for the sake of my guest.
Ma Sanbao knew that Hu Shanwei was a loyal reader of Zen Master Daoyan and liked to collect his poems and articles, so he copied this poem and sent it to Hu Shanwei who was feeding the deer in the Xiaoling Mausoleum.
Hu Shanwei, who was surrounded by "beasts" all day long, was extremely short of spiritual food. When he received the new poems from Zen Master Daoyan, he felt like he had found a treasure. He copied them into a collection of poems and recited them over and over again to appreciate them.
Judging from the verses of the poem, Zen Master Daoyan had a pretty good relationship with the King of Yan. Since he was the King's guest of honor, things like "Deep at night the sound of oars shakes the moon, in the cold dawn the shadow of the lone mast is covered with frost" didn't matter to him.
Hu Shanwei enjoyed prosperity for three years, but suddenly she fell into disgrace and was trapped in the Xiaoling Mausoleum, where she was accompanied by animals and lived in loneliness. Those who had offended her in the past wanted to step on her or take revenge on her, but they were blocked by the guards surrounding the Xiaoling Mausoleum and were out of reach.
Empress Xiaoci had indeed planned everything out.
Hu Shanwei fell from a sixth-rank female official to a keeper of the Xiaoling Mausoleum, a handyman. All her salary was cut off, and she lived a very hard life.
True character is revealed in times of trouble.
Ever since Hu Shanwei came to Xiaoling Mausoleum to raise deer, the young palace maid Haitang also volunteered to come to Xiaoling Mausoleum to add lamp oil, clean the side halls, and stay with Hu Shanwei.
Ji Gang often came to the Xiaoling Mausoleum to see her and help her feed the deer. Mao Xiang also came occasionally. With the support of the Jinyiwei, the guards were quite polite to Hu Shanwei and did not dare to deduct her things.
In the harem, Chen Ermei often asked people to bring her food to satisfy her cravings. Fan Gongzheng asked someone to tell her to "be patient" and guard the throne of Empress Xiaoci well, saying that "she will have her own destiny in three years" and so on.
Shen Qionglian gave her some books, paper, pens and other things, saying that "Books lead to the path to success" and told her not to forget to read in her spare time from feeding the deer and serving the phoenix. With knowledge, she would be able to make a comeback.
Feeding two thousand deer every day was tiring. Hu Shanwei could fall asleep as soon as she lay down at night. However, when she saw the bookshelf piled with books, she still struggled to get up and read half a book before going to sleep.
Concubine Chengmu, Sun, was buried near the Xiaoling Mausoleum. Every time Princess Huaiqing came to visit her biological mother, she would come to the Xiaoling Mausoleum to see Hu Shanwei and reward her with many things. I don't know if this was because of her ex-fiance Wang Ning. Anyway, Princess Huaiqing's reason was, "My mother was able to have a grand funeral thanks to your suggestion to honor both parents equally and to change the funeral system. I will not treat you unfairly."
Princess Huaiqing was very generous and sent food to the Xiaoling Mausoleum every now and then, which greatly improved the lives of Hu Shanwei and Haitang. The two could use the palace's finest silver frost charcoal in winter and had a bowl of meat at every meal.
Ru Siyao was still concerned about Hu Shanwei's hands, which were prone to frostbite. She had never been affected by frostbite in the palace before, but now she heard that Hu Shanwei had to go out to feed the deer during the day, exposed to the wind and sun. So she prepared some antifreeze plaster and asked the imperial physician to give it to Hu Shanwei, asking her to take good care of it.
After applying the ointment, Hu Shanwei used a feather duster to clean the dust on the shrine of Empress Xiaoci, and said as if talking to himself: "The Queen said that I have made many enemies in the past three years and forced me to hide from the world. But I have also made many good friends in these three years. The Queen can see it in her nine springs. I am down and out now, but I am not to the point where everyone will push me down when I fall. It can be seen that there are benefits to being successful. I don't regret my hard work in the past. There is always a reward for hard work. If I am mediocre and leave the palace, who will remember me?"
Feeding the deer did not dampen Hu Shanwei's fighting spirit.
Of course, there were also people who disappointed Hu Shanwei.
The apprentices Huang Weide and Jiang Quan were older and more experienced. They seemed to sense something unusual and were very alert. They did not send anything and did not say a word, as if Hu Shanwei had never appeared in their lives.
Hu Shanwei appeared indifferent on the surface, but she felt very uncomfortable in her heart, especially towards Huang Wei De. She had personally taught Huang Wei De how to study and take exams, and had asked Empress Xiaoci to give her a name. She felt that she had fulfilled her duty as a teacher, but when she fell into poverty, Huang Wei De treated her as if he had never been his teacher.
There was also the domineering Palace Lady Cao, who came to the Xiaoling Mausoleum with Concubine Li on the 100th day of Empress Xiaoci's memorial service, and ridiculed Hu Shanwei in public, looking like someone who was trying to take advantage of someone else's misfortune.
Hu Shanwei knew that Cao Shanggong was in trouble because the King of Qin had made a comeback, and she was in a desperate situation, so her revenge for Liu Siyan became an empty talk. Cao Shanggong was very disappointed with Hu Shanwei, and Hu Shanwei also knew that she had broken her promise. No matter how Cao Shanggong ridiculed her, she endured it and didn't say a word.
As for the southern expeditionary army, the Mu Palace surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, and Mu Ying led troops to rescue the besieged Kunming City. He and his brother-in-law Feng Cheng, who was guarding the city, cooperated internally and externally. The 200,000 rebels retreated, Kunming City was saved, and the situation in Yunnan was reversed.
At this time, the news of Empress Xiaoci's death reached Yunnan and Guizhou. The entire army was in mourning. Mu Ying and Mu Chun, one in Kunming and the other in Guizhou, both cried loudly, wore coarse linen mourning clothes, set up an altar, and knelt down towards the direction of the capital.
But no matter how sad they were, neither the father nor the son dared to leave their post without the order of Emperor Hongwu. They endured the grief and continued the southern expedition to quell the rebellion.
Mu Chun, who was guarding Guizhou, learned from Ji Gang that Hu Shanwei had left the palace to guard the Xiaoling Mausoleum, so he often wrote letters to Hu Shanwei, without mentioning Empress Xiaoci. His language was playful and light-hearted, and sometimes he used horrific painting techniques to describe what he had encountered recently. For example, he led his troops through a swamp, and when he came out his body was covered with leeches. The Yi wizard who was also a doctor sprayed some kind of medicinal wine on him, forcing the leeches to crawl out of his body.
Mu Chun drew a human figure with tadpole-like ink spots all over the body. Hu Shanwei was so scared that he immediately felt something was wrong and threw the horrible drawing paper into the brazier.
Hu Shanwei wrote back and drew a picture of pine and deer for Mu Chun. She now lives with deer as her companions, and her deer painting skills are becoming more and more sophisticated.
Leaving the palace also has its advantages. Once you enter the palace, it is like entering a deep sea, and it is inconvenient to contact the outside world, otherwise you will be suspected of collaborating with the enemy. However, in Xiaoling Mausoleum, letters are not prohibited. Although Hu Shanwei and Mu Chun cannot meet, their contact is closer.
When Mu Chun saw Hu Shanwei's reply and painting, he knew that she was down and out but not depressed. This was his sister Shanwei, who would always shine and give warmth wherever she was, such a lively soul.
After Empress Yuan's death, the Ming court was in turmoil.
At first, Concubine Li Shu, who assisted in the management of the six palaces, was appreciated by Emperor Hongwu because of her well-behaved performance at Empress Xiaoci's birthday and funeral. In addition, Concubine Li Shu also took good care of the little princess while being busy. Therefore, one hundred days after Empress Xiaoci's death, Emperor Hongwu conferred the title of Imperial Concubine on her.
Concubine Li was promoted to the head of the harem. The six bureaus and one department continued to assist Concubine Li in managing the harem, receiving ladies from both the inner and outer courts, and acting as the queen.
Emperor Hongwu was only in his early fifties, very young. People inside and outside the court speculated that Concubine Li was likely to become the successor. Concubine Li also had no children, and even the princesses were adopted. However, Empress Ma had no legitimate sons, only two princesses. Anyway, there was already a prince, so it didn't matter whether the queen gave birth to a son or not.
Due to the national mourning for Empress Xiaoci, major festivals such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, Double Ninth Festival, and even the Winter Solstice and Spring Festival were celebrated simply. The palace was clad in mourning, without any festive atmosphere.
In the sixteenth year of Hongwu, it was spring again. In March, Hu Shanwei was feeding the deer when he heard crying and mournful music coming from outside the Xiaoling Mausoleum, in the direction of the tomb of Consort Chengmu Sun.
Just as I was wondering, Haitang came running over and said, "When Concubine Li died, the emperor granted her burial in Zhongshan, and her tomb is next to the tomb of Concubine Chengmu Sun."
It's been less than a year, and Concubine Li has died? Empress Xiaoci's prediction was too accurate, and chaos will surely occur in the harem.
Hu Shanwei asked: "Now that Concubine Li is dead, who is in charge of the six palaces now?"
Haitang said, "Concubine Guo Ning."
The author has something to say: Tonight is New Year's Eve. I wish you all a happy Spring Festival and all the best.
200 red envelopes will be given out tonight, come and leave a message to receive the red envelopes~~~
Congratulations to the reader "Jinjiang Literature City" for receiving a big red envelope of 100 points.
№7 Netizen: Jinjiang Literature City Review: "Hu Shanwei" Score: 2 Published: 2019-02-03 22:18:41 Reviewed chapter: 104
I guess Wang Juan...