When Hu Shanwei heard this, he became even more frightened: It must be a matter of losing my head, it would be better to ridicule me again.
Hu Shanwei smiled hypocritically, "Shang Gong Cao, please don't make fun of me. All I know now is to raise deer and feed peacocks, and dust the shrine of Empress Xiaoci every day. I have no power to do things for Shang Gong Cao."
But Lady Cao said, "What you did was very simple. You just kept your usual style and went against me."
Hu Shanxin thought: I am singing a different tune? It's obviously you who always find fault.
Cao Shang Gong told about the quarrel between her and Guo Ning Fei today over the release of the people. "Guo Ning Fei relied on her family's power to look down on me. If I was trampled under the feet of a concubine, how could I still have the face to be a Shang Gong? Of course, I confronted her face to face. Guo Ning Fei saw that the hard approach didn't work, so I guess the next step is to use soft tactics. She will use her high position to lure a few people who don't get along with me on weekdays and cultivate them to deal with me. Who in the palace dares to confront me head-on? After counting, you are the first one. I came to Xiaoling to cry for Empress Xiaoci. I guess Guo Ning Fei will think of a way to bring you back to the palace to be her right-hand man to deal with me."
Cao Shang Gong wanted Hu Shanwei to pretend to be against her and lurk beside Concubine Guo Ning to be a spy. She became Shang Gong at the age of 33, becoming the head of the female officials. Her scheming and strategy were hidden under the superficial and anxious skin, and she deceived many people.
Hu Shanwei had a dull expression on his face and showed no reaction to Lady Cao's suggestion.
Because at this moment, Hu Shanwei's mind was filled with lightning and thunder: Concubine Guo Ning is not the kind of person who can't keep her temper!
The assassin Canmu, the censor Liu Hai, the staff Cheng Pengju, and the death of Concubine Li were all carefully planned. Even if they failed, there would be no clues. The mastermind behind the scenes must be a powerful, meticulous, and extremely patient person.
As soon as Concubine Guo Ning came to power, she released palace maids to eliminate dissidents and even fell out with the head female official Cao Shanggong.
Not to mention that Concubine Guo Ning had not yet been conferred the title of Imperial Concubine. Even if she had been conferred the title of Empress Dowager, she had just assumed power and her footing was unstable, but she had already fallen out with Concubine Cao, the person whom Empress Xiaoci relied on the most during her lifetime. Such impulsive, short-sighted, and impatient words and deeds were totally inconsistent with the meticulous style of the mastermind behind the scenes as deduced by Hu Shanwei.
Am I wrong? Concubine Guo Ning is not the mastermind behind this
Or is Concubine Guo Ning just a straw puppet, and there is a powerful "military advisor" behind her operating her
Or was the falling out with Lady Cao just a show? Concubine Guo Ning was just hiding her wisdom and trying to prove her innocence...
Having just set a goal, Hu Shanwei lost it again. Thousands of thoughts surged in his mind, and he was in a state of confusion.
Seeing her dull expression and her absent-minded look, Cao Shang Gong thought she was trying to shirk her responsibility and said, "I know this is a job that is difficult to please and risky. But you can also use Concubine Guo Ning's hand to enter the palace to work in advance. As the saying goes, people forget about you when you leave. If you really feed the deer in Xiaoling for three years, it is hard to say whether you can return to the palace to continue to be a female official after three years."
Hu Shanwei came back to his senses and said, "Stay in Xiaoling for three years, that was Empress Xiaoci's last wish. Even if Concubine Guo Ning really thinks highly of me and wants me to return to the palace to protest against Cao Shanggong, the emperor may not agree."
Cao Shang Gong thought for a moment and said, "This is not a will. When you brought the green phoenix sent by Madam Mingde back to the palace, Empress Xiaoci liked it very much and casually asked you to come to Xiaoling to feed the deer and the phoenix. Do you really have to wait for three years there? Even when the crown prince mourned for Empress Xiaoci, he only did so for twenty-seven months. Who are you to have to mourn for thirty-six months? Even if you are willing, it is not justified according to etiquette and law."
Ancient etiquette emphasized closeness and clan rules. The closer the blood relationship, the longer the mourning period. You were not eligible to observe mourning for a longer period. For example, among the royal grandchildren, only the eldest grandson Zhu Xiongying was eligible to observe mourning for 27 months like the crown prince. However, Zhu Xiongying died on the first day of May in the fifteenth year of Hongwu. Three months after his death, Empress Xiaoci passed away. The oldest royal grandson was the eldest grandson Zhu Yunwen, but because he was born out of wedlock, he was not eligible to observe mourning for Empress Xiaoci.
In fact, Hu Shanwei also wanted to return to the palace. She was more anxious than Cao Shanggong to get close to Concubine Guo Ning to find out the truth. Was Concubine Guo Ning the murderer who deliberately revealed her weakness, or was there someone else who was the real murderer
Therefore, Hu Shanwei pretended to be embarrassed and nodded and agreed, "I promise you, but Concubine Guo Ning may not think highly of me, and the emperor may not be willing to release me. I suggest that Palace Lady Cao seek help from someone else and don't put all your eggs in one basket."
Lady Cao was drinking tea. Upon hearing this, she threw the teacup and the cup onto the floor. "You are an ungrateful person! A fallen phoenix is no better than a chicken. Why don't you look in the mirror and see if you are qualified to bargain with me?"
The changes happened so fast that Hu Shanwei was stunned.
Cao Shang Gong blinked her eyes and yelled again, "I went to pay homage to Empress Xiaoci today and saw dust on the shrine. You must be lazy!"
Hu Shanwei knew that Lady Cao was already immersed in the role, so he hurriedly said, "I dare not be lazy. I feed the deer every morning and then go to clean the altar, rain or shine."
"You still dare to quibble?" Lady Cao grabbed Hu Shanwei's wrist and said, "You will not give up until you see the Yellow River today!"
Cao Shang Gong dragged her from the side hall to the main hall where the tablet of Empress Xiaoci was placed. She grabbed a handful of incense ash and sprinkled it on the table. "Hu Shanwei, you still don't admit that you are lazy? What do you see on it? I am here to supervise you today. Even if you lick it, you have to lick it clean for me."
In the end, Hu Shanwei, with red eyes, dared not say a word, and sent away the domineering Palace Lady Cao.
The Xiaoling Mausoleum was playing out a drama of Zhou Yu fighting Huang Gai, one willing to fight and the other willing to be beaten, waiting for Concubine Guo Ning to take the bait. Concubine Guo Ning was complaining to Emperor Hongwu.
Concubine Guo Ning cried bitterly: "Thanks to the emperor's trust, I am here to take care of the harem. I think I will not disappoint the emperor and will take good care of the harem so that the emperor has no worries. Before, the palace was run by Empress Xiaoci. She did everything properly and took care of me in every possible way. I lived comfortably in the harem and went to Kunning Palace to pay my respects every day. I dare not hope to imitate Empress Xiaoci. I only hope to learn a little bit from her. However, I am stupid and offended Cao Shanggong as soon as I started. She was so angry that she went to Xiaoling to cry for Empress Xiaoci. I am here to apologize."
Empress Xiaoci was virtuous, and Emperor Hongwu was so busy with state affairs that he never had to worry about the affairs of the harem. Now that the backyard was in trouble, he missed Empress Xiaoci even more, and realized how important it was to have a virtuous wife.
Emperor Hongwu comforted Concubine Guo Ning, "Gong Shang Cao and the Empress have a deep relationship. She has a straightforward temper and sometimes dares to refute my words. It is normal for her to be a little overwhelmed by the change of the person in charge of the harem. However, Gong Shang Cao is a capable person. She has been a Gong Shang for five years and has never made a big mistake. If you ask her for advice more often, you will get along well with each other over time."
Concubine Guo Ning was stunned: I didn't expect that Emperor Hongwu would ask her to be patient with Concubine Cao! Emperor Hongwu's understanding and trust in Concubine Cao actually exceeded her own.
Concubine Guo Ning had survived until today and was a smart person. She quickly changed her attitude and said obediently, "Yes, I was just too impatient. When Concubine Cao comes back, I will apologize to her."
Concubine Guo Ning was born into a noble family and had a son. The Guo family was full of important officials and generals of the Ming Dynasty, who had shed blood on the battlefield and had served as a successor. Emperor Hongwu still had hope for this newcomer, Concubine Guo Ning, and patiently explained:
"The six bureaus and one department were established by the Ministry of Rites after consultation between the Queen and me. For the past fifteen years, the six bureaus and one department have served as the Queen's right-hand man, helping her to reduce her burden and managing the cumbersome affairs of the harem in an orderly manner. These female officials were carefully selected, and they are both excellent in character and talent. I even entrusted the national seal and seal to the female officials of the Shangbao Bureau for safekeeping. There is no precedent for this in all dynasties. You are now in charge of the power of the harem, just like me in the court, you must be close to the wise and stay away from the villains."
The more Concubine Guo Ning listened, the more frightened she became. She was wrong. She shouldn't have treated the female officials as high-ranking servants. The female officials were first "officials" and then women.
Emperor Hongwu used female officials to control eunuchs and entrusted them with the imperial seal. The female officials were not only the empress's people, but also the emperor's people. In terms of character, the emperor would rather trust female officials than eunuchs.
I was too anxious. I wanted to use the six bureaus and one department for my own purposes and establish a foothold in the harem. I had to use gentle means first and find out the ins and outs of it.
Emperor Hongwu comforted his beloved concubine verbally, but in his heart he was always thinking about Empress Xiaoci. If his wife were still alive, why would he worry about the trivial matters in the harem
Emperor Hongwu was missing Empress Xiaoci. Concubine Guo Ning happened to mention that Concubine Cao went to Xiaoling to mourn for the Empress, so she told Mao Xiang, "I want to go to Xiaoling to accompany the Empress. I will stay there tonight. If I'm lucky, I might be able to dream of my Empress."
Emperor Hongwu left the palace in plain clothes, so there was no grand fanfare or ceremonial procession. When his carriage arrived at the Xiaoling Mausoleum, he suddenly heard a drum-like sound coming from the forest and mountains, and even the earth was shaking.
Emperor Hongwu looked out of the carriage window and saw a man in white clothes and a black horse galloping out of the mountains and forests. There were two bamboo baskets on the horse's back. The man in white clothes took something out of the bamboo basket from time to time while riding the horse and threw it behind him.
Sika deer came after them, vying for the things thrown out of the bamboo basket. The man in white was not in a hurry, throwing and holding, deliberately luring the sika deer to run around the forest again and again.
Seeing that the man in white was about to lead the herd of deer to charge the imperial carriage, Mao Xiang drew his sword and mounted his horse to intercept him head-on, "Stop!"
The man in white was Hu Shanwei in plain clothes. She couldn't see his face in the twilight, but she recognized Mao Xiang's voice and knew that a noble person sat in the seemingly ordinary carriage. She quickly turned her horse's head, took out a few cornmeal cakes from the basket and threw them into the chasing deer. "Come and chase me, the delicious food is here! Whoever catches it will get it!"
A herd of deer with plum-shaped horns on their heads chased Hu Shanwei.
Seeing this, Emperor Hongwu was so angry that he blew his beard and glared: "She is making such a fuss, isn't she exhausting Empress Xiaoci's deer!"
Emperor Hongwu released a total of two thousand deer.
Emperor Hongwu always cleared the area when he came, so he didn't see the scene of feeding deer. Mao Xiang knew about it, and he explained for Hu Shanwei: "The deer in Xiaoling Mausoleum are fed with food and grass from the military horse farm, grass and various cakes, and their range of activities is limited. They are fat and prone to illness. It was the animal trainer who taught Hu Shanwei this method of feeding the deer and forcing the deer to move around so that they can enter the winter in good health."
Emperor Hongwu listened and said nothing. Just as Mao Xiang finished speaking, he heard another flute sound, which was intermittent and did not form a song, but he saw a pair of green phoenixes flying out of the forest.
Hu Shanwei stood in a thatched nest built by the south pond, playing the flute to call the green phoenix back to its nest.
The author has something to say: Zhou Wa received quite a few red envelopes today, and Zhou saved them all for him... So I will continue to give out 100 red envelopes in this chapter hahahahaha, finally you don’t have to worry about Zhou running out of money to give out red envelopes to you.
Zhou also tried to type during the day, but as soon as he turned on the computer, he would attract onlookers. Zhou, who was originally socially anxious, felt like he was being publicly executed, just like when he was a child and was forced to perform clumsy talents in public during the Chinese New Year. It was really embarrassing. He could only get into the typing state when he was alone at night.