Except for the jealous Concubine Guo Ning, no one thought there was anything unreasonable about the fact that the first person Emperor Hongwu visited after abstaining from sex for more than a year was Concubine Da Ding.
Because Princess Da Ding is beautiful. If you can choose, who doesn't like a beautiful woman (or handsome man) with good looks, long legs and proud breasts
What's more, Concubine Dading was the first "old lady" to serve Emperor Hongwu, which shows that Emperor Hongwu was nostalgic.
Concubine Dading was soaking in a bathtub with some dried lotus flowers in it. Emperor Hongwu liked the faint fragrance.
After bathing, Concubine Da Ding only wore a robe and lay on the beauty couch with her limbs spread out, allowing the palace servants to dye her nails, including her toenails, red with Impatiens juice, because Emperor Hongwu liked it.
While waiting for her nails to dry, Concubine Da Ding took a nap and had a dream. She dreamed that she returned to her youth, riding a skinny horse in Yangzhou, selling her smiles at the door, and was given as a gift to Chen Youliang, the King of Han.
She was spoiled to the skies by Chen Youliang. She felt that only at this moment in her life did she have the joy and dignity of being a beauty. No one dared to look down on her, at least not on the surface.
Some people teased her that she could not keep her beauty for a long time. As a woman of pleasure, why should she keep her beauty for a long time? She had nothing to repay him except her beauty. She was like a flower, blooming to the fullest, full of life and fragrance, just to make Chen Youliang happy for a moment. For this reason, when Chen Youliang's son Chen Li showed an infatuated expression to her, she did not know how to restrain herself, but only knew how to bloom.
However, the happiness was shorter than expected. Chen Youliang died in battle. An arrow shot into his eye and pierced his head, killing him instantly.
She fell from the clouds to the bottom of the valley, and vowed to avenge Chen Youliang. As a woman of pleasure, her most powerful weapon was her beauty. She had a bold plan and decided to take a chance. It's good to have dreams, what if they come true
Growing up in a brothel, she knew when it was easier to get pregnant by having sex. She calculated her menstrual period. On a spring night when it was still warm but still cold, she took the hand of the young Han king, from his cheek to his neck, through his collar and down to his belly, and asked him, "Your Highness, can you plant a seed of revenge here? Then open the city gates and surrender, and offer me to the King of Wu, Zhu Yuanzhang?"
Revenge and lust mixed together is the best aphrodisiac. The boy did not refuse, and made love with her every night. Once she became pregnant, he immediately surrendered. The first month, he failed, the second month, he did not have his period, so he succeeded.
The next day, King Chen Li of Han opened the gates and surrendered. All the people in the King's Palace, including the King's Dowager Consort, knelt in plain clothes to welcome King Zhu Yuanzhang of Wu. Only she wore coarse linen clothes and linen shoes, and swore to mourn for the King of Han, crying like a pear blossom in the rain.
If she wants to be pretty, she is also very beautiful. Her smile brings spring to all things, and her cry brings eternal sorrow. She is the only one who can be in this state, and she is the only one who can have this appearance. Her crystal eyes seem to be dripping but not dripping, and seem to be falling but not falling, and she is extremely beautiful.
Everyone surrendered to Zhu Yuanzhang, except this woman who refused to surrender and was still thinking about Chen Youliang.
Woman, you have successfully caught my attention.
Just as Emperor Hongwu admitted in "The Great Edict", "Because I was angry at Chen Youliang's repeated military campaigns, I took his concubine away." It was not just her beauty. Da successfully aroused his desire to conquer. He wanted to conquer this woman to vent his anger just like he conquered the country.
That night, on the "dragon bed" of Chen Youliang, Zhu Yuanzhang thought he had conquered her. The dual satisfaction of body and spirit made her the "favored concubine" of the Wu Palace. She was showered with love every night, and was diagnosed with pregnancy the next month.
Chen Youliang had been dead for seven months, and given her previous steadfastness, no one doubted the parentage of the child in her belly.
What's more, Chen Li, who was named Marquis of Cheng'en, always acted childishly, with rude words and deeds, and looked "young and ignorant". No one would have thought that Chen Li and her had been secretly having an affair for a long time.
She won the bet and gave birth to a son of Han Wang bloodline, Qi Wang Zhu Bo. During Chen Li's five years in Nanjing, she gave birth to Zhu Yuanzhang's son, Tan Wang Zhu Zi. With two sons by her side, she was named Ding Fei, and her position in the Ming Palace was consolidated. Chen Li secretly handed over the old power of the Han Wang Mansion to her.
Five years later, Chen Li was sent to Goryeo, and all political resources were in her hands. She began to plan revenge...
"Your Majesty, it's time for you to go to the emperor's bed." The palace maid quietly woke up Concubine Dading.
Concubine Da Ding put on a moon-white robe, plain and simple. Before leaving, she looked in the mirror to make sure her makeup was perfect before leaving the palace. She sat on the shoulder chair, glanced at the plaque of "Xianfu Palace", and said, "Let's go."
Concubine Da Ding didn't know that this was a dead end that led to her death. Because this time, her opponent was ahead of her. Just like she had planned to trap Empress Xiaoci, she set a trap and lured her into it.
Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Before going to bed, Emperor Hongwu gave her fine wine.
The green eyebrows are smoking, the hair is disheveled, the jade incense burner is emitting fragrance, the red candle flickers all night, and the candle drips tears until dawn.
After a short rest, it was already the fourth watch. Emperor Hongwu got up to attend the court. Concubine Dading struggled to get up and help him change his clothes. As soon as she sat up, she felt dizzy and nauseous.
Emperor Hongwu helped her lie down and said, "My beloved concubine may be tired, go back to sleep."
Concubine Da Ding felt more and more uncomfortable the more she slept. At dawn, she vomited continuously. The eunuchs in the Qianqing Palace called Ru Siyao.
Ru Siyao rushed over with a medicine box and just as she entered the Qianqing Palace, she met Hu Shanwei.
Hu Shanwei had not slept all night and her eyes were red. She invited Ru Siyao to a palace, but did not see Concubine Da Ding.
Ru Siyao asked, "Where is the patient?"
Hu Shanwei asked Ru Siyao to sit down and said, "The emperor gave Concubine Da Ding poisoned wine, there is no cure."
Ru Siyao is a skilled doctor. Poison wine is wine mixed with arsenic. Concubine Da Ding's symptoms of poisoning are obvious. She cannot deceive Ru Siyao, so it is better for her to confess in advance.
Ru Siyao had been in the palace for fourteen years and was used to seeing sudden changes in the palace. Hearing this, his eyebrows jumped, and then he calmed down. "If that's the case, why did you ask me to treat people?"
Hu Shanwei said, "Because the death of Concubine Da Ding is related to the stability of the Ming Dynasty, we need help to conceal her illness. Don't mention poisoning in the pulse record. Just say that she has a heart disease and her condition is serious."
Hu Shanwei took out a prescription and said, "Just follow the medicine above. Concubine Da Ding will be able to survive for five days after taking this medicine."
Ru Siyao refused to take the medicine. "I am a doctor first, and a court lady second. I will only save people in my life, not harm them. Either you don't let me treat her, or I will do my best to treat the patient. Even if I know she will die, I will not give up any possibility of saving her."
Hu Shanwei was puzzled and explained: "The death of Empress Xiaoci is related to Concubine Da Ding."
Ru Siyao thought for a moment and said, "You are Empress Xiaoci, and I am a doctor. We have different philosophies and cannot work together. Please ask Hu Siyan to find someone else."
After saying that, Ru Siyao actually left with the medicine box on her back!
Ji Gang outside hurriedly stopped her, and Ru Siyao shouted, "Get out of the way!"
Ji Gang didn't dare to let go, "Ru Siyao, I can't disobey your orders. I'm just a gatekeeper, please don't embarrass me."
In the palace, everyone has their own pursuits and cannot be forced. Hu Shanwei sighed in his heart, "Let Ru Siyao leave, and trouble Lord Ji to invite an imperial physician."
Anyway, all the seriously ill people in the palace would be carried to the Qianqing Palace and asked to come for consultation with the Imperial Medical Bureau. At this time, the fewer people who knew about it, the better, so Ji Gang simply invited the judge of the hospital.
In ancient China, there were two high-risk professions, both of which started with "Prince". One was the imperial physician, and the other was the prince. To be able to move from an imperial physician to a court judge was definitely not the one with the best medical skills, but the one with the strongest desire to survive.
When the judge heard Hu Shanwei talking about Concubine Da Ding's "illness", he didn't even raise an eyebrow. "I know what to do. The fewer people who know about this, the better. It's not appropriate to invite other doctors. I will live in the Qianqing Palace these days, checking Concubine Da Ding's condition day and night, and prescribing the right medicine. She will live as long as the emperor wants her to live."
The judge of the court examined the patient calmly and said that Concubine Da Ding had a heart disease. The judge's words were powerful and quite authoritative. When the news of Concubine Da Ding's critical illness came out, Emperor Hongwu ordered to recall the Prince of Qi who was enfeoffed in Qingzhou.
Zhongcui Palace.
Early in the morning, the female official Tongshi wrote the record of Concubine Da Ding's sleeping with the emperor in a book, including the time, place, what was eaten, what gifts were given before and after the sleeping, how many people served outside the bedroom, their names and official titles, what rewards were given, and other details.
According to the rules, the female official Tongshi also needs to present it to the queen and stamp it with the queen's seal to acknowledge that the sleeping companionship is legal and valid. According to the custom, the person who sleeps with the queen will be rewarded with jewelry and other items to express her gratitude for her hard work.
The sex life of the emperor and his concubines was open and transparent, with no privacy at all, in order to ensure the purity of the royal family's bloodline.
Now that Empress Xiaoci was gone, matters such as signing and stamping documents naturally fell to Concubine Guo Ning, who was in charge of the harem.
Concubine Guo Ning had a cold face and gave Concubine Da Ding a jade ruyi and stamped it with a golden seal.
Just as the female official Tongshi took away the stamped book and left, Madam Guo hurried over to "report the good news", saying that Concubine Da Ding could not get out of bed after sleeping with her.
Concubine Guo Ning raised her eyebrows, "Hmph, you are already old, but you are still imitating 'the maid helped up the weak and delicate, it is the beginning of the new grace', what a pretentious old vixen!"
Madam Guo quickly told the whole story, "He was sick. We first asked Dr. Ru to treat him, but she was not sure and did not dare to prescribe medicine. Then we asked the original judge of the Imperial Hospital, who diagnosed him with a heart disease."
When Concubine Guo Ning heard this "very pleasing" good news, she immediately turned from anger to joy, suppressed her inner ecstasy, and said: "Misfortunes often come with blessings, and blessings often come with misfortunes. Concubine Da Ding must be very happy to be the first to sleep with her, but happiness turns to sorrow. She must be so happy that she is sick."
Concubine Guo Ning wanted to be the first woman to sleep with Emperor Hongwu, thinking that this was in line with her status as the vice empress, so she bore a grudge against Concubine Da Ding.
Hu Shanwei had mixed feelings after hearing this, but he had to keep smiling, "Your Majesty is the head of the harem, you should be tolerant and not be jealous of someone like Concubine Da Ding."
"If you don't fight, you will get sick and ruin your health, and you will suffer a great loss." Concubine Guo Ning was in a very good mood and didn't care that Hu Shanwei criticized her for not being steady enough. "I can't follow in the footsteps of Concubine Ding. I need to be calm and not be surprised by praise or criticism. Only then can I last long."
Concubine Guo Ning felt that she had made a lot of progress. "Prepare the gifts. I will go to visit Concubine Da Ding."
Based on his understanding of his new boss, Hu Shanwei knew that Concubine Guo Ning's "visit" was well-intentioned? It was clearly to show off and annoy Concubine Da Ding, who was "overjoyed".
Concubine Guo Ning is not very scheming, and if something unexpected happens, it will be troublesome. Hu Shanwei said hurriedly: "The times are different now. Your Majesty is like the vice queen, and your status is noble. How can you condescend to visit Concubine Da Ding in person? I can visit on your behalf."
Concubine Guo Ning thought Hu Shanwei's words made sense, and nodded, "When Concubine Chengmu Sun was seriously ill, Empress Xiaoci condescended to visit her a few times. Concubine Da Ding is incomparable to Concubine Chengmu. I can't go, so I'll trouble Hu Siyan to go there."
Influenced by Hu Shanwei, Concubine Guo Ning now refers to Empress Xiaoci's words and deeds in almost everything, just like holding a book "Guide to Employment of Empress of the Ming Dynasty - From Preparation to Entry" and copying it. Although sometimes the copy is not correct, it is the most effective means.
Concubine Guo Ning had many shortcomings, but she had the advantages of "being able to correct her mistakes" and "being willing to accept advice", which made her gradually improve despite the unfavorable start. Even after the incident of Prince Lu's pills, Emperor Hongwu did not take away her power over the harem.
Hu Shanwei said, "Your Majesty is too polite. It is my duty to pass on your message and run errands for you."
Madam Guo prepared gifts, mostly health-preserving herbs such as ginseng and ganoderma lucidum, and asked Hu Shanwei to deliver them to the Qianqing Palace where Concubine Ding was recuperating.
After watching Hu Shanwei's back disappear through the palace gate, Madam Guo went back and said, "Your Majesty, Hu Siyan seems a little tired. When she returns from delivering the gifts, Your Majesty will ask her to go back and rest."
Concubine Guo Ning recalled Hu Shanwei's expression, "Really? Her makeup was exquisite, no different from usual."
Madam Guo said, "She is just hiding it with makeup. Eyes can't lie. I see there are bloodshot eyes. It must be because she has been working hard for the Madam these days. Her health is important. We can't let Hu Siyan get sick. We have a long way to go and we will all rely on Hu Siyan's help."
Madam Guo suggested sustainable development and not to keep fleecing Hu Shanwei until he was completely bald. Concubine Guo Ning agreed.
Hu Shanwei arrived at the west side hall of the Qianqing Palace. Since this was the emperor's bedroom, none of the palace maids of Concubine Da Ding in the Xianfu Palace could intervene. Only an old maid was by her side.
Hearing that Hu Shanwei had arrived, Concubine Da Ding struggled to get up and said, "This is a gift from Concubine Ning. I'm sorry that I'm weak and can't go over to thank you."
At this time, Concubine Dading's face was pale, her lips were blue, and she looked sick, but she seemed to look even worse than before.
She looked as weak and harmless as a little rabbit. If there was no evidence in hand, who would know that she was the murderer of Empress Xiaoci
Killing someone means paying with your life.
Hu Shanwei used to have some sympathy for Concubine Ding's experience, but he was confused by the smoke released by Concubine Ding and repeatedly went in the wrong direction, which led to Empress Xiaoci being plotted against one after another, and her body and mind suffered a double blow...
When Hu Shanwei thought of the sadness that Empress Xiaoci took life and death lightly before her death, her heart ached. She was not Ru Siyao who cured diseases and saved lives. At this moment, she hoped that Concubine Da Ding would suffer more from the pain of the illness. If you want revenge, go find Emperor Hongwu. Why hurt innocent people
Hu Shanwei didn't want to reveal his thoughts, so he lowered his head slightly and said, "It won't be too late to thank you after your majesty recovers."
Hu Shanwei delivered the gift and returned to Xianfu Palace. Concubine Guo Ning asked her to go to rest. Hu Shanwei lied and said, "I dreamed of Empress Xiaoci last night. The dream was intermittent. After waking up, I felt very tired, as if I had not slept all night. I think it might be Empress Xiaoci who came to me in the dream. I want to go to Xiaoling Mausoleum today to feed the deer and clean the shrine."
Just now, the Imperial Hospital sent a message saying that the Prince of Lu's erysipelas has been almost cured, and he has been sent to the East Fifth Hospital for recuperation. This is good news again. Concubine Guo Ning is in high spirits today. "You go and burn a stick of incense for Empress Xiaoci on my behalf."
Hu Shanwei was about to go to the Shangyi Bureau to leave the palace. Shen Qionglian found out about it and wanted to go with him, saying that she wanted to paint a picture of a group of deer and look for inspiration at the Xiaoling Mausoleum.
In fact, Hu Shanwei understood that Prince Lu had finished his treatment and returned to the palace today, and Shen Qionglian wanted to avoid him, so he agreed to take her with him.
Cui Shangyi doted on Shen Qionglian the most, and would readily agree to her requests.
Hu Shanwei and Shen Qionglian left the palace together. There were many evergreen pine trees in the Xiaoling Mausoleum, so it was still lush and green in winter. After offering incense to Empress Xiaoci, Hu Shanwei took Shen Qionglian to feed the deer. To her surprise, Shen Qionglian was an excellent rider. She fed the deer and patted the horse while leading the fat deer around the Xiaoling Mausoleum.
Hu Shanwei was still thinking about the green peacocks that were "a pair of lilies and a pair of bases". Birds in the south could not stand the severe cold and had long been moved to greenhouses for breeding, so he went to the greenhouse to look for the old "bird".
When I got to the greenhouse, I heard a voice from a distance, "How do you two bachelors plan to live together for the rest of your lives? Why don't you want to get close to the wives I picked for you from thousands of miles away? If you can't lay eggs tomorrow spring, be careful or I'll make you into a pot of phoenix soup."
The author has something to say: You have to grab both palace fighting and love with both hands, and both hands must be strong.
There is a 100-point prize question tonight. The first reader to answer it correctly will get one star for the difficulty level (out of five).
This chapter describes Concubine Da Ding's beauty as "One smile brings spring to all things; one cry brings eternal sorrow. This scene belongs to her, this look belongs to her." It is a line from a movie.
The original words were said by the character played by Ge You, "One smile brings spring to all things, one cry brings eternal sorrow. This scene belongs to you, this look belongs to you."
Excuse me, who is this "you"
Gong Li
Leslie Cheung
Jiang Wen
Zhang Ziyi