In fact, Concubine Guo should have been crowned queen long ago.
Diligence can make up for lack of talent. Guo's hard work in the past six years continued the style of Empress Xiaoci when she was alive, which was to use six bureaus and one department to balance the power in the palace and delegate power. The harem returned to peace after experiencing severe turmoil. No matter in the harem or the front dynasty, everyone regarded her as the uncrowned queen and gave her respect.
No one wants to have people die all the time.
Concubine Guo came from a good family, had a powerful family background, and was full of loyal and brave people. She was mediocre in talent but good at accepting advice and kind to others. She was generally okay, and her minor flaws made her look funny and lively, and were harmless.
She was not as perfect as Empress Xiaoci, and she never thought of reaching or surpassing her. She often said with a smile, "I would be satisfied if I could learn even a little bit of Empress Xiaoci's skills in this lifetime."
Guo's frank, friendly and down-to-earth performance reversed Emperor Hongwu's initial disapproval of her. She was not perfect, but so real, and did not deliberately hide her desires and thoughts. In addition, the entire Guo family's contributions and loyalty to the Ming Dynasty made Emperor Hongwu feel safe.
For an emperor, what could be more important than a sense of security? With Concubine Guo in charge of the harem, Emperor Hongwu devoted all his energy to court and state affairs. When he returned to the harem, he could sleep peacefully without worrying about a fire in the backyard. It was really rare.
If a country does not have a queen, many sacrificial activities and rituals such as summoning ladies of honor will have to be cancelled, such as the Silkworm Ceremony that encourages agriculture and sericulture, the ladies of honor paying homage during the three major palace festivals that symbolize the majesty of the royal family, etc.
Not to mention that the queen also plays a role in balancing the court. The power of the mother of a country cannot be underestimated. She is also a helper to the emperor in governing the country.
Therefore, no matter how reluctant Emperor Hongwu was to part with Empress Xiaoci, he had to look forward and promote Concubine Guo to be the next empress. To this end, he ordered the renovation of the dilapidated Kunning Palace six years ago in preparation for welcoming the new owner to move in.
But six years have passed and Guo is still the imperial concubine. Why
You may not believe it, but the reason is so simple that it is difficult to implement - because Kunning Palace has not been repaired.
Why hasn’t it been fixed in six years
This is really a case of a child without a mother. It's a long story, and it's all due to objective reasons. After all, this is a palace, and no developer would dare to build an unfinished building.
In the past, the capitals and imperial palaces of various dynasties were basically built in regular square shapes, but the city of Nanjing is a twisted, irregular polyhedron, and so is the imperial palace. It is not even on the central axis of the city.
This is not because of the Hongwu Emperor's aesthetic taste. When Hongwu Emperor chose the site for the imperial palace, he followed the geomancy and astrology. If you were a bird flying in the sky, you would find that the walls of Nanjing's outer city, which were built along the mountains, are connected together, just like the astrological lines of the Big Dipper and the Southern Dipper!
The Northern Dipper and the Southern Dipper have a total of thirteen stars, which correspond to the thirteen gates of the Nanjing city wall. The imperial palace is located on Ziwei Heng, which symbolizes the emperor star. The sky and the earth, the terrain and the stars, achieve the unity of heaven and man.
Now the question is, according to the measurement results of astronomical phenomena, the location corresponding to Nanjing City and Ziwei Heng is Yanque Lake... a lake.
Emperor Hongwu was a ruthless man. He was the Son of Heaven, so he had to live in a place that corresponded to Ziwei Heng. What was a lake? He just had to fill it up!
The heroic founder of a nation dared to turn the vast oceans into mulberry fields.
The city of Nanjing began the most arduous project in history of filling a lake to build an imperial palace. One by one, towering ancient trees were cut down from the primeval forests of Yunnan, thousands of miles away, thrown into the Yangtze River, and flowed down to Nanjing. They were then dragged in and inserted into the mud at the bottom of the lake to build the foundation together with stones.
After the completion of the palace, the first ten years were fine. However, since the death of Empress Xiaoci in the 17th year of Hongwu, the shortcomings of filling the lake to create land were gradually exposed. The terrain of the palace sank and collapsed every year, forming a terrain with high sides and low middle. The ground filled with wood and stone strips could not withstand the erosion of time.
Once heavy rains occurred, water would accumulate in the harem imperial city located in the middle. Due to the high terrain around it, the accumulated water was difficult to drain, and the foundation was soaked in water, collapsing faster.
If the foundation collapses and deforms, the house above will be twisted and deformed, or even collapse. Three years ago, Kunning Palace was renovated and Concubine Guo was about to be crowned as the queen and move in. At this critical moment, Kunning Palace had many sinkholes and deep pits, and beams and pillars tilted on a stormy night.
An eunuch who was on duty in the middle of the night heard the noise and went in to check what was going on. Suddenly, a black hole opened up under his feet and the eunuch fell in. The pit was too deep, there were loud thunder and heavy rain, which drowned out the eunuch's cries for help. As a result, the eunuch drowned in it!
Because someone died, the newly built Kunning Palace had to be renovated and rebuilt again. The matter of Concubine Guo being crowned as queen had to be put on hold until the foundation and houses of Kunning Palace were repaired.
Everyone felt sorry for Concubine Guo, but she did not care. She ordered people to bury the eunuch properly and suspended the restoration project of Kunning Palace. She asked the craftsmen to first check the houses and foundations of the six east and west palaces and the five east and west buildings. If they found any holes or tilted beams, they had to find ways to repair them immediately to avoid any more accidents.
You wouldn't know until you check. Once you check, you'll be shocked to find that there are more than a dozen black hole traps of various sizes in the palace. Once they encounter bad weather such as heavy rain, they will be soaked in stagnant water. If passers-by step on them, they will instantly disappear into the collapsed hole.
Concubine Guo's action was praised by the previous dynasty and the harem. The female tutor Shen Qionglian wrote a poem as a commemoration. Even Emperor Hongwu, who rarely praised others, praised his beloved concubine for her selfless behavior, saying that the concubine had a compassionate heart and great love, which was the mind of a mother of a country.
In fact, it was very common for empresses and concubines in all dynasties to have such kind intentions and actions, but Concubine Guo had made too many stupid moves before, which led to people having extremely low expectations of her and thinking that she would be killed by her own actions sooner or later. However, Concubine Guo went to the Xiaoling Mausoleum to "visit Hu Shanwei's cottage" and invited him back to the harem, and the bad cards in her hand instantly turned into a royal flush.
The smaller the hope, the lower the standard, the greater the surprise.
How people used to be pessimistic about Concubine Guo, so disgusting!
Now I like Concubine Guo so much, she is so fragrant!
Concubine Guo said frankly: "I was shocked to hear that something happened in Kunning Palace. I wondered what Empress Xiaoci would do if she were still alive. She would definitely not feel sorry for the disaster that happened to her residence. Empress Xiaoci must care about people, so I ordered the craftsmen to check the harem and not to rush to repair Kunning Palace."
When mentioning his first wife, Empress Xiaoci, Emperor Hongwu could not help sighing and somewhat transferred some of his affection to Concubine Guo. He stayed in Zhongcui Palace that night and set up the bedroom as a guard house to compensate Concubine Guo.
This year, the Hongwu Emperor was 61 years old and in good health, as evidenced by the several newborns in the palace. Concubine Guo was 45 years old, and the passion of middle-aged people was like an old house on fire, which was out of control.
From then on, Emperor Hongwu respected Concubine Guo even more, and the harem regarded her as the empress. When Kunning Palace was rebuilt, Concubine Guo would be crowned as the empress.
Cao Shang Gong, Fan Gong Zheng and others all thought that it was Hu Shanwei who suggested Concubine Guo to do this. From then on, Concubine Guo's position was as solid as a rock.
But Hu Shanwei denied it again and again, "It wasn't me, I didn't say that, don't talk nonsense."
"I really didn't mention it. It was all Concubine Guo's own idea. She reads the "Diary of Empress Xiaoci" almost every day. It records in detail the words and deeds of Empress Xiaoci during her 17 years in office. At the beginning, she really imitated it and pretended to be virtuous. After pretending for a long time, it became true. Concubine Guo is no longer the same as before. She no longer needs me to ring the alarm bell and give her advice every day."
Another three years passed, and now it is the 25th year of Hongwu. During this period, another woman in the harem was promoted - Concubine Lu of the Eastern Palace was promoted to the Crown Princess.
When the Crown Prince's original wife, Princess Chang, died, the Crown Prince was only in his early thirties. Everyone thought that the Crown Prince would marry another lady from a prominent family. However, the Crown Prince and Concubine Lu had a harmonious relationship and a deep affection. Concubine Lu gave birth to three sons and three daughters, and expanded the Eastern Palace. The Crown Prince did not remarry and asked Emperor Hongwu to make Concubine Lu his legal wife.
Concubine Lu came from an ordinary scholarly family with no prominent family influence. Emperor Hongwu felt that the gentle and low-key Lu was more suitable for the soft-hearted prince than the noble lady from a military family with a large number of troops. So he agreed to the prince's request and made Lu his successor consort.
Cui Shangyi presided over the ceremony of enthroning Lu, and Hu Shanwei and Shen Qionglian handed the golden book symbolizing the identity of the Crown Princess to Lu. The golden book was made of one hundred taels of pure gold (about six pounds today), and the two leaves were connected by red silk ribbons and wrapped with red silk pins.
With Lu's enthronement, the Eastern Palace had a new owner, and the Kunning Palace's foundation and buildings were rebuilt and everything was ready. Everyone thought that the next person to be enthroned would be Concubine Guo, and the Shangyi Bureau had even begun preparing for the ceremony of her coronation.
However, something happened that caught everyone off guard - Prince Lu, in his early twenties, went blind and died after swallowing an elixir.
Hu Shanwei asked for a meeting in the middle of the night. Concubine Guo was so immersed in the joy of being crowned queen that she was unaware of the tragedy. She did not get up, but lay half-lying on the bed, waiting for Hu Shanwei's reply and then went back to sleep. Ever since she fainted briefly from ecstasy six years ago, Concubine Guo has been paying attention to cherishing her blessings and maintaining her health. In the past six years, her appearance has not changed and she has not shown any signs of aging. It is impossible for her to stay up late.
"What's the matter? It's the middle of the night and the weather is still so cold. Bring Hu Siyan a bowl of soup to warm his stomach."
Now Concubine Guo knows how to care for others.
The more Concubine Guo said this, the sadder Hu Shanwei became. Seeing that Liu Siyao had already come in with the medicine box, he could only say, "An urgent report came from the Prince of Lu's Mansion in Yanzhou. Prince of Lu Zhu Tan died three days ago after taking the elixir."
The bedroom was silent, and one could almost hear the sound of snow falling outside the window.
After a while, Concubine Guo got out of bed barefoot and held Hu Shanwei's hand tightly, "I am dreaming, am I not? Come on, pinch me, or -"
Concubine Guo raised Hu Shanwei's hand high and slapped her face hard. It hurt with a "slap" sound.
Concubine Guo still didn't believe it, so she raised Hu Shanwei's hand again and said, "Hit me again until I wake up, and I will forgive you."
At this time, Emperor Hongwu also rushed over from the palace of a concubine in the Western Six Palaces after hearing the news. He was 64 years old, and the older he got, the more he liked fresh and tender bodies. In order to prevent future troubles like Concubine Da Ding, most of the women he favored were tribute girls from Goryeo, who had no roots or threats, and could not even speak the language, so they could not cause any trouble.
In the past three years, he has had three more sons.
Upon hearing the bad news, Emperor Hongwu pushed away the Korean tribute girl with skin as smooth as moss in his arms and came to Zhongcui Palace, just in time to see Concubine Guo asking Hu Shanwei to slap her.
Hu Shanwei helped Concubine Guo sit on the bed, and the palace maid hurried her to put on her shoes and socks, "This is true, your Majesty, please accept my condolences."
Liu Siyan had already dissolved a pill and fed it to Concubine Guo.
When Concubine Guo saw Emperor Hongwu coming in, she pushed Liu Siyan aside, and with only one shoe on, she ran over and threw herself into the arms of Emperor Hongwu and cried, "Your Majesty, Hu Siyan said that our son is dead. This is nonsense. Your Majesty, please tell me quickly that this is not true. Tan'er is only in his early twenties. He is still a child. We are not dead yet, how dare he die?"
Emperor Hongwu aged a year overnight. Prince Lu had been a naughty child since he was young, but he was his biological son, so no matter how naughty he was, he would still love him. Moreover, Prince Lu, like his biological mother, Concubine Guo, had a bunch of minor flaws, but no major ones. He never fought for power or profit, and had no evil intentions just because his uncle's family was powerful.
Prince Lu was generally a kind and filial child, except for his habit of taking elixirs, which was caused by someone deliberately luring him into taking elixirs when he was still a minor, around thirteen or fourteen years old.
Emperor Hongwu felt the pain of Concubine Guo. As the old man sent the young one away, he hugged Concubine Guo tightly and said, "It's all true. Tan'er is gone. This naughty kid had his old illness again. He tried to make an elixir by himself and ate himself to death. My daughter-in-law Tang sent someone to inform us and discuss how to handle Tan'er's funeral. You have to be strong and perform a few rituals for him to pray for his salvation. Don't be so confused in the next life."
After hearing what her husband said, Concubine Guo finally accepted the reality. She buried her head in the arms of Emperor Hongwu and sobbed, "Tan'er left too early. The coffin and the location of the tomb are not prepared. As a mother, I am in the harem and cannot leave for Yanzhou. The person I trust most is Hu Siyan. Let her go to the Prince of Lu's mansion to help with Tan'er's funeral and don't let him be without a home in the underworld."
According to the rules, the funeral of the prince was to be handled by the Ministry of Clan Affairs and the Ministry of Rites, and the palace ladies were not to participate. However, the grief-stricken Concubine Guo made such a request, and Emperor Hongwu could not bear to refuse, and said: "Okay, I approve it."
The Zongrenfu was a department specifically responsible for managing all matters related to royal family members from cradle to grave, including weddings and funerals. Crown Prince Zhu Biao was the Zongrenfu's director. When his younger brother died, he was the eldest brother and also the Zongrenfu's director. Of course, he had to go to the Lu Wang Mansion in Yanzhou to handle the funeral, which was his duty.
The Ministry of Rites selected a young assistant minister to go to Yanzhou. His name was Huang Zicheng, a native of Jiangxi Province. He ranked third in the first class of the imperial examination in the 18th year of Hongwu and was chosen by Emperor Hongwu as the third place.
The prince had the most important status, and he served as the chairman of the funeral committee for Prince Lu. Huang Zicheng, the third place in the imperial examination and the Minister of Rites, and Hu Shanwei, the Secretary of the Shanggong Bureau, assisted the prince.
It was time to set off as soon as the palace gate opened at dawn. Concubine Guo took sedatives and fell asleep crying, but she still held Hu Shanwei's hand in her sleep and refused to let go. Hu Shanwei had no choice but to let her go and sit beside her and wait until Concubine fell asleep before leaving.
The bedroom was quiet again, and Concubine Guo's breathing gradually stabilized. Hu Shanwei quietly pulled out her left hand, but Concubine Guo grabbed her again. Hu Shanwei was shocked: Concubine Guo was looking at her with her eyes open, her gaze was clear, and she looked like she was asleep!
Concubine Guo covered her mouth and whispered, "Just now I was 50% sad and 50% was pretending, otherwise the emperor would not agree to my request. Hu Siyan, don't tell anyone. I will give you a task to find out the truth about Tan'er's death. There were thousands of people who swallowed the pills, why did Tan'er die at such a young age?"
"No matter what the result is, whether it was accidental ingestion or poisoning, I accept it. I believe in the results of your investigation. I only have one son, and the only result I am not satisfied with is that my son died in an unclear manner."
After saying this, Concubine Guo got up from the bed, straightened her clothes, and knelt on the ground, "Please help Hu Siyan, so that my son can be a wise ghost."
The author has something to say: In last night's chapter, a reader used strict logic and sufficient evidence to deduce the real murderer. Applause. I really want to send her the keyboard and ask her to help me write an update. It's exactly what I thought~
The Ming Dynasty city wall and the imperial city correspond to the Big Dipper, the Southern Dipper and the Ziwei Heng. There are comparison pictures in my Weibo account "Mulanzhou". If you are interested, you can take a look.
Send 100 red packets tonight, begging for nutrient solution~