When Emperor Hongwu wanted to kill people, no one could stop him.
For example, the Princess Lan of the King of Shu was gentle and virtuous. She had a good relationship with the King of Shu and his wife, and they had children and lived a happy life. Emperor Hongwu could find no reason to sentence such a daughter-in-law to death.
However, the Shu Wangfei Lan could not live without death, because she was not only the daughter of Lan Yu, but her mother-in-law was the Ninja Turtle Concubine Guo Huifei. Guo Huifei's biological father was Guo Zixing, and the Shu Wang issued an edict every year to worship this grandfather.
Therefore, when the Princess of Shu saw her father's skin, she knew what Emperor Hongwu meant. If she didn't die, the King of Shu and her son, whom she had named the Prince of Shu, would most likely be stripped of their titles or even placed under house arrest. The Princess of Shu chose to sacrifice herself.
In comparison, Mu Chun's uncle Feng Cheng is almost a miracle. Although he has lost his title and power, his whole family is still alive. Compared with his own uncle Feng Sheng, who only has a household registration booklet, it is already very good. There is no happiness without comparison.
Feng Cheng never imagined that the lives of his entire family were saved by his most hated nephew Mu Chun, with whom he unilaterally declared a breaking off relationship.
At the beginning, Feng Cheng took his nephew Mu Chun to Yunnan to support the Southern Expedition Army and fought side by side with his brother-in-law Mu Ying. Mu Ying "put aside past grudges" and led his troops to lift the siege of Kunming and rescued his brother-in-law Feng Cheng. Feng Cheng decided not to fight this brother-in-law again and advised his nephew Mu Chun to please Mu Ying:
"With the death of Empress Xiaoci, you have lost a great supporter. You are already 20 years old this year, and you are not young anymore. You should find a marriage with equal strength to help you in the future. In this southern expedition, your brother Mu Sheng performed well and has always been by Mu Ying's side. I have also fought side by side with Mu Sheng. To be honest, Mu Ying has a reason to favor your brother. He is an excellent young general, taciturn, and steady. He does not have the bad habits of being a dandy and careless person like you... You should know what is going on in your heart, don't you understand?"
Every word from his uncle was a sore spot for Mu Chun. It was a precise blow. Every word made Mu Chun want to hit someone. Sometimes relatives were easier to hurt than enemies. Moreover, in the name of "for your own good", Mu Chun immediately retorted without hesitation, making Feng Cheng so angry that he shouted:
"I reminded you with good intentions, but you thought I was getting in the way. Well, from now on, if I intervene in your affairs, I will call you uncle!"
From then on, Feng Cheng no longer paid attention to Mu Chun. He only showed up once at Mu Ying's funeral and politely said "My condolences" to Mu Chun.
Uncle Feng Sheng's family was wiped out, and Feng Cheng thought he was doomed: Although he had fought in many battles and made some contributions to the Ming Dynasty, he was still far behind Feng Sheng, the founding general. Even Feng Sheng was dead, what could he do? He was also desperate.
However, Mu Chun, considering his mother's early death and the bow given by Feng Cheng to his maternal grandfather Feng Guoyong, which transformed him from a troublemaker to a general guarding the frontier, wrote to Emperor Hongwu and begged him to spare the lives of his uncle's family.
Moreover, Mu Chun was a rough but meticulous person. He knew that Emperor Hongwu was suspicious and fickle. He was afraid that the emperor would change his mind halfway, so he sent the Jinyiwei to assassinate his uncle's family. Then he created the illusion that they were being robbed by bandits and simply sent his trusted confidant Shi Qianhu to escort them all the way.
On the way to be escorted by Shi Qianhu, the disheartened Feng Cheng sighed for a long time. When they arrived in Yunnan, Mu Chun settled his uncle in the Stone City of new immigrants and created a new household registration for their whole family, changing their names.
Feng Cheng opened the account card and asked, "My name is Ma Cheng?"
Mu Chun nodded, "The emperor secretly pardoned the death penalty, and my uncle's family was spared from being killed, but there can be no more Feng family members. From now on, the record of the Feng family in history books ends here. The surname of our ancestors, minus the two water radicals on the left, becomes Ma. The family tree must also be rewritten, and everything related to the Feng surname must be burned. The original identity of my uncle's family must not be known to the outside world, so as to prevent someone from falsely accusing my uncle of gathering the old members of the Feng family to rebel. Former relatives, friends, colleagues and subordinates should not be contacted anymore."
The Feng family was not physically dead, but its political and social status was dead. This was the biggest concession that Emperor Hongwu could make. After all, he still needed Muchun to stabilize the southwestern border and could not be distracted by his maternal family.
Feng Cheng put away the household note and led his family to bow to his nephew, "Thank you, Duke Qian, for saving my family. From now on, I will hide my identity in Yunnan and be self-sufficient. In order not to implicate Duke Qian, please don't come to look for my family in the future. I was originally the son of a farmer in Fengyang. Now I have returned to the countryside and escaped unscathed in the Great Purge. I am already very satisfied. In the future, I hope Duke Qian will take care of himself."
The relationship between the uncle and nephew has always been bad - only slightly better than that between father and son. Feng Cheng always took out his anger on his brother-in-law Mu Ying. Mu Ying couldn't beat his brother-in-law, so he took out his frustration on Mu Chun. Mu Chun was indirectly beaten by his uncle Feng Cheng. Due to filial piety, he couldn't beat his uncle, let alone his own father. When he was forced to do so, he could only cut himself with a knife. Therefore, Mu Chun was resentful of his uncle Feng Cheng.
However, Feng Cheng was able to stand up for Mu Chun at a critical moment in his life and give him a hand. So when Mu Chun saw his uncle's family in such a state of decline, not to mention keeping the title that his grandfather Feng Guo had earned with his life, he couldn't even keep his surname. Mu Chun felt a little reluctant and said:
"There is a long way to go. There may be opportunities to turn things around and restore the reputation of the Feng family. Uncle has changed his surname, but he is still my uncle. Uncle is old, so he should do less farming and take care of his health. Yunnan is my territory. As long as I don't leave Yunnan, I can ensure that my uncle's family has enough food and clothing. What's more, Princess Han in the capital also misses my uncle. There will be a long time in the future. Uncle, don't give up and enjoy your retirement here."
Feng Cheng had a daughter named Feng, who was Mu Chun's younger cousin. Two years ago, in the 24th year of Hongwu, she married Emperor Hongwu's 23rd son, Prince of Han Zhu Song. Ten months later, Princess Feng gave birth to a baby boy and named him Zhu Chong. As the eldest son, he would inherit the title of Prince of Han in the future.
Moreover, since the King of Han's fiefdom was in Liaodong, the Ming Dynasty, the Northern Yuan Dynasty, the Jurchens, and even the Goryeo Kingdom all attempted to get their hands on this land. There were wars all year round, and the Ming Dynasty had little control over the territory here. Once the King of Han was enfeoffed, he might be in danger of being taken hostage by foreign enemies.
Emperor Hongwu could not send King Han and his family to Liaodong, as that would be tantamount to sending their lives. So he built a palace for King Han in the capital, thinking that he would wait until Liaodong was stabilized before doing anything else. As a result, King Han became the only married prince living in the capital and never became a fiefdom.
Zhu Chong, the eldest son born to Princess Feng of Han, has half Feng family blood. When Zhu Chong grows up, he will inherit the title. He cannot let his maternal family continue to suffer injustice. The Feng family still has hope.
Mu Chun tried to comfort his uncle, and Feng Cheng felt relieved after hearing this. He said, "You want Princess Han to take good care of Chong'er. As a woman, don't get involved in outside affairs. She is married into the royal family and is a member of the Zhu family. Don't feel resentful towards the emperor because of us. Be a good daughter-in-law of the Zhu family and be filial to the emperor. Don't try to contact us, lest it bring disaster to her and Chong'er."
Mu Chun nodded and said, "My cousin knows everything."
From beginning to end, neither the uncle nor the nephew mentioned Duke Song Feng Sheng. The marriage relationship gave Feng Cheng hope, but it also pushed Feng Sheng's family into a dead end where they were sure to die.
Feng Sheng had two daughters. The eldest daughter married Duke Zheng Chang Mao, the eldest son of Chang Yuchun, the younger brother of Crown Princess Yiwen, the uncle of the emperor's second grandson Zhu Yunhuan, and the nephew of Duke Liang Lan Yu.
The second daughter married Zhu Su, the Prince of Zhou, and became the Princess of Zhou. The Prince of Zhou devoted himself to medicine and had no ambitions, but his elder brother was Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan, the most powerful vassal prince in the Ming Dynasty. The Hongwu Emperor was deeply afraid of this fourth son, so he detained the Prince of Yan's mansion, including the Prince of Yan's two sons and two daughters, in the capital.
Therefore, whether it was to reduce the influence of the princes' connections, to be wary of meritorious officials supporting Zhu Yunhuan as the crown prince, and to prevent old officials from becoming too powerful in the future to threaten the emperor, Feng Sheng had it all covered in all directions!
Therefore, Mu Chun was able to rescue his uncle Feng Cheng, but was unable to rescue his great-uncle Feng Sheng who had been cast into the "Lan Yu Party".
"Lan Yu'an" is a big basket, and anything can be put into it.
Even the family of the Crown Prince's nominal maternal grandfather, the Chang family of Duke Zheng, was destroyed overnight. Emperor Hongwu set a dead end for Duke Zheng Chang Mao:
Chang Mao tried to persuade Nahachu, a general of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, to surrender in Liaodong. Nahachu raised his glass and made a speech in Mongolian calling on everyone to drink. However, Chang Mao's men translated it and said that Nahachu wanted to escape. Chang Mao thought that Nahachu was going back on his word, so he turned against him and slashed at Nahachu with a knife. As a result, the army that had just surrendered Nahachu mutinied, and his surrender was in vain.
Emperor Hongwu questioned Chang Mao, who claimed that his subordinates had mistranslated the phrase, but his subordinates refused to admit it, saying that Chang Mao was shirking responsibility, as he had clearly translated "cheers". Emperor Hongwu used this to deprive Chang Mao of his military power and title, and executed all members of the Chang family. Even Feng, who had just escaped death in her father Feng Sheng's rebellion case because she was a married woman, was not spared this time. Marrying into the Chang family meant being a Chang family woman, and every loss was a loss.
The Duke Zheng’s Mansion, once the richest family in the Ming Dynasty and the maiden family of Crown Princess Yiwen, thus declined.
The Chang family had only one grandson named Chang Jizu, who mysteriously disappeared when the family was about to collapse. It was said that he was secretly sent out of the capital by a loyal servant, and even the Jinyiwei could not find the whereabouts of this child.
However, the most cruel family was not the Feng family, nor the Chang family, but the Fu family of Fu Youde, Duke of Ying.
This founding hero who led the Ming army in the southern expedition and once led two generals, Lan Yu and Mu Ying, to pacify the southwest, even had his youngest son, Fu Tianxi, killed in the southern expedition and his body was never found, leaving him with no trace, leaving him alone.
The eldest son Fu Zhong was the consort of Princess Shouchun, and the eldest daughter Fu married the Prince of Jin and became the Prince's Consort.
Although the whole family was loyal and brave, and had a double marriage relationship with the royal family, they were also classified as the "Blue Party". The Fu family, including the prince consort, was completely wiped out.
Only Princess Shouchun's son Fu Yan survived the purge - Emperor Hongwu would not kill his own grandson, so he pardoned Fu Yan and gave him the title of a thousand households of the Jinwu Guard, which was hereditary.
Lan Yu, Feng Sheng, Chang Mao, and Fu Youde were all dukes, and all of them were relatives of the royal family. Their families produced crown princesses, prince consorts, and princesses, yet they still suffered such a miserable outcome. All forces inside and outside the court were uprooted. The other twelve marquises, two earls, and more than 15,000 civil and military officials, especially the military officers, fell one after another like leeks being cut, without mercy.
Emperor Hongwu was like a chef at a restaurant called "Are You Dead?" that specialized in boxed lunches. He mass-produced boxed lunches and delivered them to customers on time, rain or shine, and contracted the lunches for the customer's entire family.
It can be said that since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, almost all famous veteran generals died in the Lan Yu case. In order to consolidate the throne of the crown prince Zhu Yunwen, prevent his achievements from becoming too great, and serve as a warning to the princes guarding various places, Emperor Hongwu ruthlessly killed countless generals who had followed him in his battles.
Among them, only three veterans survived, and they were all related to Mu Chun and Hu Shanwei.
The first one is the Guo family of Hu Shanwei's old boss, Concubine Duanjing Guo. Fortunately, the eldest brother Guo Xing died before the Lan Yu case broke out. The second brother Wuding Hou Guo Ying (the archer who shot through the eyes of Han King Chen Youliang)'s eldest son Guo Zhen was a son-in-law, and the youngest daughter was the Princess of Ying. Logically, she should be the first person to be purged.
However, whether it was because of his trust in the Guo family or because he felt guilty about the deaths of Prince Luhuang and Concubine Duanjing, when someone falsely accused Guo Ying of being a member of the "Lan Yu Party", Emperor Hongwu gave Guo Ying a fair trial, found him not guilty, and let the Guo family go.
The second one was Hu Shanwei’s old boss, Consort Duanjing Guo…’s relative, the father-in-law of King Luhuang, Duke Xin, Tang He.
Yes, among the ten great contributors to the founding of the Ming Dynasty, he was the only one still alive. Before the Lan Yu case broke out, he sensed the storm was coming, so he resigned and returned to his countryside in Fengyang to retire.
But simply resigning from office and giving up the power to dispatch troops was not enough. Before returning to Fengyang, Tang He, the old fox, divided up his property and sent his more than 100 concubines out of the house! He gave each of them enough money, and those who wanted to remarry did so, and those who wanted to remain single did so, and he set the concubines free.
After returning to Fengyang, Tang He immediately "fell ill". It was said that he had suffered a stroke. He could not speak and his expression was dull. Emperor Hongwu did not believe it at first and summoned Tang He. Tang He was carried into the palace. No matter what Emperor Hongwu said, he "answered" like a mute. Apart from that, he just kept crying and kowtowing.
Seeing that the famous general was so "sick" that he couldn't even take care of himself, let alone rebel. The hard-hearted Emperor Hongwu couldn't help but soften his heart and let Tang He and his entire family go.
The previous dynasty was filled with blood and gore, with countless families dying one after another. However, the harem was ruled by two strong-handed figures, Concubine Cui Shufei and Hu Shanwei and Palace Shang Gong, who were as calm as a mountain and without any ripples.
Shen Qionglian and Hu Shanwei, who were in charge of the Shangyi Bureau, couldn't help but sigh for King Luhuang when they talked about this: "This useless good man is really unlucky. Both his uncle Guo's family and his father-in-law Tang's family escaped from the storm unscathed. If King Luhuang hadn't been tinkering with alchemy and cultivating immortality, he might be the most blessed prince in the Ming Dynasty now. He could win without even lying down."
However, Hu Shanwei, who had seen through everything, disagreed and said, "You have misunderstood the cause and effect. It was because King Luhuang was refining pills and cultivating immortality that he ate himself to death early, so the Guo and Tang families were able to survive."
"Otherwise, once Consort Duan Jing is crowned as the queen, Prince Luhuang is the only legitimate son. Previously, Prince Yiwen was in his prime, so it was not too bad. Now the crown prince has not even married a wife. Facing Prince Luhuang, the only legitimate uncle, the emperor will not kill his own son, but will uproot the Guo and Tang families and cut off Prince Luhuang's 'hands and feet' to prevent future troubles. The Guo and Tang families should be thankful that Prince Luhuang died early, otherwise they would be the ones to die."
Hu Shanwei's opinion was very sharp. Shen Qionglian thought about it and was very impressed. Her eyes showed a look of world-weariness. "Sometimes I think that life is quite boring. We will die sooner or later. It would be better to die earlier. Look at the first meritorious minister of the founding of the country, King Zhongshan Xu Da, who died in the same year as Empress Xiaoci. Everyone lamented that he died early. But because he died early, the Duke of Wei's Mansion had three princesses, and the eldest daughter was the princess of the Prince of Yan, who the emperor feared the most. The second Duke of Wei, Xu Huizu, held a large army, but the Xu family was still fine. It can be seen that if this person is lucky, he will die at the right time."
Shen Qionglian's views are different and unique, but they are well-thought-out and logical. Hu Shanwei also admires Shen Qionglian. The two of them flatter each other, "It's a coincidence that living longer is worse than dying."
The two looked at each other and smiled bitterly. Shen Qionglian said, "I will take a leave tomorrow and leave the palace."
Hu Shanwei looked as if he understood everything. "I know. Go quickly and come back quickly. Collect the bodies of the Shen family and return to the palace quickly to avoid being criticized."
The Shen family is Shen Qionglian's relative within the fifth degree of mourning. They are all descendants of Shen Wanshan, the richest man in the Yuan Dynasty. They are the richest and most powerful branch of the Shen family.
In any dynasty, if one wanted to expand the business, one had to find a backer in the officialdom. This branch of the Shen family found the most powerful Duke of Liang, Lan Yu. The Shen family had previously hired a Jinshi named Wang Xing as a tutor at a high salary. Later, Wang Xing entered the Duke of Liang's mansion as a tutor and acted as a matchmaker.
The Shen family was rich and the Lan family was powerful, so they hit it off immediately. When Duke Lan Yu of Liang fell, he was really "dead". All families related to the Lan family were dragged into the hell. The Shen family was a big merchant and was a big piece of fat meat. Several other branches of the Shen family were also involved. Only Shen Qionglian was pardoned as an exception because she was a female official in the harem and was trusted by Emperor Hongwu and Concubine Cui. She was not killed.
Shen Qionglian will leave the palace tomorrow to collect the bodies of the Shen family members who were involved in the Lan Yu case and were executed. After all, they are relatives within the five degrees of mourning, and she can't let them end up in a mass grave.
It is better to have someone above you than to guard a mountain of gold. This has been the truth since ancient times.
The Shen family never thought that the lives of the entire family were saved by their daughter who only knew how to read. If it weren't for Shen Qionglian's face, how could Emperor Hongwu let go of a mere merchant.
Among the three families that survived the disaster, the first two were related to King Luhuang, and the last one was related to Muchun.
Geng Bingwen, a founding general and Marquis of Changxing, had a daughter named Geng who was the second wife of Mu Ying, Prince of Zhaojing. After Mu Ying's death, Geng was canonized as the Grand Lady of the Duke of Qian, a lady of the highest rank, so Mu Chun had to call Geng Bingwen "grandfather".
Perhaps because of his deceased godson Mu Ying, Emperor Hongwu not only did not touch Geng Bingwen, but also appointed high-ranking officials to all of Geng Bingwen's three sons.
More importantly, Emperor Hongwu married Zhu Biao's eldest daughter, Princess Jiangdu, who was also the elder sister of the Crown Prince Zhu Yunwen, to Geng Bingwen's eldest son Geng Xuan.
Because Geng Xuan married the Princess of Jiangdu, the Changxin Marquis's Mansion fell apart when other noble families in the capital fell apart. However, the Geng family stood out and married the Crown Prince Zhu Yunwen, becoming the largest and most powerful family in the capital and enjoying great glory for a time.
In this huge capital city of fame and fortune, you take the stage every time.
Emperor Hongwu killed almost all the respected veteran generals, leaving only Geng Bingwen, who was absolutely loyal to the Crown Prince Zhu Yunwen. This was equivalent to pulling out all the thorns on the scepter to ensure the safety of future successions of imperial power.
In addition, Emperor Hongwu detained all the princes of the vassal states in the capital for study and education (as hostages), which was equivalent to adding double insurance. At that time, the crown prince would surely be able to ascend the throne smoothly.
Two and a half years later, in the spring of the 28th year of Emperor Hongwu's reign, all those who should be killed had been killed, the purge came to an end, peace returned to the capital, and the smell of blood that permeated the air finally disappeared.
Muchun's 27-month mourning period is approaching, and she will soon be free from mourning. Hu Shanwei has also completed his mission - cooperating with Concubine Cui Shufei to maintain the stability of the harem during the great purge.
Having learned the lesson from last time, Hu Shanwei did not dare to delay for a day. Thinking that the time was ripe, he immediately resigned to Emperor Hongwu.
Emperor Hongwu said: "My words are golden and I will not break them. I will give you one last task. After you complete it, you can leave the palace."
Hu Shanwei was overjoyed and asked, "What's the matter?"
Emperor Hongwu pointed to the main hall of the imperial palace, where the emperor's sons and grandsons, as well as many princes' sons, studied:
"My grandchildren have all reached the age of marriage, especially the Crown Prince. I need to choose a Crown Princess for him to be a good wife - preferably someone like Empress Xiaoci, who will be the mother of the country in the future. Who in this palace knows Empress Xiaoci better than Consort Hu? Therefore, I will leave the selection of the imperial concubines to you, and choose the Crown Princess and the Crown Princes' Consorts of each vassal state."
Hu Shanwei thought, this is not difficult, it's just an exam anyway. First, people will be screened based on appearance and body shape, and then there will be a big test, just like the imperial examination. The top scorer will be the Crown Prince's Consort, and the rest will be assigned according to the ages of the princes' sons. It is absolutely fair and just.
Hu Shanwei said: "I respect your order."
Emperor Hongwu waved his hand and said, "This selection is different from the previous ones. In the past, the royal family only considered family background when they arranged marriages. Now the rules have changed. I don't want to choose my concubine only from among the noble ministers—"
Hu Shanwei secretly complained: That's because you have killed almost all the noble ministers! I can't choose many even if I want to.
Emperor Hongwu said: "This time, I will select women from the common people and marry them into the imperial family. I will select women from the common people who are virtuous and have the opportunity to become the crown prince's concubines as long as they come from a good family. They don't have to come from a noble family like before."
The author has something to say: Gonghoujia: Thank you!
Tang He's trick was very effective. Someone used the same trick later to deceive Zhu Yunwen. Hahahaha, history always repeats itself, but those who are involved are confused and always get fooled again and again.
I will send 100 red packets tonight. I wish you all a happy weekend.
In addition, I would like to thank the reader kokoyi for his comment. I used your stalk in this chapter and gave you a 100-point red envelope: "Hu Shanwei" Rating: 2 Published: 2019-03-16 02:40:00 Reviewed chapter: 144
Hongwu Yongle and his son are good at running lunch box business: Are they dead