Ever since the Crown Prince opened his own residence in the palace and Emperor Hongwu established the Chancellery for him, the mother and son seldom had long conversations as they did before and the relationship became more and more distant.
It's very simple. The Crown Prince's sights have long gone beyond the small world of the palace. His mother's experience in palace fighting and political literacy have long been unable to keep up with her son. The Crown Prince is facing more complex and intense challenges, and as a mother, the Crown Princess can neither help him nor provide useful advice.
The Crown Prince would rather communicate with Hu Shanwei and keep silent about the troubles he encountered with his mother.
The more distant they become, the more the Crown Princess wants to hold on tighter. She orders the maidservant beside the Crown Prince to pass on the message, and the latent conflict between mother and son begins to surface.
The Crown Princess did not think that there was a problem with the relationship between mother and son. She thought that it was Hu Shanwei who instigated them. Similarly, she also knew who she would rely on for life, and she did not dare to plant an espionage to anger her son. However, Hu Shanwei was different...
To put it nicely, she was a palace lady, a female official of the fifth rank. To put it bluntly, she was just a housekeeper who dared to alienate the relationship between the mother and son of the host family.
Suddenly, a rumor spread in the palace: Concubine Hu and Jinyiwei Captain Ji Gang were having an affair.
And the story became more and more fantastic, with details and evidence. It was said that in the first year after Hu Shanggong entered the palace, during the New Year, according to the old palace custom of throwing the door bolt "dropping a thousand gold coins", Hu Shanggong threw it onto the roof in one breath and broke a piece of bright yellow glazed tile.
It was Ji Gang who climbed to the roof, picked up the door bolt, and repaired the tiles at the same time. However, due to his lack of experience, the tiles kept being peeled off, and the young boy Ji Gang fell through the roof and finally climbed out from Hu Shanggong's bed.
Also, during Empress Xiaoci's silkworm-feeding ceremony, the silkworm mother was assassinated. Concubine Hu fought with the silkworm mother in the silkworm room, and the guards indiscriminately shot arrows into the room. Finally, Ji Gang arrived, ordered the guards to stop shooting arrows, and went to the silkworm room to carry out Concubine Hu, whose back was covered in blood.
In addition, whenever Hu Shanggong went on a business trip, the guard beside her was Ji Gang, and the two of them kissed each other on the road...
The rumor gradually spread, and after a few days it became known that Hu Shang Gong was no longer a virgin. In the afternoon, the rumor became even worse, saying that Hu Shang Gong had had several abortions while out of the palace.
Hu Shanwei suddenly had a lover and several fetuses that he had never met.
Haitang was so angry that she jumped up and down: "How can the reputation of a palace lady be ruined like this? It's too much. Those who gossip about me behind my back deserve to have their tongues pulled out!"
Hu Shanwei calmly wrote the letter, "Don't be angry. If you are angry, your mind will be confused and you will make mistakes. I have asked the people from Gongzhengsi to investigate the person who spread the rumor. We must believe in Fan Gongzheng's ability. There is no storm that she cannot calm down."
Haitang said, "Rumors are scary. Shang Gong should not underestimate the enemy. These rumors are obviously carefully planned. The first part is all facts, and the latter part is malicious speculation, half true and half false. Moreover, the private affairs between men and women are the easiest to spread rumors. It is obvious that someone is plotting against Shang Gong Hu behind the scenes."
Hu Shanwei put down his pen and looked at Haitang with a gratified look as if his daughter had grown up. "Your analysis is correct. People rarely believe things that are either really true or really false. Half-truths are the most deceptive. You think it's a rumor, but many people take it seriously."
Haitang said, "Empress Hu has been in the palace for fifteen years, and there have never been such romantic rumors. That was back then—"
Haitang stopped.
Hu Shanwei looked at her and said, "Go on, I'm not angry."
Haitang said stiffly, "That was when Consort Hu mourned for Empress Xiaoci for a year, and then Imperial Consort Duanjing Guo was invited to the palace to take charge. The Emperor missed Empress Xiaoci, and once you spent almost the entire night in the Qianqing Palace talking about Empress Xiaoci's past. There were rumors at the time that the Emperor had transferred his affection to Consort Hu because of his longing for his deceased wife, and Imperial Consort Duanjing invited you back to the palace to consolidate his favor."
In the blink of an eye, Hu Shanwei had two more rumored male protagonists.
In fact, it was said that Empress Xiaoci was found out by Hu Shanwei in the middle of the night because he found out the real murderer who had harmed the Empress time and time again, Concubine Da Ding, and suspected that Concubine Da Ding's first son was actually named Chen.
It is indeed easy for outsiders to think wrongly. Fortunately, the few parties who knew the truth were Emperor Hongwu, Mao Xiang and others, otherwise there would be no way to defend themselves.
Hu Shanwei sneered, "The rumormongers know their limits. They left such a big target untouched. They dared not say that the emperor and I had a secret affair, but chose a captain, Ji Gang, because they were worried about the emperor's wrath."
In fact, Hu Shanwei felt a little scared when he thought about it. When Cao Shanggong resigned, she once said that she thought she would be in the current position of Cui Shufei. Cui Shufei was a Shanggong, but she didn't expect that their positions would be swapped.
Could it be that the old emperor really had such an idea at the time? Hu Shanwei felt a chill in his heart, and felt more and more that he could not stay in this palace any longer. After the selection was completed, he immediately resigned and left.
Haitang said hurriedly, "That's right. The person who spread the rumor behind the scenes is an expert. He took all aspects into consideration. But he didn't expect that Consort Hu already had someone in her heart, and the emperor agreed to this. No matter how much he thought, he couldn't have imagined that the person Consort Hu liked was thousands of miles away in Yunnan."
The romance with Chunchun saved Hu Shanwei's precarious reputation.
Hu Shanwei held his chin in his hand and thought, "I feel like the rumor spreader's method is familiar. There was a big rumor in the palace back then, saying that when Crown Princess Yiwen's Consort Chang gave birth to her second son Zhu Yunhuan, the baby was held in the birth canal for too long, and when Zhu Yunhuan was born, he was a little stupid and had impaired intelligence."
In fact, Zhu Yunhuan was definitely not a fool, he was just too mediocre. Compared with the Crown Prince Zhu Yunwen, who was enlightened at the age of three and could write poems at the age of five, he seemed stupid.
Haitang nodded repeatedly, "I know. Fan Gongzheng killed many people to quell the rumors."
Hu Shanwei looked in the direction of the East Palace and said, "It's the same half-truth, half-false, half-true and half-false method. It seems that this person is a habitual offender."
As they were talking, the rumored boyfriend Ji Gang arrived. Ji Gang is one year younger than Mu Chun. He is 31 today and still looks like a teenager, with fair skin, beautiful face and long legs. He is a pretty girl in the Imperial Guards. He is talented (? ) and handsome, powerful and influential, but he just doesn't want to get married. He doesn't care about all kinds of gossip and lives a free and easy life.
The previous rumor was that Ji Gang had a homosexual tendency and had unusual preferences. Now the rumor is that Ji Gang and Hu Shanggong have been having an affair for a long time, that Ji Gang has been on Hu Shanggong's roof, rolled on Hu Shanggong's bed, and saved Hu Shanggong's life several times. Whenever Hu Shanggong goes on a business trip, she specifically asks Ji Gang to escort her.
The above are all facts, and the rumors became more and more true, like a snowball that grew bigger and bigger. No wonder Ji Gang has never gotten married. It turns out that he was waiting for Concubine Hu to leave the palace.
Haitang frowned when she heard the message from outside: "At this critical moment, Master Ji doesn't even know how to be shy and comes to my house."
"Let him in." Hu Shanwei said, "The truth is the only way to defeat rumors. There is nothing innocent between us. Why should we hide in broad daylight? If it gets out, people will only think we are guilty."
The six bureaus and one department all have their offices to the east of the East Six Palaces and north of the Cang Zhen Gate. Ji Gang walked in from the Cang Zhen Gate with a swagger, and deliberately slowed down his pace, as if he was strolling in a garden. He was handsome, and the Feiyu costume looked perfect on him. He was worthy of being the number one vase of the Jinyiwei for many years. Every time Emperor Hongwu went out, Ji Gang was the one at the front carrying the flag, the signature figure of the Jinyiwei.
Lord Ji was so flirtatious that passers-by looked at him sideways. Committing adultery with a female official was a serious crime that defiled the palace and would result in death and a death certificate. Lord Ji dared to flaunt himself like this, which showed that the rumors were not credible.
Lord Ji came to the Shanggong Bureau, and the gossip men and women met each other, all of them were in tears and laughter. Ji Gang felt very aggrieved, "I really lost out, I didn't do anything, and I got the false reputation for nothing."
Hu Shanwei rolled his eyes in anger, "What? What else do you want to do?"
Ji Gang twisted his waist, turned sideways and said, "I just look better than others. I've never been like someone who calls you 'Sister Shanwei' all the time and is as sweet as honey. When I see you, I'm like the green peacock in the Xiaoling Mausoleum, spreading its gorgeous feathers to seduce you. But when people make up a story, I'm the first one to be mentioned. Even Lord Mao has interrogated me alone. You and I are innocent. What can he find out from this interrogation?"
Ji Gang sighed deeply, "Alas, it seems that I was too good to you outside, so good that everyone knew it. Once the rumor started, it immediately flew all over the sky like catkins in spring. The more it was said, the more true it became. I even felt as if we really had this thing."
Ji Gang looked at Hu Shanwei, "If I had known that I would bear this false reputation in vain, I should not have been so stupid. In the past, Lord Mao tried to drive you out of the palace, but he couldn't drive you away. Later, you had a prosperous career and rose rapidly. Empress Xiaoci wanted you to guard the Xiaoling Mausoleum for three years and then leave, and not return to the palace to be a female official. But you had your own ideas. One year later, you still followed Concubine Duanjing back to the palace. Despite all kinds of obstacles, you still chose to be a female official in the palace."
"I thought you would serve the court until old age like Fan Gongzheng did. I thought since we were both in the court, it would be fine if you didn't marry and I didn't marry, but I didn't think that this was just my own foolish wish. You were eventually moved by the shameless Mu Chun and decided to leave the court. But now there are rumors flying around, and I am involved in them. I really have no place to complain."
Ji Gang's words confused Hu Shanwei.
"I just look better than others", "I feel like we really have this relationship", "It's a waste of this false reputation", "A person's foolish intentions", "There is no place to complain about the grievances"...
These words kept circulating in Hu Shanwei's mind, and finally came to a shocking conclusion.
Fortunately, Hu Shanwei is no longer the shy girl she used to be. She is mature enough to handle emotional issues calmly. "You mean... you haven't gotten married yet because of me?"
Ji Gang looked at her steadily, his nostrils flaring, his beautiful eyes flickering, his lips opening and closing several times, and finally he opened his mouth wide and laughed out loud towards the sky, laughing so hard that he fell backwards and laughed until tears came out.
Hahahahahahaha!
After finally stopping laughing, Ji Gang said breathlessly, "I was just teasing you. I didn't expect that even the extremely smart Consort Hu could be fooled by me. It seems that those rumors outside will also affect your judgment. You can't even tell the truth from my lies. But Lord Mao said that the emperor knows that you and Mu Chun have always been polite, and he promised Empress Xiaoci that he would help you. These rumors are insignificant and will soon die down. You just need to do a good job in this selection and don't be distracted by it."
Hu Shanwei's heart was like willow catkins, sometimes blown high up by the wind, sometimes falling into the pond, being soaked by the water and sinking.
She always thought Ji Gang was simple-minded, but now, Hu Shanwei felt that she could not see through this person. Everyone has many sides. Ji Gang showed his silly and cute side in front of her, which made her ignore many things. Things that she always took for granted were not the case. For example, in the fifteen years since she entered the palace, she was accustomed to Ji Gang's company and protection, thinking that it was the duty of the Jinyiwei. Ji Gang seemed to be protecting, but in fact he was monitoring her.
Now that I think about it, Ji Gang was indeed a bit of a "pig-in-the-wall" person, with "impure motives", and he had some lustful thoughts about me.
However, Hu Shanwei and Ji Gang are both adults, and the rule for adults is to see through things but not say them out loud so that they can meet again in the future.
So Ji Gang would laugh and say, "I'm just kidding."
Hu Shanwei pretended to be angry, "It's not funny at all. Don't make such jokes in the future. Since you came to me so ostentatiously, you should have found out who spread the rumor."
Ji Gang nodded. "In order to exonerate me, Lord Mao took the initiative to join forces with Fan Gongzheng. The Jinyiwei and Gongzhengsi are investigating together. What can't be found? The person who spread the rumor has been found. She used to be a maid in the palace of the crown prince. She knows some music and often plays the harp for the crown prince, so she is called Baoqin. A few days ago, she went to the East Palace to work. Now Fan Gongzheng and Lord Mao are leading people to the East Palace to capture Baoqin."
This result was not surprising. Baoqin was the maid who revealed the conversation between Hu Shanwei and the Crown Prince to the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace that day. Hu Shanwei invited the Zhanshi Mansion to eat fried cat ears, and the Crown Prince sent Baoqin to the Eastern Palace to serve the Crown Princess.
Fan Gongzheng was working vigorously and decisively, and with the support of Mao Xiang, he screened the harem layer by layer, and numerous clues pointed to Baoqin in the East Palace.
East Palace.
Green is the color of the East, so the East Palace is also called the Green Palace. All imperial palace buildings use yellow glazed tiles, except the East Palace and the current Crown Prince's Palace which use green glazed tiles.
It was spring at that time, and the drizzle fell silently on the green tiles of the East Palace, giving off a cold and desolate feeling.
Fan Gongzheng and Mao Xiang stood side by side, looking at the crooked-necked corpse dangling from the beam.
It was the palace maid holding the zither, with a white silk hanging around her neck.
They interrogated him overnight, but were still a step too late.
When Hu Shanwei and Ji Gang rushed over after hearing the news, Baoqin had already been carried down, her body already stiff, lying on a door panel.
Fan Gongzheng handed her a letter, "This was found on Baoqin."
Hu Shanwei unfolded the letter and Ji Gang leaned over to read it together. It was a confession letter written by Baoqin herself. She said that she had complained to the Crown Prince because she bore a grudge against Hu Shanwei, and was disliked by the Crown Prince. She was demoted to the Eastern Palace and her future was ruined, so she made up the rumor that Hu Shanwei and Ji Gang had an affair. She thought it was just talk to make Hu Shanwei lose face, but she didn't expect the rumor to grow bigger and bigger, more and more outrageous. When the matter became a big deal, it was all her fault and it had nothing to do with the Eastern Palace and the Crown Prince.
The handwriting was neat and tidy. Fan Gongzheng ordered people to check the handwriting and confirmed that it was indeed written by Baoqin herself. A preliminary autopsy showed that Baoqin had hanged herself and was not hanged after death.
Hu Shanwei closed the letter and asked Fan Gongzheng, "Does Baoqin have any family outside the palace?"
Fan Gongzheng nodded, "I'm from Wuxi, my parents and brothers are all alive, and I have a small fortune."
Hu Shanwei said, "According to palace rules, suicide is a serious crime. If one person commits suicide, the whole family must be buried with him. Baoqin has been in the palace for many years, she should know the consequences."
In the palace, those who usually choose to commit suicide are lonely people, homeless and helpless, and death is the end of everything. But Baoqin has a family, and even though she knows that killing herself will bring disaster to the whole family, she still chooses to commit suicide.
Is it because of fear, or is it because of coercion or inducement
All these became mysteries with Baoqin's death.
Fan Gongzheng said: "After all kinds of torture by Lord Mao and I, the clues all point to Baoqin. The reputation of a palace lady is as important as her life. She dared to slander Hu Shanggong and Lord Ji with such vicious rumors, so she should bear the consequences."
Ji Gang said, "Is my reputation unimportant? I have to save my face. Even rumors of an illegitimate child have spread. I became a father without knowing why. I am more wronged than Dou E."
Everyone was speechless: When did Lord Ji have such a thing as reputation? You are the number one smiling tiger in the Jinyiwei and have killed people like crazy. Your "reputation" sounds nice, right
Mao Xiang was embarrassed and pulled Ji Gang aside to teach him a lesson, "There are so many men in the capital, why don't they make up stories about others, but you? Or is it because you ran to help Hu Shanwei as soon as he made a move? Over time, gossip is inevitable, but it's not as vicious as today. If you ignored it, there wouldn't be so many things."
Ji Gang cried out in injustice, "Master Mao, it was you who asked me to secretly monitor Hu Shanwei and the Hu family. Why are you scolding me for getting too close now? What do you want from me?"
Mao Xiang wanted to beat him up, "I can monitor you, but your motives are not pure. You don't know what's in your mind, but you insist on me exposing it? You are using public power to avenge your own selfish desires. Now that something's wrong, am I the one who has to clean up your mess?"
Ji Gang knew he was in the wrong, so he stopped talking and followed Mao Xiang obediently.
Baoqin's body was carried away by Gong Zhengsi and the case was closed.
Hu Shanwei looked at the white silk on the ground and the kicked-over stool, his anger still not subsided, he said to the people in the East Palace: "I want to see the Crown Princess."
The servants of the East Palace hurriedly said, "Because of the rumor that Baoqin committed suicide, the Crown Princess fell ill and is now resting in bed. It is inconvenient for her to see guests."
It's not that easy to hide. Hu Shanwei felt that a mere maid holding a zither would not have the guts to slander Lord Ji, the head of the female officials and the most difficult person to mess with in the Jinyiwei.
Baoqin was a scapegoat who was pushed out to take responsibility.
Hu Shanwei said, "Please tell the Crown Princess that I have something to say to her. If she refuses to see me, then I can only tell others."
If this matter was left like this, there was no guarantee that similar vicious means would be used against her in the future. The Crown Princess's methods were not sophisticated, but they were indeed effective. She even found a scapegoat before taking action. It seemed that the Crown Princess had used these methods many times in the East Palace before.
The author has something to say: Ji Gang’s words today actually paid tribute to a very classic fictional character, so the first reader who guesses it will receive a big red envelope of 100 points.
Everyone, take a bold guess.
The comment section of Feihualing was very lively last night, and the phrase that appeared most frequently was "Flowers are falling and flying all over the sky." It seems that everyone likes the Song of Burying Flowers very much.
Congratulations to reader Duan Yaojiu for receiving a big red envelope of 100 points!
№15 Netizen: Duan Yijiu Comment: "Hu Shanwei" Score: 2 Published time: 2019-03-19 23:48:56 Reviewed chapter: 148
Cloudy hair, flowery face, golden step-shaking