Princess Lu always behaved dignified, gentle, and pitiful in public, like a white lotus in a summer pond.
However, the former Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace died due to poor health during childbirth, the eldest son from the original wife, Zhu Xiongying, died at the age of eight, and there were rumors that the second son from the original wife, Zhu Yunhuan, had damaged his brain due to difficult childbirth. As a result, this most legitimate son from the original wife missed the chance to become the Crown Prince.
One thing may be a coincidence, but all three are like this, which makes people wonder about the situation in the Eastern Palace behind the current Crown Princess Lu's ascension to the throne. I wonder how many people's corpses she stepped on to reach the position of Crown Princess.
Suspicion aside, in the end, it was just like Baoqin's death, there was no evidence. Moreover, Prince Yiwen and Lu were deeply in love, there were no other concubines in the Eastern Palace, Lu gave birth to six children, all of whom were smart, especially the eldest son Zhu Yunwen, who was known as a child prodigy and was the most loved by Emperor Hongwu. For all these reasons, people no longer delved into the Eastern Palace's mysteries.
Moreover, the family of the former Crown Princess Chang, Duke Zheng, had been framed by Emperor Hongwu and their entire family was exterminated. Only one grandchild escaped and is missing. Her uncle Lan Yu was even skinned alive. No one dared to question whether Crown Princess Lu had a clean past - when you beat a dog, you have to look at its owner. The Crown Prince was the appointed heir to the throne, and the Crown Princess was his mother.
The Crown Princess was accustomed to such despicable and vicious means, and she had basically achieved her goals - the only thing she had not expected was the death of Crown Prince Yiwen.
Now the Crown Princess's position in the Eastern Palace is consolidated, and no one can shake her son's position as the Crown Prince after a ruthless purge by Emperor Hongwu. The Crown Princess should have retired from the underworld and become a good Crown Princess, and in the future she would move into the Cining Palace and become the Empress Dowager - the ultimate winner in the palace fight.
However, the Crown Princess took her anger out on Hu Shanwei because she had lost control over her son, the Crown Prince. In fact, the conflict between mother and son had existed for a long time, but it was only triggered by Hu Shanwei.
The Crown Princess climbed up the ladder smoothly and became the winner in the palace fight in the Eastern Palace. Her biggest experience was: the bold will die of overeating, while the timid will die of starvation.
Dare to think and do. As long as no one catches you in any obvious way, just go ahead and do it. What if you suspect me? Without evidence, you dare not do anything to me!
This is the fact, in palace fighting, sometimes the winner does not need much strategy, just like Queen Cersei in "Game of Thrones". Her conspiracy is ordinary, but her methods are ruthless, and she dares to think and act. As a result, she can destroy all kinds of smart and powerful opponents along the way, sit on the Iron Throne and become Queen Cersei.
The Crown Princess's status was rising, but her character and methods had not changed. She used her usual methods to deal with Hu Shanwei and made Baoqin a scapegoat. The blame would not be put to her anyway. On the contrary, after learning that Baoqin had hanged herself and wrote a confession, the Crown Princess was heartbroken, disappointed, and blamed herself, and fell ill.
In the past, when she was competing for favor with the former Crown Princess, Lu often used this trick. The former Crown Princess Chang was the daughter of a general. Her biological father was Chang Yuchun, who was known as the "killer of generals" - he once massacred half of Suzhou. Hu Shanwei's biological mother died in the riot during the massacre and was trampled to death by refugees.
Crown Prince Yiwen was a man who valued literature over military affairs. It is conceivable that when the Crown Princess and Lu came into conflict, with one side being his wife with stern eyes and the other being the timid and cowardly concubine who fell ill from fear, whose side would he stand on
However, Hu Shanwei was not Prince Yiwen, and the little bit of sympathy she had for women was given to the beautiful Ji.
Hu Shanwei was as ruthless to the Crown Princess as the autumn wind sweeping away the fallen leaves.
Before meeting the Crown Princess, Hu Shanwei whispered a few words to Fan Gongzheng.
Fan Gongzheng raised his eyebrows, "Are you really going to do this? After all, this woman is the biological mother of the Crown Prince and the future Queen Mother."
Hu Shanwei snorted coldly, "I am a court lady. To trespass against the court is a capital crime. She destroyed my reputation, which is like asking for my life. I am not as patient and good-tempered as Crown Princess Yiwen, and I have to consider my husband's attitude. Her methods are so despicable and dirty. This time it was Ji Gang, and next time it will be Ji Tie."
"This time, Baoqin is pushed out to take the blame, and next time, someone is framed. Time and again, it's like a fly buzzing around my ear. If I let it go this time, I don't know what tricks will be waiting for me in the future. Anyway, after the selection, I will leave the palace. What can the Queen Mother do to me? The Crown Prince is not the kind of person who will be easily influenced."
When Hu Shanwei first entered the palace, she was just an eighth-rank female historian in charge of keeping the treasury, yet she dared to confront Concubine Hu, the most powerful person in the palace.
Fan Gong was staring at Hu Shanwei in a daze. Fifteen years had passed, and she was still the passionate female official who never avoided problems. This was the talent she had discovered, and she had not made a mistake.
"Okay, I'll do as you tell me. I'll go to the Shangyi Bureau and ask Shen Qionglian for help." Fan Gongzheng was inspired by Hu Shanwei. "They even dare to frame you, a Shang Gong, without any reason. I'm afraid there will be no place for female officials in the harem in the future. It's so boring to be a female official. In the future, the Zhu family will just have to order around a bunch of slaves who can be beaten and killed at will."
Palace official Fan directed the palace officials to carry away Baoqin's body. A group of people from the East Palace immediately came over to clean up the mess. The Crown Princess had long been in control of the situation here.
After a while, Fan Gongzheng quickly ordered someone to deliver the things he got from Shen Qionglian in the Shangyi Bureau. Hu Shanwei opened it, took a quick look and smiled slightly.
In order to clear herself, the Crown Princess initially pretended to be sick and refused to meet Hu Shanwei, but Hu Shanwei threatened, "If she doesn't see me, then I can only tell these words to others." The Crown Princess had to drag her sick body and get up to meet him.
The Crown Princess' bedroom was decorated in a very simple and elegant style, which suited her status as a widow, and also had an air of royal wealth. The Crown Princess had a headband tied on her forehead, her face was plain, and she looked like Xi Shi holding her heart, and she was weak and barely clothed.
The Crown Princess wiped her tears and said, "Baoqin... She was a really good girl. She entered the palace as a maid at the age of seven. She was smart and clever, and she could read and write. I carefully selected her and asked her to serve the Crown Prince. Later, the Crown Prince moved to the Palace to live alone. As his mother, I was worried about his health, so I often called Baoqin to ask about his daily life, what he ate, how many times he slept at night, and other daily matters."
There is only a thin line between control and concern, but there is a world of difference. The Crown Princess's move was really powerful. It not only cleared herself, but also explained why Baoqin informed her.
As for what Baoqin said to the Crown Princess, a dead person cannot speak to defend himself.
Hu Shanwei watched the Crown Princess singing, practicing and fighting with his eyes growing colder and colder. This woman was too scary, so bold and cruel. In the East Palace, she was used to winning by relying on the favor of Crown Prince Yiwen, and she would use such means when she went out. If you obey her, you will be powerful, and if you disobey her, you will die. Wouldn't the harem be in chaos in the future because of her
The Crown Princess continued to cry, "… I never thought that she was so grown up and had such a big heart that she wanted to use the Crown Prince to climb up the social ladder. The Crown Prince wanted her to come to the East Palace to serve me, but she was not happy about it, but she dared not disobey him. She hated Concubine Hu deeply. In order to get revenge, she even made up rumors about Concubine Hu and Lord Ji. Although it was her fault, I was also at fault for not keeping a close eye on her. Therefore, she felt ashamed to see Concubine Hu, and it was not that she was avoiding her intentionally."
Look at her eloquent words, even Hu Shanwei felt ashamed of himself. With just a few words, she cleared the defendant and turned her into the plaintiff. She was also a victim, more innocent than a white lotus.
Hu Shanwei suppressed his anger and remained calm, saying, "That's right. Some things are not to be feared to be exposed, but to be feared to be misunderstood and to cause grudges for no reason. The Crown Princess refused to see me before. I thought she was reluctant to hold the zither and that I indirectly forced her to death, so she didn't want to see me."
The Crown Princess shook her head repeatedly, "No, it's impossible. How could it be possible? Concubine Hu is very busy, how could she have the same views as a maid like Baoqin? She made up rumors and slandered Concubine Hu, she deserved it, she is seeking her own death, how could it be Concubine Hu's fault?"
"Yes." Hu Shanwei said, "Is it my fault that there was a communication problem between the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince? Crown Princess, is that right?"
The Crown Princess' pupils shrank, but her face still showed a delicate expression, "Hu Shang Gong, what do you mean by this? You must not listen to the instigation of people with ulterior motives outside. The rumor was spread by Bao Qin, and it has nothing to do with me."
The Crown Princess gritted her teeth and refused to admit it. Anyway, whether it was the Palace Administration or the Imperial Guards, who would dare to torture her? Not to mention that there was no evidence, even if there was evidence... there was still the Crown Prince! The Emperor had finally consolidated the Crown Prince's position after a major purge in the court. If the Crown Princess's rumor-mongering scandal was spread, wouldn't the Crown Prince's reputation also be damaged
It is not worth damaging the jade bottle to kill a mouse. The Crown Princess was therefore fearless.
Hu Shanwei didn't believe these lies, and asked her, "Reputation is life to me. I'm sure the Crown Princess knows what the consequences of being charged with desecrating the palace are. I'm going to die anyway, and I have to know the truth even if I die. I can't let anyone plot against me. This involves my life and property, so, Crown Princess, don't blame me for thinking too much. I've read Baoqin's suicide note, and the handwriting is indeed hers. Her body has no scars, her clothes are neat, and there are no signs of fighting or struggling with anyone. It looks like she committed suicide."
"But if she commits suicide, her entire family will be wiped out. Baoqin's family is prosperous, and both her parents are alive. If she chooses to surrender herself to the Gongzheng Division, she will inevitably die, but her family will not be implicated."
The Crown Princess said hurriedly, "Baoqin is a narrow-minded girl who only wants to rise to the top. Concubine Hu has cut off her path to success. She fabricated such vicious rumors. It is clear that once this person has taken the wrong path, she will make mistakes again and again and will not turn back. She only cares about herself, so why would she care about the lives of others or her family?"
The Crown Princess was a silver-tongued woman. If Hu Shanwei had not watched the affairs of the Eastern Palace for many years, especially when the Crown Princess only asked her own son Zhu Yunwen to go to the Qianqing Palace to see his father off before his death, he would have probably been fooled by the Crown Princess's words.
The Crown Princess looked aggrieved, but she was secretly happy in her heart: I like to see you clearly suspecting me but having no evidence and having to swallow this loss.
"But..." Hu Shanwei took out a booklet, "This is the correspondence record between Baoqin and her family over the years that Shen Shangyi copied from the Shangyi Bureau. It is strictly forbidden to spread news outside the palace, but it is not limited to daily greetings. All letters must be reviewed by the Shangyi Bureau before they can be in or out, and they are recorded. The female historian will also copy some of the content of the letters. Baoqin often contacts her hometown in Wuxi and greets her parents during festivals. The family used to be a little poor, and she was a very filial daughter. She exchanged her monthly salary and rewards for silver and gave them to the family. The family has lived a better life in recent years, all because of Baoqin's credit."
Hu Shanwei was the palace lady, in charge of the female officials in the harem, and it was easy for her to get Baoqin's correspondence from the Shangyi Bureau.
Hu Shanwei pushed the booklet in front of the Crown Princess: "A daughter like Baoqin who cares about her family would rather surrender herself than commit suicide and bring trouble to her family, unless—"
The Crown Princess' heart tightened. She instinctively didn't want to read the booklet: "Unless what?"
Hu Shanwei looked into the Crown Princess' eyes and said, "Unless someone used both soft and hard tactics, I don't know what method that person used to force her to write a suicide note and take the blame. Maybe it was on the condition that there was a way to save her family, or maybe it was something else."
The Crown Princess was also a vixen who had practiced for many years. Facing Hu Shanwei's pressure, she withstood it without blinking an eye. Not only that, the Crown Princess also flipped through the booklet copied by the Shang Gong Bureau and checked it out. "Hu Shang Gong's suspicion is not unreasonable. Judging from the previous communication records, Baoqin was indeed a girl who cared about her family. It is really suspicious that she suddenly committed suicide without caring about her family's life or death. If someone really forced her, who would it be? I am shallow in knowledge and usually stay in the East Palace and rarely go out. Hu Shang Gong is a smart person and has traveled a lot. She has a wide range of knowledge. In Hu Shang Gong's opinion, who is the most suspicious?"
Until now, the Crown Princess still looks innocent and sincere.
Hu Shanwei sneered in his heart, but his face showed a touch of emotion. "Baoqin used to be the Crown Prince's servant, and now she is the Crown Princess' servant. If a servant commits a crime, the master is usually not free from responsibility. Moreover, now is the critical moment of selecting a concubine. If a scandal of not strictly controlling subordinates is created, it will not only damage the reputation of the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince, but also alienate the relationship between me, the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince, and make us enemies. I think the person behind this may not give up the position of crown prince and wants to frame the Crown Prince."
The Crown Princess was overjoyed when she heard this. So what if she was a palace lady? I just brushed her off. She quickly agreed, "There are always people who want to compete for the throne and want to harm me and the Crown Prince, so they use Baoqin to spread rumors."
"In fact, as long as you have done it, there will be traces. If you don't want others to know, then don't do it. Sometimes the dead can speak, too. Princess, please read this..." Hu Shanwei turned to the last page of the booklet:
"I have discovered the clues of the mastermind behind this, because just five days ago, when the rumor first spread, Baoqin wrote a letter to her family, saying that she was worried about her parents' health recently, and couldn't sleep well at night. She asked the female doctor in the palace to prescribe a sleeping pill, and then she fell asleep. Knowing that her parents also had insomnia, she copied a copy of the female doctor's prescription and attached it to the back of the letter, asking her parents to try the medicine according to the prescription, etc."
The Crown Princess took a closer look and found that it was indeed the case. On it was the date when Baoqin sent the letter out of the palace, the signature of a female historian in the Shangyi Bureau who was responsible for reviewing letters, and the general content of the letter that the female historian had extracted from family letters, which were the ones that Hu Shanwei had just read out.
The Crown Princess said immediately, "This letter is ironclad evidence that Baoqin is guilty. She spread rumors to slander Consort Hu and was afraid of being discovered, so she naturally couldn't sleep well. But what does this have to do with the mastermind behind the scenes?"
"The key lies in the word 'prescription'." Hu Shanwei pointed at the two words on the booklet. "In this short two-page family letter, the word 'prescription' appears repeatedly, and it is repeated no less than eight times. The female historian usually only excerpts the general content of the letter, and does not copy down the prescription. I just ordered Fan Gongzheng to go to the Shangshi Bureau to ask Liu Siyao whether there was a female doctor who went to treat Baoqin that day and prescribed a prescription. All the visits and prescriptions of the female doctors in the palace are recorded. Who they saw, what disease they had, and what medicine they went to the pharmacy to get are all recorded. Princess, guess how Liu Siyao answered?"
The Crown Princess' heart was hanging, but her expression remained unchanged, "Could it be that... Baoqin didn't even ask a female doctor to treat her insomnia?"
"The Crown Princess is so smart, she guessed it right at the first try!" Hu Shanwei praised, "Medicine Liu said that there was no record of Baoqin. I asked all the female doctors, but none of them said they had treated Baoqin, let alone prescribed medicine. Therefore, I suspect that Baoqin has long been prepared for the mastermind. In order to save the lives of her family in the future, she used a similar method of hiding words to insert the name or origin of the mastermind into the name of the medicine and sent it to her family in Wuxi. If she gets into trouble in the future, I will go to check her out and find the contradictions according to the information in the family letter. As long as the mastermind can be found through the name of the medicine in the family letter, then her family may be able to redeem themselves for this and protect the lives of the whole family."
Hu Shanwei's words made the Crown Princess break out in cold sweats!
Hu Shanwei put the booklet away like a treasure. "Since I entered the palace, I have never suffered such humiliation and insult, being pointed at behind my back and having my reputation damaged. I will definitely get to the bottom of this and clear my name. Although Baoqin is dead, I have many ways to make her speak. I have not spent fifteen years in the palace in vain. I will ask Lord Ji of the Imperial Guard to send someone to Wuxi to find Baoqin's family and ask for a letter. When the mastermind is found, not only I and Lord Ji, but also the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince will be cleared of all charges."
Hu Shanwei left the Eastern Palace, leaving the Crown Princess in her bedroom, sometimes anxious and sometimes thoughtful.
Back at the Shanggong Bureau, Haitang couldn't help but ask Hu Shanwei: "This time, the Shanggong Bureau, the Palace Administration Bureau, the Shangyi Bureau, and the Shangshi Bureau jointly forged and produced this booklet for no reason. Will the Crown Princess really be fooled?"
Hu Shanwei smiled and said, "I don't know. Let's wait and see. Whoever starts a palace fight, I will do it to him. I'm not just talking."
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I will send 100 red packets tonight. Good night, everyone. Tomorrow is Friday. Can the weekend be far away? (However, I don’t like weekends...)
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№20 Netizen: Rongrong Comment: "Hu Shanwei" Score: 2 Published time: 2019-03-20 23:35:04 Reviewed chapter: 149
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