When facing power, some people know that power is a double-edged sword. After being addicted to it for a long time, it is difficult to control one's own desires. One's heart is corrupted by power, and one puts shackles on one's hands and imposes limits on oneself. For example, Empress Xiaoci set up six bureaus and one department to restrain herself. It was a help, but also a constraint.
Some people would like to firmly grasp the power in the hands of one person, so that they can decide the life and death of others according to their personal preferences. Those who obey me will prosper, and those who disobey me will perish. For example, the Crown Princess relied on this logic to thrive in the Eastern Palace and achieved her goal. In her eyes, the lives of others are like ants. There is no right or wrong, only whether they follow her wishes or not. Those who do not conform to her interests will be eliminated.
The Shanggong Bureau, Shangshi Bureau, Shangyi Bureau and Gongzheng Bureau launched a joint action to forge Baoqin's letters and records. Hu Shanwei was the Shanggong by popular demand, and she gave an order. Although the female officials knew there were risks, they still cooperated with Hu Shanwei to create the illusion that Baoqin really had a trick up her sleeve.
In addition, the three bureaus and one department also joined forces with the Jinyiwei to carry out a joint fishing enforcement operation, and the Crown Princess unsurprisingly took the bait.
The Crown Princess has always tasted the sweetness of the behavior pattern of "the bold ones die of overeating, and the timid ones die of starvation". She also knows that there are risks involved, but she still decides to cut the roots.
The Crown Princess immediately sent her trusted eunuch out of the palace, bribed some desperate criminals, and rushed to Baoqin's hometown in Wuxi day and night, intending to find Baoqin's letters and destroy the evidence before the Jinyiwei arrived. Just in case, she also wanted to kill Baoqin's entire family.
The Jinyiwei set up a dragnet in Wuxi and caught the assassins in one fell swoop. Mao Xiang personally interrogated the eunuch - how could he let someone who had promoted Ji Gang, who was plotted against him, let him go? The eunuch could not stand the torture and gave away the Crown Princess.
Mao Xiang presented the eunuch's confession to Emperor Hongwu, who read it and said expressionlessly, "Grandson of Emperor Xuan."
The Crown Prince was dealing with a mountain of official business in the Zhanshi Mansion. When he heard that Emperor Hongwu wanted to see him, he couldn't help but wonder if there was any mistake in the government decree issued today
As the saying goes, it is better to hold grandchildren than sons. In the past, when Prince Yiwen did something wrong, he was always scolded or whipped by Emperor Hongwu. As for his other sons who were in their prime, Emperor Hongwu was suspicious, fearing that one day the imperial power would fall into the hands of others and he would become a weak and powerless emperor. So he simply detained all the princes of the princely palaces in the capital, nominally to fulfill their filial duties for the princes, but in fact as hostages to prevent the princes from rebelling.
However, Emperor Hongwu never beat or scolded the Crown Prince. He always showed unprecedented patience towards this grandson, whom he had high hopes for, and taught him step by step how to handle state affairs.
The more Emperor Hongwu acted like this, the greater the pressure on the Crown Prince. He was extremely cautious, fearing that he would make mistakes and disappoint his grandfather.
Every step the Crown Prince took, he looked at the face of Emperor Hongwu, hoping to live up to the expectations of his grandfather. This feeling of being needed and relied on made the elderly Emperor Hongwu feel safe and warm. However, when he thought of his sons, he would feel uneasy and suspicious. Comparing the two, Emperor Hongwu felt that choosing his eldest grandson as his successor was the most appropriate decision.
The Crown Prince came to the Qianqing Palace anxiously. The guard at the door was still the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Mao Xiang. Mao Xiang saluted him and made way for him. The Crown Prince nodded in return. When he passed by Mao Xiang, he faintly smelled a smell of blood and an inexplicable burnt smell. This smell made people feel fear for no reason. The Crown Prince suddenly had a bad premonition. The hands hidden in his sleeves subconsciously curled into fists in a defensive posture.
The Crown Prince bowed and Emperor Hongwu gave him a seat and asked him to read the confession on the table.
When the Crown Prince opened it, his face turned pale instantly!
Emperor Hongwu observed the expression of his eldest grandson and sighed in his heart: He still lacks self-control and cannot hide his inner thoughts.
When Emperor Hongwu was young, he had an oval face, a full forehead, and a handsome appearance. He was considered a handsome man, otherwise he would not have been chosen by Guo Zixing to serve as a member of the ceremonial guard. Now that he is old and a little fat, his oval face has become round, like a full moon.
Emperor Hongwu had very strong genes, similar to the baldness gene of the British royal family. No matter who gave birth to his children, his sons almost all had oval faces like big-headed babies, and the same was true for Prince Yiwen.
But when it comes to the grandchildren, each has its own characteristics. The Crown Prince's appearance and temperament are all like his mother, the Crown Princess Lu, with a delicate and handsome oval face and a graceful temperament.
She was gentle and calm, and even though her face had turned pale, she still tried to control herself and continued reading one picture after another.
The crown prince was about to kneel down to plead for his mother after the eunuch's confession, but the Hongwu Emperor raised his hand, motioning him to sit down and listen, calmly.
He said: "It is not easy for the Qi family to govern the country and bring peace to the world, especially the Qi family. Sometimes I feel that it is more difficult than bringing peace to the world. I started from scratch as a commoner in Huaizuo, destroyed Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng, and then went north to destroy the Yuan Dynasty. I was decisive in killing and fighting. I only slept twice a day, and sometimes I stayed up all night. Although it was hard to bring peace to the world, in terms of mental hardship, it was not as hard as the Qi family brought me. The biggest blow in my life was not my enemies, but my family."
Thinking back to the past, his original wife, Empress Xiaoci, refused treatment and wanted to die, Concubine Dading betrayed him and cheated on him, his two sons, Prince Qi and Prince Tan, who he raised by himself, committed suicide by jumping over the wall after failing to attack the Xiaoling Mausoleum, and shouted "I would rather see the King of Hell than the King of Thieves" before dying, Yiwen, who he had carefully trained, poisoned his younger brother, Prince Luhuang, and Concubine Duanjing, who was originally planned to be promoted to the successor, poisoned Prince Yiwen to avenge her...
All these incidents dealt Emperor Hongwu a blow no less than a failed war.
Emperor Hongwu looked at the slightly immature Crown Prince with a look full of pity, "I am the Emperor, a father, a husband, a grandfather, and the royal family has now expanded. The number of grandchildren combined has exceeded one hundred. When the selection is over, my great-grandchildren will also come into the world one by one."
"Like the common people, I have a simple wish, that is, a harmonious family brings prosperity. But I have read through history books and have seen that dynasties after dynasties could not escape the fate of fratricide, estrangement between husband and wife, enmity between father and son, disputes between brothers, and internal strife. I think that perhaps our Zhu family can avoid repeating the same mistakes, but—"
Emperor Hongwu laughed at himself, "The facts prove that I was too naive. The imperial power is supreme, there is only one throne, and there is only one position for the empress. There are many monks and few porridge, so it is inevitable to fight for it. After all, we are one family, and blood is thicker than water, so it is inevitable to fight for our lives."
"So I slaughtered old ministers and purged the court in my later years to ensure that you can inherit the throne smoothly, and not repeat the situation of the past dynasties where powerful ministers each served their own masters and supported the various princes to fight for the throne and kill each other. I have removed all the hidden dangers for you. The princes of various princely palaces are hostages in the capital and can't make any waves. As long as you ascend the throne and control the power, it will be legitimate.
All the people have submitted to you, and your uncles can only accept the fact. Even if there are some disturbances in the future, it won’t be a problem.”
Now that the Crown Prince's position as heir was secure, Emperor Hongwu spoke to him more directly, without concealing his true intentions, and explained in a few words the reasons for the massacre of the meritorious officials.
Emperor Hongwu said, "When you ascend the throne and become the emperor, you will be the leader of the Zhu family. You will also face the same problems as me. The royal family is constantly in strife. You are still young, but you have to be the master of the family. With so many elders above you, it will be even more difficult than mine. By then, you will find that the problems you encountered today, such as your mother spreading rumors about the palace ladies and the Jinyiwei, and forcing the palace maids to death, are simply trivial matters and not worth mentioning."
Emperor Hongwu pointed at the confession on the desk and said, "How to deal with this matter is completely up to you. No matter what decision you make, I will support you. Just treat it as a training. However, you must think clearly. Once you make a decision, you must be prepared to bear the consequences. Weigh the pros and cons yourself, and then tell me your decision."
It was a small matter for Emperor Hongwu, but a shocking event for the Crown Prince.
Undoubtedly, the mother's actions were one mistake after another. She was not fighting for anything important. She just felt that she couldn't save face, so she spread rumors to ruin the future and lives of Concubine Hu and Lord Ji, and forced the palace maid to death. Such behavior can be called brutal.
What's more, the method was not very clever and instead angered Palace Lady Hu, who ordered her female officials to set a trap and lure my mother into it.
However, my mother is my biological mother, and it is a critical time to select a concubine. If the scandal gets out, the reputation of the Eastern Palace and the Crown Prince will be affected.
However, if he blindly favors his mother and covers up the matter, it might hurt the hearts of female officials such as Hu Shanggong. After all, reputation is like life to female officials.
what to do
The Crown Prince was in a dilemma and thought hard.
Seeing his eldest grandson's struggle, Emperor Hongwu sighed inwardly: My grandson is still a little indecisive.
In fact, if the Hongwu Emperor dealt with this matter, he would secretly execute the Crown Princess who was holding back the Crown Prince - such a stupid and vicious woman would definitely be a disaster in the future. The Hongwu Emperor was affectionate to his own children, but ruthless to his daughters-in-law, otherwise he would not have peeled Lan Yu's skin and gave it to his own father, the Princess of Shu, and forced the Princess of Shu to commit suicide.
However, the Crown Prince is about to get married. If the Crown Princess dies, he will have to observe a mourning period of nearly three years. By then, Emperor Hongwu will be 71 years old, and it is not known whether he can live to that age.
The Crown Prince married successfully, had a son, started a family and established a career, and his image became more mature, which helped to consolidate his position as crown prince.
Emperor Hongwu felt that it was not worth damaging the jade bottle to kill the mouse, and it was not good for the overall situation. Even if he wanted to kill the Crown Princess, he had to wait until the Crown Prince got married and had children, and then execute her secretly.
The Crown Prince finally made a decision and told Emperor Hongwu.
Emperor Hongwu nodded and said, "I keep my word. Go ahead and do it."
The Crown Prince went to the Eastern Palace with the confession.
The Crown Princess was still "sick" from the shock and sadness of Baoqin's suicide. When she heard that her son had come to see her in his busy schedule, she hurriedly dragged her "sick body" to get up.
"The Crown Prince is busy with official duties and is still worried about me. I will be fine in a few days, so you don't have to worry."
After a few days, when all of Baoqin's family members had died, the family letters had been burned, and the Jinyiwei had come to nothing, she would have no worries and could officially "recover from her illness."
Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince said to his old mother, "Mother, you have become depressed and ill because of your longing for Crown Prince Yiwen. From now on, the East Palace will be closed to visitors and no more banquets will be held. Mother, please rest well in the East Palace."
"What?" The Crown Princess looked at her proud eldest son in disbelief.
The eldest grandson handed the eunuch's confession to his mother and said, "Stop it. I am already the Crown Princess. I will earn your future for you.
You should stay in the East Palace to recuperate and don't reach out to other places in the harem. Both Hu Shanggong and Cui Shufei are powerful figures in the harem. They can see through your thoughts at a glance. You have fallen into their trap without knowing it. The emperor asked me to handle this matter to test my ability. But you are my mother, I have to give you some face. Confining you to the East Palace in the name of recuperation is the most tolerant decision I can make. "
"Recuperate? I'm not sick!" The Crown Princess was so angry that she recovered on the spot and tore up the eunuch's confession. "The selection is coming soon, and you are getting married. Do I have to miss your wedding? Where is the face of the Eastern Palace! What's more, the Jinyiwei tortured my eunuchs to confess. A eunuch couldn't bear the pain and lied to me. The emperor didn't believe it? It's okay for others, but why don't you believe me? Just based on the old eunuch's one-sided words, you confined your own mother?"
The Crown Prince looked at the scraps of paper floating all over the floor, and remained calm. "Whether others believe it or not, whether I believe it or not, whether the evidence is sufficient or not, it doesn't matter - as long as the Emperor believes that this was instigated by mother, the case cannot be overturned. I'm sure mother is very clear about the Emperor's temper and methods. If her son does something wrong, it can be forgiven. But if her daughter-in-law does something wrong, the Emperor will be ruthless and merciless."
"Prince Qin and Concubine Deng committed many evil deeds in the Xi'an Prince's Mansion. The Emperor forgave Prince Qin and ordered Mao Xiang to secretly strangle Concubine Deng to make it look like she committed suicide. Mother, you must be vigilant as a lesson from the past. Don't think that you can do whatever you want as a crown princess. Not to mention you, even the Emperor can't do everything as he wants. He has helplessness and restraint. Therefore, I confined mother to the East Palace to protect her. It's all for her good. Mother, reflect on your mistakes in the East Palace. The situation outside is different now. You can't act like before. After all, the Emperor is the one who calls the shots in this palace."
Calm persuasion is more effective than fierce quarrels. The Crown Prince has this kind of personality. He seems to be a little lukewarm and listens to Emperor Hongwu in everything. He is extremely obedient. In fact, he has his own ideas and positions in his heart.
Although his mother made a mistake and held him back, if it weren't for his mother's skills in the Eastern Palace, he would never have been able to become the crown prince based on his background. His mother and he would rise and fall together.
It turns out my son is still on my side!
The Crown Princess was overjoyed, but tears were streaming down her face. "Over the past three years, we have become estranged from each other. I was worried about you, so I was confused and treated Baoqin as my spy. You are my life, my lifelong support. I was angry that Hu Shanwei made a big fuss about a trivial matter, causing us to become estranged, so I made up rumors and wanted to punish her. I didn't expect that one wrong step would lead to another. Mother is incompetent, and was instead schemed by Hu Shanwei, who reported it to the emperor and forced you to punish me."
After saying this, the Crown Princess started to sob. She knew that it was useless to deny it now and the Emperor would hate her for it. The only thing she could hold on to now was her son's heart.
So she might as well confess that she did it - but everything was out of a mother's most pure love for her son, not her own selfish desires.
The emperor is old and his son is the crown prince. As long as she can wait until his son ascends the throne, she will win!
Seeing his mother crying, the Crown Prince handed over a handkerchief and comforted her, "Mother, please reflect on your mistakes in the Eastern Palace. The more critical the moment, the more alert you should be. If someone with ulterior motives uses this, it will be detrimental to your son's succession. If your son cannot inherit the throne smoothly, you will have no chance to leave the Eastern Palace. You should be patient in the Eastern Palace for the sake of your son and your future. Show a repentant attitude, and perhaps the emperor will soften his heart and release you early."
The Crown Prince persuaded her gently, every word was reasonable, and he showed an attitude of repairing the mother-son relationship. The Crown Princess finally agreed to be confined to her house in the name of recuperation.
The Crown Princess was "sick", and the excitement of the previous Peach Blossom Party and other banquets suddenly disappeared. No matter how busy the Crown Prince was every day, he would take time to come to the Eastern Palace to pay his respects to the Crown Princess. People inside and outside the court said that the Crown Prince was filial.
After dealing with his mother, the Crown Prince held a banquet in his own palace and invited Hu Shanwei and Ji Gang to the table to apologize on behalf of his mother.
The Crown Prince bowed and said, "Please forgive the Crown Princess's mistakes, Lord Ji and Lady Hu. I have confined her to reflect on her mistakes. She has realized her mistakes. As a son, I promise that such incidents will not happen again."
The crown prince lowered his posture so much, the two looked at each other, Ji Gang hurried over to help the crown prince up, "Your Highness, you killed us, we can't bear your Highness's worship, at least ten years of life will be shortened. I am a grown man, in fact, it's nothing to be rumored about my love affair, at most I will be accused of being a playboy. But Hu Shanggong is a female official, and if she commits desecration in the palace, the lives of Hu Shanggong's family will be in danger, and I will also beheaded. Everyone has to die, I am not afraid of death, if I die on the battlefield, it will be my honor, but I am really upset that she was wronged and Hu Shanggong was involved."
Hu Shanwei said, "I'm sure the Crown Prince knows what reputation means to a female official. As a son, he apologized on behalf of others. I can understand his sincere apology, but as for the Crown Princess... Please forgive me for not being able to forgive what the Crown Princess did now. However, as the Buddha said, if you put down your butcher knife, you will become a Buddha right away. The sea of suffering is boundless, but turning back is the shore. If the Crown Princess truly repents in the future, takes action, restrains her selfish desires, and does all kinds of good deeds to make up for it, I will forgive her."
The Crown Prince had no choice but to swear to the heavens, "I will definitely explain this to mother. There will not be a next time. Please believe me."
It has come to this, the Crown Prince must step down. Hu Shanwei and Ji Gang raised their glasses and drank them all, accepting the apology, and said in unison: "We believe in the Crown Prince."
A few days after the Crown Princess was confined to the Eastern Palace, the female officials who had gone to the princes' palaces from all over the country to participate in the selection brought the best candidates from each palace to the capital and placed them in vacant palaces such as the Chuxiu Palace. The selection began.
The author has something to say: I read the comments last night, and many readers said that they didn’t comment because the update was late, and they went to sleep after reading.
I have been updating lately, but the number of words is high, usually around 5000. I used to update early, usually around 4000. I want to write more so that everyone can enjoy it.
I will try my best to correct my procrastination habit and see if I can update at 10 o'clock in the evening while maintaining the current quantity, so that everyone can leave comments.
Good night, darlings! The audition starts tomorrow!