Hu Shanwei didn't know that she had just entered the palace and was targeted by Princess Huaiqing. Once she entered the palace, she was trapped. She came back only to find out the truth about the death of Concubine Fan, but she didn't expect to be involved in the vortex of the Ming Dynasty's regime change. She had no choice in how to go on in the future.
After finally sending away the troublesome aunt, Empress Ma heaved a sigh of relief, and Haitang led Hu Shanwei over. The last time Empress Ma saw Hu Shanwei, she was still a concubine in Chuxiu Palace who was anxiously waiting for the final result, and she had to pay respects to Hu Shanggong. Now the situation has changed, and Hu Shanwei has to pay respects to Empress Ma.
Empress Ma offered a seat, and Hu Shanwei sat at the lower seat. It was still the mourning period for Emperor Gaozu, and the palace was decorated in a simple style. Empress Ma wore her hair in a round bun and wore a white jade phoenix hairpin. She looked simple and noble, and Hu Shanwei was stunned for a moment.
Empress Ma was very friendly and asked, "Does Consort Hu think that my attire is inappropriate?"
Hu Shanwei bowed and said, "No, it's because the Empress looks very similar to Empress Xiaoci, so I was a little dazed just now. Please forgive me for my impoliteness in front of the palace."
This flattery was invisible, but Empress Ma was very pleased to hear it. She had always taken Empress Xiaoci as her role model and tried hard to get closer to her grandmother. She thought to herself: More such "improper conduct in front of the palace" would be great.
Empress Ma said hurriedly, "What crime has Consort Hu committed? I have been reading the Daily Records of Empress Xiaoci to learn how to be the Empress of the Ming Dynasty. I have been influenced by her every day. Moreover, Empress Xiaoci is a member of my family, so there is some similarity."
In fact, Hu Shanwei did it on purpose. Someone who was about to become a spirit in the palace would never make such a mistake. When they met again three years later, there had to be a happy beginning for both parties. However, Empress Ma was in a high position and had long been tired of flattery. It would be better to praise her with Empress Xiaoci.
What's more, Princess Huaiqing had just left, and Emperor Jianwen was now determined to reduce the power of the princes. Empress Xiaoci followed her husband's lead and the couple had the same stance. It can be imagined that the conversation just now was unpleasant, so Hu Shanwei told Empress Xiaoci the lie she had prepared long ago: I have been traveling in Ming Dynasty for the past three years.
Hu Shanwei stayed in Yunnan for three years, living with Muchun, so all her travel experience was secondhand - she memorized the letters that Ru Siyao and Tan Taiyi wrote when they traveled around the world in search of famous doctors and medicinal materials, and combined with her experiences on business trips when she was a female official, she could talk about it without any flaws.
At the end, he also explained why his father Hu Rong was not in his hometown of Jining: "… My father was old, and he wanted to return to his hometown, so he brought his family back to Jining. However, my stepmother died of illness on the way due to unfamiliar climate, and my younger brother also had an accident and almost drowned. My father thought it was a warning from God and it would not be easy to return home, so he found a fortune teller, who told him that the south would be a good place for luck and the north would be a disaster, so my father and my younger brother went south. My father has been in good health these years, and my younger brother is at an age of gaining experience. The two of them have been traveling and living, and have not settled down in the past two years…"
Emperor Gaozu had threatened her family's lives before, and she had learned from her mistakes. This time, she would not let anyone use any evidence against her.
Empress Ma was busy dealing with all matters in the harem and her mother-in-law in the Cining Palace. It was a rare opportunity for her to relax. She was so absorbed in listening that she only came to her senses when it was time to set up the meal at noon. She asked Hu Shanwei to stay in Kunning Palace for lunch and tea, and then she reluctantly said, "Mrs. Hu, you have worked hard on the journey. Please go back and settle down first. It's still the courtyard you used to live in. I have already sent someone to clean it up."
After that, Empress Ma handed her a palm-sized oval ivory plaque and said, "This is what you left behind when you resigned three years ago. Now it is returned to its original owner. From now on, I will hand over the harem to Concubine Hu."
Hu Shanwei took the ivory plaque and said, "I will do my best to live up to your trust. However, before I start my work, I want to go to the Xiaoling Mausoleum to burn incense for Emperor Gaozu and Empress Xiaoci, and take a look at the deer and green peacocks in the Xiaoling Mausoleum."
After hearing this, Haitang almost gave a thumbs up on the spot. Before Hu Shanggong officially took up the post, she had already started to establish her authority. She went to the Xiaoling Mausoleum to show off her rich qualifications and prestige. After all, she was the only one in the palace to guard the mausoleum for Empress Xiaoci for a year.
After hearing this, Empress Ma thought to herself that the old ones are the wisest! When Concubine Hu came back, she was not greedy for power or profit. She went to Xiaoling Mausoleum to pay homage to her old master first. She was both loyal and filial. In the future, she would definitely suppress the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace who was greedy for fame and power. Let's see how she can stir up trouble again.
When Hu Shanwei returned to his old residence, Shen Qionglian and others had been waiting there for a long time. Even Jiang Quan, who was living in the Nankang Grand Princess's Mansion, came. Needless to say, they all came to inquire about the mysterious death of Fan Shanggong.
There is warmth in the harem. Seeing these people, Hu Shanwei no longer needs to wear a hypocritical mask. His eyes are red. He recounts how he heard the news, how he took out the seal given by Shen Qionglian to withdraw silver from the Shen family, how he piled up a mountain of silver in Guazhou to attract the best swimmers in the world to rescue people, how he discovered the sunken ship, the pierced bottom of the ship, the copper lock locked from the outside, and... the body of Lady Fan has already grown wax.
"… Before she died, Lady Fan changed into a female official robe, wore official boots embroidered with gold thread, and had this Lady Fan waist badge that she had only used for three years."
Hu Shanggong took out the relics of Fan Shanggong from her bag and said, "I came back to the palace this time, firstly for the imperial edict, and secondly to find out the truth about Fan Shanggong's death and find the real murderer. You are all people I trust. If you have any clues, please tell me. I will definitely avenge Fan Shanggong."
Everyone was furious when they heard this, especially Jiang Quan. She was abandoned when she was young. Her husband took her daughter and presented her to the emperor, and then pushed her into the river. She struggled in the cold water before she was "reborn". She changed her age and name, and from then on she used "Jiang" as her surname. She studied hard and took the exam to become a female official to enter the palace to find her daughter.
No one could understand the fear of being drowned by the river better than Jiang Quan. Hearing Hu Shanwei's story, Jiang Quan felt as if he had experienced death himself and returned to the past. He trembled all over and was speechless.
Chen Ermei was the most impatient. She said, "When Lady Fan was the head of the palace, she offended many people. I will go back and sort out the details one by one. The murderer must be among them."
Shen Qionglian spoke first and asked, "How is Cui Shangyi now? The death of Fan Shanggong must have been a great blow to her. It was not easy for Emperor Gaozu to spare her life, but she knew too many secrets. I am really worried that she would follow in Fan Shanggong's footsteps." After all, she was cultivated by him, so Shen Qionglian cared about Cui Shangyi the most.
Hu Shanwei said, "She looks a little old, but she's in good spirits. I gave the remaining money from retrieving the body to Consort Cao and Consort Cui, asking them to hire more servants and bodyguards. Besides, the Minister of Justice Bao is now personally supervising the case. The two of them are cooperating with the investigation outside. If the matter gets out of hand, the mastermind dare not touch them at the moment, otherwise he will be caught."
Huang Wei De was the most senior official in the palace, having served as the female treasure officer for fifteen years. She was deeply trusted by Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Jianwen. Her eyes were full of doubts:
"Gong Lady Fan was born into a prestigious family. She was naturally more confident than others. She was fair and had no personal grudges against anyone. She only dealt with people for official business. If she encountered someone who had committed a crime, she would usually deal with them strictly according to palace rules to serve as a warning to others. Many people were angry at her for this and secretly called her Fan the King of Hell. However, these ignorant people were not very good at their jobs. They were unable to do anything to her in the palace. How could she have the ability to commit such a meticulous murder outside the palace? Unless it was a premeditated murder."
"Also, Wang Dianzheng, a former confidant of Lady Fan, committed suicide and left a suicide note saying that he was following Lady Fan. The Empress pardoned his crime of suicide and ordered people to carry him out for burial. For this, the Empress Dowager was very dissatisfied and thought that the Empress was taking the lead in ignoring palace rules and was disrespectful. There was a commotion in the Cining Palace for a while. It was said that the Empress Dowager wanted to go to Fengxian Hall to cry for Emperor Xiaokang. The Empress had no choice but to invite the Emperor to go over and appease the emperor."
Queen Mother!
The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was intentional. Hu Shanwei's heart lit up. When he read the court report before, he saw that Emperor Gaozu ordered all the concubines and palace maids who had slept with him to be buried alive with him. This should be to prevent someone from hindering the crown prince in the future. However, with Emperor Gaozu's iron-blooded means, the court was purged, and the harem was buried alive, why did he let go of the biggest hidden danger, Empress Dowager Lu
Having served in the palace for fifteen years, Hu Shanwei knew Emperor Gaozu too well. In his later years, he became a tyrant who would rather kill someone by mistake than let him go. He would rather dirty his own hands than let Empress Dowager Lu go. But why is Empress Dowager Lu still alive and well in the Cining Palace and fighting with Empress Ma
There must be something fishy going on.
Hu Shanwei pondered for a moment and asked, "Are Wang Dianzheng's suicide note and her room still there?"
Haitang said, "The Queen Mother said that it is unlucky to burn the things of the dead, so we should burn her things. All the things have been transported out and burned, but I copied a copy of her suicide note and put it in the roster of the Shanggong Bureau. I will send it here soon."
Hu Shanwei raised his hand and said, "You can secretly deliver it to me that day, and don't let the news leak out. Now I only trust you few, and you can't let outsiders know."
Everyone told Hu Shanwei all the big and small things that had happened in the past three years, such as the harmonious relationship between the emperor and the empress, the only two unfavored concubines in the six palaces, and the secret rivalry between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law in Kunning Palace and Cining Palace.
After the great purge during the Hongwu reign, there are now only eight royal members who need to be served in the huge harem, which is much simpler than the crowded harem during the Hongwu reign.
The first one is of course Emperor Jianwen of the Qianqing Palace. He is busy until midnight every day and goes to court before dawn, maintaining the diligence of the previous emperor.
Then there was Empress Dowager Lu of the Cining Palace. Empress Dowager Lu was restless. Some time ago, she asked for the title of Duke Cheng'en on behalf of her deceased father, but was rejected by Emperor Jianwen.
Then there was Empress Ma and the two-year-old crown prince in Kunning Palace. The crown prince had a ready-made East Palace to live in, but the crown prince was too young, and Empress Ma was reluctant to leave him, so with the consent of her husband, Emperor Jianwen, she kept the crown prince in Kunning Palace to raise and educate him.
The two concubines of Emperor Jianwen lived in the Yanxi Palace of the East Six Palaces and the Yikun Palace of the West Six Palaces respectively. However, according to the records of the female officials of Tongshi, these two concubines had not slept with the emperor once since he ascended the throne - the emperor needed to reproduce and could not abstain from sex during the mourning period.
Therefore, Queen Ma was the only one favored.
Finally, there was the only survivor of the former imperial harem, Zhang Taipin of Ninghe Hall. She and the three-year-old Princess Baoqing, two members of the royal family, lived in the northwest corner of Ninghe Hall. Both mother and daughter were young and of high generation. Princess Baoqing was not yet educated, so she was the "eldest princess". However, Zhang Taipin had always kept a low profile. Except for occasionally taking her daughter out for a walk, she had rarely left Ninghe Hall alone.
In such a "fresh and refined" harem, thousands of palace servants only need to serve eight members of the royal family. Both the female officials and the eunuchs who served them suddenly felt relaxed, and most of the time they had nothing to do. Empress Ma already had the idea of sending a group of people out of the palace, and it was estimated that this was the first thing Hu Shanwei would do after returning to the palace.
It was dusk when the ladies left. Jiang Quan was the last one to leave. He took out a letter from his clothes and whispered to Hu Shanwei, "This is something Ru Siyao asked me to bring to you."
Jiang Quan lived in the Nankang Princess's mansion outside the palace, so she was the freest and had the most privacy. Her correspondence with others did not have to go through the Shangyi Bureau to be opened.
When Hu Shanwei opened the letter, he found out that King Zhou was escorted to the capital on the charge of treason. The Zhou palace was in disarray. The famous doctors who had edited the book together went home. Ru Siyao and Doctor Tan also returned to their hometown in Wuxi with their two sons to hide, and told Hu Shanwei not to worry about them.
However, Ru Siyao had a request in the letter, saying that he and his wife had followed King Zhou for many years, and King Zhou was not compiling medical books for fame, but because he really liked medicine and wanted to make achievements. His masterpiece "Compendium of Materia Medica for Famine Relief" was only halfway through its compilation because he was falsely accused of treason by King Runan, which was a great loss to medicine.
Now that the couple has faded out of the palace for many years and is a guest of honor in Prince Zhou's mansion, the emperor will not listen to them, but Concubine Hu's words may influence the emperor and empress. I beg Concubine Hu to give it a try for the sake of medicine and saving the people of the world and save Prince Zhou. The title does not matter. Saving Prince Zhou's life may save millions of people in the future.
After so many years, Ru Siyao still pursues medicine and never forgets her original intention. Hu Shanwei admires her very much. Moreover, she had a difficult birth when giving birth to A Lei. Fortunately, Ru Siyao saved her life. The people of the world are a little empty. Even for the sake of Ru Siyao's life-saving grace, Hu Shanwei will try to save King Zhou's life.
The author has something to say: Hu Shanwei: let's tango!
Send 100 red envelopes tonight,
Good night, baby~