Once you get hold of the supreme and absolute power of the emperor, you can't stop. The thing you fear most is losing it. You would rather die than give it up.
If he were given another chance and could travel back in time, the current Emperor Jianwen would not stop the pot of poisoned wine.
Both mother and son were masters of acting. In the days that followed, Emperor Jianwen would still go to the Cining Palace to pay his respects whenever he had time, continuing to play the role of loving mother and filial son. However, he ordered Hu Shanwei to re-investigate the details of the people around the two-year-old prince, and to send out the wet nurse who had a husband and children outside the palace, because this tie would become a fatal weakness.
Queen Ma, who was totally unaware of the situation, rarely questioned her husband's decision. "Your Majesty, although the prince has stopped breastfeeding for a long time, he is only two years old and is very dependent on three nurses. He needs them to coax him even when he takes a nap. If all of a sudden they are gone, I'm afraid the prince will be sad. At least keep one, and when the prince gradually gets used to it, it won't be too late to send him out of the palace at the end of the year."
Look, they are both mothers, why is there such a big difference? The queen is only thinking about her son, but my mother wants to kill me...
Emperor Jianwen said warmly, "What's the use of being raised by a woman? Besides, the prince is not an ordinary child. He is the crown prince and should be trained as a crown prince. What can a wet nurse teach him? It is better to choose a few enlightenment teachers with both moral integrity and talent for him, and then select boys around five years old from scholarly and noble families to enter the palace to be his playmates. Let the teacher teach him a few words every day. He doesn't need to learn to write first, just recognize it. The children learn together. Don't let him play with illiterate eunuchs, which will change his temperament."
Empress Ma was a good wife and a loving mother. She thought what her husband said was true and agreed. She said, "Then wait until the prince takes a nap and ask the nurses to leave. Don't let him see it with his own eyes. He will suffer the pain of separation at such a young age."
Emperor Jianwen put his arm around Empress Ma's shoulders and said, "I know that Consort Hu is familiar with the various families in the capital. Zitong and she will select ladies with boys of appropriate age to enter the palace. They will be asked to bring their children with them, host a banquet for them, observe the children's behavior and temper, and leave suitable ones to accompany the prince to study and play. Little boys still prefer to be with children of similar age. In a few days, the prince will forget about his wet nurse."
After hearing this, Empress Ma knew that her son would have to go through this stage sooner or later. Although she was reluctant, she had no choice but to let go.
Emperor Jianwen persuaded Empress Ma and instructed Hu Shanwei, "This time when selecting boys as study companions, you must make sure to select the grandson of the head of the Lu family, and the grandsons of the heirs of the major wealthy and powerful families in the capital must also be selected into the palace."
Hu Shanwei knew what Emperor Jianwen meant when he heard this. They were so-called companions, but in fact they were "hostages" in disguise. These boys, who were of noble birth and the hope of their families, ate, lived and played with the prince. If anyone wanted to take action, they would have to consider the consequences and bear the revenge of the families behind these boys.
Emperor Jianwen currently has only one son, and he doesn't want his son to make any mistakes.
"Yes." Hu Shanwei agreed, and then asked: "As for the Queen... should we keep it a secret from her? If we tell the Queen, she will be on guard against it."
Emperor Jianwen shook his head. "The Queen... is not the previous Empress Xiaoci. With her current abilities, it is better not to know her. Otherwise, once the Queen reveals the truth, we will be in a passive position when we turn from covert to open."
Empress Ma was a commoner queen chosen by Emperor Gaozu under his new policy of "selecting beauties from the common people and marrying into families in the fields". She had the advantages of being from the commoner class, she was gentle and virtuous, did not cause trouble and did not seek power, and was an obedient wife to her husband. However, she also had the limitations of her own class and had no experience in political struggles. In the cruel game of power, she could only assist her husband in very limited ways.
Empress Ma was personally selected by Hu Shanwei, so he must speak well of her. Hu Shanwei said, "No one can be a queen easily right from birth. A queen still needs experience. It's good enough that she hasn't made any mistakes yet. I believe that after this incident, the queen will grow up quickly, stand shoulder to shoulder with the emperor, and withstand the pressure."
Emperor Jianwen had a mother who was extremely controlling, so he needed an obedient queen. Otherwise, he would be attacked from both sides, and even an iron man would not be able to bear it. Empress Ma had her own merits, so there is always someone better than you. Empress Ma's shortcomings were not a problem for Emperor Jianwen.
When talking about his wife, there was a little warmth in the cold eyes of Emperor Jianwen, and he sighed, "As a husband, I should protect my wife and children from wind and rain. I wish the queen would stay calm forever, and I can deal with all the monsters outside. Unfortunately, as a royal family, even I can make mistakes sometimes. At this time, the queen must be able to protect herself, but she will inevitably be hurt if she faces the reality. Alas, I am also conflicted. I hope the queen will not mature so quickly, but I also hope she will mature earlier. Just like the prince, I hope he will grow up earlier, but I also hope he won't grow up."
The last sentence touched Hu Shanwei's maternal instinct. She missed her daughter A Lei and couldn't help but say, "Yes, parents all have similar thoughts."
After saying this, Hu Shanwei immediately regretted it and thought to himself that he must not be exposed.
Fortunately, Emperor Jianwen's focus has always been on him, so he didn't notice. His eyes turned cold again, "But some parents are not qualified to be parents at all."
Naturally, it refers to the Queen Mother.
Regarding the incident of the iron stele appearing in the Prince of Xiang's Mansion, Emperor Jianwen pretended to be mysterious and exaggerated, and threatened that anyone who spread rumors to mislead the people would be severely punished and suppressed.
At the same time, in order to divert the "firepower", Emperor Jianwen deliberately raised the issue of whether to move the capital or choose another Feng Shui location to build a capital because the ground of the imperial palace was sunken, and asked his ministers to discuss it.
With these two approaches, the Iron Monument incident came to an end, and the resentment began to lie dormant again, waiting for an even more violent outburst.
In the following autumn and winter, Hu Shanwei and Empress Ma held a banquet to select a tutor for the prince. In addition to the legitimate grandsons of the Lu family, they also chose Xu Xianzong, the eldest grandson of Xu Huizu, Duke of Wei, Mu Xi, the youngest son of Mu Sheng, Duke of Qian, Geng Jun, the grandson of Geng Bingwen, Marquis of Changxing, and the son of Princess Jiangdu. Princess Jiangdu was the elder sister of Emperor Jianwen and married the eldest son of Marquis of Changxing in the 27th year of Hongwu. Therefore, Geng Jun was also the prince's cousin, Li Xuan, the legitimate grandson of Li Jinglong, Duke of Cao.
These four little study companions are the future of the four great families in the capital. Besides, they are all relatives, all cousins - Geng Jun, the son of Princess Jiangdu, is the prince's cousin, the late second wife Mu of the Duke of Wei's Mansion is the sister of Mu Sheng, the Duke of Qian, and Geng, the wife of the Duke of Qian, is the eldest daughter of Marquis Changxing.
Nepotism is like a circle. Emperor Gaozu was like Sun Wukong in Journey to the West. He used his golden cudgel to draw a circle for Emperor Jianwen, who was as weak as Tang Monk, and tied the four major families together as a force. As long as the circle connected by the four rings was not broken, Emperor Jianwen's throne could be kept.
Hu Shanwei and Empress Ma finalized the list of study companions, secretly thinking that Emperor Gaozu was really far-sighted. Every marriage he granted had a profound meaning. They were to prepare for the four future ministers of state. The four major families were intertwined, and the final benefits would all belong to the Eastern Palace.
Actually, what Emperor Gaozu left behind were five rings - the Guo family of Marquis Wuding had no successors and no outstanding generals, and because the eldest daughter Guo married the vassal king Ying Wang, and the second daughter Guo was brought into the Yan Wang Mansion to become the prince's concubine, they stood on the wrong side twice and bet everywhere, so they were disliked by Emperor Jianwen. As a result, the Guo family declined and was not valued, and only four of the five rings were left.
Emperor Jianwen gave up the Guo family, which had produced two marquises and a prince consort, so easily. Although the Guo family was not as powerful as before, the dead insect was still alive. The Guo family had all kinds of relatives and old friends throughout the Ming army. Ji Gang took advantage of the situation and secretly wooed the Guo family.
The Guo family was unhappy to see that Emperor Jianwen was too lazy to "rescue" their family and just threw them away like a piece of rag. In addition, the second Miss Guo was the concubine of the Crown Prince in the Prince of Yan's Mansion. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess treated the second Miss Guo very well. Although she was only a concubine, she had an extraordinary status and was treated as a sister by the Crown Prince's Consort Zhang, similar to the status of a co-wife.
How did the Guo family become successful
By offering beauties. Back then, the ancestors of the Guo family had a keen eye for heroes. In addition to having two sons to follow Emperor Gaozu to conquer the world, they also sent Consort Guo, Duanjing, to Zhu Yuanzhang's room to warm his bed, thereby showing their loyalty. The two sons of the Guo family were good at fighting, and secondly, they had the nepotism of their sister as a guarantee. Zhu Yuanzhang was confident to use the Guo brothers, and the Guo family had a prominent position later.
The Guo family thought, the old man took a gamble and won. Now it is our generation's turn to take a gamble, so we might as well learn from the old man and take another gamble. So, under the help of Ji Gang, the Guo family returned to the King of Yan and became the internal supporter.
The five rings that Emperor Gaozu left for Emperor Jianwen were immediately missing one.
Ah... Fourth Ring Road, you have one less ring than the Fifth Ring Road!
Emperor Jianwen didn't care anyway, four rings were enough.
Mu Chun was greatly disappointed when he saw Emperor Jianwen's move. This was simply destroying one's own Great Wall at the speed of a prodigal son. The Guo family was such an important military family, but Emperor Gaozu did not wipe out the entire family in one go like he did the Chang family and the Feng family, but instead left them as a rare old-established noble family in the capital. There must be a reason for this, otherwise Emperor Gaozu would have eradicated the Guo family long ago.
Such an important family, instead of being firmly held in my hands and used by me, was neglected, put aside and abducted by the Prince of Yan.
Originally, Mu Chun was still wavering, thinking that whoever became emperor would be the descendant of the Zhu family, and he could just sit on the mountain and watch the fight between the two tigers. But now he saw that Emperor Jianwen made many stupid moves and was totally unfit to be a king. Even if he took advantage of the natural advantage of the throne to eliminate all the uncles, he would not be able to sit firmly on the throne. If he continued to ruin the foundation left by Emperor Gaozu, sooner or later the Northern Yuan Dynasty would make a comeback and the Central Plains would suffer a catastrophe again.
Xiaoling Mausoleum.
With the arrangement of Princess Huaiqing, Mu Chun and Hu Shanwei were able to reunite.
Mu Chun told his wife his thoughts, "I used to think it was safest to hedge my bets, but now, there is no need for that. You decided to avenge Consort Fan and play two-faced between the Queen Mother and the Emperor and his son. This has already put you on the opposite side of the Emperor. Moreover, according to the Emperor's persuasion of Consort Fan to give up the poisoned wine, and then assassinated Consort Fan on the sunken ship. In the future, when the Emperor eliminates the Queen Mother and Prince Heng's forces in one fell swoop, the target will most likely be you. You will be the next Consort Fan."
"You are my wife. I will stand on the side you stand on. I will hit you wherever you point. If you want revenge, I will hand you a knife. If your enemy wants to kill you, I will join forces with the enemy's enemy to save you. With this meritorious service, I will ensure the peace of our family of three in the future."
"We do this to protect A Lei's future life. Otherwise, if a tyrant comes to rule, the country will be in ruins, the people will suffer, and Yunnan will be in chaos. Wouldn't all my efforts in Yunnan be in vain? We will be patient for two years, complete our mission, and then go back to reunite with A Lei. My father-in-law is very good at taking care of children, so don't worry. Kunming is safer than the capital at the moment."
Hu Shanwei wanted revenge and to change the current situation where female officials were always controlled by others and became cannon fodder; Mu Chun could not let go of Yunnan, a fertile land that he had transformed from a wilderness with great difficulty, and the 2.5 million new immigrants for which he had devoted his entire youth.
The couple finally determined the future direction and remained consistent, but when they thought of A Lei, they both felt distressed and guilty. Mu Chun advised his wife to be at ease, but in fact, he was always worried about his daughter. It was just that in front of his wife, he could only act relaxed and not let her see his anxious and worried side.
Hu Shanwei was also trying to restrain herself and not let her anxiety run wild. Even though she dreamed of A Lei at night and cried until her pillow was wet, she always acted calm and composed in front of Mu Chun and did not let her husband see a single tear from her eyes.
This time, she actually wanted to persuade her husband to return to Kunming to accompany A Lei. She was adept at mediating in the world of fame and fortune, and she could handle things on her own even without her husband's help. But before she could say anything, Mu Chun explained his plan. He didn't want to continue to retire and live his own life when the Ming Dynasty was in chaos. He was a general who had participated in the Northern Expedition and the Southern Expedition. Although he had retired for three years, his military blood was still hot.
Hu Shanwei decided to go to Yangzhou to investigate the death of Concubine Fan, then to enter the palace to continue being a Concubine, and then to decide to be a double agent to use the power of the Empress Dowager and Emperor Jianwen to instigate internal strife between the Empress Dowager and Emperor Jianwen and avenge Concubine Fan. No matter what decision Hu Shanwei made, Mu Chun did not use words like a mother's duty to morally blackmail her to go home and take care of her daughter.
Because Mu Chun knew that although Hu Shanwei married him and gave birth to a daughter, she was not only a wife and mother, she was also herself. She had her own career and ideals, and her own principles of repaying kindness and revenge.
Even today, five hundred years later, if a mother chooses to temporarily leave home to complete her career and mission, she will be accused of being "heartless", "ignoring her family", "unworthy of being a mother" and so on. Moreover, this is a feudal era where a woman's only duty is to take care of her husband and children.
Hu Shanwei was moved, and she and Mu Chun fell in love because they were close friends, understanding each other's difficulties and sympathizing with each other. Just like Mu Chun "lived back to the past" after becoming a father, she played with A Lei like a child, and Hu Shanwei never stopped her. Instead, she spoiled him and let him do what he wanted, because she knew that Mu Chun was using A Lei's childhood to heal her own childhood regrets.
Therefore, Hu Shanwei swallowed the words he had prepared in advance to ask Mu Chun to go home and take care of A Lei, and said: "Okay, just go and do what you want to do, don't worry about me. We must complete the task well, and then go home together to accompany A Lei. We will be absent from her childhood for a short time, and hope not to miss her childhood."
What else can you not be satisfied with if you have a close friend and marry him/her? This is probably the most beautiful form of love.
Hu Shanwei said, "You need a letter of surrender to prove your worth to the Prince of Yan. Go and tell the Prince of Yan that Ge Cheng, the clerk in the Prince of Yan's mansion, is a spy planted by Emperor Jianwen, and he often sends secret reports to the palace. I found it in the inner study room of the harem."
In winter, he accompanied the prince to the East Palace to study.
Because the winter was cold, especially since Prince of Yan was located in the bitterly cold north, most of the troops controlled by Emperor Jianwen were from the south and were not suitable for fighting in winter. So Emperor Jianwen stopped his plan to weaken Prince of Yan, whom he feared the most, because of the weather, and planned to take action when the weather got warmer.
Soon it was New Year's Day again, and the Ming Dynasty officially entered the Jianwen era and officially started using a new country name. That year was the first year of Jianwen.
Emperor Jianwen announced a general amnesty and released a thousand palace maids. As the official slaves left, the palace maids and eunuchs were selected to enter the palace. There were about two hundred new people in the harem, among whom were the trusted assassins that Empress Dowager Lu asked Hu Shanwei to bring in.
Hu Shanwei acted according to the plan and cooperated with Emperor Jianwen to gradually spread the net.
As spring arrives and the weather warms up, it's time for Prince Yan's Mansion to go bankrupt.
Just when Emperor Jianwen and Duke of Cao Li Longji were discussing what excuse to find to depose the Prince of Yan, news came from faraway Peking that the Prince of Yan had suffered a stroke and was in critical condition. His mouth and nose were crooked, and he could not speak, becoming a disabled person.
Princess Xu of Prince Yan wrote a petition, each word was written in tears, asking Emperor Jianwen to allow the four children to return to Beiping to see their father for the last time. She also said that the emperor ruled the country with filial piety and was respectful and filial to the empress dowager, which was a model of filial piety in the world, and asked the emperor to fulfill the filial piety of the four children.
In addition, Princess Huaiqing and other royal family members also went to the palace to plead for the Princess of Yan, asking Emperor Jianwen to allow his nephews and nieces to go back to see the Prince of Yan for the last time.
When the Prince of Yan had a stroke, it happened that Ge Cheng, a clerk in the Prince of Yan's mansion, was handing over a document. The Prince of Yan had just opened the document to take a closer look when he suddenly fell off his chair, his mouth and nose were crooked, and he was twitching non-stop. Ge Cheng was so scared that he shouted for help.
Because Ge Cheng saw it with his own eyes, he had no doubts. He sent the information about Prince Yan's stroke to the capital long before Princess Yan reported it to the emperor.
Emperor Jianwen was overjoyed. It was like a perfect match! Before I could even start, the Prince of Yan fell down first. As long as the Prince of Yan died, what could the two young men, the Prince of Yan's eldest son and the second son, do
God really helps me!
However, Emperor Jianwen did not relax his vigilance. Before letting the four people go, he sent his trusted Beiping Governor Zhang Bing and Beiping Guard Commander Xie Gui, one civil and one military minister, to visit Prince of Yan Zhu Di who had suffered a stroke.
It was early summer and people only wore thin clothes, but the King of Yan wore a mink coat, lit a stove, and lay on the couch next to the stove, shivering and trembling, "Cold... cold..."
Princess Xu wiped the saliva flowing from the twisted corners of the king's mouth with her handkerchief, "My prince can no longer speak a complete sentence, and can only say the word 'cold'. There is no other way, so I have to light the stove in the hot summer. Every day, I rely on the thousand-year-old ginseng from Goryeo to survive, and I have to force myself to see the king.
Four children must close their eyes."
Zhang Bing and Xie Gui reported to Emperor Jianwen: Prince of Yan is really dying.
Only then did Emperor Jianwen let his four cousins go.
On the sixth day of July in the first year of Jianwen, Prince of Yan Zhu Di, who was dying of a stroke, miraculously recovered after seeing his four children. He announced that treacherous ministers were in power in the court and persecuted the royal family, and he raised an army to defend the king. This event is known in history as the Jingnan Campaign!
The author has something to say: King Yan: Surprising or not? Exciting or not
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