Little Arei has been having a "difficult time" recently.
First, my childhood playmate Xiao Ji went home and it was impossible for him to come back.
When her sister Hu Shanwei told her the cruel truth, A Lei said, "Can't come back... Does that mean we'll never see each other again?"
"It's useless. Don't be so... serious." Hu Shanwei thought about it and admitted reluctantly, "But it's almost the same."
"No way! Sister Shanwei is lying!" A Lei went to Muchun crying, asking his brother-in-law to seek justice.
Mu Chun took A Lei's hand and went to Hu Shanwei to reason... The ending is predictable, both father and daughter were forced to accept realistic education.
Arei cried for a while, but from then on he knew how to face reality and no longer had any illusions about Xiaoji suddenly coming back.
Hu Shanwei felt sorry for his daughter, but he was helpless. He ruthlessly cut off A Lei's thoughts, believing that a short pain is worse than a long one.
Arei accepted the reality and became quieter than before, but she was undoubtedly lonely. She started to make friends with her imaginary playmates, talking to herself and doing whatever she wanted, which scared Chunwei and his wife so much that they thought they had encountered a ghost.
Adults can stay at home and live in seclusion, and couples can stay together without being disturbed by outsiders. They feel that socializing is a burden and a hassle. However, children have social needs, and no matter how good the adult company is, they also want to play with children of the same age.
This was something the Chunwei couple had not expected. They had been through many battles, but they were novices when it came to being parents and were still groping in the novice village.
Hu Shanwei said, "Go find out where there are girls' schools in Kunming. We can pick an open-minded school and send her there. She will make new friends."
Mu Chun acted according to the plan. The people of Kunming were open-minded and there were many girls' schools, but both of them were picky. They were faced with the school selection problem that has always been the most headache for parents. After a comprehensive evaluation, they finally selected the top three. However, his father-in-law, Hu Rong, had been ill for a long time and passed away.
The two put everything on hold and focused on the funeral. The two adults had been mentally prepared for Hu Rong's death. They were both experienced, tempered, and strong-minded adults. When faced with the death of a loved one, they were able to grieve without being hurt.
But Arei couldn't. To her, compared to Brother Ji, "father" Hu Rong was truly a farewell forever, and she couldn't bear the double blow.
After a series of setbacks, Alei, at such a young age, could not digest these realistic problems in a short period of time. Children are not adults, and they have various ways to divert their attention, heal themselves, and relieve their emotions. The child had no choice but to cry, and often showed a sad face that was inconsistent with his age.
Fortunately, Emperor Yongle moved the Prince Zhou's Palace to Kunming, which brought a turning point for Are's situation.
When Prince Zhou was slandered for rebellion and later imprisoned in the Xiaoling Mausoleum, it was Hu Shanwei who rescued him from behind. Prince Zhou and his family were very grateful. After Prince Zhou came to Kunming to establish his fiefdom, he and Princess Zhou went to Hu Rong's mourning hall to pay tribute.
You don’t know until you go, and you’ll be shocked when you do.
The two men saw an acquaintance as a family member standing at the door and greeting them, as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
Mu Chun walked over and greeted them: "Uncle, aunt. The emperor said that since the Zhou prince is in Yunnan, I can no longer hide the secret marriage between me and Concubine Hu from you two. Now I have changed my name and surname. I am the son-in-law of the Hu family. I also have the surname Hu, Hu Tianguang."
Mu Chun, courtesy name Jingchun, was given by Empress Xiaoci herself. It comes from the famous line in Yueyang Tower: "When spring comes and the scenery is bright, the waves are calm, and the sky is blue and boundless." After Hu Shanwei retired from the army, he established a female household in Yunnan. She was the head of the household. Mu Chun took his wife's surname and named Tianguang, which was also an alternative continuation. Only someone as unconventional as Mu Chun could think of it.
Princess Zhou was stunned and burst into tears. "My nephew, I didn't expect you to be alive. The Feng family... the Feng family is extinct."
Princess Feng of Zhou was the eldest daughter of Duke Feng Sheng of Song. She was Mu Chun's legal aunt, so Prince Zhou was naturally his uncle.
Feng Sheng's entire family died in the great purge in the late years of Emperor Hongwu, with only the married daughter, Princess Zhou, escaping. Although the second daughter, Xiao Feng, was also a married woman, she married into the Chang family of the Duke of Zheng, the family of the wife of the Duke of Zheng and the Crown Princess of Yiwen. The Chang family was also wiped out, and Xiao Feng, as a wife of the Chang family, was not lucky enough to escape death like her sister. It was really true that you can escape the monk but not the temple.
Chang Jizu, the only grandson of the Chang family who escaped, was regarded as a rare treasure by Mu Chun and hidden in Yunnan. When Emperor Yongle ascended the throne, Chang Jizu "appeared in the capital in time", causing a sensation. Emperor Yongle took the opportunity to show favor to this only surviving descendant of the old nobles and appointed him as the hereditary commander of the Yunnan Lin'an Guard. The salary and benefits were inherited by the generations, which supported the descendants of the Chang family for generations.
Emperor Yongle's move won the admiration and support of many veteran soldiers. As an important political asset, Chang Jizu played a calming role in Lin'an Wei, Yunnan.
Through the efforts of generations, the descendants of the Chang family rose from extinction to prosperity. By the fifth generation, Chang Fu, he finally left Yunnan and was granted the hereditary title of Nanjing Jinyiwei Commander by Emperor Hongzhi, returning to the ranks of the rich and powerful in the Ming Dynasty. By the eighth generation, Chang Xuanzhen, he was granted the hereditary title of Huaiyuan Hou by Emperor Jiajing, returning to the ranks of the top rich and powerful in the Ming Dynasty.
It took a hundred years for a family to go from its birth to its peak, decline, near extinction, restart, revival, and revitalization, and to restore the family's glory. Of course, this is all a story for later.
Since the Chang family has withdrawn from the competition for fame and fortune in the capital, the story line about the Chang family in this article ends here and will not be described separately in the future.
It is said that her natal Feng family was wiped out, but Princess Feng of Zhou survived. Then she was demoted to a commoner along with King Zhou, and suffered a lot. Her life had ups and downs, and she was only in her early forties, but her hair was already completely white.
Hu Shanwei saved King Zhou twice back then, one of the reasons being that King Zhou’s wife was Mu Chun’s aunt.
Now, when Princess Zhou saw her eldest nephew Mu Chun again, it felt like a lifetime ago.
Mu Chun comforted her aunt, "The Feng family is not extinct. Uncle Feng Cheng and his family have changed their surnames to Ma in Yunnan. If you want to meet them, I can arrange it. But this matter must be kept secret like my fake death. It must not be spread to anyone else. Except for you and your uncle, no one else can know about it."
"I understand this. Less trouble is worse than more trouble." Princess Zhou wiped away her tears. "Half of the character Feng is Ma. It's a good change. Over the years, I have become indifferent to everything and don't want to pursue any false reputation. As long as I am safe, I will keep the surname Ma. There is no need to change it back. I am rich now. Who knows what will happen in the future?"
Princess Zhou was extremely sad and happy in one day. Mu Chun introduced the ignorant A Lei to her. Princess Zhou liked her very much. She knew that A Lei was nominally the daughter of Hu Rong, but was actually her own nephew and great-grandson, with one-quarter of Feng family blood. When she learned that Mu Chun was worried about her daughter's education, she invited A Lei to study in the Zhou Palace.
Princess Zhou said: "There are many princesses and county ladies of the same age as her in the palace. They can go to school and play together, so she won't be lonely."
The only thing King Zhou, who was only interested in medicine, had in common with his father Emperor Gaozu was that they were both very fertile.
Except for those who died young, the Zhou Wangfu had 15 sons and 10 daughters. The sons gave birth to sons, and the Zhou Wangfu was prosperous. The Zhou Wangfu had more than 50 people, including the children, grandchildren, and granddaughters.
When the elder brother became the emperor, he was ruthless in giving benefits to his younger brother. Regardless of whether he was born legitimate or illegitimate, all his sons were given the title of princesses, all his daughters were given the title of princesses, and the daughters of county princes were all given the title of county ladies. Three generations of the family all had a secure golden rice bowl.
Prince Zhou was in good health, and the royal palace was not divided, so all the people lived together. Therefore, there were more than ten princesses and county ladies of the same age as A Lei in Prince Zhou's palace, and famous teachers were invited to educate them.
When Arei arrived at the palace, she got along well with the princesses and county ladies. There were many people in the palace, and the relationships between the legitimate and illegitimate children and the various families were complicated. Gradually, she learned some ways of the world and was no longer as simple and naive as before.
The story of Prince Zhou's Mansion is so bloody and tortuous that it can become a million-word novel about palace intrigues and court struggles. A Lei goes to Prince Zhou's Mansion to go to school every day. After school, Hu Shanwei uses Prince Zhou's Mansion as a starting point to introduce the complicated and bloody relatives and social relationships in the capital. A Lei listens with great interest and thinks that what his sister tells is more fascinating than the storytelling in the teahouse.
The storytellers' stories are all made-up, but my sister tells real history, which is even more tortuous and bizarre than the made-up stories.
When the Zhou Palace was being reduced during the reign of Emperor Jianwen, Zhu Youxun, the second son of the Zhou Palace's wife Feng, was jealous of his elder brother, the Zhou Prince Zhu Youdun's title. Under the guidance of Li Jinglong, he slandered his father and elder brother for treason. As a result, the Zhou Palace was stripped of its title, demoted to a commoner, and confined to Fengyang. Zhu Youxun got the title of King of Zhou as he wished.
Things change. Zhu Youxun had only been successful for a few years when Emperor Yongle conquered the capital, rescued his younger brother and his family, and restored his reputation and title. He originally planned to put Zhu Youxun, the unfilial son, in prison, expel him from the royal family, and demote him to a commoner. However, as parents, Prince Zhou and his wife could not bear to see their second son end up like this, so they pleaded with Emperor Yongle to forgive Zhu Youxun for being young and ignorant and being seduced by Li Jinglong to do the evil thing of slandering his father and brother.
Emperor Yongle had only one brother, Prince Zhou. His mother died early, and he doted on his brother when he was young. He would not refuse his brother's request. In desperation, he let Zhu Youxun go, but was afraid that he would cause trouble again and make his brother sad, so he sealed him in Dali, Yunnan, so that he would not be bothered by him.
Prince Zhou and his wife were both still alive, so, except for Prince Runan Zhu Youxun who moved to Dali, the other fourteen sons all lived in the palace with their wives and children and had not yet separated. In addition to several princesses who had not yet married, the palace was prosperous and lively, like a specimen of a large family life.
Are used to live in a simple environment, his life was uneventful and repetitive, with no difference between yesterday and today. When he entered the Zhou Palace to go to school, it was like opening the door to a new world. Only then did he understand what it meant that one rice breeds a hundred kinds of people.
With so many new faces, it takes a lot of time just to figure out who is who and which family they are from. What's more, there are multiple faces hidden under each face, which can be switched at any time. Arei finds it complicated and novel, just like solving a puzzle. She is full of anticipation for going to school every day. This sense of novelty quickly diluted the sadness of losing her playmate Zhu Zhanji and her father Hu Rong. She regained her vitality and learned to look forward.
Hu Shanwei was both happy and confused about this.
What makes me happy is that my daughter lives a fulfilling life every day. She always asks me questions after school. Her desire for knowledge (gossip) is high. She is no longer immersed in sadness, and the communication between mother and daughter is smoother.
What is puzzling is that she and Muchun spent the first half of their lives trying hard to escape the world of fame and fortune, seeking leisure and quiet, knowing what they would do tomorrow, spending their time comfortably, pursuing an unchanging life, and thinking that this was the most ideal state of life. However, their daughter does not think so. She does the exact opposite of them.
Arei wants freshness, excitement, and challenges. She would rather fall and get up again, and wants to continue exploring the unknown. She is full of curiosity, and what she pursues is often what Hu Shanwei and Mu Chun escape from.
At first, Chunwei and his wife took their daughter to study at Prince Zhou's Palace every day. After about a month, Arei became impatient and wanted to ride a horse to school by himself. He did not allow his sister and brother-in-law to take him there, and at most allowed the guards to follow from a distance.
Kunming is a place where people of all ethnic groups gather and their customs are unrestrained. The daughters of local officials or the ladies of imperial officials can also go out in public.
As soon as A Lei left, the "empty nester" Mu Chun was anxious at home. "Look at the weather, it looks like it's going to rain. Oh, I don't want to take a carriage, but I think it's too stuffy and I have to ride a horse. What if I get wet?"
"The city is so noisy. What if someone sets off firecrackers for the opening of a store and scares A Lei's horse..."
Hu Shanwei pretended to be calm at first, but later he became more and more anxious because of Mu Chun's imagination. He slammed the table and stood up, "Can you shut up? You panic, and you make me panic too. There's no point in us glaring at each other at home like this."
In a hurry, Hu Shanwei even swore. Mu Chun swallowed his anger and slapped his forehead, "You are right to criticize. We can just disguise ourselves and follow them from a distance. It's better than being anxious at home."
The couple hit it off immediately and dressed up as a Naxi couple and entered Kunming City, waiting outside Prince Zhou's mansion for their daughter to finish school.
The two waited in the teahouse, smiled bitterly at each other, "I never thought that you and I would end up like this."
A court lady who had served in two dynasties and a duke who had been deified, became a parent and immediately returned to the ordinary. They had all the anxieties and worries that ordinary couples have.
Mu Chun felt sorry for her daughter. "I used to think that with our abilities, we could keep A Lei innocent forever. Now that I think about it, this is actually selfish. The child needs to grow up, and we can't be with her forever. No one can be innocent forever."
Hu Shanwei also felt the same way. "My father probably felt the same as I do now. His way of solving the problem was to find a good marriage for me and entrust me to another man for protection. I don't want to follow my father's old path. It is better to teach a man how to fish than to give him fish. I still have to learn how to make a living on my own."
Chunwei and his wife acted as "study companions", but within less than a month, their whereabouts were exposed for unknown reasons. A Lei was furious and ordered them to stop following, so they had to give up.
In this way, two ordinary but extraordinary years passed, and in the fourth year of Yongle, the trajectory of their lives changed.
The author has something to say: Don’t think that the bloody incident in Prince Zhou’s Mansion has ended, there is another big one waiting, Zhu Youxun is a troublemaker.
The story line of the Chang family and the Feng family ends here, and this book will not write about the Chang family and the Feng family. As the maiden family of Crown Princess Yiwen, the killing of General Chang Yuchun and the massacre of Suzhou City was the first step in pushing Hu Shanwei to change the trajectory of his fate. The fate of the Chang family and Hu Shanwei is closely related. This family history of rise and fall is full of explosive material, enough to open another million-dollar novel.
In Lanzhou's future follow-up novel "Mu Mansion Storm", Chang Xuanzhen, the eighth generation of the Chang family, is an important character, so... everyone, hurry up and contribute a pre-collection, o(n_n)o Thank you, Lanzhou will send out 100 red envelopes tonight, thank you for your support. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution~
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