The host effect, Hu Shanwei did not have the bloodline of the old Zhu family, but the old Zhu family's ancestral tomb was her home. Empress Xiaoci, Consort Duanjing and others seemed to be protecting her from the underworld and bringing her good luck. I thought the second condition would be rejected by Emperor Yongle, or more restrictions would be added, but Emperor Yongle unexpectedly "humanized" Hu Shanwei.
In fact, when it comes down to it, it was Emperor Yongle who regarded Hu Shanwei as a court minister rather than just a housekeeper in the harem. Although they were both civil servants, there was a difference between a minister and a servant.
Hu Shanwei served as a palace maid for two dynasties, and finally in the third dynasty she won the same rights as male officials—she could go home after get off work and eat and sleep with her family.
Sounds simple, right? But it is different for female officials. This is a qualitative leap.
The first two conditions were met, and Hu Shanwei took advantage of the victory and put forward the third condition: "I am 46 years old this year. My body, energy and experience are all good enough, but time flies by. I will also resign and return to my hometown to enjoy my remaining years. Before the capital is moved, I will help the emperor to keep the harem in order. When the Daming Palace moves to the new palace, I ask the emperor to accept my resignation."
Hu Shanwei was frightened by the two previous emperors' "breaking their promises", so he agreed on a resignation date in advance so that he would have something to look forward to.
Emperor Yongle thought, who knows when the capital can be moved
If the capital is to be moved, the expedition to Mongolia must be completed first to stabilize the border. Otherwise, the new capital and the Ming Palace will be taken away by Mongolia.
At the same time, we need to build roads, dredge rivers, and build the Grand Canal, so that ships carrying supplies can be transported directly from Jiangnan to Beijing without any obstruction...
Otherwise, with such a large population in the new capital and the need to support hundreds of thousands of troops to defend the capital, there would simply not be enough food and supplies from the north.
As a famous infrastructure maniac, Emperor Yongle's plan for the Ming Dynasty was definitely not as simple as moving the capital. Even Emperor Yongle himself was not sure whether he could complete all these infrastructure projects in his lifetime...
Emperor Yongle was thinking about doing some big things. Seeing that the emperor had not agreed for a long time, Hu Shanwei thought that something was wrong. The order of the three conditions I proposed was well thought out and arranged in the order of easy, difficult, and easy.
The first condition is the simplest, just like a knife, the front part is the sharpest, and good steel is used on the blade, making it easy to cut.
The second condition is the most difficult, but it is the core of the three-point agreement. It cannot be put at the beginning, so as not to kill it with one blow and leave no room for maneuver, nor can it be put at the end, so as not to make the emperor feel that he has already agreed to the first two conditions and made concessions, and cannot make big concessions on the third condition.
Therefore, the difficulty coefficient of the third condition is lower. Since the eunuch Sanbao has already mentioned the matter of moving the capital, Emperor Yongle should agree to it readily.
This is a little trick that Hu Shanwei has summed up from his many years of work experience.
Why did Emperor Yongle hesitate for so long? Why did he pause for so long as for the second question
Just when Hu Shanwei was about to doubt his life, Emperor Yongle finally spoke, "Okay, I promise you, after we move the capital to Beiping, as long as you ask to leave, I will not force you to stay."
Emperor Yongle was the only emperor in the history of 5,000 years who was promoted from a reserve prince to an official emperor. He was very scheming and made big promises to Hu Shanwei, thinking that if you can live to see me complete all the infrastructure projects and successfully move the capital, I will definitely agree to your request.
So, I'm not deceiving you, right
Hu Shanwei breathed a sigh of relief, bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
After the deal was done, Emperor Yongle was anxious for Hu Shanwei to take up his post immediately, saying, "I will grant you a mansion. Three days later, I will send someone to bring Hu Shanggong into the palace."
Hu Shanwei knelt to thank the emperor for his grace. The Ming Dynasty's rule was that when the emperor and his subjects met, they only needed to bow and did not need to kneel. Kneeling was only suitable for special occasions such as receiving an imperial edict or receiving a gift.
It was impossible for Hu Shanwei to refuse this house. It was not because the house price in Beijing was expensive and Hu Shanwei could not afford it. It was a house given by the emperor, similar to the public housing in the planned economy era 500 years later. It had no property rights and no real estate certificate. It was specially provided to solve the housing problem for civil servants, and only had the right to use it.
Civil servants can live there, but once they die or resign and return to their hometown, the house will be "handed over to the public" and taken away by eunuchs sent by the palace, and they cannot take even a door panel with them.
The property rights of this kind of house belonged to the emperor himself, and were usually obtained by confiscating the private property of criminals. It was usually taken care of and repaired by official slaves. Because the property of the criminals had been confiscated, the furniture and other things were all complete. New civil servants could just move in without worrying about purchasing too many things.
The official slaves were also regarded as the "property" of the mansion and served their new masters, but there were spies for the emperor among them - Hu Shanwei had served as a palace lady for two dynasties, and she knew all the intricacies of this only too well.
Granting a house was a grace, but also a surveillance, and only important officials could receive this "favor." If they refused, they would be disrespecting the emperor.
Power and restraint are like twin brothers, coming one after another.
Hu Shanwei accompanied Emperor Yongle to the Xian Hall to burn incense to Emperor Gaozu and Empress Xiaoci, and then immediately returned to the palace. Eunuch Sanbao took Hu Shanwei and his daughter to the imperial house.
Arei was full of curiosity about the capital city and was impatient to ride in a carriage, so Hu Shanwei changed her into little boy's clothes and made her put on a Fan Yang hat with a wide-brimmed round top that even covered her shoulders (which was also the standard outfit for Lin Chong in "Water Margin").
The characteristic of Fan Yang hat is that the extra-large brim in the front is slightly tilted like a cloud, which provides a wide field of vision and blocks rain and sun.
Arei was small, and when she rode on horseback, the Fanyang hat on her head looked like a huge black mushroom. She stretched her neck and looked at the prosperity of the capital along the way, her eyes rolling around, and she was reluctant to blink.
Through the gauze curtains, Hu Shanwei looked at the "black mushroom" head outside which kept turning, and sighed in his heart that his daughter had grown up.
The convoy turned onto Datong Street, which runs through the north and south of the capital. On the east side of the street was an endlessly high wall, decorated with bright yellow glazed tiles, like a giant dragon lying down.
A Lei was surprised at the height of the wall and asked the eunuch Sanbao beside him, "Eunuch Zheng, is this the imperial palace?"
Eunuch Sanbao nodded and said, "This is where Concubine Hu works. In the middle of the palace wall is the Xi'an Gate. The palace maids and the ladies who come to Beijing for an audience with the emperor all enter the palace from the southwest gate. The residence granted by the emperor is very close to here, making it convenient for Concubine Hu to enter and leave the palace."
A Lei walked beside the carriage and said to Hu Shanwei inside, "Sister is so amazing. From now on, sister is the person I admire the most, even more than brother-in-law."
Even through the window screen, Hu Shanwei could see the pride and pride on A Lei's face.
Hu Shanwei suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of accomplishment. Her daughter's affirmation and recognition of her small achievements moved her more than the emperor's reward, and an invisible force was injected into her body.
It turns out that a mother can not only provide her children with a healthy body and a sound soul, but also make a career that her children can be proud of.
Hu Shanwei was born in Suzhou, grew up in Beijing, and worked in the imperial city. She knew every road in Beijing like the back of her hand. Following the route of the motorcade, Hu Shanwei discovered that the imperial residence was not only convenient for "entering and exiting the palace", it was simply a place she "could not afford to live in"!
If the capital city is divided into five rings, the imperial new home is on the first ring road of Xicheng District, where the top dignitaries in the capital city live.
How expensive is it? Just look at your neighbors.
The neighbor on the left is the Mu Mansion... Mu Chun's former home. Because his father Mu Ying was posthumously named Prince Zhaojing, it is called the Prince Mu Mansion, or Mu Mansion for short.
The Mu family is one of only two top noble families that have survived since the Hongwu era—the other is the Wuding Marquis Mansion, the maiden home of the Crown Prince's Consort Guo.
Having withstood three rounds of brutal werewolf attacks during the Hongwu, Jianwen and Yongle dynasties, the Mu Mansion has become a legend in the capital.
It should be noted that the Xu family, the Duke of Wei's mansion, the family of Empress Xu's mother, had all been stripped of their titles. Although her younger brother Xu Zengshou was given the title of Duke of Dingguo, also a hereditary duke, the title of Duke of Wei that Empress Xu's father Xu Da had earned was not retained, and the inheritance had been cut off.
The neighbor on the left is already extraordinary.
The neighbor on the right is even more astonishing—the Prince of Han’s Mansion.
The home of Zhu Gaoxu, the Prince of Han, is of course also the home of Shuikeng's younger brother. The most warlike prince of the Ming Dynasty, the great contributor to the Jingnan Campaign, the most powerful prince in the capital, the prince who was favored by Emperor Yongle, and the strongest competitor for the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, all these titles are too numerous to mention in one breath.
He's like the male version of Daenerys.
Of course, since the specifications of officials' residences were determined according to their rank and family background, the new residence granted by the emperor did not have such large architectural complexes as the Mu Mansion and the Hanwang Mansion. It was just a quiet three-courtyard mansion, similar in area to one of the six east and west palaces in the imperial palace.
With neighbors like the Mu Mansion and the Han Palace, public security is of course impeccable. Even if the doors are not locked at night, there is no need to worry about thieves. It is very suitable for a place like Hu Shanwei and her sister where only two women live together to ensure safety.
Moreover, although the Hu residence does not have the day and night patrols of the palace soldiers like the Mu Mansion and the Han Palace, the Hu residence should be safer than these two palaces.
Why
Because behind Hu’s house is Ogura Garden—the largest state-owned silver vault in the capital is located here, similar to the silver vault of the central bank headquarters in later generations.
Okura Garden was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue, and the tax silver collected from all over the Ming Dynasty was stored here. The monthly salary of officials in the capital, the silver approved for requisition by various departments, military expenses, etc., all came from the Okura Garden Silver Vault. Because the silver was of good quality, it was referred to as Okura Silver. Everyone loved it and it was very heavy. Private shops and money houses all liked Okura Silver.
Who doesn't love money? So there are 2,000 imperial guards stationed here all year round. If there is a full-time martial law, there will be at least 20,000 imperial guards defending here, which is ten times the number.
Emperor Yongle arranged Hu's residence here, which was simply "hiding a pride in a silver house".
Eunuch Sanbao led the Hu sisters into the house. The official slaves who had been watching over the house opened the door and stood in the courtyard to welcome their new masters.
Official slaves were of low status and could not intermarry with good people. They could only be absorbed internally and be slaves for generations. So the people watching the house were three families in total, all of them were slaves, old and young, the old one was already gray-haired, and the young one was about the same age as A Lei.
Eunuch Sanbao was the most popular person in the palace. The slaves of the third room listened to his lecture with trepidation and swore to the heavens, "I will serve Lady Hu and Miss Hu well and will not neglect them."
Eunuch Sanbao took the Hu sisters on a tour of the Hu residence. The flowers and trees in the house were all kept in perfect order. Almost all the furniture was complete, and all was made of good wood, including precious woods such as rosewood and red sandalwood. Only small household items such as pots and pans, bedding and tablecloths were missing.
Eunuch Sanbao said, "The people from the Sixth Bureau of the Palace will bring all the allowances for Lady Hu tonight. We will have her to stay here tonight. We will also have maids and eunuchs to serve her. We will have people pick the best ones to serve her."
Needless to say, among them were Yongle Emperor's spies. Hu Shanwei accepted all who came. As for whether these people were suitable... we'll talk about it later.
After the visit, Eunuch Sanbao said goodbye. Hu Shanwei, as the head of the family, convened a small meeting with the official slaves of the three rooms. As it was their first meeting, they all gave each other gifts.
The official slaves lined up to receive their rewards and bowed to express their gratitude.
After the master and servant had recognized each other, the palace sent Hu Shanwei's allowance of clothes, firewood, and other items, which were loaded into the house in carts. All of them were the finest items made in the palace. There were also about twenty palace servants, including palace maids, nannies, eunuchs, and cooks who had come out of the palace to serve the Hu family.
Of course, whether it is official slaves or palace servants, their salaries are all paid by the palace, similar to nannies assigned by the state, and Hu Shanwei does not have to pay for them.
The palace maids greeted each other one by one. Hu Shanwei gave them a gift, which was more generous than the official slaves of the third room. He arranged for them to live in and said modestly: "My place is not as good as the palace. The conditions are slightly worse. I am sorry to have troubled you all."
Everyone hurriedly said "we don't feel wronged" and "we are willing to leave the palace to serve Concubine Hu" and so on.
The palace has its own advantages, it is magnificent, but it is not a good place for them to live in. Serving in the Hu family, at least they can go out often and have more freedom. The procedures for palace servants to leave the palace are complicated, and many of them have not left the palace for several years.
The palace servants settled down in Hu's house, and the emperor and empress sent people to deliver various rewards. Hu Shanwei did not dare to be careless. He set up an incense table, spread a red carpet, and opened the middle door to welcome the angel.
The person who came to deliver the gift was not a eunuch, but a female official named Cao, who was the female official Si Yan beside Empress Xu.
Hu Shanwei had served as Empress Xiaoci's secretary, and knew that this position was held by the Empress's most trusted and most dignified female official, who represented the face of the royal family and was a person of both firmness and flexibility.
Hu Shanwei read about Cao Siyan's deeds in the second issue of the Hongwu Emperor's official newspaper. After Emperor Yongle ascended the throne, many of Emperor Jianwen's old ministers were thrown into prison. A daughter of the Cao family wrote to Empress Xu, beating the drum to appeal for her father's injustice, saying that her father was slandered as a member of Fang Xiaoru's rebel party, but in fact he had only participated in a literary gathering organized by Fang Xiaoru that year, and the Cao family had no contact with the rebel party.
When Empress Xu saw the letter, she was moved by the neat and elegant handwriting, clear narrative, rigorous logic, and no nonsense throughout. She admired Cao's writing style very much, so she summoned her into the palace, asked her about it, and then ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate the matter thoroughly.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard later found out that Cao's father was innocent, released him in court, and reinstated him. Empress Xu liked Cao's daughter very much. It happened that the selection for female officials in the palace had begun, and the palace maids applied for the exam. Empress Xu asked Cao's daughter to take part in the selection exam, and she was selected as the top female winner by the examiner Shen Qionglian, and from then on she stayed in the palace as a female official.
Things that happened in the harem should not have been reported in the court gazette, but as long as they were written in, it was used to show the political attitude of the Yongle Dynasty: as long as Yongle's orthodox status was recognized, the previous behavior of officials would be forgiven.
Hu Shanwei judged that this was a typical political show and that one could not believe everything in the official gazette. However, this Cao Siyan cooperated with Empress Xu in the show and must be the Empress's confidant. He just didn't know what Cao Siyan's true background was, but it was definitely not simple.
Hu Shanwei brought A Lei and all the servants in the house to thank the emperor for his grace.
When Hu Shanwei saw Cao Siyan, he felt that he looked vaguely familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
Cao Siyan completed her mission, and Hu Shanwei invited her to sit down and have tea.
Cao Siyan dismissed everyone and bowed to Hu Shanwei. "Your humble servant greets you, Consort Hu. I have heard of Consort Hu's great name for a long time. After meeting her today, I can see that she is indeed worthy of his reputation. I hope you will give her more guidance in the future."
Si Yan belongs to the Shanggong Bureau, and Hu Shanwei is her immediate superior.
Hu Shanwei invited her to sit down and asked about her hometown when she was young.
Cao Siyan smiled and said, "If there were no one else, I would not have concealed the story of Concubine Hu. Concubine Cao in the palace before was my great-aunt. It was my great-aunt's idea that I entered the palace. My great-aunt repeatedly told me to follow Concubine Hu's words and learn from her. Even if I only learn a little bit, it will be enough for me to benefit from for the rest of my life."
Cao Shang Gong! I was wondering why this girl looked familiar! I seemed to have seen her somewhere before. It turns out that she is a relative of Cao Shang Gong, the old fox!
As expected, the entry of this girl from the Cao family into the palace was a carefully planned political drama.
The author has something to say: Lady Guan Cao was also a real person in the era of Empress Xu. She pleaded for justice for her father and was appreciated by Empress Xu. She was then allowed to stay and serve as a lady-in-waiting. She was also a very remarkable female character.
However, the relationship between Lady Guan Cao and Lady Shang Gong Cao was fabricated by Zhou.
Tomorrow, both Ji Ge and Shuikeng will appear. Shura Field thanks the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution~
Thanks to the little angel who threw [bazooka]: 1 tiger skin green pepper;
Thanks to the little angel who threw the [grenade]: Xiaoyou's master 1;
Thanks to the little angel who cast [mines]: Xia~Taoyuan 1;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:
52 bottles of rice grains; 30 bottles of Western Fruit, Dreaming of Flowers, and Cat-core Chestnut; 20 bottles of Egyptian Lotus, Yiruo, and Is Yang but Not Yang; 10 bottles of Xiaoxiao, Snoopy, Asyura, and Little Frog Mom; 8 bottles of Mayye and Amber; 5 bottles of I Want a Little Corgi, ZCJ, Xixi Chasing Books, Vivien, Nana, Yueyueyueyueyue, Mumu, and Liuliameng; 1 bottle of Xiaoxiao, Juji, Xiaoshandai, Qiongju, Xingyaofeixiang, Guanguan, Drinking Pu'er with Green Tea, 20487360, Yang Yanxi Dabapenyu, Tranquil Orchid, Puffertony, and Cut Long Hair;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!