Green peacocks like water and shade, usually building nests by rivers. They cherish their beautiful feathers and do not like being exposed to the scorching sun. In order to serve this auspicious pair, the palace built a pergola as high as a house, with water tanks and basins piled in the shed, and pots of plants, rockery and stone pestles were moved in to create an artificial landscape.
Green peacocks like to come out in the evening and were now dozing off in the grass. As there were no birds to admire, Arei was admiring the exquisite artificial landscape in the pergola. Suddenly, he heard silence behind him. Looking back, he found that the palace maids and eunuchs who had served him were gone, and only one person was standing in the pergola against the light, next to him was a pot of phoenix tail bamboo.
The man had a tall and slender figure, and his posture was as elegant as a bamboo. For a moment, Arei thought that the Phoenix Tail Bamboo had become a spirit.
I haven't seen you for five years, and you're still as thin.
Arei was very surprised. She thought it was a farewell forever, but she could see her childhood playmate again. Ever since she could remember, Xiao Ji had been by her side. He was like a relative to her like her brother-in-law. It took her a long time to accept the fact that Xiao Ji would never come back.
Arei smiled instinctively, but halfway through his smile, he suddenly realized that he had missing front teeth. The smile froze on his face as if it had been hit by Sun Wukong's spell.
Seeing that A Lei was embarrassed, Zhu Zhanji "smiled first as a sign of respect" and revealed the gap between his teeth.
When Arei saw this, he ignored his sister's advice to "be a reserved lady" and laughed out loud as he usually did at home.
Seeing A Lei laughing brightly, Zhu Zhanji also laughed out loud, ignoring the teachers' teachings that he should be humble and peaceful and not laugh out loud, and laughed unrestrainedly.
When the little fire-maker outside the shed heard this, he was secretly surprised: What a ghost in broad daylight! Could the young boy inside whose laughter sounded like a rooster's crowing really be the emperor's eldest grandson
Old friends reunited in the pavilion, and there was constant laughter. On the other side of Kunning Palace, the atmosphere was so solemn that it was difficult to breathe.
Empress Xu drank a cup of ginseng soup to replenish her qi, and her cheeks flushed as if she had put on rouge. She regained some strength, and she slowly sat up and looked at Hu Shanwei carefully:
"The first time I met Consort Hu was in the 13th year of Hongwu. Consort Hu brought the "Instructions/Admonitions of Consorts of the Zhao and Song Dynasties" given by Empress Xiaoci to the Prince of Yan's Mansion. Twenty-seven years have passed in a flash. I am about to be buried, but Consort Hu seems to have walked here yesterday, still as young as ever. I am really envious."
Hu Shanwei was two years older than Empress Xu. She had just turned twenty when the imperial edict was bestowed upon her. She was admitted to the palace through examination and her life turned around. She vowed to remain unmarried and serve the palace all her life.
At that time, Empress Xu, who was still the Princess of Yan, was eighteen years old. She had already given birth to three children and was pregnant with Prince of Han Zhu Gaoxu.
The heroic scenes of Princess Yan riding a horse to smash the casino and dragging her brother Xu Zengshou across the fields seemed like just yesterday, but the reality was cruel. Xu Zengshou died before dawn, killed by a sword from Emperor Jianwen. Princess Yan had been queen for five years, and her time was up.
Throughout history, no queen had such a solid position as Empress Xu.
In terms of her background, she was the eldest daughter of Xu Da, King of Zhongshan, and half of the Ming Dynasty was conquered by her father.
In terms of fertility, Emperor Yongle's four daughters and three sons were all born to Empress Xu.
In terms of merit, she brought prosperity to the Yan area, defended Peking, and was the strongest backing in the Jingnan Campaign.
In terms of talent, the drama she performed with Cao Shanggong and Cao Siyan, a family of grandfather and granddaughter, stabilized the court situation and the hearts of ministers that were almost out of control to kill Fang Xiaoru's ten clans, and won back the hearts of the people.
In terms of love, she and Emperor Yongle were childhood sweethearts. She became his wife at the age of 14 and gave birth to four children at the age of 18, an average of one child per year. She liked to listen to operas. When Emperor Yongle was still a vassal king, the Prince of Yan's Mansion kept the best dramatist in the Ming Dynasty to write scripts specifically for the Princess of Yan. Yang Jingxian's "Journey to the West" is the most famous script of the Prince of Yan's Mansion.
What does this mean? It’s like buying up Jinjiang Literature City and keeping 100,000 authors in order to please his wife.
However, God seemed to be fair and gave her almost everything a woman wanted, but did not give her a long life. Just like her younger brother Xu Zengshou, he was raised in pampering for half his life, and his father, sister and brothers all spoiled him. In the end, Zengshou did not live long and died by the sword, leaving only a false reputation.
well.
Hu Shanwei has always been eloquent and articulate. At this moment, she was filled with emotion. She knew clearly that she should say something to comfort Empress Xu, but she could not say anything.
For a person as insightful as Empress Xu, any words of comfort are pale and powerless. She wants to prolong her life, but Ru Siyao and Tan Taiyi are both unable to help. What use can a female official be
The only thing I can do is help her deal with her funeral and let her go with peace of mind.
Hu Shanwei calmed down and said, "Your Majesty, please tell me what you want. I will give you a definite answer on what I can and cannot do."
"Mrs. Hu is such a straightforward person." Empress Xu smiled. "Now I understand why Empress Xiaoci and Emperor Gaozu admired you so much. I will leave the harem to you, and I will die with peace of mind. The harem now is different from the past. All the women are brought in for political reasons. You must take good care of them, but also be on guard against them. First of all, half of the concubines in the palace are women from the vassal state of Korea."
Hu Shanwei thought: This is not surprising. Since the Yuan Dynasty, it has been popular to keep women from Goryeo, which is now North Korea. People often compare the number and quality of Goryeo female slaves in their homes and take pride in it.
Women, ginseng, pearls and Saker Falcons were the four major tributes from the Goryeo Kingdom.
It is similar to the way that the wealthy people show off the Korean girl groups or idol girls they have sponsored and trained. Every time they have a banquet, they pull out their Korean slave girls to compete in various aspects, such as talent, cooking skills or appearance. Every night they compete in "Creation 101". The winners are very proud, and the losers are unwilling to accept and swear to win back. Therefore, the demand for Korean tribute girls is increasing.
Since a certain number of tribute girls with outstanding looks had to be offered as tribute every year, the Goryeo Kingdom issued an edict at that time that all civilian girls over the age of twelve had to be selected and eliminated as tribute girls before they could marry, otherwise it would be illegal.
During the Hongwu period, one quarter of the concubines in the harem were tribute girls from Goryeo. The biological mother of Emperor Yongle was Shuo, who was a tribute girl.
Therefore, Hu Shanwei was somewhat puzzled, "Empress, are there any of these Korean tribute women who have extraordinary births? Why were they brought in for political reasons?"
When a person is about to die, there are some state secrets that must be told to Hu Shanwei. Empress Xu explained: "It used to be the Wang Dynasty of Goryeo, but now the dynasty has changed and it is now the Joseon Kingdom ruled by the Lee family. When the emperor was still the King of Yan, he secretly provided money and weapons to help the powerful minister Lee Seong-gye seize the throne."
"So, when Korea was founded, it secretly had a very good relationship with Yan. During the Jingnan Campaign, Li Jinglong led 500,000 southern troops to besiege Beiping City. Emperor Jianwen also ordered Yan's neighboring country, Korea, to send troops and food to support Li Jinglong. Lee Seong-gye agreed on the surface, but delayed time with various reasons behind the scenes and did not support Li Jinglong. Otherwise, Beiping City would probably have been breached, and I would not have had the opportunity to meet with Concubine Hu again in Kunning Palace today."
Empress Xu spoke calmly, but Hu Shanwei was shocked: Is there such a thing? It seems that I have been in Yunnan for four years, and I am lagging behind in information. I am about to become a frog in a well.
Even at this time, Empress Xu turned around to comfort Hu Shanwei, "This is a confidential matter. There are only a few people in the Ming Dynasty who know about the deal between the emperor and the Korean King Lee Seong-gye. Korea is the most important vassal state on the northeastern border. If the emperor wants to move the capital to Beiping, he must stabilize Korea. Otherwise, the new capital will be in danger and the move will fail."
"So, all the Korean concubines in the harem are daughters of the Korean nobles. Chinese characters are the official language of Korea and are used exclusively by Korean nobles. These Korean concubines are as good at playing chess, calligraphy and painting, and their conversation and etiquette are no different from the ladies of the Ming Dynasty's scholarly families. They are not just tribute girls used for entertainment and to serve men with their beauty."
"Their fathers and brothers are the two ministers of the Joseon Yangban who are pro-Ming Dynasty. They are the cornerstone of stabilizing Joseon and smoothly moving the capital in the future. As long as they don't do anything excessive, treat them as well as possible."
Hu Shanwei understood and said, "I understand. If you don't look at the monk's face, look at the Buddha's face."
It is comfortable to talk to a smart person, who will understand you at once and grasp the key points immediately. Empress Xu smiled and nodded, "That's what I mean. The most famous of these Joseon concubines, Quan, has been named Xianfei. There are also Yu, Lu, Cui, etc., all of whom are daughters of good families, and each has been given a rank."
"In addition, there are two concubines from the Jurchen tribe in the palace, also for the purpose of stabilizing the border. These foreign women are far away from their families. They were sent to the Ming Dynasty by their fathers and brothers for their future. They are all pitiful people. They are very obedient under my command. I just don't know if anyone will stir up trouble after my death. You must remember to treat them well, but also be careful that they will be spoiled and disrupt the palace rules. The palace rules cannot be relaxed."
Hu Shanwei agreed, "I will treat them with courtesy and tolerance. If there are those with bad intentions, I will first warn them with words and then stop. If they insist on doing it, I will first ask the emperor for instructions and punish them according to the palace rules."
"Yes, that's what I mean." Empress Xu said, "There is another Consort Zhang Shufei, whose father is the Zhongwu Prince Zhang Yu. Zhang Yu was originally the head of the Privy Council of the Yuan Dynasty, a first-rank official. After surrendering to the Ming Dynasty, he followed the emperor. During the Jingnan Campaign, he died in battle to save the emperor. The emperor took Zhang into the palace to compensate the loyal minister. Behind Zhang are the heroes of the Jingnan Campaign and the Yuan Dynasty officials who surrendered to the Ming Dynasty. You..."
Empress Xu had given instructions for her funeral and had said too much while forcing herself to stay awake. She became increasingly weak and could not even sit up straight. Hu Shanwei hurriedly helped the empress lie down and served her ginseng soup.
Empress Xu rested for a long time before she said, "This is probably the situation in the harem. After I leave, Concubine Zhang Shu should be in charge of the six palaces. Concubine Zhang Shu is too young and has a quick temper. You have been a concubine for three dynasties. You must keep her steady and don't make the wrong move. I think you have the ability to do this. What I am worried about... is the Eastern Palace."
Empress Xu looked at the East Palace with worry: "The Crown Prince is not in good health, and there have been rumors about him being deposed. The Crown Prince always smiles at me, and it seems that he never takes it to heart. Alas, no one knows a child better than his mother. I know that he is not feeling well. With me here, I will definitely be able to protect this simple and kind child, and no one can shake the East Palace."
"But if I leave... The second brother is naturally competitive. In the Jingnan Campaign, he fought with the emperor all the way and even saved his life. No one knows a son better than his mother. I know he is not convinced in his heart. However, with me here, the two brothers always seem to be in harmony. I thought that time would dilute everything, and I would slowly mediate between them, and the two brothers would be as good as before, but I don't have time."
Empress Xu's eyes were filled with more and more eager expectations. "I am not greedy for wealth and honor in this world, but I am worried about brothers killing each other. I know I have made things difficult for Concubine Hu. If possible, please do your best to avoid tragedy. Please make the King of Han understand that there is only one Emperor Yongle, and the Eastern Palace will always be the Eastern Palace."
"This..." Hu Shanwei said, "I can't guarantee that I can do it, I can only do my best."
In fact, several of Empress Xu's requests coincided with Hu Shanwei's working principles: I will deal with anyone who engages in palace fighting, and anyone who competes for the throne. No one is allowed to cause trouble, and I will build a harmonious and orderly Ming Palace.
The author has something to say: There were rumors today that Jinjiang would be shutting down, causing panic among the people. Later I found out that it was a BL channel. I was very uneasy, so the update was a little late. I will definitely update more tomorrow.
Send out 100 red envelopes tonight to calm your nerves~~~~~~
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