Who is Hu Shanwei? She was a palace lady for three dynasties, and witnessed and participated in countless bloody events in the Ming Dynasty court.
As a palace lady, her duty is to stabilize the harem. Therefore, it is impossible for her to take sides or participate in the fight for the throne. Those who engage in palace fighting and fight for the throne are the main targets of Hu Shanwei's crackdown.
By the third term, Hu Shanwei was observing secretly. On the surface, the turmoil in the Ming court seemed to be caused by the Prince of Han always making trouble and the Crown Prince always being the passive target of attacks.
But that’s not actually the case.
Hu Shanwei understood that the position of the crown prince was actually very stable, and it was absolutely impossible for the King of Han, who was supported by the military commanders, to take over.
The reason is very simple. The crippled prince must be supported by Emperor Yongle in order to secure his position as the crown prince. The prince needs to eat from Emperor Yongle's pot.
Food, so as not to starve to death.
If the Prince of Han became the crown prince, he could start a new business at any time and take the blame from Emperor Yongle.
Starting from the Hongwu Dynasty, under the guidance of Empress Xiaoci, she began to understand the Ming Dynasty court. Everything has its own rules, and the court struggle, after all, is a struggle for interests.
The main conflict in the Ming court was the power struggle between the king and the crown prince. They were on guard against each other, but could not live without each other.
Emperor Yongle wants to lead the army himself, so someone must supervise the country, not to mention the crown prince. My father has abused me thousands of times, but I treat my father like... ahem, he is still my biological father, so I have to serve him carefully.
Emperor Yongle used the Prince of Han as a pawn to contain the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince was driven into despair. Hu Shanwei could not imagine that if the Crown Prince could not withstand the pressure, there would be two possibilities.
The first is that the prince's self-confidence and emotions collapsed completely, and he asked to step down and become an idle vassal king - or simply died suddenly from excessive pressure.
When the time came, the Yongle Emperor would have to choose a new crown prince - who would he choose? The Emperor Gaozu of the Hongwu Dynasty had already given the answer. It would definitely not be the powerful Han King. The crown prince would fall on the weak, pitiful and helpless eldest grandson Zhu Zhanji.
As a result, there will be a second Jingnan Campaign in the Ming Dynasty, civil war will break out again, and the people will be displaced.
The second is that the prince could no longer tolerate it and took the risk of forcing the emperor to abdicate.
There were two possible outcomes: the royal family would fall apart, turmoil would reign, and blood would flow. Neither Hu Shanwei nor Empress Renxiao, who was in her grave, wanted to see such an outcome.
Therefore, Hu Shanwei's helping hand when the prince was most desperate was not a decision he made out of taking sides or favoring the Eastern Palace, but was made in order to protect the stability of the Ming Dynasty court.
Moreover, only if the Ming Dynasty court was stable, the Han prince would be able to survive. If the Ming Dynasty court was in chaos, the Han prince might die before the crown prince. The Empress Renxiao's last wish to save the lives of her two sons was in vain.
Hu Shanwei had a high vision and therefore could see further. She did not simply regard the Crown Prince as a teammate and the King of Han as an enemy. Her position was actually still neutral.
Hu Shanwei's strategy of "a dead pig is not afraid of boiling water" offered to the prince not only stabilized the East Palace, but also made the ambitious and stubborn King of Han finally wake up. He had thrown so much dirty water at his elder brother the prince, but the emperor was reluctant to depose the prince. He would understand that he was just a pawn and had no chance of being crowned prince.
Only after seeing the truth clearly will the King of Han let go. No matter what you say now, the King of Han, this naughty child, won't listen.
The prince was a humble, easy-going man who was open to advice and had no prejudice against "women's views". He listened to his mother, his two wives, and Hu Shanwei, the palace lady who had served three dynasties, and did as they said.
Counting the days, the twenty-seven-month mourning period for Empress Renxiao has passed, and it is time to start relaxing.
The first night after the mourning period was of course for the Crown Princess. The couple had just blown out the lights when the wet nurse came in and said that the youngest boy was feeling a little hot. Crown Princess Zhang had already given birth to three legitimate sons and didn't care about the Crown Prince's New Year's Eve, so she got up to see the child and said, "Call Guo Liang Di."
The Crown Princess arranged it without even planning to ask for the Crown Prince's opinion, and presumably the Crown Prince would not object.
There are six boys in the Eastern Palace now. The Crown Princess gave birth to three, and the concubine Li also gave birth to three. Guo Liangdi has been unable to conceive. Now her younger brother Guo Xuan follows the emperor in the war and is a member of Zhu Zhanji's guard. The Crown Princess thinks it's time for Guo Liangdi to work harder and give birth to a boy or a girl.
The prince was a fat man weighing nearly 300 pounds, and he was lame and had difficulty moving. Guo Liangdi was the daughter of a general, and since the princess invited him sincerely, Guo Liangdi was not polite and asked the prince for sex three times, and the first night was all hers.
The next day, the prince attended the morning court. He could hardly get out of bed and had to be carried into the hall sitting on his shoulders.
During the morning court session, the sleep-deprived prince dozed off frequently, like a fat penguin swaying on the throne.
When it was time to deal with government affairs, the prince forced himself to be alert, but he couldn't hold on any longer at noon, so he took a nap and slept until dusk.
All of this was recorded by the King of Han in his little notebook, and he reported it to his father:
"The prince is in poor health and doesn't know how to take care of himself. He favors two women in one night."
"The prince is drifting away, sleeping during the day."
"The prince showed no respect to his subjects, humiliated important officials, and even yawned in front of them while listening to their discussions."
It happened that at this time, the garden prepared by the Pengcheng Earl's Mansion for the Crown Princess' visit was completed. The Crown Prince was in high spirits and left the palace to take a walk around his wife's villa.
The two brothers-in-law of the Pengcheng Marquis' Mansion welcomed their elder brother-in-law of noble status with trepidation. They cleared out the plaques in the villa where the prince came to visit their parents, waiting for the prince to write the inscription himself.
Needless to say, there was a lot of ceremonial guard along the way. The prince invited many literati and poets from the capital to gather at his villa to hold a literary gathering and the Ming Dynasty Poetry Competition. He also commented on the event, ranked the candidates, gave rewards, and even granted official positions on the spot. It was a lively scene.
The King of Han was so excited that his hands began to tremble as he reported the matter:
"The prince wastes the people's money and leaves the palace at will."
"The prince used poetry and literary gatherings to form a clique for personal gain."
"The prince appoints people based on personal connections and grants them official positions at will."
…
And so on, little reports flew to the north like snowflakes. After reading them, Emperor Yongle wrote a letter to scold the prince for being absurd, having a chaotic private life, being undisciplined, not taking care of his body, and being obsessed with beauty.
Seeing Emperor Yongle criticize his private life, the prince felt relieved. Compared with the last time when he emphasized the key points, the emperor calmly told him that "even if there are minor mistakes, there is no need to humiliate him, and you should not listen to one side and judge him as likes or dislikes", which made him shudder and increased his pressure. This kind of hearty scolding made him feel safe.
The prince knowingly committed the crime and that night he took the two beauties to his bedchamber. He wanted to summon Guo Liangdi to sleep with him, but Guo refused, saying that her menstrual period had not come yet and she was probably pregnant.
The crown prince was in poor health, but his fertility was amazing. The children of his two younger brothers, the King of Han and the King of Zhao, combined could only tie with those of the Eastern Palace.
The East Palace is about to welcome a new life, and the prince's mood is gradually improving. Although his private life is not in order, he will at most be scolded by his father, but his father will not suspect that he is interfering with the imperial power. He thinks that the lesser of two evils is the better choice, just let him be scolded, and getting scolded won't hurt him.
There were female officials in the harem and the Eastern Palace who recorded the menstrual periods of concubines and the sex life of the prince to ensure the purity of the royal bloodline.
The Crown Princess looked at the small notebook filled with records in the East Palace. The female doctor came to report, "I just felt Guo Liang Di's pulse and it's a pregnancy pulse, but the period is still early, so it's not very obvious."
The Crown Princess was overjoyed, even happier than if she were pregnant herself - Guo became pregnant just a few days after she slept with the Crown Prince, which meant that apart from the disease in his feet that made it difficult for the Crown Prince to walk, his other body functions were still good.
The Crown Princess went to Concubine Zhang's Yanx Palace to say hello. Concubine Zhang was the mistress of the harem, but as a concubine mother, she had no authority over the Crown Prince's room. But the Eastern Palace was going to have a new baby, and Concubine Zhang couldn't be the last person to know about it.
After hearing this, Imperial Concubine Zhang said, "This is a good thing, but Concubine Guo is still young and it is not easy to make it public. After four months, when the fetus is stable, the Emperor will surely reward her."
The Crown Princess agreed. Concubine Zhang and the Crown Princess had always been indifferent to each other. They talked about things when there was something to talk about, and lived their own lives when there was nothing to talk about. Concubine Zhang's brother, Duke Yingguo Zhang Fu, was a big figure in the Han Wang faction. He once wrote a letter to "abolish the Crown Prince", but the Crown Princess once helped Concubine Zhang out of trouble and suppressed her two younger sisters-in-law, Princess Yongcheng and Princess Ancheng.
The two of them should avoid suspicion and not get close to each other.
Hu Shanwei, who was standing by, heard about the happy event in the Eastern Palace and realized that the prince had taken his words to heart and put them into practice.
At this time, the naughty child, the King of Han, must be extremely happy, and must have been writing reports until his hands were tired.
In fact, in the end, every little report was an arrow piercing the body of the King of Han himself.
Hu Shanwei felt a little sympathy for the King of Han who was completely unaware of this.
Emperor Yongle was away on a campaign, so the harem had at least half the work to do. It was still early, and Hu Shanwei had nothing to do. Concubine Zhang was very
She was considerate and said, "If there is nothing else, Concubine Hu should go home early."
Like the former Noble Consort Duanjing Guo, Noble Consort Zhang was transformed from bronze to king under the training of Hu Shanwei, and both were granted the title of Noble Consort, which was equivalent to a vice-empress.
In the past, Concubine Zhang would find faults in Hu Shanwei's words to make her feel unhappy so as to establish her authority. Now, the two of them work well together, and Concubine Zhang's attitude towards Hu Shanwei has changed. She knows that Hu Shanwei misses her sister A Lei, and often asks her to leave early and go home to accompany her sister.
However, Hu Shanwei was very self-aware. She knew that it was already an exception for the female officials to be able to live outside the palace, and she could not be greedy and ask for too much.
Hu Shanwei said, "I will walk around the palace for a while and then leave at dusk."
Emperor Yongle has gone to lead the army in person, so the palace needs to be kept stable. Hu Shanwei will conduct random inspections in various places from time to time to prevent trouble.
After Hu Shanwei left, Concubine Zhang wrote a secret memorial to inform Emperor Yongle that Concubine Guo Liangdi in the Eastern Palace was pregnant and that the royal family would have a grandson.
Halfway through writing, Concubine Zhang became uneasy, put down her pen, looked down at her flat belly, and sighed softly.
Both of them were born into a noble family in the capital, and both were concubines in the harem who held important positions. Although Guo Liangdi was several years older than herself, the prince still favored her and now that she was pregnant, her position was further consolidated.
My maternal family's Duke of Yingguo is a duke, which is a higher title than Guo Liangdi's family's. My biological brother is the powerful Duke of Yingguo, and Guo Liangdi is still trying to get the title of Marquis of Wuding for her younger brother Guo Xuan.
In terms of family background, I am better than Guo Liangdi in every way, but I... When can I have my own child? Even a princess would be good.
The emperor was not fond of women. When he went north to fight in person, he did not bring any women with him.
I will guard the harem for the emperor, and when the emperor returns victorious from his expedition, will he give me a child in consideration of my contribution
Concubine Zhang touched her belly, feeling expectant and her eyes became gentle.
Hu Shanwei walked around the palace and stopped frequently, which was a random inspection. She had no attendants with her and was only wearing ordinary female official clothes.
The Emperor has been leading the army in person for almost half a year. Before leaving, he appointed Concubine Zhang as a noble concubine. In order to repay the Emperor's kindness, Concubine Zhang has worked harder and more capable. No matter how tense the atmosphere is, as the first confidential secretary of the previous dynasty, Xie Jin, was demoted and the Crown Prince was reprimanded, the palace managed by Concubine Zhang was calm and no one caused trouble.
Hu Shanwei looked at the Western pocket watch in his pocket - it was also a thing brought back by Zheng He from his voyage to the West. Zheng He was preparing to make his third voyage to the West and go a longer distance. A Lei became Zheng He's little follower, helping to organize and copy navigation logs and nautical charts. Zheng He gave A Lei a lot of good Western things, which were very valuable in the Ming Dynasty. The wealth in A Lei's hands was more than Hu Shanwei's salary. He looked like a man who had come out to work at a young age to earn money to support his family.
It’s getting late, we have to leave the palace before the gates close.
Hu Shanwei walked towards Xi'anmen. When passing Yongxiang, he heard the clear sound of reading.
This is the sound of young eunuchs reading in the study hall of the Imperial Household Department. Most of them are smart and clever eunuchs under the age of twelve. Moreover, the teachers are all scholars from the Hanlin Academy and Jinshi who have passed the imperial examinations.
It's true that if you live long enough, all kinds of incredible reversals will happen.
During the Hongwu reign, Emperor Gaozu deeply hated eunuchs' meddling in government affairs. He took the previous dynasty's eunuchs' disasters that brought disaster to the country as a lesson and forbade eunuchs to read and write. If anyone could read privately, he would be beheaded.
During the Yongle Dynasty, that is, this year is the seventh year of Yongle, the emperor went to war and the crown prince was regent. Except for military and national affairs, the appointment and dismissal of important officials, and diplomatic matters, all other matters were left to the crown prince to handle.
But the prince was only working for Emperor Yongle. How did Emperor Yongle remotely control the prince and be able to control state affairs even when he was in the north, and be sure that the civil officials would not collude with the prince and sideline himself
Therefore, Emperor Yongle recruited a force to help him supervise the Crown Prince's regent - the Imperial Household Department composed of eunuchs.
Eunuchs are a group of people who are absolutely dependent on the imperial power. They have no foundation and their lives are like floating duckweed. Unlike civil officials and military generals, they are not bound by the same clan, hometown, school, party, or even in-laws. All they rely on is the emperor's favor.
The eunuch who held the seal of the Imperial Household Department was Zheng He, a eunuch whom Emperor Yongle had trusted and appreciated very much when he was in the Prince of Yan's Mansion.
Emperor Yongle asked the Imperial Household Department to supervise the affairs of the Crown Prince as regent. All memorials sent to the Crown Prince had to be entered by the Chief Clerk of the Imperial Household Department of the Eastern Palace. At the same time, the six departments including Sizhilang, Qingjilang and Sijian of the Tongchunfang had to post a copy at the Imperial Household Department - that is, a backup copy was made, and a copy of the memorials submitted by various departments every day and the results of the Eastern Palace's handling were kept and sent to Emperor Yongle.
In this way, Emperor Yongle knew everything the Crown Prince did as regent, no matter how big or small.
However, the memorials to the Eastern Palace piled up into mountains every day, requiring a lot of heavy copying and summarizing work, which required knowledgeable eunuchs who could write and were familiar with all kinds of administrative documents of the court.
However, the Hongwu dynasty strictly prohibited eunuchs from learning to read privately, and the Jianwen dynasty continued this "tradition" of the Hongwu dynasty. The Silijian was short of talent, so where could they find so many literate eunuchs to do the transcribing work
Emperor Yongle waved his hand and said, "If there are no talents, then we should train them. You, the Imperial Household Department, should select smart young eunuchs from the palace. I will send scholars from the Hanlin Academy to teach them to read and write. They will become talents quickly and will soon be able to copy official documents."
The Imperial Household Department opened a school in the inner courtyard, called Neishutang for short, and recruited the first batch of students, who had some basic knowledge of reading.
Due to the tight time, the scholars of the Hanlin Academy conducted devilish training on the young eunuchs in the Inner Study Hall, which can be regarded as the Ming Dynasty version of the Hengshui High School model.
Every day before dawn, the young eunuchs got up and came to the inner study hall. They first worshipped the tablet of Confucius, and then stood waiting for the instructors from the Hanlin Academy.
When the Hanlin scholar entered the room, all the young eunuchs bowed in front of the hall, and then their names were called to sign in. In order to prevent the young eunuchs from being distracted, they all stood and listened to the class, "bowing and standing solemnly."
Then I would hold a book and start reciting. Only after I finished reciting could I go to class to practice calligraphy. If I couldn’t finish reciting, I would keep reciting while standing.
After that, the Hanlin scholars began to give lectures, and the courses were mainly practical. In order to train the young eunuchs in the Inner Book Hall, the Imperial Household Department went to the inner palace to print books. Among them were "Hongwu Zhengyun", which taught Mandarin and correct pronunciation, as well as "The Complete Book of Songs", "The Complete Book of History", "The Complete Spring and Autumn Annals", "Collected Annotations of the Four Books", "Zhenguan Zhengyao" and hundreds of other books.
It can be said that after graduating from the Inner Academy, the breadth of knowledge can surpass that of a scholar, not to mention that the lecturers are all Jinshi selected into the Hanlin Academy, and they are famous teachers.
When classes end every day, there is a sense of dismissal. Every student walks out of the classroom, lines up outside and takes turns writing poems. The Hanlin teachers require every student to compose a poem on the spot according to the "spring, summer, autumn and winter, according to the scenery, with rhythm and tone".
If there are students who cannot do it, "they will be beaten and insulted by the whole group." That is to say, the students are arranged in several rows, and each row of students writes a poem on the spot according to the instructor's requirements. If the student cannot do it, he will be beaten and insulted by the whole row of students!
The Imperial Household Department provides the best and most complete teaching materials, the best teaching staff, and the top teachers in the Ming Dynasty. If you still can't learn well, then expect to be beaten and scolded, or even expelled.
The devilish educational model of Neishutang was far beyond the reach of Hengshui High School, which was later known for its strictness.
Reading can change your destiny, which is a universal truth from ancient times to the present. In the future, the most powerful eunuch organization in the Ming Dynasty, the Silijian, the personnel in it must have graduated from the Neishutang.
When Hu Shanwei was passing through the inner alley, he happened to meet the young eunuchs from the inner study hall who were lining up to write poems after school.
The author has something to say: Today is the last day of the college entrance examination, and I will continue to give out 100 red envelopes~ I just happened to write about the Silijian Inner Study Hall, which influenced the future trend of the Ming Dynasty, and I felt very emotional.
Reading can change one's fate, especially the fate of the lower class people. This is true for Shanwei, eunuchs, and modern boats. There is really no other way out except reading. Reading is the best shortcut for us. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution~
Thanks to the little angel who cast [mine]: Long live the natural roll 1;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:
anna 50 bottles; little aunt who loves to make dirty jokes 40 bottles; rice essence 30 bottles; melquiades, Haizhi 20 bottles; night dance Langhuan 15 bottles; mushroom Xilis 14 bottles; Xiaoyan Feifei, Xiaoshaozi, Nichang Xiaoyaoer, Bubble, You 10 bottles; Fanfan Mengyouzhong, Yijian Xieyue, Xueqing 5 bottles; Xixi who is chasing books 3 bottles; 17184939 2 bottles; Qingxuan Zhubaizhou 19, Xiaomiao Sanqian, Honghuang Shuyao, Taozi, whisperjj, Natiao Xiaoyu, llllna, Gugu Gu, Qiongju 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!