After hearing what Concubine Zhang said, she was no longer infatuated with him, but began to feel resentful. If this continued, the consequences would be disastrous.
She had to take a strong dose of medicine, otherwise Concubine Zhang would repeat the fate of Concubine Duanjing Guo.
Hu Shanwei said: "The queen was carried into the Prince of Yan's mansion after the death of the Zhongwu King (Zhang Yu was posthumously named the king) in the battle to save the emperor. The queen had chosen to marry another minister as his principal wife, but the queen admired the emperor as a true hero. No man in the world was in the queen's eyes. A hero should be matched with a beauty. The queen only wanted to be with the emperor and be his woman. In order to appease the loyal ministers, the emperor took the queen as a concubine. As a result, the queen's brother, the Duke of Ying, won the emperor's trust, made countless contributions, and became the commander-in-chief of the Southern Expedition Army at a young age."
"Your Highness, from the beginning to the end, the Emperor has never promised you anything. What the Emperor has given you now is respectability and power in the harem, which is also a kind of trust. Your Highness, if time goes back twelve years, have you ever thought about having everything you have now? All you want now is to be the Emperor's woman, that's all."
These words left Concubine Zhang speechless.
Yes, what she asked for back then was very simple: to be with the emperor, for the Zhang family to be valued, and for her brother to have the opportunity to stand out and fight on the battlefield to avenge his father who died in battle.
Now, all she wanted had been fulfilled, but why was she feeling so miserable? So unwilling? Unconvinced
Seeing that Concubine Zhang had listened, Hu Shanwei continued, "Everyone is pursuing, struggling, and compromising with their own desires throughout their lives. Poor people can't get enough food, so they just want to have enough for three meals a day. Well-off people want to have a bowl of meat for every meal. Rich families want to know when their men can take the imperial examination and pass it. They can live a decent life without kneeling before officials. Scholars want to take the imperial examination. If they pass it, they are eligible to enter the official career. Juren want to go further. It is better to go to Beijing to take the imperial examination than to be a small official. Only if they pass it can they become a high-ranking official."
"But once people become high-ranking officials, will they be satisfied and stop there, without any other pursuits or desires? The ministers of the six ministries of the court, or the noble families with prominent titles like the Empress's brother, the Duke of Ying, whose families have an easy life? Whose families don't have worries? Whose families don't have greater desires?"
Hu Shanwei pointed in the direction of the Qianqing Palace and said, "Even if you become the emperor, will the fire of desire in your heart stop and will you be content with the status quo? No, it's just the opposite. The higher you climb, the hotter your desire will burn, and you may even lose your mind. If you indulge in desire and don't restrain yourself, you will soon slide into a place of no return. When that day comes, it will be too late for you, Your Majesty."
It is human nature to desire more after obtaining something.
Hu Shanwei said, "Your Highness has forgotten the original intention of entering the palace. The Imperial Concubine was the Vice Empress. Did Your Highness ever think that you would have the position you have today? What Your Highness has now is what many women in the harem have been looking forward to but have not been able to obtain, and it is also something Your Highness did not dare to think about back then."
This is the truth, but Concubine Zhang still couldn't accept it. "I... I didn't get my current position by doing nothing. I have been working hard and have not let the emperor down. I asked Hu Shanggong for advice. I read "The Daily Notes of Concubine Duan Jing" countless times and I can almost recite it by heart. Why is it that Concubine Duan Jing has a son and was almost crowned as the queen, but I get nothing?"
Hu Shanwei was suddenly speechless: the death of the poisonous king Luhuang, the death of Crown Prince Yiwen, and the death of Concubine Duanjing Guo were state secrets, she couldn't tell anyone, not even Mu Chun!
This fatal secret was buried forever underground with the death of Emperor Gaozu.
My concubine!
It was precisely because Consort Duanjing Guo had a son and because she was about to be crowned empress, her son would become the only legitimate prince of the Ming Dynasty, and the man was innocent but guilty of possessing a treasure. That’s why Prince Yiwen, the heartless, unambitious, and untalented “four-nothing” young man, King Luhuang, aroused the suspicion and hatred of Prince Yiwen, who “added something” to his elixir. As a result, King Luhuang was poisoned, first blinded his eyes, and then suffered in agony for a whole night, and died in a state of suffering worse than death!
Concubine Duanjing had only one son in her life. She lost her son before her, gave up the throne that was within her grasp, and died together with Crown Prince Yiwen. How tragic and desperate was this ending
As for Crown Prince Yiwen, he originally had a secure position as the crown prince and had always been portrayed as a virtuous and good man. However, because of this one wrong step, he lost everything and reaped the consequences. He was retaliated by Concubine Duanjing, who poisoned him and blinded him. He died in pain all night.
Hu Shanwei could not tell Concubine Zhang the truth about Concubine Duan Jing's death, so he could only warn her implicitly: "Your Majesty, if you have a son, the mother will be honored by the son. Your Majesty is of noble birth and young, and the Yingguo Zhang family is powerful. When the time comes, you don't need to ask, and the court will have a group of people to ask the emperor to make you the successor."
Concubine Zhang's eyes suddenly lit up, and then she shook her head repeatedly, muttering, "No, I just want to have a child, whether it's a prince or a princess, I will be satisfied. I will not dream of getting involved in the position of queen."
Hu Shanwei asked back, "There will be too many changes in the future. Your Majesty said no, so it won't happen? Your Majesty's original intention was just to accompany the emperor and become the woman of the best man in the Ming Dynasty. Your Majesty realized this wish, but are you satisfied? No, after the new wish was fulfilled, a greater desire arose."
"Your Highness wants to have a child now, or be crowned as the Queen. Either of the two is fine. However, if you have a child, who wouldn't want their child to be legitimate? If you become the Queen, will you definitely give up the idea of having a child?"
"If Your Majesty becomes the Empress, your son will be the legitimate prince. The temptation is in front of us every day. Even if Your Majesty doesn't touch it, what about your son? How do you know that he won't have ambitions when he grows up? Well, even if Your Majesty, your son, and even the Duke of Ying's Zhang family are not interested in the throne, then what about the relatives, friends, and comrades of the Zhang family? The temptation of the throne is great, and the temptation of the merit of following the dragon is equally great."
"By then, the desires of so many people will no longer be something Her Majesty can control."
Now it was Concubine Zhang's turn to be speechless.
Hu Shanwei threw punches continuously, hoping to wake up Concubine Zhang. "What I just said was just a consideration of what might happen to the Empress. I haven't yet deduced the changes in the attitudes of the East Palace and the Crown Prince's Palace towards the Empress after she has a child or is crowned as the Empress Dowager."
"Your Highness, please do not think that the temporary stability in the palace in the past few years is normal. If you think so, you are totally wrong. The harem has always been a place of hidden murder. A large number of people died at a time, and many people died silently. What your Highness has seen in history books and various daily records is only a tiny part of it."
"My queen, you must cherish what you have now. You must believe in me. Your current state is the best. If you take one step forward, you will fall into the abyss. Then I will be powerless to stop you."
"The above are all my humble words. I hope Your Majesty will think twice."
Hu Shanwei bowed and left. This was the limit of what she could do. If Concubine Zhang still persisted, she...
When Hu Shanwei thought of the bloody storm that might happen, his heart trembled: If the worst happens, I will quit my job in advance. It is simply not a human thing to do.
Concubine Zhang did not sleep all night and fell ill the next day. The female doctor diagnosed that Concubine Zhang had been overworked and overthinking for days, which hurt her mind and she needed to rest well.
Upon hearing that the imperial concubine was ill, Emperor Yongle came to the Yanx Palace to visit Zhang.
Concubine Zhang was the daughter of a general and had always been in good health. She suddenly fell ill, and Emperor Yongle was a little worried.
Last night, Concubine Zhang had given up on Emperor Yongle. But today, when she saw Emperor Yongle had just come out of court and heard that she was sick, he put aside a lot of state affairs to come and see her. Her anger was immediately rekindled: this man still cares about her!
My years of hard work have not been in vain.
As soon as Emperor Yongle arrived, Concubine Zhang felt that her illness was almost healed, and she struggled to get up and pay her respects.
Hu Shanwei: Emperor Yongle is such a bad teammate!
"No need to be polite, Concubine." Emperor Yongle helped her lie down.
Feeling the emperor's rough, warm hand covering her wrist, Concubine Zhang was moved and aggrieved. She cried out and threw herself into Emperor Yongle's arms.
Emperor Yongle gently stroked her back, "What happened to your concubine?"
Concubine Zhang stretched out her arms and tightly wrapped them around Emperor Yongle's waist. "I am not sick. I am in good health. When I was still in the boudoir, I loved Your Majesty. I can do anything for Your Majesty. I..."
Concubine Zhang made up her mind and untied Emperor Yongle's belt, "I want to bear a child for Your Majesty. I dream of bearing a child with Your Majesty's blood."
When Emperor Yongle heard this, his waist stiffened.
Anyway, the window paper had been broken. Concubine Zhang gritted her teeth, loosened and pulled her clothes, revealing her flawless upper body that looked like a warm and plump sweet white porcelain.
She is twenty-eight years old this year. She is like a ripe peach. A light bite will release sweet juice. She has the charm unique to this age.
Concubine Zhang couldn't believe that Emperor Yongle was still unmoved even after all she had done.
After all these years, even a heart of stone could be warmed, and he still cared about her, otherwise he would not have come to the Yanx Palace to see her as soon as he heard that she was sick.
Emperor Yongle did not evade. He stared at her without blinking, and then… he lifted the quilt on the bed and wrapped her up, "It's winter now, my concubine, be careful not to catch a cold."
After saying that, Emperor Yongle stood up from the bed. Concubine Zhang was as quiet as a virgin and as agile as a rabbit. She pounced over, grabbed Emperor Yongle's big hand, and placed his hand on her breasts.
Concubine Zhang's voice trembled violently, "For the sake of our years of friendship, Your Majesty, please give me a child."
Emperor Yongle tried to stop, but Concubine Zhang was too weak to resist him.
Emperor Yongle turned to leave. Concubine Zhang got up and put on her clothes. She didn't have time to put on her shoes and socks. She ran to the door barefoot like the wind, stretched out her hands, blocked the way, her eyes were red, like crazy, "Your Majesty does not want to give me a child, then give me an explanation - I want to be the empress!"
Child, Queen, you have to give me one.
Emperor Yongle was stunned. All this time, he had not paid attention to the feelings of the many concubines in the harem. Concubine Zhang had grown up and become more sensible over the years, but her desires had also grown, and even the position of concubine could not satisfy her.
After all, Concubine Zhang was a legitimate daughter of a famous family. Her father, Prince Zhongwu Zhang Yu, broke into the rebellion and saved Emperor Yongle's life, but he was stabbed several times and bled to death. Her brother, Duke Yingguo Zhang Fu, was the most outstanding general of the young generation of the Ming Dynasty.
Emperor Yongle decided to give Zhang another chance and said, "Your Highness, although you are the vice queen, your power in the harem is no different from that of the queen."
Looking at Emperor Yongle who was so ruthless to her, Concubine Zhang said: "Concubine, if you cannot be crowned as the successor, even if you hold the power of the harem, you are just a high-ranking housekeeper. As a housekeeper, what's the point of having a high status? You are always a servant, not a master."
Emperor Yongle was a powerful ruler. He was used to controlling everything and would not change his decision because of Concubine Zhang. He said, "The Concubine is seriously ill. From now on, you must rest well in the Yanxi Palace and not leave the palace. The affairs of the harem will be temporarily handed over to Concubine Quanxian. You don't have to worry about it."
The implication was to confine Concubine Zhang in the Yanx Palace and seize power in the harem.
After hearing this, Concubine Zhang suddenly turned into a stone statue and stood still.
Emperor Yongle walked around the beautiful stone statue and passed by it. As he passed by, Emperor Yongle said, "My lord concubine, take good care of yourself. You can come out when you are well."
Emperor Yongle left. Hearing the emperor's footsteps disappearing outside the door, Concubine Zhang was exhausted and fainted on the ground.
When Concubine Zhang woke up, she was greeted by Concubine Quan Xian's flawless face like snow. "Concubine, are you awake? The medicine is ready and has just been delivered."
Concubine Quan Xian picked up the medicine cup and diligently tested the temperature with her wrist. "It's neither cold nor hot. You can drink it."
The author has something to say: Concubine Quan: Surprise or not
I will give out 100 red envelopes tonight. Please comment and join in. I wish you all a happy weekend and good luck on your exams. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution.
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