When Empress Zhang was selected for the talent show, she debuted in the center position as the "Snake-beating Girl". As the daughter of a military household, she had a resolute and strong character. Although she came from a humble background, since she married into the royal family, no matter what storms she encountered, she never hesitated or was humble. Even though her family was later conferred the title of earl, Empress Zhang always suppressed her natal family and clamped down on her in-laws. Over the years, there has been no scandal in the Pengcheng Earl's Mansion, and it has not dragged down the Eastern Palace. Empress Zhang played an indispensable role in this.
Empress Zhang was the fourth empress of the Ming Dynasty. She had no outstanding character or talent, and seemed mediocre. But after many years of being a daughter-in-law, she finally became a mother-in-law. What did she rely on
No mistakes.
From the Crown Prince's Consort, to the Crown Princess, to the Empress, Empress Zhang had never made any mistakes. No matter what she did, she always put courtesy and reason first. Even when facing Emperor Hongxi, she was definitely not the type to just say yes.
She is a queen with principles.
Empress Zhang could not accept that a concubine's son was born before the legitimate son, so she directly retorted.
Emperor Hongxi's reaction to Empress Zhang was one of respect and suspicion. He remained amiable on the surface, but felt a little upset in his heart. He went to Changchun Palace in the East Six Palaces of Concubine Guo to relieve his mood.
That night, the Changchun Palace set up the ceremonial guard of "Weimen's Bedchamber". Concubine Guo was the head of the concubines. She was of noble birth and had given birth to three sons. Unlike Empress Zhang, Concubine Guo also had principles, and her principle was to make Emperor Hongxi happy.
The most important thing in life is to be happy.
Therefore, Concubine Guo not only arranged a sumptuous dinner, but also ordered a midnight snack before going to bed.
Emperor Hongxi enjoyed the meal very much. The food and snacks at Concubine Guo's place were delicious, especially the snacks, which were filled with plenty of sugar and oil and were very satisfying in one bite.
In view of the fact that Emperor Hongxi suffered from severe diabetes and his feet were already diseased and deformed, the imperial doctors advised him to eat a light diet, with less sugar, oil and salt in snacks, or better yet, not to eat any.
However, the long-term scarcity of sugar, oil, and salt in humans during the long primitive society has led to a desire for high-sugar, high-oil, and high-salt foods written into humans' genes, which is irresistible. Junk food that combines sugar, oil, and salt is still the most delicious.
When he was the crown prince, Emperor Taizong often called the imperial physician to inquire about Emperor Hongxi's condition, so Emperor Hongxi tried his best to restrain himself and follow the doctor's advice.
Now that Emperor Hongxi was the emperor, no one could control him, so he began to let himself go. Empress Zhang asked the Imperial Food Bureau to continue to strictly control the food and snacks sent to Emperor Hongxi to meet the requirements of the imperial physician, and asked Emperor Hongxi to take care of his health and fulfill his responsibilities as an empress, so the food in the Qianqing Palace was still light. Emperor Hongxi had no choice but to ask Concubine Guo to ask the imperial kitchen for what he wanted to eat, and then he would go to eat.
Since ascending the throne, Emperor Hongxi has been busy dealing with state affairs and competing with the crown prince. He is very tired and urgently needs to relax. Food is the most direct way to relieve stress.
Concubine Guo did not refuse Emperor Hongxi's request.
After Emperor Hongxi had eaten his fill, he lay down on the bed. Concubine Guo could still provide him with indescribable services, including food, drink, sex and men and women.
There are five levels of needs in the pyramid: physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, respect needs, and self-actualization. Most people satisfy their needs from the bottom up, but for Emperor Hongxi, he endured for twenty-one years and became the emperor. As soon as he came to power, he changed the previous emperor's governing strategy and made the Ming Dynasty's economy, military and society begin to transform. He has already achieved the above four needs, and what he needs now is the most basic and simplest physiological needs: eating and indescribable things.
Concubine Guo satisfied him, and Emperor Hongxi liked this concubine of noble birth more and more. After a passionate and indescribable sex, Emperor Hongxi raised Concubine Guo's rank - she was named Imperial Noble Concubine.
The Imperial Noble Consort was like a deputy empress. Emperor Hongxi also asked the Imperial Noble Consort to help Empress Zhang manage the affairs of the harem and divided Empress Zhang's power.
Not only that, Emperor Hongxi also gave the title of Marquis Wuding, which had been vacant for more than 20 years, to Concubine Guo's younger brother Guo Xuan.
After the death of Wuding Marquis Guo Ying, there was no legitimate son, only illegitimate sons, which led to the competition between Princess Yongjia's son Guo Zhen and Concubine Guo's brother Guo Xuan for many years. Guo Zhen had the princess as his mother as a backer, and Guo Xuan's mother Xu was a member of the Duke of Wei's clan and the cousin of Empress Renxiao Xu. From the perspective of blood relationship, Guo Liangdi was actually the cousin of Emperor Hongxi.
On one side was the son of his younger sister, and on the other side was the son of his younger sister-in-law. When Emperor Taizong was in power, he simply tried not to offend either side and put the title of Marquis Wuding on hold, saying that he wanted to examine the character of Guo Zhen and Guo Xuan.
Now that the Ming Dynasty has moved its capital to Beijing, old princesses from the Hongwu Dynasty, such as Princess Yongjia, have stayed in Nanjing, far away from the political center. Guo Xuan, with the help of her sister Guo Liangdi, has gradually gained the upper hand in the dispute over the title.
When Emperor Hongxi ascended the throne, Concubine Guo won the emperor's favor. With one person's success, the whole family benefited. The title of Marquis Wuding, which had been vacant for more than 20 years, was finally settled. Guo Xuan relied on his sister to become the second Marquis Wuding.
However, Empress Zhang's family, the Pengcheng Earl's Mansion, was only an earl, while Concubine Guo's family was a marquis.
In the Ming Dynasty harem, Concubine Guo seemed to have the power to be on par with Empress Zhang.
Empress Zhang felt deeply the pressure from Concubine Guo.
Not only that, Emperor Hongxi also particularly favored Zhu Zhanji, Prince of Teng, who was born to Concubine Guo. Zhu Zhanji is sixteen years old this year and ranks eighth. The ninth Prince of Liang and the tenth Prince of Wei were all born to Concubine Guo.
When Emperor Hongxi handled state affairs and discussed national affairs, he always brought Prince Teng with him, often asking for his opinions, and praising and rewarding him endlessly, just like Emperor Taizong did for his eldest grandson Zhu Zhanji.
All signs indicate that the west wind is about to prevail over the east wind, both in the harem and in the royal family.
Neither Empress Zhang nor the Crown Prince could do anything about this.
Empress Zhang was a principled person. It was impossible for her to abandon her dignity and responsibilities as an empress and follow the example of Concubine Guo in seeking favor and indulging Emperor Hongxi in his diet, using food and sex to win back the emperor's heart.
As for Emperor Hongxi's promotion of Concubine Guo and Prince Teng, Empress Zhang knew that this was a revengeful act for her refusal to promote Concubine Sun in the Eastern Palace and her confrontation with Emperor Hongxi in person for wanting a bastard's son instead of a legitimate son.
Do you want to give in
Empress Zhang fell into deep thought as she sat in front of her dressing table. She was forty-six years old this year, the same age as Emperor Hongxi, but she took good care of herself, led a regular life, and never indulged herself. She looked only in her early thirties. She had given birth to four children, and her figure was certainly not as good as before, but she was definitely not old, especially when she stood next to the obese Emperor Hongxi, relying on her husband for support, she looked young and beautiful.
Feeling a ray of white light in front of her eyes, Empress Zhang held up a mirror and looked carefully, and found a white hair hidden in her black hair. In order to pull out the white hair, Empress Zhang loosened her bun, gently parted her hair, and found that there was far more than one hair!
Things like combing hair were left to the palace maids, so Empress Zhang did not notice that she had white hair. Concubine Guo was promoted to Imperial Concubine, Guo Xuan was granted the title of Marquis Wuding, and Prince Teng was favored. Things came one after another, and although Empress Zhang appeared calm and composed on the surface, she was actually under quite a lot of pressure inside.
These gray hairs are the evidence.
Empress Zhang plucked out her white hair one by one, combed her hair into a bun, and restored her dignity. The female official Si Yan came in and said, "The Crown Princess is here to pay her respects to the Empress."
"Take Princess Shunde to the Imperial Garden to play. I have something to say to the Crown Princess." Empress Zhang said.
Nightfall, East Palace.
The Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji has been working from sunrise to sunset recently. He is basically not in the palace during the day and only comes back to reunite with his wife and daughter when the palace gates are about to be locked at night.
Prince Teng, born to Concubine Guo, followed Emperor Hongxi to handle government affairs all day long, while Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji was sent out to work every day.
What did Zhu Zhanji do every day
Where are the offspring going
Every day he was looking for the descendants of the "traitorous ministers of Jianwen" who were exterminated during the Yongle period, such as Fang Xiaoru, Qi Tai, etc. He restored the reputation of these criminals, found their descendants, restored their civilian status from official slaves, and returned the property that was confiscated.
In short, Emperor Hongxi did almost everything Emperor Taizong did in reverse. The 46-year-old Emperor Hongxi had been suppressed for too long. When he was young, he was very cautious. His rebellious period did not disappear, but was postponed.
Emperor Taizong denied the existence of the Jianwen Dynasty, changed the first year of Jianwen to the thirty-second year of Hongwu, and called Emperor Jianwen the "Grandson of the Crown Prince". However, as soon as Emperor Hongxi came to power, he immediately revised the history books, restored the Jianwen chronology, and called Zhu Yunwen "Lord Jianwen".
Confucius said, "If one does not change his aspirations for three years after his father's death, this is filial piety."
Otherwise, it is unfilial. Emperor Hongxi changed everything, especially when facing the "guilty ministers of Jianwen". Anyway, this matter was given to the crown prince to do, and it was not him who did it. Even if it was unfilial, it was the crown prince who was unfilial and he was good at shifting the blame.
When Zhu Zhanji was the crown prince, he did nothing serious. He was ordered to search for the descendants of the "traitorous ministers of Jianwen". He found the son of Qi Tai. When the family was confiscated and the clan was exterminated, he was spared from beheading because he was only six years old. He was exiled to the border. Now he is an older young man, so he was recalled to the capital, rewarded with a house, and asked the official matchmaker to arrange a marriage for him.
Huang Zicheng, the cousin who once said the famous saying "What if you kill my ten clans?", was also found by Zhu Zhanji. He was "pardoned and returned to his hometown", given a house and land, and taken good care of.
There was also the daughter of Hu Run, who was confiscated and made a slave. Zhu Zhanji just found her in the mansion of the Earl of Pengcheng, her maternal grandfather’s home. The former rich lady became a maidservant with pockmarks all over her face. After hearing the amnesty order, she washed her face and immediately became fair and clean, radiant. It turned out that this girl was worried about being married to another slave, giving birth to slaves for generations, so she deliberately smeared stove ash on her face to make herself ugly, and she has not married at the age of 26...
Princess Shunde had already gone to bed. Zhu Zhanji and A Lei were chatting in the compartment, talking about what he had seen today. "This Miss Hu is really extraordinary. She endured for twenty years, smearing plant ash every day to look ugly and foolish. No one dared to marry her. When she washed her face and changed her clothes to meet me, her conversation and manners were elegant, all of which were the style of a lady from a noble family. I was very moved. If it were an ordinary woman, she would have accepted her fate long ago and been matched by the master of the house with a servant who was born as an official slave, married and had children, and lived a numb life. This Miss Hu has been acting for twenty years, enduring and steadfast, which is amazing."
After six years of marriage, they still have this tacit understanding. A Lei knows that Zhu Zhanji is talking about Miss Hu on the surface, but he is actually encouraging himself to be patient.
This is just the beginning, and people have endured for twenty years. No matter how much Emperor Hongxi forces us, we must not go against his will and turn against him, we must be patient.
With the rise of Concubine Guo, the title of Marquis of Wuding to Guo Xuan, and the aggressive Prince of Teng, Zhu Zhanji was forced to "restore order" all day long and do things that went against his grandfather, Emperor Taizong. Life was really hard.
When I came back at night, I had to pretend nothing had happened and comfort and encourage A Lei.
A Lei looked at Zhu Zhanji who was forcing a smile, and his heart ached. He heard the words of his mother-in-law Empress Zhang in Kunning Palace in the afternoon:
"Concubine Sun is the emperor's person. If the prince gets close to Concubine Sun and gives birth to a child, whether it is a boy or a girl, the emperor will like it, and the prince will be under less pressure. Moreover, once a woman has her own child, she will involuntarily consider the child. At that time, her family and even her husband will not be as important as her child. Concubine Sun is someone you can fight for. You should understand the principle of interest binding. Since Concubine Sun cannot be moved, you must find a way to tie her firmly to the East Palace. Children are the best rope."
"You have tied yourself to Concubine Sun, which means you have turned the emperor's eyes and ears into the eyes and ears of the Eastern Palace. You must remember that you are the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince's helper, and your responsibility is to safeguard the interests of the Eastern Palace. If you only pursue love, you will be a derelict Crown Princess, a burden to the Crown Prince, and you are not worthy of being a Crown Princess."
"Sharing your husband with women is something every Crown Princess must do. Don't have too many ideas. Those women are just tools for reproduction. Just like a piece of land, you have to sow seeds evenly. No matter which piece of land blooms and bears fruit, you are the principal wife. They all belong to you in the end and can only call you mother."
"I know you want to talk about Empress Renxiao. Silly girl, Empress Renxiao gave birth to Emperor Taizong's three sons and four daughters alone because Emperor Taizong was only a vassal king back then, and Empress Renxiao came from a prominent family. Emperor Taizong ascended the throne in the Jingnan Campaign because Empress Renxiao fought hard to defend Beijing, and the current prince got the position of crown prince because of his status as the eldest grandson. Emperor Taizong didn't have to look at anyone's face, but the prince had to look at the emperor's face, not for one or two days, but for years and months, year after year, ten years, twenty years... Do you know what to do?"
In fact, A Lei understood all these principles without Queen Zhang’s enlightenment.
But six years of love cannot be ended just like that.
Arei has been accustomed to the monogamous love and marriage of Hu Shanwei and Mu Chun since she was a child. With such family education, her world views have been formed, and she cannot accept the royal family's concept of polygamy.
With Arei's personality, it is impossible for him to accept the separation of body and love. If he has to break up, he has to break up completely. If he cannot be physically faithful, love will be over.
Just as Empress Zhang said, the prince's predicament cannot be overcome by enduring it for a few days. Even if Emperor Hongxi is in poor health and has recently indulged in eating and drinking and sensual pleasures in Concubine Guo's Changchun Palace, he will not live for a few more years. The prince will be able to ascend the throne - then what about the future
After all, the Zhu family has the throne to inherit!
Not to mention a bastard son, Arei didn't even plan to have a legitimate son. She didn't want to get pregnant again, and the prince needed an heir.
This contradiction cannot be reconciled.
This contradiction has actually always existed during the six years of their marriage, but there was not such great pressure before and it was covered up by the sweetness of love. Now that Emperor Hongxi has repeatedly used hateful tactics against the prince and put pressure on the Eastern Palace, the hidden contradiction has been revealed without a doubt, and it has reached the point where it can no longer be ignored and must be addressed head-on.
Arei looked at Zhu Zhanji steadily and said, "The time has come. I didn't expect this day to come so soon. I haven't loved you enough yet."
Zhu Zhanji was startled. "Don't talk nonsense. Did the Queen Mother say something to you? Was it the Emperor? Or Concubine Sun? Don't pay attention to it. The Emperor will not depose me just because I don't favor the concubine he designated."
A Lei said: "The emperor will not depose you for this, but he will make it more difficult for you."
Zhu Zhanji: "I can handle it. I survived the gap between the emperor and Emperor Taizong. This is nothing."
Arei smiled and said, "I know you can, but I feel sorry for you."
Zhu Zhanji held her hand tightly and called her by her nickname, "Sister A'lei, it's been six years. You haven't loved me enough, and neither have I. No matter what happens outside, with you and my daughter waiting for me in the East Palace, everything is insignificant."
"But I don't want this kind of bitter love, which is worn away and swallowed by pain bit by bit, becoming unrecognizable, blaming and torturing each other." A Lei broke free from his hand, "I haven't loved you enough, but I have to give up on you. From tonight on, I am no longer your sister A Lei. From now on, I am the Crown Princess Hu Shanxiang of the Eastern Palace. I will fulfill the responsibilities of the Crown Princess and help you through the difficulties. After that... I will leave here."
The author has something to say: Growing up in a painful dilemma, generation after generation has gone through this. Hu Shanwei is like this, A Lei is also like this, first love is true love, love with all your heart.
A Lei and Xiao Ji Ge broke up, and the countdown to the end tonight is 5. The countdown to the end is 555555555
Although we broke up, we still have to give out red envelopes. Here are 200 of them. Come and get them.
Thank you to the little angels who cast their votes for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution~
Thanks to the little angel who cast [mine]: Gudong is coming! , tydscf 1;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:
Xiaomima, Miniclare 20 bottles; Tydscf 13 bottles; Cocoli, Star Ovo 10 bottles; RROFHZ 5 bottles; Little Girl Eating Lipstick 3 bottles; Xixi Chasing Books 2 bottles; Yuki 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!