Emperor Gaozu Zhu Yuanzhang reigned for thirty-one years, Emperor Jianwen reigned for four years, Emperor Taizong Zhu Di reigned for twenty-one years, and Emperor Hongxi reigned for nine months.
There was no way. Others got fat by eating candy, but Emperor Hongxi ate so much candy that he died. He ate himself to death, so he couldn't blame others.
Empress Zhang took control of the palace. After Emperor Hongxi stopped breathing, she took advantage of the cover of night to eliminate a group of palace servants. She secretly gagged Concubine Guo from Changchun Palace and Prince Teng who lived in the East Fifth House, put them in sacks, and tied them up in Kunning Palace.
Following Mu Chun's suggestion, Shen Qionglian drafted an imperial edict to recall Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji. The Ming Dynasty had always had female officials holding the imperial seal, so Huang Weide stamped it with ease and sent eunuch Hai Shou to Nanjing overnight. The edict was written on May 11, but signed on May 13, two days prematurely.
Empress Zhang kept the death a secret and used the excuse that Emperor Hongxi was ill to stop the morning court sessions. All food, water and medicine were sent to the Qianqing Palace, as if Emperor Hongxi was just ill.
The weather began to get hot in May, and Ru Siyao carefully "cared for" the body of Emperor Hongxi, using ice cubes to keep it fresh.
The next morning, Empress Zhang went to pay her respects to the only concubine dowager in the palace, Zhang.
After Emperor Taizong's death, all the concubines were buried alive with him according to the ancestral system set by Emperor Gaozu. Only Concubine Zhang was exempted from burial alive with Emperor Taizong because she was born into the noble Duke of Yingguo Mansion. She was honored in the harem ever since her death.
A warning from the four palace ladies in the harem: The emperor will be safe if you don’t sleep!
As the only one who had a good ending, Concubine Zhang witnessed the dispute between Empress Zhang and Concubine Guo, but she turned a blind eye to it. Anyway, her family had a strong background, deep connections, and she had the highest seniority in the harem, so she could live a comfortable life.
The people who came to pay their respects today were missing Prince Teng and Concubine Guo. She acted as if she didn't notice anything and lived a comfortable life, raising cats and walking birds as usual.
Empress Zhang dismissed everyone and had a secret talk with Concubine Zhang. "… For the sake of the stability of the Ming Dynasty, I will not hide it from you, Concubine Guo and Prince Teng have been captured by me and are under secret house arrest."
This matter must be confessed to Concubine Zhang, because her brother is Duke Yingguo Zhang Fu, who holds military power and protects the capital.
It is not enough to just control the palace. Power comes from the gun, and winning over Zhang Fu is the key.
Concubine Zhang had been through so much that she had long since become indifferent to everything. She was now extremely grateful that she had listened to Concubine Hu and given up having children, otherwise she would have been worrying endlessly. She added a spoonful of millet to the birdcage and said leisurely:
"The Queen is the master of the harem. I will not care about what happens, and I don't find it strange. As for the people in the harem, I only want my niece to be alive. The lives of others have nothing to do with me, and I can't care. My brother, Duke Ying, is loyal to the Ming Dynasty and is responsible for the defense of the capital. With him, the capital will not be in chaos. Our Zhang family is dedicated to the country and knows the overall situation. The Queen can rest assured."
Concubine Zhang, who is only 20 years old today, is the youngest daughter of Duke Ying Zhang Fu and the niece of Concubine Zhang. Like her aunt, she has no children. Zhang Fu was the most outstanding general in the Yongle Dynasty and once supported the King of Han. But now his daughters are all concubines of Emperor Hongxi, and Zhang Fu will no longer have anything to do with the King of Han.
By capturing Concubine Zhang and Concubine Zhang Shu, they could stabilize Zhang Fu, who was in charge of the defense of the capital, and there would be no trouble during this period. At the critical moment, Empress Zhang showed her courage as the "snake-beating girl" back then. In the absence of the crown prince, she took decisive action to stabilize the palace and the entire capital.
It was not until two days later, on May 13, at midnight, that Empress Zhang summoned the three ministers on duty, Xia Yuanji, Yang Shiqi, and Yang Rong, to the Qin'an Hall of the Qianqing Palace, and cried, "The emperor has passed away. There was no sign before he went to bed, he just said he was dizzy. The imperial physician came to check his pulse in the middle of the night and found that he was no longer breathing and his body was cold. Now the prince is still in Nanjing, and the harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. I am just a woman, and I am at a loss at this moment. How can I help him?"
Please let the cabinet minister decide what to do!"
At this time, Empress Zhang's performance was simply that of a movie queen, weak, pitiful and helpless, not at all like a ruthless person who was able to conceal the news of her death for two days. Sometimes weakness is also a woman's armor.
Empress Zhang did this on purpose, because the palace was locked at night, and only the cabinet, as the emperor's secretariat, was on duty in the palace at night, while other officials were all outside. The fewer people there were, the less unnecessary troubles would be avoided.
Because of the close relationship between the cabinet and the emperor, the power of the secretariat gradually grew from the early Yongle Dynasty, and cabinet members began to concurrently hold the positions of six ministers. By the current Hongxi Dynasty, the combined power of the five cabinet members was comparable to that of the prime ministers of previous dynasties, similar to the five modern state councilors.
Therefore, Empress Zhang only needed to consult with the cabinet to influence the government of the Ming Dynasty.
Of course the cabinet supports the prince!
Because only by pushing the crown prince to the throne can the Ming Dynasty regime have a smooth transition.
As expected, the cabinet chief Xia Yuanji said, "The crown prince has not arrived yet, so the funeral should be kept secret. He should just bathe and eat in the Qin'an Palace as per etiquette, set up a few banquets in the palace, and cry day and night."
This means that the funeral would be held secretly in the Qin'an Hall, and the news of Emperor Hongxi's death would be concealed from the outside world. The emperor's death would be announced after the crown prince returned to the capital.
At the same time, Zhu Zhanji in the Old Palace in Nanjing received a summons for his father’s “premature birth” two days ago. He was a little confused. How could his father pass away so soon
Hu Shanwei urged, "The Queen has bought two days for Your Highness to prevent the King of Han and the King of Zhao from setting an ambush on Your Highness's way back to the capital. Your Highness will set out secretly tonight to avoid their attack. There is a substitute for the Crown Prince in the palace who will go to Jiming Temple tomorrow and copy scriptures and pray for blessings behind closed doors on the pretext that the Crown Princess and Sun Liangdi had a normal delivery, in order to confuse the public and conceal the truth from the East Factory."
A Lei was about to give birth and it was inconvenient for her to move around. Zhu Zhanji bowed and said, "Everything in Nanjing is in the hands of Concubine Hu."
Hu Shanwei waved his hand and said, "Go quickly. Only when the prince succeeds to the throne smoothly can A Lei truly find peace."
If Zhu Zhanji didn't become emperor, A Lei would never be able to leave.
Beijing city.
The hardworking Emperor Hongxi had not attended court for three days. Before this, he had never stopped attending court regardless of the weather. Although the cabinet cooperated with Empress Zhang and kept the death a secret, Emperor Hongxi's abnormal behavior caused a lot of discussion in the court and the country. Some people said that the emperor was seriously ill, and some even said that the emperor had passed away. The news caused a lot of uproar and soon reached the ears of King Han and King Zhao.
The two princes were indeed unwilling to give up. Regardless of whether the rumors were true or not, they set up spies and ambushes on the route the prince had to take when returning to Beijing, waiting to assassinate the prince!
As soon as the crown prince dies, the eight sons of Emperor Hongxi will surely quarrel over the throne, and then the King of Han and the King of Zhao will have the opportunity to fish in troubled waters.
The two brothers waited and waited until the lotus flowers bloomed, but they never saw the prince's carriage. It was like the Ming Dynasty version of Waiting for Godot, where nothing happened, no one came, and no one went.
Due to the deceitful operations of Empress Zhang and Hu Shanwei, the two brothers turned the tense battle for the throne into performance art, which was not easy.
They didn't know that when the rumor of Emperor Hongxi's death reached their ears, Zhu Zhanji had already been secretly protected by Mu Chun in a farm outside Gucheng, Baoding Prefecture.
On the first day of June, eunuch Liu Shun led the Embroidered Uniform Guard to welcome the "dusty" Zhu Zhanji. When the prince's carriage arrived in Liangxiang, the cabinet ministers went outside the Meridian Gate to read out the "last will" of Emperor Hongxi - of course, it was drafted by the cabinet. Prince Zhu Zhanji inherited the throne as the eldest son.
When the prince's carriage arrived at Lugou Bridge, Xia Yuanji, Lu Zhen and other ministers welcomed the prince, set up an incense table and waited, and read the imperial edict to the prince.
On the third day of June, the prince arrived in Beijing, dismounted at Chang'an Gate, walked into the palace, first went to Qin'an Hall to pay his respects and mourn for the coffin of Emperor Hongxi, and then met with Empress Zhang and Concubine Zhang.
On June 12, Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji succeeded to the throne and became Emperor Xuande. Emperor Xuande gave Emperor Hongxi the posthumous title of "Emperor Jingtian Tidao Chuncheng Zhide Hongwen Qinwu Zhangsheng Daxiao Zhao". As for the temple name, Zhu Zhanji thought about it for a long time, sighed, and finally put pen to paper and wrote the word "Ren". From then on, Emperor Hongxi was Emperor Renzong.
Zhu Zhanji looked at the word "benevolence" and murmured, "Father, oh father, you are kind to the world and the people, but you are not kind to me. Father and son of the royal family, can't even tolerate the word love."
Emperor Xuande named his mother Zhang as empress dowager and his wife Hu as empress. However, as Empress Hu was in Nanjing expecting to give birth, it was difficult for her to return to the palace, so the ceremony of conferring the empress was postponed.
As Emperor Renzong passed away so suddenly, the site for the imperial mausoleum had not even been selected, so his body could only be placed in the coffin and buried after the mausoleum was completed.
However, burial can be postponed for a few years, but the funeral still needs to be held.
The primary issue at the funeral was whether concubines were buried alive with the deceased.
Emperor Xuande was a kind-hearted man after all. Except for Concubine Zhang who was exempted from burial alive because of her noble family background, he also pardoned all the other concubines, including Concubine Li who gave birth to three sons.
The concubines who escaped death were immediately grateful to Emperor Xuande, and taught their children to listen to their eldest brother, the emperor, and the royal regime transitioned smoothly.
There were only five people who were buried with Emperor Renzong: Concubine Guo and the four beauties of Changchun Palace recommended by Concubine Guo.
These are the five people that Empress Dowager Zhang planned to eliminate.
After being imprisoned for a month, with no response from heaven or earth, Concubine Guo finally saw the light of day again. Empress Zhang had become Empress Dowager Zhang.
Empress Dowager Zhang gave Concubine Guo a piece of white silk.
Concubine Guo had expected this. She picked up the white silk and said, "The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. I can die, but please spare my sons. They are the bloodline of the Zhu family."
Queen Mother Zhang said, "After all, I am not a devil. I will not touch the two little ones. But you have aroused Prince Teng's ambition. I will not let him go. He will reunite with you in the underworld at the end of this year. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself. You are too ambitious and want to get involved in the position of Queen and Crown Prince, and you have implicated your son. Prince Teng was quite cute when he was young, and I really liked him. Unfortunately, I cannot leave any trouble for the future."
Concubine Guo laughed and said, "When a man is about to die, his words are kind. Queen Mother, can you be more sincere and not be so hypocritical? If the Queen Mother had really treated me well and treated me as her sister, I would have married into the Prince of Yan's Mansion with the Queen Mother. With the Emperor's love for me, how could Prince Teng be the eighth child? The Queen Mother always pretends that you and I are equal, but in fact, she has been secretly guarding against me and tampering with my drinking water. She only allowed me to get pregnant after the Eastern Palace had seven sons."
"You are so insidious and cunning. If I don't fight hard and take advantage of the gap between the emperor and the prince, and rely on the emperor's favor to fight for the position of empress and heir, once the prince ascends the throne in the future, there will be no place for me and my three sons!"
Concubine Guo laughed until tears came out. "Besides, I still have a mission for my family. My mother was widowed at a young age and raised me and my brother with great difficulty. The whole family is counting on me to win the title of Marquis of Wuding for my brother in the future. If I don't fight for it, will the Queen Mother speak for my family? I'm not that naive. The Queen Mother's family is only an earl. Why should my family, a concubine's, be a marquis? I'm not stupid!"
"No, you are still very foolish and naive." Empress Dowager Zhang handed the white silk to Concubine Guo. "You worked hard to support your brother Guo Xuan. This time, except for you and the four goblins, the other concubines were pardoned. You were born noble, and you gave birth to three sons for the royal family. Why didn't Wuding Hou Guo Xuan ask for a pardon for your sister to be pardoned?"
"Because, in order to keep the title he just obtained, Guo Xuan was afraid of offending my family, so he kept silent and acquiesced to your burial with him, using your death to consolidate the title of Marquis Wuding."
After saying this, Empress Dowager Zhang led her people out of the palace.
Desperate Concubine Guo threw the white silk on the beam and stepped on a stool to get on it. "In my whole life, I have tried hard to be a good daughter, a good sister, pretended to be good sisters with the Queen Mother, and a good concubine who satisfied all the desires of the Emperor. In the end, I got nothing except a white silk. No one cares about me."
There is no greater sorrow than the death of one’s heart. Concubine Guo kicked over the stool. The eldest son, Prince Teng, also died suddenly three months later. The title of his younger brother, Marquis Wuding Guo Xuan, was not affected, but after Guo Xuan’s death, the Guo family’s title was once again in dispute. In the end, Princess Yongjia’s grandson Guo Chang defeated Guo Xuan’s son Guo Cong and inherited the title of Marquis Wuding. After that, every time the Guo family inherited a title, there would be a bloody drama of family seizure of the title, which was an inexhaustible resource library for gossip about the wealthy families in Beijing.
When Emperor Xuande ascended the throne, for the sake of the overall interests of the Ming Dynasty, the national policy could not be changed overnight. Emperor Renzong had already made major changes and put the brakes on. If he changed again, he might capsize. Therefore, in the edict of succession, Emperor Renzong's promise to recuperate and care for the people was continued, "All the leniency, grace and peace administration that have not been listed shall be implemented in accordance with the edict issued after August 15 last year. Be sincere and trustworthy, and never change..."
Emperor Xuande pardoned half of the concubines from the tragedy of being buried alive with the emperor. At the same time, he treated the royal family with leniency, corrected the punishment of "recording personal grudges in a small notebook" when his father was in office, "respected the relatives and pardoned their mistakes", and restored the title of the consort of Princess Ancheng, Song Hu, with an annual salary of 1,000 stones. However, the title of Xining Marquis still belonged to Princess Xianning's consort Song Ying.
Emperor Xuande was magnanimous and quickly gained the support of the royal family. After all, they had learned from the lesson that Emperor Jianwen drew his sword against the royal family as soon as he came to power, and the Ming royal family was full of resentment and became the guide of Prince Yan. Emperor Xuande did this in order to isolate Prince Han and Prince Zhao and make them completely give up.
After all, people have always lived a rich and stable life, so few people want to rebel and change the emperor.
As soon as Emperor Xuande issued the edict of enthronement, news came from Nanjing that Queen Hu A Lei had given birth to a little princess. However, A Lei's pregnancy was not smooth, and both mother and daughter were in danger.
After hearing this, Mu Chun hurried to Nanjing to see his daughter and granddaughter. Emperor Xuande was very worried, but there was nothing he could do as he had to stay in Beijing at this time.
Therefore, Emperor Xuande issued an oral order, asking Hu Shanwei to serve another term, take care of Empress Hu and the little princess in the Old Palace in Nanjing, and return to Beijing after his wife and daughter recovered.
Hu Shanwei served in this way for the fifth term and became a palace lady for five dynasties.
When the little princess was one hundred days old, Are recovered, and Sun went into labor, also giving birth to a princess.
In early winter, the Eastern Palace family returned to the Forbidden City in Beijing and held a ceremony to crown Queen Hu. Afterwards, Emperor Xuande crowned Sun, who had just given birth to a daughter, as a noble concubine.
It is said that the King of Han and the King of Zhao heard the news of Zhu Zhanji's ascension to the throne after a long wait.
The two brothers had been lying in ambush on the roadside. Did Zhu Zhanji grow wings and fly to the capital? The news I heard a few days ago was that Zhu Zhanji was copying scriptures in Jiming Temple. How did he suddenly ascend the throne in the capital
King Zhao gave up first, "Second brother, my eldest brother and his son are too treacherous. We can't beat them. I'd better go back to my fiefdom and be a prince."
The King of Han was not convinced! In order to kill Zhu Zhanji, he sacrificed his eldest son Zhu Zhanhe. Now the trees on his son's grave have grown into trees, but Zhu Zhanji has become the emperor. Is he angry? He is so angry!
The King of Han looked towards the north and said, "Go ahead, my third brother. I still have a debt to settle with the young emperor."
After the King of Han returned to Anlezhou, he began to prepare for a rebellion. He privately manufactured weapons and firearms in the city; he privately recruited troops and able-bodied men; he sheltered death row prisoners in nearby counties and cities, delaying their execution dates in order to train death squads; he colluded with military officers such as Jin Rong, the commander-in-chief of Shandong, and privately granted them titles, with the intention of rewarding them when he ascended the throne in the future; he also sent his confidant Mei Qing to Beijing to find Zhang Fu, the Duke of Ying, who was in charge of the capital's defense, in the hope of cooperating with him from both inside and outside in the future.
Little did he know that all of this was seen by a pair of eyes, recorded in a small notebook, and sent to the hands of Emperor Xuande in the capital.
It was none other than the King of Han's eldest son Zhu Zhanhe.
After seven years, Zhu Zhanhe had grown a beard, and when Emperor Xuande saw him at first sight, he almost knelt down and called him Grandpa Emperor - he looked more and more like Emperor Taizong, especially in his aura of majesty without even being angry.
Emperor Xuande asked: "Where have you been all these years? Why is there no news?"
Zhu Zhanhe said, "He traveled back and forth to the Western Regions to do some small business. When he heard the news of the emperor's ascension to the throne, he immediately rushed back. This minister's father really did not give up."
Zhu Zhanhe handed the notebook recording his father's recent movements to Emperor Xuande, "Father is too obsessed. As a son, I cannot watch him make mistakes again and again. I can only kill my relatives for the sake of justice. The Han Palace cannot be kept any longer. I will take them all away and never set foot on the territory of the Ming Dynasty again."
After seven years, Zhu Zhanhe has grown into a mature and stable man. He has put down roots in the Western Regions in preparation for the day when he will take over the entire Han Palace, change his identity, and start over.
Emperor Xuande looked at his cousin and felt a sense of accomplishment, "Don't worry, I will fulfill all the promises I made back then."
When the two brothers were discussing how to relocate the Prince of Han's Palace, Duke Yingguo Zhang Fu kidnapped Mei Qing, the liaison sent by the Prince of Han, and told Emperor Xuande all of the Prince of Han's plans for internal and external collaboration.
Zhang Fu did indeed support the King of Han and was a core member of the King of Han's Party.
However, the overall situation of the Ming Dynasty has been determined, and Zhang Fu will not follow the King of Han to the end. If he wanted to rebel, he would have done it when Emperor Renzong died.
The hero was in his twilight years and could no longer rebel. He just wanted to maintain the status quo and enjoy wealth and luxury. During the Xuande Dynasty, the Zhang family was still one of the top wealthy families in the capital.
The King of Han did not know that he had been deserted by his friends and relatives. On the first day of August in the first year of Xuande, the King of Han rebelled, declaring that "Emperor Xuande did not abide by the ancestral system, and those around him such as Xia Yuanji and Yang Rong were all treacherous ministers." The King of Han was going to follow the example of his father, Emperor Taizong, and "clear the court."
Emperor Xuande Zhu Zhanji was well prepared. On August 8, he ordered an expedition in person. Without waiting for the King of Han to attack, he led his troops to surround Yongle Prefecture.
The King of Han saw that he could not win the battle, so he surrendered.
Emperor Xuande had a large army under his command and the people supported him, so he quickly put down the rebellion. The ministers wanted to punish the King of Han by execution.
Emperor Xuande rejected the proposal and only ordered the entire Han family to move to Beijing. He also only executed the main culprit and "left the rest uninvestigated." As for military equipment and weapons, as long as they were handed over to the government, they would not be investigated. He even refused the ceremony of congratulations from all officials after the rebellion was quelled.
Regarding the Rebellion of Prince of Han, Emperor Xuande concluded that it was "a misfortune for the country" and handled the matter in a low-key manner, allowing it to pass without any pain.
Now the question is, how can we make the Hanwang Mansion family escape collectively and reasonably
Queen A Lei came up with an idea, "Have you heard of the Princess of Qin during the Hongwu Dynasty?"
Emperor Xuande said: "Princess Wang of Qin was the biological sister of Wang Baobao, the prime minister of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. She came to our dynasty to marry the King of Qin, but the King of Qin was violent and only favored his concubine Deng. The two tortured the Princess of Qin and almost drove her crazy. It was Consort Hu who exposed their plot. Empress Xiaoci took pity on the Princess of Qin and allowed her to practice Buddhism in the capital. In the 29th year of Hongwu, the King of Qin died, and the Princess of Qin burned herself to death to be buried with him."
A Lei shook his head. "That's what the history books say, but it was actually a trick created by my sister, Concubine Hu. When the fire started, the flames blocked her view, and the Princess of Qin took the opportunity to escape from the secret passage. My sister and brother-in-law hid the Princess of Qin in Yunnan and created a new household registration. The Princess of Qin is still alive and well. You don't know this, only Eunuch Zheng He knows. Back then, the Princess of Qin and Eunuch Zheng He escaped from the Qin Palace together. When the Princess of Qin was practicing Buddhism with her hair untied, she recommended Eunuch Zheng He to the Zen Master Daoyan, who was preaching sutras. After that, the two followed Emperor Taizong."
Emperor Xuande laughed and asked, "How many people did your sister and brother-in-law hide in Yunnan?"
A Lei pointed at Emperor Xuande and said, "The emperor is far away, and the emperor also hid there for five years."
This couple has been separated for more than a year, and when they talk and laugh, they act like friends rather than husband and wife.
Zhu Zhanhe was concerned about the Han Palace and asked, "What does the Queen mean? To imitate the Qin Princess?"
"Yes." A Lei nodded, "We must let everyone witness with their own eyes that the King of Han is dead. In this way, even if the King of Han wants to make a comeback later, no one will believe that he is the King of Han. They will only think that he is a liar. When a person's political life ends, no one will rebel against him again."
Zhu Zhanhe said, "Burning the King of Han? If you do that, people will talk about the emperor using cruel means to kill his uncle, and the emperor will be cursed."
Emperor Xuande patted Zhu Zhanhe on the shoulder and said, "You have saved me many times. I am willing to do anything for you. What does it matter if you are criticized? Without you, I would have died many times."
The King of Han was imprisoned in Xiaoyao City at Xihua Gate. Emperor Xuande advised the King of Han to recognize his mistakes and not make them again.
The King of Han did not appreciate it and cursed Emperor Xuande for being as hypocritical as his father, Emperor Renzong.
Emperor Xuande was furious and ordered his men to use a 300-jin copper vat (equivalent to the weight of his father, Emperor Renzong) to capture the Prince of Han.
The King of Han was trapped in a large vat, but he kept cursing and even stood up and lifted up the 300-jin vat!
Here he comes! Here he comes! He walks over here carrying a 300-pound outline!
When the King of Han walked along the dark line drawn in advance, Emperor Xuande ordered the guards to surround the big vat, pile firewood around the big vat, light it, and roast the King of Han in the stove.
Under the copper vat, the secret passage opened and the King of Han fell into the secret room. He smelled a strange floral fragrance and immediately fainted.
After burning for an hour, the charcoal fire went out and when the big jar was opened, only a handful of "ashes" was left inside.
Emperor Xuande ordered that the entire family of the Prince of Han be killed, leaving no one alive.
A caravan from the Western Regions came to the capital to sell spices and wine, then loaded up with silk and porcelain and left the city fully loaded.
The King of Han and his entire family huddled in empty wooden wine barrels, with silk cloth piled outside.
A Lei said goodbye to Zhu Zhanhe in casual clothes, "The emperor ascended the throne smoothly, and you left the capital with your family. Now I have nothing to worry about. But my little daughter is often sick, and I can't bear to leave her. I will stay in the palace to take care of her for the next two years. When she is older and better, I will leave the palace."
Zhu Zhanhe looked at the thin A'lei with mixed feelings, "It should have been the emperor who faked his death and left the palace. If there hadn't been the incident on the island, you and the emperor should have been a couple for the rest of your life, traveling freely around the world."
Tears welled up in Are's eyes, but he held them back with a smile, "Yes, we were all very naive once, but the royal family does not tolerate naivety."
A year later, in the autumn of the second year of Xuande, Princess Yongqing's health improved and she gradually became plump. A Lei said he wanted to leave, "… while she still doesn't remember anything, so she won't suffer. When I was a child, my sister went to Nanjing, and I was raised by my grandfather and brother-in-law. Without my sister, I also had a happy childhood."
Emperor Xuande was reluctant to let go. "Yongqing may not remember anything, but Shunde will remember you. You should spend the last Spring Festival with your two daughters."
On November 11, the palace maid Lin Xi gave birth to a son, the first son of the royal family. Emperor Xuande named the eldest son Zhu Qizhen. Unfortunately, Lin Xi died of heavy bleeding three days later. Concubine Sun took Princess Changde, who had just learned to walk, and held the newborn Zhu Qizhen, and said to Emperor Xuande: "A boy and a girl make a good word. I want to raise this child."
Emperor Xuande agreed. He was almost thirty years old when he had his first son, who was to be the crown prince. He needed to give the crown prince a good background. If Arei stayed in the palace, she would be the legitimate mother of all the children and would be raised by her as the legitimate prince. Then it would be legitimate for her to be made the crown prince.
It's a pity that A Lei is leaving, so Concubine Sun is the best choice to raise Zhu Qizhen's status.
On the sixth day of the second month in the third year of Xuande, the two-month-old Zhu Qizhen was named Crown Prince.
On the first day of March, Emperor Xuande convened a cabinet meeting and announced his intention to depose Queen Hu and enthrone Concubine Sun as queen.
The cabinet insisted on not agreeing. How could the original wife be deposed just like that
What's more, Queen Hu gave birth to two princesses, expanded the royal family, was dignified and generous, never interfered in state affairs, and was filial to Empress Dowager Zhang. Even for ordinary people, divorcing a wife had to follow the seven reasons for divorce, so how could divorce a wife of a royal family be treated as a joke
Yang Shiqi, a cabinet minister, even said: "The ministers serve the emperor and empress like a son serves his parents. Now the Empress is the mother, and the ministers are the sons. Should a son advocate the abolition of his mother?"
What I mean is, Queen Hu was the mother of the country, so how could a son possibly depose his mother
Emperor Xuande's heart was bleeding, but he said, "Empress Hu is in poor health. I am thirty years old and still have no children. Now I am happy that Concubine Xi has a son. The mother is honored by her son, which is also the case in ancient times. If Concubine Sun is not crowned as the empress, then the prince's position will be unstable. If the crown prince is not stable, the empire will be in turmoil."
"Ahem." Emperor Xuande covered his mouth with a handkerchief and coughed a few times. "I have been busy with state affairs for the past two years, without a single day of slacking off. I feel that my health is not as good as before. What if... Alas, my father, Emperor Renzong, died nine months after ascending the throne. I, the crown prince, am still thousands of miles away in Nanjing. The King of Han and the King of Zhao are eyeing me covetously. If I had not ascended the throne as the eldest son, I don't know how much civil strife the Ming Dynasty would have suffered. I just want to give the crown prince a status."
Yang Rong was loyal to the Ming Dynasty and thought that what Emperor Xuande said made sense. He wrote down more than 20 charges and handed them to Emperor Xuande, saying, "Since you want to depose the empress, you must have a legitimate reason, otherwise the emperor's reputation will be damaged. Do as I say, and she will be deposed."
When Emperor Xuande saw it, he realized that it was saying that Queen Hu was jealous and had practiced witchcraft on Concubine Sun. She had a moral problem and was not worthy of being the queen mother, so she must be deposed!
Yang Rong followed the example of Emperor Wu of Han who deposed Wei Zifu, who gave birth to one son and three daughters, using the excuse of witchcraft.
Emperor Xuande tore up the note and shook his head repeatedly, "No, no, Empress Hu is innocent, she is not a jealous person. I just want to depose her, not put her to death. The witchcraft rebellion is to confiscate the family and exterminate the clan. That verse has such a thing, is there no god in the palace?"
What I mean is that I cannot bear to fabricate charges in order to depose the queen, which will lead to divine punishment.
Yang Rong said, "If not for this, Empress Hu would not have been deposed without reason. People in the world would not be convinced and would think that the emperor was treacherous and divorced his first wife for no reason. As the old saying goes, a wife who has shared the hardships of life should not be divorced. This would be a stain on the emperor's life, recorded in history, and he would be cursed for generations to come."
Yang Shiqi also said: "Your Majesty is a saintly ruler. He has been praised by Emperor Taizong since he was the grandson of the emperor. From the grandson of the emperor to the prince, and then to the emperor, your Majesty has always been admired by the people. You are a wise ruler. Your Majesty was too cruel in dealing with the King of Han. However, the King of Han was guilty of treason first and should have been executed. Moreover, he was imprisoned in a copper vat and still resisted stubbornly. It is really intolerable. However, Queen Hu was deposed innocently. Your Majesty is kind by nature. Why is he so ruthless to Queen Hu? It is not what a real man should do!"
Yang Shiqi was upright and tried his best to persuade Emperor Xuande not to depose the empress. He also cited examples of innocent empresses deposed in past dynasties. "Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu, deposed his first wife, Guo Shengtong, without reason. He issued an edict saying, 'Abnormal things are not good for the country.' Emperor Renzong of Song Dynasty deposed Empress Guo and regretted it later. Both Emperor Guangwu and Emperor Renzong were examples of wise rulers, but they were tarnished by deposing the empress without reason and regretted it when they were old. It was not good for the country, the family, and even the moral order. This was favoring the concubine and ignoring the wife."
Yang Rong said: "If you want to depose her, you have to use the name of witchcraft. This is the reason for deposing her, and the fault lies with the queen. If you depose her without reason, then the fault lies with the emperor, and it will damage his reputation."
Emperor Xuande thought to himself, I am willing to bear the reputation of killing the emperor's uncle for Zhu Zhanhe, so what if I am willing to bear the reputation of favoring a concubine and destroying my wife for A Lei
Emperor Xuande said: "I have made up my mind to depose Queen Hu and follow the example of Emperor Renzong of Song who deposed Queen Guo. I will confer upon her the title of Jingci Immortal Master and have her retire to Chang'an Palace to practice Taoism and pray for the Ming Dynasty."
According to historical records, Empress Hu was deposed without any fault, and the whole world felt sorry for her. When Emperor Xuanzong later mentioned Empress Hu, he regretted it and said it was "a matter of youth."
Others think that "youthful affairs" refers to being young and frivolous, being bewitched by Imperial Concubine Sun and thus abandoning his innocent original wife. In fact, this is not the case.
When I was young, I made a vow to allow A Lei to be my wife. I don't ask for eternity, but I ask for love without regrets.
I'm afraid only the two people involved will understand this sentence.
After Arei left the palace, her substitute, who looked very similar to her, became the Immortal Master Jingci. She washed off all her makeup, dressed like a Taoist nun, and practiced seclusion in the Chang'an Palace, never going out.
Immortal Master Jingci only left the Chang'an Palace during important festivals. Empress Dowager Zhang always required Immortal Master Jingci to sit at the seat of honor, with Empress Sun sitting at the bottom.
Not only that, Empress Dowager Zhang was only queen for nine months, and before she could get enough of the position, her husband was eaten to death by sugar.
Now that Are has retired, the fifty-year-old Empress Dowager Zhang has rekindled her desire for power. She uses the excuse that she is worried that Empress Sun will treat Princess Shunde and Princess Yongqing well and simply keeps the six bureaus and one department in her own hands. Empress Sun is empress in title but has no power over the harem. When it comes to various grand ceremonies, she has to rank behind Immortal Master Jingci. How aggrieved.
Empress Sun was only an empress in title but not in reality.
However, Emperor Xuande stood on the side of his mother and acquiesced to Empress Dowager Zhang taking charge of the harem. Empress Sun had no choice but to focus all her energy on Crown Prince Zhu Qizhen, hoping to use the crown prince to become the master in the future.
Later, Concubine Wu gave birth to the second son of the palace, Zhu Qiyu. Empress Sun felt the crisis and no longer cared about anything else, focusing all her efforts on winning over the little prince.
After all, Empress Sun was only the nominal mother of the young prince, while Concubine Wu was Zhu Qiyu's biological mother.
After having two sons, Emperor Xuande had no new concubines in his harem.
Emperor Xuande was quite strict in the education of his two sons. When Crown Prince Zhu Qizhen was three years old, he left home to study and moved to the Eastern Palace, where he was taught by the Hanlin Academy and taken care of by the eunuch Wang Zhen, who was in charge of the Imperial Household Department. Empress Sun, on the other hand, retreated to a distant place.
Seeing that the prince was becoming more and more dependent on Wang Zhen, Empress Sun became anxious but there was nothing she could do.
The second son Zhu Qiyu started learning at the age of three. In order to cultivate the relationship between the two brothers, Emperor Xuande asked them to study together and teach them to be united. Seeing the two sons learning horse riding and archery seriously, Emperor Xuande recalled the time when he and Zhu Zhanhe trained young soldiers when they were young, and couldn't help but smile: I wish they could help each other and trust each other like me and Zhu Zhanhe.
Of course, this is all a story for later.
In the fourth year of Xuande, Emperor Xuande, against all odds, announced that Zheng He would sail to the West again!
The whole court was shocked, because since Emperor Xuande ascended the throne, he had been continuing Emperor Renzong's national policy, focusing on recuperation and stopping voyages to the West. Why did the emperor suddenly change his national policy
Strangely, Emperor Xuande's response to this matter was extremely overbearing and unreasonable. He refused to listen to advice and was extremely tough:
"There is no need to discuss this matter. Listen to me. I alone have the final say."
"I don't think the eunuch Zheng He's age is a problem."
"Otherwise, you should stop being an official. I think you are older than the eunuch Zheng He."
"The boat is in disrepair? Buy it. You can buy anything."
After a year of preparation, in the fifth year of Xuande, eunuch Zheng He finally got his wish and sailed to the West for the seventh time, leaving with more than 20,000 people.
Are boarded the large ship as an interpreter.
It has been eleven years. Last time, she chose love, this time, she chose freedom and dreams.
The dream that has been stranded for eleven years is realized again!
Mu Chun and Hu Shanwei watched Zheng He's fleet set off in Quanzhou. It was because of these strong parents who loved their daughter deeply that they were able to protect Arei and allow her to make life choices according to her heart every time.
Hu Shanwei sighed: "Alei is so lucky, he can get everything and has the courage to let go."
Mu Chun said shamelessly, "Her greatest luck is to have a father like me. I gave her everything I lacked in my childhood."
In the sixth year of Xuande, the fleet returned. Zheng He died on the way back and was succeeded by his deputy Wang Jinghong.
In the seventh year of Xuande, the 75-year-old Shang Gong Huang Weide asked to return home. Since Empress Hu was deposed, all six bureaus and one department reported to Empress Dowager Zhang, and Empress Sun had long been sidelined, with only the title of empress. Therefore, Huang Weide, who accompanied Empress Dowager Zhang through the most difficult period of Hongxi Dynasty, had a close relationship with Empress Dowager Zhang and formed a friendship between monarch and minister.
When Huang Weide retired due to old age, Empress Dowager Zhang wrote a poem to bid her farewell:
"The emperor ruled the world with great sages, and his great plans are unparalleled in the history. He values benevolence and education in his family and country, and all positions in the inner court need virtuous people. I ask you, a virtuous lady, to know etiquette and morality since you were young. Once you were summoned to the palace, you worked diligently day and night. Your hair was black now like frost, and the years are passing by. The nine holy masters are kind to the world and want all things to be as warm as spring. You are grateful for your kindness and are allowed to go home, and your heart is filled with passion and joy. The mountains and seas are thousands of miles away, and the officials are sailing in the spring breeze on the Lu River. The palace of Nong is glorious, and relatives are always happy to welcome you. I am glad that you have returned to my hometown in wealth and honor, and I will always miss you. It is difficult to express the meaning of the poem written with a colorful pen, and my eyes are as far as the south as the swallows fly."
Huang Wei De returned to his hometown in Shunde, Guangdong, and reunited with his only relative - his niece.
In the eighth year of Xuande, Princess Yongqing had chickenpox, which was extremely dangerous. When the princess was delirious with fever, she saw a person dressed as a Taoist nun sitting by the bed, with tears dripping on her little face.
Arei stayed with his daughter until she recovered. Princess Yongqing refused to sleep at night, and curled up in her mother's arms with eyes wide open, "You are not allowed to go to Chang'an Palace to practice Taoism anymore, I want you to accompany me. You are not allowed to sneak away while I am sleeping! If you leave, I will go outside Chang'an Palace and cry and cry! Cry until you come out to accompany me!"
Arei was in a dilemma, and Emperor Xuande said, "Take her away. I have Shunde, and you have Yongqing. If we each have one, neither of us will be lonely. Just like when I was in mourning and ate vegetarian food, you shared your meat with me, and I ate half of your meat, and you ate half of my vegetarian food. Although we can't be together, we both have to live a good life. Shunde has a quiet personality, she is suitable for the palace, and Yongqing is lively, she is suitable for freedom."
In the eighth year of Xuande's reign, Princess Yongqing died young, and all records of her were mysteriously lost.
In the ninth year of Xuande, Wang Jinghong sailed to the West. A Lei took his youngest daughter, Princess Yongqing, on board the big ship, opening the door to a new world for his youngest daughter.
At the end of the year, Wang Jinghong received the news and hurried back before reaching his destination. He arrived in Quanzhou at the end of the year and rushed to Beijing without stopping. It was already the third day of the first lunar month.
Wang Zhen, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, was waiting outside the Xi'an Gate. He saw a horse-drawn carriage from afar. The driver wore a bamboo hat that covered most of his face, but the outline of his chin was so familiar!
It was Zhu Zhanhe, who looked very much like Emperor Taizong.
Wang Zhen hurried over and whispered, "Did His Royal Highness pick up the person?"
Just as he finished speaking, a bare hand pushed aside the carriage curtain, "Eunuch Wang, Yongqing and I are here."
Princess Yongqin fell asleep on A Lei's knees due to the tiredness of the journey. Wang Zhen burst into tears, "Queen, please go in quickly. The Emperor has been holding on until now just to wait for the three of you."
To enter the palace, one had to change to the palace carriage. A Lei got on first, Zhu Zhanhe picked up the sleeping Princess Yongqing and followed him in, with Wang Zhen leading the way in front.
Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Empress Dowager Zhang cleared the scene and watched over her son alone, crying silently. Her eldest son had been thin since childhood. Since he ascended the throne, he had been diligent in government and loved the people, never slacking off for a single day. He was in poor health and fell ill with a cold last year. His spirits became worse day by day, and he was bedridden in the twelfth lunar month. Every day he asked whether Zhu Zhanhe, A Lei and Yong Qing had returned.
"Here they come! Queen Mother, they are all here!"
The three of them surrounded the unconscious Zhu Zhanji and called him softly.
"Cousin."
"Brother Chicken."
"Father."
Zhu Zhanji woke up, looked around, rubbed Yongqing's hair, and said, "If there is an afterlife, I hope I will not be born in an imperial family. My cousin and I will still be brothers, A Lei and I will still be husband and wife, and Yongqing will still be our good daughter, okay?"
The three of them said in unison, "Okay," with tears in their eyes.
Zhu Zhanji died with a smile on his face, at the age of only 38.
After Zhu Zhanji's death, the eight-year-old Crown Prince Zhu Qizhen ascended the throne and became emperor, with the reign title Zhengtong.
As the crown prince was young, Empress Dowager Zhang handed over state affairs to the cabinet ministers, Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong and other five people, while she herself stayed in the harem to supervise. Zhang did not use her natal relatives and trusted the cabinet. The politics of the Ming Dynasty was clear and peaceful. Because Zhang was always on guard against Empress Dowager Sun, she had no chance to get involved in power.
In the seventh year of the Zhengtong reign, Empress Dowager Zhang, despite her illness, selected the Qian family from Meizhou as the empress for the Zhengtong Emperor. After that, Empress Dowager Zhang passed away, and the Zhengtong Emperor Zhu Qizhen, at the age of fifteen, took over the imperial power for the first time.
The oppressive mother-in-law finally passed away, and the new Queen Qian was still unsettled. Just when Empress Dowager Sun thought it was finally her turn to control the harem, Wang Zhen led the Zhengtong Emperor Zhu Qizhen to a tomb outside the capital and said, "This is the tomb of the Emperor's biological mother, the palace maid Lin Xi."
The Zhengtong Emperor was horrified, "I... I am not the daughter of Empress Dowager Sun?"
Wang Zhen knelt down and cried, "The midwife and the female doctor are still alive. They can testify that Concubine Lin was fine when she gave birth to the emperor. Three days later, Empress Dowager Su went to see Concubine Lin. For some reason, Concubine Lin died of heavy bleeding that night."
Wang Zhen was cautious. He thought that by using this shocking secret, he could win the trust of Emperor Zhengtong. If Empress Dowager Sun wanted to get involved in the power of the harem... that would be impossible.
Sure enough, after Emperor Zhengtong Zhu Qizhen returned to the palace, his attitude towards Empress Dowager Sun changed drastically. He ordered six bureaus and one department to follow Empress Qian's arrangements. As long as Empress Dowager Sun made things difficult for Empress Qian, Emperor Zhengtong would take his wife away.
With the support of her husband, Queen Qian gained control of the harem, and Empress Dowager Sun's attempt to seize power failed again.
Not only that, Empress Qian also whispered to Emperor Zhengtong, saying: "The queen mother is virtuous and innocent, but she was demoted to be an immortal master. When she died, people were afraid of the queen mother, and her burial was not performed according to the proper etiquette."
What I mean is that Queen Hu was deposed without any fault, and now that Immortal Master Jingci has passed away, people are afraid of Empress Dowager Sun, and have hastily buried Immortal Master Jingci. The death of the rabbit makes the foxes mourn, and as the queen, I am very sad.
When the Zhengtong Emperor heard this, he thought, "You are all afraid of Empress Dowager Sun, right? I want to give Master Jingci a fair name and give her a grand funeral!"
Therefore, Emperor Zhengtong honored Empress Hu with the posthumous title of "Empress Gongrang Chengshun Kangmu Jingci Zhang", restored her status as empress, and built her mausoleum according to the specifications of an empress, but she was not enshrined in the Taimiao.
When Empress Dowager Sun learned about this, she was so angry that she almost vomited blood. She questioned Emperor Zhengtong: "She is the empress, so who am I? If I had not been made the empress, how could the emperor have been the crown prince! If the emperor restores her position, it would be a slap in my face! A slap in your own face!"
I'm going to hit you in the face!
The Zhengtong Emperor said calmly, "The Queen Mother adopted the son of Lin Xi, a concubine of the Yin Palace, as her own. She wanted to be the Queen, so she adopted me and made me the Queen because of her status as a mother. So, the Queen Mother should not always act like she is doing good for me. I have seen through it. The Queen Mother should not embarrass the Queen in the future. She is my Queen and the mother of a country. If the Queen Mother insults the Queen, I will only think that the Queen Mother has gone insane and she will be honored in the Cining Palace for the rest of her life and never come out to see anyone."
So that's it! When Empress Dowager Sun heard this, she was immediately despairing. She had spent her whole life planning for the end, but it turned out that she was just making wedding clothes for others. She got nothing!
After her mother-in-law left, Queen Qian came. She spent her whole life huddled in the palace. No matter whether she was a queen or a queen mother, she could not make a name for herself!
Empress Dowager Sun was in despair, but Empress Qian was virtuous and sent Empress Dowager Sun back.
Empress Dowager Sun was unwilling to accept this and asked, "Why did you want to depose the empress?"
Queen Qian smiled and said, "You don't need to know too much. There are always higher mountains than other mountains. You think you are in control of the situation, but in fact, you are just a chess piece that has been arranged by others. Just be your queen mother well. I will come to pay my respects to the queen mother tomorrow."
Among so many beautiful girls, why was Queen Qian chosen
With Empress Dowager Sun's knowledge, she would not know that Emperor Hongwu had a doctor named Ru Siyao who was highly skilled in medicine, and another imperial physician named Tan from the Imperial Medical Bureau.
Ru Siyao married Doctor Tan and had two sons. The youngest son, Tan Gang, married Qian, who was the cousin of Empress Qian.
It was Hu Shanwei who secretly manipulated and, with the support of the Empress Dowager Zhang, pushed Miss Qian to the position of Empress in order to contain Empress Dowager Sun.
When it comes to palace struggles, who else could do more than Hu Shanwei, the palace lady for five dynasties
Year after year, Wang Zhen, who controlled the Zhengtong Emperor Zhu Qizhen, became arrogant. He took the emperor to the north and ambushed him in Tumu Fort. The Ming army was completely wiped out, Wang Zhen died, and the Zhengtong Emperor was captured by the Oirat people!
What a shame! The Oirat people took the Zhengtong Emperor south and attacked Beijing. The Ming Dynasty was in danger!
The son of Emperor Zhengtong Zhu Qizhen, Zhu Jianshen, was only two years old. The country was in a state of uncertainty and he was unable to take charge.
At the critical moment, Zhu Qizhen's only brother Zhu Qiyu was appointed to the throne and became Emperor Jingtai. Emperor Jingtai was young and promising, and he immediately organized Yu Qian and other capable ministers to resist foreign enemies and defend Beijing.
At the beginning, Emperor Jingtai was looking forward to his elder brother Zhu Qizhen coming back to become emperor as soon as possible, and it was time for him to retire as a temporary worker.
Under the education of their father Zhu Zhanji, Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiyu, two half-brothers, had a close relationship and deep brotherly love.
Then, after Emperor Jingtai tasted the power of the emperor, he could not stop and did not want to abdicate. He hoped that his elder brother would die at the hands of the Oirat people.
The Heavenly Family is so ruthless!
However, a miracle happened. With his eloquence and adaptability, Zhu Qizhen miraculously persuaded the Oirat people to let him go home!
When Zhu Qizhen returned to the capital, he was immediately placed under house arrest in the Southern Palace by his brother Emperor Jingtai. His wife, Empress Qian, whose eyes had already been blinded by crying, stayed with her husband and never left him. Zhu Qizhen was deeply moved, and the couple overcame the difficulties together.
In the eighth year of Jingtai, Zhu Qizhen once again created a miracle, came out of the Nan Palace and took back his throne!
Emperor Jingtai died as a result.
Zhu Qizhen ascended the throne again, changed the reign title to Tianshun, and made his wife Qian the empress again.
The eighth year of Tianshun.
In Yangzhou city, it was just getting dark and the weary birds were returning to the forest.
Four white-haired old women surrounded a new grave, they were Hu Shanwei, Huang Weide, Shen Qionglian and Ru Siyao.
Hu Shanwei sighed: "Who would have thought that the hot-tempered Concubine Cao would live to be 101 years old? She lived until Cui Shangyi and Chen Ermei died of old age, but she was still alive."
Today is the funeral of Lady Cao. The two older graves next to it are those of Lady Fan and Lady Cui. Chen Ermei is buried in her hometown of Shunde, Guangzhou.
Shen Qionglian looked the youngest because she was the only one with half of her hair still black. "Yes, I thought Lady Cao would die first, but I didn't expect her to have the last laugh. It shows that having a bad temper has its benefits. You don't have to keep things in your heart, and you can live longer."
A boy about ten years old brought a stool and helped Huang Wei De to sit down. She was the oldest and could not stand for long.
Huang Weide sat down, pointed at the boy and said with a smile: "This is my niece's youngest son, named Liang Chu. He started learning at the age of three, and could compose poems and songs at the age of seven. He is a famous little genius in Shunde and has the talent of the top scholar. It is said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. While I can still walk, I will take him to travel around, meet celebrities, and broaden his horizons. On the way, I will tell him some palace secrets and court changes as stories. He seems to understand the stories of us female officials, but he knows a lot now."
Hu Shanwei and the other three quickly presented Liang Chu with gifts. Liang Chu was a little shy and thanked them one by one.
Seeing this, Ru Siyao asked the servants to wake up a three-year-old girl who was sleeping in the carriage and take her out. "You are the only one showing off here. I have an outstanding child at home too. Come on, there will be candy after you pay your respects."
The little girl rubbed her eyes sleepily, bowed to everyone, and introduced herself, "My name is Tan Yunxian, and I am three years old today."
Hu Shanwei and others had no choice but to spend money to present gifts.
Ru Siyao was quite proud. "I gave birth to two sons, both of whom took the imperial examinations and had no interest in medicine. Doctor Tan and I had given up and were ready to take everything we learned into our coffins. Unexpectedly, when my second daughter-in-law gave birth to her, she could recite the Classic of Decoctions and Medicines at the age of three, and she could remember the acupuncture points of the human body almost at a glance. Doctor Tan and I were reluctant to let her die, and we wished we could cram everything we learned into her little head."
Ru Siyao's eldest son, Tan Jing, was a Jinshi and served as the head of the Ministry of Revenue. His second son, Tan Gang, was also a Jinshi and served as the head of the Ministry of Justice. His wife, Qian, was the cousin of Empress Qian. Both sons were very ambitious and became officials based on their own abilities.
"Tan Yunxian? What a good name. You can tell that Ru Siyao and Doctor Tan carefully chose this name. They have high hopes for you." Hu Shanwei likes the cute little girl very much. "It's difficult for a woman to make a career in the world. However, as long as you don't give up, there is still hope, just like today—"
Hu Shanwei pointed at the night sky and said, "Look at the night sky. It's pitch black, but there are always a few stars that are trying hard to shine."
Tan Yunxian held the tiger eye candy given by her grandmother Ru Siyao in her mouth and nodded in a daze.
Liang Chu, who ranked first in the imperial examination in the 14th year of Chenghua, was ranked first in the second list and was selected as a Hanlin Academy scholar. He had a successful career and became the Minister of Personnel and the Cabinet. Later, he became the chief assistant of the Cabinet, which was equivalent to a prime minister.
Tan Yunxian married into a family surnamed Yang at the age of sixteen and gave birth to three daughters and one son. She was born into a prominent family and married into a prominent family. She was a standard noblewoman of the Ming Dynasty. She walked out of the deep courtyard of the mansion, practiced medicine to save people, and became a well-known female doctor. Her reputation gradually spread to the Ming Dynasty court, and she was often summoned into the deep palace to treat the women in the harem.
Tan Yunxian never forgot what Hu Shanwei said: no matter how dark the situation is, we must try our best to shine.
In the 13th year of Hongzhi's reign, 40-year-old Tan Yunxian entered the palace to treat Empress Zhang.
The harem of Emperor Hongzhi was the quietest because he had only one empress and no concubines, thus becoming the only emperor in all dynasties who was firmly committed to monogamy and refused to take concubines.
Why
Because Emperor Hongzhi had a traumatic childhood, his father Emperor Chenghua had a very serious Oedipus complex and was madly in love with Concubine Wan, who was seventeen years older than him!
Why
Because when Emperor Chenghua was two years old, his father, Emperor Zhengtong, was captured by the Oirat people. After his uncle Emperor Jingtai ascended the throne, he abolished his position as crown prince. From then on, he lived a precarious life. As a palace maid, Concubine Wan was the one who always accompanied him. He loved her and depended on her. The 17-year age difference was not a problem at all.
Emperor Chenghua did not hesitate to depose Empress Wu and Empress Wang for Concubine Wan. Concubine Wan strictly enforced family planning and was an expert in abortion. If a palace maid became pregnant, she would abort the baby immediately.
The mother of Emperor Hongzhi, Ji, was a warehouse keeper in the harem. Emperor Chenghua had sex with her in the warehouse and was infatuated with her. Ji became pregnant and gave birth to a child. She was closely protected by the palace maids and eunuchs, but was later discovered by Concubine Wan and hanged.
Emperor Hongzhi was nearly poisoned to death by Concubine Wan several times, which left him with a serious psychological trauma towards concubines. He vowed never to have any woman other than the Empress.
They are all troubles!
Emperor Hongzhi and Empress Zhang had two sons, one of whom died young. The only surviving son was named Zhu Houzhao, who was named crown prince at an early age.
After Tan Yunxian finished treating Empress Zhang, it was already dusk and the palace gates were about to close, so the eunuch hurriedly carried the heavy medicine box out of the palace for her.
After leaving Xihua Gate, the eunuch placed the medicine box on the carriage and said, "Doctor Tan, take care."
Tan Yunxian got on the carriage. When the carriage was about to start, a pungent smell came from the medicine box.
Tan Yunxian opened the medicine box and immediately covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes widened. There was actually a newborn baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in the medicine box!
His whole body was red, like a hairy monkey. He had urinated in his sleep, and the urine seeped out of the box.
"Wait!" Tan Yunxian called out to the eunuch who was carrying the medicine box. The eunuch turned around and said nothing. His eyes were pleading and his lips were moving as he kept making the shape of "please" with his mouth.
There are Jinyiwei guarding the city gate nearby, so we cannot be exposed.
A doctor is like a caring parent. Tan Yunxian reacted quickly and took out a golden melon seed from her purse. "This is a reward for you. Thank you for carrying it for me all the way."
"Thank you, Doctor Tan." The eunuch took the golden melon seeds.
The carriage started moving, and Tan Yunxian hurriedly checked the baby. It was a baby girl. She was probably afraid that she would cry, so she was fed medicine. The baby remained unconscious no matter how bumpy the carriage was. However, she could not control her feces and urine, and her urine gave away her whereabouts.
Tan Yunxian wrapped the baby girl in a clean cloth and found that the baby girl's little fist was tightly holding something. It was a medicinal herb in the medicine box, Atractylodes macrocephala.
Feeling that the baby girl's body temperature was low and her life was in danger, Tan Yunxian undressed her, put the baby girl on her chest, used her body temperature to warm her, and said, "If I can save you, you will be called Baizhu."
If you want to know what happened to Bai Shu afterwards, please read my work "The Storm in the Mu Mansion".
The author has something to say: The Storm in the Mu Mansion will be updated at 7 o'clock this afternoon, seamlessly taking over from Hu Shanwei.
It is now August 22, 2019, 1:42 am, and Hu Shanwei has been completed. It has been 10 months since I started writing in October last year. Except for the 15-day closure in Jinjiang, I have always maintained daily updates, and I have never stopped even during the Spring Festival or because of illness. This is also the first novel in my history that I have maintained daily updates until completion. Thank you all for your support, which allowed me to persevere.
Hu Shanwei is a film that tells the story of the court political struggles of the Ming Dynasty from the Hongwu to the Xuande dynasties from the perspective of a court lady. I have always had a strong interest in the Ming Dynasty court politics, aristocratic genealogy, marriage records, collections unearthed from tombs, archaeological reports, etc. Through these small details, I can discover unknown things in the historical context and make up a story that conforms to my own logic. I am very happy to have the Jinjiang platform to tell it to everyone. The writing process is very tiring and exciting. Through communicating with everyone, I have also improved myself.
Thank you to all the readers who have been following me. You are my angels. Let’s meet again in the new book “Mu Mansion Fengyun” at 7 o’clock this afternoon. If you are new to the book, leave a comment and you will get a red envelope. I look forward to seeing you all.
Since the comment section of Jinjiang is closed at this time, I cannot send out the red envelopes of yesterday's chapters or honor yesterday's prize questions. I will send them out when the comment section is restored this morning. Don't worry. Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution~
Thanks to the little angels who cast the [shallow water bomb]: Qi Zi 1;
Thanks to the little angels who cast [mines]: Qizi, Qiantong, Mumu, Xianglian, 29175898, and Lily-san;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:
22923147 50 bottles; Young and Unaware of the Taste of Sorrow 20 bottles; Kou Tiantu 18 bottles; Like Pity 13 bottles; Blue Bacteria, Cats Who Like Peaches, Tado 10 bottles; Little Cat 3,000 6 bottles; 35439436, Jianghu, Gu Lu Gu, Xixi Chasing Books 5 bottles; Dimples 4 bottles; Cut Long Hair, Timmy, Sanqian, Little Girl Eating Lipstick 3 bottles; Zhier, Lian Xiangyu 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!