Empress Ma looked at the young female official with sharp eyes.
She was undoubtedly beautiful, not as delicate as the women from the south of the Yangtze River. She had a pine-like figure, round cheeks, and a black gauze hat on her full forehead. The forehead part of the hat was soaked with sweat, so the color was darker than the top of the hat.
She didn't know if it was because of the heat or nervousness, but there was a dense layer of sweat on the tip of her nose. She tilted her face up and let herself be looked at. She tried her best to relax, but her slightly stiff neck showed that she was timid.
She was nervous and timid, but she tried her best to control herself and not to look away.
Empress Ma couldn't help but sigh, it's great to be young, full of vitality. Even though ambition is written on her face, she is not annoying. People just want to catch her in their hands and test her strength.
If she is trained properly, she might become the second Palace Master Fan or Palace Lady Cao, and become the right-hand man in governing the harem.
Empress Ma asked, "I handed this book to the Palace Administration Office. Palace Administration Office Fan has a keen eye for talent and has assigned you to handle this matter. You have done a great job in printing the book. This book is beautiful and has a royal style. I heard that your family runs a bookshop, so I guess you must have done this book well. But I want to give you the book and explain it. What do you plan to do?"
Fan Gongzheng handed the matter over to her, so Hu Shanwei had thought about it on the official ship on the way back to Beijing, and answered fluently, saying: "This book, "The Instructions of the Concubine of Zhao Song", is used by the Empress to teach the royal family and the women of the imperial family how to use the Concubine of Zhao Song as a model to cultivate themselves or rectify their family traditions and rules. It is said that knowing books and being well-mannered, with a specific book, it is easier to implement."
"The Book of Rites says that in ancient times, those who wished to make the world know the virtues of the nation should first govern their country; those who wished to govern their country should first put their family in order; those who wished to put their family in order should first cultivate themselves. After cultivating themselves, they should then govern their family; after their family is in order, they should then govern their nation; after their nation is in order, the world will be at peace. Therefore, I suggest that the bestowal of books should be done from the top down, from the inside out, first to the concubines in the harem, and to be personally taught by the Palace Master Fan in the East and West Palaces, and then to the various princes' and princesses' palaces, and after the books are bestowed, the female officials should explain them to show the Empress's supervision."
"The imperial family is the first family of the Ming Dynasty and should be a model for the world. We should start with ourselves, rectify the imperial family first, and then grant it to the maternal relatives. From top to bottom, from inside to outside, we should follow the example of the top and implement it layer by layer."
It is well-reasoned, logical, and has specific operational methods.
Empress Ma nodded and said, "Then let's do as you said. We will issue an edict to implement it from top to bottom, starting with the harem."
Encouraged by Empress Ma, Hu Shanwei was so excited that he even declined the welcoming banquet hosted by Chen Ermei and others, and immediately returned to the palace to arrange the matter.
Fan Gongzheng laughed and said, "How dare you say that? Fortunately, you were born in the early days of the Ming Dynasty. There were not many royal family members, only about a hundred in total. Otherwise, when the royal family expanded in the future, there would be tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of royal family members. If you gave letters and explained them to each of them one by one, you would be so busy that you would never be able to finish."
Hu Shanwei took out the list of the royal family and counted them one by one. "Except for the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, there are only four princes in the Ming Dynasty who have married princesses, and only seven princesses who have married. The princess palaces are naturally built in the capital. The Eastern Palace is the closest, in the imperial city. Currently, the only ones who are more troublesome are the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Jin. They left the capital in the eleventh year of Hongwu to become vassals, one in Xi'an and the other in Taiyuan. These two are too far away from the capital, so we can't wait for the harem to talk first. Tomorrow, we will send two female officials with guards and the Queen's letter to the Prince of Qin's and the Prince of Jin's palaces respectively."
Fan Gongzheng asked: "Who do you want to send on this long mission?"
"Of course it's a female official who is highly respected, prestigious, and steady in her work." Hu Shanwei said, "Who else in this palace knows female officials better than you, Fan Gongzheng? Whoever you choose will be the one."
Fan Gongzheng pondered for a moment and said, "The Prince of Qin and the Prince of Jin are the first princes to be enfeoffed in the Ming Dynasty. The Emperor and Empress have been thinking about them for the past two years. In addition to the gift letter, there should be other gifts to send to them. You have to ask for permission from the Emperor and Empress."
This was Hu Shanwei's first time handling an important event, and he was completely clueless. "How do I invite people?"
It’s easy among the common people. I’ll arrange for someone to deliver the books. Is there anything else you two want to bring along
In the harem, Hu Shanwei didn't even know which way the emperor and empress's door opened.
Fan Gongzheng said: "If there is any communication going on in the harem, then naturally the person to be contacted is Si Yan from the Shang Gong Bureau. I will take care of this matter."
Hu Shanwei burst into tears of gratitude, "Thank you, Fan Gongzheng."
Looking at Hu Shanwei's clear eyes, Fan Gongzheng felt a little guilty, "This is the first major event you have done for Gongzheng Division, I should do my best to assist you."
Fan Gongzheng found Cao Shanggong and they had a secret conversation.
Cao Shang Gong taunted, "How dare you keep pushing Hu Shanwei, a newbie, forward? Since the Queen summoned her personally, she also acquiesced to her full authority to handle the matter. It seems that she also hopes to find a newcomer who is not afraid of tigers to give the harem, the royal family, and the female relatives a warning. When you edited this book before, you were only targeting Hu Shuren. Now Hu Shanwei is facing more than just the harem."
Fan Gongzheng nodded. "If she succeeds, she will rise to the top. If she fails, she will be doomed. It seems that the Queen also appreciates her ruthlessness and cleverness in dealing with Hu Shuren."
Concubine Cao always speaks directly. "What about you? You used to have ambition and drive that was not inferior to Hu Shanwei. Why are you afraid of trouble now? Push the newcomer out to take the blame."
Fan Gongzheng sighed, "When I was a low-ranking female official, I wanted to climb up and was not afraid of anything. Now that I am firmly in a high position and my official career has come to an end, I want to stabilize it a little and keep this position. Besides, I will not stand idly by while Hu Shanwei does things. I will do my best to help her complete the task, just as if I were training a new person."
Concubine Cao snorted coldly, "Hypocrisy."
With the full assistance of Fan Gongzheng, the emperor and empress indeed issued an edict the next day to bestow generous gifts on the King of Qin and the King of Jin. The gift list was several pages long, and the various gifts filled more than a dozen carts, which were brought over by the female officials who gave the edicts.
The distance between Xi'an and Taiyuan is long and difficult. In addition to completing the task, it would take at least a month to go back and forth, and it was already autumn by then.
To show the importance of the granted book, under the mediation of Fan Gongzheng, Cao Shanggong of the Shanggong Bureau sent Liu Siyan, a sixth-rank female official and confidant of Empress Ma, to the Qin/Prince's Mansion in Xi'an.
Cui Shangyi of the Shangyi Bureau sent a sixth-rank female official, Zhou Sizan. Zhou Sizan had just presided over the enthronement ceremony of Concubine Sun, and was an extremely reliable female official.
Before they left, Fan Gongzheng paid for a banquet out of his own pocket to see off the two highly respected sixth-rank female officials. Hu Shanwei was at the table and was mainly responsible for pouring wine and making sure the guests' glasses were not empty.
After three rounds of drinking, Liu Siyan was a little tipsy and said, "Young people are really formidable. We two old guys who have served in the palace for eight years actually have to listen to the orders of a newcomer who has only been in the palace for six months and go on a long mission to the northwest sandy land thousands of miles away."
Zhou Sizan also said, "That's right. Hu Shanwei has been promoted twice in a row. This has never happened before in the palace. When the two of us finish our work and come back, I'm afraid there will be no place for us in the palace. We will all have to give way to her!"
Hu Shanwei was so frightened that the wine jug in his hand fell down, "I dare not... I don't have... I don't have the virtue or ability to do that..."
"Alright, alright." Fan Gongzheng snatched the wine pot from Hu Shanwei's hand and poured wine for the two female officials himself. "You two should not scare my people. She is also working for the Queen Mother. There are too many things to do. I am not a superhero, so I have to trouble you two. Besides, you have traveled far to Xi'an and Taiyuan. The Queen Mother knows that you have worked hard and has rewarded you with many things. Besides, you have been living in the harem for eight years. Don't you want to go out and take a breath? The beautiful scenery along the way is waiting for you to enjoy."
Liu Siyan and Zhou Sizan rarely saw the iron-faced and impartial Fan "Yanwang" yield, say a few good words, and even drink the wine poured by Fan Gongzheng. They felt very happy, but said: "Fan Gongzheng has a big mouth, you make a hard job look like a good job."
Fan Gongzheng smiled and said, "Thank you for taking the trip. I will give you a generous reward when you come back."
They are all old foxes, so they should stop when they see the good. Gong Zhengsi is not easy to mess with. Liu Siyan and Zhou Sizan didn't say anything more. They drank heartily and the banquet ended.
When going out, Liu Siyan was drunk and almost tripped over the threshold. Fortunately, Hu Shanwei was young and strong and held her steady. Hu Shanwei and Fan Gongzheng sent two female officials who were about to go on a long business trip to the door, and watched their figures disappear into the night before going back.
The maid brought the hangover soup, and Fan Gongzheng took a sip. His brows furrowed with sourness, and he said, "You were acting a little too much just now, weren't you? You were talking incoherently, and the wine was spilled."
Hu Shanwei chuckled and said, "They just want to see me make a fool of myself so that they can feel better. Of course I have to satisfy their small demands. After all, they are working for me."
Fan Gongzheng asked: "Don't you want to save face?"
Hu Shanwei said sternly, "You can get your face back later, but if you mess up what the Queen asked you to do, you will never have a chance to turn things around."
Fan Gong was looking at Hu Shanwei in front of him. Her ambition and potential were being stimulated step by step, always giving people surprises. How far will she go in the palace in the future
The next day, Liu Siyan and Zhou Sizan left the palace, and Fan Gongzheng and Hu Shanwei saw them off at the palace gate.
Hu Shanwei said, "When the chrysanthemums are in full bloom in the fall, I will brew a jar of chrysanthemum wine myself, and we will drink and chat happily when you two return."
Hu Shanwei was so respectful and attentive, and Liu Siyan and Zhou Sizan were so calm and collected that they didn't embarrass her any more. They said, "I'm looking forward to it. Bye."
On the day of farewell, more than ninety concubines with official titles in the six palaces of the east and west gathered in Kunning Palace and knelt together to receive the book bestowed by Empress Ma.
After bestowing the book, Empress Ma asked Fan Gongzheng to lecture on "The Instructions/Admonitions of Virtuous Concubines of the Zhao and Song Dynasties". Empress Ma sat upright on the phoenix chair, and Fan Gongzheng sat on her left.
The newly appointed Concubine Sun took the lead, and the concubines from the six palaces in the east and west stood up, bowed, and paid homage to Fan Gongzheng as their teacher.
Fan Gongzheng began to read a book, and from the first page, all the concubines, including Concubine Sun, stood up and listened attentively.
Fan Gongzheng spoke for half an hour, and the imperial concubine and others bowed again to express their gratitude to the teacher.
Fan Gongzheng spoke for five consecutive days before he finished the story. During the entire process, except for Empress Ma who was sitting, all the other concubines stood and listened attentively.
On the last day, the long-ill Concubine Sun was about to collapse, but in order to support Empress Ma in promoting the "Instructions for Virtuous Concubines of the Zhao and Song Dynasties", she put a piece of old ginseng under her tongue and managed to get through it with her willpower.
The other concubines were also exhausted, but they felt that they were not as respectable as Concubine Sun. In addition, with the lesson learned from the previous example of Hu Shuren, they could only endure it and did not dare to show any dissatisfaction.
After five days of preaching, a large number of concubines in the harem fell ill. They did not dare to blame the queen, nor did they dare to target Fan Gongzheng. Instead, they all remembered Hu Shanwei's name and complained bitterly.
The author has something to say: This book about female officials' explanations is mainly based on the records of "The Veritable Records of Emperor Shizong of Ming Dynasty", and has been changed:
The imperial edict wanted the Hanlin Academy to collect all the books related to female education and compose poems to be presented to the emperor for recitation in the palace. … The empress led the concubines and wives to Kunning Palace and ordered the female officials to give lectures. Then they stood up and listened attentively…
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№3 Netizen: Fengchuituoluo Comment: "Hu Shanwei" Score: 2 Published: 2018-11-28 19:27:55 Reviewed chapter: 37
bI guess
It was the early Tang Dynasty.