Jiji, jiji, the imperial concubine weaves by the window. No sound of the loom is heard, only her sighs.
Why pause in weaving and sigh
After reading the book "Instructions/Admonitions of the Virtuous Concubines of the Zhao and Song Dynasties", Emperor Hongwu applauded and gave generous gifts to Fan Gongzheng, who compiled the book. Among the gifts was a jadeite dress woven with bird feathers, which was light, thin and gorgeous. When water was sprinkled on it and gently shaken, the water droplets rolled down naturally like lotus leaves and did not wet the jadeite dress.
Emperor Hongwu also used a red pen to highlight the key points, circled the words of admonition and warning, and ordered the Ministry of Works to make red plaques, engraved these words on iron plaques, filled them with gold powder, and decorated the bottom with red ribbons. They were hung in the six palaces in the east and west, so that the concubines could see them as long as they opened their eyes...
As a result, the harem not only had dozens of whirring looms, but also had hundreds of red signs hung up, becoming the most iconic symbol of the Hongwu Palace of the Ming Dynasty. This is the palace culture with Hongwu characteristics.
Shen Qionglian, a female tutor and a talented girl in the palace, wrote a poem to record this event:
"The mandarin duck tiles and the box flew away overnight, the iron gate was deep and the sound of the leak was rare. The head of the palace was presented with the imperial yellow silk case, and was awarded the jadeite clothes of Yanzhou."
This poem was later included in "Ming Gong Ci" and has been passed down to this day.
A genius is a genius. Once Shen Qionglian made her move, the others did not dare to pick up their pens for fear of bringing humiliation upon themselves.
With a loud thunder, August arrived. A heavy rain fell for a whole day and night, and it didn't stop until the next day. The weather suddenly became cooler, and those who were afraid of the cold actually put on padded jackets.
Today, Hu Shanwei will take the letter from Empress Ma to the Prince of Yan's Mansion to meet the Princess of Yan, who is rumored to be as fiery as a fire.
Before leaving, Fan Gongzheng saw her anxiety, so he put the jadeite cloak that Emperor Hongwu had just given him on Hu Shanwei's official robe, and tied the belt around her neck with his own hands, "Clothes make the man, you should dress more formally, the Princess of Yan will not dare to look down on you."
This jade dress is beautiful and rainproof, making it perfect for rainy days.
"This is a gift from the emperor." Hu Shanwei didn't dare to wear it.
Fan Gongzheng pointed at the boots on her feet and said, "These are the shoes given to you by Empress Ma, and they were also given by the emperor."
Hu Shanwei did it on purpose. He wore the shoes given by Empress Ma to give himself courage, but he never expected that Fan Gongzheng would reveal his mistake.
It’s no wonder that after putting on this emerald dress that was as soft as a bird’s wings, Hu Shanwei really felt a lot more confident, as if a general put on armor and went to the battlefield, feeling that something was protecting him.
Hu Shanwei said somewhat embarrassedly: "Thank you, Fan Gongzheng."
Fan Gongzheng waved his hand, "Let's go."
It was raining outside, and a palace maid holding an umbrella escorted Hu Shanwei to a large sedan chair with a green curtain. Four strong female sedan bearers wearing bamboo hats and straw raincoats carried the sedan chair.
According to the rules, the formal standard for female officials to leave the palace is to ride in a large sedan chair with a green silk cover and carried by four female sedan bearers. In the past, Hu Shanwei and Jiang Quan were going to buy books, and they were concerned about speed, so they could just take a carriage. Now she was going out of the palace alone to give books as gifts, so she had to pay attention to formalities and ride in a sedan chair even if it rained.
The wind was slanting and the rain was bleak. There was a feeling that Hu Dianzheng would never come back.
There were ten pairs of Jinyiwei on horseback escorting the green-curtained sedan chair on both sides, also wearing various rain gear. Leading the way were still the old acquaintances Ji Gang and Mu Chun.
Hu Shanwei saw Mu Chun on the horse. In front of everyone, Mu Chun was unable to speak and just nodded at her.
Hu Shanwei discovered that, in fact, even without saying a word, Mu Chun was still quite intimidating and looked very reliable.
As soon as he opened his mouth... Hu Shanwei remembered the words on the Leifeng Pagoda in Hangzhou: "Look at this tower, it is so tall and big", and couldn't help laughing silently.
Sister Shanwei smiled at me! Muchun was very happy and felt that the heavy rain had become cute.
Hu Shanwei got on the sedan chair and four female bearers lifted it.
The gates of Prince Yan's Mansion were opened wide and a red carpet was laid out to welcome the imperial gift from Empress Ma. A long wooden shed was also temporarily built to shelter from the rain to receive the imperial gift.
Hu Shanwei got off the sedan chair and walked on the red carpet to the main hall. In the main hall, Princess Xu of Yan was already wearing wedding clothes, setting up an incense table, and kneeling to receive the letter of conferment from her mother-in-law, Empress Ma.
In addition to Princess Consort of Yan, her three children were also present to receive Empress Ma's imperial decree.
In the ninth year of Hongwu, when the Princess of Yan was fourteen years old, she married the sixteen-year-old Prince of Yan, Zhu Di.
The following year, in the tenth year of Hongwu, Princess Yan became a mother and gave birth to her eldest daughter, Princess Yong'an.
In the eleventh year of Hongwu, the Princess of Yan gave birth to her eldest son Zhu Gaochi.
In the 12th year of Hongwu, Princess Yongping was born.
She gave birth to a child every year, so the Princess of Yan was only eighteen years old this year, but she was already the mother of three children. Her youngest daughter could only crawl, and her wet nurse held her to do the greetings.
After giving the books, Princess Yan ordered the wet nurse to take the children out, invited Hu Shanwei to take the seat, and began the lecture.
There were no concubines in the Prince of Yan's Mansion, only one Princess Consort, so she was the only one attending the class.
This was the first time Hu Shanwei met the Princess of Yan. Unexpectedly, the Princess of Yan was completely different from the image of a fierce general's daughter in her mind.
The Princess of Yan had thick eyebrows and big eyes, a slender and healthy figure, and her facial features vaguely resembled her father, Xu Da, Duke of Wei. She listened quietly to Hu Shanwei's lecture, gentle and quiet, with a respectful expression, without any impatience at all.
Hu Shanwei even suspected: Could this be a fake Princess Yan
Nervous and suspicious, Hu Shanwei spoke very quickly and finished his speech in less than an hour.
Princess Yan said, "Thank you, Hu Dianzheng. I married into the royal family at the age of fourteen and became Princess Yan. I have two younger sisters who are also about to marry into the royal family. My father was granted the title of Duke of Wei, and the title is hereditary. The Xu family has three princesses, and we enjoy endless wealth and splendor. This is all the grace given by the emperor."
"The emperor's grace is great, but unfortunately, as a woman, I am trapped in the inner house. I cannot fight on the battlefield like my father and brothers, serve the country and repay the emperor's grace. However, Hu Dianzheng just said that women should cultivate themselves and manage their families, rectify family traditions, strictly enforce family rules, and persuade family members to be good and not be arrogant or impatient. This is also my responsibility. I should restrain the foreign relatives and let the King of Yan and the Emperor and Empress have no worries."
"My mother passed away early, and my father did not remarry. My elder brothers were away from home all year round, and my sisters were obedient. Only one person, my younger brother Xu Zengshou, was a little spoiled because he had no mother to restrain him since he was a child. When I was in the boudoir, I could still control him. Since I married into the Prince of Yan's mansion, he has become more and more absurd. He even got into the bad habit of gambling, and he almost lost his pants. He often asked the Prince of Yan, and even the two younger princes, to borrow money. If this bad habit is not eliminated, it will definitely cause great trouble in the future."
Hu Shanwei felt the same way. This summer, she was sorting books in the Bingzi Library. Xu Zengshou actually forced the three princes to hide in the warehouse just to avoid him and ask for money.
Princess Yan stood up and said, "So, I decided to take action myself. Today I will take Ms. Hu with me to teach my useless brother a lesson. Ms. Hu, please sit down for a while while I change my clothes."
After a while, a handsome man came over, wearing a black net scarf and a green yisa. This was a round-necked robe left over from the Mongols of the Yuan Dynasty. It had narrow sleeves and a wide skirt, and was tied in the middle. It was clean and neat, and suitable for riding and shooting.
Hu Shanwei was startled, thinking that a foreigner had broken in, and picked up the cup.
"The rain has stopped outside. Can Hu Dianzheng ride a horse?" It turned out to be the Princess of Yan dressed as a man. After taking off the heavy nine-翟 crown and clothes, she seemed like a different person, heroic and valiant, not at all like a woman who had given birth to three children.
Could this be the true face of Princess Yan
Hu Shanwei said, "I know a little." Her fiancé had taught her before.
Princess Yan said, "Then we will go on horseback. This way it will be faster, in case my brother hears the news and runs away."
The Princess of Yan had already ordered people to find out where Xu Zengshou was going, and took Hu Shanwei with her to catch the gambler, with the guards of the Prince of Yan's mansion and the Embroidered Uniform Guard accompanying them for protection.
Arriving at an illegal gambling den on a farm in the suburbs, Princess Yan ordered her men to surround the house, "flatten this filthy place and arrest the people."
The guards from Prince Yan's mansion kicked the door open and the gamblers fled in all directions like a swarm of hornets.
As a frequent customer who spent a lot of money, Xu Zengshou was personally led by the boss to the dark room and escaped through the tunnel.
Xu Zengshou crawled out of the tunnel, thinking he was out of danger. Just as he was about to leave, someone behind him said, "A cunning rabbit has three burrows. Where are you going to escape to?"
Upon hearing this familiar voice, Xu Zengshou knew that he had not escaped danger, but on the contrary, he had fallen into the "tiger's mouth".
Xu Zengshou didn't dare to look back and ran away.
The Princess of Yan deliberately let him run away. She did not chase him at first. She waited until Xu Zengshou ran away before she spurred her horse to catch up with him. She tied a knot in a rope, then swung the rope like a lasso, and steadily and accurately lassoed her brother.
Hu Shanwei, who was watching, thought that was the end of it.
Unexpectedly, the Princess of Yan had no intention of stopping and galloped on her horse. Xu Zengshou was dragged in the field. At first, he could still run a few steps, but later he could not keep up and had to let himself be dragged like a piece of rag.
ah!
Xu Zengshou let out screams, his clothes had long been torn apart, and even his pants were pulled away by the mud, leaving his bare legs, forming two straight parallel lines.
There is a faint mark in the middle.
Hu Shanwei couldn't help but worry: "Will something happen?"
Mu Chun was like watching a play, watching with great interest the Princess of Yan teaching her brother to stop gambling: "It's okay, it rained, the soil in the fields is soft, he will just suffer a little, he won't die."
After being dragged for about 200 steps, Xu Zengshou's clothes were all gone, leaving only a pair of tight shorts. "Big sister! Big sister, please forgive me! I won't dare to do it again!"
Princess Yan finally stopped and asked, "What are you afraid of?"
Xu Zengshou cried, "I don't dare to gamble anymore!"
Princess Yan dismounted from her horse, as light and graceful as a swallow. She drew out a knife and asked, "Which hand do you usually use to place bets?"
Xu Zengshou cried, "Sister, what are you going to do?"
Princess Yan said, "Of course I cut it off. What's the point of just saying you won't gamble anymore? I'm married to the Prince of Yan's Mansion. I can't keep an eye on you like I did before. I might as well just end it all and cut it off."
Xu Zengshou shouted: "Sister, please don't do it!"
Princess Yan said, "If you don't tell me, I'll chop off both of your hands! Tell me, which hand?"
Xu Zengshou: "Left hand! No, big sister, I swear, I really swear, I won't dare to gamble again!"
Princess Yan ignored him and pressed Xu Zengshou's left hand against a big tree. "You swore before that you would never gamble again, but you went back on your word and asked your brother-in-law to borrow money after losing. Do you think the King of Yan can really hide this from me? Gambling is the easiest way to give others a handle. If this root of evil is not removed, the Xu family will definitely be dragged down by you and suffer a catastrophic disaster in the future!"
Mu Chun, who was watching, felt a little embarrassed. He took advantage of Xu Zengshou's weakness and found out the whereabouts of Hu Shanwei's fiancé.
Gambling addiction is indeed a taboo, and Princess Yan is serious this time.
Xu Zengshou cried and said, "I really won't gamble anymore. If I break my promise again, I will chop off my hands myself without you having to do anything."
Princess Yan said: "I no longer believe you."
Xu Zengshou cried, "Sister, please trust me one last time. For the sake of our blood connection, please trust me one last time!"
Xu Zengshou's begging finally worked. The Princess of Yan hesitated and did not take action.
Just when Xu Zengshou thought that his elder sister was going to let him go, Princess Yan suddenly looked at him with a stern look and said, "I will trust you for once, but if you escape punishment easily without any punishment and don't learn your lesson, you will definitely become addicted to gambling again in the future. So, I won't cut off your hand, I will just cut off one finger."
After saying this, without waiting for Xu Zengshou to beg for mercy, Princess Yan pointed at his thumb and raised her knife!
At that moment, Hu Shanwei closed his eyes in fear.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Xu Zengshou rolling on the ground in pain, screaming and yelling. There was a pale finger in the black mud!
Lian Muchun was shocked: Fortunately I don’t have a sister!
Princess Yan asked, "Does it hurt?"
Xu Zengshou almost cried to death: "It hurts!"
Princess Yan asked: "Have you remembered this pain?"
Xu Zengshou: "Remember! I won't gamble anymore, not even in my next life, and I will never gamble again even after my reincarnation!"
"Very good, sister will believe you for the last time." Princess Yan picked up her finger from the mud, gently broke it into two pieces, and rubbed it in her palm, turning it into crumbs.
Hu Shanwei: “…”
Mu Chun: “…”
Xu Zengshou stopped crying. He spread out his muddy hands and counted from one to ten. His fingers were still there.
But the pain of chopping off my finger just now was so real and painful.
The thumb was not chopped off physically, but it was chopped off psychologically.
Xu Zengshou quit gambling from then on.
Princess Yan jumped on her horse, and Hu Shanwei followed closely behind her, asking curiously: "Princess, that finger..."
Princess Yan smiled and took out a handful of finger-sized white sticks from her cloth bag. "My little daughter has been teething recently and her gums are itchy, so she'll chew on anything she grabs. I asked the kitchen to bake this hard snack for her to use as a toothpick, and it's something her little hands can hold. I drew some skin textures on it, so it looks like a finger. It's fragrant, crispy, and sweet. Take one and try it."
Since Princess Yan was so enthusiastic, Hu Shanwei was not polite.
This day was full of twists and turns and was thrilling. Hu Shanwei was amazed and gained a lot of knowledge. It turned out that the Princess of Yan was not as fierce and aggressive as the rumors said. She was clearly a woman who knew when to advance and when to retreat, and was brave and resourceful.
After returning to the palace, Hu Shanwei told Fan Gongzheng what he had seen and heard. He was full of admiration: "The Princess of Yan was born in a military family and is very skilled in martial arts. She used a rope to catch Xu Zengshou on horseback. She is so amazing. If she were a man, she would definitely be made a marquis and lead a general on the battlefield."
It turns out that there are so many outstanding women in this world, and she was too ignorant before.
The author has something to say: Zhou's Ming Dynasty Quartet, "The Eighteen Hairpins", "Jin Pingmei", "The Biography of Empress Xu" and "Hu Shanwei" are all written separately, without sharing the same world view and setting. Readers should not confuse them. The first three books are fictional and semi-fictional, with mostly virtual elements.
Only the details of Hu Shanwei are in the true Ming Dynasty court style, which is more realistic. The ratio of reality to fiction is eight to two.
100 red envelopes will be given away tonight, welcome to grab them.
Congratulations to reader kn, who answered last night's free point question accurately one second faster than the second place, and has been awarded a big red envelope of 100 points.
№19 User: kn Comment: "Hu Shanwei" Score: 2 Published: 2018-11-30 19:49:17 Reviewed chapter: 39