"In royal marriages, generation is not important, but origin is more important."
Huang Weide, the author of the Ming Dynasty Palace Encyclopedia, enthusiastically answered questions for his teacher, "For example, the Princess of Yan and the Prince of Yan are of different generations - the mother of the Princess of Yan and the mother of Prince of Jingjiang Zhu Shouqian are sisters, and both are daughters of Xie Zaixing. So Prince of Jingjiang is the cousin of the Princess of Yan, and the Prince of Jingjiang is the nephew of Prince of Yan Zhu Di. Therefore, in terms of seniority, Prince of Yan is the fourth cousin of the Princess of Yan."
In the folk, this kind of union would be considered incest and they would not be able to get married. But the royal family does not have to abide by folk rules. Hu Shanwei's heart was like the fine snow on the plum blossoms, tangled in the air when the wind blew. He realized in his mind that this was true, but he still murmured, "It turns out that this can be done this way..."
Huang Weide was full of palace gossip, and he wanted to tell his mentor all of it. "In fact, the royal family's seniority is very messy, so they simply don't consider seniority when marrying. Let's not talk about the fact that Xiping Hou Mu Yinghe is the adopted son of the emperor and empress. Just looking at blood relationship, Mu Chun's biological mother Feng is the eldest daughter of Ying Guogong Feng Guoyong, and Ying Guogong's biological brother, Song Guogong Feng Sheng's biological daughter Feng, married the fifth prince Zhou Wang Zhu Su, the biological brother of the Prince of Yan. In other words, Zhou Wangfei Feng is Mu Chun's biological aunt, and Princess Huaiqing is Zhou Wangfei's sister-in-law. Mu Chun and Princess Huaiqing are also one generation apart in terms of blood relationship, but the royal family doesn't care about seniority, so Mu Chun is still likely to become Princess Huaiqing's son-in-law."
After many twists and turns, the Princess of Yan married her own fourth cousin, so of course Mu Chun had the possibility of becoming her aunt's consort!
After recognizing this reality, Hu Shanwei suddenly felt that there was nothing to appreciate about the plum blossoms. He lost interest and returned the little princess to Jiang Quan. "You guys enjoy it. I walked around last night and feel a little tired. I want to go back and catch up on some sleep."
After Hu Shanwei left her name in front of the emperor for recommending "Pipa Ji", she became the most popular of the new female officials in the palace. Fan Gong was intentionally cultivating Hu Shanwei and assigned the most tasks to her. So when Hu Shanwei said she was tired, everyone did not suspect anything and hurriedly said, "Go back and take a rest. When the plum blossom tea is ready, ask the palace maid to bring it to you."
Hu Shanwei said goodbye and when he passed by a red plum forest in full bloom, he met Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Mao Xiang was a first-rank military officer. Hu Shanwei bowed, walked to the side of the road and waited, letting those with higher ranks go first.
Mao Xiang was worried about how to reply to the letter from his spy Wang Ning, and then he thought of Cao Cao, and there he was, Hu Shanwei, a living person, right in front of him.
Mao Xiang walked over and asked, "Hu Dianzheng, can I have a word with you?"
This is a confidential matter, don't let outsiders hear it.
Hu Shanwei had always been on guard against Mao Xiang, who had used a vicious plot to drive her out of the palace. Of course, she would not agree to go to a secluded place to talk to this big devil. "If you have anything to say, Lord Mao, please talk here."
Mao Xiang looked at Hu Shanwei under the red plum tree. The red plums were as red as fire, but not as tender and bright as her lips. Her back was straight. Her eyes met with his, the man known as the big devil, without flinching or avoiding, and neither humble nor arrogant.
Wang Ning is a very discerning guy. Only a woman like this is worthy of being the unknown hero of the Ming Empire.
Mao Xiang wanted to test Hu Shanwei's thoughts and asked, "Why did you choose Gao Ming's Lute Story, a southern opera? Do you like the story of a couple overcoming many difficulties and getting back together?"
It turned out to be for this play. Hu Shanwei said, "In palace operas, all flattering and erotic songs are not allowed, but those about gods and immortals, righteous husbands and chaste wives, filial sons and obedient grandchildren, and those that encourage people to be kind and celebrate peace are not prohibited. This is the standard set by the emperor. I am just looking for suitable operas according to this standard. It has nothing to do with personal likes and dislikes."
Hu Shanwei's answer was flawless, a typical official document that concealed his own personality and opinions, making it difficult for the other party to find any mistakes.
Hu Shanwei could not have told Mao Xiang what he really thought: I was doing this to heal myself, to cut open the wound, to squeeze out the pus and blood, so that I would no longer dwell on the past. I was sacrificing my own pain to become a good show for others to comment on.
The woman standing in front of Mao Xiang was Hu Dianzheng, a seventh-rank female official in the Palace Administration Department.
This woman thrived in the palace, even the emperor remembered her name. She was obsessed with her career and had no interest in marriage.
Mao Xiang made a decision in his heart and said, "It's a good play. The emperor orders this play almost every day. It's performed inside and outside the palace. Hu Dianzheng has a good eye for talent."
Hu Shanwei was puzzled. Mao Xiang was not the kind of person who liked to chat and talk about family matters with others. They were not even acquaintances. What did he mean by praising her for no apparent reason
Hu Shanwei was puzzled and said, "I am just doing my duty."
Mao Xiang returned to his study and wrote back to Wang Ning:
"Hu Shanwei did not remarry. She passed the examination to become a court lady. She was doing well in the palace and was born to be an official. She had no interest in getting married and only wanted to climb the ladder. I think she has the potential to become a palace lady and manage the entire palace.
Your former fiancée is actually the same as you. You chose to give up everything and be loyal to the Ming Dynasty. She also gave up everything and chose to serve the court.
You two can part ways and live happily together, without being troubled by romantic feelings. There is nothing wrong with such an ending. Everyone has their own aspirations, and not everyone has a family. I also swear that I will never marry and will dedicate my whole life to the emperor.
I don't want to hide all this. I tell you the truth because I hope you won't be affected by the past. Please continue to lurk in the Northern Yuan Privy Council and provide intelligence to the Ming Dynasty. I will secretly take care of Hu Shanwei in the Jinyiwei, so you don't have to worry about her..."
Hu Shanwei returned to her room. Now she also had a little palace maid to serve her. The room was heated by burning smokeless red charcoal. A large semicircular copper fumigation cage was covered on the charcoal basin. The little palace maid sprinkled some spices in the charcoal basin and covered the quilt on the large fumigation cage to dry it. It could not only drive away moisture, but also provide a fragrant smell, which had the effect of calming the mind and promoting sleep.
Xiping Hou signed up Mu Chun for the imperial consort selection. What does it have to do with me? Since ancient times, marriage has been decided by parents and matchmakers. The opinion of the person who wants to get married is irrelevant. Not to mention that Mu Chun is far away in the northwest, even if Mu Chun is in the capital, he cannot change his father's decision.
Hu Shanwei chose to be a female official just to resist marriage and did not want to accept marriage with other people. No one in the Ming Dynasty court forced her to get married.
But where could Muchun escape to? Even without Princess Huaiqing, he would marry another noble lady in the future.
Hu Shanwei felt weak all over, leaning against the incense burner, and touched the hairpin on her bun. When she didn't have to wear the black gauze hat and official robes, and had her hair combed in an ordinary bun, the gold-inlaid jade narcissus hairpin that Mu Chun had sent to the jewelry shop and had repaired was her most commonly used jewelry.
In winter, the little palace maid brought several pots of jade-table golden-cup daffodils from the greenhouse and placed them in the house to add elegance. Hu Shanwei placed the hairpin in the basin of daffodils. The jade quality matched the daffodils perfectly. After the broken jade hairpin was repaired with gold, it was completely transformed.
Hu Shanwei recalled what Mu Chun had said when she and Mu Chun parted in Xi'an:
"You don't have to wait for my result, you just need to do your own thing and grow a shell to protect yourself. I will do the same, do my own thing and grow a shell that even my father can't break. We say goodbye tonight, take care of each other, and we will all be fine."
Hu Shanwei suddenly sat up straight from the smoking cage. What happened to me? After a few good days, did I forget my goal? Why was I tripped up by irrelevant things
Is Mu Chun the type of person who can be manipulated by his father
The current Mu Chun is no longer the servile student of the Imperial College who read books for nothing in the Hu Family Bookstore. He is a mature Mu Chun. He has grown into a shell that even his own father cannot break. He will find a way out on his own...
Well, that must be it.
Hu Shanwei sat at the dressing table, put on the gold and jade narcissus hairpin again, and reapplied lipstick. The female official in the mirror immediately became energetic.
At this time, the little palace maid came out of the bedroom and said, "The bed has been made, and the bedding has been warmed with a hot water bottle. I guarantee that Hu Dian will have a good nap."
"I'm not going to sleep anymore. I'm going to the Palace Administration Office." Hu Shanwei said, "Send dinner there as well. I won't be back until very late."
Hu Shanwei is not on duty today, but as long as he wants to do something, there will always be a pile of work waiting for him.
Hu Shanwei went to Gongzhengsi. Fan Gongzheng was used to her working overtime on her own. He called her into the study, took out an open letter from the drawer, and said, "You came at the right time. I don't need to send someone to deliver the letter to you."
The palace was not allowed to pass information privately or to other places, but it was not forbidden to make it public. During festivals, or when there were important events such as weddings or funerals, people inside and outside the palace could send messages in, but the letters had to be opened and handed over to the female scholars of the Shangyi Bureau for review and registration before they could be handed over to the person concerned.
Therefore, when the letters arrive, the seals are always open.
The New Year is approaching, and most of the letters are greetings. Chen Ermei had received the letters from home a long time ago and replied to the greetings. She also told her family about Huang Wei De's situation and asked them to go to Nanhai, Guangdong and other places to look for the Huang family who lost the girl thirty years ago.
All the members of the Hu family had died when Chang Yuchun massacred Suzhou City. This family letter could only have been written by his father, Hu Rong.
Hu Shanwei took the family letter, a thick stack of which Hu Rong had written twelve pages. Half of it was about various interesting things about the son born to his stepmother Chen, saying that the son was smart and healthy, very much like Hu Shanwei when he was a child, and could sit at four months old and crawl at six months old.
With the birth of a new life, he felt that his life had a new direction and responsibility. He cheered himself up again, cut off his association with his drinking buddies, managed the bookstore business well, and never got drunk again.
Hu Shanwei was indifferent to this. Her half brother was just a stranger to her. She glanced at him casually without looking closely and quickly flipped through the pages.
Because Hu Shanwei became a female official, the family was exempted from corvée and taxes, which reduced costs invisibly. Business was booming that year, and at the end of the year, there was a surplus of more than 500 taels of silver. Hu Rong added the silver together with the 37 taels of silver that Hu Shanwei left for his family before entering the palace as a resettlement fee, and bought a small farm in the countryside. Hu Shanwei's name was written on both the house deed and the land deeds.
Hu Rong used half of the letter paper to write that he missed her very much. A father always hopes that his daughter can marry a good man, find a good home, have children, and have a lifelong support. After all, the father will be old and can't protect his daughter all his life. Your brother will grow up and have his own small family, and he won't always take care of her. This farm is her future support and dowry.
If you insist on being a female official, then work hard in the palace, don't make mistakes, don't offend people, know when to bow your head, don't be too aggressive and competitive, it's better to be safe than sorry.
My father inquired about the palace female official system and was told that the palace would send female officials out every four to five years. When you leave the palace, you will only be 24 or 25 years old, so you will still have time to get married...
When Hu Shanwei saw the word "marry", he closed the letter impatiently and didn't want to read on.
However, Hu Rong did not mention his second wife Chen in the thick letter, nor did he write about the family conflicts in the Hu family. It seems that he had done his homework beforehand and knew that the court would open the letters in advance to check them, so he did not write about the family scandal in the letter to embarrass Hu Shanwei.
Hu Shanwei picked up a pen and wrote back, saying that everything was fine for her in the palace. The court treated female officials well and she lived a luxurious life that many young ladies of officials could not enjoy. She had seen many things in the world that many high-ranking officials could not see.
Many female officials have served for more than ten years and have no intention of leaving. They plan to serve the court for the rest of their lives. She also plans to do so.
Therefore, father, please do not buy land for her. She is in the palace, and the money outside is of no use at all. The thirty-seven taels of silver for the resettlement fee was originally reserved for filial piety to her father, so do not save it...
After writing three pages quickly, Hu Shanwei paused and did not continue writing.
What's there to explain
Or, what's the point of explaining
When it comes to marriage, her father and she always have conflicting opinions and they torture each other.
My father believed that all women had to get married when they reached a certain age, otherwise they would be abnormal, unhappy, and no one would support them in their old age. He was obsessed with finding her a husband, as if getting married would solve all her problems.
All of Hu Shanwei's beautiful dreams of marriage were shattered the moment she saw her fiancé's urn. She would never give in or compromise.
After entering the palace, she simply became opposed to marriage and took Cao Shanggong, Ru Siyao, Fan Gongzheng and others as her targets, hoping to live like them.
The contradiction between her goals and her father's expectations of her became increasingly greater, and the gap became deeper and deeper.
So be it. She will work hard to climb up step by step in the palace, while her father will continue to live a simple life with his wife and children outside the palace. They should stop torturing each other.
Hu Shanwei threw the three pages of written letter paper into the brazier. The flames licked over and quickly devoured the words.
Hu Shanwei spread the paper again and wrote only one line: "Everything is fine, don't worry. Take care of yourself, father. Shanwei."
A thin piece of paper was placed in an envelope with an address written on it. The palace maid was asked to deliver it to the Shangyi Bureau for review.
The letters from other families were piled up thickly, but Hu Shanwei's letters were so light that they could almost be blown away by the wind.
Like the fragments in the wastebasket, the ashes in the brazier, and the text messages written and deleted more than five hundred years later, these are what people really want to say but cannot say.
The author has something to say: Chunchun, you are already a mature Chunchun, you can solve the princess problem by yourself.
Readers, you are already mature little angels, you don’t need me to update, you can imagine the plot yourself...
I will give out 100 red envelopes tonight. I wish you all a happy weekend and a joyful Christmas Eve.
There is also a 100-point bonus quiz. Today is the postgraduate entrance examination. Let's take a light-hearted question.
Please listen to the question:
Prince of Yan Zhu Di was actually the fourth cousin of Princess Xu of Prince of Yan, and was "closer than the family members". So here comes the question: which revolutionary model opera did this famous passage, "I have countless cousins who never come to visit unless there is something important. Although they are family members, I don't believe they are closer than the family members" come from
a The Red Detachment of Women b The Red Lantern c Shajiabang d Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy