Princess Huaiqing was selecting a consort, and all the noble families in the capital who had unmarried young men of the right age who met the requirements went to the inner court to apply. It was not just the family of Xiping Marquis Mu Ying, for example, Duke of Wei Xu Da also applied for his youngest son Xu Zengshou.
Unless Emperor Hongwu was insane, he would not choose Xu Zengshou, the most dissolute playboy in the capital, as his son-in-law.
Hu Shanwei immediately understood that whether to apply or not was actually a matter of attitude. The emperor had issued an order to select a son-in-law. The ministers, especially those from noble families who had gained wealth and honor by following the emperor, had to act as if the emperor's daughter would have no trouble finding a husband and rush to "snatch" her, in order to give the royal family enough face.
Otherwise, what does it mean that you hide the unengaged man of marriageable age and don't register with the inner court? You look down on the princess? Are you dreaming of going to heaven
No one wants to go to heaven.
As a result, in the twelfth lunar month, the number of families who went to the inner palace to register was almost overwhelming, making it very lively.
The time from the preliminary selection to the finalization of the candidate for the prince consort can be as short as a few months or as long as more than a year. The Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Clan Affairs make the preliminary selection and review the list. The men who have registered are not allowed to arrange any other marriage during the selection period.
The twelfth month is the busiest of the year, with various festivals and sacrifices. On the eighth day of the twelfth month, the emperor gave Laba porridge to all officials above the fourth rank in the capital.
After the Kitchen God worship on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, the palace people replaced the patches on their official robes with gourd patterns or python patterns to celebrate the festival.
A steady stream of rewards, new clothes and jewelry were delivered to the house. When Hu Shanwei entered the palace, he had nothing, not even a pair of shoes. In less than a year, the wardrobes in the house were full.
The most important thing in the Ming Dynasty court is the sense of ceremony. It is precisely because of these complicated and exquisite rituals that the royal family is different from other families. Behind each ceremony is a huge amount of money. The court encompasses the wealth of the empire and is as luxurious as possible. No wonder everyone wants to be the emperor.
Then comes New Year’s Eve.
On New Year's Eve of the 13th year of Emperor Hongwu's reign, a royal family banquet was held in the palace, but Prince Yan and his wife were absent. Why
Because the Princess of Yan had already gone into labor and was waiting to give birth in the Prince of Yan's mansion. Her fourth child was about to be born, and the Prince of Yan was at home to accompany the Princess.
At the New Year's Eve banquet, good news came from the Prince of Yan's Mansion that the Prince of Yan's wife had given birth to a little prince.
The emperor and empress were very happy and gave generous gifts to the Prince of Yan's Palace.
The eighteen-year-old Princess Yan became the mother of four children and was the most fertile princess in the Ming royal family.
Emperor Hongwu gave him a name on the spot, saying: "This grandson really knows how to pick a day to be born. Today is New Year's Eve, the New Year is coming, and the weather is getting warmer. Let's call him Zhu Gaoxu."
Empress Ma was very happy: "Then the Prince of Yan's Mansion has two sons and two daughters, making a good couple. Duke Wei has a good daughter. You should hurry up and bring gifts to Duke Wei's Mansion to congratulate him."
The royal family toasted together. The newly crowned Princess Huaiqing smiled as brightly as a flower and called Shen Qionglian over. "New Year's Eve is a double joy. Does Teacher Shen have any good poems?"
Shen Qionglian entered the palace as the top scholar. In addition to being a female tutor, it was also her responsibility to compose palace poems on festive occasions and be a court poet.
Shen Qionglian asked back like a little adult: "Princess, do you have any good wine?"
Princess Huaiqing smiled and said, "Of course, I will give you one."
Concubine Sun patted her little daughter's hand and said, "Teacher Shen is still a child and can't drink. Don't bother her."
Shen Qionglian said: "My Lady, I will be fourteen years old when I wait until the beginning of March next year."
Everyone laughed when they saw that she acted like a child but said very mature things.
Shen Qionglian pouted and looked unhappy. She hated being treated as a child the most.
Concubine Sun waved at her, "Come here and sit next to me."
Princess Huaiqing sat on the left side of Concubine Sun, and Shen Qionglian sat on the right side, so they were on equal terms.
Concubine Sun said to the palace servants, "Pour a cup of my wine for Instructor Shen."
Yinkoulao means fine wine that is easy to drink. Concubine Sun was not good at drinking, so Empress Ma ordered Siyun, who was in charge of brewing wine in the Shangshi Bureau, to brew a kind of wine for Concubine Sun that had no alcohol taste and would not irritate the throat and stomach.
Si Yun used several kinds of fruits to brew a sour and sweet wine, which was specially provided to Concubine Sun. No one else could drink it.
Shen Qionglian drank a cup and really liked it. She was inspired to write a poem and waved her hand, "Bring me paper and pen."
Princess Huaiqing found it interesting and laid the paper for her with her own hands.
Shen Qionglian picked up her pen and wrote: "The sparse stars are dimming in the night, and the jade-like and beautiful women are lined up as female officials."
Princess Huaiqing read out every line Shen Qionglian wrote, pointing at the prettiest Cui Shangyi and saying with a smile, "No wonder Cui Shangyi loves her the most. She never forgets to praise you first when she writes a poem."
Forty-four new female officials entered the palace, and all six bureaus and one department were vying for the female top scholar Shen Qionglian. Cui Shangyi was lucky and picked her by drawing lots.
Shen Qionglian stopped writing after writing only two sentences, looking at Princess Huaiqing with her big eyes.
Princess Huaiqing was generous and poured her some wine herself: "Here comes the wine, please write."
Shen Qionglian drank it all again and wrote, "The wind brings the phoenix music closer, the snow is gone and the magpie is cold in the morning tower."
Princess Huaiqing fell twice more before Shen Qionglian wrote down the rest of the poem:
"The imperial concubine led the emperor to the red curtain, and the incense burner in the Shang bedroom burned red sandalwood. The six palaces were solemnly hung with elephants and bamboos, and the spring breeze in the front hall wanted to make the phoenix sing."
Shen Qionglian stopped writing, and Princess Huaiqing presented the poem to the emperor and empress. This is an excellent poem for palace festivals, especially the line "The six palaces are solemn and the elephants are hanging in the Wei Dynasty", which implicitly praised Empress Ma for her contribution to the six palaces and the imperial family by following the example of the virtuous concubines of the Zhao and Song dynasties.
Hu Shanwei thought he didn't have the ability to write such palace poems, and secretly sighed that the female officials in the palace all had their own abilities. Talent is something that cannot be obtained through hard work.
The emperor and empress praised it and gave Shen Qionglian generous gifts. Empress Ma especially loved this palace poem and gave her a special reward: "Teacher Shen likes Concubine Sun's wine, so I will give you two jars."
Princess Huaiqing pretended to be angry and said, "Mother, I also made contributions. I was the one who laid out the paper, poured the wine and offered the poems. Why didn't I get any reward?"
It was Chinese New Year, and the Princess of Yan had just given birth to a little prince on New Year's Eve. The atmosphere became even more festive, and Empress Ma even joked, "Isn't it that I'm choosing a good prince consort for you?"
Princess Huaiqing did not act coy when she heard this, and laughed along with everyone else, "My Queen Mother, please choose carefully. I am not in a hurry. I want to spend more time with my Queen Mother and my mother consort in the palace."
Everyone was laughing, and the royal family banquet was full of joy.
Shen Qionglian thanked the emperor for the grace and divided the two jars of wine among the female officials she loved, without keeping any for herself. Hu Shanwei also got a pot. She poured herself a glass out of curiosity and drank it. It was sweet and sour, without the taste of alcohol, but... it was not as delicious as she had imagined.
Hu Shanwei thus understood that what Concubine Sun and Shen Qionglian drank was not the wine, but the unique grace of the emperor.
The next day was New Year’s Day, the first day of the first lunar month.
There are three major festivals in the Ming Dynasty court, namely the Winter Solstice, New Year's Day, and the emperor's birthday. Grand celebration ceremonies are held on these three festivals. In addition to officials above the fifth rank in Beijing who have to go to the palace to pay tribute, women above the third rank also have to go to the palace to pay tribute to Empress Ma on the three major festivals.
Due to the large number of ladies of honor, the Shangyi Bureau, which was responsible for etiquette, did not have enough staff, so they drew staff from the six bureaus and one department, selecting those with good appearance and good health to lead the ladies of honor - this was a strenuous job, standing outside in the cold weather of the first month of the year to maintain discipline and guide the ladies of honor, and it would be difficult for those with weak bodies to persist.
For example, Shen Qionglian was a female instructor in the Shangyi Bureau, but Cui Shangyi felt sorry for her because she was not yet grown up and tall enough, so she did not let her do these chores.
Cui Shangyi picked Hu Shanwei, the palace official, and Hu Shanwei readily agreed. Helping others is helping yourself, and everyone needs help. Last time, she was in charge of giving letters, and she also transferred people from other departments. Cui Shangyi sent Zhou Sizan and Cao Shanggong sent Liu Siyan, but unfortunately Liu Siyan died.
The only standard of court etiquette is that there can be no mistakes and there is no room for compromise. The grand ceremony of the ladies paying homage to the emperor is a moment to demonstrate the majesty of the royal family and must be handled with caution.
Of course, no lady of honor would be so blind as to cause trouble at this moment. It was just that they were afraid that the ladies of honor would be too nervous and walk around and worship aimlessly, thus breaking the rules.
Cui Shangyi was very careful. She divided the list of hundreds of ladies into groups, with each female official keeping an eye on thirty people. She also called a meeting of the female officials in charge of guidance in advance and drew a rough plan of the Kunning Palace on the floor.
Who stands in that position, where the female officials stand, where the ladies stand, when to enter, when to retreat, when to bow, when to kneel, all of them are practiced once.
Those who can pass the examination and enter the palace to become court ladies are all smart people who can understand things quickly.
Finally, Cui Shangyi bowed and said, "On the day of the first day, the Shangyi Bureau will ask for your help."
Hu Shanwei and others hurriedly said, "Cui Shangyi is too polite. We will definitely help you."
On the New Year's Day, people in the palace got up at five in the morning. To welcome the solar term, those who did not wear black gauze hats would wear on their heads the jewelry just distributed by the Shangbao Bureau, which were made of black gold paper and painted with various colors of insects and butterflies. This was commonly known as "Nao Mo", which was in keeping with the season.
The moth was made extremely lifelike by the skilled hands of the silversmiths in the palace, with its wings and whiskers vividly moving in the wind and grass. The little palace maid who served Hu Shanwei was the first to come to wish Hu Shanwei a happy new year, wearing a moth and carrying hot water for washing her face.
The little palace maid stood outside the door holding a bucket of water. When she heard the night watchman's bell on West Chang Street ring at the fifth watch, she immediately seized the opportunity to light a string of firecrackers, which went crackling.
Hu Shanwei, who slept late on New Year's Eve, was awakened by the sound of firecrackers. He put on his clothes and opened the door, "It's not even daybreak, why are you setting off firecrackers so early in the morning?"
The little palace maid laughed and said, "It is the palace's custom to set off firecrackers at five o'clock in the morning on New Year's Day to celebrate a prosperous New Year."
When the little palace maid helped Hu Shanwei to dress, she cut a piece of white cotton paper, folded it in half, and then folded it into the collar. This paper collar guard had to be changed once a day for convenience and cleanliness. The female officials represented the dignity of the royal family and had extremely high requirements for their appearance and cleanliness.
Hu Shanwei didn't like the white cotton paper collar at first, as it felt uncomfortable on his neck, but he got used to it after a while. If he sweated in the summer, he would need to change the paper collar several times a day.
Today, Hu Shanwei was to lead the ladies to pay homage to the Queen. He wore a brand new official robe and a black gauze hat. Just as he had finished getting dressed, his apprentice Huang Wei De came to wish him a happy new year.
Huang Weide pulled out the bolt of the gate and handed it to Hu Shanwei, "Throw it into the air three times. People in the palace call it 'falling a thousand gold coins'."
Unexpectedly, the Ming Dynasty court had such a unique custom. Hu Shanwei followed the local customs. The door bolt was a wooden stick about the same length and thickness as Muchun's arm, weighing about seven or eight pounds, which was quite heavy for a female official who held a pen all year round.
The first throw was only a little higher than one person.
The little palace maid clapped her hands, "Hu Dianzheng threw higher. The higher and farther he threw, the higher his official rank will be this year."
When she heard about the promotion, Hu Shanwei immediately perked up. She didn't just follow the local customs, she did some boxing to stretch her muscles, and her second throw was much better.
With the last throw, Hu Shanwei blew away the warm air on her palm and picked up the door bolt on the ground. She spun and jumped, closing her eyes. The door bolt seemed to have grown wings and soared into the sky. It soared into the sky and finally landed on the glazed tiles on the roof!
Huang Wei De praised: "Teacher, your throw is very good. I have been in the palace for many years, and I have never heard of anyone throwing so high."
Hu Shanwei was also very excited, but after the excitement, he became a little worried, "How can I get to the roof to take down the bolt? I have to go to the inner palace to wait for the ladies who will come to see the Queen Mother."
Huang Weide said, "The ladder is hidden. I'll take care of it. Teacher, just go ahead and do your work."
The author has something to say: This chapter on Shen Qionglian's poems comes from the sixth issue of the Palace Museum Journal in 2010, "A Study on the Female Scholar Shen Qionglian and Her Palace Poems"
The details in this chapter about the Ming Dynasty court's New Year celebrations, such as setting off firecrackers at five o'clock in the morning to "drop thousands of gold coins" and other unique customs, all come from "A Brief Account of Food and Beverage Customs" in Volume 20 of "Zhuo Zhong Zhi" written by Liu Ruoyu in the Ming Dynasty. Liu Ruoyu was an official in the late Ming Dynasty, and he recorded all aspects of the Ming Dynasty court in detail. There must be differences between the early and late years of the Ming Dynasty court, but Zhou could only find Liu Ruoyu's records and basically referred to the book "Zhuo Zhong Zhi".
Merry Christmas to all our little angel readers.
100 red envelopes will be given out tonight. Congratulations to reader Huier for receiving a 100-point red envelope.
№14 Netizen: Huier Comment: "Hu Shanwei" Score: 2 Published time: 2018-12-22 19:53:00 Reviewed chapter: 61