There are two types of ladies of honor: inner ladies of honor and outer ladies of honor.
The inner ladies are the women of the royal family, such as princesses and queen consorts. The outer ladies are the wives or mothers of officials. There are differences between the inner and outer ladies, and the relatives. When paying homage to the queen at the grand court meetings on the three major festivals of the palace, the inner ladies stand before the outer ladies in accordance with the order of worship.
The ladies of state who wanted to pay homage to the empress would wait outside Xihua Gate before dawn. Some of those who lived in remote areas would stay up all night on New Year's Eve, set off firecrackers and fireworks, and give out lucky money to their younger generations. Then, they would change into formal court robes and crowns, sit in sedan chairs and rush towards Xihua Gate, for fear of missing the time to enter the palace.
After the female officials in charge of keys of the palace distributed the keys to the palace gate and opened it, the ladies entered the palace and waited in the inner court for the imperial edict.
Hu Shanwei threw the bolt onto the roof, left Huang Wei De to clean up the mess, and hurried to the inner palace to wait for the lady. The last time she stood here, she was still holding the examination basket and trembling with fear to take the examination for female officials. Now, less than a year later, she has become a seventh-rank official who has experienced many ups and downs.
In the past, she had to look up to these noble ladies, but today, she has to guide them in their actions.
Hu Shanwei took the list and counted her team.
The ones assigned to her were the ladies of the outer court, the ladies of the first rank or the super rank of nobles. Cui Shangyi from the Shangyi Bureau was a thoughtful person. She tried her best to group the ladies who were related together so that everyone was familiar with each other, less restrained, and also had the intention of supervising each other. After all, among relatives, when one suffers, all suffer together. When one prospers, all prosper together.
Each of the six bureaus and one department has its own tricks, and none of them are simple.
The list in Hu Shanwei's hand was arranged according to the level of status, and the first one was naturally the wife of Duke Zheng, Lan.
Lan's daughter is the deceased Crown Princess Chang.
Lan's younger brother was Lan Yu, Marquis of Yongchang, a young general of the Ming Dynasty.
However, Lan's husband was the most famous - Chang Yuchun, who was known as the "killer general". When Xu Da and Chang Yuchun attacked Suzhou City, the Hu family from Jining, Shandong, except for Hu Rong who fled to the Reclining Buddha Temple with his daughter Hu Shanwei and was rescued by Zen Master Daoyan, all the rest died on the day Chang Yuchun massacred the city.
History records: "On the day when Suzhou was captured, Chang Yuchun entered Qi Gate and slaughtered everyone he passed. Xu Da entered Chang Gate and did not kill anyone. When they arrived at the Reclining Buddha Temple, the two generals met, and Da warned Yuchun not to kill anyone."
Chang Yuchun died at the end of the first Northern Expedition of the Ming Dynasty. He was seriously injured and died of illness in Liuhechuan. That year, Chang Yuchun was only 40 years old and died young. The Hongwu Emperor was extremely sad and gave the Chang family a golden book and iron scroll, conferred the hereditary title of Duke of Zheng, and posthumously conferred Chang Yuchun the title of Prince of Kaiping, and buried him with the ceremony of a prince.
Hu Shanwei knew that Chang Yuchun was one of the ten great founding heroes, a great man who deserved to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and a positive figure for the Ming Dynasty. But the Hu family looked down on Zhu Yuanzhang, who was born a peasant, and stood on the wrong side, joining another Wu Wang, Zhang Shicheng, which led to the destruction of almost the entire family.
However, Hu Shanwei is also a human being with normal human emotions. Because her clansmen and mother died in Chang Yuchun's massacre, Hu Shanwei has a natural hostility towards the entire Zhengguo Mansion and even the Eastern Palace.
As a court lady, such hostility is unacceptable. Hu Shanwei restrained her emotions, pointed to a small room, and said to Mrs. Lan, the wife of Duke Zheng, with a pleasant face: "It's cold outside, please take a seat here, Madam. Madam Zheng, please come in as well."
The young wife of Duke Zheng was the daughter of Duke Song Feng Sheng, Mu Chun's great aunt. Feng Sheng's second daughter was the Princess of Zhou.
Madam Lan was actually only in her forties. She took good care of herself and she and her daughter-in-law, Lady Feng, the wife of Duke Zheng, looked more like sisters than mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
The thresholds of palace houses were made relatively high, and the ladies of the court had to wear complicated court robes and heavy 翟冠, making it difficult for them to move around.
Lady Feng, the wife of Duke Zheng, held out her hand to help her mother-in-law, Lady Lan, step over the threshold. Lady Lan dodged and said, "No need. I'm not that old yet."
Feng calmly withdrew her hand, smiled, and followed closely behind.
Both the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law were from prominent families, and were very proud. They would secretly compete with each other before the grand court meeting, and it would be even more lively in private at the Duke of Zheng's mansion. Hu Shanwei watched this scene and replayed at least twenty episodes of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law fighting in his mind.
The order of audience is according to the rank of imperial edict.
The list in Hu Shanwei's hand included all the wives of dukes, marquises, and earls of the first or super rank. The second wife of Duke Zheng's mansion came with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, but her husband Chang Sheng was only a second-rank military officer, so he was not qualified to enter the house. He was taken away by other female officials who led the second-rank wives singing out the roster.
Hu Shanwei continued to read the names: "Please come in, the wife of the Duke of Ying, the wife of the Marquis of Changxing, the wife of the Marquis of Xiping..."
It was such a coincidence today that almost all the people on the list in Hu Shanwei's hand were Mu Chun's relatives, including his great aunt, the wife of the Duke of Zheng, who had just entered, and his aunt, the wife of the Duke of Ying, who was about to cross the threshold. Mrs. Geng, the wife of the Marquis of Xiping, was Mu Chun's stepmother, and Mrs. Geng, the Marquis of Changxing, was Geng's biological mother, and was considered Mu Chun's grandmother in terms of etiquette.
The dazzling nine-翟 crown, the dozen-layer 翟 robe, the 霞袍 hanging on the shoulders, the jade belt around the waist, the exquisite makeup, and the room was full of jewels.
Hu Shanwei's eyes were almost dazzled. He felt that all these imperial ladies looked the same. After counting the names in his hand and making sure that no one was missed, he ordered the little palace maid: "Serve tea and snacks."
The imperial palace had to appear majestic and could not neglect its guests, not to mention that the ladies in this room - their husbands and sons, were all high-ranking military commanders who had fought in battles and risked their lives for the Ming Dynasty.
The young palace maids swiftly brought hot tea and red-carved boxes, opened the lids, and various snacks were available for consumption.
But the thirty ladies of the imperial family just pretended to do so. They touched their lips with the teacups and put them down. Almost no one touched the food in the boxes.
Eating and drinking is enjoyable, but going to the toilet is troublesome. During a long worship ceremony, would you have the nerve to say you need to go to the toilet in the middle
At the very least, you will be laughed at and become a laughing stock.
In serious cases, it is a disrespect to etiquette in front of the palace, which is a serious crime.
When you go to the palace to pay homage, you must watch your mouth. It's just a meal, since I had a full meal at the New Year's Eve reunion dinner last night.
They were all relatives within the five degrees of mourning. While waiting in the house, the ladies greeted each other and were very affectionate, as if they were a family.
Some families clearly have irreconcilable conflicts, but they seem to have forgotten their hatred at this time. For example, the wife of the Duke of Ying and the wife of the Marquis of Xiping, Mrs. Geng. This summer, the Duke of Ying, Feng Cheng, beat the Marquis of Xiping, Mu Ying, into a pig's head again. How could the Marquis of Xiping not feel sorry for her husband? But at this moment, when they met the wife of the Duke of Ying, they greeted each other with a smile, just like real sisters.
Mrs. Geng, the wife of Marquis of Xiping, greeted all the ladies in the house and wished them a happy new year. Then she returned to her mother, the wife of Marquis of Changxing, and picked up her teacup.
While the ladies of the imperial court were greeting each other and no one was paying attention, the wife of the Marquis of Changxing gently patted her daughter's hand and whispered, "Today is a big court meeting. How can you drink the palace's tea? It will be inconvenient for you to go to the toilet later."
The wife of Marquis Xiping felt very aggrieved. "Mother, I am too tired. Every New Year, I worry. There are many people in the Marquis' Mansion, and the relationships with relatives and friends outside are complicated. Just the gift-giving is enough to give me a headache, and I also have to prepare for the sacrifice. Last night, I stayed up all night, and I still have to take care of the whole family for the New Year. You also know that our Marquis is the most sympathetic to women. He keeps a house full of goblins, and the goblins give birth to little goblins. It all depends on me, the mistress of the house, to take care of the inner house. I was busy until the fourth watch before I took a break, and then changed into court clothes to enter the palace. I just closed my eyes in the car. I just want to drink some tea to refresh myself now."
Mu Ying likes beauties. Xiping Marquis's mansion already has four sons and four daughters, all of whom have different mothers. Geng, the mistress of the house, seems to be glamorous on the surface, but in fact, she works hard all day long, helping her husband to support so many concubines. Being a virtuous wife with a big belly is very hard.
"You are not allowed to drink." The wife of Marquis Changxing snatched the teacup away. "We will have to walk from the inner palace to Kunning Palace. It is such a long journey. You will wake up after some cold wind."
"Mother—" Lady Xipinghou acted like a spoiled child in front of her mother, "I don't have a good daughter-in-law to help with the housework. I'm so tired that I can't even open my eyes. I'll just drink a small sip."
"No." Lady Changxinghou asked in a low voice, "I heard that my son-in-law submitted Mu Chun's name to participate in the election for the prince consort?"
The wife of Marquis Xiping whispered, "Yes, the Marquis never lets me touch the outside world. If he wants to report it, then he can. It's not something I can control."
The wife of Marquis Changxing had a complicated expression, "If Mu Chun really becomes a prince consort, for the sake of respect, he will probably be named the heir of Marquis Xiping before the wedding. Then Sheng'er will..."
Mu Sheng was the second legitimate son born to Geng and also Mu Ying's favorite son.
Geng glanced at the wife of Duke Ying, Duke Zheng's sister-in-law Feng and others in the other room, and whispered, "Don't force me all the time. Of course I love my own child, but you have to ask these people if they agree or not."
Indeed, Mu Chun's maternal family is too powerful, and the relationship between relatives is complicated, with various interest groups. Not to mention Geng, a woman in the inner house, even Mu Ying himself cannot choose the heir according to his own likes and dislikes. When the emperor wants to choose a son-in-law, he can only report Mu Chun's name.
Lady Changxing looked at the room full of earls, marquises, duchesses and other high-ranking ladies and sighed secretly. She felt sorry for her daughter and picked up a piece of chestnut flour cake. "You can't drink water, but you can eat some dry snacks. Don't starve."
Geng said: "It's sweet and greasy, and you can't drink water. It gets stuck in your throat. Who would eat this..."
The mother and daughter talked about private matters at the banquet.
In the inner palace, seeing that the time was almost up, Hu Shanwei ordered the young palace maids to bring copper basins with hot water and dry towels for the ladies to wash their hands.
In fact, ladies of state basically never touched tea or food, but they still had to wash their hands as a token of respect, just dipping their fingers in water.
Hu Shanwei bowed and said, "Ladies, please follow me."
Everyone got ready to set off. As soon as they went out, eight female sedan bearers carrying a phoenix sedan stopped on the side of the road. The female official Si Yan beside Empress Ma said, "The Empress has granted the Madam Dowager Zheng a phoenix sedan."
Crown Princess Chang died early, but Empress Ma always treated Chang's mother, Lan, with great courtesy and allowed her mother-in-law to ride in a sedan chair, which was a unique privilege among the ladies of the royal family.
Lan bowed in the direction of Kunning Palace and got on the sedan chair.
The first group was the ladies of the inner court, led by the female official Jiang Quan.
The second group was led by Hu Shanwei. Lan sat in a sedan chair, and the other twenty-nine ladies formed two teams and followed behind the sedan chair. About ten steps apart, a female official led the third group of ladies and followed behind according to the planned route.
The distance from the inner palace to Kunning Palace was nearly two miles, and except for the Lan family who was given a sedan chair, everyone else had to walk.
The ladies of the royal family lined up in a long line, all with their eyes downcast and their hands clasped, their expressions solemn. Through various ceremonies, the royal family subtly instilled the concepts of monarch-monarch relationship, loyalty, filial piety, chastity and righteousness, with loyalty to the monarch being the first priority. Etiquette is actually a form of politics.
Hu Shanwei was standing in the middle of his own team and noticed that there was something wrong with Mrs. Geng, the wife of Marquis of Xiping, in the third row. Her steps seemed a little unsteady.
Are you feeling unwell
Hu Shanwei approached. Geng's makeup was perfect, and her lips were painted with rouge, so she couldn't see her sick face. Suddenly, Geng's body went limp and she almost fell. Fortunately, Hu Shanwei was paying attention. She was in good health and could throw the bolt onto the roof in one breath. She pulled Geng up and said, "What's wrong with Madam Xiping? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Geng stroked his forehead, "I suddenly feel a little dizzy."
The team paused because of Geng's accident. Seeing that the team behind was about to collide with them and disrupt the order of worship, Hu Shanwei hurriedly ordered two palace servants to help Geng to a nearby palace to rest, "… Ask the Imperial Food Bureau's Ru Siyao to send a female doctor to see the wife of Xiping Marquis. Don't stop, keep going."
The team moved forward slowly.
The wife of the Marquis of Changxing stayed behind to explain for her daughter: "It's okay, it's just that the New Year is too tiring, just take a break. My daughter, can you hold on a little longer?"
Geng bit the tip of her tongue, the pain made her sober, and she said, "I can do it." She was not sick, she just didn't sleep all night.
Hu Shanwei made a prompt decision, "The health of the wife of Marquis Xiping is of great concern. I will go to the Shangyi Bureau to explain the reason for her absence. The Queen is kind and all the women who are weak, old, sick or pregnant are exempted from the grand court meeting."
Don't fall down while walking, or faint while paying homage. That would be troublesome. It would get out that the Empress is only concerned about her dignity and has no sympathy for the frail Consort.
The wife of Marquis Changxing felt that it was not right that only her daughter was missing, so she said, "She said it was okay." Why didn't this female official listen to the explanation
This is not the Marquis of Changxing's residence, nor is it the Marquis of Xiping's residence. This is the imperial palace, and the imperial palace has its own rules. Hu Shanwei said to the palace servants, "The Marquis of Changxing's wife is worried about her daughter and wants to go to the side hall to accompany the Marquis of Xiping's wife. You can send the two ladies there together."
After saying this, Hu Shanwei quickly caught up with his team and continued to fulfill his role as guide.
The wife of Marquis Changxin was stunned. She was the wife of the marquis because of her husband's status, and her daughter was married to a good man, also the wife of the marquis. She had been to the palace for court meetings many times and thought she had some respect in the palace. How could there be such an arrogant female official who dared to touch her face in person
The author has something to say: Chunchun: I have countless relatives, including my aunt, second aunt, and great aunt (one hundred words omitted above). Everyone, Happy New Year!
Tonight is Christmas Eve, and I will give out 100 red envelopes, but I still have to answer 100 big red envelope questions. The postgraduate entrance examination has just ended, and Zhou has specially reviewed the master's and doctoral questions in archaeology for everyone to enjoy.
2018 Xiamen University Archaeology Master Entrance Examination.
1. Glossary (10x15)
Maritime Silk Road
Yihou Jie Gui
Jiangkou Battlefield Site at the End of Ming Dynasty
…
Jade burial
Secondary burial
You just need to answer me, in the second question of the definition of terms, Yihou (夨) Gui, how do you pronounce the word in parentheses
a person b Wu c book d big