In the mansion of Marquis Xiping, the male owner Mu Ying and his second son went on a southern expedition. The eldest son Mu Chun took his father's job and entertained the male guests in the front yard. At dusk, the eldest sister was sent away. The guests gradually dispersed, but there was one person who "came late", and it was Mao Xiang.
Mao Xiang and Mu Ying were both adopted sons of Emperor Hongwu and were in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. In the Hu Weiyong rebellion case two years ago, more than a thousand officials had died at the hands of Mao Xiang, especially high-ranking officials, who had more or less intermarried with the official families who came to congratulate today.
Mao Xiang knew that his hands were stained with too much blood and it was not appropriate for him to attend the banquet, so he only ordered someone to send a generous gift and did not come to the Xiping Marquis's Mansion to attend the wedding.
Mu Chun was seeing off guests at the front door when he learned that Mao Xiang had arrived. He quickly ordered people to prepare a new table to entertain Mao Xiang.
Mao Xiang waved his hand: "No, I'm not here for the banquet today. If you have anything else, go find Master Mu."
Mu Chun invited Mao Xiang to the study to talk.
Mao Xiang got straight to the point and stated his purpose: "Gong Cui and Shangyi Cui from the Shangyi Bureau came to see me and said that Hu Siyan came to Xiping Marquis's mansion to give gifts in the name of the Queen Mother. He left the palace in the morning and should have returned in the afternoon. However, the palace gates are about to close and there is still no sign of Hu Siyan. Please ask Xiping Marquis's wife if Hu Siyan drank too much at the banquet and is resting in the mansion. Hurry up and wake her up. According to palace rules, female officials are not allowed to stay overnight without an imperial decree. I will take her back to the palace."
Sister Shanwei is sleeping in my house? Which room is she sleeping in? The bed, quilt, and pillow she has slept in are not allowed to be touched! Wait until I...
Mu Chun was excited, but remained calm: "Master Mao, wait a moment, I will go ask the madam."
Logically, Mu Chun should call Mrs. Geng, the wife of Marquis of Xiping, "Mother", but he couldn't say it, and usually called Geng "Madam".
There was a strict separation between men and women. The male guests were in the front yard, and the female guests were in the warm room behind the second gate. The banquets were separate. Mu Chun was in the front yard to greet the male guests on behalf of his father. The backyard behind the second gate was under the responsibility of his stepmother Geng, so Mu Chun didn't know what was happening in the backyard and had to ask Geng.
After completing an event that had been planned for a long time, Geng sent the female guest away. Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, she began to look at the list of gifts for the Spring Festival. As the mistress of the house, there were always endless things to do, but today her eldest son came to see her for the first time.
Mu Chun explained his purpose.
Geng was puzzled. "No, it's impossible. Hu Siyan only drank three cups of wine at the banquet and then left. The Princess of Zhou, the wife of the Duke of Zheng, the wife of the Duke of Song, and my mother, the wife of the Marquis of Changxing, who were at the banquet, can all testify to this. I personally sent Hu Siyan to the second gate and watched her get on the carriage before I went back to greet the other guests. I was very polite."
Hearing this, Mu Chun's heart skipped a beat: Something must have happened!
Mu Chun hurriedly called Mao Xiang over, and the two of them listened to Geng's story of how Hu Shanwei gave gifts, how he was invited to the table, who was at the table, how they were seated, how he raised his glass to say a toast, how he drank three glasses in a row, when he said goodbye, etc., all from beginning to end.
Mao Xiang said: "This is a palace secret. Madam Hou must keep it a secret and not leak it."
Mao Xiang was the head of the secret service. He wiped out the prime minister's entire family in one day and killed countless people. Geng said hurriedly, "Don't worry, Master Mao. I won't tell anyone."
Although she said this, she was secretly delighted in her heart. Geng hated Hu Shanwei because she was exhausted from the busy New Year celebrations at the grand court meeting of the imperial ladies in the capital on the first day of the first lunar month this year, and was forced by Hu Shanwei to rest in a side hall, missing the opportunity to meet Empress Ma and attend the banquet.
Not only that, her mother, the wife of Marquis Changxing, was also dragged down and forced by Hu Shanwei to rest. The mother and daughter missed the grand court meeting together and became a laughing stock.
Now the situation has changed. Hu Shanwei made us mother and daughter look bad at the palace banquet. She also disappeared mysteriously at the banquet in my house. The female officials are not allowed to stay overnight outside. Let's see how she ends up this time!
Mu Chun remained silent until Geng finished speaking, then he asked, "Madam, are you sure Hu Siyan was drunk at the time?"
Geng traced her memory and said, "At that time, Hu Siyan's cheeks were flushed and his legs felt a little shaky. When he was getting on the carriage, he stepped on the stool and almost fell. Fortunately, the little palace maid beside him reacted quickly and held him up."
Mu Chun asked again: "What kind of wine did Hu Siyan drink at that table?"
Geng said, "It's the same as in the front yard. It's all Shaoxing Huadiao. Because the weather is cold, we don't want to hurt the lady's stomach, so we warm it in a small stove before serving it to the table so it's easier to eat."
Mu Chun asked: "Who poured the wine?"
Geng thought for a moment and said, "It's basically their own servants who serve their masters. The servants of the Marquis' Mansion don't know the guests' preferences. They just serve the dishes and wine. The little palace maid pours wine for Hu Siyan."
After questioning Geng, the two went to the stable to investigate. Mu Chun said to Mao Xiang, "I know Hu Shanwei's alcohol tolerance. How could he get drunk after three cups?"
Mao Xiang was also full of questions: "Besides the coachman and the maidservant, Hu Shanwei was accompanied by eight imperial guards. If an enemy tried to harm Hu Shanwei, those eight guards would not be there for nothing. It is the twelfth lunar month now, and the streets are so busy. If a fight broke out in the street, the people from the Five Cities Military Affairs Division would have gone over to deal with it long ago. How come there is no news at all?"
Street fights are major events, but the Five Cities Military Department of the capital did not report such incidents today. However, how could eight strong and sturdy imperial guards allow Hu Shanwei to be kidnapped without even sending out a signal for help
Mu Chun counted Hu Shanwei's enemies on his fingers and sighed, "Sister Shanwei is not a high-ranking official, but she has offended many people. First, it was the former Imperial Concubine Hu. The family of Hu Shuren has died out, and the Hu family's private soldiers were destroyed by me in a fire, so it shouldn't be the Hu family.
"Then it's the former King of Qin? He is still guarding the border in the northwest. The emperor did not easily restore his title. His power cannot reach as far as the capital. We can temporarily rule out the King of Qin."
Hearing this, Mao Xiang snorted coldly, "If he can reach out to the capital, I, the commander of the Jinyiwei, will immediately step down and let others take over."
Mu Chun raised her third finger and said, "Mrs. Cao hates Hu Shanwei. She has hated her since the first day she entered the palace. However, Mrs. Cao is a fair person.
"She is the head of the female officials. Hu Shanwei left the palace this time to do things for the queen and give gifts to my elder sister. It is impossible for her to make trouble for Hu Shanwei when he is working, so it can be ruled out."
"The next one is the Crown Prince." Mu Chun held up his fourth finger. "Because of the "Record of Filial Piety and Kindness", the Crown Prince accused Hu Shanwei of being a sycophantic minister. I believe Lord Mao has heard about it, right?"
Mao Xiang nodded, "However, the prince has always been kind-hearted. He doesn't like Hu Shanwei, but he is even less likely to risk kidnapping a palace lady. This would damage the prince's reputation. If it gets out of hand, it would mean that the prince is immoral, and it would most likely be an excuse for the emperor to depose him."
Mu Chun grew up in the palace, so he had some political awareness. He thought what Mao Xiang said made sense. "If Hu Shanwei disappears from the palace, it will not directly benefit the prince. Instead, it will cause a lot of trouble, which is not worth it. The prince can be ruled out - oh! Could it be the prince's political enemies who did it? Kidnapped Shanwei's sister, and then framed the prince. After all, everyone knows that the prince hates Shanwei's sister as a sycophant. Lord Mao, I suggest that we investigate the murderer from the prince's political enemies."
Mao Xiang smiled, "The prince's political enemies? Don't you know who wants the prince to fall? You can't just say that. If it gets to the emperor's ears, he will definitely accuse you of trying to sow discord among the royal family members."
Mu Chun shrank his neck and said, "Don't tell anyone. I was just anxious to comfort Sister Shanwei, so I said something I shouldn't have said. Anyway, no matter who did it, they were able to kidnap a palace lady in the capital without making any noise. There must be someone colluding with them."
Mu Chun said, "Master Mao, please quickly check the background of everyone accompanying us today, especially the little palace maid. Sister Shanwei usually has a good alcohol tolerance, but she got drunk after three cups. Either there is something wrong with the wine or with the person. If there is something wrong with the wine, my first and second aunts at the table are all normal, so how come Sister Shanwei is drunk?"
Not to mention, Mu Chun is a good candidate for the Imperial Guard. Mao Xiang felt that everything he said made sense, so he ordered his men to investigate every detail.
The palace guards had strict examinations and basically checked every ancestor of the palace, except for the little palace maid Haitang, who was born as a government slave and was the descendant of a corrupt official.
Haitang's family was involved in Hu Weiyong's rebellion and was nearly exterminated. All the adult men and women in the family were beheaded, and all the men under the age of sixteen were exiled to the border.
Women were punished by being made slaves of the government.
Haitang's brother was exiled to the northwest to guard the border, and her sister was selected by the Music Bureau to become an actress.
The one in the northwest was out of reach, so the Jinyiwei went to the Jiaofangsi to look for my sister. The entertainer from the Jiaofangsi said that my sister's performance as Zhao Wuniang in "The Lute Story" was deeply loved by Princess Huaiqing, and she often went to the princess's mansion to perform "The Lute Story". Later, due to the national mourning for Concubine Chengmu, all dramas were suspended and my sister became idle. However, my sister was recently recruited to the princess's mansion by Princess Huaiqing. It is said that she was there to chat with the princess and relieve her boredom. From then on, she stayed in the princess's mansion and did not return to the Jiaofangsi.
Official slaves were lowly and had a low status. There was no way to redeem themselves. Unless they were pardoned by the emperor, their ancestors had been official slaves for generations. They had no freedom, could not marry commoners, and could not take the imperial examinations. The princess asked for a mere official slave, and the Jiaofangsi did not dare to refuse.
When Mu Chun and Mao Xiang heard Princess Huaiqing and "The Lute Story", they thought something was wrong!
Mu Chun held up his fifth finger. "Damn it! How could I have forgotten this? Princess Huaiqing must have known about the old engagement between Sister Shanwei and Wang Ning. The jealous Princess Huaiqing bribed the young palace maid Haitang with Sister Shanwei and kidnapped Sister Shanwei!
The two of them rode away to the princess's residence to ask for someone. Mao Xiang also sent Ji Gang to the prince consort's residence to look for Wang Ning.
The princess and her husband did not live together. After marriage, the husband lived in the husband's mansion, which is now the Yongchun Earl's Mansion, and Princess Huaiqing lived in the princess's mansion. The princess summoned the husband and the husband could go to the princess's mansion only after being invited. If the husband wanted to see the princess without being summoned, he had to send a note in advance to greet her and state the reason. He could only enter the princess's mansion after the princess agreed.
Unexpectedly, the princess was not in the mansion. People in the mansion said that Princess Huaiqing missed her mother while she was pregnant, so she went to the Zhongshan Hot Spring Palace.
There is the Xiaoling Mausoleum in Zhongshan, which is the final resting place of the future Emperor Hongwu and Empress Ma. Princess Huaiqing's mother, Concubine Chengmu Sun, was buried in the Xiaoling Mausoleum. It is very convenient to go to the Xiaoling Mausoleum from the temporary palace to pay homage to the concubine.
Ji Gang, who had gone to the Prince Consort's Residence, came back to report: "Wang Ning is not at the Prince Consort's Residence. Someone from the Princess' Residence sent a letter. After Wang Ning saw the letter, he immediately rode out and has not returned since. His whereabouts are unknown."
It was already dark at this time. Mu Chun and Mao Xiang left the city and headed towards the Zhongshan Palace.
The author has something to say: I had a bloody battle with my period today, so I won’t update much. I will definitely write something more detailed tomorrow.
Nanjing Zhongshan is a Feng Shui treasure land with beautiful scenery. I went there for a whole day. Now the question is, which of the following attractions is not in Zhongshan? The little angels who have been there and those who are very familiar with Zhou's Ming Dynasty tetralogy novels can definitely answer it hahahahahaha
a Xu Da's Tomb b Song Meiling's Meiling Palace c Sun Quan's Tomb d Prince Zhaoming's Tomb