The fun that night was like scriptures on rice paper, which I stopped writing halfway because Mao Xiang came and asked Mu Chun to go find his uncle Feng Cheng immediately.
Military orders are as heavy as a mountain. Mu Chun put down the half-empty cup of tea and said to Hu Shanwei, "I'll come to see you tomorrow and help you grind the ink and copy the other half of the scripture."
Mu Chun went to see his uncle, and Feng Cheng threw the battle report at him, "Look for yourself."
In the battle report of the Ming army's southern expedition, the right general, Xiping Marquis Mu Ying, showed his wisdom and bravery, overshadowing the commander-in-chief, Yingchuan Marquis Fu Youde, and the left general, Yongchang Marquis Lan Yu. Of course, there is also his younger brother Mu Sheng, a young hero who has already shown some of the brilliance of his father Mu Ying when he was young.
Mu Chun has long been accustomed to his father's ulterior motives. "Father and son are fighting together. It seems that the Southern Expedition Army will be able to return to the capital soon."
Feng Cheng was very disappointed. "The emperor sent me to Yunnan to defend the city, and I want you to go with me. They planted trees, and we picked fruits. It's also a merit to defend the city. You tell the Yulin Youwei about your duties, and you will go with me tomorrow."
Mu Chun knew that his uncle had created opportunities for him. Regardless of his uncle's motives, joining the Southern Expedition Army would be beneficial to Mu Chun's future.
Time was urgent and Mu Chun had no time to say goodbye to Hu Shanwei. He wrote a letter and asked Shi Qianhu to deliver it, and then gathered people. His team was nothing more than the bandits from the former Guaishiling, the bandits from Zhuoying County and the second generation of the Yingyangwei's dandy soldiers. In short, none of them were serious people.
However, after experiencing the baptism of the Fourth Northern Expedition, some of these people died in battle, and the rest had become real soldiers.
Mu Chun gave them a choice: continue to serve as imperial guards in the capital, or follow him in the southern expedition.
Chen Xuan, the bandit leader of Zhuoying County, was the first to raise his hand and said, "I am going to the south. My family was originally the commander of Chengdu Guards, and we often deal with ethnic minorities on the border. I am familiar with the local customs and can speak a few languages. I can help you."
Chen Xuan is the descendant of a criminal official, and his family was involved in Hu Weiyong's rebellion. Now that he has made a comeback and has been granted the title of a thousand households, he will definitely continue to make progress and revive the Chen family. As a soldier, what can get you promoted faster than military merit
The former subordinates of the Eagle Guard also raised their hands: "I want to go too. I heard that the women there are very beautiful and wear skirts with bare legs instead of pants. There is also a place where women are in charge. If you like a man, you can invite him to stay overnight in the tent, borrow sperm and have children, eat and drink for free, and leave the next day without any responsibility."
Hearing about such a good thing, everyone raised their hands and expressed their willingness to go together.
As expected, birds of a feather flock together. Those who follow Mu Chun are not decent people. The oath-taking ceremony for the Southern Expedition quickly went off topic and was a complete success as everyone talked about the hospitable Miao women.
This is a conference of unity, this is a conference of victory!
The next day, Hu Shanwei went to the study to copy the remaining half of the scripture and found a letter on the desk. As soon as he saw the handwriting on the envelope that looked like dog crawling, he knew it was from Mu Chun.
The little palace maid Haitang said, "This was sent by Captain Shi at midnight last night. He said it was unimportant and that we should not wake Hu Siyan up and look at it the next day."
Hu Shanwei used a bamboo knife to pick open the envelope. When he opened it, he saw the news that Mu Chun was going to the south. Judging from the sky, he should have left by now. Mu Chun knew that she was reluctant to go to the war because of her past, and she was sad about the separation, so she asked the captain not to wake her up.
Hu Shanwei looked at the half-opened scripture, and his heart, which had finally calmed down, became confused again, so he closed the rice paper and sealed it in the box. He thought, I will wait for Muchun to come back and grind the ink before copying the remaining half of the scripture.
It takes a hundred days to heal a broken bone, but Hu Shanwei did not rest that long because the silkworm ceremony would begin as soon as spring arrived.
There were three major festivals in the Ming Dynasty palace: Winter Solstice, New Year's Day and Lantern Festival. The former dynasty held grand court meetings and banquets for officials, and the harem held grand court meetings and banquets for ladies of the fourth rank and above to show the royal majesty, and the slightest mistake was allowed. However, on these three major festivals, the harem was a vassal of the former dynasty, and only the Silkworm Ceremony was a major rite belonging to the Empress, the mother of the country.
Moreover, in order to facilitate mulberry picking and building silkworm houses, the silkworm ceremony was not held in the harem but in the eastern suburbs outside the palace, which added to the difficulty. Cui Shangyi of the Shangyi Bureau asked for permission to leave the palace and find Hu Shanwei in the temporary palace, asking her to help arrange the preparations for the Eastern Suburbs Silkworm Altar. Hu Shanwei was outside the palace and could go to the Silkworm Altar to inspect the situation at any time.
During the New Year's Day court meeting the year before last, Hu Shanwei was also invited by Cui Shangyi to help guide the ladies of honor to an audience with Empress Ma. During the meeting, there was an incident where Mrs. Geng, the wife of Marquis of Xiping, became dizzy due to exhaustion. Hu Shanwei made proper arrangements and the incident passed without any danger. Cui Shangyi admired her very much.
After nearly two months of "recuperation" in the palace, Hu Shanwei felt bored and wanted to resume her duties as soon as possible. The Silkworm Ceremony was a big event. If she did a great job and returned to the palace, she would be proud and would also be valued by Empress Ma.
Hu Shanwei began to rub his hands, but said: "Thank you for Cui Shangyi's trust. I have almost recovered and am happy to help. However, I am from the Shanggong Bureau, so this matter requires Cao Shanggong's approval."
In the officialdom, skipping levels is a taboo. Hu Shanwei was not dazzled by this pie in the sky, and he still had to follow the rules in everything.
Cui Shangyi smiled and said, "Logically, I should have asked for Cao Shanggong's opinion first, but considering that you have just recovered from a serious illness and cannot be tired, I came to see you first. Now that I see that you are radiant and in good spirits, I invite you to help. When I return to the palace, I will definitely ask Cao Shanggong to borrow someone, and I will definitely not make things difficult for you."
Hu Shanwei nodded and asked, "How is the Queen's health these days?"
Cui Shangyi said: "Winter is really not very good. However, since the beginning of spring, the weather has become warmer, and the Queen's health has gradually improved. Now when the sun is good, we can go to the Imperial Garden for a walk."
Hu Shanwei was very happy when he heard this: "That's great."
Cui Shangyi was in charge of etiquette. She was beautiful, gentle, and good at talking. She was not like Cao Shanggong, who always showed off her authority and always choked people. Most people would not refuse Cui Shangyi's request.
Cui Shangyi returned to the palace and went to see Cao Shanggong with a heavy gift list.
Cao Shang Gong was the most trusted person of Empress Ma. She had seen all kinds of good things. She glanced at the gift list and put it aside. "You are being polite for no reason. Tell me what it is."
Cui Shangyi had a smile on her face. "Next month, the Queen will hold a silkworm ceremony. The silkworm ceremony is in the eastern suburbs, and it is not convenient for the harem to go back and forth. However, that place is close to the temporary palace in Zhongshan. Hu Siyan is recuperating there, so I want to borrow her from Cao Shanggong."
Lady Cho pushed the gift list to Lady Choi and said, "Since you want to use her, why are you giving me gifts? I'm not the one who's working hard."
Cui Shangyi pushed the gift list back and said, "She is a talent cultivated by Lady Sang-Gong Cho, and this is what Lady Sang-Gong deserves."
This time, Lady Cao did not refuse. "If you don't mind her being clumsy, go ahead and hire her. But let me be frank. Hu Shanwei is indeed efficient, but he is also very likely to offend people. You'd better be careful not to get into trouble."
Hu Shanwei: How can you, Cao Shanggong, offend anyone? Except for the queen, there is no woman in this palace who has not been bullied by you, Cao Shanggong!
Although Cui Shangyi thought so in her heart, she said, "A capable person has a temper. To get things done, you have to be a little majestic. Besides, we female officials follow orders. As long as we are right, we are not afraid of offending people. Hu Siyan works for my Shangyi Bureau, and the Shangyi Bureau is her backer and backstage. Just go ahead and do it."
Cao Shang Gong pretended to be angry and said, "Since you like Hu Shanwei so much, wait until she returns to the palace after the silkworm ceremony and ask her to work in the Shangyi Bureau."
Cui Shangyi waved her hands repeatedly, "How dare I steal the love of Cao Shanggong, a talent cultivated by her."
Men farming and women weaving has been the foundation of Central Plains civilization for thousands of years.
Every spring, the emperor would personally till the land in the southern suburbs, and the empress would personally raise silkworms in the northern suburbs. This was the practice for emperors and empresses in every dynasty.
Emperor Hongwu would lead all the civil and military officials, the crown prince and other officials to go to the fields and plow the fields with iron plows. Empress Ma would lead the princesses and other ladies to pick mulberry leaves and feed silkworms to show that the royal family attached great importance to farming and sericulture.
The Ming Dynasty's Silkworm-raising Platform was located in the eastern suburbs. The platform was two feet six inches high, with steps on all four sides. To the east was a two-foot four-inch high mulberry-picking platform, with mulberry trees planted on both sides.
There are several side rooms on the left and right sides of the altar, where ten silkworm-raising women live. Two female officials from the Shanggong Bureau in the harem who are in charge of needlework take turns to come here to supervise the ten silkworm-raising women.
The Imperial Astronomical Observatory selected an auspicious date, which this year was set on February 18th. Yingtian Prefecture selected a silkworm breeding expert who was highly respected last year from the people, called him the Silkworm Mother, and sent him to live in the Qincantan.
The Ministry of Industry prepared hooks, foils, frames and other silkworm rearing tools and sent them to the silkworm breeding altar.
The Yingtian Prefecture also brought silkworm seeds, hook baskets and other tools into the palace and presented them to Emperor Hongwu. After Emperor Hongwu nodded, he carried these things out from Xihua Gate and put them into colorful shoulder bags. He also asked the people from the Jiaofangsi to play music along the way, just like a bride getting married. They played and sang all the way, and there were many onlookers. The silkworms were sent to the silkworm room of the Qincantan.
This is the purpose of etiquette, just like the emperor going to the fields to farm, using a grand and complicated ritual to subtly integrate the value of silkworms into the consciousness of the people. After all, clothing and food are the foundation of a country.
After everything was prepared, the best silkworm mother selected from Yingtian Prefecture led ten silkworm wives to work day and night in the silkworm room, breeding silkworms and taking care of the newly crawled silkworms.
In fact, the procedure is not complicated and is much simpler than the grand court meeting in the harem.
The trouble was that every silkworm seed and every basket required the cooperation of the Ministry of Works and Yingtian Prefecture. These things had to be ready and checked repeatedly because Empress Ma would use these crude farm tools and no mistakes could be made.
Hu Shanwei rode a green-curtained sedan chair carried by four female bearers to the Silkworm Platform every day to supervise the progress. He disliked the frame sent by the Ministry of Works as it was not strong enough, so he put on his official uniform and hat and went to the Ministry of Works in person to exchange it for a new one!
This was the first time in the history of the Ministry of Works that a female official visited the Ministry. Of course, she entered the gate of the Ministry under the protection of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
The Ministry of Works of the Ming Dynasty was a department that suffered many disasters. Unlike Wu Lin, the Minister of War of the Ming Dynasty, who was a smart, slick and incorruptible "Nine-headed Bird" from Huanggang, Hubei, Wu Lin was a rare minister who was not liquidated or demoted by Emperor Hongwu, and worked until retirement.
However, the Minister of Works is a cursed position. Last year, in the 14th year of Hongwu, the Minister of Works Xue Xiang was beaten in public by the Hongwu Emperor for shielding his relative’s crime and was beaten to death by the Embroidered Uniform Guards!
The current Minister of Works is called Zhao Jun. Because his predecessor died such a tragic death, Zhao Jun felt his legs and feet inexplicably go weak and his heart beat fast when he saw the Feiyu uniforms and Embroidered Spring Swords of the Jinyiwei.
Zhao Jun invited Hu Shanwei to sit down and served tea. "May I ask what Hu Siyan wants to do?"
Hu Shanwei winked at Ji Gang and said, "Move it up here."
Ji Gang was carrying a frame containing bamboo baskets, and he swung his long legs and kicked it, breaking the wooden frame into pieces.
Hu Shanwei picked up the wooden tenon strips on the ground. In ancient times, furniture did not use nails. Most of the furniture was constructed with the tenon and mortise structure of wooden strips. "Lord Zhao, the tenon and mortise structure of the frame is not tight. There are many ladies in the silkworm room during the silkworm ceremony. It is easy for something to happen if they push and shove. I'm sorry I can't take it. Please ask the craftsmen to make a new one and send it to me. I will personally inspect it when the time comes."
The female official was beautiful, while the Jinyiwei were fierce and vicious. This female official was able to make the Jinyiwei run around in circles. The tragic death of the previous one made Lord Zhao afraid of the Jinyiwei. He said quickly: "It is right to redo it. It is the fault of the subordinates. It must be completed and sent over within three days."
Hu Shanwei said, "Then I'll trouble you, Lord Zhao. Goodbye."
This trick of using the power of a tiger to bully others is quite effective. Back at the palace, Hu Shanwei expressed his gratitude to Ji Gang. Ji Gang was a little embarrassed, "I pretended to be fierce today. Actually, I am not that fierce usually. I am the kindest among all the Jinyiwei."
When the Ministry of Industry sent the new frame, Yingtian Prefecture had just selected the silkworm mother Wang, a middle-aged widow, a folk silkworm expert, with a decent appearance and a gentle temperament.
Hu Shanwei prepared wine and invited the silkworm mother Wang to the banquet. Wang was neither humble nor arrogant, and allowed Haitang to serve her food and pour her wine. She answered every question Hu Shanwei asked, never hesitating.
"I am from Jiangxi... I followed my husband to Nanjing Jiangning County during the war. My husband died early and we had no children... I decided not to marry and raised silkworms for a living. Now I can live a decent life..."
Yingtian Prefecture selected silkworm mothers based on the principle of proximity, choosing from the eight counties under its jurisdiction, Shangyuan, Jiangning, Jurong, Liyang, Lishui, Gaochun, Jiangpu, and Liuhe. Each county recommended a silkworm breeding expert as a candidate, who was sent to the capital. The final choice was then made by the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, who designated a woman as the silkworm mother.
Since the silkworm mother plays an important role in the silkworm-raising ceremony and cannot make any mistakes, the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture has to consider not only her silkworm-raising skills but also her appearance, temperament, conversation, response, reaction ability, physical condition, etc. She must not show any weakness or be impolite in front of the Empress and the other ladies. If something goes wrong in the silkworm-raising ceremony, the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture will lose his official position.
Hu Shanwei was serious about his work. He personally checked the tools used for raising silkworms and the people involved in the matter. The female officials and palace maids in charge of guiding the ladies were all his own people, and he knew them well and had rich experience, so there was no need to worry about them. However, the silkworm mother came from outside, and Hu Shanwei was a little worried, so he set up a banquet to observe secretly.
After the banquet, the Silkworm Mother performed well. It seemed that the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture had a good eye. This person was up to standard and had passed multiple rounds of selection and investigation, so his background was clean.
Hu Shanwei felt relieved and began to teach the etiquette of kissing the silkworms and greeting the mother silkworms.
"You just need to lead ten silkworm women to raise silkworms these days, and I will take care of everything else. On the day of the Queen's silkworm ceremony, you only need to do two things."
Hu Shanwei led the mother silkworm to the silkworm room, "The Queen Mother and the ladies of state will go to the Mulberry Picking Platform to pick mulberry leaves. Song Shanggong from the Shanggong Bureau will deliver the mulberry leaves in the box to you. You will cut the mulberry leaves and distribute them to the Queen Mother and the ladies of state. They will use them to feed the silkworms. After feeding, a female official from the Shangyi Bureau will lead you outside and kowtow with the ladies of state. Your mission will be completed."
The silkworm woman said: "So, my tasks are only two, one is to cut mulberry leaves, the other is to kowtow."
As expected, he is a smart man. Hu Shanwei nodded, "Yes. After completing these two tasks, the Queen will hold a banquet on the Mulberry Picking Stage. The ladies of rank 2 and above will sit on the stage, and those below rank 3 and you will sit below the Mulberry Picking Stage to lead the banquet, drink and eat. There will be female musicians from the Jiaofang Department playing music, singing and dancing. After the meal, the Queen will return to the palace, and you can perform the four bows ceremony with the ladies of rank 3 and below."
The silkworm woman counted on her fingers, "Cut mulberry leaves, kowtow, sit down and drink, bow four times, and that's it. I'll remember it. Thank you Hu Sixian for your advice."
"That's it." Hu Shanwei said with a smile: "You should get familiar with the environment here first. Later, the palace servants will teach you how to kowtow and how to bow four times."
After Hu Shanwei left, the silkworm woman picked up a knife for cutting mulberry leaves on the table, suddenly put away her humble smile, and her eyes were as cold as ice!
The author has something to say: Sister Shanwei's first stop back at work has begun~
I’m giving away 100 red envelopes tonight, and there’s also a history question: In which dynasty did the silkworm ceremony originate
a Xia b Shang c Zhou d Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period