The Shangfang Sword is a common name, in fact it is called the Shangfang Sword. Strictly speaking, this sword is a ceremonial weapon, representing the owner's power to kill, be arbitrary, and act according to the actual situation. The scabbard is engraved with the word "Shangfang", and some are not even engraved with words. If it is engraved with the four words "Shangfang Sword", it is definitely a fake, and may be a worthless product.
This sword represents the power that belongs only to the monarch - only the monarch can kill his subjects without judicial trial.
The bestowal of the Shangfang Sword indicated the transfer of the imperial power over life and death.
Empress Ma asked for the Imperial Sword in order to take the initiative to clean up the mess and clearly express her opposition to Ma Ye's greed for merit, recklessness, and genocide.
Emperor Hongwu said: "Ma Ye is Zi Tong's closest nephew."
Empress Ma said: "The law is merciless. When the emperor's only nephew Zhu Wenzheng rebelled, you also ordered his death with tears."
Zhu Wenzheng, the only son of the elder brother of Emperor Hongwu, died of starvation when Fengyang was in famine. After Zhu Yuanzhang came to power, he returned the favor by raising his nephew Zhu Wenzheng as his own son and marrying him to the daughter of General Xie Zaixing. The elder daughter of the Xie family married Zhu Wenzheng, and the younger daughter married Xu Da, Duke of Wei, and gave birth to the Princess of Yan.
Zhu Wenzheng was a man of both military and literary talents. He performed brilliantly in the defense of Hongdu and became famous. However, he was accused of treason the following year...
Thinking of the past, even the great ruler Hongwu was stunned for a long time and sighed: "Are we destined to have a weaker bond as husband and wife?"
Hu Shanwei, standing by, secretly praised Empress Ma for her wit. Her answers to the questions were flawless, which neither appeared heartless nor made Emperor Hongwu empathize with her and understand her grievances and difficulties.
Empress Ma rarely spoke, so Emperor Hongwu awarded Hu Shanwei the Shangfang Sword.
After returning to Kunning Palace, Empress Ma personally wrote the list of gifts to be bestowed upon the Shuidong and Shuixi families and handed it to Concubine Cao, who was to prepare it within the same day.
Hu Shanwei handed the gift list to Cao Shanggong, who looked at it and said, "Did you get the wrong one? The palace has gold, silver, precious goods, agricultural books and calendars, but these seeds, agricultural tools, looms, etc. have to be bought outside the palace. Why are you giving these worthless things?"
Hu Shanwei said, "What the Queen meant is that gifts should be given to people that they like. These seeds and farm tools may not be valuable, but they are more practical than gold, silver, and silk. It is said that it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish."
Cao Shang Gong took the gift list and arranged for someone to go out of the palace to buy it. She said, "You are now a favorite of the Queen Mother. You are out there showing off your power with the imperial sword. I, the Shang Gong, have to run errands for you."
Hu Shanwei was used to Cao Shanggong's sharp tongue and normal heart, so he ignored Cao Shanggong's complaints and asked, "I will be in Guizhou for at least three months. Who will Cao Shanggong arrange to take my place as Si Yan?"
Cao Shang Gong thought for a moment, "The Shang Gong Bureau hasn't had an outstanding person for several years, and the Empress likes young people with straightforward personalities and outstanding writing skills, who can draft imperial edicts... I plan to find Cui Shang Yi and borrow Shen Qiong Lian, the female teacher of the Shang Yi Bureau."
Shen Qionglian is fifteen years old this year. She has grown into a graceful young lady. She is still talented and aloof. However, the position of Si Yan represents the majesty of the queen. Shen Qionglian's arrogance is actually an advantage. Palace Lady Cao has a good vision.
Hu Shanwei went to talk to Shen Qionglian and told her: "… The queen likes quietness, don't disturb her unless it's necessary. For some unimportant and troublesome matters, you can communicate with the female officials of the Sixth Bureau and the First Department, and handle them if you can, so that the queen will worry less. She has just recovered from a serious illness, and I am afraid that—"
"Okay, okay, I'll remember that." Shen Qionglian knew that Hu Shanwei had good intentions, and she was a little impatient. "Ask the Queen about major matters, make your own decisions on minor matters, and ask Cao Shanggong and Fan Gongzheng about minor matters."
Hu Shanwei added, "Also, you will often meet the emperor when you are acting as the Minister of Justice. You must be careful and think about every word you say at least ten times in your mind before you say it. Otherwise, even a hundred tongues will not be enough to cut."
Hu Shanwei was almost gouged out her eyes twice and was still frightened. She didn't want anything to happen to Shen Qionglian.
She was only fifteen years old. When she was fifteen, she only knew how to copy books. But Shen Qionglian had to take on the important responsibility of Si Yan at the age of fifteen.
Shen Qionglian: "I swear, I will try my best to keep my mouth shut in front of the emperor."
Hu Shanwei: "And..."
Shen Qionglian leaned on the table and said, "It's not over yet."
Hu Shanwei whispered, "In the case of the assassination of the Silkworm Mother, Mao Xiang hastily ended it as a case of the remnants of the King of Han. I have always suspected that there is a traitor in the palace who is against the Queen. Maybe the Silkworm Mother incident was too big, and they dare not take any action in a short time. The dispute over the imperial concubines is to set an example. Now that Concubine Guo Hui is out, there are still Concubine Li Shu, Concubine Li Xian, and Concubine Guo Ning. You must pay close attention to their movements and try not to let them come into contact with the Queen. The Queen has just recovered from a serious illness, her body is weak, and she is depressed. She can't be hit again."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qionglian sat up straight and nodded seriously, "I can save it."
Hu Shanwei: "And..."
Hu Shanwei chatted with Zhuge Qionglian for the whole afternoon, just like Liu Bei entrusting his son to Zhuge Qionglian.
At night, Hu Shanwei said goodbye to Empress Ma, "Empress Cao has prepared all the gifts. I have counted them myself. You can set off tomorrow."
Empress Ma was reading a history book, "Records of the Grand Historian: The Annals of Empress Dowager Lü". She put a bookmark in the book and took out "New Book of Tang: Volume 4" from the bookshelf. She turned to the fourth volume, the chapter about Wu Zetian, and marked it with a bookmark again. She handed the two books together to Hu Shanwei.
"When you get to Guizhou, ask Ma Ye to read these two articles. Tell him that the reason why I strictly restricted my family and prevented the emperor from conferring titles was not because I wanted to sacrifice the future of the Ma family to fulfill my reputation."
Hu Shanwei said: "Ma Ye would never dare to think like this." This is not just thinking, this is courting death.
Queen Ma shook her head, looking tired, and sat down and said, "After much thought, I think the reason why Ma Ye acted so extreme is probably because of fame and fortune. He was not like this before, otherwise I would never have allowed him to take charge of the military. Unfortunately, people change, and I was negligent and ignored his changes, which led to the current tense situation in Guizhou. Things have already happened, and it is useless for me to blame myself. I am thinking about how to solve this matter."
Empress Ma taught Hu Shanwei how to act: "When you go to Guizhou, you must use courtesy first and then force. Courtesy means to reason with Ma Ye and learn from history. In terms of the power of foreign relatives and the control of the country, Empress Dowager Lu's family, the Lu family, and Empress Wu Zetian's family, the Wu family, were the most prominent. But what was the final fate of the Lu family and the Wu family? The family was wiped out, the country was weak, and the people were living in misery. This is one of them."
"Secondly, the royal family has many powerful relatives. Concubine Guo Ning has two brothers who are marquises, and the eldest brother is in charge of the imperial guards. The princesses of several married princes are all from wealthy and noble families, either dukes or marquises. Why can't our Ma family even have the title of Cheng Enbo? Because I don't have a legitimate son."
Empress Ma spoke out her concerns for the first time, "Concubine Guo Ning has a son, Prince Lu, and the husbands of the princes' wives are all surnamed Zhu, and are of Zhu's bloodline. To put it bluntly, even if the throne is shaken, the people sitting on the dragon throne are all members of the Zhu family. The emperor will be more tolerant of them. But what about the Ma family? If the Ma family becomes powerful, the country will have to change its name and surname and owner. With the emperor's temper, how can he tolerate it?"
Every word was like thunder, and Hu Shanwei was shocked. "The emperor doesn't trust the queen to this extent."
Empress Ma felt relieved when she spoke her true feelings. She smiled and said, "You have never been married and have no experience of marriage. It is difficult for you to understand the true relationship between husband and wife. This is the truth about the closest and most distant husband and wife. Moreover, the emperor is the king and I am his subject. Only by preventing problems from happening, constantly reflecting on myself and keeping calm can we protect ourselves. Don't put your hopes on the emperor's kindness and tolerance."
No one knew her husband better than Queen Ma.
"You should talk to Ma Ye about reason first. If he is still the sensible person he used to be, he will definitely obey my order and return to the capital in chains. As long as he doesn't commit a serious mistake, he still has a chance to survive."
"If Ma Ye is stubborn and insists on doing what he wants," Empress Ma's eyes turned cold, "you will clean up the mess for me."
Hu Shanwei's heart trembled, "I will definitely live up to the Queen's trust."
The next day, Hu Shanwei and Liu Shuzhen set out south together, first taking the water route. As the situation was tense and they were worried that Ma Ye would see through Liu Shuzhen's empty city plan, they sat on a large official ship disguised as a merchant ship. The imperial gifts were wrapped in merchant labels and passed off as cargo. There were two groups of sailors on the ship, taking shifts day and night.
It was still Ji Gang and the disguised Jinyiwei who provided escort.
In order to successfully complete the task, Hu Shanwei learned Yi language and writing from Liu Shuzhen on the boat. Liu Shuzhen picked up a pen and wrote a line of words, which made Hu Shanwei dizzy, "This... I'd better learn daily language."
From getting started to giving up, it only takes a short time like a cup of tea.
Liu Shuzhen smiled. "Our writing is too complicated. Only the nobles have the energy to learn it. Ordinary people don't know their own writing, let alone the writing of the Central Plains. That's why they have been in a state of ignorance for thousands of years. Without literacy, it's difficult to educate people. Madam Shexiang and I plan to reform the Yi language to make it simple and easy to understand. It's not difficult for ordinary people to learn it. If we continue to promote it, more people will be able to read and write, and our culture can be passed down from generation to generation. If we rely on just a few nobles, it might become extinct one day."
Hu Shanwei was amazed: "Change the characters? Can characters be changed randomly?"
"Of course." Liu Shuzhen said, "Your writing has been changing for thousands of years, becoming simpler and easier to write and recognize, so your culture will spread far and wide, and there is no need to worry about extinction. She Xiang and I are from the east and west, respectively, and we are in charge of Guizhou. We hit it off right away and have many of the same ideas. We should make changes together and implement them from top to bottom. The new writing will replace the old writing. This is also civilization."
In the past, Hu Shanwei met female officials such as Fan Gongzheng and Shen Qionglian, and saw the most outstanding women in the Ming Dynasty. He felt that he was a frog in a well. Then he met court women like the Princess of Yan and Empress Ma who were good at strategizing. Now he knows far-sighted politicians like Liu Shuzhen and Madam Shexiang, who have the courage to change the writing and educate the people.
To be honest, they started doing things that Hu Shanwei would never have dared to think about.
Hu Shanwei feels extremely lucky to be able to know them.
Hu Shanwei gave up learning the complicated Yi language and waited until Liu Shuzhen and Madam Shexiang simplified the characters before learning. She used the most primitive method to learn spoken language, using Chinese characters to annotate the pronunciation, and learned to listen to and speak the common expressions of the Yi people. Excellent people work so hard, so why shouldn't I work hard
More than 20 days later, when they arrived in Guizhou, Hu Shanwei's Chinese phonetic notes had piled up as high as her forehead. She mastered basic listening and speaking and communicated with Liu Shuzhen in Yi language.
The author has something to say: Let me correct everyone's pronunciation: Ma Ye (Ye), not Ma Bi, it's impossible for a name to sound like an insult.
Just like Liu Ye, you can't call him Liu Bi, one is the actor who comes with melon seeds, and the other is a 200-pound movie star on B station.
Congratulations to reader x for receiving 100 red envelopes. It was Yuan Chonghuan who killed Mao Wenlong with the imperial sword.
№3 Netizen: x Comment: "Hu Shanwei" Score: 2 Published: 2019-01-27 21:19:38 Reviewed chapter: 97
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