At the Marquis Xiping’s residence, with master Mu Ying leading his second son on the southern campaign, eldest son Mu Chun took his father’s place in the front courtyard entertaining male guests. At dusk, after seeing off his eldest sister, the guests gradually dispersed, but one person arrived “fashionably late”—Mao Qiang.
Mao Qiang and Mu Ying were both adopted sons of the Hongwu Emperor. Controlling the Jinyiwei, in the Hu Weiyong treason case two years ago, over a thousand officials had died by Mao Qiang’s hand, especially high officials who had marriage connections with the official families celebrating today.
Knowing his hands were too blood-stained to attend banquets properly, Mao Qiang only sent a generous gift without coming to drink celebration wine at the Marquis Xiping’s residence.
Mu Chun was seeing guests off at the front gate when he learned Mao Qiang had arrived. He quickly ordered a new table set specifically for Mao Qiang.
Mao Qiang waved his hand: “No need. I’m not here to feast today—I have other business with Young Master Mu.”
Mu Chun invited Mao Qiang to the study to talk.
Mao Qiang got straight to the point: “Shangong Cui and Shangyi Cui from the Bureau of Court Rites came to me saying that Siyan Hu came to the Marquis Xiping’s residence in Empress Mother’s name to bestow gifts. She left the palace this morning and should have returned this afternoon by all logic, but now the palace gates are about to close and there’s still no sign of Siyan Hu. Please ask the Marquis’s wife if Siyan Hu drank too much at the banquet and is resting at your residence. Wake her quickly—according to palace rules, without imperial decree, female officials cannot spend the night outside. I’ll escort her back to the palace.”
Sister Shanwei is sleeping at my house? Which room is she sleeping in? The bed, bedding, and pillows she used must not be touched! Tonight I’ll…
Mu Chun felt excited inside but maintained composure on the surface: “Commander Mao, please wait. I’ll go ask the lady immediately.”
By rights, Mu Chun should call Marquis Xiping’s wife Geng Shi “mother,” but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. He usually addressed Geng Shi as “the lady.”
Due to propriety between men and women, male guests were in the front courtyard while female guests were in the warm pavilion inside the second gate. The banquets were separate. Mu Chun replaced his father’s duties entertaining male guests in the front courtyard, while the rear courtyard inside the second gate was Geng Shi’s responsibility. Therefore, Mu Chun didn’t know about the rear courtyard affairs and needed to ask Geng Shi.
Having completed a long-prepared major event, Geng Shi had just seen off the female guests and caught her breath when she began reviewing the gift list for New Year visits. As the managing mistress, she always had endless tasks, but today her stepson came to find her for the first time.
Mu Chun explained his purpose.
Geng Shi was baffled: “No, impossible. Siyan Hu only drank three cups of wine at the banquet before taking her leave. Princess Zhou, Duchess Zhengguo, Duchess Songguo, and my mother, the Marchioness Changxing, who shared her table can all testify. I personally escorted Siyan Hu to the second gate and watched her board the transport carriage before returning to attend other guests. The etiquette was flawless.”
Hearing this, Mu Chun’s heart sank: Something must have happened!
Mu Chun quickly summoned Mao Qiang. The two listened as Geng Shi recounted everything from start to finish: how Hu Shanwei bestowed gifts, how she was invited to join the banquet, who was at the table, the seating arrangement, raising her cup for toasts, drinking three cups consecutively, when she took her leave, and so on.
Mao Qiang said: “This concerns palace secrets. Madam must keep this strictly confidential and not leak it.”
Mao Qiang was the secret police chief who had exterminated a chancellor’s entire family in one day, killing people like cutting grass. Geng Shi quickly said: “Commander Mao, rest assured, I won’t tell anyone.”
Though she said this outwardly, she secretly rejoiced inwardly. Geng Shi despised Hu Shanwei because at this year’s New Year’s Day grand assembly of noble ladies in the capital, she had been physically exhausted from busy New Year preparations and was forcibly arranged by Hu Shanwei to rest in a side hall, missing the opportunity to have audience with Empress Ma and attend the banquet.
Not only that, her mother, the Marchioness Changxing, was also implicated and forcibly arranged to rest by Hu Shanwei. Mother and daughter both missed the grand assembly and became laughingstocks.
Now the tables had turned. Hu Shanwei made us mother and daughter lose face at the palace banquet, and now she’s stumbled at my family banquet by mysteriously disappearing. Female officials cannot spend nights outside—let’s see how she handles this situation!
Mu Chun remained silent throughout. After Geng Shi finished, he asked: “Are you certain that Siyan Hu couldn’t handle her liquor at the time?”
Geng Shi searched her memory: “At that time, Siyan Hu’s cheeks were flushed, her legs somewhat unsteady. When boarding the carriage, she nearly fell stepping on the stool, fortunately the young palace maid beside her reacted quickly and caught her.”
Mu Chun asked again: “What wine was served at Siyan Hu’s table?”
Geng Shi said: “Same as the front courtyard—all Shaoxing Huadiao wine. Because of the cold weather, fearing it would harm the female guests’ stomachs, it was warmed with a small stove before serving to make it easier to drink.”
Mu Chun asked: “Who poured the wine?”
Geng Shi thought and said: “Mostly each family’s servants attended to their masters. The Marquis residence servants didn’t know guests’ preferences and only served food and wine. The young palace maid poured wine for Siyan Hu.”
After questioning Geng Shi, the two went to investigate the stables. Mu Chun said to Mao Qiang: “I know Hu Shanwei’s drinking capacity—how could she get drunk on three cups?”
Mao Qiang was also full of doubts: “Besides the driver and young palace maid, Hu Shanwei had eight Imperial Guards accompanying her. If enemies meant Hu Shanwei harm along the way, those eight guards weren’t just decoration. It’s the twelfth month now, the streets are so lively—if there was street fighting, the Five Districts Military Commission would have intervened long ago. How could there be no news at all?”
Street brawls were major incidents, but today the capital’s Five Districts Military Commission reported no such events. But how could eight strong Imperial Guards allow Hu Shanwei to be kidnapped without even sending a distress signal?
Mu Chun counted Hu Shanwei’s enemies on his fingers, sighing: “Sister Shanwei doesn’t hold high rank but has offended quite a few people. First is former Noble Consort Hu. The Hu family is completely dead, and I burned their private army to the ground, so it shouldn’t be the Hu family.
“Then there’s former Prince Qin? He’s still guarding the northwest frontier. His Majesty hasn’t easily restored his title, so his reach can’t extend to the capital. We can temporarily exclude Prince Qin.”
Hearing this, Mao Qiang snorted coldly: “If he could reach the capital, I’d immediately abdicate as Jinyiwei Commander.”
Mu Chun held up his third finger: “Shangong Cao despises Hu Shanwei, has disliked her since her first day in the palace. But Shangong Cao maintains clear distinctions between public and private matters and is the head of female officials. Hu Shanwei left the palace this time on Empress Mother’s business, bestowing gifts on my eldest sister. She wouldn’t sabotage Hu Shanwei while she’s working. She can be excluded.”
“Next is the Crown Prince.” Mu Chun held up his fourth finger. “Due to the ‘Filial Piety Record’ matter, the Crown Prince accused Hu Shanwei of being a sycophant. I believe Commander Mao has heard about this?”
Mao Qiang nodded: “However, the Crown Prince has always been benevolent. Though he dislikes Hu Shanwei, he’s even less likely to risk kidnapping a palace female official. This would damage the Crown Prince’s reputation. If it became a big issue, it would be the Crown Prince lacking virtue, which could very well become His Majesty’s excuse to depose the Crown Prince.”
Having grown up in the palace, Mu Chun had this much political awareness and felt Mao Qiang made sense: “If Hu Shanwei disappeared from the palace, it wouldn’t directly benefit the Crown Prince but would invite a heap of trouble. Not cost-effective. We can exclude the Crown Prince—ah! Could it be the Crown Prince’s political enemies? Kidnap Sister Shanwei, then frame the Crown Prince? After all, everyone knows the Crown Prince dislikes Sister Shanwei, this ‘sycophant.’ Commander Mao, I suggest investigating the perpetrator among the Crown Prince’s political enemies.”
Mao Qiang smiled ambiguously: “The Crown Prince’s political enemies? Don’t you know in your heart who hopes the Crown Prince will fall? Such words cannot be spoken carelessly. If they reach His Majesty’s ears, you’ll inevitably be charged with sowing discord among the imperial family and disrupting brotherly unity.”
Mu Chun shrank his neck: “You must not spread this around. I’m just anxious about Sister Shanwei’s safety and spoke without thinking. Anyway, whoever acted, being able to silently kidnap a palace female official in the capital must have inside and outside cooperation.”
Mu Chun said: “Please Commander Mao quickly investigate all the backgrounds of today’s accompanying personnel, especially that young palace maid. Sister Shanwei usually has such good drinking capacity—getting drunk on three cups means either the wine was problematic or the person was problematic. If the wine was problematic, my great aunts and second aunts at the banquet showed no abnormalities. Why did only Sister Shanwei get drunk?”
Not bad—Mu Chun had the makings of a Jinyiwei agent. Mao Qiang felt his reasoning was sound and ordered his subordinates to investigate each person’s background.
Imperial Guards underwent strict screening—basically their ancestors for eighteen generations were thoroughly investigated. Only young palace maid Haitang came from a family of official slaves, descendants of criminal officials.
Haitang’s family was involved in the Hu Weiyong treason case and nearly exterminated. Adult men and women in the family were all beheaded. Those under sixteen—males were exiled to frontier garrison duty, females were confiscated as official slaves.
Haitang’s brother was exiled to the northwest frontier. She had a sister selected by the Imperial Music Bureau to become a performer.
The northwest was beyond reach. The Jinyiwei went to the Imperial Music Bureau to find the sister. The music official said the sister’s performance as Zhao Wu Niang in “The Lute Song” greatly pleased Princess Huaiqing, who often invited her to the princess residence to perform “The Lute Song.” Later, due to Noble Consort Chengmu’s national mourning, all theatrical performances stopped. The sister became idle, but recently was summoned by Princess Huaiqing to the princess residence, reportedly to keep the princess company and relieve boredom. She has remained at the princess residence since then without returning to the Imperial Music Bureau.
Official slaves were of lowly status with no possibility of redemption unless granted imperial amnesty. Otherwise, they remained official slaves for generations, lacking freedom, forbidden to marry commoners or take imperial examinations. When a princess requested a mere official slave, the Imperial Music Bureau dared not refuse.
Hearing “Princess Huaiqing” and “The Lute Song,” Mu Chun and Mao Qiang thought: This is bad!
Mu Chun held up his fifth finger: “Damn it, how could I forget this connection? It must be that Princess Huaiqing learned about Sister Shanwei’s former marriage contract with Wang Ning. The jealous princess bribed young palace maid Haitang and kidnapped Sister Shanwei!”
The two mounted horses and rode to the princess residence to demand the person. Mao Qiang also sent Ji Gang to the Prince Consort residence to find Wang Ning.
Princesses and prince consorts didn’t live together. After marriage, the prince consort lived in his own residence—now the Earl Yongchun residence—while Princess Huaiqing lived in the princess residence. When the princess summoned the prince consort, he could only visit the princess residence upon invitation. If the prince consort wanted to see the princess without summons, he needed to send a card in advance explaining the reason and wait for the princess’s consent before entering the princess residence.
But the princess wasn’t at her residence. People at the princess residence said Princess Huaiqing missed her mother consort during pregnancy and had gone to the Zhongshan Hot Springs Palace.
Zhongshan had the Xiaoling Mausoleum, the future resting place of the Hongwu Emperor and Empress Ma. Princess Huaiqing’s mother consort, Noble Consort Chengmu Sun Shi, was buried adjacent to Xiaoling. From the traveling palace, visiting the noble consort’s grave was very convenient.
Ji Gang, who had gone to the Prince Consort residence, returned to report: “Wang Ning isn’t at the Prince Consort residence. Someone from the princess residence delivered a letter. After reading it, Wang Ning immediately mounted his horse and left. He hasn’t returned and his whereabouts are unknown.”
By now it was dark. Mu Chun and Mao Qiang left the city, heading toward Zhongshan Hot Springs Palace.