Why did Emperor Yongle suddenly decide to summon Hu Shanwei back while walking on East Long Street at midnight?
Because he saw the iron tablet on East Long Street: “Eunuchs shall not interfere in government affairs. Those who do shall be executed.”
This was a new iron tablet, recast in the thirty-first year of Hongwu when Hu Shanwei created it for “rumor-mongering” purposes.
Hu Shanwei used the rear palace’s ground subsidence and continuous rain, claiming the tablet’s waterlogged foundation was unstable and toppling. Though it could have been rescued, she ordered trusted subordinates to swing sledgehammers, causing the precarious foundation to immediately collapse into a bottomless pit, burying the iron tablet.
Outside the palace, Ji Gang cast an identical iron tablet, secretly placing it at Prince Xiang’s mansion, whose entire family had died resisting Li Jinglong’s false accusations of counterfeiting currency. The iron tablet incident caused widespread discussion inside and outside the court, saying Emperor Jianwen had barely ascended the throne before reducing feudal power and forcing his uncles to death, violating ancestral law. This caused Emperor Gaozhu’s coffin lid to burst open, and the collapsed tablet appearing thousands of miles away at Prince Xiang’s ruins was Emperor Gaozhu displaying divine power, warning Emperor Jianwen not to listen to slander and massacre his uncles.
Since reducing feudal power was suggested by chief ministers Huang Zicheng and Fang Xiaoru, Emperor Yongle later used “purging treacherous ministers” as excuse to fire the first shot of the Jingnan Campaign.
This incident demonstrated Hu Shanwei’s control over the rear palace. When Emperor Jianwen invited her back to the palace, restoring her Palace Lady position to assist Empress Little Ma in managing the rear palace, upon her return, the troublesome Empress Dowager Lü immediately became docile. With Hu Shanwei’s slight manipulations, Empress Dowager Lü trusted her completely…
Having such a person in the rear palace was like having a mountain-guarding deity. With her managing the rear palace, Empress Little Ma seemed dispensable.
Since having or not having an empress makes no difference, I need not establish a new one.
Empress Xu sacrificed too much for the Yongle reign.
Her health, her respected elder brother and beloved younger brother, her natal Duke Weiguo’s title being stripped, and during the Jingnan Campaign, the anguish each time Yan forces fought her brother Xu Huizu. The four years of Jingnan subjected Empress Xu to both physical and spiritual torture while she had to conceal everything, holding down the rear.
My empress, besides you, who else is worthy to stand alongside me?
Beyond emotional reasons for not wanting any woman to replace Empress Xu, Emperor Yongle also feared internal imperial struggles.
Establishing a new empress would create countless new conflicts.
First, the new empress would have family backing and power allies, forming factions in court, disrupting government.
Second, if the new empress bore a prince, he’d be legitimate heir. Emperor Yongle already had three adult sons with Empress Xu—no worry about young brothers. But Emperor Yongle was in his prime, could live long enough to see the new empress’s son reach adulthood, then… aging emperor, energetic new empress, adult youngest son, powerful original sons in court—a complete battlefield.
Historical records showed such palace situations always ended in deadly struggles and fraternal slaughter, without exception. Emperor Yongle didn’t want to repeat this.
Additionally, the rear palace concubines… almost every concubine was taken for political reasons. Plus Emperor Yongle wasn’t lustful, so none had ever conceived. Still, their backing value couldn’t be underestimated, involving Emperor Yongle’s plans for Ming’s future direction—none could be elevated.
So a new empress must come from outside, but how could a teenage girl understand Emperor Yongle’s rear palace arrangements?
Emperor Yongle thus abandoned establishing a new empress. Without an empress but needing someone to control the rear palace—who had this capability?
If there were someone…
Seeing the East Long Street iron tablet, Emperor Yongle immediately thought of Hu Shanwei’s past “glorious achievements”—capable of controlling the rear palace according to his wishes, with both ability and qualifications, effective with or without an empress. Who else but her?
Emperor Yongle ordered Eunuch Sanbao to invite her. Eunuch Sanbao had friendship with Hu Shanwei since youth, sharing hardships. He knew her clean withdrawal wasn’t easy. Twice going to Yunnan to fetch people, he could see Hu Shanwei was very satisfied with retired life—probably unwilling to return to the palace.
Eunuch Sanbao tentatively advised: “Mu Chun already deployed with troops to Annan. Only Palace Lady Hu and daughter at home, daughter A’Lei only nine—Palace Lady Hu probably can’t bear separation.”
Meaning flesh-and-blood separation—even entering the palace, Palace Lady Hu couldn’t work peacefully. Even you Your Majesty know you can’t find the children a stepmother, much less this mother.
Emperor Yongle waved grandly: “That’s easy. Have Hu Shanwei and daughter return to the capital together. The little girl can be raised in the palace—I’ll give her princess treatment.”
Eunuch Sanbao persisted: “When Mu Chun returns from campaign and can’t see wife and daughter—what then?”
Long-term separation would leave Palace Lady Hu with no heart for work.
A eunuch contradicting the emperor twice was absolutely impossible in Hongwu or Jianwen reigns—heads would have rolled long ago.
But starting from Yongle’s reign, Emperor Hongwu’s attitude toward eunuchs transformed. Prince Yan’s mansion had a group of shrewd, capable eunuchs understanding practical affairs, working in diplomacy, hydraulics, even warfare, all achieving results.
Eunuch Sanbao gained Emperor Yongle’s trust through Dao Yan Chan Master’s recommendation, then during Jingnan, fought bravely in battle. When Emperor Yongle led eighty thousand Yan troops to rescue endangered Beiping, fighting Li Jinglong’s five hundred thousand southern troops at Zhengcunba, he earned great merit. So Emperor Yongle granted Ma Sanbao the surname “Zheng,” naming him “Zheng He” to commemorate this great victory, showing trust in Eunuch Sanbao.
This showed Emperor Yongle liked using capable people who helped him, not servile mediocrities who only knew how to nod agreement. So Eunuch Sanbao dared contradict Emperor Yongle’s orders twice, trying not to drag the hard-won peaceful Hu Shanwei back in.
Emperor Yongle said: “When the Annan campaign ends, Mu Chun will come to the capital. I have important tasks for him. I’m thirsting for talented people now. The Mu Chun-Palace Lady Hu couple are both in their forties, in their prime—the best time for careers. Retiring to mountains and forests, using their talents to grow a few acres of chrysanthemums is too wasteful.”
Mentioning the Annan campaign, Emperor Yongle’s fury flared under the water-cold night: “I already decreed they must pacify Annan before February. Time’s up but no victory reports yet. My first military deployment since taking the throne is so troubled… I won’t sleep tonight. Summon ministers for emergency council on how to quickly take Annan.”
Eunuch Sanbao said: “In the middle of night with palace gates closed, need Your Majesty’s personal letter to get keys from the Key-Keeping Female Official to open gates—by the time procedures finish, nearly fourth watch, ministers ready for morning court anyway, not much faster. However, currently Wenyuan Pavilion scholars are on duty in the palace—perhaps summon them to discuss first?”
Wenyuan Pavilion was a secretarial institution within the imperial palace established from Yongle’s reign—the only institution allowed to lodge in the palace for night work.
The main reason was that during Jianwen’s reign, Emperor Jianwen blindly worshipped Jiangnan great scholars, literary celebrities, Ming’s first public intellectual Fang Xiaoru, listening only to him. Trusting public intellectuals, becoming foolish, losing the empire.
Emperor Yongle monopolized power, extremely busy, urgently needing his own secretarial team to process mountains of documents, initially categorize and screen memorials, and draft various replies according to imperial opinions.
Learning from his nephew’s lesson, except for Dao Yan Chan Master Yao Guangxiao who earned first merit in Jingnan, Emperor Yongle no longer employed non-examination-background scholars for civilian work, especially Wenyuan Pavilion. He established five to seven Grand Secretaries at once, pooling wisdom to avoid favoritism.
So Emperor Yongle selected Grand Secretaries with excellent writing and real learning from Hanlin Academy to form his personal secretarial team—all legitimate examination graduates who earned jinshi degrees on merit, then remained at Hanlin Academy for scholarship.
Initially some officials objected, saying Emperor Yongle only valued examination scores, ignoring real talent and moral character—too extreme.
Emperor Yongle retorted: “My rear palace female officials managing food and daily life all entered through competitive examinations. If my right-hand men can’t even pass examinations, how can they serve me in the palace?”
Emperor Yongle made the final decision: Wenyuan Pavilion Grand Secretaries must be jinshi graduates, preferably Hanlin-selected. Couldn’t have another country-ruining Fang Xiaoru.
From then on, Ming civil servants, male and female, had to pass examinations first.
Current Wenyuan Pavilion Grand Secretaries were seven young scholars: Xie Jin, Hu Guang, Yang Rong, Yang Shiqi, and others, with shallow governing experience.
Emperor Yongle thought: mosquito legs are still meat. Since unable to sleep due to the empress’s illness and Annan’s war situation, might as well ask their thoughts, having some basis when discussing with ministers at fourth-watch court.
Emperor Yongle said: “Have them discuss in the study.”
Eunuch Sanbao acknowledged: “This servant will go to Wenyuan Pavilion for the Grand Secretaries.”
Emperor Yongle was in a bad mood tonight. Hearing “Wen” (literary), he associated it with the defeated Emperor Jianwen who lost his empire, saying sternly: “Don’t say that character anymore—too flowery. Since it’s an internal palace official institution, just call it Inner Cabinet.”
Right—within the imperial palace, besides Wenyuan Pavilion, no other departmental officials were on duty. Inner Cabinet was Wenyuan Pavilion. This name spread widely, Wenyuan Pavilion Grand Secretaries becoming Inner Cabinet Grand Secretaries—simple and clear.
Emperor Yongle held all-night meetings. Eunuch Sanbao rushed to Yunnan at dawn when palace gates opened to invite Hu Shanwei out of retirement. Far away in Annan, Mu Chun was fighting a elephant battle unit at Fuliang River.
Annan was much harder to conquer than expected. What was supposed to be a three-month war continued with bitter fighting.
Mu Chun had fought Luchuan multiple times, familiar with fully-armed elephant units.
With the most experience, this southern campaign’s Grand Marshal and Expedition General Zhu Neng assigned him specifically to attack enemy elephant armored units.
Mu Chun commanded decisively:
“Musketeers, aim for elephant eyes! That’s their only weakness—shooting everywhere else randomly is useless!”
“Archers, only shoot elephant riders on backs. One elephant rider earns ten taels reward silver. Shoot ten and you’ll have enough money to buy a house and marry a fat wife! No money means marrying an ugly pockmarked woman.”
“Divine Engine Battalion, where are your damn gunpowder factory’s new Portuguese cannons? Push them out!”
“See those warships by the river? Must be Hu Jili’s escape boats. Aim there and blast the hell out of them!”
Boom!
A great flower bloomed mid-river, water splashing everywhere, fish and shrimp cooked flesh and all. A golden carp performed a “carp jumping dragon gate,” landing on Mu Chun’s helmet with innocent big mouth, smoking black, gazing at stars at forty-five degrees.
Mu Chun threw off the fish from his head, hands on hips cursing:
“Where are you bombing? Where are you bombing! You damn well keep bombing mid-river—haven’t eaten fish in eight generations? Come here, I’ll personally blast the hell out of them, see how I deal with these bastards…”
Less than ten years later, Mu Chun had transformed from walking Wu region elegant songs to walking profanity basket, increasingly crude.
Fifth year of Yongle, third month, the great battle at Fuliang River—the southern campaign army won decisive victory, killing tens of thousands including Annan general Hu She. “The river ran red,” elephant and human corpses even blocked the great river.
Since retreating ships were blasted by Mu Chun, Annan King Hu Jili escaped by small boat, but the Hu dynasty’s main forces were completely routed—victory was at hand.
Fifth month, eleventh day, Mu Sheng and General Zhang Fu pursued Hu Jili to Nanzhou Qiluo Harbor. When trees fall, people push; when drums break, people beat them. Local Annan official Wu Ruqing captured all Hu family nephews and sons, binding them for delivery to Ming army camps. Thus Ming forces swept clean Annan.
Victory reports arrived, but Emperor Yongle still didn’t dare relax, ordering restoration of Annan’s ancient name—Jiaozhi. He ordered Mu Sheng and Zhang Fu to remain in Ming’s newly expanded territory, establishing Provincial Administrative Commission, Provincial Surveillance Commission, and Regional Military Commission according to Ming regional planning to govern Jiaozhi, further subdividing territory into prefectures, departments, and counties with Ming officials governing Jiaozhi.
Mu Sheng arranged everything, finally ordering Mu Chun to escort the Hu father and son to the capital for judgment.
Mu Chun immediately refused: “Sweeping Annan, capturing Hu Jili alive—my mission is accomplished. I only want to go home now, staying with wife and child.”
Mu Sheng looked sympathetically at his elder brother: “I know elder brother is homesick, so I arranged this task for you—sister-in-law and A’Lei were taken to the capital by Eunuch Sanbao in April. Now it’s May, they should have arrived. Perfect for elder brother’s long journey to reunite with wife and daughter.”
Hearing this, Mu Chun was speechless. He walked from the tent and began prairie dog-like howling at the moon: “Ahhhh!”
The capital, imperial palace.
Since entering May, Empress Xu’s condition worsened. Everyone knew Empress Xu couldn’t last much longer.
Hu Shanwei brought daughter A’Lei packaged together to the capital but refused entering the palace, telling Eunuch Sanbao: “I want to go to Xiaoling to burn incense for Empress Xiaoci.”
Imperial commands were hard to disobey, but she couldn’t just enter the palace. She wanted to establish ground rules with Emperor Yongle first. If he wanted her to contribute remaining energy for the Zhu family, she had conditions.
Xiaoling was her home ground—several major life turning points happened here. Making demands of the emperor in this place gave her some confidence.