Upon hearing this, Hu Shanwei became even more frightened: This must be something that could cost me my head. I’d rather she just mock me again.
Hu Shanwei smiled falsely, “Director Cao, please don’t make fun of me. All I know now is raising deer and feeding peacocks, dusting Empress Xiaoci’s memorial tablet daily. I’m willing but unable to help Director Cao with anything.”
But Director Cao replied, “What you need to do is very simple—just maintain your usual style of opposing me.”
Hu Shanwei thought to herself: I oppose you? You’re clearly the one always picking fights.
Director Cao explained today’s falling-out with Consort Guo Ning over releasing palace personnel. “Consort Guo Ning relies on her powerful family background and doesn’t take me seriously. If I let a mere consort trample me underfoot, what face would I have left as palace director? Naturally I confronted her directly. Seeing that force doesn’t work, Consort Guo Ning will probably try gentler methods next, inevitably using high positions to entice some people who usually don’t get along with me, cultivating them to deal with me. Who in the palace dares openly confront me? Counting them all, you’re the first. My coming to the Xiaoling Mausoleum to cry to Empress Xiaoci will probably make Consort Guo Ning think of ways to bring you back to the palace as her right hand, specifically to deal with me.”
Director Cao’s meaning was for Hu Shanwei to pretend to oppose her and lurk beside Consort Guo Ning as an informant. Having become palace director at thirty-three and head of all female officials, her scheming and strategy lay hidden beneath a shallow, impetuous exterior, deceiving many people.
Hu Shanwei’s expression became somewhat vacant, showing no reaction to Director Cao’s proposal.
Because at this moment, Hu Shanwei’s mind was struck by lightning: Consort Guo Ning isn’t someone who loses composure like this!
The assassin Silkworm Mother, Censor Liu Hai, Advisor Cheng Pengju, and Noble Consort Li’s death—all were carefully orchestrated schemes that, even if they failed, left no traceable clues. The mastermind behind them must be someone with great power, meticulous attention to detail, and extreme patience.
Yet Consort Guo Ning had just taken power and was already using the method of releasing palace personnel to eliminate dissidents, even falling out with palace director Director Cao.
Never mind that Consort Guo Ning hadn’t even been enfeoffed as noble consort—even if she became the next empress, having just gained power with an unstable foundation, to immediately fall out with Director Cao, whom Empress Xiaoci had trusted most during her lifetime—such impulsive, short-sighted, impatient behavior completely contradicted the meticulous style of the mastermind Hu Shanwei had deduced.
Could I have guessed wrong? Is Consort Guo Ning not the mastermind at all?
Or is Consort Guo Ning just an incompetent puppet, with a formidable “strategist” operating behind her?
Or is this falling-out with Director Cao just an act? Is Consort Guo Ning concealing her intelligence, wanting to use this to declare her innocence…?
Having just found a target only to potentially lose it again, thousands of thoughts surged through Hu Shanwei’s mind, leaving her completely confused.
Seeing her vacant expression, looking as if her spirit had wandered thousands of miles away, Director Cao thought she was trying to decline and said, “I know this is a thankless task with high risks. But you could also use Consort Guo Ning’s influence to return to palace service early. As they say, when someone leaves, the tea grows cold. If you really spend three years feeding deer at the Xiaoling Mausoleum, after three years, whether you can even return to the palace to continue as a female official is questionable.”
Hu Shanwei came back to her senses and said, “Spending three years at the Xiaoling Mausoleum was Empress Xiaoci’s dying wish. Even if Consort Guo Ning truly values me and wants to invite me back to the palace to oppose Director Cao, His Majesty might not agree.”
Director Cao thought for a moment and said, “This doesn’t really count as a dying wish. When you brought back the green phoenix that Madam Mingde sent, Empress Xiaoci was very pleased and casually mentioned wanting you to come to the Xiaoling Mausoleum to feed deer and phoenixes. Was she really requiring a full three years? Even the crown prince’s mourning for Empress Xiaoci in rough hemp only lasted twenty-seven months before removing the mourning clothes. Who are you to observe thirty-six months of mourning? Even if you’re willing, it wouldn’t be proper according to ritual law.”
Ancient ritual law emphasized kinship and clan hierarchy. The closer the blood relationship, the longer the mourning period. You wouldn’t even have the qualifications to observe extended mourning. For example, among the imperial grandsons, only the legitimate eldest grandson Zhu Xiongying was qualified to observe the same twenty-seven months of mourning as the crown prince. But Zhu Xiongying died on the first day of the fifth month in the fifteenth year of Hongwu, and three months after his death, Empress Xiaoci passed away. The eldest of the imperial grandsons was now the concubine-born Zhu Yunwen, but being of concubine birth, he wasn’t qualified to observe full mourning for Empress Xiaoci.
Actually, Hu Shanwei also wanted to return to the palace. She was even more eager than Director Cao to get close to Consort Guo Ning and investigate the truth. Was Consort Guo Ning a culprit deliberately showing weakness, or was the real murderer someone else entirely?
Therefore, Hu Shanwei pretended to be reluctant and nodded in agreement. “I agree to help you, but Consort Guo Ning might not think highly of me, and His Majesty might not be willing to let me leave. I suggest Director Cao seek other capable people and not put all your hopes on me alone.”
Director Cao was drinking tea when she heard this. With a “snap,” she violently smashed both tea and cup onto the floor. “Ungrateful wretch! A phoenix fallen to earth is worse than a chicken. Why don’t you look in the mirror and see if you’re qualified to bargain with me?”
The change came too suddenly, leaving Hu Shanwei stunned.
Director Cao blinked her eyes and shouted loudly, “I went to pay respects at Empress Xiaoci’s memorial tablet today and saw dust on it. You must have been slacking off!”
Hu Shanwei knew Director Cao had entered character and quickly said, “I wouldn’t dare slack off. Every morning after feeding the deer, I go dust the memorial tablet, rain or shine.”
“You still dare argue?” Director Cao grabbed Hu Shanwei’s wrist. “Today you won’t give up until you see the Yellow River!”
Director Cao dragged her from the side hall to the main hall where Empress Xiaoci’s memorial tablet was placed, grabbed a handful of incense ash and scattered it on the altar table. “Hu Shanwei, won’t you admit to slacking off? Look what’s on here! I’ll supervise you right here today—even if you have to lick it, you’ll clean this spotless for me.”
In the end, Hu Shanwei saw off the domineering Director Cao with red-rimmed eyes, angry but not daring to speak.
While the Xiaoling Mausoleum staged this drama of Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai—one willing to beat, one willing to be beaten—waiting for Consort Guo Ning to take the bait, Consort Guo Ning was complaining to the Hongwu Emperor.
Consort Guo Ning wept like rain on pear blossoms: “Thanks to Your Majesty’s trust in commanding this concubine to manage the harem, this concubine thought she must not disappoint Your Majesty and would certainly manage the harem properly, leaving Your Majesty without worries. Previously, Empress Xiaoci managed everything in the palace, handling all matters perfectly, caring for this concubine meticulously. This concubine lived comfortably and happily in the harem, only needing to pay respects at Kunning Palace daily. This concubine dares not hope to emulate Empress Xiaoci, only hoping to learn one or two parts of her methods. But this concubine is slow-witted. Having just started, I’ve already offended Director Cao, making the palace director so angry she went to cry to Empress Xiaoci at the Xiaoling Mausoleum. This concubine has come specifically to confess my faults.”
Empress Xiaoci had been virtuous, and the Hongwu Emperor, busy with myriad daily affairs, never had to worry about harem matters. Now with trouble in the rear court, he missed Empress Xiaoci’s virtues even more, realizing how important a capable wife had been.
The Hongwu Emperor comforted Consort Guo Ning: “Director Cao had deep feelings for the empress. She’s straightforward by nature—sometimes even daring to argue with my words. With the harem suddenly having a new person in charge, it’s normal for her to have difficulty adjusting. However, Director Cao is capable of handling affairs. She’s been palace director for five years without ever making major mistakes. Just consult her more often. Given time, your relationship will gradually become harmonious.”
Consort Guo Ning was stunned: She hadn’t expected the Hongwu Emperor to immediately tell her to endure Director Cao! The Hongwu Emperor’s understanding of and trust in Director Cao actually exceeded her own.
Having endured to reach today, Consort Guo Ning was intelligent. She quickly changed her attitude, saying obediently and compliantly, “Yes, this concubine was too impatient. When Director Cao returns, this concubine will certainly apologize to her.”
Consort Guo Ning came from noble birth, had borne children, and the entire Guo family consisted of important ministers and generals of the Great Ming, having shed blood on battlefields with merit from following the dragon. The Hongwu Emperor still held hope for this newcomer Consort Guo Ning, patiently explaining:
“The Six Bureaus and One Department were established through discussion between the empress and me, with implementation by the Ministry of Rites. For fifteen years, the Six Bureaus and One Department have served as the empress’s right and left arms, helping reduce her burden and managing the complex harem affairs in perfect order. These female officials were carefully selected from thousands, outstanding in both character and learning. I even entrusted the imperial seal and stamps to the female officials of the Bureau of Seals for safekeeping—unprecedented in all previous dynasties. Now that you control harem authority, it’s like me holding court and governing—you must be close to worthy ministers and distant from petty people.”
The more Consort Guo Ning listened, the more alarmed she became. She had erred—she shouldn’t have treated female officials like high-class servants. Female officials were first “officials,” then women.
The Hongwu Emperor used female officials to check eunuchs, entrusting them with the imperial seal. Female officials were not only the empress’s people but also the emperor’s people. In terms of character, His Majesty would rather trust female officials than eunuchs.
I was too hasty. To make the Six Bureaus and One Department serve me, I first need to establish myself in the harem using gentle methods, first understanding the inner workings before acting.
While the Hongwu Emperor comforted his beloved consort verbally, his heart kept thinking of Empress Xiaoci. If his wife were still alive, why would he need to worry about trivial harem matters?
The Hongwu Emperor missed Empress Xiaoci. Since Consort Guo Ning had mentioned Director Cao going to the Xiaoling Mausoleum to cry to the empress, he instructed Mao Qiang, “I want to go to the Xiaoling Mausoleum to accompany the empress, staying there tonight. If I’m lucky, perhaps I can dream of my empress.”
The Hongwu Emperor left the palace in simple dress without great fanfare, ceremonial guards, or elaborate processions. When the imperial carriage reached the Xiaoling Mausoleum, they suddenly heard drum-like sounds echoing from the mountain forest, making even the ground shake.
Looking out the carriage window, the Hongwu Emperor saw one person on horseback—white clothes, black horse—galloping from the mountain forest with two bamboo baskets on the horse’s back. The white-clothed rider occasionally took something from the baskets and threw it behind.
Spotted deer chased after, competing for what was thrown from the baskets. The white-clothed person rode unhurriedly, throwing things while moving, deliberately leading the deer herd in circles around the mountain forest.
Just as the white-clothed rider seemed about to crash into the imperial carriage with the deer herd, Mao Qiang spurred his horse forward with drawn sword, blocking the path. “Stop!”
The white-clothed person was Hu Shanwei in plain mourning clothes. In the twilight, her face wasn’t clear, but she recognized Mao Qiang’s voice and knew the seemingly ordinary carriage carried someone important. She quickly turned her horse’s head, pulled several cornmeal cakes from the basket and threw them into the pursuing deer herd. “Come chase me! The delicious food is here! Whoever catches up gets it!”
The deer herd, with their spotted antlers, chased after Hu Shanwei.
Seeing this, the Hongwu Emperor angrily stroked his beard and glared: “Her reckless behavior—won’t this exhaust Empress Xiaoci’s deer!”
The Hongwu Emperor had released a total of two thousand deer.
Every time the Hongwu Emperor visited, the area was cleared, so he never saw this type of deer feeding. But Mao Qiang knew about it and quickly explained on Hu Shanwei’s behalf: “The Xiaoling Mausoleum deer are fed according to military horse stable rations—hay and various cakes. With limited range for activity, they all got fat and were prone to illness. The animal trainer taught Hu Shanwei this method of feeding deer, forcing the herd to be active so they could stay healthy through winter.”
After hearing this, the Hongwu Emperor said nothing more. Just as Mao Qiang finished speaking, they heard flute music—broken and not forming a melody—and saw a pair of green phoenixes fly out from the mountain forest.
Hu Shanwei stood at a grass nest built by the southern pond, playing the flute to call the green phoenixes home to roost.