The silkworm mother was extremely skilled. Silkworm babies the size of ants hatched one by one, their task simply to eat, eat, eat. The newly hatched silkworms couldn’t yet gnaw mulberry leaves, so the silkworm mother led ten silkworm women to cut the mulberry leaves fine for feeding. After four or five days, the silkworm babies seemed stuffed and couldn’t eat anymore.
Hu Shanwei, formerly a copyist who had never raised silkworms, saw the silkworm babies motionless and thought they were sick. The silkworm mother explained, “Silkworms eat continuously day and night for four or five days, growing rapidly. When their original shells no longer fit, they must hibernate and shed their shells to grow new ones.”
Hu Shanwei immediately understood. Silkworm babies shedding shells was like people getting promoted—after a period of time, as people grew and transformed, their original positions no longer suited them, so they changed positions, similar to silkworm babies changing to new shells to continue growing.
The silkworm mother and silkworm women took turns living in the silkworm house on duty around the clock, adding fresh mulberry leaves and caring for them attentively. When the silkworm babies had shed their shells three times, losing their fuzzy black appearance and gradually growing fat and white, the Sericulture Ceremony began.
Unlike the rear palace grand assembly, for the Sericulture Ceremony, the noble wives inside and outside the court first arrived at the eastern suburb sericulture platform, arranged in order according to their internal/external status and rank.
Married princesses, prince consorts and other internal noble wives were at the front. Among the princesses, except for Princess Huaiqing who was pregnant, the other five princesses all came. Last year Prince Yan’s consort had already followed Prince Yan to his fief in Beiping. Currently the eldest prince consort in the capital was Prince Zhou’s consort Feng Shi, with Prince Chu’s consort standing beside her.
This group of internal noble wives was guided by female official Jiang Quan. The Sericulture Ceremony was a major ritual, and the Court Ritual Bureau’s female officials were insufficient, so Cui Shangyi requested Jiang Quan from the Palace Seal Bureau to help. Jiang Quan was now the seal-keeping female official, managing various imperial seals of the emperor and empress, a trusted female official of the imperial couple. Cui Shangyi knew how to use talent—using Jiang Quan to guide this group of noble internal wives was most appropriate.
Prince Chu’s consort was telling Jiang Quan amusing stories about the little princess. Jiang Quan laughed, “The consort hasn’t entered the palace for several days. The little princess can now speak, calling Consort Li ‘mother consort.’ Consort Li was extremely pleased and taught the little princess to call ‘imperial father’ and ‘imperial mother.’ She learned in less than a day. Yesterday when the Empress was in good spirits, she had this humble servant bring the little princess to Kunning Palace to play all afternoon, listening to her call ‘imperial mother.'”
Prince Chu’s consort was delighted to hear this, “After the Sericulture Ceremony, the prince and I will enter the palace—we must hear the little princess call us ‘elder brother’ and ‘sister-in-law.'”
Prince Chu’s consort was the little princess’s actual sister-in-law. After princes married, they established separate households and moved out of the imperial palace, making subsequent palace visits less convenient. Because her mother Consort Hu had died under unclear circumstances and the Hu family was exterminated overnight, Prince Chu Zhu Zhen didn’t dare investigate deeply but worried about his younger sister, frequently having his consort visit the palace after marriage. Thus Prince Chu’s consort and Jiang Quan were quite familiar.
Among the external noble wives, the foremost was still Grand Duchess Lan Shi of Zheng. Recently with the Great Ming southern expedition, Lan Shi’s brother Marquis Yongchang Lan Yu had sent frequent victory reports, bringing glory to Lan Shi’s face with such pride. Mu Chun’s aunt, Duchess Feng Shi of Zheng, was clearly much younger than her mother-in-law but lacked Lan Shi’s vigorous presence. It seemed there had been another round of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law struggles in the rear quarters lately.
All internal and external noble wives of fourth rank and above in the capital had arrived, wearing solemn ceremonial robes according to their ranks and heavy pheasant crowns.
Prince consorts, princesses and other internal noble wives, along with Grand Duchess Lan Shi of Zheng, Duchess Feng Shi of Zheng, Marquis Xiping’s wife Geng Shi and other ladies of second rank and above stood on the two-foot-six-inch platform, while other noble wives waited below.
Because the eastern suburbs were remote, this group of noble wives had arrived in their family carriages before dawn, standing facing north and south, awaiting Empress Ma.
In the rear palace, at the fourth watch with dawn just breaking, Empress Ma left the palace through the Western Flower Gate in regular dress, with ceremonial processions, guards, female musicians, imperial guards and more proceeding majestically toward the eastern suburbs.
Arriving at the sericulture platform, the noble wives all performed four bows together, welcoming Empress Ma’s phoenix carriage. Director Cao carried hooked baskets before the carriage. Empress Ma went to the robing hall to rest briefly and change into sacrificial ceremonial dress.
The mulberry picking ceremony began first.
Empress Ma ascended the mulberry picking platform and stood facing east. Noble wives of second rank and above also stood on the mulberry picking platform, each taking their position. The remaining noble wives below second rank stood near mulberry trees below the platform.
Director Cao knelt to present the hooks, Cui Shangyi knelt to present bamboo baskets. Empress Ma took the hooks and baskets to pick mulberries, symbolically picking three mulberry branches.
The mulberry picking ceremony concluded. Under Director Cao’s guidance, Empress Ma sat at the ceremonial gate south of the mulberry picking platform to observe the noble wives picking mulberries. Cui Shangyi remained in place, guiding the noble wives to begin picking mulberries with hooks and baskets.
Wearing seven or eight layers of ceremonial dress and pheasant crowns weighing over ten pounds, yet still using hooks to pick mulberry leaves—this generation of noble wives was quite capable. They were also happy to participate in the mulberry picking ceremony, as following Empress Ma in picking mulberries was their honor.
Sharp hooks caught on mulberry branches, one after another.
Wives of dukes and above picked five branches.
Wives of marquises and below picked nine branches.
The higher the status, the fewer they picked.
Once picking was completed, the noble wives handed their baskets filled with mulberry branches to nearby palace maids. The palace maids collected all the baskets’ mulberry branches together, and Director Song from the Palace Handicraft Bureau, who specialized in women’s handicrafts, delivered the mulberry leaves to the silkworm mother.
The silkworm mother led ten silkworm women to cut the mulberry leaves, placing them in baskets, then the silkworm women distributed them to the various internal and external noble wives. The silkworm mother carried a basket to distribute to Empress Ma, and under Empress Ma’s leadership, they scattered the leaves on the silkworm babies to feed them.
Empress Ma was first to enter the silkworm room. Having previously done silkworm feeding and weaving work, she skillfully scattered a handful. The silkworm mother reached into the basket to grab a second handful of mulberry leaves for Empress Ma.
Suddenly, disaster struck. What the silkworm mother grabbed this time wasn’t emerald green fresh mulberry leaves, but a gleaming knife for cutting mulberry leaves!
The silkworm mother stabbed toward Empress Ma’s throat while shouting, “Demon woman! Destroy my Great Han! Kill my Han King! Seize my nation’s mother! Such crimes deserve death!”
The incident happened too quickly for anyone to react. Empress Ma, having experienced warfare in her early years, once leading women and children to defend cities, and after cities fell, carrying the young crown prince to steal horses and escape pursuit—these trials made Empress Ma’s reflexes slightly faster than everyone else’s.
When the blade struck toward her throat, Empress Ma retreated repeatedly while pulling off her heavy phoenix crown to hurl at the silkworm mother.
The silkworm mother ducked to avoid the jeweled and precious phoenix crown. The first stab missed, sliding from the vital throat to the chest.
The silkworm mother nimbly withdrew the knife—clearly a trained assassin. As she aimed to deliver another stab to Empress Ma’s throat, Hu Shanwei ran over, grabbed a bamboo basket holding mulberry leaves, and covered the silkworm mother’s head with it, grasping the basket’s edges with both hands and pulling basket and head backward.
The silkworm mother’s vision was blocked, trapped by Hu Shanwei and falling backward, causing the second stab to miss.
“Assassin! Save the Emperor!” Director Cao pulled Empress Ma toward the silkworm room exit. Imperial Guard Commander Mao Qiang directed his men to protect Empress Ma’s retreat. Noble wives queued outside waiting to enter the silkworm room to feed silkworms quickly scattered and fled. Guards rushed over, shooting arrows into the silkworm room.
Jiang Quan outside was guiding the internal noble wives to evacuate. Seeing the guards drawing bows and shooting arrows, she urgently shouted, “Don’t shoot arrows! Court Lady Hu is still inside!”
What did one female official matter compared to killing the assassin!
No one heeded Jiang Quan’s cries. The first wave of arrows shot through the silkworm room’s doors and windows like locusts.
Jiang Quan’s heart went cold. Disregarding her current duties, she went against the flow, running over and shouting, “The assassin in the silkworm room is just one silkworm mother! Any one of you big men could charge in and subdue her! Why shoot arrows and kill innocents!”
The guards didn’t believe her, “How do you know there aren’t other assassins ambushed in the silkworm room? If these assassins rush out and something happens, can you take responsibility? Shoot again!”
The guards drew their bows, about to begin a second round of shooting when Imperial Guard Captain Ji Gang rode up, “Stop!”
Ji Gang swung his long leg down from his horse and asked Jiang Quan, “Are you certain there’s only one female assassin?”
Jiang Quan nodded, “To protect Empress Ma’s safety, the silkworm room was thoroughly searched beforehand—there couldn’t be anyone else inside.”
Ji Gang drew his embroidered spring knife and told the guards, “I’ll go in first to look. You surround the silkworm room. Anyone coming out who isn’t me or Court Lady Hu—capture first, kill second!”
Ji Gang walked toward the silkworm room.
Time rewound to half a quarter-hour earlier.
Hu Shanwei had covered the silkworm mother’s head and pulled her backward, toppling the silkworm mother. The silkworm mother was clearly a well-trained assassin—she hunched her neck, rolled once, and immediately stood up. Ignoring Hu Shanwei behind her, she gripped the silkworm knife and rushed outside, planning to continue assassinating Empress Ma.
Hu Shanwei simply pushed over the frame holding layers of bamboo sieves in the silkworm room. With a crash, the frame fell straight toward the doorway. The silkworm mother dodged sideways, and the bamboo sieves crawling with silkworm babies rolled out the door like wheels, while the frame blocked the doorway.
The frame sent by the Ministry of Works the second time was extremely sturdy. Even after falling, its structure remained intact, blocking the path like a spider web.
The silkworm mother, remembering her assassination mission, still ignored Hu Shanwei’s interference behind her. She bent down and crawled through gaps in the frame.
How could Hu Shanwei let her escape? The silkworm mother had a knife, so she didn’t dare confront her directly. She could only pick up bamboo sieves from the floor and throw them at the frame in the doorway, trying to create obstacles for the silkworm mother’s crawling.
But the bamboo woven sieves were too light to have much effect.
Seeing the silkworm mother about to crawl out, Hu Shanwei ran over, grabbed the silkworm mother’s left leg, and pulled hard inward!
The silkworm mother was furious, rolled over and kicked with her right foot, directly striking Hu Shanwei’s head, “Get lost!”
Hu Shanwei took the head blow, her brain buzzing, her skull seeming ready to crack. Her hands lost strength and she fell backward, rolling to the corner under the window. Holding her head, just as she was about to grab the silkworm mother’s leg again, suddenly came the sound of cutting through air—dense clouds of arrows shot through doors and windows!
Hu Shanwei quickly held her head and curled up motionless in the corner.
The silkworm mother wanted to retreat, but the spider web-like fallen frame trapped her like a dragonfly stuck in a web. She crawled backward, trying to retreat into the silkworm room to take cover, but halfway through, she was engulfed by arrows.
So when Ji Gang entered with his embroidered spring knife, the fallen frame at the door blocked his path. He saw the silkworm mother like a porcupine with dozens of arrows stuck in her body, motionless and breathless, while under the windowsill in a blind spot by the wall, Hu Shanwei was curled up like a turtle, holding her head with her body contracted into a ball.
“Court Lady Hu? Hu Shanwei? Shanwei!” Ji Gang called. The frame blocked the doorway, so he crouched and crawled inside. Fortunately, he had a slim waist and long legs with a flexible body like a water snake, successfully threading through the spider web-like frame to reach Hu Shanwei’s side.
Hu Shanwei’s head was tucked under her knees, her back arched like a turtle shell protecting her body. Her back had been grazed by stray arrows, tearing her clothes and leaving streaks of blood that stood out starkly against her snow-white skin.
Fortunately, these were only superficial wounds. Hu Shanwei had inadvertently hidden in the blind spot under the windowsill—the only relatively safe place in the silkworm room.
“Shanwei?” Ji Gang removed his flying fish robe to cover the wounds on her back.
Hu Shanwei screamed and bounced away, her back hitting the wall painfully, bringing tears to her eyes. Feeling the pain and seeing Ji Gang, along with the arrow-filled silkworm room, Hu Shanwei realized she hadn’t been shot dead and had retrieved her life.
“Where’s the assassin?” Hu Shanwei asked. Her forehead, viciously kicked by the silkworm mother, was now swollen into a large bump, much like the longevity god in New Year paintings.
“Dead as can be.” Ji Gang pointed at the silkworm mother caught in the frame at the doorway.
Hu Shanwei asked again, “What about Her Majesty the Empress?”
Ji Gang said, “Lord Mao escorted her to the nearby temporary palace where you’ve been recuperating. I saw that stab didn’t hit a vital spot—she should be fine.”
As Ji Gang spoke, he crawled back to the frame, pushed aside the porcupine-like silkworm mother’s body, and retrieved the mulberry leaf cutting knife. “This knife isn’t very sharp—fortunately it was just for cutting leaves.”
Ji Gang poked his head out the window, “The assassin is dead! Court Lady Hu is injured—quickly call for medical women!”
Hearing that Hu Shanwei wasn’t dead, Jiang Quan outside breathed a sigh of relief. Shanwei truly had great fortune!
People chopped through the frame blocking the door, carried out the assassin silkworm mother, and Hu Shanwei walked out supported by Ji Gang, also going to the temporary palace.
At the temporary palace, Court Physician Ru and Imperial Physician Tan and other renowned doctors from the Imperial Medical Academy treated Empress Ma’s wounds. The assassin’s stab had lodged between ribs—Empress Ma had retrieved her life, though her chest flesh was turned outward and required suturing with needle and thread, seven stitches total, quite horrifying to see.
Empress Ma drank pain-relieving anesthetic and fell into deep sleep.
Court Physician Ru and Imperial Physician Tan washed their hands. Little palace maid Haitang obediently handed over dry towels, “Could you two please look at Court Lady Hu?”
Hu Shanwei lay prone on the bed while a medical woman cleaned the arrow wounds streaking her back.
Seeing arrow wounds, Imperial Physician Tan’s expression changed, “Bring all those arrows here so I can examine the arrowheads.”
Court Physician Ru didn’t understand, so Imperial Physician Tan explained, “Some arrowheads are poisoned, some contain copper—copper rust entering the bloodstream is extremely dangerous. Some people appear to have minor wounds but are already doomed.”
Ji Gang ordered people to collect all arrows from the silkworm room. Imperial Physician Tan smelled the arrowheads while Court Physician Ru searched for bloodied arrows, finding one arrowhead with iron rust.
Imperial Physician Tan increased the dosage in both Hu Shanwei’s medicinal soup and external powder, even using strong medicines.
That night, both Hu Shanwei and Empress Ma developed high fevers. Empress Ma’s entire body burned hot while her hands and feet were cold. Hu Shanwei had high fever while sweating profusely, soaking through bedding several times. Court Physician Ru and Imperial Physician Tan ran between both patients checking conditions, not closing their eyes all night.