Chapter 28 Please revise the book
Liu Yongcheng and Ruan An were rewarded and promoted one after another, and the practice of favoring eunuchs in the palace became increasingly prevalent, and the formerly lowly eunuchs began to feel proud. Fortunately, with Empress Hu Shanxiang in the palace, even the eunuchs, no matter how arrogant they were, remembered that the Empress's sister, Hu Shanwei, had once been the head of the women-in-waiting, and they dared not show off their power.
Outside the palace, the situation was different. The emperor often sent eunuchs to various places to supervise officials, but their status was different, so they were inevitably excluded by the officials. However, Liu Yongcheng and Ruan An had become trusted ministers, and with the addition of Zheng He and Wang Jinghong who had been sent to the Western Ocean, their status was extremely high.
The female officials had little authority left. Apart from teaching the new palace maids, they could only write a few palace poems to pass the time.
Hu Shanxiang naturally understood the distress of these female officials. When she saw that Zhu Yuhuan's "Book of Agriculture" was officially published, she thought about it for a long time and finally proposed to Empress Dowager Zhang to compile the female officials' poems into a book.
Unlike books published in bookstores, history was also compiled in the palace. For example, Ruan An was previously responsible for compiling and editing palace history, which mainly included court etiquette, clothing system, etc., such as the "Nei Xun" written by Empress Renxiao. In addition, some palace poems were also recorded, but they had not been formally included before, and the few scattered articles were in a disorganized state.
Empress Dowager Zhang naturally understood that the female officials were gradually losing power, and they really needed something to divert their attention.
Moreover, these palace poems will not be circulated to the outside world, nor will they affect the reputation of the royal family. Instead, they can allow these concubines and female officials to do some real work and avoid jealousy.
Hu Shanxiang had not discussed this matter with Zhu Yuhuan before bringing it up, which frightened Zhu Yuhuan, who had come to pay his respects with Hu Shanxiang, and he subconsciously looked at Empress Dowager Zhang's expression.
Empress Dowager Zhang responded readily, saying, "That's a good idea. It's a good opportunity to compile all the previous concubines' experiences in writing women's scripts into a book for future generations to study."
Zhu Yuhuan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she looked normal.
It seems that my grandmother really did not vent her anger on my mother. At least the relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law did not show any obvious signs of deterioration.
Zhu Yuhuan could just walk away from the palace, but Hu Shanxiang had been in the palace for a long time and had to deal with Empress Dowager Zhang. If Empress Dowager Zhang was angry with her, Hu Shanxiang would suffer a lot.
Hu Shanxiang then pleaded, "When the time comes, please ask mother to write the preface herself, so that our humble work will be appreciated."
Empress Dowager Zhang was amused when she heard this. "These female officials all passed the examination to take up their official posts. How could this be my humble work?"
Hu Shanxiang simply smiled and said, "When it comes to real talent and learning, Mother is so virtuous that even Empress Renxiao praises her. No concubine or female official can compare to her. Naturally, this is my humble work."
Mentioning her long-deceased mother-in-law, Empress Dowager Zhang expressed some melancholy, sighing, "How many decades have passed since then..." Her gaze drifted to Zhu Yuhuan, and she added, "Now Huanhuan is capable of compiling and publishing books. No wonder the ancients often said, 'The Yangtze River's waves behind push forward those in front, and new people replace old ones in the face of adversity.'"
Unlike before, when she was the Crown Princess or Empress, she needed to be constantly on guard against others. Once one lets down their guard, their spirit will vanish. After her fiftieth birthday, Empress Dowager Zhang could sense significant changes both physically and mentally. Seeing her granddaughter's rapid growth and progress, Empress Dowager Zhang realized how fleeting time is, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of regret.
The concubines thought it was just the aftermath of the previous estrangement between Empress Dowager Zhang and Princess Shunde, and they didn't dare to talk to her casually.
The relationship between Empress Dowager Zhang and Zhu Yuhuan was not as good as before, and anyone with a discerning eye could see it. However, it was difficult to offend either Empress Dowager Zhang or Princess Shunde, and the concubines did not dare to speak up. After all, compared to the Empress Dowager and the princess, they were "outsiders."
Now Empress Dowager Zhang is only trying to suppress Princess Shunde's momentum. When the relationship between the two is restored, the first people to be dealt with will be those who sow discord. They will not rush to be cannon fodder.
Seeing the conversation had turned to him, Zhu Yuhuan stood up and said with a smile, "Huanhuan is well-read and sensible. As for how to behave in society, as the saying goes, ginger and cinnamon become more spicy with age. Therefore, these palace poems and essays should be compiled by Grandma, with Mother and the other ladies helping out. Younger generations like us will be satisfied just to see the finished book."
Zhu Youtong also immediately stood up like her sister and said, "Yes, yes, Tongtong has only studied Nüshu on a daily basis, but she doesn't have much experience. If she could read more about the experiences of the predecessors, she would definitely benefit greatly."
Most of her early education was done by Hu Shanxiang, so she did not read much women's writing. However, she did read a lot of gongche notation and prose notes from Zhu Yuhuan's study.
Zhu Yuhuan certainly knew that his sister often went to his room to get books to read, so the books in the study were all read and selected by her herself, so there was no need to worry about any books that shouldn't be there being mixed in.
Zhu Hanjia followed up by saying, "What the sisters said makes sense. In terms of high moral character and profound knowledge, we can't even see the shadow of grandma."
Zhu Qiyu, who was sitting next to Empress Dowager Zhang, looked at her eagerly upon hearing this.
Having said this, the concubines all spoke up to persuade Empress Dowager Zhang not to refuse.
Seeing the three sisters working together like a team, Empress Dowager Zhang felt a little relieved and said, "Since you all say so, then it will be so. The compilation of the book will be fully entrusted to the Empress, with the Imperial Concubine, the Virtuous Concubine, and the Hui Concubine assisting."
Empress Renxiao was good in every way, except for the fact that her children had very divided relationships. Although Empress Dowager Zhang did not dare to compare herself with her mother-in-law, the harmonious relationship between her children and grandchildren still made her feel a little proud.
The three people named all stood up and responded.
Putting the book editing aside for the time being, Hu Shanxiang asked, "Mother, why isn't the prince here? It's rare to have all his brothers and sisters together."
Empress Dowager Zhang smiled and said, "The Crown Prince has been very attentive lately, learning to read and write with Wang Zhen. After all, they are both the Emperor's children, so he's no slower than his sister." She seemed to have some appreciation for Wang Zhen, saying, "After all, he was a private tutor. He's able to keep the Crown Prince focused on his studies. He's truly a rare and good teacher. No wonder Jia Jia is so sensible."
Concubine Sun had been distracted by her son, but when she heard Hu Shanxiang and Empress Dowager Zhang mention the Crown Prince, she snapped back to her senses. Hearing that the Crown Prince was now studious and inquisitive, and quite favored by Empress Dowager Zhang, Concubine Sun was overjoyed, feeling that all her hardships had finally paid off.
Since the second prince was still young and his personality was no more likable than the crown prince's, Concubine Sun was not worried that Zhu Qiyu would threaten him. However, there was one thing that Concubine Sun was particularly concerned about: the crown prince could lose to anyone, but he must not lose to Princess Shunde. How could the future emperor be defeated by a woman?
Zhu Yuhuan didn't mind Empress Dowager Zhang comparing him to him, and said with a smile, "That's good. The first two books of Kaimeng have been completely re-edited and illustrated and given to Dad for review. They will be handed over to Zhen'er and Yu'er in due course. By then, the two younger brothers will surely make rapid progress in their studies."
"That's great."
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