On the fifth day of the first lunar month, following the Queen's decree, the concubines brought their daughters and sons to Kunning Palace in the early morning.
When they arrived at the palace gate, the concubines discovered that today's greetings were more solemn than the court ceremony at the winter solstice in the first month. Except for the fact that the crown prince and the prince did not come, the queen's stewards, including Zuo Shaojian, eunuchs, The right young eunuch, the shrine eunuch and other eunuchs.
There are also female officials in six bureaus and one division, including Shang Gong Bureau, Shangyi Bureau, and Gong Zhengsi.
The concubines pulled the little princess and took the young prince into Kunning Palace. At a glance, they saw an extra throne in the middle, which was His Majesty's Dragon Chair.
Except for the noise caused by a few young princesses, everything inside and outside Kunning Palace was quiet and orderly.
Not long after, the emperor and the queen walked in from the east gate, and someone sang in praise: "Bless you!"
The concubines took the princess and prince to kneel down together and chanted:
"Concubine Li/Ning... I welcome your majesty, queen."
All the eunuchs and female officials inside and outside Kunning Palace knelt down and worshiped.
Zhu Yuanzhang pulled Empress Ma to sit down and said casually: "Everyone, get up. I'll save you the courtesy later."
Eunuch Sizan sang again: "Long live the Lord's decree, no courtesy."
Everyone just stood up and stood with their heads down.
Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to speak, but he saw his daughter Zhu Shanqing looking up at him with big dark eyes. The little princess was only four years old and looked very cute.
"Qing'er, come here."
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled kindly and waved to her. Zhu Shanqing was stunned for a moment. It was not until her mother and concubine let her pass that she stumbled towards her father.
Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but feel sorry for his daughter when he saw how he walked. When the little princess came to his side, he picked her up and looked down at his daughter's feet.
On her feet she wore a pair of very small shoes.
"Qing'er, your mother and concubine also asked you to bind your feet?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.
Many of the concubines below were confused, and even Empress Ma looked at him in confusion, then looked at her own feet, with embarrassment on her face.
Before Zhu Yuanzhang unified the world, his enemies would often scold Zhu Yuanzhang and call her "Ma Dajiao"!
Because she had not bound her feet when she was a teenager, her feet were too big. And since she was a queen at the time, she could not help but be criticized and ridiculed.
"Well, daddy... it hurts so much to have your feet bound." Zhu Shanqing said pitifully, "Qing'er doesn't want to have them bound, but my mother-in-law wraps them with a cloth every day, and it hurts so much."
"Qing'er, don't mess around!"
Zhu Shanqing's mother, Concubine Hui, Guo, quickly stood up to explain.
Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand: "From today on, Qing'er no longer has to bind her feet!"
"ah?"
The little princess was stunned.
Concubine Hui was so frightened that she fell to her knees and begged your majesty not to punish her.
After all, His Majesty had previously decreed that only the daughters of beggars were not allowed to have their feet bound!
"From today on, no foot binding is allowed in the palace!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said another thunderous words, which stunned the eunuchs, female officials and concubines inside and outside Kunning Palace.
"Those who are having their feet bound should untie them immediately from now on and do not bind them again! Only those whose feet have been bound can wear small shoes and socks."
Zhu Yuanzhang emphasized again.
Empress Ma finally came back to her senses and whispered to him: "Did Master Chu give you this imperial edict against foot binding? It's a pity that I was kept in the dark."
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "The hair and skin of the body are protected by parents, and they dare not damage them at all... Women in the Han and Tang Dynasties did not bind their feet. The foot-binding trend has become more and more popular since the Song Dynasty... This is because of the distorted aesthetics of corrupt Confucian scholars and officials!"
After speaking on the phone, there was only one intention expressed:
From now on, no princesses or princesses are allowed to have their feet bound in the palace or the prince's palace!
In addition, all maids and concubines cannot have their feet bound. Those with bound feet cannot enter the palace, and princes, princes, and princes are not allowed to marry women with bound feet.
Except those whose feet have been bound and finalized.
"Daddy!" The little princess understood her father's words and asked with a smile on her face: "Will Qing'er no longer have to bind her feet?"
"Yes, there's no need to bind her feet. If you continue to bind your feet, you won't be your father's daughter!"
Zhu Yuanzhang pinched his daughter's nose, put her down, and ordered Concubine Hui to take her back. The little princess was not allowed to have her feet bound again!
"I obey your orders."
Concubine Hui hesitated for a moment and then said: "Your Majesty, but now everyone in the world regards women's small feet as beautiful, if Qing'er is..."
"There will be no beauty with little feet in the future!"
Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and said loudly to everyone inside and outside Kunning Palace: "From today on, all women in the world are not allowed to have their feet bound, regardless of whether they are beggars or lowly."
Empress Ma knew that he was leaving, so she said, "I will order the women in the palace to untie their feet. Your Majesty, please go to court first."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and told her to carry out her decree. Anyone who secretly bound feet would be severely punished.
After he left, Empress Ma called the eunuchs and female officials into the palace and ordered them to immediately inform all parts of the palace that no more minor maids were allowed to have their feet bound. The specific regulations would be promulgated later.
The eunuchs and female officials did not dare to neglect. After receiving the order, they withdrew from the palace and returned immediately to convey the emperor's will.
His Majesty even delayed his morning court meeting and came to Kunning Palace just for this matter. How could they not see that His Majesty attaches great importance to this matter?
"Give me lychees!"
Empress Ma ordered with a smile, and Concubine Hui, Concubine Li and other concubines raised their heads one after another.
The story of His Majesty and the Queen eating lychees last night has spread throughout the palace this morning. The eunuchs and maids are all talking about it, and they are excitedly discussing whether the master they serve can get one.
The imperial concubine is not worried, they will definitely have one lychee.
But after all, there are only three or two concubines, and the rest are all concubines, with varying degrees of favor, different backgrounds, and different children. No one knows who Queen Ma will reward lychees to.
At this moment, as soon as the queen said "Give me lychees", many concubines could not hold back their desire and looked up one after another.
Sure enough, I saw more than twenty palace maids walking in, holding exquisite plates. In the center of the plate, there was either a bright red fruit, or a huge... bayberry and strawberry? !
How come bayberries and strawberries mature so quickly? !
"These lychees, strawberries, and bayberries."
Empress Ma sat on the throne and said to everyone with a smile: "It was grown by Master Chu. Your Majesty cares about us, so I bought it from Master Chu and gave it to you to taste."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward. Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward."
Regardless of whether they received a share or not, all the concubines knelt down to express their gratitude.
A palace maid handed a written piece of paper to Si Zan. Si Zan immediately understood, took the paper and read loudly: "Give Concubine Hui a Guo lychee!"
"Thank you, Queen, for the gift!"
Concubine Hui Guo looked excited and took the plate sent by the maid under the envious eyes of many concubines.
Sizan read one by one, and all the concubines received rewards, such as lychees or strawberries. The remaining few were rewarded to several young princesses and princes.
There was a commotion inside and outside Kunning Palace.
…
When Zhu Yuanzhang came to the Huagai Hall, the six ministers, ministers, the censor Zhongcheng and other officials on the left and right of the censor platform were already waiting. When they saw him coming, all the officials knelt down one after another.
"No gift."
Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the dragon chair, looked at their faces, and said with a smile: "My dear friends, do you have anything to say?"
"……His Majesty!"
The left censor, Zhongcheng Anran, stood up and said, "I have something to do, and it concerns the right prime minister, Hu Weiyong..."
"Hu Weiyong, I have ordered the prince to preside over the trial, so there is no need to mention it again."
After hearing the emperor's words, everyone did not dare to mention Hu Weiyong anymore. They already knew in their hearts that Prime Minister You was completely defeated.
"His Majesty!"
Li Mian, the Minister of Rites, stood up and said, "I heard that there were lychees given to the concubines in the palace. This lychee... Your Majesty, I still remember Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty..."
"How could I not know about Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei?!"
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, "But you people, how do you know where the lychees I gave to the queen come from? You have no idea at all, and you will only give random advice!"
All the ministers looked at each other in confusion. Didn't these lychees come from Lingnan? Could they have fallen from the sky?
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Compared to Hu Weiyong and Li Zhi, there is one thing worth discussing!"
"Your Majesty, I don't know what's going on?" Luo Si, the official minister, stood up.
"Footbinding!"
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled at them and said, "I have made a decree for you. From today on, no Ming Dynasty women are allowed to have their feet bound!"
The ministers, ministers, and officials of Yushitai were all shocked again.
Women are not allowed to have their feet bound. Are they older than Right Prime Minister Hu Weiyong?
