usatvline Chapter 1: I Became Empress Ma?
Chapter 1: I Became Empress Ma?
In the third year of the Hongwu reign, at the Kunning Palace in the capital.
The queen's bedroom.
"Has Her Majesty woken up?"
The maid Su Qing'er's cheeks lit up with a hint of joy, and she said in a cheerful voice.
When Ma Wenxiang woke up, he looked around and his gaze unconsciously fell on the graceful and extremely lovely young girl in front of him.
At sixteen or seventeen years old, she was like a budding flower, with curved eyebrows and eyes, and was especially delicate and lovely.
Under Ma Wenxiang's bewildered gaze, Su Qing'er pouted her pink lips and sat down beside him with concern, muttering a complaint in a low voice: "Your Majesty, you've been working so hard these days. You don't go to sleep until midnight every day, only getting two or three hours of sleep a day. How can anyone keep going like that? Like yesterday, you hadn't even fallen asleep by midnight when you fainted."
"If the imperial physicians hadn't come and said that Your Majesty was alright, we would have at least had to find His Majesty before we could discuss anything else."
As soon as Su Qing'er opened her mouth, Ma Wenxiang understood his current predicament.
He actually became Empress Ma during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty.
While she may not be the greatest virtuous empress of all time, she certainly left a significant mark on history.
But the problem is.
Wasn't Ma Wenxiang a farmer from Majia Village, under the jurisdiction of Qingfeng County, Daming Prefecture?
Wearing it again?
Ma Wenxiang couldn't help but think that way.
Looking around, Kunning Palace is not as extravagant and luxurious as it was in the previous dynasty. Various exquisite fabrics and furnishings are displayed in a dazzling array. On the contrary, it seems that apart from the spacious and magnificent hall, there is nothing else to do with it.
The hall displays textile machines commonly used by farmers, as well as fabrics and silk from various places.
On ordinary days, Empress Ma would spin clothes and send them to the palace servants. She would also send all the money she earned outside the palace to help the orphans and widows who had lost their lives in the wars fought for the Ming Dynasty.
Ma Wenxiang sighed deeply.
After about half an incense stick's time, he had changed his clothes and accepted his current identity.
"Your Majesty, this is today's breakfast."
Sun Miaoran, another personal maid of Kunning Palace, slowly walked in, dressed in a light yellow palace dress, carrying a bowl of congee and side dishes, which she presented to Ma Wenxiang.
Ma Wenxiang looked up and couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly: the porridge was particularly thin, with only a dozen or so grains of rice in it, and the side dishes were just ordinary wild vegetables, looking particularly meager and shabby.
He patted his body; although he was somewhat plump, he didn't have much energy. He was just relying on his past resilience to keep going.
When you're young, nothing will happen, but as you get older, these little ailments will sprout up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
That's not a good thing.
Ma Wenxiang opened his mouth, but then he remembered that Empress Ma was known for her frugality in the palace, and a sudden change would not be a good thing.
"Add some more. I felt groggy yesterday, but today I feel unusually hungry."
Ma Wenxiang licked his dry lips and spoke slowly.
Upon hearing this, Sun Miaoran's face lit up with joy: "Your Majesty has finally listened to my advice."
The words were spoken.
She then went to the Imperial Kitchen in the palace to prepare everything properly.
Su Qing'er stroked Ma Wenxiang's thin clothes. The material was ordinary, just coarse cloth. There were obvious wrinkles at the cuffs of the upper body, as if the clothes had been patched.
Su Qing'er felt a lump in her throat and a pang of bitterness in her heart. Recalling the scene just now, she mustered her courage and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you change into a new dress as well? The New Year's celebrations have just passed, and so many people in the palace have benefited from Your Majesty's kindness, wearing new clothes and eating good meals. It's time for Your Majesty to change into a new dress for yourself."
"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
Ma Wenxiang said with considerable hesitation.
When he was a peasant boy from Majia Village, he could endure hardship, but now he has transformed into the Empress of the Dynasty, even if he has to temporarily restrain himself to avoid suspicion.
It's best to avoid hardship if possible, as the worst thing is to make suffering a habit.
That would be terrible.
"How is it bad? Everyone in the palace has new clothes, but Your Highness is still wearing last year's clothes. Even I, your servant, have bought you a few more outfits to please you. What's wrong with that?"
Su Qing'er put her hands on her hips, revealing two sharp little tiger teeth, her crystal earlobes swaying gently, and said loudly, "If anyone dares to gossip behind my back in this palace, even without Your Highness's intervention, this servant alone will not let them off."
"Alright, then I'll grant your request."
Ma Wenxiang smiled broadly and readily agreed to the matter.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
……
Daming Prefecture, Qingfeng County.
East end of Majia Village.
"Wen boy, the sun's almost high in the sky, get up and get to work!"
In the small courtyard made of a fence, a loud, aged yet powerful shout rang out.
The busy farming season is over, but there's always more to do: weeding, irrigating, and other farm chores. We even have to go into the mountains to dig up medicinal herbs from time to time in order to make a living in this year.
At the same time, it can also help you make some progress in your career.
The Ma family is slightly better off than most farmers in the village, precisely because Old Master Ma followed the current emperor in battles in his early years, was wounded, and accumulated a considerable amount of money.
Although he became a military household, he returned to the village and managed everything in an orderly manner.
In the side room at the west end of the courtyard, there were one or two gaps in the paper windows, through which the golden sunlight shone in, illuminating the room in a bright, golden light.
Inside the house, Ma Wenxiang, the son of the Ma family, who is now Empress Ma Xiuying, woke up after a long and winding journey.
She subconsciously wiped her eyebrows.
Just as he was about to call out to the maid beside him, he suddenly heard a loud shout from Old Master Ma outside the courtyard, and only then did he belatedly realize the situation he was in.
Ma Xiuying wasn't worried about not having a bronze mirror at home.
She was a heroine who was no less capable than any man. Back when Zhu Yuanzhang led his troops into battle, she gathered a group of women in the rear to deliver food to the soldiers, and she had experienced countless life-and-death situations.
At this moment, she was only in this small farmhouse, and such wind and rain were nothing to her.
There was no bronze mirror in the house, so Ma Xiuying strode into the courtyard and looked at the reflection in the water vat.
It's a young baby.
She was about eleven or twelve years old, with a fair and lovely face, thick eyebrows, and bright, spirited eyes.
Although her features still seemed to retain some of the simple and honest nature of a farmer, this was quickly replaced by Ma Xiuying's lively and delicate beauty.
Looking at her face, Ma Xiuying was momentarily dazed and lost in thought. She couldn't help but think of her fourth son, Zhu Di, who bore a slight resemblance to her own appearance.
Judging by his age, he should be a year or two younger than her at this moment.
"Wen boy, hurry up. Finish your porridge and catch up."
Grandpa Ma shouted again.
"Understood, sir."
Ma Xiuying hesitated for a moment, then quickly composed herself and responded with a smile.
She hadn't called him that in many years, nor had she had such a close blood relative as an elder.