The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

In ancient times, women in wealthy families generally did not breastfeed their children themselves. There was a role in the family: a wet nurse.

As a special profession, the status of a wet nurse is somewhat different from that of other servants in wealthy families.

Especially if you have a good relationship with children, you will be treated as an elder by the host family and will be given great courtesy.

Especially in the imperial palace, concubines gave birth to princes and princesses.

On the one hand, for the sake of maintenance, and on the other hand because of their favorable conditions, they basically do not raise their children themselves.

At this time, the responsibility of taking care of the child falls on the wet nurse.

However, in the Ming Dynasty, there was such a wet nurse named Ke Shi.

The prince Zhu Youxiao, who was raised by her, became the emperor, and she also benefited from it. No one in the palace dared to mess with her.

What’s even worse is that her superior identity and status did not satisfy her.

She was so bold that she secretly colluded with eunuchs, poisoned concubines, and disrupted the government.

"Keshi was originally a peasant woman from Dingxing, Hebei, and married Hou Er, a peasant."

"In the 33rd year of the Wanli reign, Zhu Youxiao, the grandson of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty, was born."

"Afterwards, the eighteen-year-old Ke entered the palace and later became the wet nurse of the emperor's grandson Zhu Youxiao."

"Ke Shi originally secretly served the eunuch Wei Chao, and the two became a couple."

"After Wei Zhongxian entered the palace, he initially attached himself to Wei Chao and gained the trust of his superiors."

"Later, Wei Zhongxian secretly had an affair with Keshi, who helped Wei Zhongxian become an official in the Eastern Palace's catering department."

"In the first year of Taichang, Emperor Shenzong Zhu Yijun and Emperor Guangzong Zhu Changluo died within a month."

"When Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Youxiao, ascended the throne, he conferred the title of Fengsheng Lady on Keshi and promoted Wei Zhongxian to be the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department."

"According to the rules, Wei Zhongxian is illiterate and is not qualified to be the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department."

"But it was because of Keshi's favor that Wei Zhongxian got this position."

"Wei Zhongxian and Wei Chao had formed an alliance as brothers, a few months after Ming Guangzong ascended the throne."

"One night, the two men got drunk and quarreled in the warm room of the Qianqing Palace over Keshi, which disturbed Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty who had already gone to bed."

"Wei Zhongxian and Wei Chao knelt before the emperor to listen to the punishment. Emperor Xizong asked Keshi who she wanted to keep to help her."

"Ke Shi thought Wei Chao was frivolous, and Wei Zhongxian was illiterate but easy to control, so Ke Shi chose Wei Zhongxian."

"After that, Wei Zhongxian and Keshi colluded openly and without reservation."

"Later, Wei Zhongxian falsely passed on an imperial decree to exile Wei Chao to Fengyang, and killed him on the way."

"In the winter of the first year of Taichang, Keshi moved to the second place in Qianxi."

"The Ming Xizong personally visited her residence and arranged a banquet and opera performance to celebrate for her."

"The following year, Keshi moved to Xian'an Palace."

"In the summer, a large awning would be erected in the Xian'an Palace, and Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty would constantly give ice to Keshi to cool her down."

"In winter, there are kangs on the ground in Xian'an Palace, and the charcoal used to heat the kangs is supplied in unlimited quantities."

"Every day when it was almost dawn, Keshi would go to Emperor Xizong's place and wait for him to get up, and then return to Xian'an Palace at night."

"Whenever Wei Zhongxian came to meet him, he would block the palace maids around him."

"The two of them were talking in whispers, unknown to outsiders."

"At that time, Keshi's mother was still alive and often advised her to cherish her blessings and restrain her behavior, but Keshi didn't listen at all."

"In the first year of the Tianqi reign, Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty granted Keshi 20 hectares of incense fields on the grounds that Keshi had protected him in the past."

"After the wedding of Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty, Keshi's father, Ke Taiping, was given the title of Chief of the Imperial Guards."

"The censor requested to send Keshi out of the palace, but Emperor Xizong disagreed."

"The reason is that the queen is still young and needs an older woman to help her. We can discuss this matter after the royal grandfather's funeral."

Chen Yuanyuan: There were two big names around Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty, one was the eunuch Wei Zhongxian, and the other was the wet nurse Keshi.

Before entering the palace, Keshi was very ordinary, just an illiterate country girl.

She married villager Hou Er early and gave birth to her son Hou Guoxing at the age of 18.

The only difference is that she looks extremely charming and a little lucky.

Not long after she gave birth to her son, Emperor Wanli's eldest grandson Zhu Youxiao was born, and she was in the process of selecting a suitable wet nurse.

Keshi's family was poor, and she didn't want to settle for the status quo, so she left her son behind and participated in the selection.

After layers of screening, she finally won with her beautiful appearance and eloquence and successfully entered the palace.

Ke Shi, who had just entered the palace, must have been very responsible. Judging from Zhu Youxiao's attachment to her, Ke Shi definitely gave Zhu Youxiao full maternal love.

In terms of emotions, she is also a mother.

She abandoned her newborn son and must have poured all her motherly love into Zhu Youxiao.

In terms of interests, she is an ambitious woman.

As Zhu Youxiao was the eldest grandson of the emperor, he would most likely be the future emperor, so he was naturally the best person to curry favor with.

Therefore, when she first entered the palace, she must have given all her energy and love to Zhu Youxiao, making Zhu Youxiao regard her as the closest person to her.

It just so happened that Zhu Youxiao's parents were in a very bad situation at that time.

Although his father Zhu Changluo was the crown prince, his position was always precarious.

He lived in fear every day and showed very little concern for Zhu Youxiao.

Zhu Youxiao's mother also had a hard time in the Prince's Mansion at that time. Zhu Youxiao's biological mother was beaten to death by Li Xianshi.

After his mother died, Emperor Wanli, under the persuasion of Concubine Zheng, handed Zhu Youxiao over to Concubine Li for upbringing.

Li Xianshi, Zhu Youxiao's adoptive mother, often abused, humiliated and tortured him, making him cry all night long.

In this environment, the care of his wet nurse Keshi was the only warmth Zhu Youxiao felt.

Therefore, the palace maids had to send the wet nurse out of the palace every time.

Zhu Youxiao cried uncontrollably and even refused to eat or drink.

There was no choice but for Ke Shi to stay.

Environment shapes people. Having lived in the palace for so many years, Ke Shi witnessed with her own eyes the nobility of the powerful and the humility of the powerless.

She gradually planted the seed of seeking power in her heart, and Zhu Youxiao's attachment to her made her desire gradually expand.

Zhu Youxiao's father was emperor for only one month before he died.

As soon as Zhu Youxiao ascended the throne, the first person he rewarded was his wet nurse, naming her the Lady Fengsheng.

Keshi was treated like an empress dowager in the palace. She rode in a sedan chair carried by eight people, and when she returned to the palace at night, crystal lamps were lit.

Every time he traveled, he was surrounded by hundreds of people, and the eunuchs on duty would kneel down to greet him when they saw him.

The style of Keshi's return to the palace was even better than that of the emperor's outings.

When Keshi had her birthday, the emperor had to go in person to congratulate her and give her 20 to 30 kilograms of ginseng each time.

Keshi was afraid of heat, so the emperor immediately ordered people to build a large canopy in her palace and provide her with ice continuously.

Zhu Youxiao was extremely filial to his wet nurse, but his favor indeed exceeded the standard and was very against the rules.

It was even so abnormal that it caused dissatisfaction among the ministers.

After Zhu Youxiao got married, all his ministers advised him to let his wet nurse leave the palace.

But on the day Keshi left the palace, Zhu Youxiao refused to eat or drink and started throwing a tantrum again.

As soon as she left, Zhu Youxiao lost his soul.

Despite opposition from others, he insisted on issuing an order to recall him and ordered the ministers not to bother him about this matter again.

It can be seen that even after Zhu Youxiao got married, he still could not do without the wet nurse who once gave him maternal love.

From another perspective, Ke Shi must have used a lot of tricks to stay.

"The censor petitioned to abolish the incense fields of the Ke family, but the petition was held back by Wei Zhongxian and not reported."

"Keshi was lewd and cruel, and Wei Zhongxian was no less ruthless."

"Both of them are good at flattery and are trusted by Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty."

"With the support of Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty, Keshi and Wei Zhongxian were arrogant and no one in the court dared to contradict them."

"Wang An, who was in charge of the Imperial Household Department, and Censor Fang Zhenru wrote a letter to the emperor, requesting that Keshi be sent out of the palace, and Emperor Xizong agreed."

"Ke Shi left the palace, and not long after, she was called back to the palace."

"The Imperial Censor Zhou Zongjian wrote a letter to advise against it, saying that the emperor's words were child's play, the court had no rules, and the palace guards were dispensable."

"Too much pampering without principles will make people arrogant and have unreasonable expectations, which will cause endless troubles."

"The assistant minister, the censor, and the imperial secretary also wrote letters of advice one after another, but they were all severely reprimanded."

"Keshi instigated Wei Zhongxian to kill Wang An, but Wei Zhongxian hesitated."

"Keshi used Li Xianshi as an example to warn Wei Zhongxian not to leave any trouble behind."

"Li Xianshi was the concubine of Emperor Guangzong Zhu Changluo of the Ming Dynasty. When Emperor Guangzong passed away, Li Xianshi held the eldest son hostage and demanded the title of empress for herself."

"Wang An exposed Consort Li, deceived Consort Li, and snatched the eldest prince away."

"Wei Zhongxian then made up his mind and instigated the Imperial Censor to impeach Wang An, who was eventually killed."

"Keshi lived in the palace, threatened the queen, and abused the palace maids."

"When traveling, he rode in a sedan chair carried by the eunuchs and attendants."

"The specifications are similar to those of the concubines of Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty, except that they lack a set of green gauze umbrella covers."

"But the bedding and cushions are exquisitely made, better than those of the concubines."

"Whenever Keshi's birthday came, Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty would come to celebrate and reward her with countless gold, silver and treasures, which were even more precious than any other imperial concubine in the palace."

"When he left the palace to go home, his pomp and ceremony even exceeded that of the emperor's travels."

"In the second year of the Tianqi reign, Wei Dazhong, the Imperial Censor, wrote a letter to impeach Wei Zhongxian."

"They say he colluded with Ke Shi, eliminated dissidents, and planted spies in the court to steal information."

"If the emperor continues to favor these two people, the palace will become their world."

"Wei Zhongxian was furious when he received the memorial, and he forged an imperial decree to scold Wei Dazhong, demoting him three levels and expelling him from the capital."

"The Imperial Secretary and the Minister of State criticized the Grand Secretary for forming a clique with Keshi and Wei Zhongxian for personal gain, and were demoted and exiled. Other officials who criticized Keshi and Wei Zhongxian were also dismissed from office."

"In the third year of the Tianqi reign, Emperor Guangzong of the Ming Dynasty sentenced Zhao Xuanshi to death by a forged imperial edict because of her discord with Keshi and Wei Zhongxian."

"Keshi falsely accused the pregnant Concubine Yu Zhang and cut off her food, causing Concubine Yu to starve to death." "Then, Keshi used a trick to cause the pregnant Empress Zhang to miscarry."

Liu Rushi: Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty turned a blind eye to the government affairs, which gave Keshi an opportunity to disrupt the government.

Ming Xianzong Zhu Jianshen fell in love with a palace maid who was 18 years older than him. After becoming emperor, he insisted on making her the empress.

With the interference of the empress dowager and ministers, she was reluctantly given the title of noble concubine, but the emperor only favored her.

Judging from Keshi's various behaviors, she also wanted to emulate Concubine Wan, but she failed.

First, Keshi went to the Qianqing Palace every morning to take care of Zhu Youxiao's daily life and diet, and only returned to her own Xian'an Palace in the evening.

At that time, Zhu Youxiao was already 16 years old and did not need a wet nurse to serve him every day.

Secondly, Ke Shi usually dressed very beautifully. In order to keep her hair black and shiny, she often combed her hair with the saliva of young palace maids.

If you are just a mother taking care of your son, there is no need to dress like this.

Thirdly, Keshi often prepared and cooked nourishing foods for Xizong, which was even more not what a mother should do.

Fourthly, when Zhu Youxiao got married, Keshi's behavior became even more abnormal, and she lost her temper for no reason.

Her actions do not show the image of a loving mother, but rather a little woman who longs to be favored.

However, in Zhu Youxiao's mind, she has always been a mother.

Although Zhu Youxiao depended on her, the rewards he gave her were all material.

He was generous in giving his wet nurse wealth and glory, but he did not insist on making her a concubine like Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty.

Ke Shi was very dissatisfied with this.

When Empress Zhang was pregnant, she had a back pain and wanted to ask a palace maid to give her a massage to relieve the pain.

Unexpectedly, Ke Shi found out about this and bribed the palace maids to make Empress Zhang give birth to a stillborn baby. After that, she was unable to give birth again.

Even more miserable than her was Concubine Zhang Yu, who became pregnant but did not give birth on her due date.

Ke Shi then told the emperor that Concubine Zhang Yu was committing a crime of deceiving the emperor by not giving birth to a child on her due date, and that there were rumors in the palace that Concubine Zhang Yu was pregnant with a monster.

Zhu Youxiao always trusted his wet nurse, and when the rumors spread, he really banished Concubine Zhang Yu to the cold palace.

What’s even more disgusting is that they cut off all her food and drink.

Concubine Zhang Yu could only rely on the rain water dripping from the eaves to survive, and she starved to death after just a few days.

Keshi used all kinds of cruel means to harm the royal heirs and suppress the concubines.

As a result, during the Tianqi reign, none of Zhu Youxiao's sons grew up, and the family line was cut off.

But even so, no one could sue Keshi, and even Empress Zhang could not shake Keshi's position in Zhu Youxiao's mind.

Zhu Youxiao's indulgence made Keshi even more unscrupulous.

She was not satisfied with just being domineering in the harem, and also extended her hand to the former dynasty.

"In the fourth year of the Tianqi reign, Deputy Chief Censor Yang Lian exposed Wei Zhongxian's twenty-four major crimes."

"Wei Zhongxian was very scared and went to the Emperor Xizong to cry and complain, while Keshi pleaded for Wei Zhongxian."

"The emperor believed Keshi and Wei Zhongxian. Instead of blaming Wei Zhongxian, he rejected Yang Lian's memorial and scolded Yang Lian."

"Wei Zhongxian and Ke Shi were ruthless in their actions towards those who opposed them."

"They may be arrested and imprisoned, removed from their posts, or killed."

"Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty still trusted Wei Zhongxian and Keshi. The seal he gave to Wei Zhongxian read "Minister of State", and the seal he gave to Keshi read "Lady of the Imperial Court".

"In the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty was seriously ill and sent an imperial edict to the Ministry of War."

"The imperial edict expressed gratitude to Ke Shi for taking good care of him when he was young, and also mentioned that he inherited the throne at a young age and felt lonely and anxious."

“It was only with Keshi’s comfort and guidance that I was able to get through those difficult years.”

"Ke Shi also donated her salary to the projects of repairing rivers, bridges and the imperial mausoleum."

"Therefore, Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty issued an edict to reward Keshi with a lot of money and property."

"Keshi's brother and son were also appointed as the commanders of the Imperial Guard, and this position can be hereditary."

"In the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty passed away, and Emperor Sizong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Youjian, ascended the throne."

"Ke Shi requested to move out of the palace, and Emperor Sizong of Ming agreed."

"Before leaving the palace, Ke Shi went to the coffin of Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty at five o'clock in the morning, wearing mourning clothes."

"He took out a small box wrapped in a yellow dragon cloth, which contained the Ming Xizong's fetal hair, smallpox scabs, hair, fallen teeth, nails, etc."

"Ke Shi cried bitterly as she burned all these things and then left the Forbidden City."

"Wei Zhongxian also requested to resign from his position, but Emperor Sizong of the Ming Dynasty disagreed."

"He was going to punish Wei Zhongxian, so he moved him to Fengyang."

"Soon after, Emperor Sizong of the Ming Dynasty ordered the arrest of Wei Zhongxian."

"At this time, Wei Zhongxian had just arrived in Fucheng. After hearing the news, he hanged himself."

"Emperor Sizong of the Ming Dynasty had him dismembered and his head hung outside the west gate of Hejian."

"Not long after, Emperor Sizong of the Ming Dynasty ordered the confiscation of Keshi's property and imprisoned her in the laundry department."

"When they confiscated Keshi's property, they found eight palace maids in her home."

"So Emperor Sizong of the Ming Dynasty ordered people to whip Keshi to death in the laundry department, and then exiled her to Jingle Hall to burn her body and spread her ashes."

"Keshi's son Hou Guoxing and brother Ke Guangxian were publicly executed and their bodies displayed to the public."

Li Shishi: Human desire is a bottomless pit. If you allow desire to devour you, you will eventually bring about your own destruction.

It has to be said that Ke Shi has a strong ability to judge people.

When the eunuch Wei Zhongxian first started to curry favor with her, he was nothing.

He has no money and no status, but he has a mouth that can flatter people.

Keshi admired him very much, and the two of them became a couple and lived together.

With Keshi's flattery, Wei Zhongxian soon became a big shot in front of Zhu Youxiao.

So, the couple began to plan to clear the obstacles one by one.

In the previous dynasty, there was Wei Zhongxian who was good at trying to please Zhu Youxiao and all memorials were reviewed by him. In the harem, there was Ke Shi who repeatedly made slanderous remarks.

Soon, the ministers of the Donglin Party were eliminated one by one by the two of them, and no one in the court could restrain them.

As a result, Wei Zhongxian was nine thousand years old.

Even people in the world only knew Wei Zhongxian, but not the emperor.

The higher their power, the stronger their desires became, and soon they made both the court and the harem a mess.

Zhu Youxiao had no children. When he was critically ill, the daring Keshi brought a pregnant woman from outside the palace into the palace in an attempt to impersonate the crown prince.

The foolish Zhu Youxiao actually agreed to this in order to ensure that there would be successors.

When Empress Zhang learned about this, she urged the emperor not to mix up the royal bloodline and instead pass the throne to his younger brother Zhu Youjian.

In this regard, Empress Zhang and Zhu Youxiao were in a stalemate for a long time before she persuaded Zhu Youxiao.

The good days that Keshi had brought about by her viciousness finally came to an end.

Keshi and Wei Zhongxian accompanied Zhu Youxiao in boating, drinking and having fun in the Western Garden.

Suddenly, a strong wind overturned the boat and Zhu Youxiao fell into the water.

Although he was rescued, he was left with a serious illness.

In order to recover as quickly as possible, Zhu Youxiao, under the arrangement of Wei Zhongxian, drank a large amount of elixir, which made him bedridden.

Before his death, Zhu Youxiao finally passed the throne to his younger brother Zhu Youjian.

After Zhu Youjian entered the palace, he followed the advice of Empress Zhang, stopped eating palace food, and brought his own dry food.

At this time, the court was almost entirely composed of Wei Zhongxian's followers.

As an emperor, he often had to secretly eat a few bites of the dry food he brought with him to maintain his life.

Having just ascended the throne with an unstable foundation, he could only endure humiliation.

On the surface, he continued to use Wei Zhongxian, but secretly gradually eliminated his followers, and finally took Wei Zhongxian's life.

Ke Shi also knew that her good days were over, and she began to miss the emperor who once truly loved her.

Zhu Youxiao supported her sky like a big tree, but she tried hard to knock down this tree, and from then on this tree would no longer take care of her.

Emperor Chongzhen had long heard of her evil deeds and hated her to the core.

He ordered her to be taken to the laundry department and tortured her severely, until she admitted to all her crimes.

Each of the crimes was unforgivable, and Emperor Chongzhen ordered Keshi to be whipped, leaving her skin torn and blood flying everywhere.

He fainted and was then splashed with water to wake him up. Even before he died, Emperor Chongzhen was still breathing heavily.

He also ordered her body to be burned and her ashes to be scattered on the ground for people to trample on. This was truly a relief to the people.

Ke Shi was a very lucky woman, but her biggest shortcoming was that she was unaware of it.

She was fortunate enough to be chosen from among the crowd and became the wet nurse of the future emperor Zhu Youxiao.

She was fortunate to meet the grateful Zhu Youxiao, and her efforts were not in vain and were rewarded handsomely.

It’s a pity that she doesn’t know how to be content.

After having wealth, honor and status, one still wants to go further.

He attempted to control the government, coveted the throne, and almost caused the Ming Dynasty to change its name.

But my talent cannot support my ambition, and my ability cannot control my goals.

Therefore, he had no choice but to take the crooked path, and a tragic death was inevitable.

If Ke Shi could recognize her position, she would have transformed from a peasant woman to the emperor's most honorable wet nurse.

If you behave yourself in the future, it will also benefit your descendants.

As the saying goes, a house should not have an unstable foundation, and a person should not forget his roots when he gains power.

However, Keshi had shallow moral character but occupied a high position.

Although his intelligence is limited, he still wants to plan big things.

The power is limited, but we have to take on heavy responsibilities.

How can one avoid getting into trouble in this situation? (End of this chapter)