Zhurou

Chapter 262 Accompanying

Of course, Zhang Yi was not the only one who knew that the princess had chosen Pei Yong as her consort.

At that moment, countless people in the mansions felt relieved. Some clapped their hands, some laughed, some slammed the table, and some did not show it on their faces, feeling elated and thinking they had figured out a good plan. Occasionally, there were one or two who were dejected, but no one knew about it.

Regardless of the opinions of the officials in the court, as soon as the news came out, the people in the city were both happy and worried.

As the saying goes, time reveals a person's true character. Prince Jia had been in the fiefdom for decades. Even before he was enfeoffed, he had a very good reputation in the court, which benefited his children. This made people have a good impression of the new emperor and the princess.

After one or two years, who in the palace didn't see what this princess did, and who didn't know about it? Naturally, as long as they still cared about her, they all wished her the best and didn't want to see her treated as a human being.

Jiedushi Pei Yong had just returned to the court after leading his troops to drive out the Di bandits. This was the time when he had made the greatest achievements and had the highest prestige. In terms of his achievements, official position and appearance, he was naturally the most outstanding and there was nothing to criticize about him.

There is only one thing. For the past 10 to 20 years, Jingzhao Prefecture has always had a reputation for being disrespectful in the court. Everyone knows that there is rebellious intention in the northwest. The three-foot-thick ice does not form overnight. Everyone has a preconceived idea. How can the royal family not be worried?

This worry was not only for the princess, but more for myself.

If Pei Yong really has evil intentions, and is asking for marriage this time just to paralyze the royal family and pave the way for rebellion in three to five years, then when a war breaks out in the future, countless people will be displaced and countless civilians will lose their families.

The Great Jin Dynasty had been plagued by wars year after year and by natural disasters all the time, and it simply could not bear it any longer.

But the so-called future rebellion is just speculation after all. Compared to letting it go, if a princess can marry, although it may not be able to completely stop it, it is much better than doing nothing.

In this way, the people at all levels became happy while they were hesitating.

Originally, there were people discussing the princess's marriage to a prince consort recently on the streets, and they brought out many candidates to compare one by one, picking this and that. But when the dust finally settled, those unfamiliar faces disappeared, and only many acquaintances were left discussing it among themselves, and many strangers also joined in the discussion.

What everyone is worried about is what will happen to the princess if there is a rebellion in the northwest in the future. It would be best if she does not have any children so that she can return to the palace and remarry.

However, as soon as this argument came out, someone refuted it, saying: "Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. Although the princess is a daughter of the royal family, she has definitely not violated the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues. She should obey her husband at home and after marriage. If the northwest rebelled, it was because she, as a wife, did not advise her husband well..."

Everyone looked back and saw that it was a shabby old scholar who had been writing letters for people on the street for many years. Although he had failed many times and never won, he could read after all, so everyone always gave him some face.

But it would be fine on normal days, but today everyone was worried, and when they heard him talking nonsense, they all glared at him, and some even cursed, saying, "What the hell are you talking about!"

The old scholar started shaking his head and quoting from classics.

But no one in the teahouse was willing to pay attention to him, and everyone continued to talk about their own things.

When the old scholar saw that no one paid attention to him, he shouted even louder.

The old woman next to him couldn't stand it anymore and shouted, "Old man, the old Saint Lady also married Emperor Taizu after her husband died. How come she can't marry again when it comes to the princess?"

The old scholar spat, "I never said anything wrong about her. It is said that a woman should obey her husband after marriage and obey her son after her husband's death. You said that she should not have any children. In my opinion, she should have a child as soon as possible. When Pei Yong dies in the future, she should remain faithful to him and obey her son. Then she can help him to succeed the throne. In this way, she will have a good reputation, moral principles, and benefits..."

As soon as he said this, before he even finished speaking, not only did the old woman's face change, but the faces of all the men and women in the room turned strange.

The old woman raised her eyebrows and was about to step forward with her hands on her hips, but before she could curse, a man came out from behind with a teapot in his hand. She was the female owner of the tea shop.

The shopkeeper took a few steps forward and flipped the tea bowl in front of the old man onto the ground. The tea inside immediately spilled all over the ground, and he cursed: "Your husband is dead, and your whole family is dead! I don't want the money, go have tea somewhere else!"

As he spoke, he took out a copper coin from his waist, pressed it into the old man's arms, and then threw the long wet cloth in his hand at the old man's face and body.

"Just talk, why did you start fighting for no reason? Let her die..."

At this point, the people who were watching the fun also started to boo and helped to chase them away.

The old scholar was extremely frightened, especially when he saw that the female owner was holding a pot of hot tea in her hand. He was afraid that if she wasn't careful, the scalding tea would spill on him, so he simply ran away with his head in his hands.

He was dodging while trying to fish out the coin in a hurry. He finally got it and left in shame.

Only the female shopkeeper drove the people away, holding a very heavy iron kettle with a spout half a person's height in her hand. She didn't say anything for a long time, and watched the old scholar leave without a trace. She still looked at a loss and just stood there.

No one dared to speak. I don't know how long they waited before they saw the owner wipe his eyes with his sleeves, forcing a smile. With a pair of red eyes, he greeted the guests again.

She had only poured a few bowls of tea when she heard the sound of a baby crying. Soon, a little girl ran out holding a swaddling cloth and shouted, "Mom, my sister keeps crying!"

The shopkeeper quickly put down the teapot, brought the swaddling clothes over, felt inside to see if they were wet, and said, "Please keep an eye on the customers."

As he said this, he lifted the curtain and brought the little daughter in to feed her.

After she left, the others began to whisper.

A stranger couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with this store?"

"Her husband died while defending the city, leaving behind two daughters. The younger one is still breastfeeding. That old man is also a mean-spirited person. Why is he poking at people's feelings? In my opinion, he should be beaten up and kicked out."

Everyone sighed for a while, and after a while, someone suddenly sighed and said, "I just hope we can live in peace for a few years and never have to fight again."

  ***

Regardless of what the court and the public thought, the Taichang Temple received the imperial edict and began to prepare for the princess' wedding step by step according to the auspicious time calculated by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory.

Almost at the same time, the list of envoys to the Northern Dynasty was roughly finalized, but the chief envoy was still undecided. Because the Political Affairs Hall and the Privy Council both said that it was not good to use court officials, and it was best to use royal family members, but most of the royal family members of the Jin Dynasty had been captured and taken to Xiazhou with the emperor, and the remaining few were scattered in various places with the vassal states, and they survived by chance. There was no royal family member left in the capital.

Zhao Hong's decree of conscription was about to be issued and was still halfway through when memorials were sent in from Luzhou, Shaoxing and other places. They were urgent letters from the few remaining clan members, as if they had made an appointment. They all reported that they were seriously ill. Some said that their lives were in danger, some said that they had been bedridden for months, and some said that their mothers were seriously ill and could not even get up. They all asked the palace to send medical treatment and medicine as soon as possible.

  These royal family members either have to step into their own coffins or serve their parents. The emperor should rule the world with benevolence and filial piety. How can he force them to go on diplomatic missions to the Northern Dynasties?

This leaves the candidate vacant once again.

The rest of the people were fine and just tacitly put the matter aside, not pushing it forward or paying any attention to it for the time being. Only Zhang Li, the assistant lawyer of the Taichang Temple, thought about it every day. After learning about the progress, he cursed many times behind the emperor's back and mobilized the remaining few supporters of the retired emperor to submit memorials repeatedly to urge the matter to be expedited.

Zhao Hong had always disliked the one from Xiazhou. After seeing the memorials from Zhang Li and others again and again, he asked Wang Shu to sort them out first and not put them in front of him.

When Zhang Li saw that all the memorials submitted by his group were kept in the palace and not sent out, he naturally knew what the palace meant. Although he seemed extreme and upright, he actually knew very well in his heart that even if he did not submit any memorials, he would never have any chance of making a name for himself. It would be better for him to make some noise and gain a reputation, which might even make people afraid to touch him.

After all, he had been an official for many years and was a favorite of the retired emperor. He had a lot of experience and some ability to be an official. After returning to Caizhou that day, he began to privately contact those whose relatives, friends and old acquaintances were captured to Xiazhou, preferably the elderly, women and children.

At the beginning, Zhang Li was very cautious, but as he saw that he came into contact with more and more people, although most of them were unwilling to step forward, there were still many who responded. So he organized a large team and gradually became more and more active. No one in the court came to seriously stop him, and even his immediate superior only asked a few questions and did not reprimand him.

He was able to see the big picture from the small details and guess the attitudes of the two governments, so he started to act without hesitation.

Besides, after spending several months, we finally found several suitable candidates, with the elderly, the weak, women and children being the best.

He gathered everyone together, and took advantage of the Ghost Festival that day to invite dozens of monks and Taoists, divided them into two groups, and chose a temple and a Taoist temple in the city to hold a grand ceremony at the same time.

Hundreds of tablets were placed in the middle, with dozens of people chanting sutras and performing rituals around them, praying for the souls of those who had died in Xiazhou and for those who were still alive, hoping that the court would be able to redeem them this time.

With such a scene, and with numerous family members surrounding outside, and countless onlookers, it was like forcing a palace to abdicate, bringing all the troubles in Xiazhou to the forefront again, making it difficult for people to ignore them.

After receiving the report from the Imperial City Bureau, Zhao Hong was unusually serious this time. However, he had people search through the list of royal family members in the court, but could not find any suitable candidate.

He was already upset, and when he thought of how everyone in the two governments was trying to avoid him, he couldn't help but get angry, and complained to Zhao Mingzhi: "In the past, when they advised me, everything was very important. It's rare that there is something serious this time, but no one stepped forward. However, I am sent to the Northern Dynasty as an envoy, not to fight in the war. This one refused because it was disrespectful, and that one said it was against etiquette. There is also one who said that talents should be used to serve the country and should not be used here. They all relied on these people. No wonder the government is so corrupt, and that one deserves to be..."

Having said that, Zhao Hong finally shut up.

Zhao Mingzhi said, "It takes time for the ice to freeze three feet thick. The government is like this, and it can't be changed overnight. Is it really that easy to govern a country? There were so many outstanding people in the past, so how could there be dynasties that rise and fall? Even if you are unhappy, you should calm down and focus on the big things and let go of the small things. Otherwise, no matter how angry you are, you will only make yourself angry and it will not help at all."

He then asked, "For example, at the moment, what is the most important thing in your mind? Is it to change the atmosphere in the court, or to facilitate the delegation's trip north?"

"Of course, it is to facilitate the delegation's journey north!" Zhao Hong replied immediately.

Seeing his anxious look, Zhao Mingzhi understood.

My younger brother has been busy selecting talents from the Imperial Army day and night. When he heard that he had promoted several newcomers to his side, he originally wished that Xiazhou would never be mentioned again and that the man would die early in the north. But now, he is acting contrary to his usual behavior and is eager to send an envoy to the Northern Dynasty. There must be other considerations behind this.

Zhao Mingzhi said, "In fact, there is another candidate, and that is the lineage of the heir to the Qing King."

Seeing her brother's bewildered face, she knew that the royal family was complicated and she had no memory of the past, let alone him. She explained again, "Prince Siqing and Emperor Taizong are half-brothers. They were originally granted fiefdoms in Pingyang. Because Prince Siqing was over eighty years old and still had bright eyes and strong teeth, he was good at painting and music, and was favored by the Emperor Taishang. He was specially summoned to the capital to emulate the way of health preservation in order to live a long life. Later, when the bandits went south, he was abducted with them."

"But when the King of Siqing went north, there were still some grandchildren in Pingyang, so they were spared."

"The eldest grandson is in his forties, and his grandfather and parents are all in Xiazhou. He will not dare to neglect them. Pingyang is not far from the Northern Dynasty, so I think he will be able to adapt to the local climate and environment..."

"According to the patriarchal system, the title of a king only applies to the eldest son. The grandson may have some protection, but he is only a sanitation officer. But the situation is different now. It would be better to grant the grandson a title and make him the chief envoy. This will at least stop the gossips in the court and the public."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hong hurried to check the family files, and sure enough, the man was in Pingyang, and was in his prime. He thought about it and felt that it was feasible, so he took it to the former court for discussion the next day. When the two governments heard that the man was a member of the royal family and had a very impressive status, and most importantly, they did not need to be involved, they all agreed.

At that time, everyone agreed that in addition to the regular delegation, Zhao Mingzhi would select a few more people to accompany them and head north together.

  ***

Given Zhang Li's rank, he naturally could not participate in the meetings of the two governments.

He had just organized two grand rituals for the Ghost Festival, which caused a stir in the court and the country. On the one hand, he felt proud of himself, but on the other hand, he was afraid that this time it would not be done properly and he still had to add fuel to the fire to make it succeed. Just as he was planning the follow-up matters, a minor official knocked on the door and came in, saying that the Minister of Taichang Temple wanted to see him.

Since he was taking the lead in organizing those two grand Dharma assemblies, Zhang Li had already made preparations, knowing that this conversation would come up sooner or later.

  However, the Jin Dynasty ruled the country with filial piety, and the current emperor inherited the throne from the retired emperor. No matter how powerful the retired emperor is, he is still a senior figure. How can he ignore it? If he really ignores it, how will the emperor govern the country in the future?

He felt that he was in the right and was very confident. He believed that as long as he stood for justice, not only the higher-ups but even the emperor would not be able to do anything to him. After he straightened his cuffs and put on his hat, he slowly went to look for the Minister of Taichang Temple.

As soon as Zhang Li entered the room, he saw the other party sitting and waiting. There was a person sitting below him, who turned out to be his colleague.

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites did not show any displeasure on his face. Instead, he was very kind. He first called Zhang Li by his name, asked him about the progress of his recent work, and then asked him about his health and whether he had any illness.

Zhang Li was very alert, thinking that the court would want to investigate after the incident, so he immediately said that he was in very good health and could easily walk 100,000 steps a day and eat two kilograms of meat. He also specifically mentioned the names of several colleagues, saying that those people could testify and that they had even had a meal together on a certain day.

The Minister of Rites smiled, pointed at his subordinate and said, "Well...after you finish your work, hand it over to him - you don't have to come back in the afternoon."

Zhang Li's heart choked, and he immediately said, "I don't know where I went wrong. Are you going to revoke my position just because I said that? If this behavior gets out, won't the court be in a state of panic? How will the history books be written about it in the future?!"

He wanted to say more, but the Minister of Rites said kindly, "There is no talk of dismissal. I just received a transfer order. The princess has chosen your name. She said that you are loyal and righteous, and you are extraordinary. You have just returned from Xiazhou. You are the one who is most familiar with the roads in the court, and you are also familiar with the local conditions in the north. This time, you must join us, so that we can achieve twice the result with half the effort..."

Zhang Li felt that there was something wrong with his ears for a moment. He opened his eyes and watched the person opposite him opening and closing his mouth. He was unable to come back to his senses for a long time. It was as if ten thousand mosquitoes had just hatched in his head, buzzing.