Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 893 Family Banquet
"Well!" Sancho said, "You know, Madam Yun has only had one child for so many years, and she died a few years ago. But I have many children. My son Acheng couldn't bear to see Madam Yun so lonely, so he wanted to adopt one of my children to her so that she can take care of her!"

"Hmm!" Wang Wenzuo couldn't help but think of Gui Shiyun. He nodded and said, "It's a good idea of ​​yours!"

"Then you agree!" Sancho laughed.

"This is a good thing, why shouldn't I agree?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Did Ah Cheng ask you to ask me? Your wife is very cautious in doing things!"

"Haha!" Sancho touched the back of his head and laughed, "Yes, Ah Cheng has indeed considered more than I did. She wrote to me and asked me to ask me first to avoid any trouble in the future!"

"Well, Sancho, it's your blessing to marry Ah Cheng!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile, "How about this, when you decide which child to adopt to Ah Yun, bring him to see me!"

"You want to--" Sancho asked in confusion.

"Although Ayun and I are not married, we have a bond of love!" Wang Wenzuo sighed, "She has been alone for many years, which is really pitiful. I am very happy that you can think of and do this for me. We are master and servant, and our bond cannot end in this generation. It must be passed down from generation to generation!"

"Yes, yes!" said Sancho, "you are right, my lord. Sancho will hold the stirrup for you, and your children will hold the stirrup for your sons."

"No need to lead the horse or hold the stirrup!" Wang Wenzuo laughed and patted Sancho on the shoulder. "Come on, we haven't been out together for years. Today is a good day, let's go out of the city and ride a few laps!"

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Princess Taiping Mansion.

The maid who was dressing her up took two large rhinoceros jade hairpins according to the custom of the princesses, and put them across Princess Taiping's hair. She also used a lotus flower with kingfisher feathers at the back. After putting on her makeup, she thought about it in the mirror, and then put another palm-sized pearl and jade on her temples. Finally, she chose a string of gold and jade lilac earrings and put them on. Princess Taiping looked at herself in the mirror two or three times before she was satisfied. She stood up and said, "Where is my master's husband?"

"The young master is in the study, talking to his brother!" replied the maid who was doing the makeup.

"He's already back in Chang'an, but he's still hiding in his study all day. How can he have so many things to do? He has to go to his father's place tomorrow. I don't know how many things he has to deal with, but he doesn't care about anything!" Princess Taiping shook her head in dissatisfaction: "Am I the only one who has to worry about it?"

"Should we ask someone to call the young master?" asked the palace maid.

"Forget it, I'll go and take a look myself!" Princess Taiping tidied her clothes and walked towards the study. When she walked outside the door, she heard Yan Liang's voice coming from the inner room: "In my opinion, Ohba Huai'en, Azhi Luo, and Ono Chogoro are all good. You can keep them!"

"My dear!" Princess Taiping coughed, pushed the door open and walked in, pretending that she didn't know Yanliang was there, and said with a smile: "So you are here, brother. Are you talking about something? I am sorry to bother you!"

"No way!" Yan Liang stood up quickly and bowed: "Just chatting, meet Her Royal Highness the Princess!"

"Dingyue!" Huliang also stood up, looking a little embarrassed: "Is there something wrong? You can just send someone to call me, why bother coming here yourself!"

"I just wanted to see you, so I came here naturally. Why would I need to ask someone?" Princess Taiping sat down next to Huliang and smiled at Yanliang, "Is it okay?"

Yan Liang could see what Princess Taiping meant, and said with a smile: "No problem, no problem!" He bowed to Hu Liang and said: "Let's stop here today, we can talk about it next time if we have time!" After that, he nodded to Princess Taiping and went out.

Huliang stood up and wanted to see him off, but his wife grabbed his sleeve and he couldn't move. He smiled bitterly and said, "Dingyue, why are you doing this? We are all brothers, not outsiders!"

"If he is not a stranger, then you have been with him. Why do you have to go with me?" Princess Taiping said angrily, "You have been away for so long and left me alone in Chang'an without caring about me! After you came back, you stayed with your brother all day. What do you mean?"

"Dingyue!" Huliang had no choice but to hold his wife in his arms to comfort her, but Princess Taiping broke free and said with a wry smile, "It's true that something has happened. I have brought back meritorious soldiers this time. Those who stay and those who go back, how much reward, must be decided as soon as possible. When I go to see my father tomorrow, I will report it, so I discussed it with Yanliang!"

"Aren't these all matters of the Ministry of War? What are you two discussing?" asked Princess Taiping.

"These soldiers are different!" Hu Liang sighed, and recounted the situation of the soldiers he brought this time. Finally, he said: "These soldiers should actually be regarded as my father and Yan Liang's private troops. The process of rewarding and placing them is different from that of the Tang Dynasty's palace soldiers, so it cannot be decided by the Ministry of War!"

Princess Taiping's anger had subsided by then, and she also realized something was wrong: "Then who did Yanliang tell you to leave in Chang'an?"

"Yes!" Hu Liang nodded: "My father will retire soon. I definitely cannot compare with him in terms of prestige in the court. So Yan Liang suggested that I take advantage of my father's absence and select a group of people to join the imperial guards. This will make many things easier in the future!"

"In my opinion, what Brother Yanliang said is correct!"

"So you agree with Brother Yanliang's idea?" Huliang looked at his wife in surprise.

"Of course!" Princess Taiping nodded. "If you want to gain a foothold in Chang'an, you must have soldiers and people you can trust. This time you defeated the Tibetans, which is a rare opportunity. How about those people he just mentioned?"

"Oba Huai'en is a Khitan, Ajiro is a vassal soldier from Liaodong, and Ono Chogoro is a close follower of Hikoyoshi. They are all brave warriors skilled in archery and horse riding! They all made military achievements in this expedition against Tubo!" Huliang replied.

"I'm asking whether they are loyal or not!" Princess Taiping said anxiously.

"Of course they are loyal! Otherwise, how could they not be loyal when a feathered letter came from afar?" Hu Liang said with a smile. "That's good. The more loyal warriors there are, the better. You can pick three hundred, not five hundred! Place half of them in the imperial guards, and place the other half in our mansion, and give them military posts!"

"Put it in our house?" Hu Liang was stunned when he heard that.

"Yes, you will soon be the general of the state, and I now have the power to open a government office. Isn't it normal to have civil and military talents under my command?" Princess Taiping said, "In my opinion, it is still a little too little. In the future, I will recommend talented people to the court, 30 to 50 people every year. Let's call it 'Monthly Selection'. What do you think?"

Seeing his wife's ambitious look, Hu Liang could not help but be stunned. It was common for the powerful and noble members of the Tang Dynasty to recommend talents to the court and let them serve as officials. It was not surprising that the favored princes opened their own houses to recruit civil and military talents. But this was usually done by men. The only princess who did this was the founding princess Pingyang. His wife really looked a bit similar.

"What's wrong?" Seeing her husband staring at her blankly, Princess Taiping frowned and asked, "Is there something wrong with what I said?"

"That's not wrong!" Hu Liang said with a wry smile, "It's just that you look a bit like your great aunt, Princess Pingyang!"

"Really?" Princess Taiping was not angry but happy when she heard this: "I also respect her the most. If there is chaos in the world in the future, my husband and I will each open our own residences, set up our own tents, and lead troops to fight against the enemy!"

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Wang Wenzuo's residence in Chang'an was the most magnificent even in Xuanyangfang. The rows of stone pillars for tying horses in the deep alleys, the courtyard walls made of blue bricks, the layers of pavilions and towers behind the courtyard walls, and the strong guards standing guard in front of the door all showed the prominent power of the owner of the mansion to the passers-by. One day in July of 682 AD, the crowd outside the mansion was particularly noisy. The crowd was blocked by two rows of armored guards behind them, leaving a path in the middle. The ceremonial guards in front and behind were hundreds of steps long, and the colorful flags made even the knowledgeable people of Chang'an marvel.

"Look at this scene, wow, could it be that the emperor has arrived?" someone exclaimed.

"Where did these foreign peasants come from!" Someone sneered, "How can the emperor's procession be just like this? Besides, everyone knows that the emperor has a stroke and can hardly get out of bed, so how can he come here!"

"That's right. Besides, if the emperor came, General Wang would have opened the gate and knelt at the entrance to welcome him!"

"Who is that person, with such a grand procession?"

"It's probably his son, General Huliang!" Someone else said, "He just fought against Tubo and made great contributions. It's true that a good father will have a good son!"

"Well, it should be this one!" Someone pointed at the imperial carriage not far away and said, "Did you see it clearly? Only members of the royal family can ride it. The wife of General Huliang is the younger sister of the current emperor. This person is most likely the princess! At dusk, candles are lit in the Han Palace, and light smoke spreads to the homes of the five marquises! If we talk about the richest and most powerful person in the world, it must be General Wang!"

"Be careful! Shut up!" Someone shouted, "How can you say something like that? Be careful to get caught and punished!"

Compared to the hustle and bustle outside, the mansion was full of opulence. Since their daughter-in-law was a member of the royal family, Wang Wenzuo and Cui Yunying had to wear official robes and carefully perform etiquette, leading their son and daughter-in-law into the main hall and sitting down as host and guest.

"Grandfather, mother, there is no need to be so polite!" Princess Taiping said with a smile, "We are all family here. Today, we will not discuss the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects. Let's just talk about the friendship between us as a family!"

"I dare not!" Wang Wenzuo bowed: "At home, we are father and son, and in the court, we are monarch and subject. How dare I violate the etiquette!"

"If you say so, then Huliang and I won't dare to visit you in the future!" Princess Taiping said with a smile.

Wang Wenzuo hesitated for a moment, then said with a smile: "If that's the case, then I'll dare to cross the line!" He nodded to the side and said: "Let's just ignore it today!"

When the guests in the hall heard Wang Wenzuo's words, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Some took off their heavy crowns, some loosened their collars, and subconsciously raised their voices. Princess Taiping knew that these were all warriors who had followed Wang Wenzuo through hundreds of battles, so she just pretended not to see it and just kept a reserved smile. She nodded and smiled at the people who were closer to her, which attracted a lot of sighs. After all, such a noble person was so kind to her, which was indeed something worth praising for a lifetime.

"Aunt, I heard that you are going to ask the court to retire next?" Princess Taiping smiled and said, "Really?"

"Yes, it is true!" Wang Wenzuo nodded. "I have been busy with military affairs for the first half of my life, and I have suffered some arrow wounds. My health has been getting worse over the years. Now that the four barbarians are pacified and the world is peaceful, there are many talented young people in the court. I don't want to stay in Chang'an and block the way for the younger generation!"

"Look at what you said, old man!" Princess Taiping laughed. "What's the point of saying that there is a latecomer? Isn't it just your son Huliang? Does Huliang think you are blocking his way? In my opinion, if you don't want to go to the government hall every day, then just go once every three or five days, and rest at home on weekdays. If you can retire in your hometown, can't you retire in Chang'an?"

"Thank you, Princess, for staying!" Wang Wenzuo said with a wry smile, "It's not that Chang'an can't accommodate you in your old age, but I want to go back to Fanyang to do something!"

"Then we can't stay in Chang'an?"

“It’s not that it can’t be done, it’s just not very convenient!” Wang Wenzuo said.

Princess Taiping looked at Wang Wenzuo and confirmed that he was not lying. Finally, she smiled and said, "Okay, since you said so, I won't force you. I will tell my sister-in-law about your intention when I return!"

"That's good!" Wang Wenzuo laughed. To be honest, he was still a little bit taboo about his daughter-in-law. He knew the records of Princess Taiping in history books. Of course, without her mother who was an emperor, the life trajectory of this daughter would naturally not be the same as in history. But one thing is certain, this princess is by no means an ordinary woman. Her noble blood, political talent, and desire for power are gathered in her. In addition, her marriage with her son is destined to make her an indispensable figure at the top of the Tang Dynasty for a long time to come. Although arranging this marriage for his son has indeed integrated the blood of the Wang family and the Li family and increased the legitimacy of its own power, from another perspective, the Li family has also penetrated the roots of power into the Wang family through this marriage. In the end, who will benefit and who will suffer, or whether both sides will benefit, can only be seen in the future. I am afraid that I may not be able to see it.

"Ah Sheng!" Cui Yunying waved to her son, "Why don't you come over and toast the Princess with a glass of wine!"

Wang Qisheng, who was dressed in a brocade robe, stood up a little stiffly, walked to Princess Taiping, raised his glass and said: "Wang Qisheng, I wish Your Highness the Princess a long life and everlasting happiness!"

Weber knew that at dusk, candles were lit in the Han Palace, and light smoke spread into the homes of the five marquises! This poem is from the mid-Tang Dynasty, but it is quite appropriate to use it here, so I changed it to use it here, please don’t mind!