Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 822: Emperor Wu’s Warm Room for Recuperation
The Imperial Palace.

At noon, some of the cabinet ministers had gone back to eat, and only one person, Lu, was on duty. He did not leave the cabinet and had a simple meal.
At the same time, over at the Tongzhengsi, Ma Zhongru, the Vice-Chancellor, had already sat down at his desk, organizing the summary of the cabinet's memorial.

Because of Emperor Wu's regulations, the main hall had to be guarded by someone, just like the cabinet. Therefore, it was set up in the side hall of Wuying Hall to the west of the cabinet hall so that the emperor could summon the ministers on duty at any time to consult on military and national affairs.

At this time, Ma Zhongru was preparing to go to the cabinet to copy some memorials. Just as he walked out of the palace gate, he happened to meet Wei Zhanying, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, Fang Qingan, the doctor of the Ministry of Military Selection and Clean Personnel, and Liu Tong, the director of the Ministry of War.

The three men walked hurriedly and with heavy faces, quickly entered the porch and asked as soon as they entered the door;

"Councilor Ma, have you received any reports from Jingnan during your days on duty?"

Ma Zhongru stopped and saw that Minister Zhao was anxious. It was obvious that something had happened, but he did not dare to ask more. There had been no memorials from Jingnan during this period. He shook his head and replied;
"Lord Zhao, there has been no memorial from Jingnan. Even the memorial from the prefect Zeng Ze earlier only had one copy, and there has been no news of the rest."

The reply was crisp and clear.

The three people who came looked even uglier. Liu Tong, the head of the Ministry of War, clasped his fists and said;
"Lord, we can't wait any longer. We must submit the memorial. The urgent document from Wei Xiangping in Runan City cannot wait."

"Yes, Lord, if we wait any longer, something might go wrong."

Zhong Qing'an, a doctor in the Ministry of Military Selection and Clean Personnel, was also urging him. This morning, when Lord Zhao was on duty, Wei Xiangping, the governor of Runan County, actually sent an urgent letter saying that Huaizhou had fallen and that there were an estimated 100,000 enemy troops. Lord Wei asked the defending general Duan Zhongshan to send scouts to investigate. After suffering heavy casualties, he got a shocking news that the group did not seem to be from the Taiping Sect, but it was still unknown who they were.

So Lord Wei thought it over and hurriedly submitted a memorial, and ordered Runan City to begin martial law, build defensive fortifications, and recruit young and strong people.

And he sent people from the Imperial City Bureau everywhere, hoping to find out the origins of that group of people, but unfortunately, he found nothing and the other party was very alert.

Ma Zhongru was confused and didn't know what happened, so he could only comfort her;

"Lord, you also know that after the imperial army marched south, only Wang Jiedu's messengers were sending messages back and forth. The news from the south of the capital had long been cut off. The same is true for the cabinet. I change the documents every day and clean up some memorials, but I didn't find anything."

"Okay, in that case, you just need to pay more attention. I will go to see the emperor."

Lord Zhao also knew that what he had just done was in vain. He could not gather any information, so how could he understand the situation in southern Beijing?

Without waiting for Ma Zhongru to speak, he led his men hurriedly to the Yangxin Palace.

A gentle breeze blew across the courtyard of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The warm room in the palace,

Emperor Wu Zhou Shihong was lying on the dragon couch, looking a little tired. Dai Quan was serving him. On the left side of the east pavilion window, there was a stove boiling medicine. The imperial physician was sitting there, fanning the fire with a fan.
Emperor Wu had been feeling unwell and exhausted since the day before. He thought he would be fine after a day's rest, but he felt very uncomfortable as soon as he lay down. Dai Quan was cautious and arranged for the imperial physician to come and treat him early. It turned out that Emperor Wu had stayed in the inner court the night before and caught a cold. In order to avoid being seen by others and not let the court officials know, he asked the imperial physician to personally get the medicine in the warm room and boil it here to treat His Majesty. After three days, the medicine finally worked.

In the early morning, Emperor Wu woke up, drank the medicine, and dozed off for a while. By noon, he felt much better. Seeing Dai Quan still there, he asked:

"Dai Quan, is there any movement from the cabinet?"

"Your Majesty, the cabinet is on duty, and there is nothing urgent."

Dai Quan walked carefully to the bed, helped Emperor Wu up, and added a quilt to support the back. After sitting up, Emperor Wu looked out the window. The sky was cloudless and the sun was shining brightly. It was a good day, and his mood improved a lot.

Soon, the curtain outside the screen rustled, and an eunuch whispered:
"Your Majesty, Lord Governor, the Queen has arrived outside the palace."

While they were talking, Empress Jiang walked gracefully into the palace accompanied by a group of female officials and palace maids. This plump beauty was dressed in a light yellow palace dress, with her hair tied up high and adorned with golden hairpins, looking graceful and elegant.

His Majesty has not been to the harem for three days in a row. Empress Jiang was feeling uneasy, so she came to check on him. Before he arrived, a crisp voice came.
"Your Majesty, it's time for lunch."

Queen Jiang lifted the curtain, came forward and called out.

Who would have thought that just after passing the screen, he saw His Majesty lying on the bed with a sick face. In the seat at the east end, there was an imperial physician decocting medicine. This means His Majesty is ill. His eyes were panicked and he lost his voice;
"Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?"

Dai Quan walked over quickly, lowered his head, and stepped back.

Emperor Wu waved his hand, looked up at the beauty, smiled and said:
"Yuqing, I'm here. I'm fine."

Queen Song looked worried. She took Emperor Wu's hand and asked:

"Your Majesty, I have neglected to pay my respects to you these past few days, so Dai Quan, what does the imperial physician say?"

Suddenly, a trace of fear rose in the Queen's heart. If His Majesty made a mistake at this time, what would she do? Dai Quan whispered behind her;
"Your Majesty, don't worry. Your Majesty caught a cold and has been taking medicine for three days. The fever has subsided. This morning, he had some green porridge and some vegetables, and he is feeling much better. Your Majesty, please don't let the news spread. It's best to be cautious at this time."

Dai Quan's words were also a reminder that it was a time of trouble and that it was better to be safe than sorry. The news that the emperor was not well must not be spread. Empress Jiang also understood what was going on in the inner court. Her eyes turned red and she leaned on Emperor Wu.
"You carry it all by yourself."

"Hey, I'm fine, just a minor illness."

Emperor Wu Zhou Shihong felt something in his heart, so he reached out to comfort the queen.

suddenly,

From the outer room, another message came.

"Your Majesty, the Minister of War, Mr. Zhao, the Assistant Minister of War, the Chief, and others from the Military Selection and Cleaning Office are waiting outside the palace. They said that Runan City in the south of the capital has an urgent memorial."

When the people in the room heard this, they were immediately startled. Emperor Wu winked at Dai Quan, who understood and slowly retreated.

After leaving the screen hall, I saw Zhao Ge Lao and others in the outer room;
"Lord, why are you so anxious?"

A shrill voice sounded, causing Zhao Ge Lao and the others to look up. It was the internal minister who came here, so they quickly saluted.

"It turned out to be the internal minister, Jingnan and Runan sent an urgent memorial."

Lord Zhao didn't waste any words. He stretched out his hand and handed over the memorial. Dai Quan's face darkened. His Majesty had been keeping his eye on Runan City. His Majesty had previously wanted to send the Runan City government troops westward to attack Linshan County, but they were stopped by Marquis Baoning and Marquis Luoyun. Could it be that those bandit troops were one step ahead?

He took it and just as he was about to open it, he closed it again.

"Thank you, Lord Zhao. Please go back. I will report this matter to His Majesty. Go ahead."

Seeing that His Majesty had not seen it and was about to be chased away by the internal minister, except for Lord Zhao, the others were all surprised and wanted to ask more questions, but Zhao Jingwu nodded.

"Please ask the Minister to convey this to me. If Your Majesty summons me, I will follow you."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Seeing this, the people behind him had to bow. After paying their respects, they turned around and followed. When they arrived at the courtyard, Liu Tong, the head of the Ministry of War, asked;
"Lord, why don't you ask to see His Majesty? Something happened in Runan City, it shouldn't be like this."

"Shut up!"

Elder Zhao shouted, turned around and glared at Liu Tong fiercely.
"Since the Minister asked us to leave, there must be a reason. Your Majesty doesn't want to see us, so how dare we disturb you? The relationship between the monarch and his subjects should still be that of a monarch and a father. Go back and wait."

"Yes, Mr. Ge."

Liu Tong shrank his head and followed closely behind him without saying a word. No one spoke on the road. Only Zhao Ge Lao had some guesses in his mind. He hadn't seen His Majesty for three days. Maybe it was because
The warm room of the Yangxin Palace,
After Dai Quan drove the people away, he took the memorial and hurried back to the warm room to report behind the screen;
"Your Majesty, after Lord Zhao handed in the memorial, he went back. I brought it here."

"Yes, send it over." "Yes, Your Majesty."

After getting the Emperor's approval, Dai Quan slowly walked into the inner room, moved to the bed, and handed the memorial to the emperor.

At this time, Emperor Wu had changed his clothes and drank a bowl of porridge. He looked very happy. He sat on the dragon couch, took the letter and was about to open it, but suddenly stopped what he was doing and asked;
"Have you read the letter?"

"Your Majesty, I have not read it."

Dai Quan answered honestly, but Emperor Wu suddenly raised his hand and threw the letter back to him. Fortunately, Dai Quan was prepared and caught it quickly.
"Read it to me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Dai Quan was secretly delighted, and quickly opened the letter, glanced up and down, and read it out.

"I, Wei Xiangping, the governor of Runan City, pay homage to Emperor Wu. In early May, I noticed something unusual in Huaizhou, so I asked Duan Kaiping, the governor of Runan, to send a hundred scouts to search westward. Unexpectedly, they returned with heavy casualties in just half a day. To the west of Runan, Huaizhou City fell, and there were nearly 100,000 bandits occupying Huaizhou. I was surprised and thought that it was the Taiping Sect who took a detour, so I sent troops again. However, after repeated inspections, I found that they were not the bandits of the Taiping Sect. Their troops were fully equipped with weapons and armor, and they were elite. So I organized young and strong men to defend the city overnight. The military situation here is urgent, 600 miles away. Yuanfeng Year 8, early May."

The more Dai Quan read, the worse his expression became. How could it be possible that there were 100,000 soldiers stationed in Huaizhou, and it was not certain whether they were from the Taiping Sect, so whose people could they be?

Emperor Wu, who was listening to the lecture on the bed, had a livid face and could not help but use force on his hands, causing the softness in his palms to turn red. Empress Jiang endured the pain and soothed him;
"Your Majesty, please be at ease. The imperial army has already marched south. Many of these villains were wiped out in an instant."

Hearing the Queen's consolation, Emperor Wu suddenly loosened his grip, looking guilty.

"I'm sorry to have worried Yuqing. I've always felt a little uneasy. I didn't believe Marquis Luo Yun's speculation before, but just to be on the safe side, I asked Marquis Baoning to thoroughly check the military equipment and food supplies in the entire capital. I originally thought it was a false alarm, but who would have thought that there would be so many demons in the south of the capital, and both the ones who should and shouldn't jump out have come out."

After saying that, he stood up and sighed.

"It's just that this time, poor Wang Ziteng, he was so loyal!"

The Empress was somewhat confused by the Emperor Wu's words, but Dai Quan, who was standing beside her, knew that the outcome of this battle was unpredictable for Wang Ziteng's troops, and they might really be "defeated."

"Your Majesty, should we hurry up and send a message overnight, asking Wang Ziteng to temporarily hold off on his march south and for the imperial court to continue sending reinforcements, perhaps?"

Maybe we can still save him. When Luo Yunhou has assembled his army, we can go south and replace Wang Ziteng. Will he be better?
unfortunately,

It was just a fantasy of Dai Quan.
"It's too late. The other party has already dared to blatantly expose their whereabouts. It is obvious that they have prepared a perfect plan. It all depends on Wang Ziteng's luck."

The wrinkles on Emperor Wu's face appeared, and they seemed to have deepened.
Outside the curtain,

There was another sound of footsteps, and a eunuch passed on the message.

"Your Majesty, Governor, Prince Teng of Jingnan is being rushed 400 miles."

"Pass it up quickly."

Emperor Wu's expression changed, and he quickly gave orders. Dai Quan turned around and went to the outer room, found someone, and brought back the memorial. Just as he was about to hand it over, he was scolded by Emperor Wu.

“Just read it.”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Dai Quan stopped, quickly opened the envelope, unfolded the fold, and muttered;
"Your Majesty, the army led by your servant, Prince Teng, will reach Daliang City tomorrow morning. I have decided to rest for a day and then the next day, the whole army will march south to Linshan County City and control the entire city. In the past three days, all the places we have visited have been safe."

I thought misfortunes never come singly, but the document submitted by Wang Ziteng was so ordinary. How could this be?

Emperor Wu pondered for a moment, and Empress Jiang also heard that it was a military and national matter, so she did not dare to speak.
"Dai Quan, send a pigeon immediately to tell Wang Ziteng to hold off on sending out troops. You can send the vanguard troops to control the county city. If everything is fine, you can lead the army south. Otherwise, hold on to Daliang City and wait for reinforcements. Report military information to the capital at any time, quickly."

"Yes, Your Majesty,"

After Emperor Wu gave his instructions, Dai Quan immediately turned around and left. As soon as he reached the door, Emperor Wu gave him another warning.
"Let Marquis Luo Yun enter the palace, and Marquis Bao Ning, quickly."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey your command."

The voice left in a hurry.

In the warm room, a gloomy atmosphere surrounded the surroundings. Empress Jiang also knew that something big had happened in the south, but she didn't know how to comfort her.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. Although I don't know about military and national affairs, now that I have a day, maybe it's not what Your Majesty thinks."

"Yuqing is right. This time, I am just being lucky. By the way, Yuqing, why did you come here today?"

This matter is sensitive and must not be spread outside. Emperor Wu did not want the Queen to be involved, so he changed the subject.
Empress Jiang naturally understood His Majesty's intention and said with a smile:
"Your Majesty, I have been selecting the concubines for the three princes these days. After a brief observation, I would like to make a decision. Please review it."

As he spoke, he handed over a piece of gold-plated cardstock with an image of a phoenix and a crane singing in harmony. It was the list of concubines to be selected for the King of Jin, the King of Wei, and the King of Chu. There were not many people, only about ten or so, including a principal wife, a concubine, and a talented woman. The list contained records of their family background, age, daily speech, and conduct.

"Oh?"

Emperor Wu said softly, took the letter, and read the words on it. They were all women from noble families, and some were women from court officials. He asked casually:
"Last time, I remember there was another person from the Wang family? She was the granddaughter of Wang Ziteng, right?"

Queen Jiang smiled sweetly and said softly:
"Your Majesty, I have heard that most of the women in the royal family are illiterate and some do not know etiquette, so I will give up this proposal. I also think it is not appropriate. The royal family attaches great importance to appearance, so I will remove them from the list."

In fact, it was Chunhe who reminded Queen Jiang that although Wang Ziteng was now in his prime and the women of the Wang family were quite famous, the women in the mansion did not know etiquette, had little education, and were even quite quarrelsome. Queen Jiang naturally could not ruin her son's reputation, so she gave up the idea.

Emperor Chongping closed the letter and nodded, approving the list, and said:

"The people on this list will be observed for a period of time. If everything is fine, the Queen can make her own arrangements."

When a prince established his own government and conferred a title on his queen, it would be announced in the form of an imperial edict, and the concubine's name would also be recorded in the clan secret office.

The three princes naturally need help, but unfortunately, Marquis Luo Yun doesn't have a sister. Marquis Baoning has a clan daughter, but the crown prince has not been decided yet, so let's delay it for the time being. As for Wang Ziteng's relatives, the women are all fierce. Although they are capable, they have heard about the affairs of the Rongguo Mansion in the capital. The women with the surname Wang are strong-willed but jealous. They are okay in the market, but not worthy of being in the palace.

Seeing that His Majesty agreed verbally but looked unhappy, it was obvious that he was refusing. Empress Jiang felt anxious. These people were all carefully selected by her, including civil officials, daughters of nobles, and even the daughter of the third daughter of Rongguo Mansion.
As for age, Queen Jiang had never considered these. You know, when the royal family gets married, they only look at the strength behind the woman. As long as the woman is virtuous, well-educated and sensible, she will be fine.

Those girls from small families with no background can only wait for the day when they will be favored and become concubines.

But now your Majesty disagrees, and I don't know why.
"If your majesty has any concerns, I can change it. I don't know what your majesty means."

Seeing the Queen's eager eyes, Emperor Wu Zhou Shihong also slowly opened his mouth to conceal his intentions.

"Now is not the right time. First, the south of the capital has not been settled. Second, the capital is not stable. The last one, Yuqing, all three of you are smart, but such a big court will definitely need a responsible prince in the future. Without a prince, it is better to fight for the throne later. Let's wait and see the will of heaven."

Emperor Wu had clearly said that the so-called "appoint the virtuous instead of the eldest" and that he would let the three of them compete for the position of crown prince. Empress Jiang was stunned, obviously not expecting His Majesty to have such thoughts. She was happy and worried, thinking that the three princes had grown up together and had fought for the position of crown prince.
For a moment, I was filled with anxiety.

"Your Majesty, I know what you are thinking, but Your Majesty, since ancient times, you have always supported the eldest son. If you let go, will the court officials get what they want?"

This is what the Queen is worried about. The Prince of Wei is sharp-minded, although he is a little careless and neglects small matters. The eldest son, the Prince of Jin, is calm, but he is not decisive enough and not aggressive enough. The third son, the Prince of Chu, is young, but he is smart and studious, but he is timid and thinks twice before doing anything. If the position of the crown prince is to be chosen, Queen Jiang still prefers the eldest son. It is not a bad idea to be a king who maintains the status quo, but this can only be buried in her heart.
"Don't worry, Yuqing. The reason why I didn't appoint a crown prince is just what I said on the surface. I am still waiting for that side in my heart."

Emperor Wu Zhou Shihong sat down slowly and pointed in the direction of Changle Palace.

(End of this chapter)