After being exiled, I led my whole family to rebel.

Chapter 296 Being on an equal footing
"The people at the medical school should be responsible for the cowpox vaccine. When I came here, I heard General Chen say that almost everyone in the eight states of Jinzhou Prefecture has been vaccinated——"

Zhou Ying's heart gradually sank.

She thought of a more terrifying thing. If everyone in the world knew that Jinzhou Prefecture had cowpox vaccine, wouldn't everyone be willing to defect to her, Xu Zhenying?
Xu Zhenying raised her arms and said that all the cities that defected to Xu Zhenying could be vaccinated against cowpox free of charge. I am afraid that countless cities would offer their cities to her.

The more Zhou Ying thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt.

She once thought that Xu Zhenying was just a stronger soldier, but now that she stepped into Jinzhou Mansion, she realized how hopeless it felt to be completely unable to compare with him!
Zhou Ying's heart felt sour, "I'm afraid they won't vaccinate us with the cowpox vaccine."

General Ma said: "Sir, the sign at the door says that household registration is free for locals in Jinzhou Prefecture, and vaccination for outsiders costs ten cents a time."

General Ma's tone was obviously slightly excited later on.

Looking at the soldiers who were all looking forward to it, Zhou Ying had mixed feelings in her heart. Going to the enemy's territory and eagerly enjoying their new things felt like a betrayal.

She even regretted coming to Jinzhou Mansion.

She only had to walk around Jinzhou Mansion, and the soldiers around her wished they had to go back and stay in Jinzhou Mansion for Xu Zhenying's use!
Zhou Ying had no choice but to grit her teeth and said: "Let's go get vaccinated! Who can't get along with her?"

The soldiers immediately beamed with joy.

Can't you be happy?

If you get the cowpox vaccine, you will be free from smallpox in your life. It's like pie in the sky.

After receiving the cowpox vaccine, Zhou Ying put the trip down to business. After a few people walked around the city and made inquiries, they finally found the Jinzhou Prefecture Almshouse.

Zhou Ying squatted at the door for about half an hour, and then finally saw the familiar figure.

Almost immediately, she took advantage of the moment the man came out, stepped forward and grabbed the man's wrist, and shouted in a low voice: "Sister-in-law!"

Fang Ruyu was suddenly caught like this, and her face turned pale with fright. Then she heard a slightly familiar voice. When she raised her eyes, she saw Zhou Ying's face!
Her expression suddenly changed and she shouted for help without hesitation. Zhou Ying panicked and immediately signaled General Ma to take action. Several people covered Fang Ruyu's mouth and dragged her into a secluded small room on one side. In the alley.

Zhou Ying kept pleading: "Sister-in-law, don't call me. I have something to ask you. I'll just say a few words to you and then leave. Don't call me, okay?"

Seeing that the person who came was Zhou Ying, and she only brought a few people with her, and it seemed that she had no intention of harming her, Fang Ruyu gradually stopped struggling from the panic and fear, but she was still nervous in her heart, "You...what do you want to do? Are you still unwilling to let our Fang family go? I warn you, this is the territory of Jinzhou Mansion. If you dare to mess around, I will shout immediately, the patrolling guard is nearby! "

"Good sister-in-law..." Zhou Ying stepped forward and took Fang Ruyu's hand affectionately, but Fang Ruyu threw her away, "What sister-in-law? You must stop yelling and insulting my innocence!"

Zhou Ying said with tears in her eyes: "Sister-in-law, are you still angry with my brother?"

When Zhou Heng was mentioned, Fang Ruyu seemed to become very excited in an instant, "Who is your sister-in-law! Your brother sent people to kill my whole family, making me, Fang Ruyu, a witch in the history books who brought disaster to the country and the people, causing my whole family to almost have their heads mutilated." Where did you get the nerve to call me sister-in-law?"

"Good sister-in-law, I won't call you. Can I call you Miss Fang?" As if to appease Fang Ruyu, Zhou Ying gave in. She wiped her tears and said, "My brother expected that you were still angry with him, so he deliberately Send me thousands of miles deep into the enemy camp just to clear my brother’s name.”

Zhou Ying burst into tears, holding Fang Ruyu's hand and refusing to let go, "Miss Fang, my brother was really wronged! He really thought you were dead back then! The person who assassinated you was definitely not sent by my brother. It was clear It's that damn Zhu Ci! It was Zhu Ci who sent people pretending to be my brother to hunt you down in order to eliminate the root cause and clear up suspicion! My brother almost vomited blood when he heard about your death. He stayed on the bed for half a month before he got better. After he recovered, the first thing he did was to raise an army to rebel, saying that he must seek justice for you and the Fang family! "

Fang Ruyu gritted her teeth and her chest rose and fell sharply, "I don't believe your nonsense! Who doesn't know that he has already proposed to His Highness? If he really thinks about me, how could he do these things!"

"Sister-in-law, you are wronged! Xu Zhenying's firearm is really too powerful. We invested a hundred thousand troops on the battlefield, and almost half of them were killed or injured. In my brother's heart, you are the only one from beginning to end. If you are not forced to do anything, who would do it? Marrying such a tough woman like Xu Zhenying? How can she compare with my sister-in-law, and how can she compare with the love that my brother and I have had since we were young? The whole world has wronged my brother, but Miss Fang and you are so beautiful. My brother’s childhood sweetheart, don’t you know what kind of person my brother is?”

Fang Ruyu turned her head and bit her lower lip to prevent tears from falling.

"If I didn't miss Miss Fang, how could my brother let me come to the enemy camp to explain to you in person? My brother said that what he fears most is that you will misunderstand him like everyone else. What about hunting down the Fang family? What about killing them all? Miss Fang Do you really believe that my brother is such a cruel person? In the past, when we were still living in the palace, my mother and concubine were of low status, and our brothers and sisters were even more bullied. If Sister Fang hadn't helped her many times, we probably wouldn't have survived. Not only does my brother remember this kindness, but I also remember it. Sister Fang, are you the only one who has forgotten it? "

Fang Ruyu burst into tears, but finally couldn't hold it back, "Since you said he didn't do those things, then why didn't he come to me, and why didn't he even give me a letter explaining it?"

"How could this happen?!" Zhou Ying was very horrified, "Zhu Kui is the closest to Jinzhou Mansion, and I ask him to deliver all my brother's letters. Didn't you receive even one of them? My brother thought you were resenting him, no? I am willing to forgive him, so I refused to reply to him. He was heartbroken and almost died of illness, so he sent me to explain to you personally."

Zhou Ying took a "poof" and her expression turned sinister, "Damn Zhu Kui! Later, my brother found out that Zhu Kui had secretly defected to Jinzhou Prefecture. How could he be willing to deliver the letter for his brother? I'm afraid it was Leave it all to your Highness!"

"Seriously?" A look of distress flashed across Fang Ruyu's face, and then joy gradually filled her eyes, "I knew...he wouldn't do that kind of thing. I know him, and I believe him!"

Fang Ruyu stamped her feet anxiously again, "How could he destroy his body like this for me! Why didn't you persuade him when you were next to him?"

"Sister, my brother just likes you. How can others persuade others when it comes to love? On the one hand, my brother is under pressure to recruit troops to rebel, but on the other hand, he has to worry about whether you are living well. You don't even know what kind of life he spends every day. . If you saw it, you would be heartbroken!"

Fang Ruyu turned away, "But he really wants to marry His Highness Prince Zhao——"

Zhou Ying wiped her tears and said, "Good sister, my brother has fought and died for you, but you are still blaming him! This important matter of marriage used to be the order of the matchmaker from the parents, but now my brother is really forced to do it. If he doesn't find a way to solve the problem of firearms, all the generals under him will probably run away! Now that the Zhou Dynasty is eyeing him, my brother is very overwhelmed while dealing with the Jinzhou Prefecture and the Zhou Dynasty's attacks. Even this so-called marriage was proposed by his subordinates after he was sidelined! "

"Firearm? Is that thing really that powerful?"

"Isn't that true?" Zhou Ying couldn't hide the joy in her eyes, but her tone was even more miserable, "The firearms hit us so hard that we were unable to fight back. Now it's Jiang Yongkang who doesn't want our territory. They even insulted us by saying It's useless to fight. We need to fight the poor. The Jinzhou government can't control it now, so we are left to survive for the time being. But when His Highness Zhao Wang frees up her hands, she can completely overturn my brother's power with just firearms. Jiye! When the time comes, he will have no choice but to become a prisoner. Hehe, the prisoner may be a good person, but maybe he will be stabbed by the subordinates and cut off his head to offer his sincerity——"

Zhou Yingfu held Fang Ruyu tightly again: "Sister Fang, it's great that I can see you now. Why don't you go back and tell the old man of the Fang family and ask them if they are willing to come with me. If so, I Even if I risk my life, I will bring you to my brother so that my brother can feel at ease!"

"Go?" Fang Ruyu opened her eyes wide in fear, "Where are you going?"

"Of course we are going to Qiongzhou! The engagement between you and your brother has not been annulled, so you are still an unmarried couple. My brother said that he has no choice but to marry Xu Zhenying now, but as long as you agree, he is willing to propose to Xu Zhenying and allow you to have an equal marriage. In the future, you and Xu Zhenying will be equals——"

On an equal footing with Xu Zhenying?

Just thinking about it made Fang Ruyu feel terrible.

Who dares to steal Xu Zhenying’s husband?

Fang Ruyu seemed to wake up a little and shook her head hastily: "No. No. You can't go to Qiongzhou -"

Zhou Ying threw her hand away and said angrily: "My brother started a rebellion in order to avenge you, and now you refuse to go back to him? Fang Ruyu, you are too hard-hearted -"

"not like this!"

"What's that like? Don't tell me that you can't bear the glory and wealth of Jinzhou Mansion? Okay, okay, I know for sure that you Fang Ruyu dislikes poverty and loves wealth. Now that your Fang family has turned over, you no longer take my brother seriously. Yes or no?"

"No!" Fang Ruyu's voice was clear, with a look of pain on her face, "I didn't mean that."

"Then are you willing to go to Qiongzhou with me? If you are willing, once Xu Zhenying refuses the marriage, I will find a way to take you away."

"Reject the marriage?" Fang Ruyu's eyes lit up slightly, "Are you saying that His Highness will not agree to this marriage?"

Zhou Ying smiled: "My silly sister! My brother said that Xu Zhenying's heart is as high as the sky, so he will definitely not agree to marry him. The reason why he asked our mission to go here is to explore the Jinzhou Prefecture. The second is to see if I can decipher the firearm blueprints, and the third is to find you, of course!"

Fang Ruyu blushed for a while after being told that, and even felt shy, "He...he...really, how could you take such a big risk for me!" "This sister-in-law is about to run away, my brother is worried!"

Fang Ruyu's face became even more embarrassed: "You... please stop talking."

"Then sister-in-law, are you still willing to go to Qiongzhou with me? If you are not willing, I will wait for you until you agree."

"This matter is of great importance. Please allow me to think about it for two days."

Zhou Ying looked regretful, "Then I'll wait for my sister-in-law's reply. Sister-in-law, don't forget, my brother has been waiting for you to get married."

After saying that, Zhou Ying sighed to herself again, "Unfortunately, I only found you this time, and the drawings of the firearms are still missing. If we don't solve the problem of firearms, we Qiongzhou will always be at the mercy of others. Maybe one day Xu Zhenying will go to Qiongzhou. It’s—”

After Fang Ruyu looked around to see if there was no one around, she seemed to have thought of something and frowned.

Looking at Zhou Ying, who was in tears, she seemed to have made some kind of determination, "Don't worry, I have the drawings... maybe there is a way."

Zhou Ying looked at her in shock.

Fang Ruyu quickly made a silent gesture, "Leave the drawings to me and I'll figure it out."

Zhou Ying shook her head, "Sister, please don't take risks for us. The people in the institute are heavily protected, and ordinary people can't even get close... We... we have to find another way..."

"No, I'm in the Fang family. My eldest cousin and sister are both ministers. They often have contact with the institute. At worst, I can look through their study and find some clues."

Zhou Ying was moved to tears, "Sister, my brother has not waited for you in vain. If you can solve this firearm crisis, it will be like saving my brother and sister again! From now on, I, Zhou Ying, will only recognize you as my sister-in-law." !”

The two said goodbye reluctantly, talking secretly for a while before leaving.

After watching Fang Ruyu enter the door of the almshouse, Zhou Ying raised her hands to wipe away her tears. General Ma stepped forward and asked, "Sir, did Miss Fang agree to help?"

A smile appeared on Zhou Ying's lips, "The eldest lady of the Fang family has a simple personality and is not familiar with the world. She has been passionately devoted to my brother since she was a child. For such a woman with no independent opinions, if you just give her a little sweetness, she will naturally take the bait."

General Ma sighed: "Who knew that the apple of the eye of the Fang family could be so stupid."

Zhou Ying calmed her expression and frowned slightly, as if she didn't like others slandering Fang Ruyu, "She just has a simple personality and trusts people easily. She was really good to me and my brother in the palace back then. If it goes through this time, I will She must ask her brother to give her the title of concubine."

In fact, not many people in Jinzhou Mansion knew about King Ming's request to marry King Zhao this time.

Most of the people who only knew King Ming sent a mission, and later took away sweet potatoes, pencils, many arithmetic textbooks, and even some cotton-padded clothes in stock. Everyone in the mission was also vaccinated against cowpox, and everyone was smiling when they left.

Some people are talking that the two parties are going to unite to fight against the Zhou Dynasty.

Otherwise, so many signals would not be released.

However, this move made the officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty quite nervous. If the two parties joined forces, there would really be no chance for them to survive.

Xu Zhenying was very happy to receive the letter from Feng'er in Bianjing City.

It is said that a queen in the harem joined them and has been working hard to drive a wedge between the Supreme Emperor and the Emperor. It seems that the relationship between the two people has reached the point where they are incompatible with each other and just want to break up.

In particular, the donation of cotton-padded clothes by Jinzhou Prefecture to the northern front line was brought to the attention of the Supreme Emperor, and General Zhao Yi was almost accused of "collaborating with the enemy and treason."

The Supreme Emperor insisted on punishing Zhao Yi, but the Emperor tried to protect him, and the two had a heated argument in the court.

The donation of cotton-padded clothes was decided upon by Xu Zhenying and several ministers.

Although she did want to do something good and let the northern soldiers delay the Tatars for a while, it had to be said that as a politician, she naturally had her own agenda.

Last year, General Zhao Yi purchased 100,000 cotton-padded clothes from Bao'an Prefecture. Xu Zhenying discounted the market price by 20% and presented 10,000 cotton-padded clothes as a gift to commend the bravery of the soldiers on the northern front.

Then he ordered Feng'er to secretly establish a relationship with the undercover people in the court and shake the matter out.

In this way, I am afraid that the secret communication between General Zhao Yi and her, a rebel, will no longer be a secret.

Poor General Zhao Yi has no idea that he has become the biggest grievance in history.

When this incident came to light, the soldiers in front of the north were excited and almost mutinied. If the emperor had not suppressed it with all his strength, I am afraid that General Zhao Yi would have turned into the next Zhao Kuangyin in yellow robes.

Xu Zhenying even felt that she was a little too sinister. As a staunch materialist, she even went to worship gods and Buddhas to ask for forgiveness for the evil things she had done.

At the same time, this incident also sounded the alarm for Xu Zhenying.

She still took a step forward. If Zhao Yi was really forced to rebel, wouldn't she have another powerful enemy?
Moreover, this move tied Zhao Yi and the emperor more closely. It is unknown whether the situation will change in the future and the two of them will join forces to become the Supreme Emperor.

Xu Zhenying's purpose was to cause chaos in the Zhou Dynasty, not to unite the Zhou Dynasty to resist her.

It's just that the court is still arguing over Zhao Yi's involvement with Jinzhou Mansion. At this critical moment, Xu Zhenying can only let Feng'er and the others shrink their heads and behave. Recently, the movement is worse than the silence, which also allows poor General Zhao to breathe.

At the same time, she asked Feng'er to move the battlefield, stop staring at the fat in Zhao Yi's hands, and send some courageous traders to do wool business in the Tatar territory outside the border.

She even educated Feng Ke on the use of wool and asked her to collect as much wool as possible. In the coming year, she would go to Gongzhou and other places closest to the north by land, and then ask the officials there to organize female workers to make wool and sweaters. , which can increase jobs and people’s income.

In this way, through mutually beneficial cooperation with the Tatars, on the one hand, they can lower their vigilance and cultivate their trust in Xu Zhenying, and on the other hand, they can reduce their combat effectiveness through economic invasion.

Just imagine, if people outside the customs knew that wool could make huge profits, would they abandon their horses and raise sheep?

This mode of boiling frogs in warm water, by the time they wake up, they may no longer be a match for General Zhao Yi.

Even though Xu Zhenying carefully calculated and thought over and over again, wishing she could hold the direction of everyone and everything tightly in her hands, she had to admit that her personal power was limited, and she was more often unable to do what she wanted. feeling.

Many people and things seemed to be going in directions beyond her control.

The plate has become so big, and she continues to be a troublemaker everywhere. The fall of the Great Zhou Dynasty is definitely getting closer and closer.

Perhaps, it's not far away from her ascending to the throne.

She even began to think about what kind of life she would lead after retirement.

The dream was still very beautiful, but reality gave her a hard blow. On the twentieth day after Master Pei and the Sixth Princess left with a cartload of supplies purchased by the Jinzhou Government, Fang Ningmo and others The talent came to report anxiously, saying that Fang Ruyu was missing.

Fang Ruyu and the Sixth Princess ran away!