Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 473: The Thirty-Fourth Year of Kaixi (Special thanks to the book friend Dark￥Arbitration for two monthly tickets!)

The fifth morning dew also said:

"Mother, your majesty's intention is for all members of my imperial family to go to Mount Tai to participate in the "Fengshan" ceremony.

The Queen Mother is the most respected person in our imperial family. If she does not go, I and others would not dare to follow Your Majesty.

Mother, please take your majesty's filial piety into consideration and go with him!"

It was not until the other concubines persuaded her that Empress Dowager Fu finally agreed to go to Fengshan together, saying:

"Your Majesty, my mother is a woman and does not want to show her face in public, let alone for the important event of offering sacrifices to heaven and earth!
Since Your Majesty wants Mother to go with you, then Mother will have no choice but to go with you."

When Chai Zongxun learned that his mother was already sixty years old, he had no intention of leaving his name in history, so he was too old to make the long journey to Mount Tai.

Chai Zongxun smiled and said:
"Don't worry, mother. I will order you to go slowly all the way. Plus, my four-sided straight road leads to all directions, so you won't be tired during the journey."

After the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai was agreed upon, everyone started talking about the Yang Mansion's "martial arts competition to win a bride".

Concubine Liu E smiled and said:
"Your Majesty, this Yang Ye is also ridiculous. He set such harsh conditions, but in the end he complained that his daughters were not Han Chinese. It's really funny!"

Concubine Duan Wanru said:
"Since the conditions were set in advance, and she won the "martial arts competition to win a bride" according to the rules, Yang Ye should keep his promise.

How could you possibly want to go back on your word in another way?

Duan Suguang is my distant cousin, Your Majesty cannot discriminate against him."

Chai Zongxun smiled and said:
“Don’t worry, my beloved concubine. In my eyes, no matter if they are Han, Dali or Liao people, they are all citizens of my Great Zhou. I will naturally treat them equally.

I have granted marriages to Duan Suguang and Yelu Gun with Yang Bamei and Yang Jiumei, and granted them both military jinshi status. "

Concubine Shu, Yelu and Gudian said:

"Your Majesty, this Yelu Gun is the nephew of "Chu Hou" Yelu Shanbu, and is also my nephew. I remember meeting him once in Linhuang Prefecture when he was five or six years old."

Chai Zongxun smiled and said:
"Since these two are relatives of the two concubines, I will reward them with houses and treasures, so that no one in Bianjing will dare to bully them."

Amid the calm and busy handling of domestic affairs, the New Year's Eve of the 34th year of Kaixi arrived hurriedly.

Chai Zongxun spent a grand and festive New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in the Bianjing Palace with the imperial family. During the holiday, he couldn't help but go to the "Baoen Temple" for a tryst with Mo Zang Liuyun.

Unexpectedly, when they met on the fifth day of the first lunar month, Mei Zang Liuyun reported that her period was delayed for a week, so Chai Zongxun summoned the imperial physician to treat her.

After the imperial physician's diagnosis, it turned out that Mei Zang Liuyun was pregnant.

Chai Zongxun was overjoyed but also a little helpless. He immediately ordered ten more maids and palace maids to come to the "Yaoguang Palace" to take care of Mo Zang Liuyun.

After the two chatted intimately for a while, Chai Zongxun became excited and had to let Mo Zang Liuyun serve him orally, but it was still a little unsatisfying after all.

In the evening, after the two of them had dinner, Chai Zongxun set out to return to the palace.

On the way, He Yao, the chief eunuch in front of the palace, said with a smile:

"Last year, Your Majesty wanted to select concubines from all over the country, but he stopped because of the busy affairs of the Eastern Roman Empire, such as the expansion of Bianjing. Now, after more than half a year of construction, a few princes and ministers in the inner city have moved to the new expanded houses, and more than a dozen princes' mansions near the imperial palace have been vacated.

I think that although there are no vacant palaces in the palace, Your Majesty may select concubines from all over the country and temporarily place them in the vacant palaces of princes and ministers near the palace."

Chai Zongxun thought that the "Bianjing Expansion Project" that had been planned for six years and mobilized millions of civilians had just entered its first year. There were only a dozen or so vacant mansions of princes and ministers in the inner city. There would be at least a hundred people selected by him to enter the palace. How could they all be accommodated?

Chai Zongxun said:

"It has been less than a year since the expansion of Bianjing was completed. If the dozen or so empty mansions were used to house the new concubines, wouldn't it make our palace seem petty?
There will be no selection of concubines for the next two years."

After a lively and festive New Year, Duke Yang's Mansion, in accordance with the imperial decree, held grand weddings for their two daughters, Yang Bamei and Yang Jiumei, on January 18th.

The eunuch Xue Ke, the chief eunuch of the palace, attended the wedding of the two couples on behalf of Emperor Chai Zongxun and read out the emperor's reward.

Although Yang Ye was the father-in-law, he only attended for a short while at the beginning. After drinking a few bowls of wine with the guests, he no longer showed up.

Instead, it was Xue Ke, the eunuch in charge of the palace who represented the emperor and became the host of the wedding banquet.

Many dignitaries in the city of Bianjing came to congratulate the emperor because of his favor. More than 100,000 people came to the three-day wedding banquet. Many of the guests were relatives and friends of Yelu Gun and Duan Suguang who came from Liao and Dali after hearing the news.

After the wedding banquet, Yelu Gun and Duan Suguang each brought their wives to move into the Bian Jing mansion granted by the emperor. Soon after, they went to the Longxiang Army to take up their posts as centurions.

After more than ten days of sailing at sea, the Royal Navy's First Fleet and Second Fleet arrived at the waters near Fuso Kyushu on December 26, the 33rd year of Kaixi.

Dai Qi, the Longxiong Guard pacification envoy and the "shadow daimyo" who had almost actual control over most of Kyushu, led a hundred Longxiong Guards on a boat to sea to provide support.

After entering the main cabin of the First Fleet's flagship "Guangshun" and meeting with the Royal Navy Grand Admiral Guan Mao and the Second Fleet Commander Li Xiaocun, the three discussed the war situation.

Dai Qi said:
"Governor Guan, Commander Li, the current situation in Fuso is that the previous emperor, En'yōin, is busy consolidating power and is engaged in internal strife with the powerful daimyo in the court and the local areas.

After more than ten years of fighting openly and secretly with the powerful minister Fujiwara no Kaneie, there was no progress and he was exhausted. Finally, in the 27th year of Kaixi (986), he became a monk.

Fujiwara no Kaneie supported his grandson, Yoshihito, to succeed the throne, and called him "Emperor Ichijo". He was only seven years old at the time.

In the past few years, Fujiwara no Kaneie has served as the regent in charge of Fuso government affairs, and has placed his family members and confidants in the court.

After Kaneie died of illness in the 31st year of Kaixi (990), his eldest son Michitaka and other relatives continued to serve as regents and chancellors, and last year he let his daughter Sadako enter the palace to become empress. Now the court of Fuso is in the hands of his eldest son Michitaka.

In terms of military strength, the Fuso imperial court has 600,000 soldiers, and dozens of daimyo in various places have a total of 500,000 soldiers. However, both the imperial court and the local daimyo's troops are "foot soldiers" who farm in peacetime and are recruited in wartime. They are far from being a match for our Great Zhou royal army!"

Guan Mao laughed and said:

"I heard that Fujiwara no Kaneie's niece married Dai Zhenfushi. She is a member of Fujiwara no Kaneie's faction in Fuso. The eldest son Michitaka is in power now. Aren't you worried about you?"

Dai Qi bowed to the north and said with a smile:
"I am here to infiltrate Fuso for Your Majesty, so that Your Majesty can send a large army to capture Fuso today.

The wife and children of this pacification envoy are all in Bian Jing. The daughter of the Fujiwara family who was arranged to be married between En'yūin and the Fujiwara family was just needed for hiding.

In the future, when our Great Zhou conquers Fusang, this governor will take her as a concubine and bring her back to Bianjing, which will not be considered unfair to her!"

(End of this chapter)