Zhao Defang's road to the virtuous king

"Of course the concubine remembers that their marriage was arranged by the lord. The late emperor had already given the marriage decree, but he still waited for more than a year."

"That's right, at this moment when Liu E entered the mansion, His Majesty's wet nurse, Mrs. Qin, was very unhappy and hated Liu E very much. She repeatedly asked Her Majesty to expel her from the mansion, but His Majesty refused. The big wedding between His Majesty and Empress Pan was held, and His Majesty reluctantly let Liu E leave the mansion, but he couldn't bear the suffering, so he let Liu E live in Zhang Min's house. This made Zhang Min embarrassed, and he wanted to avoid suspicion. I didn’t dare to go back to the mansion, so His Majesty gave Zhang Min 500 taels of silver to build a small house to live in, and Liu E was not admitted into the palace until His Majesty ascended the throne and Mrs. Qin agreed."

Concubine Di nodded, "In this way, Meiren Liu has been in the palace for seven years, and it is not an exaggeration to have a name now."

"That's true, but it's not unreasonable for Mrs. Qingguo and the prime minister to be worried. Your majesty is the king of a country. He has not forgotten Liu E for 20 years and has done so many things. From the current point of view, his majesty will let you go sooner or later. She is a noble concubine, so she is the only one under the empress, and there are many rumors about her now, which cannot but make people worry."

"My lord, a beauty is ranked fourth, and a talented person is ranked fifth. Even if Liu Meiren is not a noble concubine, she is still respected under the empress."

"That's right, that's why we need to find out where the rumors come from as soon as possible. When Zhizhigao wrote the decree, His Majesty said that in the coming year, Liu Meiren would be promoted to be the second-rank Xiuyi."

"Your Majesty has a deep affection for Liu Meiren."

"Yes, according to His Majesty, Liu Meiren has read many classics and historical books over the years, learned piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and is quite talented, and gets along well with everyone in the harem. Your Majesty is also very pleased."

"It seems that His Majesty asked the prince to check the rumors to protect her."

"Suppose that's the case." Defang nodded, "Then you should investigate as soon as possible, and report back as soon as you have any news."

"Yes, my lord"

Three days later, Zhenzong officially issued an edict to designate Liu as a beauty and Yang as a talented person.

In February of the first year of Jingde, Song Zhenzong's second son, Zhao You, died at the age of ten.The imperial court appointed Taichangqing Zhang Qixian as Minister of the Ministry of War; this month, earthquakes occurred in Jizhou, Yizhou, Lizhou, and Yazhou.

In the middle of Xushi, in the study room of the Nanqing Palace, Defang drinks tea and looks at the book, Concubine Di takes Ke'er to the door, and salutes "see empress"

"The prince is still in the study?"

"Yes, still there." Baili turned and pushed open the door, and Concubine Di walked in, "My lord, it's already late, why don't you rest?"

"Madam" Defang put down the book and helped Concubine Di sit down, "I'm looking at the book brought by the official department."

"Officials? What's the matter?"

"Your Majesty intends to transfer Kuizhou Road to transfer envoy Ding Wei into the court."

"Ding Wei? The concubine seems to have heard his name before."

"In the fourth year of Xianping, the Xidong Fan tribe plundered the Han people for no reason, which caused dissatisfaction among the local people. The imperial court sent Ding Wei to appease the Han people. Furthermore, it was said that His Majesty had an imperial edict to pardon and not kill, so the leader of the Fan tribe ordered the return of more than ten thousand Han people who had been looted. Ding Wei also presented brocade robes and silver silk in the name of the court. The leader wept, wishing the world to pay tribute, and made an oath The stone pillar stands in the creek cave."

Concubine Di nodded, "The concubine remembered that at that time, the Fan Department was located in Rao, and there was often a lack of salt, so he gave permission to exchange salt with millet."

"That's right. At the same time, he also played a play on the good horses of the barbarians in southern Guizhou. He invited the imperial court to send them to the pavilion, rewarded them with silk, and sold them at the end of each year. After that, they moved to the Kuizhou City Walled City."