Roufu Diji

Chapter 14
1. Cui Han
Zhao Gou was angry.

He threw a memorial to the air, pulled out the sword that had not been used for many years, and swung it towards the sky with his wrist. The shadow of the sword flashed, and the memorial turned into a paper butterfly, which disappeared in an instant.

He lowered his sword, looked at the confetti on the ground, and sneered.

This scrap of paper originally carried the famous general Yue Fei's suggestion on establishing a reserve: "If you want to recover now, you must first rectify the country to reassure people's hearts, and then your majesty does not stay here often, so as to show that you will not forget revenge..."

This is not the first time he asked Zhao Gou to establish the crown prince early to "rectify the foundation of the country", but this time, in the summer of ten years in Shaoxing, Zhao Gou finally felt that he couldn't bear it.

When Zongjun and Zongpan were executed, because Talan was in power, Wan Yanquan temporarily did not question him on the grounds that he was a nobleman who had made great achievements, and only ordered him to leave the court to serve as Prime Minister of Yanjing Xingtai Shangshu Zuo.After Ta Lan arrived in Yanjing, he became more arrogant and lawless, and conspired against Yi Wang Hu Lan, and was eventually executed by Wanyan Quan.As a result, the military and political power of the Kingdom of Jin fell into the hands of Zonggan, Zongbi and other important officials of the main combat faction, and Wang Lun, an envoy of the Southern Song Dynasty, was also detained by Jin.In May of the tenth year of Shaoxing, Bingzi, Wan Yanquan officially tore up the previous peace agreement, and issued an order to the Marshal's Office to regain Henan and Shaanxi.Taking Zongbi as the capital marshal, Jin once again invaded the south on a large scale, dividing Sichuan-Shaanxi, Lianghuai, and Jingxi into three routes to attack the Song Dynasty. In just one month, he regained the Henan and Shaanxi lands that had been returned to the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Gou urgently summoned the generals to respond, using Wu Lin to control the soldiers and horses of the Shaanxi roads to fight in Sichuan and Shaanxi, and Han Shizhong and Zhang Jun to attack and defend the east road. The main force of the Jin army confronted.

When Yue Fei led the army to defend against the enemy, he took the opportunity to present this secret performance, once again linking the establishment of the reserve with the grand plan of resisting the Jin Dynasty and restoring the country, and asked Zhao Gou to use the establishment of the reserve to reassure the people and prevent the Jin people from trying to disrupt the internal affairs of the Song Dynasty. machine.

Whenever this matter is mentioned, Zhao Gou is unhappy.How can such important internal affairs as the establishment of a reserve be discussed by generals who support troops outside?What's more, Yue Fei, who has repeatedly disagreed with the government and has a fierce attitude.Before he went to battle, he had entered the court to play against him, had met Zhao Yuan, and was full of praise for him. He clearly implied that Zhao Yuan was worthy of the important task of governing the country. "Qing holds troops outside, and this matter is not specially planned by Qing."

However, Yue Fei still didn't know how to restrain himself, and he didn't keep his duties quietly. Instead, he frequently went to slack, and repeatedly asked for the establishment of a reserve as soon as possible.

Reserve?who?Zhao Yuan?The adopted son who was not his own?

He was sure that the emperor of Song Dynasty would not have a biological heir in the future.

Every time he saw Yue Fei's memorabilia, Zhao Gou would feel that he saw his face, with a mocking smile, saying something that suggested establishing a reserve.His incomplete fertility must be a big laughing stock in his eyes.

Your Majesty, let's set up the crown prince, the first to reassure the country...he must have done it on purpose.

Therefore, he drew his sword in great anger and shattered his memorial, and his illusory smile also shattered. Looking at the paper wreckage all over the floor, he managed to find a trace of happiness.

After resting for a while to calm down, Zhao Gou walked towards Zishan Hall where Zhao Yuan was studying.

When I arrived at Zishan Hall, I looked through the window and saw Zhao Yuan was studying "Zuoshi Chunqiu" hard at his desk. When he read the wonderful part, he recited it aloud, and his face was also happy.

"Zuo's Spring and Autumn" was mentioned by Zhao Gou when chatting with Zhao Yuan yesterday. He said that he often read it when he was young and benefited a lot. Unexpectedly, this child would find out and reread it today.Looking up again, I saw a poem inscribed on the indoor wall, clearly in Zhao Yuan's handwriting, two of which read: "Wealth must come from hard work, and a man must read five carts of books." Thinking of the time when I studied hard in the cold window when I was young, I can't help feeling a little bit emotional.

It's not that he doesn't like this son, but he just hopes that he can have a son who continues his blood to inherit the country he has worked so hard for several times.Because of this everlasting hope, he never formally granted Yuan and Qu the status of "Prince", although they were referred to as father and son in private.Also because there is still this hope, he can't help but feel angry when others suggest that Li Yuan be the crown prince, although he has always loved this child very much.

This child was very popular, except for Qin Hui who was inclined towards Yuan, the rest of the ministers were optimistic about Yuan, praised him a lot on weekdays, and regarded him as the best candidate for the crown prince.Zhao Gou was displeased by this situation, and the Jin proclaimed him the Duke of the State alongside Yuan, which was intended to show that Yuan was not the only choice even if he wanted to choose the crown prince among his adopted sons.

When he left Zishan Hall, the sun was scorching hot, and he felt a thin layer of sweat on his body after walking a few steps. Zhao Gou then walked to Cuihan Hall, where there are long pines and bamboos to shade the sun, and it is a forbidden place to enjoy the cool air.

Cuihan Hall was newly built after the Compassionate Palace prepared for the Empress Dowager. It has a quiet environment, and there are rock formations and strange hills in Taihu Lake on one side. The water is poured from the top, and the cold waterfall flies into the air. .At this time, the wind and the lotus are graceful, swaying in red and white.In the front courtyard of the hall, there are hundreds of pots of southern flowers such as jasmine, jasmine, gladioli, musk vine, hibiscus, osmanthus, red banana, and japonica.There are dozens of silver basins in the hall, which are filled with snow stored in the ice bank in winter, so the place is so cool that people can forget that there is still dust and heat in the world when they enter it.

At this moment, Yingfu and Zhang Jieyu are sitting chatting on both sides of the round stone table in the courtyard. In front of each of them is an official kiln porcelain bowl, which contains fresh sugarcane pulp and crushed ice cubes. When you touch it with a spoon, there will be a crisp collision. The sound escapes.When they saw Zhao Gou, they got up and saluted quickly. After Zhao Gou was seated, they sat down one by one. Immediately after, Yingfu ordered the maid to serve Zhao Gou with cane syrup.

"Where do the officials come from?" Zhang Jieyu asked with a smile.

Zhao Gou said: "Just then I went to Zishantang to have a look at Yuan."

Zhang Jieyu was very happy, and asked again: "According to the officials, how is his reading?"

Zhao Gou glanced at her, lowered his eyes and flicked the ice cubes in the bowl with a spoon, and said expressionlessly, "This boy is very talented, like a god-man. I taught him to read, and his memory is excellent."

Yingfu smiled and praised from the side: "Mr. Jianguo is talented, open-minded and generous. Although he is favored by officials, he is always respectful and prudent, and he is cautious in dealing with things. It is really rare for him to be so sensible at such a young age."

Zhao Gou was silent after hearing this, but Zhang Jieyu was very happy, and couldn't help but praise Zhao Yuan: "This kid is very smart and eager to learn. Apart from reading, he is good at riding and shooting. Didn't Yue Shaobao also say that before?" , Yuan is handsome and handsome, more and more like an official..."

Before the words fell, there was a "slap", and Zhao Gou raised his hand and slapped her.The blow was so heavy that Zhang Jieyu swayed and fell to the ground.

Yingchi was startled, and hurriedly got up to help Zhang Jieyu.

"Bitch," Zhao Gou scolded Zhang Jieyu directly, "you dare to form an alliance with foreign ministers and talk about the affairs of the court!"

As if he was not enough to relieve his anger, he picked up the porcelain bowl containing sugarcane pulp and threw it at Zhang Jieyu, including the soup and water.Yingfu saw it out of the corner of her eye, and immediately put her body in front of Zhang Jieyu. The bowl fell so violently that Yingchi couldn't dodge it. She closed her eyes and turned her head to one side, and the bowl hit her left forehead.The bowl shattered, and the baby's left forehead was bleeding profusely in an instant.

Frightened by this, Zhang Jieyu was a little at a loss, she stood up and subconsciously went to help the baby, and turned her head to look at Zhao Gou anxiously, feeling aggrieved, her eyes were filled with tears, but she dared not shed them.In fact, she has never had any contact with Yue Fei, but has always cared about her adopted son, so the servants who serve Zhao Yuan will tell her whenever they hear officials discussing things related to Zhao Yuan.Yue Fei praised that Zhao Yuan was well known in the government and the public, so naturally the palace also heard about it, not only Zhang Jieyu, but also Yingpo and Pan Xianfei didn't know about it?

The surrounding palace people panicked for a while, wanting to heal Wu Cairen's wounds, but fearing that Zhao Gou would not allow it, they hesitated and didn't know what to do.But Ying Chi didn't wipe off the blood and slurry on her face, she just bowed her head and knelt down, and said softly: "Calm down the anger of the officials."

Zhao Gou calmed down and watched the blood on her forehead slowly fall and spread into bright red circles on the ground bit by bit.After a while, his gaze shifted to Zhang Jieyu.

"Do you still know that I don't know what you have done in the past year?" His tone seemed colder than the snow in Cuihantang.

At that moment, Zhang Jieyu was at a loss, thinking about what she had done, she couldn't guess which one he was referring to, and his expression was terrifying, and she didn't dare to make random distinctions, so she had to kneel down and plead guilty, muttering: "Mr. Concubine, concubine..." Sweat was already dripping down.

Zhao Gou looked sideways at Yingchi again, and said, "Sorry, I hurt you by mistake." He signaled the palace servants to come and help her.

Yingfu gently pushed away the support of the palace servants, kowtowed and lowered her eyes, with an extremely humble and respectful attitude: "The concubine and sister Zhang are brothers and sisters, and the younger sister is willing to be punished for the older sister. Not to mention the concubine is dull, it must be inappropriate to serve the officials all these years." I don't know it. Although the officials are generous and often don't care about their concubines, but if things go on like this, they may lose their blessings. Today, the gods use the hands of officials to punish the concubines. It is really a blessing for the concubines .”

Hearing these words, Zhao Gourong's face softened a little, and Xu Xu stretched out his hand to help her up, saying: "Quickly bandage the wound, the blood has flowed so much, and her face is pale."

After Yingpo's wound was treated properly, Zhao Gou ordered the palace servants to send her back, and then he also left. Zhang Jieyu, who had been kneeling on the ground for a long time, burst into tears, and fell down on the ground sobbing uncontrollably with grief from his heart.

Zhao Yuan came to ask Zhang Jieyu to go back when she was shocked. Zhang Jieyu cried: "Your mother was careless and angered your father, which may hinder my future. Now I have to kneel down to plead guilty. If there is no order from your father, Don’t dare to go back privately.”

Zhao Yuan knelt down in front of Zhao Gou's dormitory to apologize for his mother. Zhao Gou ordered someone to ask him to stand up. The emperor punished Yuan and told mother to go back and rest."

After a long time, Zhao Gou's cold voice came from the hall: "Go back. This matter has nothing to do with you."

As a result, apart from Yue Fei, no one dared to mention anything related to Li Chu, and even the comparison between Yuan and Yuan, which was often talked about by the palace family members in the past, became a taboo topic.

After this incident, Zhang Jieyu felt depressed and couldn't let go of it. She didn't laugh as much as usual, and her health was getting worse day by day, often falling ill.Zhao Gou seemed to feel a little guilty, and in December of the [-]th year of Shaoxing, Yiwei conferred the title of Wanyi on her, but at the same time, he also conferred the title of Wu Cairen, even the name of the grade was the same, and she was also Wanyi.

The married women in Song Dynasty are divided into five grades: [-]. Guifei, Shufei, Defei, Xianfei; [-]. Dayi, Guiyi, Shuyi, Shurong, Shunyi, Shunrong, Wanyi, Wanrong, Zhaoyi, Zhaoyi Rong, Zhaoyuan, Xiuyi, Xiurong, Xiuyuan, Chongyi, Chongrong, Chongyuan; third, Jieyu; fourth, beauty; fifth, talent, nobleman.This time, Zhang Jieyu only entered the first rank, while Wu Cairen was promoted to the third rank. Since then, the two have been side by side. For Zhang Jieyu, they have been promoted in secret.

2. Negotiation
In the spring of the 11th year of Shaoxing, one day Zhao Gou called Qin Hui and other important officials into the forbidden house to enjoy flowers and give a banquet. In the past, Zhao Yuan would accompany him in such matters, but this time he was absent and came to Roufu's house alone.

Rou Fu asked him: "Your father gave a banquet to all the ministers, why don't you go?"

Zhao Yuan frowned and replied: "I don't want to see Qin Hui." He grew up under Zhao Gou's lap, and gradually learned not to show displeasure when things happen, but now when he mentions this person, he can't help showing contempt on his face.

Rou Fu smiled: "It's not been a day or two since you hated him, why don't you want to see him now?"

Zhao Yuan bowed his head, was silent at first, thought for a long time, and then explained the reason: "I heard him discussing secretly with his father, saying that he received Wanyan Zongbi's handwritten letter, Zongbi told him the terms of the peace negotiation: 'Yue Fei must be killed, and then the peace negotiation can be concluded. '"

"Yue Fei..." Rou Fu pondered, and asked, "Is he still focused on the Northern Expedition now, to welcome the Second Sage?"

"Yes," Zhao Yuan nodded and said, "It's just that in the first month of this year Zong Bi led an army of [-] to Huaixi, and his father ordered Zhang Jun, Yang Yizhong, and Liu Kai to meet the enemy, and ordered Yue Fei to lead the army to the east, but Yue Fei didn't arrive immediately. The Jin army was repulsed by Yang Yizhong, Liu Kai and Zhang Jun's general Wang De. After Yang Yizhong and Liu Qi returned to the army, Zong Bi suddenly ordered the Jin generals to return to attack Bozhou, severely injuring Yang Yizhong and Zhang Jun. Wang De's reinforcements. Yue Fei rushed to help after hearing the news this time, and the Jin army had safely crossed Huaibei. In order to order Yue Fei to reinforce Huaixi, his father sent letters to him [-] times, but he did not arrive in time these two times. So father is very unhappy."

Rou Fu asked: "Did Yue Fei say why he was late?"

"As I said, one is that he occasionally has a cold and cough, and the other is that the Yue family army lacks food and grass." Zhao Yuan sighed, "But the ministers of the court and central government all said that it was because the Northern Expedition was hindered last time, and he had a lot of resentment in his heart, so..."

In the ten years of Shaoxing, Yue Fei led the Yue family army to fight against Zong Bi's army, and there were many victories.In July, he first won the great victory in Yancheng, and used infantry to fight against the golden cavalry. He used sharp weapons such as Mazha knife, lifting knife, and big axe to slash and chop the golden soldiers.Yue Fei expected that he would have this idea, so he first ordered Yue Yun to rush to help, and defeated Zongbi's 45 cavalry again.Zong Bi later stationed [-] troops in Zhuxian Town, [-] miles southwest of Bianjing. In the formation, all the generals marched forward bravely, ten of the Jin soldiers were killed, six to seven were completely defeated, Zong Bi hurried back to Bianjing to save his life.

As a result, the northern rebels responded one after another, and news of success spread frequently. Yue Fei also prepared to summon the generals, and set out to take advantage of the victory to pursue him.

But Zhao Gou and Qin Hui wanted to negotiate a peace, and won twelve gold medals in a row to make Yue Fei a class teacher.Prior to this, Qin Hui had written to Zhang Jun, Yang Yizhong, Han Shizhong, Liu Qi and others, ordering them to withdraw.Seeing that all the generals had been ordered to retreat, Yue Fei could not help but fall into a lonely situation if he persisted, so he had no choice but to lead his squadron, but in his heart he was sad and indignant, and the squadron went to the east to worship again, crying: "Once ten years of meritorious service is discarded, what can I do! "

"Oh, he really needs to be more careful in the future..." After hearing Zhao Yuan's words, Rou Fu couldn't help sighing, "It's a big taboo for your father to rely on your talents and not be self-deprecating."

Zhao Yuan looked at Rou Fu intently, and suddenly blurted out: "Actually, my aunt often says things that my father doesn't like to hear, and does things that make him unhappy, but he can always tolerate... People like aunt and Yue Shaobao who dare to go against my father's will." , there are really few in the world.”

"That's different. I'm a woman, and I don't have military power in my hands. If I play with him, he will just treat it like a cat or dog." Roufu laughed, and then his expression became serious again in an instant. If the generals with heavy troops are playing tricks on him, he is afraid that he will immediately think of the change of Miao and Liu."

She moved her eyes and looked at the clear blue sky, saying: "I'm not afraid of going against his wishes. I'm useless to the country and my family, and I have nothing to worry about. If I annoy him, I'll die at worst. But Yue Fei... like him There are not many capable people, so it would be a pity if you lose your life because of anger."

In April of this year, Zhao Gou adopted the suggestion given to Fan Tong in Shizhong, and ordered Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, and Yue Fei to enter the pilgrimage one after another. The officers and soldiers under the control of the three Xuan Fusi, Huaixi, and Jinghu were placed under the unified command of the three provinces and the Privy Council, and were renamed to control the imperial front armies.In order to prevent Han and Yue, who have a good personal relationship, from joining forces to fight against the imperial court, Zhao Gou deliberately separated the two, let Han Shizhong stay in the imperial court, and ordered Zhang Jun and Yue Fei to go to Chuzhou Handle defense matters.

Since Qin Hui had Zong Bi's trust, he tried his best to plan and put Yue Fei to death.He first promoted his party member Wan Qiyu to the right admonishment doctor, and then instructed him to go to Shu in July. The matter in the west "violated the edict and did not take place at the right time"; it was also called Huaidong Shishi, "depressed morale and shook the hearts of the people"; So be at ease."

Zhao Gou didn't express his position immediately, but Yue Fei's impeachment was unbearable and he realized that he was in a dire situation. Let him be the envoy of Wu Sheng and Ding Guojun, and the envoy of Wanshou Temple.

After Yue Fei changed his post to be an idler in the palace, Qin Hui no longer had any scruples, conspired with Zhang Jun, and wanted to offer a huge reward to lure Yue Fei's generals to report Yue Fei's negligence, but no one responded.Later, Zhang Jun heard that Yue Fei wanted to behead his generals to control Wang Gui for some reason, and repeatedly imposed torture, so he persuaded Wang Gui to criticize Yue Fei.Wang Gui shook his head again and again when he heard this, and said: "Generals hold military power in their hands, and they can't help but reward and punish others. If you take this as a complaint, you will have a lot of complaints." Wang Gui was timid and reluctantly surrendered.

Later, Zhang Jun bribed Wang Jun, the deputy commander who was repeatedly suppressed by Zhang Xian, and ordered Wang Jun to report to Wang Gui, the deputy commander of Yue Fei, Zhang Xian, and framed that he wanted to coerce the Yue family army to leave after Yue Fei handed over the military power, so as to threaten the court to return. Bing Yu Yuefei.Wang Gui submitted Wang Jun's statement to Zhenjiang Shufu, Zhang Jun took it, and immediately sent Wang Gui to arrest Zhang Xian for interrogation in person.

Zhang Xian refused to plead guilty, and kept calling for grievances. Although Zhang Jun tortured and extorted a confession, he still did not give in. He always insisted: "Xian would rather die than dare to make a false confession." He accused Zhang Xian and Yue Fei of colluding in rebellion.

In October, Zhao Gou decreed that Shaobao Yue Fei and his son Yue Yun should be imprisoned in Dali Temple, and set up an "imperial prison" to investigate and deal with major treason cases to try the case. .

Yue Fei didn't say much during the interrogation, he just said: "Emperor and Empress Dowager, you can show your heart." Then he undressed and exposed his back, and asked He Zhou to examine it.When the two looked at it, they saw the four big Chinese characters tattooed on his back deeply rooted in the skin - serve the country with loyalty and loyalty.

He Zhu and Zhou Zhou couldn't help but respect Yue Fei, and strongly defended his innocence to Qin Hui.Qin Hui was displeased, and said: "This is the intention of the Holy Majesty, how dare you not follow!"

He Zhu sighed: "How dare we wait to favor Yue Fei? It is because the powerful enemy is still alive. Killing a general for no reason will lose the hearts of the soldiers. It is not the long-term plan of the community!"

After all, He Tuesday resigned and left.Qin Hui then ordered Wan Qixie, an admonishment doctor, to handle the case.Wan Qixie was Qin Hui's confidant, and had always had a rift with Yue Fei. Naturally, he tried his best to extract a confession and tortured Yue Fei several times, but he was still unable to force him to confess. In the end, Yue Fei only wrote eight words angrily on the prison case: Zhao Zhao, the sun is shining!

At the end of this year, Zhao Yuan galloped to Roufu mansion suddenly at night, got off his horse and rushed inside to find Roufu, panting, he said: "Auntie, please save Yue Shaobao, he is about to die!"

Rou Fu stood up, opened his eyes and said, "He, has he decided?"

"It's Qin Hui." Zhao Yuan was annoyed, "At his instruction, Yue Shaobao was convicted of treason. Many courtiers wrote to rescue him, and even Grand Tutor Han Shizhong stepped forward and questioned Qin Hui about any evidence of treason. Qin Hui could only hesitate: There is no need for this matter." Han Shizhong said angrily: "There is no need for" three words, how can you convince the world!' He continued to argue with reason, but Qin Hui ignored it and was determined to put Yue Shaobao to death."

Hearing this, Rou Fu lowered his eyelashes thoughtfully: "No, it's not Qin Hui who wants Yue Fei to die the most."

Zhao Yuan was startled, he knew who she was referring to, but he didn't dare to answer, so he could only continue to say: "Yesterday, Liu Yunsheng, a commoner in Jianzhou, gathered the scholars and people to complain to the emperor about Yue Fei's grievances. Today, Qin Hui entered the palace overnight after hearing the news. At that time, my father was teaching me calligraphy in Zishantang, Qin Hui didn't avoid me, and said directly to my father, "It's easy to capture a tiger, but it's hard to let a tiger go. Make a quick decision.' The emperor thought for a while, and said: "Then give him death." After saying that, he waved his sleeves and ordered Qin Hui to withdraw, and continued to wave his hair calmly. It took another half an hour to return to the bedroom. I rode my horse as soon as my father left. Come to look for aunt. Ask aunt to come to the palace to meet the emperor and intercede for Yue Shaobao."

"Me?" Rou Fu couldn't help but smile and asked him, "Do you think I can save the person your father is determined to kill?"

"If there is anyone in the world who can save him, it can only be my aunt." Zhao Yuan's eyes sparkled, still full of hope, "I remember that in the eighth year of Shaoxing, my aunt once persuaded my father not to welcome gold. People and accept their canonization. Now if my aunt comes forward, there is a possibility that the father will take back his order."

"You're wrong, Yuan." Rou Fu shook his head, his tone was only light, and the smile on his lips was still there, but there was no way to dispel the sadness in his eyes, "I can't change him... I never have, changed him."

In December of the 11th year of Shaoxing, on Guisi, Zhao Gou decreed that Yue Fei was given poisonous wine to die, and Zhang Xian and Yue Yun beheaded according to the military law.

The Song-Jin Shaoxing Peace Agreement was signed one month before Yue Fei's death. The two sides agreed to use the Huai River to draw borders. .

After the agreement was completed, Zhao Gou ordered people to start preparations for the return of Huizong Zigong and Empress Dowager Webster to the Song Dynasty, and made an early decree to build the Zhushengshou Daochang to celebrate the birthday of the Empress Dowager who returned to the south next year.

"Next year will celebrate the Empress Dowager's 63rd birthday. Although it is not a big birthday, it must be grand since it is the first birthday of the Empress Dowager after returning to Luan. Everything should be prepared early." Zhao Gou specially emphasized.

The Chengzhi officer had carefully checked the relevant information before, so the age of the empress dowager was naturally memorized, but at the moment when he heard what Zhao Gou said, he was stunned and said: "According to the records in the palace, the empress dowager was born in Zhezong Yuanyou five years, next year should be 53 years old..."

"Presumptuous!" Zhao Gou immediately flew into a rage, and said, "The empress dowager is my mother. Could it be that I misremembered my mother's year Geng? The empress dowager was born in the third year of Shenzong Yuanfeng, and she will be 63 years old next year! The palace book After the war, there must be mistakes, but such a major event can go wrong, why don't you go through the trial quickly, and correct all the mistakes!"

The officer in charge of the decree apologized fearfully, and hurriedly accepted the decree obediently. After he went out, he immediately asked someone to review the register, and changed the age of the Empress Dowager Webster by ten years.

3. hurt spring
In the spring of the twelfth year of Shaoxing, on the first month of Renyin, Zhao Gou issued an edict ordering Duke Jianguo Yuan to go out of the palace and go to the Waidi.

Zhao Yuan was sixteen years old at the time, and Zhao Gou had already prepared the mansion outside the palace for him, but since the beginning of winter last year, Zhang Wanyi has been lingering on the sick bed, and she still hasn't recovered after the new year, Zhao Yuan was so worried that he begged Zhao Gou to allow him to continue to take care of the sick Mother, I will leave the palace later.Zhao Gou agreed to let him stay in the palace for another two months.

Zhang Wanyi was seriously ill, and it was even more sad to hear that Yuan would be leaving the palace, and her condition was getting worse day by day.Zhao Yuan waited on her sick bed every day and did not dare to leave without authorization. Later, when she saw that her mother was in a bad condition, she even accompanied her day and night with her clothes on.

Yingfu also visits Zhang Wanyi every day.When one day came, he saw Zhang Wanyi lying on her own in a drowsy state, and Zhao Yuan was extremely exhausted, sleeping on the armrest of the chair where he was sitting, his face was also haggard, so he sighed lightly and ordered someone to take a coat , I personally covered Zhao Yuan.

Zhao Yuan woke up immediately, got up and saluted her.

Yingfu smiled and said: "Brother is the most filial to your mother, praised at home and abroad. However, you should also take care of your body. If you fall ill due to overwork, your mother will be very sad when she sees it. I'm afraid it will delay the recovery period."

Immediately, he turned to the palace official: "Send Jianguo Gong back to rest."

Zhao Yuan didn't want to leave, Kai Lip wanted to ask him to stay, but Ying Chi patted him on the shoulder to stop him, lowered his voice and said softly: "You haven't been to Zi Shan Tang these days to take care of your mother, you know Your father invited two more gentlemen for you, waiting for you to meet every day. Filial piety is what you should do, but if you ignore Mr. Xin for a long time, your father may feel that you have disrespected the teacher, although he will certainly not You will say, but you must be unhappy in your heart. Besides, your father has high expectations for you, if you see that your studies are delayed due to family affairs, you will inevitably be a little disappointed."

She was very careful with her words, and mentioning Zhao Gou was only an understatement, but after hearing what she said, Zhao Gou's cold and indifferent expression came to Zhao Yuan's heart, he shivered slightly, and stared at Zhang Wanyi again, feeling hesitant whether to go or stay .

Yingfu knew that he was worried about his mother, and comforted him: "You go back and rest for a while, and then go to Zishantang. As long as your father is not there, you can come back after seeing Mr. It doesn't take much time. I'm here, big brother but Don't worry, your mother will be fine."

Zhao Yuan thought for a long time, and finally nodded.Ying Chi smiled and dressed him up and sent him out, looking at him with loving eyes, just like what Zhang Wanyi used to do.

When they arrived at Zishan Hall, seeing Zhao Gou sitting in it imposingly, and seeing Yuan coming in, he smiled and said, "You're finally here."

Before he had time to distinguish whether there were hidden emotions in the pleasant words, Zhao Yuan bowed his head and walked up to Zhao Gou to salute solemnly.

Zhao Gouduan accepted it, pointed to both sides, and still calmly ordered: "I have met your new husband, Zhao Wei, the editor of the Privy Council, and Qian Zhoucai, the director of Dali Temple. After you go out, they will Enter your residence to teach you."

Zhao Yuan paid respects to the two gentlemen one by one, sat down and chatted with them for more than an hour, and dared not go back until Zhao Gou left.Zhao Gou had a gentle and calm attitude from beginning to end, and even praised Yuan repeatedly, but when Yuan got up, he noticed that the inner layer of his clothes had been soaked in cold sweat at some point.

Back at Zhang Wanyi's Pavilion, I saw that Yingfu was very attentive in offering medicine and drinking water for her mother.He also ordered someone to bring in a basin of hot water, turned around and saw Zhao Yuan, and said softly, "Brother, please wait outside, I will wipe your mother's body."

Zhao Yuan was stunned and said, "Wanyi also wants to do this kind of thing herself?"

Ying Chi nodded, said with a slight smile, "Those servants are heavy handed."

Zhao Yuan backed away speechless, although he didn't say anything, he was extremely grateful in his heart.

In the next few days, Zhao Yuan did not dare to drop out of school, and would go to Zishantang to study during the day, and Yingchi would also stay in Zhang Wanyi Pavilion every day to take good care of him, doing everything by himself, and everyone praised him as a virtuous person.

But Zhang Wanyi's illness became more and more serious, and she lost weight day by day, and in the end there was almost only a handful of dry bones left, and she couldn't even speak.

In Gengwu of February, the imperial doctor announced that Zhang Wanyi was on the verge of dying.

Zhao Yuan knelt in front of his mother's bed, fearing that her mother would be sad and would not cry aloud. She bit her lower lip and tried her best to suppress it, but the tears couldn't stop dripping down.

Yingfu was sitting by the bed, clasping Zhang Wanyi's hand with both hands, weeping and enumerating her virtues and virtues. Concubine Pan Xian stood on the sidelines and watched, thinking of how she got along with Zhang Wanyi these years, she felt a little sad, shaking her head and sighing from time to time.

Zhang Wanyi's hand suddenly moved slightly, as if she wanted to pull it out of the baby's palm, her lips trembled slightly, and a vague, monosyllable sound came out from her throat, which could be vaguely identified as "Yuan".

Zhao Yuan hurriedly approached and asked, "Mother, I am here."

Zhang Wanyi caressed his face, and slowly opened her eyes to look at him, but before she could see clearly, two lines of tears had already flowed down.

"Yuan, Yuan..." At present, all her energy can only be used to call out the name of her beloved son, and she is unable to say anything more.

"Sister Zhang, don't worry, Yingfu will take care of Yuan for you." Yingfu grabbed her hand again, held it, and bent down so that she could hear better, with sincere eyes: "In the future, I will definitely treat Yuan as my own. , Let him live with Chu, never favoritism, even if there is a meal, he must share it."

Zhang Wanyi seemed to be very excited, her chest fluctuated, her whole body was trembling, as if she was about to gasp but couldn't breathe, she finally opened her eyes wide and stared at Yingfu, and said a word: "You..." Then everything stopped, and a ray of soul was still alive. When this sentence ends, it dissipates in the deepening darkness of Gengwu in February.

Zhao Gou had returned from the imperial court, and stood by the door for an indeterminate amount of time, before he moved closer and gently closed Zhang Wanyi's unsettled eyes with his hands.

Because of Zhang Wanyi's death, Zhao Gou stopped looking at the imperial court for two days, posthumously presented Zhang Wanyi as a virtuous concubine, and buried her in Yanshouyuan outside the city.At the same time, Zhao Yuan was asked to recognize the infant as his mother, and move to live with Qiu before leaving the palace.Yingfu showed great care and love for Yuan, just like a loving mother.

In the second month of Ding Chou, Zhao Gou took Baoqing Army's Jiedu envoy and Jianguo Gongyuan as the inspector and Shaobao, and Jin made him the king of Pu'an County.

In the third month of Renyin, Zhao Yuan, king of Pu'an County, left the palace and went outside.

The gold master Xu returned to Emperor Huizong's Empress Zi Palace and the Empress Dowager.In April Dingmao, Empress Dowager Webster and Zigong set off from Wuguocheng, and Jin sent Yan Zongxian, Liu Yu, and Gao Ju'an to escort the Empress Dowager back to Song Dynasty.

After Zhao Gou heard the news, he immediately bestowed rewards on members of the Wei family, and all members from Wei's great-grandfather were granted posthumous titles, and Wei Yuan, Wei's younger brother, was also named the king of Pingle County.

Yingfu was also busier, personally taking care of the repairs and decorations of the Compassion Palace.Zhao Gou occasionally went in to inspect the interior, but he saw that everything in the room seemed familiar, such as a table, a chair, a curtain, and even the flowers planted in the garden in the courtyard were quite similar to those of his mother in the Bianjing Palace. You have never served your mother before, so why are you so familiar with everything in her pavilion?"

Yingfu replied: "The Palace of Compassion and Ning will be the residence of the queen mother. How dare the concubines neglect it. So I found some people from the old palace in Bianjing who had served the queen mother to tell the concubine the furnishings in the queen mother's pavilion in the past. Weijun Wang ordered his wife to enter the palace occasionally. Come on, my concubine also asked her for advice."

Zhao Gou smiled and said, "Very good. This kind of thing needs to be done by a careful person like you."

At the end of April, Zhao Goujin made Wanyi and Wu Yingfu the imperial concubine.

Because the mother's queen was about to return, Zhao Gou's mood gradually improved, and there was more joy in the palace, but this situation did not last for many days.This month, Xinsi, who knew Song Zhao of Xuyi County, wrote a letter saying that he had received news from Sizhou that Zhao Goufa's wife and Queen Xing's family had collapsed in the Kingdom of Jin in June of the ninth year of Shaoxing.At that time, the Jin people kept the funeral secret until the Empress Dowager Wei was about to return, so she asked the gold master to allow Qi to return with Xing's Zigong.The benefactor agreed, so what Empress Dowager Wei brought back would be the Zi Palace of one emperor and two empresses.

Queen Xing.The woman who has faded out of Zhao Gou's life for 16 years is a memory that he has deliberately avoided for a long time. There are too many sufferings that he is afraid to touch in her body.But at this moment, he was sitting in danger in the court hall, listening to the official's report, he had no choice but to let her figure fall into his heart again.

Newlywed Yaner, her brows were pale, and she lowered her head under his gaze, showing an unbearable shyness.Under the red skirt, she quietly hides the golden lotus, but she doesn't know that her slender jade feet can touch the secret tenderness in his heart.The troubled times are separated by the horizon, she once took down the golden ring he gave her, and asked the messenger to tell him: "May I see you soon with this ring." But after so many years, she finally, in his despair, settled into a golden ring. A withered memory.The missing years between them locked her years, and he refused to think about what happened to her. In his heart, she was still slim and beautiful, but under the eyes of everyone, he couldn't find a suitable emotion to express.

In the end, he only left one sentence to those who watched his expression: "This month is ugly, and I am mourning for Empress Daxing."

Returning to the bedroom, in the mood of mourning, he took out the box containing the gold ring from the locked cabinet.Unexpectedly, when he opened it, he was caught off guard, and something that he deliberately ignored stung his eyes again.

This night, I hope I will be drunk and unwilling to wake up.He found a pavilion near the water, sat alone dejectedly, and drank cup after cup.

Hearing that he was drunk, Yingchi came to look for him.The scene in front of her reminded her that many years ago, she went up to a tall building and saw a hangover man sleeping at his desk like him.

She quietly sat down beside him, caressing his facial features that she could only look up at with her eyes, listening to the gurgling spring water outside the threshold, like the passing away, she was in a trance, but her heart was peaceful, and the things that came to her heart were warm Like a spring breeze.Vaguely wondering if he would smile softly at her when he woke up and say, "Baby Chi, it's you."

He babbled in his sleep, he seemed to sigh, and his body moved slightly, but he still didn't wake up.Sleeping like this for a long time will hurt his body, so Yingchi went to help him, intending to help him back to sleep on the couch.As soon as he lifted one of his arms, he felt something hard under his sleeve.

She recognized it, the wooden box she had seen before.During the Yangzhou incident in the third year of Jianyan, he fled in a hurry on horseback. He had clearly left the palace, but he ventured to turn back halfway in order to get the peach wood box that he had not taken away.

She has always wanted to know what kind of important things are contained in it, so that he can cherish it regardless of life and death.

Picking it up, before opening it, she really hesitated because of indescribable fear.

Finally opened it, she couldn't match the desire for the answer in her heart.

Oh, so it is, so it is!
She actually just laughed dumbfounded, turning the feeling of heartache into a calm expression.

In the wooden box, there is the golden ring of Queen Xing.The story of Jinhuan has long been circulated in the harem as a tragic legend of the empress, and she is not unfamiliar with it, nor will she be surprised or jealous of it.

What she was staring at at the moment was another item among them—the silver bell, which she had seen before.

The silver bell is tied on the heel of the little embroidered shoes, delicate and cute, when Di Ji wears it, it jingles as she walks. "Now it will be difficult for Xiao Nizi to sneak away." The Empress Dowager smiled satisfied when she saw it.

But one day, Yinling disappeared.She asked: "Di Ji, why did the silver bell on your shoe fall off?"

Rou Fu winked playfully, and said with a smile: "It was taken away by a dog brother."

Closing the wooden box as it was, it was still placed under Zhao Gou's sleeve. While doing this, Yingfu found that there was a little crystal light in the corner of his eyes.

He sat silently for a long time before getting up and leaving alone. Before leaving, he whispered to the maid who was guarding the side: "Wake up the official in a while, treat him to hangover soup and send him back to the bedroom to rest. There is no need to tell him that I have been here. "

This cool and quiet spring night became embarrassing and dangerous because of the sudden appearance of this wooden box.The newly promoted imperial concubine of the Song Dynasty accidentally caught a glimpse of her supreme husband hiding under a high-sounding sorrow, mourning his hopeless and secret love.

So she must not let him know that she has been here and seen.She will continue to hide everything as he hides his wooden box.

The noble concubine Yingchi took on the corresponding matters of holding the funeral for the empress in the palace as a matter of course, probably this is a cumbersome job, which tortured her physically and mentally exhausted, and finally fell seriously ill.

Zhao Gou came to see her that day, sat in front of her bed, and suddenly said to her in a heart-to-heart tone: "All these years, you have been by my side, life and death, and the same hard work, and I have seen it all. Returning, the Xuzhong Palace has been waiting for 15 years, and I have to feel wronged that you have always been among the concubines. I am ashamed to live with Concubine Pan Xian, Han Qiuxi and others. Now that the queen has passed away, I will wait for my mother to return to Luan. I ask the Empress Dowager to choose you as the empress."

Yingfu was startled, and even though she was still ill, she insisted on getting up and worshiping Zhao Gou again, and said with tears: "The queen mother is far to the north, and the ministers and concubines are lacking in Ding province. I can't help crying. As for the post-election matter, the ministers and concubines are terrified and dare not dream of it."

4. Back to Luang
In the first day of July, Empress Dowager Webster returned to Luan, boarded a boat from Dongping, and traveled from Qinghe to Chuzhou.Zhao Gou ordered the Empress Dowager's younger brother Wei Yuan, King of Pingle County, Emperor Renzong's daughter Qin Lu Guochang Princess, and Emperor Zhezong's daughter Wu Guochang Princess to go to meet the Queen Mother first.Originally, Princess Fuguo was also ordered to go out to meet her, but she refused because she was ill. Although Zhao Gou felt displeased, he did not force her, and only asked her to take care of her in the mansion.

In the eighth month of Xinsi, Zhao Gou went out to Lin'an in person, and served the Empress Dowager in Linping Town with 480 people in Huang Hui's half battle. He was accompanied by his adopted son Wang Yuan of Pu'an County and Duke Chong of the State of Chong.

When mother and son met each other, Empress Dowager Wei came out of Long Yu without waiting for Zhao Gou to complete the ceremony, took her son's hand, and cried: "I only know that my mother and son will never meet again in this life, and now we meet again. In a dream."

After weeping for a while facing Zhao Gou, he showed his eyes to Empress Xing's coffin, and said, "You poor empress has abandoned you and me and passed away. Although the bones have returned, her voice and appearance have disappeared. How can one not feel heartbroken!"

Zhao Gou became more and more sentimental when he heard the words, and walked to Empress Xing's coffin, caressing the coffin and weeping sadly.Seeing this, Yingfu silently turned his eyes to look at Qin Hui. Qin Hui understood, and stepped forward to persuade Zhao Gou, "Birth and salary are determined by heaven, and cannot be redeemed by humans. Now that the queen mother is still in court, the whole world celebrates together. I hope that your majesty will mourn less and comfort the kindness." bow."

Only then did Zhao Gou wipe away his tears, and after a little plastic surgery, he ordered Yingchi to come over with Yuan and Qiu, and knelt down to greet the Queen Mother.

Empress Dowager Wei heard that Yingfu called herself "the noble concubine Wu", and knew that she was Zhao Gou's concubine. Seeing that the two brothers kneeling in front of her were both handsome and handsome, and they were both in their teens, she decided that it was Zhao Gou The biological prince was overjoyed, and before Yuan and Qu could say hello, he smiled and said to Yingfu: "These two brothers are very handsome, but they are both your own?"

Yingfu felt a little embarrassed, but still told the truth: "The concubine is not blessed, and failed to give birth to the official prince. The eldest brother and the second brother were selected by the official family from the clan sons, and ordered the concubine to be raised in the forbidden house."

Empress Dowager Wei was smiling and waiting for Yingfu to give an affirmative answer, but when she heard this explanation, her smile was a little stagnant, and she asked subconsciously: "Then the official family has..."

Knowing that something was wrong before finishing the sentence, he swallowed it.Yingfu naturally knew that what the queen mother wanted to ask was "does the official family have a real prince", but Zhao Gou was by his side, so he didn't dare to answer, and just kept silent.

Empress Dowager Wei understood what was going on, and was greatly disappointed, and her smile faded away.Yingfu immediately urged the two princes in a soft voice: "Quickly pay your respects to the Empress Dowager."

Zhao Yuan didn't open his mouth immediately, but Zhao Yuan kowtowed his head twice cleverly, and called out loudly: "You respectfully welcome the empress back to Luan. Your empress is a thousand years old! My empress is blessed!"

The Empress Dowager Wei was so affectionate when she heard Qu's call, she couldn't help but smiled again, and said to Qu: "Good boy."

After saying that, his gaze slowly shifted to Yuan again, Yuan just kowtowed and bowed again at this time, with a respectful attitude, but only said: "All blessings, Empress Dowager."

Empress Dowager Wei smiled at Zhao Gou and said, "This child is steady." Then she turned her head and asked Yingfu, "What's this brother's name?"

Ying Chi bowed and answered, "The official family gave her the name Yuan... the same word as the boudoir name of Princess Fuguo."

Empress Dowager Wei was startled: "Princess Fuguo?"

Yingfu smiled and explained: "It's the Empress Dowager Roufu. After Emperor Ji Jianyan returned to the south for four years, the official Jia En was promoted to be the eldest princess of Fuguo. The eldest princess is also coming to meet the queen mother in Japan today, but she has been ill for a few days. Heavy, I really can't stay here, so I ask my concubine to congratulate the queen mother on her behalf, saying that she will enter the palace to visit the queen mother as soon as her health recovers."

As if a sudden frost had fallen, Empress Dowager Wei's face immediately turned cold.He lightly gestured for everyone to flatten with his hand, turned around and sat down with Long Yu, and said, "Go back."

Zhao Gou then ordered to drive back to the city, and led all the officials to lead the empress to Zi Palace.At this time, I suddenly saw that there was still a small coffin behind the Sanzi Palace, without any decorations or spiritual plaques outside it, and it was impossible to tell whose coffin it was.

So he asked the Queen Mother: "Is the coffin of Empress Zigong also belonged to the clan?"

Empress Dowager Wei didn't answer, but said with a calm face, "I'll talk about it after I get back to the palace."

Back in the Lin'an Palace, Zhao Gou hosted a banquet to celebrate the Queen Mother's return, and invited the Jin envoys Wanyan Zongxian, Liu Yu, and Gao Ju'an, who escorted the Queen Mother back home, to the banquet.Empress Dowager Wei said that she was exhausted from the journey and wanted to take a short rest, so she did not attend, so Zhao Gou said a few words of thanks to the Jin envoy alone. Silent, drinking at one's own discretion, and didn't say a word except for the polite words when you first entered the table.Zhao Gou glanced sideways at him occasionally, but didn't take the initiative to talk to him.

After the envoy Jin returned to the embassy, ​​Zhao Gou ordered another family banquet to be held in the inner hall. This time, the Empress Dowager Wei paid for it. Yingfu hurriedly got up to greet her, and helped the Empress Dowager to sit down. I sat down myself.

Although it was just a family banquet, the number of etiquette followed the emperor's festival model, with nine cups of wine, mixed with singing and dancing dramas, and the family members came forward to toast the queen mother one by one, and the atmosphere was harmonious.When serving the seventh cup of wine, Yingfu offered a dish of "golden sausage" to the Empress Dowager Wei, and Zhao Gou explained from the side: "The imperial concubine heard that the empress has always liked this dish, so she learned from the imperial chef and made it herself today. Please ask the queen mother to taste it, but it still tastes like the old days."

Empress Dowager Wei tasted it briefly, nodded and smiled: "Okay, okay..." At this moment, she looked at Yingfu closely, frowned suddenly, stared at her for a long time, and then asked, "Why do you look so familiar to me? We used to Have you seen it in Bianjing?"

Yingfu smiled and lowered her head and replied: "The concubine used to be from the Bianjing palace. The queen mother may have met her in the palace. She only hated the concubine's poor fortune. At that time, she had no chance to serve the queen mother."

Empress Dowager Wei gradually remembered, paused, and asked again: "Is it Longde Palace?"

She remembered that she met the woman in front of her in Longde Palace.At that time, her identity was only the Wanrong of the Supreme Emperor, an insignificant and unloved concubine in the harem.In order to ask the Supreme Emperor to persuade Zhao Huan to take back the order to send Zhao Gou to Jinying, she cried at Zhao Ji's feet, and Huatian was embarrassed.She had never begged so humblely and humbly before, and what she got in the end was just a look full of disgust... At that time, this Wu Yingfu should be there, right?When she left, she was the one who picked up the scattered flowers and returned them after her.

This is an unpleasant memory, so unfortunately, the person who witnessed his embarrassment at that time turned out to be his daughter-in-law today.

Her last words seemed to be asked casually, but the smile just now had dissipated from her lips.

But Ting Yingfu replied: "Mother, please forgive me. The concubine has a bad memory, so I don't remember much. The concubine used to serve Roufu Emperor Ji, and she usually worked in the Diji Pavilion and rarely went out. If the queen mother saw the minister Concubine, presumably it was during a festival in the palace."

Empress Dowager Wei was surprised again: "Have you served Empress Roufu?"

Yingpo nodded, and replied softly: "Yes, the concubine served the emperor in the past...but not long after the Jingkang Change. The concubine was exiled in troubled times, but was fortunately taken in by the government, so she has been serving her ever since."

Empress Dowager Wei only said "um" after hearing this, and said nothing more.Yingfu and Zhao Gou looked at each other, and they both felt that in front of the Queen Mother, she would be displeased when mentioning Roufu Diji.Zhao Gou also said that Rou Fu did not accompany the Queen Mother to greet her before, and now she has not entered the palace to congratulate her, so the Queen Mother is inevitably angry, and it is inconvenient for him to explain this at this moment, so he found another topic to break the slightly awkward silence, pointing at the palace. Gong Zhu asked the Empress Dowager: "Can this candle still satisfy the holy meaning?"

This is an unusual candle, carefully crafted with the finest spices.During Huizong's Xuanhe and Zhenghe years, the country was prosperous and the palace was extravagant.Because Zhao Ji thought the Heyang candles used in the palace had no fragrance, he ordered people to fill the candles with ambergris and sputum, and lined up two rows at night, filled with hundreds of them.But after Zhao Gou went south, the national strength was far inferior to before, so how could the palace use this extravagant thing again.It wasn't until the queen mother was about to return that Zhao Gou decided to support her as the best in the world. Yingpo suggested: "It's better to use the Xuanzheng palace candles at the queen mother's dust-cleaning banquet. The queen mother will be delighted when she smells the fragrance." I was rushing to make palace candles, but the spices were limited, and I didn't get much in the end, so I only listed a dozen torches this night.I thought that the Queen Mother would ask about it when she smelled the fragrance, but after drinking so many cups of wine, she still seemed to have never heard of it, and didn't even look at the palace candle.

After hearing Zhao Gou's question, Empress Dowager Wei raised her eyes to glance at the palace candles, and said indifferently: "Your father used to set up hundreds of palace candles every night, and the same is true in the concubine's pavilion."

After saying that, he got up and changed his clothes.Zhao Gou waited for her to walk away, then gave a wry smile, and said to Yingpo, "How can I be richer than my father!"

After the family banquet, Zhao Gou sent the Queen Mother to the Palace of Compassion, and the mother and son had a long talk by candlelight, talking about the pain of separation for many years and the tragic situation of Huizong's Northern Hunting, and it was unavoidable to sigh again.Zhao Gou suddenly recalled the small coffin that Empress Dowager Wei brought along with Zigong, and asked whose coffin it was.

"It's Empress Dowager Roufu, Yuan Yuan's." Empress Dowager Wei replied, her words still tinged with tears.

Zhao Gou was taken aback, suspecting that he had misheard, and then asked, "Who did the Queen Mother say belonged to?"

"It belongs to Roufu Diji." Empress Dowager Wei repeated with unquestionable affirmation, wiped her tears, and said to Zhao Gou seriously: "I am going to tell my brother about this. Do you know that the Jinren have been laughing all these years?" You, say you bought Yan Zi Di Ji by mistake?"

There is a place in Bianjing named Yanjia Lane, where most of the utensils sold are not solid, so people in Beijing call fake products "Yanzi".

Zhao Gou bowed his head and remained silent for a long time, and then he wanted to dismiss all the palace people. The Empress Dowager Wei raised her hand to stop him, pointed to the palace servant Yang Shi beside her and said, "She has been by my side for many years, and she knows everything, so there is no need to avoid it. "

Zhao Gou knew that the Yang family was the Queen Mother Wei's personal maid in the Bianjing Palace before, and she followed her to the north, and now she was brought back by the Queen Mother, so she must be a confidant, so she let her stay and wait for the rest to go out Then he said slowly: "The queen mother said that Yuan Yuan from Nangui, the current princess of Fuguo, was someone else's fake?"

Empress Dowager Wei nodded deeply, and looked at Yang Shi, who then said to Zhao Gou: "Emperor Roufu was first obtained by Wanyan Zongjun, the eighth crown prince of the Jin Kingdom, and was given to Jin Taizong by Wanyan Zongjun after a few years. Wanyan Zongpan, the son of Wanyan Zongpan, tried to curry favor with Zongpan and lure him to rebel with him. But Zongpan did not cherish the Empress after he got it, and within a few days his wife kicked the Empress out of the house. God pity you, when she Her whole body was covered with wounds, and she was dying of illness. Fortunately, the queen mother accidentally met her and took her to her side to take care of her, and then she gradually recovered. Later, the emperor met Xu Huan, a Han official in Wuguo City. , she married Xu Huan. Unfortunately, not long after her stable life, she fell ill again and died in Wuguo City last year. The queen mother and servants watched her burial with their own eyes. Now the eldest princess of Fuguo must be A woman from the city came to blackmail the official family under false pretences. Knowing that although the official family and Roufu Diji are brothers and sisters, they seldom met each other in the past, they may not recognize each other, and they don't know where they heard some old things in Bianjing Palace, so they boldly pretended to be golden branches and jade leaves. , to defraud riches and honor."

Zhao Gou stared at the fireworks of the palace candle, and said lightly at this moment: "How can anyone be so similar?"

Empress Dowager Wei was surprised: "Could it be that you were familiar with Roufu in the past, and you can tell the truth from the fake at a glance?"

"Oh, no." Zhao Gou smiled hastily and said, "Of course I am not familiar with Rou Fu, but when I heard that she escaped back, I asked someone who knew her to check it, and they all said it was true. "

Yang sighed: "There are similarities between people, so she dared to come here. What's more, are the people sent by the government to be inspected reliable? It's hard to guarantee that they didn't have the heart to recognize an emperor at random and come back to ask for credit. It's not surprising that they simply joined forces with this fake Emperor Ji to blackmail the official family. If she is real, why doesn't she dare to come to see the Queen Mother now?"

"But..." Zhao Gou murmured, "She behaves quite like Emperor Ji... The old things she said sound true."

"What did she say?" Empress Dowager Wei immediately raised her eyes and asked, "The old things...is it the old things in Bianjing or the old things in the Jin Kingdom?"

Zhao Gou glanced at his mother quietly, and said: "It's just some trivial old things in Bianjing. She can't bear to look back on the things about the Kingdom of Jin, so she doesn't want to talk about it, and I don't want to ask, for fear of making her sad."

Empress Dowager Wei nodded and said: "Yes, too many words will lead to mistakes, and she must not dare to make up things at will..."

Yang Shi also echoed: "Even if she said something, don't believe it, at most it's a hearsay rumor."

Zhao Gou remained silent, and Yang continued: "This time the Empress Dowager brings back the remains of Roufu Diji, one is to fulfill her wish to be buried in the motherland, and the other is to expose the lies of the false Empress. Di Ji has been with the Kingdom of Jin for quite a long time, and regards her as her own daughter, and will never tolerate anyone using her name to run away under the protection of the official family. I hope that the official family can punish the fake Empress as soon as possible, and bury the remains of the real Empress , and posthumously, to comfort the spirit of this girl from the official family.”

Zhao Gou didn't immediately agree. After thinking for a long time, he said to his mother carefully: "This is a very important matter. Please wait a little longer, and wait for the minister to come up with a good solution."

Empress Dowager Wei sighed, and said: "Okay. It's late at night, you should go back to rest earlier. It is advisable to get up early, otherwise, it will be disadvantageous to Longti Sheji."

Zhao Gou saluted and withdrew.The fireworks of the palace candle flickered, making his figure long and long, and he felt a little bored. He waved his wide sleeves, as if trying to get rid of the shadow that aggravated his steps.

5. Concubine Ming
The posthumous title of Empress Xing was designated as "Yi Festival" in July of the 12th year of Shaoxing.After welcoming Empress Dowager Wei back to Luan, Zhao Gou enshrined Empress Yijie, Emperor Huizong, and Empress Xiansu in Zi Palace in Longde Palace, and placed the small coffin sent back with Zi Palace there. Zhao Gou will not mention it for now. Regarding his burial, please also ask Empress Dowager Wei and Mrs. Yang not to talk about the authenticity of Roufu for the time being.

After a few days, King Wanyan Zongxian and others of the Jin Dynasty envoy Yi will return to the country, and they will resign at Zhao Gou.But Wanyan Zongxian was restless that day, before finishing the banquet, he left the banquet alone, rode his horse to the Lin'an Palace, and went straight to the gate of the inner palace, saying that he would bid farewell to Empress Dowager Wei in person.

The guards and ordinary servants did not dare to stop him, so they first invited him to wait in the side hall next to the palace gate, and then found the minister of internal affairs to tell him the situation.The guard of the Ministry of Internal Affairs hurriedly went to ask Zhao Gou for instructions, not wanting that Zhao Gou was discussing matters with important ministers in the book pavilion at the moment, and ordered not to be disturbed, so the guard went to the Palace of Compassion and Ning to ask the Queen Mother for her opinion.

Empress Dowager Wei hesitated a little when she heard the news, but quickly said: "Foreign ministers entering the inner palace is an act of excess, and so is the Jin envoy. Tell Yi Wang, the old man wishes him a safe return journey and a long life. There is no need for a face-to-face speech."

The escort conveyed the queen mother's intention to Zong Xian, but Zong Xian suddenly stood up, grabbed his neck, and shouted: "Where is the queen mother? Take me to see her!"

The servants around were shocked, but due to his status as a gold envoy, no one dared to stop him, and the guard was threatened by him, so he had no choice but to take him to the Palace of Compassion.

As soon as he entered the gate of the Palace of Compassion, Zong Xian pushed aside the escort of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and shouted loudly: "Queen Mother, Zong Xian has come to bid you farewell."

The maid in the palace had never seen a foreign minister break into the palace, let alone a tall bearded golden man, she immediately screamed in surprise and rushed inside to hide.The Empress Dowager couldn't help but also panicked, and hastily retreated into the inner room, and hastily ordered the maid to hang down the curtain and spread the screen, so as to block Zongxian's sight.

But Zong Xian ignored them, raised his hands and pushed down the two servants of the Compassionate Palace who were trying to stop him, and walked straight into the inner room with his head held high.When he saw the screen curtain in front of Empress Dowager Wei, he stagnated slightly, but then continued to move forward, sneered and split the obstacle in front of him with two palms, and finally faced Empress Wei directly.

Empress Dowager Wei had nowhere to hide, she sat on the edge of the bed and raised her head in panic, meeting his burning eyes.

Both sides are silent.At first, his anxiety and her panic gradually dissipated, and in the end they just stared at each other wordlessly for such a long time.

Finally he spoke, in a low voice, his voice sounded dry and hoarse: "I'm leaving."

As if she woke up from a dream, she seemed to want to smile, but immediately felt that something was wrong, so she restrained her mind and sat upright, posing as the mother of the country, and told the maid: "Give King Yi a seat."

This is actually a strange thing. The empress dowager of this dynasty sat on the edge of the bed in the bedroom and ordered the golden envoy to sit on it.But the maid was so horrified that she had long forgotten to be surprised by it, she hurriedly offered Zong Xian a seat, and then she walked away far away.

But Zong Xian didn't sit down, but continued to look at Queen Mother Wei.The distance was still very close, and the queen mother sat blankly under his gaze, not knowing how to react.

"I'm leaving." He said again, but he didn't move, and there was a certain expectation in his eyes staring at her.

In the end, what he waited for was a sentence from the Empress Dowager about rewards: "The king of Yi escorted the old man back to the Song Dynasty. After several months, it was very hard work. Now the king of Yi will return, and the old man will give me three hundred gold. I would like to express my gratitude. Please accept it with a smile. I wish Yi Wang Mei a long life and enjoy the blessings."

Yang, who had been by Queen Mother Wei's side all the time, understood, and immediately sent someone to collect the reward. In a short time, three hundred gold had been presented to Zong Xian.

Zong Xian picked up an ingot of gold, looked at it carefully, suddenly laughed, and said to Empress Dowager Wei: "Zong Xian also wishes the Empress Dowager of Song Dynasty a long life and good fortune!"

Throwing the gold ingot violently towards the screen that he pushed away just now, the meticulous painting of beauties on the screen instantly burst.

"Leave it alone." He dropped this sentence, turned and left, without looking back again.

After Zongxian left, Empress Wei was very silent, she didn't speak for several hours, until it was almost dusk, she sighed and said to Yang, "Let's go for a walk."

Empress Dowager Wei was in a trance, and had no clear destination. The two walked leisurely all the way, and when they passed a palace courtyard, they heard the faint sound of reading books, so Empress Dowager Wei stopped and asked the servant in the palace courtyard: "What is this?" Where? Who's reading?"

The servant replied respectfully: "This is the residence of Concubine Wu. Just now, Concubine Wu heard that the Prince of Pu'an forgot to sleep and eat while studying, so she brought some snacks and sent them to the Prince's Mansion of Pu'an in person. Now the one studying there is Lord Chongguo."

Empress Dowager Wei smiled at Yang Shi: "It's Chu. Let's go in and see him."

The two entered the courtyard and walked to the window of Zhao Chu's study, listening to the sound of reading more and more clearly, but Queen Mother Wei stopped and listened intently.

What Zhao Chu was reading was a poem: "When the imperial concubine first came out of the Han Palace, her tears were wet with the spring breeze and her temples were drooping. Looking back, the shadow was colorless, and the king couldn't hold back. When she came back, she blamed the hand of the painting, which had never been seen in her life. The origin of the mood. The painting failed, Mao Yanshou was killed in vain at that time. Once I went, I knew that I would never return, and I was pitiful in the palace clothes of Jinhan Dynasty. I sent my voice to ask about Sainan, but the geese flew every year. The family spread the news for thousands of miles. Don't you see that Nagato is close to Ajiao, there is no north or south when you are frustrated in life..."

Seeing that Empress Dowager Wei was in a daze, Yang asked softly, "Empress Dowager, do we still want to go in?"

Empress Dowager Wei came back to her senses, and replied in a low voice, "Wait a minute." She continued to stand, leaning against the window and listening to the poems recited.

I only heard Chu pause for a while, and then went on to read: "The concubine Ming first married Hu'er, and the hundreds of felt cars are all Huji. With passion, there is no place for solitude, and the pipa knows itself. The gold guards the spring breeze, play and watch Feihong persuaded Hu to drink. The maid in the Han Palace wept secretly, but the passers-by on the sand turned their heads back. Han En is shallow and deep, and life is happy in knowing each other. The poor green mound is gone, and there are still mourning strings left to this day..."

After listening, Queen Mother Wei pondered for a while before ordering Yang: "Go in and ask Second Brother whose poem he is reading."

Mrs. Yang went in and asked, but she heard Zhao Chuan's answer in a loud voice: "These are two "Ming Concubine Songs" written by Wang Anshi, a colleague of the Shenzong Dynasty. Mr. Fan Chong, the first teacher of the elder brother, didn't like it, so he didn't let the elder brother read it. But after reading it, I love this poem very much, and every time I recite it, I feel the lingering fragrance in my mouth."

"Why doesn't Mr. Fan like it, and why does Duke Chong like it?" Yang asked again.

Zhao Chu said: "Mr. Fan once said to his father that poets often write "Ming Concubine Song", and it is infinite hatred for Zhaojun to go out of the country to marry Hulu, which makes people read sadly, but An Shi's "Ming Fei Song" says "Han En From shallow to deep, the joy of life lies in knowing each other'. If you only think of Han's kindness and shallow captive's deep kindness, then Liu Yu is not a sin? Those who betray the kindness of the king and father, worship and become thieves are all in line with Anshi's meaning. This so-called It’s a trick to destroy the world’s hearts. But I think Mr. Fan’s argument is worth discussing. Wang Anshi’s poem is a metaphor for the way the king employs people. When a wise king is in power, he can pull out wise men from the grass; The emphasis of the phrase "Han En" is at the end, which means that the degree of kindness of the Hu chieftains of the Han emperor is secondary, and the joy of life lies in knowing each other and cherishing each other. And then forgetting the emperor to explain the meaning of the poem, it would be too narrow."

Mrs. Yang didn't quite understand these words, so she smiled and praised him casually, saying that he was studious, thoughtful and knowledgeable, so he quit.Empress Dowager Wei didn't go in any more, just bowed her head and walked all the way back to the Palace of Compassion and Peace.

Sitting alone in the middle of the night, there was only a lonely shadow under the lamp, and suddenly she heard the servant on duty closing the outer palace door. The two doors joined together, making a dull and long sound, which seemed to hit her heart. , silently murmured repeatedly in his heart: "Don't you see that the door is closed and Gillian is close, there is no north and south when you are frustrated in life... Han En is shallow and Hu Zishen, life is happy in knowing each other..."

My heart suddenly ached, and finally burst into tears.

6. Jingkang
With the sound of drums and prosperity, Webster's life was divided into two completely different stages due to the Jingkang incident.

Although she was just an insignificant woman in the deep palace before, the most common thing to do was to recall and look forward to the favor of the emperor's husband against the backdrop of spring flowers and autumn moons, but at least she still had the self-respect brought by her status as a concubine.The gorgeous man who created the political propaganda is her husband, she has to be with him, and she is so lucky to have given birth to a son with his noble blood.

She is thankful that she has accepted Zhao Ji's occasional favor, because of this warm and glorious affection, even the sad waiting can be regarded as a kind of happiness by her.

Unexpectedly, the situation changed rapidly. When the golden soldiers with knives and guns broke into her pavilion, she seemed to lose her foothold. In panic, she touched the case and broke the fifty strings of the zither.

The memory tone of Jingkangshi is determined by the day she was taken to Liujiasi Village outside Bianjing City where the Jin Army was stationed.As soon as he entered the gate of the village, he saw a few iron poles erected in front of the big tent of the commander-in-chief Wanyan Zongwang. Three naked women were pierced on the poles. They had died for a long time, but blood was still dripping from their wounds. , converging into a mooring under the pole.

Red, the red that wanted to suffocate her instantly!
Wei Shi recognized that the three women Zhang, Lu and Cao were originally Zhao Ji's new concubines in recent years. Although their ranks were not high, they were also considered sisters when they met her on weekdays.

Hearing that another group of concubines and concubines were being escorted, Wanyan Zongwang walked out of the tent, glanced at them, pointed at the dead woman on the iron pole, and said loudly: "If you dare to resist my will, this will be your fate!"

A group of women knelt down one after another, crying and saying, "Please spare your life, the second prince."Webster knelt down too, but trembling with terror, she could not utter a word.

Entering the prisoner's tent, she saw Concubine Qiao Gui, the sworn sister who had been imprisoned before her.As soon as Mrs. Qiao saw her, she rushed over and hugged her tightly, crying and told her the news of the death of the other sisters in the palace: "Sister, sister! Yesterday the Prime Minister of the Jin Kingdom, Yan Zonghan, hosted a banquet for the generals, and ordered the palace concubines to change into dancers' attire and sit down with wine. , Sister Zheng, Sister Xu and Sister Lu refused to obey, and were immediately dragged out and beheaded!"

Not long after, another woman's body was dragged out of Zongwang's tent.That was also a staunch princess, Concubine Qiao repeatedly lamented and told Wei Shi about this woman.

Before Bianjing fell into the city, the Jin people had coerced Zhao Huan to draw a mortgage on the agreement to pay the concubine, the emperor, the princess, the concubine, the concubine, the family concubine, the maids and noble relatives, and the officials and civilians. More than 5000 people.The princess was included among the women sent by Song Xuan.The concubine was favored by Zongwang and wanted to order her to attend the bed, but the concubine refused and glared at Zongwang, Zongwang said: "We bought you with a thousand ingots of gold, how dare you refuse!"

The princess asked angrily, "Who sold it to you? Who got the gold?"

Zong Wang laughed loudly and said, "Your family's Supreme Emperor has a decree, and the emperor also has a contract to reward the army with Song women."

The concubine asked again: "Who needs to reward the army? Who ordered it to arrive? What does it have to do with us girls when a man loses his knees? How can I be humiliated!"

Zong Wang's smile continued: "Your family has thousands of court ladies, all of whom were taken from the common people, and they were taken for nothing, and they didn't come with permission. Now that you have lost your country, you will become an ordinary woman, paying tribute to the Dajin as usual. , is also my duty. What's more, even if it is approved, isn't it because your men decided to use you as an approved?"

The concubine was taken aback when she heard the words, gasped for breath, and burst into tears from her heart.Zong Wang then detained her in the tent and raped her.Afterwards, he ordered people to guard him strictly so that he would not be allowed to seek death.But the princess wanted to die, and finally died of a hunger strike.

She wasn't the only princess martyred.Two days later, Zongwang held another banquet in the village, and ordered the emperor and concubines to drink wine.It just so happened that among the Song girls who were escorted to the village that day, there was Princess Yun Zhu Lanxuan. She was the wife of Zhao Ji's favorite son, Zhao Kai, and a famous beauty in Bianjing. She came out to serve the banquet.

At first she actually accepted the order, put on a clean palace dress, took water to wash her hands and face carefully, and then dressed with water shadow.That was the first time Webster saw her up close.Because Lan Xuan's husband is Zhao Kai, Wei Shi didn't like her before, and her personality is arrogant, which makes people feel repulsive.But at this moment, Wei Shi was amazed by her cleanliness in this filthy place, he felt that she was as clear as chalcedony, but her eyes were only peaceful and indifferent, without any trace of fear.

The golden soldiers outside the tent couldn't wait, and came in to arrest her, but she just raised her eyebrows and shouted: "Don't touch me!" The golden soldiers all stopped, not daring to touch her again.

Then she stood up, looked sideways at the dozens of family members behind her, and smiled sympathetically.After going out, he suddenly ran to the ancient well in the courtyard and fell down.

Zhao Kai's younger sister, Rou Fu, was the first to rush over crying, holding onto Jing Yan to call Lan Xuan in, and crying for help.Wei Shi also rushed over with the crowd, someone threw bamboo poles and ropes into the well, but Lan Xuan in the water didn't intend to use it to survive.Her plain clothes and loose hair swirled in the slight waves of the ancient well, and finally fell silent at the bottom of the water.

Princess Xin's suicide method was even more tragic. After being pulled into the scene by Zongwang, she quietly picked up an arrow scattered on the ground, and before Zongwang touched her, she stabbed the arrow in her throat and died.

In this era of broken jade and palaces, life and chastity are often incompatible. Webster admired their integrity, and he couldn't help but ask himself, if it were me, would there be their determination?She smelled the breath of death through this question, and couldn't help trembling again, hoping that the moment when she had to make a choice would never come.

Soon after, Zong Wang invited Zong Han, Zhu Jinjiang, and the Empress of the Song Dynasty to hold a banquet in Qingchengzhai, and selected 20 concubines, emperor concubines, and 32 kabuki for wine.Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan were so ashamed when they saw this, they stood up and asked to avoid the table, but Zong Wang refused, saying: "This banquet is called the Taiping Hehuan Banquet, and it is for you two to have a good reunion with your family. When our class teacher returns to the court, you It is inevitable that we will part ways and go north, and it will not be easy to meet again."

The second emperor had no choice but to sit down and listen to the generals molesting their wives, daughters and sisters, really feeling ashamed and ashamed.

Zhao Huan and Empress Zhu originally sat next to Zhao Huan and were not among the concubines of Youjiu, but when Zong Wang turned his head and saw her with her bowed head and her charming posture, she immediately became aroused and ordered her to sing to cheer her up.Empress Zhu was ashamed and angry, still bowed her head and did not speak, Zong Wang shouted angrily: "The lives of your two emperors are in my hands, Ande despises me!"

Empress Zhu had no choice but to cover her face and wipe away her tears. She took the pipa from the kabuki and sang with tears in her eyes: "When you are young and rich, you are tired of beautiful clothes. When you grow up in the palace, you will worship the wine cup. Now you are tired and living in a foreign land." , Alas for creation, quick death is the strongest!"

Everyone in the Song Dynasty was very sad when they heard this song, but Zong Wang couldn't understand its meaning, but he felt that Empress Zhu's voice was pleasant, and he was happy to hear it.

Play the pipa again, and a string of melancholy melodies will be heard. Empress Zhu sang again: "I used to live in the sky, and I lived in the palace of Pearl, and now I can talk about things in such a rough place. I can't say anything about my humiliation, and I can hate it. I swear to return to the spring, so I can worry about it." Absolutely!"

After singing the song, Empress Zhu raised her glass and stood up, walked over to offer Zonghan wine, but Zonghan grabbed Zhu Hou's clothes and wanted to sit with her before drinking, Empress Zhu was furious and struggled desperately, Zonghan was also on fire, and raised his whip to kill her. beat.Fortunately, Emperor Maode Ji who was sitting next to Zongwang saw that the situation was not going well, and asked Zongwang for help in a low voice, Zongwang ordered someone to dissuade him, and let Empress Zhu sit back beside Zhao Huan.

This "Taiping Carousel Banquet" made Zong Han's eldest son, Yema, take a fancy to Zhao Ji's other daughter, Zhao Fujin, the emperor of Xunde, and signaled to Zongwang, who asked Zhao Ji for Yema after the banquet. Xun De.Zhao Ji suppressed his anger and explained: "Fu Jin has already married. China values ​​honesty and shame. One daughter does not marry two husbands. It is not like your country's no taboos."

Zong Han became angry when he heard it, and said sharply: "Yesterday we have received the imperial decree that we can divide the Song prisoners. It is up to you to decide whether the emperor will give it or not. How can you resist the order!" Everyone at the banquet said, "Each of you can take the two daughters away." Then he pointed to the two Song girls whom he had taken a fancy to just now, and ordered the soldiers under his command, "Her, her! Take them all away!"

Zhao Ji was also angry this time, flicked his sleeves and opened his eyes and said: "There is heaven above, earth below, and everyone has a daughter-in-law!"

Zong Han sneered, he didn't bother to say any more, and directly ordered Zhao Ji to be driven out, and let Shi Yema take Xunde himself.

Zhao Ji's words spread to the ears of the family members of the palace, and it inevitably caused a burst of groaning. Qiao secretly said to Webster: "In the past, the Taishang always treated us gently, and rarely showed anger. If you scold others, you must be very angry. It is frightening to hear. How outrageous these words are now, but unfortunately the general situation is gone, and it will definitely not deter the barbarians. In the future, you and I will not be able to hope for safety."

This made Wechsler feel desperate.It was only at this moment that she realized that she had actually been living the life of a female girl, with no branches and living by a tree, but if the tree withered, how would she survive?
This year's spring was very cold, and in February and March, there were still winter-like cold winds at night.The Song girls in each village could not bear the torture, and also suffered from the cold. Many people fell ill and died, including many emperor concubines.First, Yifu and Ningfu were critically ill, then Renfu died of illness, and after a few days, Baofu died again.One day, Joe came to Webster and said, "Let's go and see Rou Fu, she is very sick."

Rou Fu was lying in a corner of the Liu Family Temple, covered only with a layer of broken mattress, gray cotton wadding was exposed from the cracks everywhere, and it was too short, even her little feet were exposed.She was hot all over, and fell asleep drowsily, but when she heard that Mrs. Wei and Mrs. Qiao were coming, she immediately opened her eyes and looked around, and smiled happily when she saw Mrs. Wei.

There was clearly some heartfelt emotion in her eyes, as if she was looking at someone she knew and was close to.Her slightly dependent eyes made Wei Shi feel a little uncomfortable, that's not the way Diji and others usually look at her.

Wei Shi knelt down and asked her softly, "Yuan Yuan, are you feeling better?"

She smiled and said, "Right now my head hurts...but I'll be fine."

Wei Shi smiled lightly and shook her hand, and Qiao Shi was beside her to comfort her.Rou Fulue chatted with Qiao Shi for a few words, then suddenly looked sideways at Wei Shi, and said, "Mother Wei, I will not die. Brother Ninth will come to save us."

Hearing her mention of her son suddenly, Wei Shi couldn't help being startled, looked at Rou Fu again, and was surprised at her shining eyes at the moment, and her radiant face that instantly swept away the shadow of illness.

She did recover quickly.Webster began to pay attention to her, first because of her extraordinary vitality, and later marveled at her immortal courage.

In April of the second year of Jingkang, the Jin army was forced to go north.One day at noon, the motorcade stopped to take a rest on the side of the road. Concubine Zhao Huan's concubine Zhu Shen who was beside Wei Shi gently pulled her sleeve, looked into the distance, and whispered: "Miss Wei, can you follow me to the tree behind... ...I want to change clothes..."

Wei Shi then accompanied her there, covering her in front of her while she was urinating.I don't want when Concubine Zhu Shen got up to put on her belt, suddenly a person came out from the side, he laughed and hugged Concubine Zhu Shen and put his arms up and down.

Concubine Zhu Shen screamed in alarm, Wei Shi looked back and saw that the person was the captain Guolu who escorted them, this person has always been cruel, Wei Shi was scared out of his wits when he saw how he tortured the Song girls in the team, and he didn't care about Concubine Zhu Shen , screaming and rushing away.

Running all the way, only heard Concubine Zhu Shen screaming miserably, but Wei Shi never dared to turn his head back.It wasn't until a moment later that Guolu's scream came from over there. Wei Shi felt strange, so he turned around and looked back. He saw Roufu standing behind Guolu, holding a fistful that he probably picked up from the farmland by the roadside. Gritting his teeth and glaring at him, Guolu kept stroking his left shoulder, apparently just hit by her iron hoe.

This was the first time Webster saw Song Nv hit the golden man, and he stood there dumbfounded, staring blankly.

Concubine Zhu Shen was also stunned, she stood still and did not move, while Rou Fu vigorously swung the iron hoe and hit Guo Lu.But this time Guolu was well prepared, he defuses her attack in two or three strokes, grabs the iron shovel and throws it far away, grabs Roufu and yells at her while tearing her clothes.

Rou Fu also yelled and resisted, struggling, scratching and biting, but seeing that he couldn't support himself, his clothes were also torn off a lot.

At this time, a man in purple came galloping on horseback, raised his hand and whipped his whip, and hit Guolu on the back of the head.Guo Lu fell to the ground in pain, and was about to curse, but when he looked up at the man in purple, he swallowed his breath, and called out, "King Gai Tian..."

The King Gaitian scolded angrily: "This is the virgin Empress who will be dedicated to the Lord Lang, you dare to touch it?"

Guo Lu muttered angrily: "Didn't the second prince also accept Di Ji privately?"

King Gaitian became more and more annoyed, he drew his sword and got off his horse, pointed at Guolu and cursed: "You are a scoundrel, but the second crown prince treated you well, that's why he promoted you to a thousand households. Now you molested women and slowed down your schedule first, Slandering the Second Crown Prince is an unforgivable crime!"

Immediately, he straightened his sword and stabbed it straight to Guolu's chest, then drew it out and slashed several times. After he died of breath and had no response, he called the soldiers behind him and threw his body into the river.

Rou Fu and Concubine Zhu Shen were sent back to the queue by him.Concubine Zhu Shen was very grateful to Rou Fu, and frequently praised her courage to the palace family members. After hearing this, Wei Shi felt extremely ashamed, and kept his head down all day, not daring to look at them.

I felt uncomfortable all the time, and at night, when everyone fell asleep, Webster got up and went to a quiet place to sob.The servant Yang Shi noticed it and followed her, put on a dress for her, and persuaded softly: "Young lady, you should go back and rest, I'm afraid it's not right for the golden man to see you like this."

Wei Shi called her name sadly: "Xiangnu, I didn't mean not to save her...I'm just afraid..."

Mrs. Yang nodded and comforted: "Your maidservant knows. How could concubine Zhu Shen be saved with the power of a lady, and Empress Roufu's move was also hitting a stone with an egg. If King Gaitian hadn't arrived, I don't know what would have happened. The lady has to wait to go back and see her." The Nine Great Kings know that it is right to cherish one's life."

7. Zong Xian
Afterwards, Webster and his party were personally escorted by King Gaitian Wanyan Zongxian.Prior to this, the Lord Jin ordered that Queen Mother Wei, Concubine Xing and several important concubines be imprisoned in Beijing as soon as possible, so Zong Xian ordered some of the frail family members to ride in ox carts, and the rest who could ride horses were sent to Beijing to be imprisoned. Ride a horse to speed up the journey.Wei Shi was allowed to ride in an ox cart, so he took Xing Shi's hand and wanted to ride with her.When Mrs. Xing got into the car, she bent down, and the lapel of the overcoat fluttered. Zong Xian looked back inadvertently, and noticed that her abdomen was obviously protruding, so she frowned.

He walked straight towards Xing Shi, Xing Shi was startled immediately, and squeezed Wei Shi's hand tightly.

Webster's face was as pale as paper at the moment, and he secretly groaned in his heart.

Xing is five or six months pregnant.When all the Song girls entered the village, Jin Shuai's mansion issued an order that those who were pregnant should be aborted under the medicine prescribed by the medical officer.At that time, Xing wore a tight-fitting dress to cover her waist carefully, and Wei Shi and others also helped her hide it from the medical officer, so the fetus was able to be preserved until now.But now that her belly is getting bigger and bigger, it is very difficult to cover it up.

Zong Xian walked up to Xing Shi, stretched out his hand suddenly, and tore off her coat.Staring at her waist and abdomen, he coldly pointed to a nearby horse and said, "Go ride."

The Xing family is a lady of every family. She was raised in her boudoir since she was a child, and she seldom walks, let alone rides a horse.Frightened, she knelt at Zongxian's feet and begged him to allow her to ride in an ox cart or walk.But Zongxian ignored her and ordered her to do it twice. Seeing that she still refused to move, he called two soldiers and put Xing on the horse.

Xing who was on the horse pulled the rein and leaned over the horse's back, trembling uncontrollably.Zong Xian held the whip and walked behind the horse, raised the whip and lowered it, the horse neighed and immediately galloped.Xing couldn't control the horse, and before the horse ran more than ten feet, he was knocked off the horse's back and fell heavily to the ground.

Wei Shi and Yang hurried over to help her up, only to see that she had already fainted, and there was a pool of blood under her body.

Because of Xing's miscarriage, Zong Xiancai agreed to let her ride a bullock cart with Wei Shi after the medical officer gave her some treatment.After a few hours, Mrs. Xing woke up, stared up at the car shed for a long time with a pair of dim eyes, and then seemed to wake up suddenly, caressing her abdomen anxiously with one hand, and grasping Wei's arm with the other, and asked in a trembling voice: "My child?" Woolen cloth?"

Wei Shi was greatly mourned, thinking of the boy she gave birth to, he didn't know how to answer, he could only let the tears drip down one after another.

Xing suddenly burst into tears, stood up and hugged Wei Shi tightly, crying: "Mother, mother, my child is gone! Ninth Brother's child is gone..."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law hugged each other and wept, the ox cart hoarsely traveled northward, crushing the ground with mournful sounds.

Xing's suffering did not end there.After her health improved, Zong Xian took her by force.The Xing family was so distraught that she threw herself into the river, but was rescued by Jin Bing. Zong Xian threatened to kill all her family members who were related to her if she committed suicide again. Wash my face with tears.

The next two months passed relatively peacefully as far as Webster was concerned.She has reached middle age, and her appearance was not outstanding among Zhao Ji's concubines, but now she looks old compared to the young concubines around her. He never looked her in the eye.

In June, the weather was hot, Jin You Deputy Marshal Zong Wang bathed in cold water on his way back to Beijing, he felt unwell that night, and he did not feel better after lying down for several days.After the gold master Wanyan Sheng heard the news, he personally ordered the palace Chinese medicine officer to come to treat him on a fast horse. Unexpectedly, his condition not only did not decrease, but also became more serious, and he died within a few days.

After Zong Wang's death, Zong Xian was depressed. One day, he was caught in the rain during the march and fell ill with a cold, but he insisted on refusing to let the medical officer from Beijing to treat his illness, and his illness became more and more serious.

His subordinate Shu Chi saw that this was not the way to go, so he suggested: "I heard that many Song people have some medical skills. Presumably our Song people here can treat minor diseases such as wind and cold. The king refused to let the big Why don’t the people of Song try to diagnose and treat the doctor? I’ll warn them first, if anything goes wrong, I’ll kill them all, forgive them if they don’t dare to do anything.”

Zongxian agreed, so Shuchi called all the Song girls and asked if there was anyone with good medical skills.There are also Song girls who can treat diseases, but they don't want to treat Jin people, so they all lower their heads and look down, and don't answer.

Shu Chi couldn't find anyone, so he pulled Wei Shi who was standing nearby in a rage, and asked, "Can you?"

Wei Shi stared blankly, shaking his head again and again: "My family won't..."

Shu Chi sneered: "It's so useless, there's no need to live!" He drew out the knife and put it on Wei Shi's neck, trying to kill him.

Maid Yang hurriedly stood up and said: "Wait a minute, general! If it's just a cold and minor illness, Mrs. Wei will cure it, but just now she is afraid that she will not be cured immediately and will make the general angry, so she dare not say yes. If the general is willing Given two more days, Mrs. Wei should be able to cure the king's illness."

Shu Chi squinted at Wei Shi: "Really?"

Yang Shi secretly winked, Wei Shi understood, and had no choice but to agree first, nodding with tears, then Shu Chi let her go and escorted her to prepare medicine.

Webster didn't know what kind of medicine to use. He was stunned for a long time, and suddenly remembered that ginger soup has the effect of dispelling cold and warming the stomach. It must be able to cure wind and cold. Chi Zhiming drank a bowl first, and then gave Zong Xian a bowl.

Zongxian sweated after drinking and felt better. Shu Chi was overjoyed and ordered Wei Shi to stay by Zongxian's side to serve him these few days.Wei Shi was deeply afraid of Jinren, so he dared not take care of Zongxian with all his heart. In addition to making ginger soup for him every day, he also served him in front of Zongxian's bed day and night, bringing him tea and water, washing his face and covering him, and doing everything with great care. Meticulous, lest he would be upset and punish her.

One night, it started to rain again, and Webster sat guarding him in Zongxian's camp.Zong Xian, who was asleep with his eyes closed, suddenly woke up, opened his eyes and looked at her for a long time and asked, "What kind of wife are you Zhao Ji?"

Wei Shi stood up in panic, pondered his question for a while, guessed that what he asked should be her rank name, then lowered his eyes and answered softly: "My family is the emperor's virtuous concubine...Wei Xianfei."

He nodded and still stared at her. Before he spoke again, she also remained silent and did not dare to make a sound.After a while, Zong Xian ordered: "Sing a tune for me."

Wei Shi was quite surprised, and it was hard to refuse, so he had to ask: "What does Your Majesty want to hear?"

Zong Xiandao: "I don't understand your Han songs, you can sing whatever you want."

Webster thought for a while, sat down gently, and began to sing a cappella: "The curtains are moving slightly, the weather is cold, and the Longchi is iced. The apricot blossoms are still fragrant when they smile. It's still, spring is halfway. The clear songs and dances start from the beginning. Press. Wait for the banquet to start. I remember last year, facing the east wind, I promised to live up to Yinghua's wish..."

Singing and singing, unconsciously showing a slight smile, and also a little joy floating on the brows.

It turns out that this is a poem "Tanchun Ling" written by Zhao Ji in the past, which describes the scene of enjoying spring and drinking banquets in the palace.Webster then recalled the singing and dancing during the Xuanzheng period, and the prosperity of Xiang Luoqi.I still remember when we met for the first time, the curtain outside the building moved slightly. The man was dressed in gorgeous clothes and had a dazzling appearance. He stood proudly by the water of Longchi. Seeing her heart warmed, he completely forgot about the cold weather...

Thinking with a smile all the way, until the end of the song, his eyes are still gentle.After a long time of distraction, Zongxian suddenly realized where he was when he heard Zongxian turn his side.Turning around, seeing Zong Xian still staring at him intently, looking thoughtful, he immediately felt very uneasy, only hoping to escape his gaze as soon as possible, so he knelt down towards him and said in a low voice: "Since the king is well, please The Rongnu family will leave."

Zong Xian refused, and said concisely: "You, stay."

The meaning of "stay" is clear.The thing that has been worrying for a long time finally came, and Wei Shi couldn't find a good way to get out of his distress, so he had to pretend to be confused, hoping that he would be merciful and let her go back: "The king has eaten and taken medicine tonight, you should rest early, my family. Don't dare to bother me any more, please let the slave family go back first, and you must come early tomorrow morning."

Zong Xian said, "You really want to go back? Now?"

Webster bowed his head and said yes.Zong Xian seemed neither annoyed nor angry, but said: "Listen."

Wei Shi didn't understand what Zong Xian asked her to listen to at first, but when neither of them spoke again, the outside voice gradually became clearer.

I didn't pay attention when I was singing just now, the rain was getting heavier and heavier, mixed with the sound of lightning and thunder, and... faintly, the wild laughter of Jin Bing and the crying of women.

Webster stood up in horror, ran to the door and lifted the curtain to look out. At this moment, a flash of lightning swept away all the color on her face. Under the bright light, the prelude to another heinous atrocity was reflected in her panic. eyes of fear.

During the march, posthouses and tents were limited, and they were all used by the generals and soldiers of the Jin army. Song girls usually could only find a corner to sleep in the open air.Because of the rain that night, the girls of Song Dynasty were drenched uncomfortably, so some of them ran to the Jin barracks, wanting to stand under the eaves for a while.This scene made the Jin soldiers in the camp aroused, they came out one after another, grabbed those Song girls and dragged them inside.

The women shivering in the rain realized that the rain was not the biggest tragedy of the night. They screamed, struggled, or ran aimlessly in the pouring rain, but in the end they couldn't escape the rough hands.They entered Jinren's camp one after another, and soon after, a more mournful cry came from inside.

Webster covered his mouth tightly with his right hand, closed his eyes and retreated involuntarily.The door curtain was lowered again, cutting off the outside scene, which made her feel a little more peaceful.

"Do you want to go back?" Zong Xian asked again.

Wei Shi didn't answer him, but just crouched and squatted in a corner of Zong Xian's room. When Zong Xian got out of bed and pulled her, she didn't make any resistance.

After arriving in Jinshangjing, the lord of gold gave them a bath and ordered them to go to the court in the best attire of the Kingdom of Jin. Then the lord of gold selected several eminent concubines from among them and brought them into the harem.Webster was not included in this list, and Xing was selected first, but he suffered a great loss due to torture, and was withdrawn shortly afterwards. Therefore, the two of them and the rest of the palace who were not selected were sent to the Jin Dynasty for Song girls. Laundry service.

At first, there were more than 1000 women from the royal family and noble relatives who were captured by Jin from Bianjing and went north. After arriving in Yanshan, only more than 400 people survived, and nearly half of them died.After the rest arrived in Beijing, they were selected by the royal family first, and then part of the reward was given to the generals of the Jin army. More than [-] people were given to the Jin people, [-] people entered the Marshal's Mansion Women's Music Hall, and the remaining [-] people were given to the generals of the Jin army. To the laundry.

The final touch of Song Prisoner's death on Webster came from Empress Zhu.As soon as she arrived in Shangjing, Jin people forced her to show her upper body and wear sheep fur.Unable to bear the humiliation, Empress Zhu hanged herself after returning to the house. Although she was rescued, she soon threw herself into the water again.Wei Shi wept uncontrollably when he heard the news, and said to Yang Shi, "She is the queen, if she is like this, I will not be able to live in the future!"

Although Yang Shi was also quite alarmed, she still tried her best to comfort her: "Young lady has a great fortune, as long as you know how to cherish yourself, you will be able to wait until the day when the Nine Kings come to rescue you."

The laundry they lived in was called the Land of Washing Clothes, which was actually similar to a brothel. Song girls not only had to wash clothes for the Jin people, but also endured their insults.In the end, Webster didn't feel the body of Song Nv was carried out of the courtyard, he just lowered his head indifferently and vigorously washed the clothes in the basin.

He still tried his best to dress himself up as rough and ugly to avoid the gaze of the golden man.But one day, a golden man pulled her out from a group of washerwomen.She looked up and saw Zong Xian's familiar bearded face.

"Come home with me." He said in his usual short command tone.

"Me?" Webster was a little surprised.It is because high-ranking officials and dignitaries from the Kingdom of Jin often come to the laundry yard to choose women to be concubines, but they all choose young and beautiful ones.

"It's you." Zong Xian confirmed, seeing that she stopped talking in a daze, frowned, and asked, "Do you want to stay here?"

Wei Shi looked down at his hands that were red, swollen and peeled from washing, hesitated, and finally shook his head.

Zong Xian urged: "Let's go."

With a sigh, Webster said, "I'm not young anymore..."

"Well," Zong Xian said, "I know."

Webster thought about it, and said, "I'm also ugly."

"I'm pleasing to the eye." Zong Xian responded, and then pulled her out with strides, "Hurry up, why are you so nonsense!"

When Zong Xian took Wei Shi away, he also took away her maid Yang Shi at her request.Two days later, he went to the laundry yard to bring Mrs. Xing back to the mansion.This may be due to thinking about the "old relationship" with Xing on the way north, or it may be because she wants to find more people familiar with Webster to accompany her, but this makes the former mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have to face the dilemma of working together as a husband in the future.They were all extremely embarrassed, and because of this, at Webster's request, Xing stopped referring to Webster as his mother, and changed his name to "Madame".

But Zong Xian treated Webster very well, treating him almost like a real wife.In addition to Wei's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, he also got another concubine, an emperor concubine, and several concubines and relatives. They were all very young women, but none of them received as much favor as Wei's.

8. Pull the sleeves
In the next few years, Zong Xian often went back and forth between Yunzhong and Yanjing, the Privy Councils, and sometimes went to Dading Mansion in Zhongjing, and often took Webster with him.

Because Webster believed in Buddhism, Zongxian allowed her to go to the temple to offer incense.She got acquainted with a monk named Daojing in a temple in Yanjing. He was from Chenliu, Tokyo. up north.Webster often went to listen to him explaining the scriptures. One day, Daojing mentioned that he went to the city to preach a few days ago, and happened to see Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan, father and son who were imprisoned in Yanjing. It was already very cold, but they were still wearing thin clothes and looked dim. Dilapidated, both of them described it as haggard.

After hearing this, Wei Shi imagined Zhao Ji's tragic situation and felt sad, so he pulled out the golden hairpin on his head and handed it to Daojing, saying, "Master, please exchange this hairpin for some silver coins and buy some clothes for them."

Before Daojing agreed, he heard someone behind him sneer, Wei Shi turned his head and saw that it was Zong Xian, he was immediately ashamed and afraid, and bowed his head deeply, waiting for him to scold him.

Zong Xian came to examine her for a moment, then snatched back the hairpin and thrust it back on her head fiercely, took out a piece of silver and threw it to Dao Jing, shouting: "Take it, do as Madam ordered!"

Webster was astonished and looked at him in disbelief.But I heard him say: "You still remember that your bastard emperor is not a bad thing. If you follow me and forget him, it would be too heartless. But if you want to help him in the future, you must let me know. Keep it from me."

Because of his magnanimity this time, Webster was very grateful. How could he dare to help Zhao Ji and his son in the future, but Zong Xian had this heart, and sometimes he would give them some property, or ask the soldiers and generals who guarded them to be better than him. Tortured them, came back and told Webster to make her feel at ease, but Webster was seldom happy when he heard about it, but often sighed behind Zong Xian's back.

In August of the sixth year of Tianhui, the gold master Wan Yansheng ordered Zhao You and Zhao Huan to go to Huining Mansion in Shangjing, where he knelt down to worship the Jin Taizu Temple in plain clothes and had an audience with the gold master.At that time, Zong Xian was also in Beijing, and then he even invited Zhao You and Zhao Huan to a banquet in the mansion, and invited the eighth prince Zong Jun who was acquainted with him, and Zhao You's daughter Roufu Emperor Ji to attend.

Webster didn't know why Zongxian ordered her to come out to meet everyone, and after hiding behind a screen, she postponed again and again, and was finally pulled out by Zongxian to face Zhao Ji, she felt shameless, as if she was naked in the world under the watchful eyes of many people ashamed.

During the banquet, she didn't dare to look at him, and she didn't dare to speak, she only hoped that this lingering banquet would end soon.Ke Zongxian seemed to be interested in watching a play, so he ordered her to sing for Zhao Ji again.Where could she sing, if she sang for her ex-husband in front of her later husband, Mo Ruo died immediately.

Then she heard Zhao Ji say, "In the past, Mrs. Wei sang to me, let me sing for her today, and thank her for her years of love to me."

So, "The idle courtyard is desolate, several spring twilights... the sky is far away, the land is far away, thousands of rivers and mountains, I know where his Forbidden City is"... the song "Yanshan Pavilion" made all the Song people feel sad, and she was even more heartbroken and burst into tears. Lian Lian.

Unexpectedly, Zong Xian said something like this afterwards: "If you still miss him, go back with him today."

She couldn't believe it was his intention.If he intends to tempt, and if she agrees, even a little bit of happiness will be enough to bring disaster to her and Zhao Ji.What's more, even if he really wants to let her go, can she really go back and continue living with Zhao Ji?
I have no favor in the first place, but now I am out of morals, now I only see one side and feel ashamed, if I face each other day in and day out, how will I deal with myself?I also heard that there are still several concubines around him, and this spring, Shao Cairen, Yan Wanrong and Di Cairen gave birth to new children for him...

She suddenly smiled bitterly in her heart.In the end, she heard herself answering like this: "The matter has come to this, how can we turn back? The slave family is willing to continue to follow the king, and will never leave him for the rest of his life."

Amid Zong Xian's relieved laughter, she resigned, but unexpectedly, she was called out by Rou Fu.

That lively, brave, and brightly scorching softness.

"Empress Empress." Rou Fu actually called her that, so strange that she hardly realized that Rou Fu was calling her by that name.

Rou Fu reminded her that she has been respected by Brother Nine as Queen Xuanhe, Queen Taishang, and she is the mother of the country.

Rou Fu asked her why she didn't agree if King Gaitian was willing to let her return to Zhao Ji.

Rou Fu warned her that as the mother of the country, she should put her family and country first in her actions. She should not be greedy for a moment of wealth and damage her reputation, affect the reputation of Nine Brothers, and make the King of Song a laughing stock of the golden man.

Rou Fu's words were fierce, and Rou Fu's eyes were aggressive. She came to hold Wei Shi's hand, eager to persuade Wei Shi to go back with her father.

As if being scalded, Webster quickly withdrew his hands and ran behind the screen.She just wanted to escape, escape from Roufu's persecution, and what Roufu wanted her to understand about the responsibility of home and country.

But Rou Fu's stubborn words with whimpers lingered in his heart behind him, and he couldn't get rid of it: "She is Brother Nine's mother, how could Brother Nine's mother take the initiative to commit herself to the enemy!"

Webster cried all night.Yang Shi accompanied her and sighed again and again: "This Rou Fu Diji is really ignorant, she doesn't understand the lady's difficulties at all, but she talks nonsense!"

She was still crying and speechless.In fact, Rou Fu's words could hurt her precisely because she knew very well that Rou Fu was not talking nonsense.

Unfortunately, she later met Rou Fu at the residence of Concubine Zhao, when she was pregnant with Zong Xian's first child.

The jade box often calls the women from the Song family who belonged to the palaces of the princes to chat in the palace, and takes care of them a lot on weekdays.Seeing that Wei Shi was pregnant, she was not surprised, she just asked her to take care of herself.

Unexpectedly, Rou Fu also came to see Yu Hen that day, and seeing Wei Shi's swollen belly, he immediately opened his eyes wide.

Webster was ashamed.She was nearly forty years old at that time, and she was actually pregnant, and the father of the child was a golden man.Seeing Rou Fu's reaction, she was very scared, wondering what she would say to hurt her heart.

"Mother Wei," Roufu began to ask, "are you going to give birth to this child?"

How should she answer this?Could she give Rou Fu a satisfactory and negative answer?

Webster looked away from Rou Fu, looked at the flowers and trees in the distance, tried to pretend to be indifferent, and said, "Of course."

"No!" Rou Fu said immediately, as fiercely as Webster expected, "This child has the blood of a golden man, and he must not be born!"

Wei Shi smiled sympathetically: "Isn't it rare for the women of the Song Dynasty to give birth to children with the blood of the Jin people?" Turning to look at the jade box that was also pregnant, he said, "It's not up to us to decide whether to have children or not. I am like this, Mrs. Zhao is also like this, Yuan Yuan you will be like this in the future."

Rou Fu shook his head, his eyes were red and filled with tears: "But Mother Wei, the child you gave birth to is Brother Nine's younger brother. How can you let the world know that the current emperor of the Song Dynasty has a blood of a Jin man?" brother?"

Sure enough, another word stabbed her in pain.Wei Shi deeply regretted entering the palace today, and once again faced the embarrassment brought to her by this outspoken daughter in name.

There was a speechless silence, and after a while, she said in a low voice: "Yuan Yuan, you think too much."

Rou Fu smiled wryly, and looked directly at her with eyes full of tears: "Yuan Yuan doesn't want to, Jin people will think, Song people will think, how do you let Brother Nine, who is responsible for the great Song Zhongxing, deal with himself?"

Wei Shi couldn't sit still, and didn't answer her, got up to bid farewell to the jade box, wanting to escape like last time.

But Rou Fu grabbed her sleeve, frowned and said: "Mother Wei, Yuan Yuan begs you, this child cannot be born! His existence will be the shame of Nine Brothers for life. You continue to stay in Gaitian Palace I don't blame you anymore, but can you, don't give birth to King Gai Tian's child, and add another reason for the Jin people to laugh at him and Da Song?"

Wei Shi didn't say a word, just wanted to pull out the sleeve from her hand, but Rou Fu held it tightly, and didn't let go until she agreed.The two were at a stalemate, and Wei Shi was quite anxious, and his face became more and more red.

In the end, Yu He gave a cold reprimand: "Yuan Yuan let go, what a shame it is!"

Rou Fu was startled, and then let go, but still biting his lip, staring at Wei Shi, looking forward to it.

"Don't yell at Mrs. Wei so unruly." Yu He scolded Rou Fu, "You are not too young, but you are still so ignorant. Daughter of the subjugated country, don't always remember that you are still a nobleman, You can dictate to others. Mrs. Wei has her own sufferings. You have never been married before, so you don't understand. Although her child has an embarrassing status, she has to have it now. Your nonsense like this is just doing nothing to others and yourself increase troubles."

After hearing this, Rou Fu's tears dripped down, his chest heaved, he was obviously sad and angry, and finally he didn't say goodbye, he turned around and ran out.

9. Return to Dream
Afraid of seeing Roufu's fear, the haze gradually accumulated in her heart.In the future, when someone from the jade box comes to invite Wei Shi into the palace, she will first ask Rou Fu if she is there and if she will go, if she gets an affirmative answer, she will definitely decline with excuses.One time, when the maid from the jade box came to invite me again, Webster asked this question as usual. The maid who came back this time was an outspoken woman from the Kingdom of Jin, and she laughed as soon as she heard it: "Eh? Madam Wei also asked the same question! Every time I go to If the Eighth Prince's Mansion invites his little wife, she must first ask Mrs. Wei if she will go..."

Obviously, Roufu didn't want to see her either.

She knew Roufu despised her.Rou Fu set up a dignified and dignified image of the mother of the country in her heart, but she didn't understand that she was exhausted and unable to act.Wei Shi persuaded himself to deal with it calmly, but for some reason, he still couldn't let go of Rou Fu's contempt. This time, the maid's few words made her depressed for several days.

In the eighth year of Jin Tianhui, Concubine Zhao's jade box used talisman water ice and snow to reborn human brains to serve as the gold master. When the Dongchuang incident happened, the jade box could not escape death, and Wanyan Sheng's anger was immediately vented on a group of innocent Song Dynasty women. .All Song girls who had a close relationship with the jade box were arrested and executed, and a new round of bloody storm broke out in Beijing again.

When Mrs. Yang saw the scene of panic and arrests all over the city as in the Jingkang Incident, she made some inquiries and hurried back to the mansion to tell Webster about it.

"Ah, she's so bold..." Wei Shi first marveled at the courage of the jade box, and lamented the revenge plan she had hidden for many years but failed. Then, when he thought about the search and arrest Yang mentioned, his expression changed drastically, and he asked Yang in a trembling voice. Shi: "Xiang Nu, will they come and arrest me?"

Before Yang could answer, there was already a commotion outside the door.A group of soldiers broke in and detained Webster in the palace without any explanation.

Some palace people reported that Webster had talked secretly with the jade box in the hall, and wept while talking.After seeing Wei Shi, Wanyan Sheng only glanced at her, and didn't listen to her excuse at all, so he ordered someone to drag her into the courtyard and beat her to death with a club.

Her hands were bound and she knelt on the ground, unable to cry.With her eyes closed, she waited desperately for the last blow that would hit her on the back of the head and lead her to Huangquan Road.

Fortunately, before the stick fell, she heard a familiar voice: "Who dares to kill her?"

Zong Xian.He hurried back from outside the city, strode straight towards Wei Shi, pushed away the soldiers who were about to kill her, cut the rope binding her hands with one knife, pulled her up, and walked quickly to the hall where Wanyan Sheng was.

Seeing Wanyan Sheng, Zong Xian didn't kneel down, but pointed at Wei Shi, and asked directly: "Why did the Lord want to kill her?"

Wanyan Sheng said lightly: "Concubine Zhao conspired against her, implicated Wei Shi, and died."

Zong Xian argued vigorously: "The person who conspired against me was the imperial concubine Zhao, and my wife Wei is not a member of her family. Why should I suffer the crime of sitting together?"

Wanyan Sheng said: "Wei Shi and Concubine Zhao have always been in contact, and they had a secret conversation in the palace, which shows that the two are in the same party."

Zong Xian sneered: "Wei Shi entered the palace when Concubine Zhao was in favor. At that time, Wei Shi was not the only one who whispered to her, nor was Song girl alone. How many of the rich concubines in the lord's harem never Have you ever had a conversation with Concubine Zhao alone? Why did they never pursue the matter, but blamed Webster? What's more, Webster's temperament is weak, he is cautious in his words and deeds on weekdays, and never dared to make a small mistake, let alone conspire against the rules of heaven! Concubine Zhao I have already died, but the master still wants to commit crimes against people outside the clan, and the minister dare not hear the order, please ask the master to take back the order."

Seeing Zong Xian's angry face, Wanyan Sheng was worried that if he insisted on executing Wei Shi, it might be wrong to push him.Looking at that Wei Shi only knew how to cower behind Zong Xian and wiped his head and tears, he didn't seem like someone who had the guts to participate in the Jade Box Project, so he gave Zong Xian this face and waved him to take her back.

Back in the mansion, Yang Shi and Xing Shi rushed forward to greet her, and wept with joy and tears when they saw that she was safe.Wei Shi also sighed to them with tears: "It's lucky that I married King Gai Tian, ​​who dared to compete with Lord Lang. If I married another nobleman, I would never have the life to see you again today!"

It was also in this year that Wei Shi heard the news of Rou Fu fleeing south from Zong Xian.

Secretly let out a long sigh of relief in the bottom of my heart, the first thing I felt was a sense of relief.

She is gone, and I will never see her and her angry and contemptuous eyes again, and never hear her harsh words again, how good it is.

Then, what came to my heart layer by layer was a new fear: she went back, and she would definitely go to find her brother Jiu.What would she say when she saw him?What would she say to other Song people?
Therefore, when Mrs. Yang later told her that she saw a woman who looked like Roufu in the city, Webster had mixed feelings of joy and sorrow. He didn't know whether to cry or laugh, and asked repeatedly: "Is that Roufu? Is it really Roufu? She hasn't escaped yet. ?”

Mrs. Yang shook her head: "I asked her, she is not Roufu Diji. She is also from Bianjing, she became a nun in Qianming Temple since she was a child, and her dharma name is Jingshan. Brought to the Kingdom of Jin. After Emperor Roufu Ji Nan returned, the Eighth Prince found her from nowhere. Seeing that she looked similar to Roufu, he took her in the mansion, and soon gave her to the eldest prince Zongpan. But only After a few days, the first prince got tired of her, so his eldest wife drove Jing Shan out. Now Jing Shan is living on the street, dressed in rags, haggard and sick, everyone bullies her when she sees her, it's very pitiful."

"So..." Wei Shi pondered, and then told Yang Shi, "You go to her again, give her some money, and let her go to the Five Kingdoms City. There are many Song people there, and life must be easier."

Yang said with a smile: "I'm still kind-hearted, this girl just looks like Diji, so you are willing to help her."

Wei Shi's expression was gloomy: "You have been with me for many years, and I will not hide it from you. I let her go to the Five Kingdoms City. Of course, I wanted to help her a little bit, but there was another reason... I don't want to be in this city in the future." meet her."

Yang asked softly: "It's because she looks like Roufu Diji, so..."

Wei Shi nodded and sighed: "I really don't want to see her, even if someone who is similar to her, I don't want to see her."

Yang also sighed: "Yes, a person like her is sharp, rude and ignorant. Every time she annoys the lady, it's better not to see her."

"Fortunately, she is no longer in the Kingdom of Jin." Wei Shi suddenly smiled, pretending to be relaxed, "I will never see her again."

Yang was silent for a moment when she heard the words, then carefully watched her face, and asked in a low voice: "Isn't my lady going back to Song Dynasty?"

This is obviously a difficult question to answer.Wei Shi hesitated for a long time, then bent down and picked up the three-year-old child who staggered to his lap, with blank eyes and a desolate smile: "Can I go back?"

Four years later, Webster gave birth to Zongxian's second son.Later, Zhao Ji died in Wuguocheng.Webster cried secretly, feeling that the world is impermanent, and from this point of view, the return to the country is even more distant, and he himself is like Zhao Ji, who can only wait to die of old age in the Northern Kingdom.But just when she was about to be content with the status quo and extinguish her desire to return to the south, hope suddenly flashed again.

In the second year of Tianjuan of Jin Dynasty and the ninth year of Shaoxing in Song Dynasty, Zhao Gou accepted the peace negotiation conditions drawn up by Jin Guozhao and Zongpan, Zongjun and others, and issued an edict announcing: "Dajin has sent envoys to make peace and return the old land." He ordered people to go north to welcome Fengzi Palace and the Empress Dowager.

Zong Xian didn't tell her the news until June, when Xing found out from other family members, and immediately rushed to tell her happily: "Ma'am, Brother Ninth is going to send someone to pick us up!"

Webster hurriedly asked the details, and was also overjoyed. The two talked and laughed, and finally hugged each other and cried bitterly.

The next day, Mrs. Xing was still in a good mood, so she came over to chat with Mrs. Webster, and called her "Mother" instead.But Wei Shi was slightly startled when he heard this, but he looked worried and in a trance.

Xing also gradually felt that her mother-in-law was depressed, so she asked why.Wei Shi didn't say anything at first, but after Xing Shi repeatedly questioned, he sighed: "Rou Fu has been back for many years, do you think she will tell Brother Nine about us?"

Xing Shi was also completely stunned at the moment, her eyelashes drooping and she was speechless.

Wei Shi smiled wryly, and said again: "Guess, will she say, how did we lose our morals? How did we work together in the Kingdom of Jin?"

Xing's head drooped lower and lower, and finally she fell on the table and began to sob uncontrollably.

Wei Shi sat dumbly for a long time, then turned to look at Xing Shi, sighed, patted her on the shoulder lightly, and comforted her: "It's okay, it's okay. Don't worry too much. Mother is here, no one dares to bully you. Mother He will tell Brother Nine that you are a good, filial and chaste boy, and ask him not to listen to other people's nonsense... We don't need to pay attention to outsiders' comments... You will be the queen when you go back. If other concubines in the palace have a little gossip, You just come and tell Mother, Mother will let Ninth Brother punish them..."

Her words were tactful, her tone was gentle, and her demeanor was extremely loving and kind, but Mrs. Xing didn't seem to feel any comfort, but she became more and more sad, just like crying in despair when she lost her unborn son Zhao Gou.

That night Webster stayed up all night, sitting alone in the room blankly.At dawn, she woke Yang Shi up: "Xiang Nu, go and see Mrs. Xing."

After a while, when Mrs. Yang came back, she didn't show much surprise, she still reported softly as usual: "Mrs. Xing committed suicide by hanging herself."

Wei Shi nodded, lowered his eyelids, and the tears that had accumulated all night flowed out immediately.

10. Dust smoke
Sure enough, Lu Yao's dream of returning home was hard to come true, and he had been eagerly waiting for the Song envoy to come to welcome him. He waited anxiously for many days, but the peace talks changed again.

In July of the second year of Jin Tianjuan, the gold lord Wanyan Quan executed Zongpan and Zongjun, and Zongxian was also involved.

Zong Xian and Zong Jun had a very good personal relationship, and they had a very close relationship. On the day Zong Jun was executed, Zong Xian was invited to be a guest at Zong Jun's mansion. Ming Gong invited Zong Jun into the palace and said that he had something to discuss.Zong Juan got up then, smiled at Zong Xian: "It's okay, you continue to drink, I'll come back when I go."

Zong Xian also stayed behind, drinking, watching music, performances and singing, waiting for Zong Jun to come back.Unexpectedly, what was waiting in the end was not Zong Jun, but a group of forbidden soldiers who searched and ransacked the house.

Zong Xian was stunned, he had already been arrested and imprisoned and stripped of his rank before he understood the reason.Fortunately, he did not participate in the peace negotiation between Zong Jun and others and Song Dynasty, and Wan Yanquan did not find any evidence that he and Zong Jun colluded or knew about it. Yan Quan finally released him and restored him to office.

After this catastrophe, Wei Shi was terribly frightened, and when Zongxian came back, he greeted Zongxian with tears, weeping all the way, but Zongxian was very happy, and said: "So you will still be sad to see me dying."

Wei Shi was sobbing, and still wiped away his tears from time to time at night, Yang Shi saw good words of comfort, and Wei Shi whispered: "My life is unlucky, if I hadn't met King Gai Tian, ​​I would have died so many times. If If he has three ups and two downs again, it is unimaginable how miserable we will be reduced to."

Yang said with a smile: "Since that's the case, the king has returned safely, why are you crying?"

"Alas..." Webster sighed deeply, and showed mournful expression again, "It is naturally good that the King returns safely. But with the death of those few powerful ministers of the Kingdom of Jin, our return to the country will be indefinitely... "

Hearing what she said, Yang also felt that the future was bleak, but he could only hide his worry, and comforted her with a smile as usual: "Don't worry, my lady, the Ninth King... the officials are so filial, they will definitely try to negotiate a peace again, presumably there is no need to do it again." After a while, someone will be sent to pick up the Empress Dowager."

From then on, Yang changed his name to "Guanjia" when referring to Zhao Gou in front of Webster, and changed his address to Webster from "Niangzi" to "Niangniang".

After more than a year, life is still as indifferent as before.It's just that after Xing's death, Webster has the habit of chanting scriptures every day and eating fast for her regularly.In the fourth month of Tianjuan's third year, for unknown reasons, Webster often dreamed of the Xing family and felt uneasy, so he asked Zong Xian to allow her to go to the temple to perform a ritual ceremony for the Xing family.

At that time they lived in Dadingfu.Daojing, a monk from Yanjing in the past, was also recommended by Zong Xian to come to Anyang Temple in Dading Prefecture to be the abbot monk, and Webster chose Anyang Temple to do his work.

Because the youngest son was crying and fussing endlessly, he must follow, so Webster led him along.After doing rituals for a while, when I went to the backyard to have a vegetarian meal at noon, I suddenly heard a soft call from the side of the road: "Miss Wei?"

Wei Shi turned his head and saw that the voice came from an ear room. The door of that room was locked, and a golden soldier was sitting on the ground with a long gun to guard it.The windows were nailed with thick bars, apparently a prison cell.A disheveled face was exposed through the gaps in the wooden slats in the window. Webster took a closer look and recognized Zhao Huan.

Zhao Huan was very happy to see her coming, and called again: "Miss Wei!"

Seeing Zhao Huan's situation, Wei Shi also felt sorry for him, and was thinking whether to go over to say hello, but the youngest son beside him called "Mother" crisply, then pointed to Zhao Huan and asked, "Who is that person?"

Webster was stunned for a moment and lowered his eyes in silence.There was a wind blowing, and the ribbon at the waist fluttered backwards. She saw the hem of the golden six-pleat skirt she was wearing swayed slightly, and the fluffy silk skirt was touched by the wind, rippling like water.She held a scroll of scriptures in her left hand, and a jade bracelet was worn on the wrist under the narrow sleeve of her right arm, feeling cold, while her son's warm little hand was held in her hand.

The son looked up at her with innocent and clean eyes, and asked, "Mother, who is that person?"

Without raising her eyes, she could already sense that Zhao Huan's surprised gaze was repeatedly moving over her and the youngest son.

"I don't know. Mother doesn't know him." She replied in a low voice, and before the unstoppable blush appeared on her cheeks, she hurriedly led her son out of Zhao Huan's field of vision.

Mrs. Yang was right, even though the peace talks failed last time, Zhao Gou has been trying to get along with Jin in the past two years.In the first year of Jin Huangtong, in November of the 11th year of Song Shaoxing, the Song and Jin Shaoxing peace agreements were signed, and Jin promised to return Emperor Huizong's Empress Zi Palace and Empress Dowager Webster.

Returning Webster was strongly opposed by Zong Xian. He Zhu, the envoy of the Song Dynasty, begged repeatedly, and Zong Bi also urged him from the sidelines. He knew that he was so strong that even the gold master Wanyan Quan spoke, but Zong Xian never agreed. .

Wei Shi also knew about this, but he didn't dare to show any anxiety. He served Zong Xian as usual when he saw Zong Xian, and didn't mention anything about returning to the south.But one day, Zong Xian took the initiative to mention it to her and asked her if he would like to go back. Wei Shi kept his head down and remained silent. Zong Xian became angry and slapped the table and pointed at the two children playing beside them. He shouted: "You just think that Zhao Gou is your son, and you want to go back to see him, but are they not your sons? When you go back to the Southern Dynasty in the future, will you miss them the same way you miss your son Zhao Gou?"

Webster's two tears fell, and he whimpered: "Your Majesty, don't say that, they are close relatives to me, and I love them a lot." Then he wiped away the tears and forced a happy face, "I didn't He said he must go back. Your Majesty treats me well, and the two children are very filial and well-behaved, so it is good for me to stay."

In the next few days, neither of them mentioned the matter again.One night, Webster was embroidering under the lamp. The two children each held a broom as a knife and gun, and ran in and out of the ground to play. Zong Xian lay alone on the bed and fell asleep.Later, the youngest son was beaten by the eldest son. He thought it was very painful, so he burst into tears.Wei Shi scolded the eldest son a few times, and ordered Yang Shi to take him to sleep, then he sat on the lap with the youngest son in his arms, comforted him with kind words, and the child gradually calmed down.

Webster showed his son the patterns she embroidered, and he also looked at the turpentine lamp on the table with great interest.Suddenly the lights bloomed, and a plume of black smoke floated up. The child smelled the smoke and couldn't help but sneezed.

Webster hastily took out a towel and wiped his nose for him, then hugged him, held up a stag and flicked the smoke from the lamp, seeing that the lamp post was about to go out, he couldn't help but sighed softly, and said to his son: "In mother's life Home, we don’t light oil lamps, but candles. It’s filled with ambergris and dandruff, not only smoke-free, but also very fragrant. Every night, hundreds of them are lit in each room, which is as bright as daytime... "

His eyes fell on the tail of the stag in his hand, and he continued: "The handle of the tail of the stag is made of jade, and the jade color is better than the ring pendant here."

Then he looked at the broom his son put on the table, and said: "The broom we have here is made of peacock tails, colorful and very beautiful."

As he spoke, he showed a faint smile.

The child in her arms listened, and suddenly asked her: "Mother, where is your home?"

"In the south..." Webster replied softly, hugged him, looked at the flames on the lamp with a smile, and looked like a spring breeze, as if he could touch the prosperity of the past through it. "The flowers there are very fragrant, and the people there are very beautiful. , life is very easy... Sweeping the floor, burning incense and closing the pavilion to sleep, the pattern of the mat is like water, and the tent is like smoke..."

Before the words fell, Zong Xian on the bed suddenly sighed.He got up and sat up, put his hands on his knees, stared at Webster with piercing eyes, and said, "That's all, that's all, you go back!"

11. Jing Shan
With Zongxian's approval, everyone from Song and Jin envoys to Wei's servants got busy preparing for Wei's return to Song.Yang presided over the miscellaneous affairs in the mansion, directed the servants to pack their bags and buy travel equipment, and he was in a good mood, beaming with joy all day long.Seeing that the return date was approaching, Webster didn't seem to be very happy, and always looked worried and preoccupied.

Mrs. Yang understood why she was worried, so one day she pretended to be chatting, and said to her privately: "Madam, the day before yesterday I met a palace official who recently came from the City of Five Kingdoms and told me about Jingshan... Madam, do you still remember?" Is that the nun who looks exactly like Roufu Diji?"

Webster nodded and said, "I remember. How is she doing now?"

Yang said: "She had to go to Wuguo City with the help of her mother. It was a change of luck. She met a Han official named Xu Huan, and he had to be married by a bright matchmaker. It's a pity that after all, the beauty is unlucky. Jingshan last year He suddenly became seriously ill, and even after extended medical treatment, his condition continued unabated, and he passed away after a few months."

Webster sighed absently: "You are young, what a pity."

Yang raised her eyes to look at Wei Shi, and said in a low voice, "After this Jingshan went to Wuguo City, an interesting thing happened... Because she is indeed similar to Roufu Diji, the old palace people in Wuguocheng saw her for the first time. They all thought that it was Di Ji who came, and they couldn't stop shouting at each other, and even invited the Supreme Emperor to come and see. When the Supreme Majesty saw her, he laughed and said, "Isn't this just like Yuan Yuan?" Later, the Supreme Majesty actually regarded her as his daughter. If you look at it like this, then Xu Huan also deliberately attracted Jing Shan to meet him. Because of this reason, many people in Wuguo City now think that Xu Huan is marrying Rou Fu Diji."

"Oh, it would be great if Xu still married the real Roufu." Wei Shi blurted out these words, and then he felt that it was inappropriate to say so bluntly, and his expression was a little uncomfortable.

Mrs. Yang didn't care, and went on with her: "That is, Ruo Roufu married Xu Huan in Wuguo City, and now... and the one who fled back to Song Dynasty is Jingshan..."

Just like a flash of inspiration, Webster found a glimmer of hope in Yang's words.

If the person returning to the south is Jingshan who resembles Roufu, and is Roufu who is faked by Jingshan, then her status will drop from a noble eldest princess to a liar who deceives the king, and all the words said by the liar will naturally be true. It becomes an unbelievable lie.

Webster's cowardice in the face of the Jinren, his obedience to Zong Xian, the humiliation of working with his daughter-in-law, his refusal to serve Zhao Ji in the past, and her son who inherited the blood of the Jinren... These soft blessings may have been said to others , or the content that will be told to others, will be characterized as lies with the change of Roufu's identity, and will be written off.

"But..." Webster pondered again, "It's indeed a blessing to escape..."

"Is it Roufu, or is it up to the Queen Mother?" Yang said with a smile, "After several years, the palace people in the Southern Dynasty must feel a little strange when they see Di Ji again. brought back the bones of the emperor, and said it was Roufu Diji, people couldn't help but believe it."

Wei Shi thought about it, and gently shook his head: "It's not good. Such Roufu has committed a serious crime of deceiving the emperor, and he can't even save his life."

Yang sighed: "Your Majesty just has a soft heart. Did your Majesty forget how Rou Fu humiliated your Majesty in front of the Taishang and the King? There was also that time in Mrs. Zhao's pavilion, she did not care about her life and forced her to have an abortion... Speaking of it, she is really wronged by the empress, does the empress still remember? On the day she was born, the Supreme Emperor was originally in the Empress Pavilion, but because Wang Guifei gave birth to her, the Supreme Emperor rushed to see Wang Guifei without saying a word... ..."

Wechsler's eyes were filled with mist.That's right, how could it be possible to forget that the long-lost Zhao Ji suddenly appeared in her pavilion, what an unexpected gift that was, just for a moment, my heart was brightened by his presence.When he turned around and entered the pavilion, his clothes brushed the corner of her skirt slightly, at such an intimate distance, she couldn't help smiling, even feeling warm in the evening breeze that had always been shady.

However, his soft words to her suddenly ended so hastily, because of the birth of that little girl.He left in such a hurry that he forgot to say goodbye, or even just a polite review.

So, he didn't see her tears at that time...and no one saw those two tears, because she let them drip in the corner of her heart that no one saw.

Perhaps it is for this reason that she has never had the intimacy and love from the heart for Rou Fu, although she has a little bit of the etiquette due to Rou Fu's full moon and Ji.Soft blessing to her, has always been just someone else's daughter, someone else's daughter who, like the mother who gave birth to her, will get away from Zhao Ji's favor.

Moreover, this other person's daughter is like a cluster of flames, bright and hot, aggressive, and has a temperature that can burn people.She avoids the soft light and temperature, like a shade-loving plant avoids the sun.Sometimes, she suspects that she is actually more afraid of Rou Fu's clear and straightforward eyes than she is afraid of Rou Fu's possible remarks that will damage her reputation.

Is the wish in my heart just to change Roufu's princess status?Or... let those clear eyes disappear forever?
As expected of a confidant who has been with her for many years, Yang's words are very timely, and every sentence expresses the reason she wants to hear and must be cruel.

"But Xiangnu." After listening to Yang's enumeration of Roufu's faults, Webster asked softly, "What should we do? Take Jingshan's remains back? Will Xu still agree?"

"Give him some favors, and he will be willing." Yang replied, "I heard that he is a dutiful son. Back then, he and his father went north with the Supreme Emperor. Now his father is old, but he is still suffering in Wuguo City. He must be a I can't bear it. If the empress promised to bring his old father back to the Southern Dynasty and bring his dead wife's remains back for burial, why would he not agree?"

Webster lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Yang said with a smile again: "It happens that the lady is going to the Five Kingdoms City to say goodbye to Mrs. Qiao, so I will leave this matter to the servant girl. The servant girl will also discuss with the king again and make some arrangements."

It was in the middle of the night to set off for the Five Kingdoms City, because Webster couldn't bear to wait until dawn to see the two children watching her go away.That night she stayed by their bedside, chatted with them, told stories, and put them to sleep.Seeing that he was about to fall asleep, the eldest son opened his eyes again and asked, "Mother, where are you going when you pack your luggage these days?"

Webster told him the answer he had already prepared: "It's going to Wuguocheng to visit my mother's sisters, and I'll be back in two days."

"Can my brother and I follow?" the child asked again.

Webster said softly: "Mother is not going to play, but only for two days. The journey is hard, so you don't go with mother. It's better to stay at home and study hard, learn riding and archery. If you learn well, you can let your father joy."

The child nodded sensiblely, and only made one request: "Mom, please see what interesting things are in Wuguo City, and bring us some back."

"En." Wei Shi suppressed the soreness in his nose, tried his best to keep his voice unchanged, and still smiled lovingly, and agreed, "That's natural, mother will never forget to bring you gifts wherever she goes..."

The son fell asleep happily, and Webster went to a distance outside the house, covering his face and weeping.

Seeing this, Yang rushed over and sighed: "If your empress is reluctant to part with the two young princes, why not take them to the Five Kingdoms City together, at least we can get together for a few more days."

"Then how do you do it?" Wei Shi choked, and whispered intermittently, "How can we bring them with us and let the people of Song Dynasty see..."

As expected, Mrs. Yang was a man of good words and good deeds. After arriving in Wuguo City, she quickly found Xu's family. After persuading Xu Xu's father to return to the Song Dynasty, she persuaded Xu Huan to agree to dig up the bones of his dead wife and let her bring them back. .Immediately, Mrs. Yang ordered people to dig up the tomb and pick up the bones, and buried them in a new coffin. After sunset, the new dark coffin was quietly included in the Empress Sanzi Palace brought by Webster and his party.

Wei Shi hid behind the window of the post house and peeked out. When Yang Shi came back, he asked her, "The coffin...is it Jingshan's?"

"It belongs to Empress Roufu." Yang replied immediately, emphasizing solemnly, "Your Majesty, please remember that the one lying in that coffin is Empress Roufu, the real Empress Roufu who is going to be brought back to the country for burial. "

Dingmao in April 12th year of Shaoxing, Empress Dowager Webster and Zigong set off from Wuguocheng to return to Song Dynasty, and the Lord Jin sent Yan Zongxian and Gao Juan to escort them all the way.

Before departure, Mrs. Qiao came to see her off.She has already married a golden general in Wuguo City, and she also knows a little about Wei Shi and Zong Xian's affairs. Now seeing Zong Xian with a dark face and hiding away from a corner without saying a word, she knows that he is unhappy, and fears that it will affect Wei Shi During the trip, he took out 50 taels of gold and gave it to Gao Ju'an, another gold envoy, saying: "A few small things are not enough as a gift, just to show my respect. I only hope that my lord will escort my sister back to the south of the Yangtze River."

Gao Juan declined a few times, but Qiao insisted and accepted.Then Mrs. Qiao held up a glass of wine to pay respects to Webster, weeping, "My sister took good care of herself on the way, and she will be the empress dowager when she returns. Congratulations. My sister has no hope of returning to the country in this life, and she will surely die in Shuomo!"

Seeing her sad, Wei Shi comforted her: "My sister will wait a little longer, and after I return to the south, I will ask Brother Nine to help me and take my sister back."

Qiao's only smiled wryly: "Thank you sister for your trouble. My sister is blessed, so I have to give birth to brother Jiu as an official family, but my sister's fate is poor, and my children are all degraded in the North Kingdom. If I go back, what's the point of living?"

Webster was speechless, but had a drink with her with tears in his eyes, held his hands and wept bitterly, and left with great grief.

The chariots had already set off, but they heard someone running from a distance, calling out "the queen mother stays behind", so Wei Shi ordered to slow down for a while, and when he lifted the curtain, he saw that it was Zhao Huan who came.

At that time, he was imprisoned in Yutian Temple, City of the Five Kingdoms, and when he heard about Webster's return to the country, he begged the prisoner to come with him.After chasing to the front of the convoy, Zhao Huan first sobbed and bowed to Zigong, and then begged Webster: "After the queen mother returns, please tell Brother Nine and the prime minister to ask the benefactor for me. The idle job of the Taiyi Palace Envoy is a good job, I have fulfilled my wish, and I will never dare to dream of any extravagant hopes."

After saying this, before Webster could answer, he already felt miserable and couldn't help crying.

Seeing how pitiful he was, Webster first agreed: "You stay here patiently, and I will help you when I return home."

But Zhao Huan didn't seem to believe it. He was still crying and stood in front of Webster's chariot without saying goodbye.In order to ask him to be relieved, Wei Shi pointed at his own eyes and swore, "After I return to the south, if I don't let brother Jiu send someone to pick you up, I will be blind."

Only then did Zhao Huan feel a little peace, and he stood for a long time before staggering back to the prison with the prisoner.

The gold gifted by Mr. Qiao turned out to be useful.When they arrived at Yanshan, Zongxian ordered the convoy to stop on the pretext of hot weather and refused to start again.Webster was very anxious and asked Gao Juan privately.Because Gao Ju'an got Qiao's gold, he also wanted to help her, so he pointed her out and said: "You might as well take out some more money to reward your followers. The subordinates and subordinates will wait for your benefits, so they will naturally listen to your words and set off. At that time, Zong Xian will not Good to stop."

Webster felt that it was reasonable, but she didn't have much money at that time, so she borrowed 300 taels of gold from the deputy envoy of the state of Jin, and promised to repay it double when she arrived in Song Dynasty.After getting the gold, Yang called the accompanying husbands and servants and rewarded them according to their names, and ordered them to set off at Sanzi Palace on the same day.When the attendants saw Jin Zi, they cheered thunderously, and all of them said that they would brave the summer heat to escort the Queen Mother to the south.Seeing this situation, Zong Xian had no choice but to give up, and still rode along with a dark face.

It took three months to get to the Song Dynasty.In August Xinsi, Empress Dowager Che Yu arrived in Linping. She was still leaning on the wall of the palace in the middle of the day, half asleep, when she suddenly heard Yang's cheers: "My Lady, the officials have come to pick you up in person!"

Webster hurriedly opened his eyes to look, and he saw that the road ahead of Huang Hui's guard of honor was winding and winding, gradually approaching.Walking closer, the front row of flag bearers lined up one by one, and one of them galloped forward, wearing the strange attire of an emperor in yellow robes and dragon boots, and the familiar sword-browed eyes of his son, who knelt down in front of her chariot and cried out in tears. : "Mother!"

In fact, she really wanted to laugh at that moment, but before her trembling hand touched her son Zhao Gou, tears fell first.

(End of this chapter)