Chapter 100: Dilemma in Kyoto
Although the trip to Luoyang was urgent, it was not too hectic because Gu Youan had already made preparations. The stewards, guards, and servants who were going to accompany him packed their luggage that afternoon and set off early the next morning.
The officials who wanted to accompany the princess to Luoyang also packed up. Even if they were wealthy and powerful and could not leave for a while, it didn't matter. The master could leave first and leave a trusted servant to pack up slowly, and then go to Luoyang after the next spring.
The Su family was in a state of panic, but Su Guang told his wife, "Since we're going back, we'll follow the princess' carriage. Even if we're tired from traveling day and night, we have to witness the prince's coronation ceremony."
Mrs. Lu also meant the same thing: "Let's go first, and ask the housekeeper to stay and take care of some matters. We will go to Kyoto next year."
Mrs. Lu looked back at the house where her family had lived for more than ten years and sighed, "Just like you said, Songjiang City is also very nice. The winter here is really quiet."
When I went to Luoyang, I found that the people there were born snobbish, flattering the powerful and looking down on the weak, and the whole place was filled with corruption. It was difficult to find peace of mind there.
Su Guang laughed. "Let's go and see the prince's coronation ceremony first. If living in Luoyang doesn't go well, we can come back. Think about how difficult the exile journey was back then. Don't you want to go through it again?"
Mrs. Lu rolled her eyes inelegantly. "No, I don't want to. This trip is enough for me in this lifetime. Even if we need to come back again, we won't go through Shanhaiguan. We can take a boat to Dongshan Port or Dongliao City and return slowly and comfortably. I'm an old lady, why should I embarrass myself?"
Su Guang laughed out loud. It was quite new to hear his wife calling herself an old lady.
The Su family chose to leave in two groups, as most families did. The Gu family would definitely go all together. Duan arranged the carriages and other items for tomorrow's departure and instructed the stewards of each courtyard to carefully pack their belongings before paying their respects to her in-laws.
Mrs. Du said, "We have to leave early tomorrow morning, and it won't be easy to come back later. While it's still light, why don't you go visit your parents? There's no rush to come back. Have dinner with them before you go back."
Gu Wen, who was always very tactful and rarely spoke to his daughter-in-law, said, "Tell your father not to take it too seriously. After all, we are in-laws. If the descendants of the Duan family become successful in the future, feel free to come to Luoyang to find us. We can't help them with anything else, but at least we can protect them and prevent them from being bullied."
Duan's eyes reddened, and she nodded with a sob: "Thank you, Dad and Mom."
"Go quickly."
"Why."
Duan returned to her own courtyard, selected a box of things for her parents, took her three children with her, and immediately set off for the Duan family.
In the carriage, Madam Duan instructed them, "I don't know when I'll be back once I leave this time. When you go to the Duan family, you are not allowed to show displeasure or say nonsense that will upset my mother and the others. Do you understand?"
Ningning and Ah Xing were both old enough to understand what was said, and they didn't want to embarrass their mother, so they nodded in agreement.
Ayang tilted his head and snorted, "I don't want to go to Duan Liulang's house. I want to go to my aunt's house. Ayuan said that he wants me to ride in his big car tomorrow. It's very spacious and I can roll around in it."
"Ayang, don't do this again."
"What's not allowed?"
Duan patiently said to her youngest son, "When you go to Luoyang, your uncle, aunt, and A Yuan will be the rulers, and we will be the subjects. You must respect them and not act recklessly, especially in front of outsiders."
Ayang asked, "Can you act like that behind someone's back?"
Ning Ning hugged her little brother and said with a smile: "In front of outsiders, we are king and subject, but behind their backs, we are a family. Of course, the past will remain the same."
Ayang looked at his mother, and Duan sighed, "Go ahead and ask your grandparents, or your husband, and tell them to be polite and respectful in the future, and not let others laugh at our family."
Their Gu family would be the most important foreign relatives of the Zhou Dynasty in the future. As the young mistress of the Gu family, she had never dealt with those wealthy families, so she was very nervous.
While the mother and her two children were talking, they arrived at the Duan family's house. As if they knew she was coming, the Duan family's doorman saw the Gu family's carriage from afar and ran in to report. When the carriage entered the Duan family and stopped at the second gate, it was Duan's eldest sister-in-law who came to open the curtain.
The Duan family's eldest lady smiled and said, "Father and mother know you're busy. Although they miss you, they didn't send anyone to the Gu family to deliver a letter. But I thought that you couldn't let go of father and mother, so you must come back before leaving."
Duan nodded and said with a smile, "Thank you, sister-in-law, for coming to pick me up."
Ningning and her two younger brothers hurriedly called for help. The eldest lady of the Duan family took Ningning's hand and said, "Can you have dinner now?"
Ningning shook her head and said with a smile, "Don't worry about having dinner. Let's go see grandpa and grandma first."
Ah Xing added, "My grandparents asked us to come earlier."
Ayang wanted to go to his aunt's house. His mother had just told him about it, so he kept quiet and didn't mention it.
The eldest lady of the Duan family led the mother and her two children inside. Mrs. Duan was deeply moved by the child's words and said, "My in-laws are kind people."
Duan looked at her mother's gradually growing white hair and said, "My parents-in-law said that in the future, when the Duan family goes to Luoyang, they can just go to the Gu family. After all, we are in-laws."
Duan Ji was not surprised by what Gu Wen said, but when he really heard it, Duan Ji felt much more relieved.
Mrs. Duan knew that her daughter and grandson hadn't eaten yet, so she hurried to prepare: "Hurry up and ask someone to bring some food. Ningning and the others are hungry."
"I'll go right away."
Duan couldn't stay at her parents' home for long. After dinner, she sat for a while and then returned home with her children. On the way back, they had to pass by North Street. Ayang looked outside, but it was pitch black and she couldn't see anything.
At this time, in the palace.
The palace, which had just been tidied up in the past few days, was in turmoil again. Late at night, big lanterns were hung everywhere in the front and back yards, and boxes of luggage were lifted onto cart frames and tied up. The open space in the yard was full of luggage.
Liu Zhong and Xiaoyue were busy running around, and they didn't sit down to rest until three o'clock in the morning.
At this moment, Mr. Huang and Mr. Wang woke up from their sleep and were packing their luggage in the yard.
Mr. Huang and Mr. Wang are old and don’t sleep as much, but Chen is still a sleepyhead even though he is younger. Especially when it is freezing cold outside and the house is warm, how comfortable is it to sleep?
Mr. Huang's family lived outside, and he didn't have much luggage left at the palace. After he packed his own luggage, he went to knock on Chen Yizhi's door.
Chen kept yawning and said, "Didn't we say we'd leave at the beginning of the morning hour? It's still early."
Mr. Huang shouted, "What do you mean by early? You're a teacher, how can you look so slow if your students see you dragging your feet?"
"Where are these students from? It's almost Chinese New Year, it's time to rest."
Although Chen kept arguing with Mr. Huang, they finally got to work. They packed all the clothes, shoes, socks, books and other items, which only amounted to four or five boxes.
He asked the servant to come in and lift the box onto the frame and tie it up. After all the tossing and turning, Chen finally woke up completely. He stood at the door to get some fresh air, then stepped into the next room where Mr. Huang and Mr. Wang were drinking tea.
Chen Yizhi sat down with a plop. "Hey, the princess only said that we should follow her to Luoyang. Does this mean that she wants us to continue to be the prince's husband?"
"You don't want to?"
Chen kept smiling and said, "I'd love to do that, but I've gone from being a playboy to the prince's husband, and the steps I took were too big for me to react."
Chen had always spoken bluntly, and Mr. Huang was used to it, so he didn't try to correct him. He himself hadn't anticipated how quickly things would develop, how the world would change so dramatically in less than two years. The memory of him being forced to leave Beijing last year was still fresh in his mind, and this year he returned with honor.
"Mr. Wang, Mr. Chen, could you please listen to me?"
"Mr. Huang, please speak."
Mr. Huang called him Mr. Chen solemnly. Chen felt that he was about to say something important, and Wang Nianjing also became serious.
Mr. Huang said, "Prince Qi has been away from Luoyang for many years. Although he won this time, he offended the generals of the Southern faction. The officials and royal family members in Luoyang City involved in this incident probably don't have much affection for him. One of you is from the southwest and the other is from the southeast. If you have some connections in the local area, you can at least help him."
Chen Zhizhi said, "Mr. Huang, you're worrying too much. Do you know how many places and families are affected by the Princess's trade in medicinal herbs and grains? The Princess's kindness to the merchants is enough to make the merchants in the south turn to Prince Qi and the Princess."
The merchants were also connected to local officials and wealthy families, and layers of relationships formed a network. As long as King Qi could stick to his original policies after ascending the throne, even if it offended the military generals in the south, since King Qi could suppress them with force and control them with food and money, the local merchants would have no other choice but to pay tribute to him secretly.
"Prince Qi will not allow local military commanders to become powerful. Just wait and see. If it's fast, it will take three to five years. If it's slow, Prince Qi will definitely eliminate them completely during his reign."
Prince Qi is only thirty years old now. He is in good health and can live for at least another twenty or thirty years if nothing unexpected happens. With such a long time, one generation will pass by and the problem will definitely be solved as long as Prince Qi does not give in.
It would have been fine if they didn't know Prince Qi's temperament before, but now they have lived in Prince Qi's mansion for nearly two years, how could they not know?
Wang Nianjing said: "Civil officials and military generals, Prince Qi can subdue the military generals, but it is difficult to deal with the civil officials."
Chen had never been afraid of offending anyone. He said, "To be frank, it's all the Confucian scoundrels who have corrupted the world, turning it into a stagnant, stinking pool."
Mr. Huang was so angry that he blew his beard and glared, but he couldn't find the words to refute. He just said: "Although there are shortcomings, there are also good points. The sage said that scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans must have their reasons."
Chen never argued with him. Whatever the three of them said was useless. It all depended on how Prince Qi would govern the world after he came to power.
The three of them fell silent. Chen, who had nothing better to do, suddenly asked Mr. Huang, "If Prince Qi becomes emperor and continues to rule the country with Princess Qi as he did in Songjiang City, you Confucian scholars wouldn't call Princess Qi a hen crowing at dawn, would you?"
Mr. Huang glared at him fiercely.
Chen Zhizhi laughed and said, "Mr. Huang, just tell me if it is possible."
"I can't!"
Mr. Huang knew how much Princess Qi had contributed to the people of Songjiang City. Without Princess Qi, Songjiang City would definitely not be what it is today.
Mr. Huang, an outsider, knows this, so how could the people who have truly benefited from the policies formulated by Princess Qi not know it?
At the beginning of the morning hour, Princess Qi's carriage set out, accompanied by hundreds of officials. Common people carrying torches came to see her off, filling both sides of the official road to see Princess Qi off on her long journey.
The people did not cry or shout. Instead, they braved the cold wind, holding torches, and created a bright road outside the snow-covered Songjiang City.
Gu Youan was not afraid of the cold at this moment. The curtains on both sides of the carriage were lifted up, and the guards on both sides stepped back. Gu Youan's eyes swept over the people on the roadside, and she couldn't help feeling emotional. On the road of working hard for herself and power, she also benefited many people. She has reaped some rewards in the past few years.
A Yuan sat beside his mother, feeling it all quietly. If he were in his mother's position in the future, he would do the same as his mother.
The Minister of Rites and Xu Zhi led the way. The Minister of Rites was extremely shocked to see such a spectacular farewell scene. How could Princess Qi, a woman from the inner palace, have such influence in Songjiang City?
The Minister of Rites asked Xu Zhi for advice, and Xu Zhi said with a smile, "Prince Qi and the Princess jointly govern Songjiang City. Songjiang City is doing so well now. Isn't it normal for the Princess to have a good reputation among the people?"
The Minister of Rites frowned and said, "A woman should be in the rear house, taking care of her husband and raising her children. How can she interfere in the affairs of the former court?"
Xu Zhi knew the personalities of his two masters best. At this moment, he looked at the Minister of Rites with sympathy, and guessed that after his master ascended the throne, this Minister of Rites would not be in office for long.
After leaving Songjiang City, the convoy moved faster and arrived at the port of Dongliao City two days later. Gu Youan briefly met with the officials of Dongliao City at the port, and then left by boat.
Bai Jie saw his wife, who was standing beside the princess, leave with the boat. He asked Zhang Shan, the long-servant, "Did the madam leave any message?"
Zhang Shan said, "The maidservant beside Madam Lancao said that Madam is going to Luoyang to watch the ceremony and will return after the Luoyang affairs are settled."
Zhang Shan glanced at his general's face and saw that he didn't seem angry, so he advised, "You know Madam's temper; it comes and goes quickly. By the time Madam returns from her trip to Luoyang, I'm afraid she'll have forgotten what happened that day. She certainly won't be angry with you when she returns, which is a good thing."
That day, the lady learned from the general that Prince Qi had transferred the city defense troops of Songjiang City, and she insisted on leading troops to Songjiang City to protect Prince Qi's mansion. Alas, his general should not have stopped him.
Fortunately, the lady led the troops there in time, and the princess did not hold a grudge against his general. Didn’t she say a few words to their general when she met him just now?
Bai Jie turned back and gave instructions as he walked, "Madam left in a hurry. Take the servants and her daily necessities with you and hurry to Luoyang to serve her."
"Hey, I'll go right away."
Ah Xuan went to Luoyang with her sister, parents, and the troops she had mobilized from the Liaodong Army naturally returned. Tian Erlang parted ways with Princess Qi's convoy on the way and had already returned to Shanhaiguan with his troops.
As for Princess Qi, after a few days of travel, the huge convoy arrived at the outskirts of Luoyang. Zhou Qi left behind the complicated affairs of the court and came to the city to greet them in person. All the officials of the court and royal relatives accompanied them, which showed how much he valued them.
The Minister of Rites and Xu Zhi dismounted and kowtowed: "We have fulfilled our mission."
Zhou Qi didn't even look at them. He quickly walked to the princess's carriage and excitedly called out "Princess".
Gu Youan lifted the carriage curtain and smiled again: "Your Highness Prince Qi, it's been a long time since we last met. How are you?"
When Zhou Qi saw her joking, he knew that she didn't take Zhou Xuan's siege to heart. He also laughed, and he only saw her in his eyes.
"Okay, Princess, please get out of the carriage."
Gu Youan nodded dignifiedly and stretched out her hand again. Zhou Qi took her hand and slowly walked down from the carriage.
The couple walked side by side and came in front of the officials and relatives. Zhou Qi frowned and said, "Why don't you pay your respects?"
All the officials and clan members knelt or stood, and their expressions of greeting were so varied that it was hilarious.
Zhou Qi was about to get angry, but Gu Youan squeezed his palm and said, "It's okay, go back first."
Zhou Qi nodded and helped her into the emperor's carriage, completely ignoring the gazes of others.
Zhou Qi asked, "Where's Yuan?"
A Yuan, who had long been forgotten by his parents, stood silently at the back without saying a word.
Gu Youan stretched out his hand to his son and said with a smile, "Come up quickly."
A Yuan looked at his father and immediately smiled. He trotted onto the carriage and wanted to sit between his father and mother.
"Get going!"
The most noble family of three in the Great Zhou Dynasty has arrived in Kyoto!
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