Chapter 78 Worried about winning over
In a very short period of time, the secret guards of Prince Qi's Mansion eliminated the court spies north of Shanhaiguan. Apart from Zhang Minghui's people, the only people left in Shanhaiguan were the secret guards of Prince Qi's Mansion. The matter was a foregone conclusion.
Zhang Ming would wait fearfully for the furious counterattack from the palace. June passed and July was almost over. On the surface, everything was calm and peaceful. The food and wages for this month had been delivered, as if nothing had happened.
It has been more than half a month since the Qi Wangfu sent troops into the Yanzhou Army, and there has been no fighting in the Yanzhou Army. All this has caused Zhang Minghui's nervous heart to slowly relax.
Since his superiors had withdrawn, he would no longer care. He had to continue serving as the General of Yanzhou. Just as his nephew had said, before he retired, he had to at least make arrangements for the future generations of the Zhang family.
This matter cannot be delayed and must be done quickly. If he waits until the people in Prince Qi's Mansion completely control the Yanzhou Army, he, the general of Yanzhou, will be useless and will no longer have the bargaining chips.
In the middle of the night, when everything was quiet, Zhang Minghui still couldn't sleep. He called his personal attendant and said, "Lieutenant General Liu had a banquet at his home yesterday. I heard that many of his officers and soldiers attended."
Steward Zhang nodded and said, "Four tables were set up, and they probably didn't drink much. I saw with my own eyes that everyone who left the Liu family went home on their own, and not a single one was drunk."
"Hmph, it's called a banquet, but not a single person is drunk at the table. What are Lieutenant General Liu and the others going to do?"
What? He must have called everyone home to discuss other matters under the pretext of a banquet.
Like Zhang Minghui, Lieutenant General Liu was a military general who climbed up from the bottom on his own. He had no support from above, and he relied entirely on himself and his brothers to work together to make his way out.
However, he could only be a third-rank military general in his life at most, and if he wanted to climb up, he would definitely not be able to do so.
Lieutenant General Liu wanted to surpass the other two lieutenants and snatch his position as the chief general? Haha, it's not that Zhang Ming would look down on people of humble origins, it's simply impossible for him to do so.
As the General of Yanzhou, he had three deputy generals under his command. Apart from Deputy General Liu who had no one behind him, there was Deputy General Yan, who was a man of the Grand Commander-in-Chief of Zhenbei; and the other was Deputy General Wei, whose father-in-law was a doctor in the Ministry of War and was sent by the court.
There are three deputy generals, and it will never be the turn of Deputy General Liu to take over the position of the main general.
However, Lieutenant General Liu has one advantage over the other two. Because he comes from a humble background, he is very popular among the lower-level military officers and has always had a good relationship with them.
It was also for this reason that the other two deputy generals were secretly wary of him.
In the past, with him as the main general, the three deputy generals were relatively friendly on the surface. After all, no one could do anything to anyone else.
Zhang Minghui had thought before that if he retreated or died, it would be difficult to determine the winner without a fight between the three deputy generals.
It is also because of these three deputy generals that Zhang Ming would want to kick any one of them out to make room for his incompetent son, which is definitely not possible.
His foolish son who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun would be killed by his three lieutenants even if he was promoted. After all, he was his own son, so he couldn't really send him into the fire pit.
Zhang Minghui twisted a cold handkerchief and rubbed his face, suppressing his irritation. He said calmly, "Did anyone from Prince Qi's Mansion contact Deputy General Liu?"
Manager Zhang nodded. "It's not just Lieutenant General Liu. Lieutenants Yan and Wei have also had contact with that person. In fact, those two received more benefits than Lieutenant General Liu."
Zhang Minghui sneered: "What's a temporary benefit? How can it compare to long-term benefits?"
Lieutenant General Liu and Zhang Minghui would have the same idea.
The two men have the same background, and he is the only promising one in the entire family. Compared with temporary benefits, what they think about is how to keep the family going for a long time.
"Bang, bang, bang! It's the first watch of the night. The weather is dry, be careful with fire!"
The candlelight at the Liu family had been out for half an hour, but the couple in the room were still not asleep.
"If I don't seize this opportunity, what will become of our Liu family in ten years? None of my three sons are promising. My grandsons look smart, but the oldest is only five. I don't know what they'll be like in ten years."
"My Liu family is just an ordinary family. We can't compare to the Yan family, who have generations of military officers, or the Wei family, who have connections in the court. If I die, what will happen to you and your children and grandchildren?"
They are an old man and a young wife. Lieutenant General Liu fought on the battlefield when he was young. He married this young and beautiful wife when he was nearly 30 years old and was promoted to a thousand households.
"Military generals are not like civil officials. If they don't have the ability, they can't be promoted. Even if I hand over all the connections I have to him, it will be useless."
"The Meng family is a cautionary tale for military commanders. Their ancestors once produced the Grand Commander of the Northern Frontier, but their descendants weren't capable of holding that position. However, they did produce Empress Meng, whose cousin at least became the commander-in-chief of the Northeast Army. General Meng's descendants were even less capable, and their positions as generals in the Northeast Army were lost."
Lieutenant General Liu held his beloved wife in his arms and said slowly, "Our family is not comparable to the Meng family. You married me at such a young age. No matter what, I need to consider you and our children and grandchildren more."
Mrs. Liu remained silent. She leaned in her husband's arms and listened to him until he finished speaking. Then she asked, "How do you want to arrange it?"
"After a few days, I'll find a reason for you to leave the city and go to Songjiang City."
Lieutenant General Liu has made up his mind that after sending his family out, he will work for Prince Qi's Mansion.
It works, he will be the next Dong Yizhong, the commander-in-chief of the Yanzhou army.
If that doesn't work out, with Prince Qi's Mansion taking care of them, it wouldn't be bad for his wife and children to have a peaceful life.
Mrs. Liu couldn't help but shed tears, her throat choking with sobs: "Does it have to be like this?"
"That's the only way!"
Zhang Minghui had made arrangements long ago. Many people who had no future in the Yanzhou Army took advantage of his kindness and ran to Songjiang City to earn a future. Unlike Zhang Minghui, he could not find a way out for himself many years ago, so he could only try his best.
More than a month ago, after the secret guards of Prince Qi's Mansion wiped out spies, Zhang Minghui kept a close watch on Shanhaiguan. The news that Lieutenant General Liu's wife was taking her children and grandchildren back to her parents' home to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival was immediately delivered to Zhang Minghui.
Humph, it’s only the beginning of July, and Mid-Autumn Festival is not until August 15th. Are you going back to your parents’ home so early?
Zhang Minghui would not believe such words, but it didn’t matter whether he believed it or not, and he had no control over it.
On the morning of the eleventh day of July, at daybreak, Lieutenant General Liu's family left Shanhaiguan and headed towards Songjiang City.
This season is a rare good time outside the Great Wall. The Liu family's little grandchildren laughed as soon as they came out of the Great Wall, and kept pestering their parents to ask where they were going to play.
The adults coaxed them and told them to stop making noise and not to delay their journey.
The carriage had been running for the entire morning, but Shanhaiguan was no longer in sight. At noon, the carriage stopped for a rest, and Lieutenant General Liu's three sons went to ask their mother to get off.
Mrs. Liu, who was always gentle and cheerful, did not have a good face towards her three sons. She got off the carriage and left with her maid without even looking at them.
Liu Sanlang was confused and asked his two brothers, "What happened to Mom?"
Liu Dalang sighed: "Don't ask."
Liu Dalang hurried forward to chase his mother, and Liu Sanlang looked at his second brother again.
Liu Erlang sighed like his elder brother and said, "Sanlang, don't go to Mother for the time being. She's been feeling down lately, and you'll get scolded if you go."
"Why..."
Liu Sanlang suddenly stopped talking midway and said, "Is it about Dad arranging for us to go to Songjiang City?"
"You know, but you still ask?"
Liu Sanlang was silent for a long moment before he said, "Let me tell you, our family has accumulated quite a bit of wealth over the years. Even if Dad retires, we can still live a wealthy life back home."
"Third brother, you think too simply. Without Dad's protection, our family wouldn't be able to keep it even if we had a fortune."
"Can we defend Songjiang City? What if Dad..."
"The three of us brothers are all unfilial to our father. We are not as smart and prudent as he is. It is right to follow his arrangements. Since he asked mother to take us to Songjiang City, he must have made preparations in advance."
My father works for Prince Qi's mansion. Prince Qi should be a generous man and will treat our family well.
Mrs. Liu was also worried about this matter and was worried all the way to Songjiang City. It was not until they arrived in Songjiang City that she felt a little relieved.
The Liu family's carriages were lined up outside the city. When the young officer guarding the city gate heard that they were members of the Liu family, he asked them to wait while he went to ask his superiors.
The Liu family members looked at each other, puzzled. Why did they have to ask their superiors for permission for such a small matter as entering the city?
Half a minute later, Zhou Chen, the chief secretary of Prince Qi's mansion, dressed in the robes of a chief secretary and accompanied by his men, rode to the city gate to greet him personally.
Zhou Chen dismounted and immediately revealed his identity. He smiled and said, "Ever since Vice General Liu announced that Madam Liu would be bringing her family to live permanently in Songjiang City, our princess has been looking forward to your visit."
Madam Liu smiled dignifiedly: "You are too polite, Princess."
"Our princess has a good temper. You will know when you meet her later. Madam Liu, since you have come to Songjiang City, please relax and treat Songjiang City as your own home."
Madam Liu nodded with a smile: "Thank you for coming to greet us."
"Mrs. Liu, you're welcome."
Zhou Chen, the chief historian of the royal palace, personally led the Liu family. He rode in front, and the three sons of the Liu family hurriedly followed.
Zhou Chen smiled and said to the three Liu brothers, "Last year, General Zhang Heng's family came to Songjiang City, and I was ordered to go and pick them up."
Liu Dalang asked, "Zhang Heng is now a general?"
Zhou Chen said, "The prince said that Zhang Heng is brave and good at fighting, and has the ability to command the army. He is very suitable to be a general."
Liu Sanlang enviously said, "Zhang Heng was only a centurion in the Yanzhou Army."
"Given General Zhang's abilities, appointing him to only one hundred households is truly underestimating General Zhang."
Zhou Chen's words made the three Liu brothers think that Songjiang City is a place where people are recruited based on their talents?
Zhou Chen took the Liu family to a street in the north of the city. The house prepared for the Liu family was next to the Zhang family.
Mrs. Liu wanted to see the house they lived in, so she got off the carriage as soon as it arrived outside the gate. She looked around and saw that this street was full of mansions of wealthy families. The Prince Qi's Mansion did not treat the Liu family badly.
"For convenience, our Songjiang City is divided into east, south, west and north streets. This is the first street in the north of the city. It was originally the residence of Prince Qi, and is now used to accommodate the families of generals from other places."
Zhou Chen pointed to several nearby houses and said, "From your left, the Yuan family and General Meng's house are in front. To your right is General Zhang Heng's residence."
As they were talking, the corner door of the Zhang family next door opened, and out came Zhang Heng's four-year-old son Zhang Ping and two servants. Several grandchildren of the Liu family knew Zhang Heng, and they shouted "Zhang Dalang" and ran over.
When Zhang Heng was in Shanhaiguan, although he was only a centurion, his uncle was the commander-in-chief of the Yanzhou army. Military families like the Liu family who made a living under Zhang Minghui were very polite to Zhang Heng's family on the surface, and their children often played together.
She didn't feel that way before, but now that she met an acquaintance outside Shanhaiguan, Mrs. Liu felt much more at ease.
When Zhou Chen saw the smiles on the Liu family's faces, he knew that the house he arranged for them was very much liked by them.
Zhang Ping was a sensible child. He trotted over to greet Madam Liu. Madam Liu stroked his little head and said, "It's been a year since we last met. You've grown taller."
Zhang Ping smiled sheepishly and said, "I drank milk."
The eldest grandson of the Liu family shouted, "Zhang Ping, you're still drinking milk at this age? Others will laugh at you if they know."
Zhang Ping hurriedly explained, "No, no."
Zhou Chen smiled and continued, "Years ago, the princess heard that General Zhang's son was often ill, so she said the child needed some nourishment. In the winter, she sent a dairy sheep and fodder, and asked the Zhang family to raise the sheep and milk the milk for the child."
Madam Liu smiled and said, "The princess is very considerate."
After greeting Madam Liu, Zhang Ping took his servant to go play on South Street. Several of Liu's grandchildren followed him. Madam Liu did not restrain them and told them to go if they wanted to, but they had to take their wet nurse and servant with them to make sure they didn't get lost.
The children ran away happily, and Mrs. Liu led the family into the house. It was a three-story house, spacious and bright, better than the house they lived in Shanhaiguan.
Madam Liu felt the importance that Prince Qi's Mansion attached to her family, so she said to Zhou Chen, "Please ask Chief Zhou to go back and thank the princess on my behalf. After my family is settled today, I will go to the palace to pay my respects to the princess tomorrow morning."
Zhou Chen smiled and said, "Don't worry, Madam Liu, just take a few days to rest. You can go and pay your respects to the princess in a few days."
Mrs. Liu felt that it was not good to go late, as it would seem she was disrespectful to the princess.
The prince had instructed that no one was allowed to disturb the princess in the morning. Even if he had something to report to her, he had to wait until she woke up from her nap in the afternoon before he could go in. Madam Liu insisted on visiting the princess tomorrow, so Zhou Chen said, "Let's do it tomorrow afternoon. The princess is busy in the morning and only has time to spare in the afternoon."
Madam Liu nodded and said, "I will naturally follow the princess's arrangements."
The Liu family was probably settled, so Zhou Chen said goodbye and returned to the palace. After returning to the palace, he took off his official uniform as he walked in. When he took off his outer clothes, his inner clothes were soaked.
Tian Jiaxuan, who was copying documents, saw this and laughed, "When you were on duty at the palace in the past, you always wore light clothes. It's so hot today, why are you wearing thick official uniform?"
"Hey, there's nothing I can do about it. The princess arranged for me to pick someone up, so as the chief historian, I naturally have to show the dignity of our palace, right?"
"Who did you pick up?"
Zhou Chen picked up the teapot on the table with both hands and poured half of the remaining cold tea from the morning into his mouth. After quenching his thirst, Zhou Chen breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's Madam Liu and her family who are waiting. Her husband is a deputy general of the Yanzhou Army."
The deputy general of the Yanzhou army sent his family to Songjiang City. Isn't this the same thing Zhang Heng did at the beginning?
Tian Jiaxuan and several other stewards of the prince's palace in the room looked at each other and knew that the prince was going to mobilize the Yanzhou army.
Zhou Chen lowered his voice and said, "Your Highness, Princess, you have a plan. I think this is just the beginning. Once the Yanzhou Army is successful, with the Yanzhou Army and the Northeast Army as examples, the smart people in the Liaodong Army will definitely come to us on their own initiative."
They had just fought a fierce battle last month. Not only did the Qi Wang Mansion not lose the upper hand, but they also further strengthened their control over military power. So, they won.
He lost some spies with the emperor, but in return Zhou Qi was seriously injured and his family line was cut off. In theory and in secret, he won.
Unfortunately, the emperor's happiness did not last more than half a month. When he learned that Princess Qi was three months pregnant, he was so angry that he smashed all the rare ornaments in the hall to pieces.
It was the chief eunuch who advised her, "What's the use of being pregnant? Not to mention whether she can give birth to the baby or not, even if she does, who knows whether it's a boy or a girl?"
Even if it was a son, it was hard to say whether he could be raised in a place as cold as Songjiang City. He might even die from a cold in winter.
The emperor was persuaded temporarily. He watched coldly to see what would come out in a few months.
I don’t know if it was the emperor’s curse, but she was fine before. But after three months of pregnancy, Gu Youan suddenly started to have morning sickness. She vomited in the morning, at noon, and even before going to bed at night.
This is terrible. If I keep vomiting three times a day, I won’t be able to eat anything good.
I have asked Zhang Shinan to come to my house several times to see him. He has given me medicine and acupuncture, but it's no use.
There is no other good way except to endure it and wait for the morning sickness period to pass.
After having dinner today, Gu Youan listened to Zhou Chen's report about Madam Liu and her family moving into a street in the north of the city. The couple strolled in the yard to digest their food and discussed Lieutenant General Liu for a while. As a result, he vomited as soon as he sat down in the house.
She vomited so much that her face turned red, and she leaned against the pillow weakly. Zhou Qi's face turned black as he stared at her belly and said, "This baby is a troublesome one. I'm going to give him a good beating when he's born."
Gu Youan forced a smile, lowered his head and touched his stomach, saying: "I don't blame him."
"Who is to blame then? Did Zhou Xuan get wind of the news and have someone set up an altar to curse you?"
Gu Youan was shocked: "There's such a thing? You actually believe it?"
Zhou Qi naturally didn’t believe it before, but when it came to his princess, he was not sure.
Zhou Qi thought carefully for a moment and said, "When I was still living in the palace, I seemed to have heard Liu Ling say that someone in the cold palace was using a secret method to bewitch the prince."
"Don't believe it, it's all fake, it's just psychological."
Zhou Qi didn't listen to her and asked someone to call Liu Ling and asked him if he still remembered this.
Liu Ling hadn't expected that the prince would summon him so late at night for this matter. He thought carefully about what happened many years ago and said, "It seems that the Sixth Prince's mother, who was banished to the cold palace, used a curse to curse the Crown Prince. She did it secretly, and no one else knew about it except for our family who accidentally encountered it once."
If other people knew, she would have been caught when the prince died and would not be alive today.
After the death of the crown prince, his son Zhou Xuan succeeded to the throne. In order to win over the royal family, Zhou Xuan treated several younger uncles well. He made the sixth prince a prince and allowed the sixth prince to take his mother from the cold palace to the prince's palace to take care of her.
The couple looked at each other. Zhou Qi didn't say anything, but Gu Youan understood what his eyes meant: Look, there is success here.
She had just vomited so much that she weakly pointed at the plum water on the table and asked him to bring it.
"go!"
She kicked his legs and told him to bring water quickly.
She took care of him when he was injured and bedridden last month, and now it's his turn to take care of her.
"Zhou Qi!"
Xiaoyue and several maids were standing by the door, with their heads lowered, as if they couldn't hear or see anything.
His own princess was still feeling unwell. Zhou Qi sighed, poured a glass of plum water to her mouth, and fed her half a glass.
"Do you want more?"
Gu Youan shook his head.
"I've already vomited out my dinner, why eat again..."
"Stop, don't say that to me. It makes me sick when I hear it."
She turned over gently, not wanting to talk or eat, she just wanted to take a break.
Zhou Qi watched for a while and saw that she was really tired, so he waved his hand and told everyone to go out and told the princess to have a good rest.
The maids and servants all went out, leaving the door ajar.
Zhou Qi walked into the courtyard, glanced back at the door, and lowered his voice to Liu Ling, "Send a message to Luoyang. Regardless of whether the method of exorcism works or not, I want to know if Zhou Xuan secretly cursed my princess and child."
Liu Ling nodded slightly and said, "Your Majesty, how about asking the Taoist priest from Tianyi Temple to come to the mansion and take a look?"
Zhou Qi nodded: "Hire a few more, just in case."
Gu Youan felt uncomfortable for a long time and finally fell asleep. She didn't know that Prince Qi, who never believed in retribution from gods and ghosts, actually used all kinds of unreliable methods because of her morning sickness.
It was agreed that Madam Liu would be invited to the palace the next afternoon. However, after Gu Youan woke up from his nap at noon, he did not see Madam Liu. Instead, the first people he saw were several Taoist priests from Tianyi Temple.
Several Taoist priests inspected Prince Qi's mansion, especially the main courtyard, which was the key inspection area.
After checking the house, they checked her, looked at her face and birth date, and after the Taoist priests calculated it, they told the couple: "The prince and princess are blessed with good fortune, so there is no need to worry about anyone plotting against them."
Gu Youan glanced at Zhou Qi speechlessly: "Did you hear that?"
Zhou Qi said, "I understand," and said, "Thank you for the trouble. You can stay at the palace tonight and return to the mountain tomorrow."
The Taoist priests were unwilling to stay, so they bowed and went back.
After the outsiders left, Gu Youan was about to call him, but Zhou Qi turned and walked away, saying as he walked, "Aren't you going to see Madam Liu? She should be here by now."
Gu Youan immediately laughed. She didn’t say anything to him, so why was he running away?
Xiaoyue brought a bowl of plum water and said with a smile, "Your Highness is also confused by his concern."
Gu Youan had a smile on his face, and she naturally knew that he was worried about her.
Liu Zhong came in and reported, "Princess, Madam Yuan, Madam Liu, Madam Zhang, and Madam Li have all fallen ill. As you instructed, they have all been invited to the reception hall."
Gu Youan helped the maid stand up and said, "Please ask them to sit for a while. I will change my clothes and come over."
"yes."
Gu Youan heard from Zhou Chen that Madam Liu was a reserved person, and if he invited only her, he was afraid that she would feel uncomfortable. So Gu Youan simply invited the wives of several military generals who lived on the first street in the north of the city, and also invited Madam Yuan to accompany her.
Gu Youan knew that no matter how much respect she gave to the families of military generals who came to seek refuge in Prince Qi's Mansion, it would be converted into their loyalty to Prince Qi's Mansion.
She doesn't think it's too little, the more the better, and it's also great to do it in front of others.
There were guests being entertained in the palace today, and they were all female guests. Zhou Chen, the chief historian of the palace, could not go to the flower hall, so he just waited outside the door. When the princess came over, he hurriedly bowed his head to greet her.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Zhou. Go back and have some rest. I'll ask Liu Zhong to see the guests off later."
"Yes, I will take my leave."
On the way back, Zhou Chen was still thinking that it was different to have a hostess who was in control of the overall situation at home.
When the princess was not around, the prince rarely met people. Even if he wanted to win over the wives of military generals, it was impossible for him, as the chief historian, to invite them to the palace.
Gu Youan smiled as she entered the room and said, "Thank you ladies for waiting for so long. I am late."
Madam Yuan was the first to stand up and greet them. She said with a smile, "We just sat down, how could you be late, Princess?"
The other ladies laughed and agreed, saying that it was still early.
Gu Youan knew all the ladies present. Her eyes fell on a lady she had never seen before. She walked over and said with a smile, "Is this Madam Liu?"
Mrs. Liu hurriedly squatted down to greet him, but was stopped by someone holding her hand.
Gu Youan took Madam Liu's hand and said to the other ladies with a smile, "I heard that Madam Liu has grandchildren. She looks younger than me, I really can't tell."
Madam Yuan smiled and said, "The princess and I have the same idea, but we just met today and are not familiar with Madam Liu yet. I am embarrassed to ask why Madam Liu is so young."
Madam Liu touched her face sheepishly: "I'm not young anymore."
Zhang Heng's wife knew Madam Liu, so she walked up to her and said with a smile, "If we women want to look younger, the first thing we need is to live a happy life. Madam Liu is so beautiful, and it's all thanks to General Liu."
Gu Youan smiled and nodded: "I heard from the princess that General Liu is an extremely brave general and he will definitely have a bright future."
Madam Liu's eyes lit up and she looked at Princess Qi expectantly.
Gu Youan smiled and nodded at her: "Madam Liu, please sit down. Today, all of our neighbors are here. It's better to meet them today. In the future, it will be cheaper for each family to go out and have fun together."
"The princess is right."
"The princess is still thinking about us."
"Hey, unlike my master, who only thinks about the military camp all day long, I'm busy with a lot of things at home and want to talk to him about them, but he doesn't care. It makes me so angry."
"The princess is so considerate and kind to us."
All the ladies burst into laughter at once, and Madam Liu also laughed. She knew very well that these ladies said they disliked their husbands, but in fact they were showing off their husbands' achievements in front of the princess.
Gu Youan was a respectable host. She knew very well why the guests came to the palace, and she was willing to show her kindness to them as Princess Qi.
I'd like to invite a few ladies to come and sit with me today. I won't keep you for dinner, just some snacks and some tea. When it's almost time, I'll send you home.
They would also casually give them a gift that was inexpensive but showed how much the palace valued their family. Only the palace had a box of snacks or a basket of various rare fruits.
Both were delivered today. After Mrs. Liu returned home, the grandchildren at home saw the beautiful snacks that looked like flowers and the sweet fruits, and they all clamored to eat them.
Madam Liu asked her maid to divide all these things, went back to her room to rest for a while, wrote a letter to her husband herself, and asked someone to send it back the next day.
After meeting Princess Qi today, Madam Liu decided to trust her husband a little more. Her husband's choice must be correct.
For the sake of future generations, give it a try.
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