Chapter 302: Going to Jinzhou Prefecture
Now, she was sitting here, perfectly hidden in it, constantly convincing herself: from now on, she was no longer a concubine of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but a brother or sister of these people, and even a ghost rushing towards Jinzhou Prefecture!
Eunuch Luo then carefully pulled out a scroll from his bosom. "This is the latest thing from Jinzhou Prefecture. It's called a newspaper. It was created by His Highness and the Propaganda Department. The higher-ups want us to study what's in the newspaper. In the entire Bianjing Prefecture, only you have a copy. The other one is in our hands."
When saying this, Eunuch Yang looked very proud.
Because it means he is the only one who can connect with the top leaders.
He was the only one who dared to say "what the higher-ups meant".
Everyone immediately showed a look of respect, looking at the thin layer of paper as pious as if they were worshiping a Buddha statue.
Someone immediately said, "It's worthy of being from Jinzhou Prefecture. Look at this paper, it's so hard and white. The Great Zhou Dynasty couldn't produce something like this."
These words made Jingpin look at her twice more.
Sure enough, the paper used for the newspaper was not only snow-white, but also much harder than ordinary rice paper. The font was printed very small, and the handwriting was neat, as if it was copied by a person, and it even had an unusual scent of ink.
I have heard for a long time that the craftsmen in Jinzhou Prefecture are good at extraordinary skills. Now seeing this, extraordinary skills is not enough to describe it. I am afraid that only the word "exquisite craftsmanship" can describe it.
It was snowing outside, and there was the sound of wind blowing. Occasionally, patrolling imperial guards passed by, but they would lower their breathing and wait quietly for them to go away.
The yellow candlelight flickered as everyone gathered together for the common ideal, and the room seemed to be filled with an indescribable warmth.
After the imperial guards had gone far away, Eunuch Luo lowered his voice and began to read the contents of the newspaper. He was a little old and could not see clearly, so someone next to him handed him a candle.
Someone anxiously asked, "Mr. Luo, what is this newspaper? Is it a book?"
Eunuch Luo squinted his eyes and shook the newspaper. "Don't worry, let me take a look first."
Then he smiled and said, "Wow, there really is everything here. There are some that advertise the delicious food in their restaurants, and they invite chefs from various places for everyone to taste. There are also some that say that Jiangling Prefecture has a bumper cotton harvest this year, and the price of cotton-padded clothes will be greatly reduced this year, so people who couldn't afford to buy cotton-padded clothes last year should prepare their money and have many varieties to choose from. Oh, and there are also some that praise them, saying that the Zhoushan King's men caused trouble in Gongzhou before, destroying many people's fields. The natives who migrated west bravely resisted, protected their homes, and even saved many local Han people. Now the natives and Han are one family, and they say that the natives are our brothers too!"
Others did not understand what he meant and only praised the natives for being righteous.
But Jingpin knew that the natives were unruly and difficult to tame, and that the Zhou Dynasty had never truly conquered them. They would sometimes submit to the emperor, and sometimes rebel, repeating this cycle for hundreds of years.
When they ran out of food, they would go down the mountain to rob. If they were beaten hard, they would hide in the mountains of Guizhou, where no one could do anything to them.
However, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao was able to control these natives. Not only did he persuade them to leave the natural seclusion of Qianshan, but he also persuaded them to move west with their families. Now they are willing to work for her and her Han people.
This is even more effective than taking a love potion.
If possible, Jingpin really wants to meet the legendary overlord of the southwest.
More importantly, this Southwestern overlord is a girl!
According to legend, the girl is not even eighteen years old!
I really don’t know how heroic she is in person.
Eunuch Na Luo's voice deepened. He frowned, watching and cursing, "You claim to be the legitimate heir of the late emperor! Yet you've done something worse than an animal!"
Someone nearby immediately came over, his expression changing slightly. Seeing everyone looking over nervously, he spoke, "The newspaper says that when Jinzhou Prefecture attacked Xiangzhou, they used a powerful weapon called a firearm, which they said was capable of breaking through even the most impregnable city walls. Prince Ming's men couldn't defeat them, so they kidnapped the city's inhabitants, forcing them to charge to the front lines, threatening the lives of their family members. General Jiang was furious and extremely disgusted with Prince Ming's actions. He was forced to stop using firearms, and the battle became stalemate. However, the prefect of Xiangzhou couldn't stand it any longer and simply ordered the people to open the city gates. That's when General Jiang captured Xiangzhou."
Everyone was terrified when they heard it.
Some people care about firearms, some care about the people of Xiangzhou, and some care about the casualties in Jinzhou Prefecture.
"A firearm that can penetrate a city wall? Are there really such powerful weapons in this world?"
"This Ming Wang is too vicious. He even doesn't let the common people go."
"When the Ming King was still in the palace, he was always polite and courteous to his servants. How did he become like this now?"
"That was all fake before."
"Letting unarmed civilians charge in the front, what's the difference between the Ming King and those Tartars in the north? He's so cruel to his own people, I wonder what the people over there are like."
Jingpin was also frightened.
It was only at this time that she learned about the situation outside through Datong Society.
Before, she only knew that His Majesty was worried about state affairs and often had disputes with the retired emperor, especially the time when General Zhao Yi accepted 5,000 cotton clothes donated by Jinzhou Prefecture and was almost charged with treason and collaborating with the enemy. His Majesty was worried day and night, but as a woman in the harem, she knew nothing about other situations in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Fortunately, Datong News Agency was well-informed, and this newspaper often delivered news, so she didn't have to be at a loss.
Jingpin took the newspaper and looked at it carefully. Eunuch Yang, who was serving her, came over and asked, "Friend Wang, do you have any ideas?"
Jingpin frowned slightly. "I see it says monthly. Does that mean it's published once a month?"
Eunuch Yang didn't know, and neither did Eunuch Luo, who was in charge of contacting his superiors.
She then asked, "How much does this newspaper cost in Jinzhou?"
The group of people still looked at her blankly.
Although Eunuch Naro kept saying that they were all equal, he still unconsciously showed some respect when facing Concubine Jing. "Does Mr. Wang think there's anything wrong?"
Jingpin shook her head. "I was just thinking that if the price of this newspaper is low enough and the print run is large enough, it will definitely spark a wave of reform."
"What do you mean by that?"
Jingpin, however, suppressed her expression. As a newcomer, she was not in a position to say much, so she smiled and said, "Nothing, just random thoughts."
If the number of copies is large enough, or even if everyone has a copy, wouldn't Ming Wang's reputation be completely ruined?
Information transmission was delayed in the Zhou Dynasty. When an epidemic broke out in the west two years ago, it was not known to the city of Bianliang until three or four months later, not to mention the people. If family members lived in the north and south respectively, they would probably not be able to communicate with each other many times in their lifetime.
I don’t know what the real intention of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao is in publishing a newspaper?
Is it just to ruin Ming Wang's reputation?
At this moment, Jingpin certainly didn't know that there was such a thing as public opinion warfare in this world.
But his sharp mind can also be seen from this.
Eunuch Yang asked, "Friend Luo Sheyou, did the higher-ups give you any mission this time?"
"No. The higher-ups just told us to protect ourselves and report any major incidents to her. We should just keep our identities hidden."
Eunuch Yang hesitated before speaking, "We've been members of the Datong Society for over a year now, but we've only heard of that leader and never seen him in person... We don't know who he is, or what his connection is to Jinzhou Prefecture."
Eunuch Luo gave him a sidelong glance, a look that was hard to tell whether it was a warning or a caution. "We all have a single line of communication. This is the safest way for both our superiors and us. But I can also tell you the truth: everything we do here is known to the man in Jinzhou Prefecture."
He lowered his voice again, speaking rather mysteriously: "Don't worry, everyone. The day that man from the southwest breaks through Bianjing City will be the day for us to establish our achievements."
Jingpin was moved when she heard this.
Make great achievements...
Can she do it too?
In fact, Jingpin had thought about betraying the emperor for a long, long time.
She didn't have much affection for the emperor, but she didn't hate him either.
Zhou Zhong was not a good husband to her. He was a bastard, his mother was not prominent, and he also had a powerful stepmother. Therefore, her life was not very happy.
Sometimes she even looked down on him.
As a man, he is timid and has no achievements. Apart from his noble status, good temper and tolerance, he has no other advantages to show off.
Even though Zhou Zhong didn't like her or value her, she had seen how Zhou Zhong and the Queen got along, and she felt that a man who loved his wife and children like that couldn't be a bad person.
Betraying such a man who was both her husband and her king was extremely painful for her.
But then she changed her mind and thought, the deep love between husband and wife belongs to the emperor and empress, who is she? Moreover, how Zhou Zhong was held hostage by the retired emperor to ascend to the throne was well known to everyone.
Just the fact that the military power of the imperial guards is still in the hands of the retired emperor is enough to show that Zhou Mian has never given up his desire for the throne.
If not today, then tomorrow, sooner or later these two father and son will fight for the throne and get hurt.
Even a life-and-death struggle.
She and Zhou Zhong had no feelings for each other, so there was no need for her to follow him to death.
Now that the dead end has come, she has to plan for herself.
After much thought, it seemed that in the current three-way situation, only the one from Jinzhou Prefecture had the greatest chance of winning and was the most worth her gamble.
If there is a reason, there is only one.
That is, that person is a girl.
Being able to provide a place for a woman like her to stay and even allow her to go out and work.
She never wants to be trapped in a small space again in her life.
——————————————————
While they were gathering, Zhou Zhong returned to the Queen's palace in anger.
The eunuch pinched his throat and shouted: "Your Majesty has arrived——"
Zhou Zhong couldn't help feeling upset. He pushed aside the pearl curtain in front of him with his hand, then quickly walked up to Queen Yuan Chun.
The queen looked up and saw that he was furious. She waved her hand and asked all the eunuchs and maids in the room to leave. Then she saw the man grab the teacup on the table.
A female voice rang out faintly, "Your Majesty, that tea bowl is from the Yuxi official kiln, and it costs ten taels of silver each."
Zhou Zhong angrily said, "I am the emperor of a country, don't I even have ten taels of silver?"
The queen covered her face and smiled. Although she had given birth to two children and her figure had become plump, her face was more gentle and brighter. "The children are still sleeping in the back."
Zhou Zhong's chest heaved. When he mentioned the two children, the anger on his face subsided a little, but he still put the tea bowl heavily on the table.
The queen got down from the heated kang, walked to Zhou Zhong, and held out her hand to warm his. "Look at you, you walked all the way here without an umbrella."
Zhou Zhong pulled his hand away angrily, sat down, and sulked like a child.
Seeing this, Yuan Chun asked, "Are you arguing with father again?"
Facing his closest relatives, Zhou Zhong finally let down his guard and shouted angrily, "Father is so arrogant! Today in the court, he said that the national treasury is at a low point this year and he's worried that military pay will be difficult to pay. He proposed cutting back on expenses in both the harem and the front hall. But I just heard from Eunuch Luo that Father has taken in several concubines in the other courtyards and spends money like water every day, feasting on wine and women. Everything he eats and drinks is paid for by the soldiers of the Great Zhou! How can he say that my harem is extravagant? It's ridiculous!"
Yuan Chun sighed.
Ever since Zhou Zhong became the emperor, he has been walking on thin ice, like a puppet, controlled by his father.
But after sitting in that position for a long time, enjoying the worship from all directions and holding the power of life and death over everyone in the Zhou Dynasty, even someone as cowardly as Zhou Zhong once was, now has developed a sense of dignity.
Therefore, the longer Zhou Zhong succeeded to the throne, the deeper the conflict between father and son became.
What's more, there is an outstanding eldest brother who is watching closely.
Yuan Chun naturally didn't dare to say these words. She could only let them go in one ear and out the other when Zhou Zhong complained.
"How ridiculous! I am the Emperor of the Great Zhou!" Zhou Zhong grabbed the teacup again, but this time he didn't intend to smash it on the ground. "Even if he is my father, now that I have succeeded to the throne, he should no longer dictate government affairs! Now that I have reviewed the memorials from the Secretariat, they are being sent to his palace. Who is the Emperor of the Great Zhou between me and him?!"
"Let's not talk about the distant past. Let's just say that this prince wanted to give the Holy Mother the title of Eastern Queen Mother, but he actually said that the East is superior, the West is inferior, and the legitimate mother is superior, so how can we not distinguish between the superior and the inferior? What's even more infuriating is that half of the ministers in the court actually agreed with him! I think the distinction between the superior and the inferior is fake, and the real reason is that he wants to be the emperor himself!"
Empress Yuan Chun was startled and turned pale. She immediately covered his mouth and said, "Your Majesty, be careful with your words!"
She looked around again and said, "This palace of mine may not be as hard as an iron barrel."
Zhou Zhong grabbed her hand with such emotion that it almost hurt her. "Chun'er, if I ever lose my head, it must be my father's doing! If the court hadn't been leaderless and the old ministers hadn't been wary of him, he wouldn't have chosen me as emperor! Now he controls the Imperial Guards and the 50,000 cavalry, and he's still refusing to let go. This shows how ambitious he is!"
Empress Yuan Chun was horrified, tears of fear filling her eyes. "Your Majesty, how could you say such a thing?! If anything happened to you, what would happen to me and my two children? Has it really come to this?"
"Yes." Zhou Zhong seemed to have regained some consciousness. "If I die, he will definitely not let our Qian'er go. He is still so young—no, no, my father will not spare my life. From the moment I ascended the throne, I knew that I would not be able to sit on the throne for long… Since I didn't want to sit on this position in the first place, but he insisted on letting me sit on it, then now that he doesn't want me to sit on it, I must sit on it firmly—"
Listening to Zhou Zhong's intermittent words that sounded like a dream, Empress Yuan Chun was terrified. She was just a woman in the deep palace and her family background was not prominent. Even though she knew that her family had been pushed into the fire pit, she could do nothing.
She knew that Zhou Zhong had never been happy since he ascended the throne.
He was burdened with worries every day and even tossed and turned at night, unable to fall asleep.
"Chun'er, remember...if anything happens to me, go find Zhao Yi in the north!"
Empress Yuan Chun's eyes were filled with tears. "Your Majesty, has it really come to this? What about the ministers in the court? Is there not a single one who dares to speak out and give advice?"
Zhou Zhong, however, continued, "Two years ago, Zhao Yi accepted 5,000 cotton-padded clothes from the Jinzhou Prefecture. He was accused of treason by my father and his party. I maneuvered between them, even going so far as to break up with him, to barely save Zhao Yi and his entire family. I saved his life, and he once sent me a secret letter, promising his loyalty. If anything happens to me, you should go find him!"
"Oh, Zhao Yi is also stupid. He has been busy with military affairs all his life, and he is completely unfazed by the open and covert attacks in the court. He has no idea that whether or not to accept the supplies from Jinzhou Prefecture is not important. What is important is that the emperor wants to reclaim the military power in the north and insert his own people. Zhao Yi also doesn't know that I am protecting him only because I don't want the emperor to become too powerful. And yet he keeps calling me the Holy Lord. Isn't that ridiculous?"
"Your Majesty, wherever you are, I will be there! I have been married to you since I was sixteen, and it has been twelve years now! We are one as one, and if anything were to happen to you, I would not live alone!"
"Zhao Yi still has an army of 200,000. If he also has rebellious intentions... you can take the child..." Zhou Chong thought about it and finally smiled bitterly, "You can go to Jinzhou Prefecture!"
Yuan Chun shuddered and looked at him in disbelief.
"Chun'er, I'm not crazy. I'm perfectly clear-headed. I know he can't wait any longer..." Zhou Zhong wore a desperate yet calm smile. "Most of the Zhou family are heartless and untrustworthy. Only the one in Jinzhou Prefecture behaves like a gentleman. If you were forced into a desperate situation and surrendered to Jinzhou Prefecture with the entire court, I'm sure he wouldn't abandon you. I've already sent people to inquire about her, and she... is truly a man of her word... She's more trustworthy than the Zhou family."
Empress Yuan Chun's tears streamed down her face. Listening to Zhou Chongru's words that sounded like he was giving instructions for his funeral, she felt heartbroken.
Although some things had been anticipated, she never expected this day to come so soon.
She always had a hope in her heart that maybe after Zhou Chong came to power, with the assistance of his former ministers, he would be able to fight against his father.
It's just that she doesn't have a capable maternal clan——
If her family had been more powerful, they wouldn't be so passive.
Empress Yuan Chun held her husband's hand, sobbing uncontrollably, but Zhou Zhong gently wiped her tears and said, "Why are you crying? It's not certain yet."
"Your Majesty, since Father wants to be Emperor...can't he just give it to him?"
Zhou Zhong shook his head. "Chun'er, you don't know what kind of person my father is. The Zhou family has always been heartless. He hid the accusation of adultery against the late empress dowager, but when we entered the capital, he killed Zhu Ci and burned the young emperor to death. His methods were so cruel and his heart was so tough. How could you and I be his opponents? Not to mention that the military power of Bianjing City is still firmly in his hands. What kind of emperor is he without an army? He is just a puppet. In fact, we are already at the end of the road. It all depends on whether God is willing to stand on my side -"
Zhou Zhong grabbed Empress Yuan Chun's hand again and said, "Chun'er, you must promise me that even if something happens to me, you will take care of the two children and keep them alive. They are still so young and cannot live without a mother."
Empress Yuan Chun's voice trembled as she asked, "What if...what if...father refuses to let the children go?"
"I suspect that if he gets rid of me, either my eldest brother, who is so arrogant, will take the throne, or he will hold our Qian'er hostage as regent and replace him with someone obedient to continue to be his puppet."
Zhou Zhong lowered his voice when he said this, a ruthless look in his eyes, "Even a clay figure still has some life left in him, let alone a living being like me! I will never let Qian'er suffer the same fate as me! If my eldest brother succeeds to the throne, you will only have one way to go, which is to go to Jinzhou Prefecture."
Empress Yuan Chun was puzzled. "Why? Didn't His Majesty tell us to go north to find General Zhao Yi?"
"Zhao Yi is a foolishly loyal man. He recognizes not me, but the legitimate emperor of the Zhou Dynasty. As long as it's not my father who seizes the throne, even if it's my eldest brother, he will still recognize him as the legitimate one. Therefore, if my eldest brother seizes the throne, you will have no choice but to seek refuge in Jinzhou Prefecture."
Yuan Chun's voice choked with sobs, "Is the Queen willing to take on this hot potato of ours?"
"Why not? After all, Qian'er is the crown prince of the Zhou Dynasty. This identity still has some uses. Isn't it said that the queen is a genius? She will naturally know how to use Qian'er."
Empress Yuan Chun couldn't help crying loudly. Even if she defected to the enemy, she still couldn't escape the fate of being used by others.
"Don't cry. Falling into her hands is better than falling into the hands of the Zhou family. People who are not useful have no value in living."
Empress Yuan Chun sobbed and nodded, then tearfully asked, "What if Father wants to hold Qian'er hostage and continue to be a puppet emperor?"
"That's easy." Zhou Zhong smiled strangely. "As long as Qian'er becomes the emperor, you will be the queen mother in power. You can take Qian'er and the civil officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty and surrender directly to Jinzhou Prefecture!"
Empress Yuan Chun's face turned pale. "Your Majesty... this is the foundation of the Great Zhou Dynasty for over three hundred years!"
"What's the point of a foundation of more than three hundred years?" Zhou Zhong sneered, "All of us fight over it, but in the end, I'm afraid all we'll get is the title of a king who has lost his country."
Empress Yuan Chun's heart began to beat fast when she heard this.
Women in the harem were not allowed to interfere in politics, so she did not know what was happening in the Great Zhou Dynasty. The only thing she knew was that the Great Zhou Dynasty was at war everywhere and was indeed facing internal and external troubles. However, the word "national destruction" still shocked her so much that she was speechless for a long time.
Since ancient times, few kings who lost their country had a good ending. Unfortunately, she did not have a powerful maternal family, but had a young son.
Yes, if something really happened to Zhou Zhong, how could they, an orphan and a widow, have a good life?
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