Seeing the girl's great interest, the maid reminded her, "That dog is quite large and looks a bit fierce. You should be careful."
Wan Jinlan didn't care at all. She had seen the dog of King Guangling named "Fatty". It was fat and strong, with four eyes, and looked really fierce. She had expected Diandian's size.
Diandian, who was waiting in the yard, broke free from the servants of the palace and ran towards her happily the moment she saw Wan Jinlan.
The dog stood up on its front legs, and its front hooves could reach her shoulders.
The maid following behind her screamed in fear, "Miss, be careful."
Chuntao was also frightened, but she was relieved when she saw Diandian being affectionate with the young lady. "This dog is really smart. After half a year, it still remembers the young lady."
Wan Jinlan stroked the fluffy fur and smiled, "If it doesn't remember me, then I was so kind to it in vain."
Diandian hummed and hawed.
Now Diandian's legs have become very strong, the hair on his body is fluffy and clean, white with black and gray, both ears stand up straight, and he is very cute when he tilts his head to look at people.
Two days after the envoys from the small southwestern country arrived in Beijing, the envoys from the northern Rong also arrived in Beijing.
The emperor entrusted the task of entertaining the envoys to Prince Duan, Huitongguan and the Ministry of Rites.
Neither Prince An nor Prince Shun got this job, and they became more wary of Prince Duan.
At the same time, Beirong submitted a letter requesting to marry the princess of Wei. If Wei agreed, Beirong would offer 3,000 high-quality horses.
The horses of the Northern Rong are very strong, can run long distances, have great explosive power, are brave and fearless on the battlefield, and can travel thousands of miles a day. The Great Wei has been coveting the Northern Rong's horse breed for a long time.
Before the Northern Rong envoys arrived in Beijing, Concubine Wan asked Emperor Jian'an to grant a marriage between Princess Anyang and Zhou Shi'an. However, Emperor Jian'an delayed the Northern Rong envoys' arrival on the grounds that there was no urgency and he still had to investigate Zhou Shi'an.
Concubine Wan Guifei was so anxious recently that she had blisters on her lips. She was extremely worried that Emperor Jian'an was planning to marry Princess Anyang to a foreign prince. If Emperor Jian'an really had such a plan, she would rather give up her position as a concubine than let her only child go to marry.
There was a fierce debate in the court about the marriage.
The Duke of Zhenguo and most of the military generals strongly opposed it.
The Duke of Zhenguo rarely showed his sharp edge in the court.
First, Princess Anyang was his sister's only bloodline. Second, since ancient times, marrying a princess to a barbarian land was a practice reserved for declining dynasties. Their Great Wei was wealthy and powerful. The Northern Rong, the forerunners of the Northern Rong, were merely nomadic peoples on the grasslands, posing little threat to the Wei. Sacrificing the princess for peace wasn't the right path. Marrying the princess would suggest weakness and was unacceptable. Enemies should be intimidated and terrified, deterring them from further aggression. This marriage proposal was merely a test; how could they be so easily agreed to?
Those who supported the marriage were almost all civil officials. If a woman was married off, it would promote peace between the two countries and avoid war, which would be a good thing for both the country and the people. If a war broke out, the people would suffer.
The military generals scolded the civil officials for having no integrity and no courage, while the civil officials scolded the military generals for being brainless and only showing off their bravery.
Somehow, what happened in the court suddenly spread to the people, and Princess Anyang also became known to the people.
People in the streets all said that Princess Anyang enjoyed the support of her family and the country, but was unwilling to serve the country when she should have. Even the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion was criticized, and the Duke of Zhenguo, who did not support the marriage and was unwilling to let his niece marry, was also regarded as a person with ulterior motives.
The rumor suddenly spread like wildfire.
There must be someone behind the scenes manipulating this, and they are specifically targeting the government office.
The Duke of Zhenguo has been an official for many years. Although he has been in the army in recent years, he has a lot of wisdom and strategies.
He checked the source of the rumors and found that they pointed to the Wang and Chen families, both of which were involved.
So he openly arrested several people who spread rumors and brought them to court.
In the court, the Duke of Zhenguo openly confronted the person who spread the rumors with an unyielding spirit, and recounted in a resounding voice the sons and subordinates of the Duke of Zhenguo who had sacrificed their lives for the country over the past hundred years.
Finally, he stated that since he was receiving a salary from the court and donning armor, he was prepared to die for his country. Even ordinary people wouldn't want their daughters to marry far away, let alone marry them to a barbarian land. The Wei Kingdom was rich and powerful, so it was far from the point of marrying off a princess. Even if he had selfish motives, it was human nature that he didn't want the princess to marry off. Why did he become a person with ulterior motives among the common people?
What was said in the court soon spread throughout the streets and alleys.
The common people knew very little about what was happening in the court, and most of them just followed what others said. The achievements of the Zhenguo Mansion were there, and the words of the Zhenguo Duke were reasonable. The previously rampant rumors finally died down, and the damaged reputation of the Mansion was restored. The image of the Zhenguo Duke's loyalty was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
Princess Anyang, who was condemned by the people, is no longer insulted by people on the streets.
Others used conspiracy to discredit the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, but the Duke of Zhenguo directly used open conspiracy to crush the conspiracy of the Wang and Chen families.
On the second day after the person who spread the rumors was brought to court, the Duke of Zhenguo submitted a memorial to accuse the Wang and Chen families. The memorial was well-reasoned and even clearly identified the servants in the Wang and Chen mansions who spread the rumors.
The Duke of Zhenguo has always been thorough in his work. Whenever he takes action, he always has complete reasons and evidence, leaving no room for criticism.
Both families were reprimanded by the emperor and lost face in the court.
The court officials looked at the three princes standing in front of them and knew that it was another fight among the princes' parties. In the past, the Duke of Zhenguo did not participate, but now that Prince Duan was highly valued by the emperor, the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion would probably not be quiet in the future.
Concubine Wan in the palace felt relieved, but also worried.
To clear the reputation of the Duke's mansion, my brother has publicly displayed the Wan family's achievements before the people, claiming that the Great Wei Kingdom is rich and powerful, and that it is far from the point of marrying the princess off. This, in turn, is putting Your Majesty in a difficult position. If Your Majesty insists on marrying the princess off, what will the people of the world say about him?
This move is always inappropriate. It would be suspected of oppressing the emperor with favors, and would make Your Majesty wary. The dignity of an emperor cannot be challenged.
Concubine Wan was awake in the middle of the night. She lay on the couch with her eyes open. Later, she stood up with her hair loose, ordered the palace maid to light the lamp, and then asked the palace maid to leave and guard outside.
She couldn't guess the emperor's thoughts, nor did she want to guess. Since it concerned her only daughter, she would not pin her hopes on the almighty emperor.
She wrote a letter at her desk and sealed it in a silver hairpin with a carved exterior and a hollow interior. The next day, she summoned Wan Jinlan into the palace.
Anyang has been under house arrest in the imperial farm recently, and Wan Jinlan brings the dog to keep her company every day.
My aunt asked about Anyang's recent situation and felt relieved when she learned that she didn't know what was happening outside.
"You have been thoughtful these days. Take these clothes and jewelry to Anyang."
"Jinlan, come here. Auntie has a silver hairpin that I think suits you perfectly. Put it on you."
Wan Jinlan didn't doubt it, he stood up and walked closer before squatting down.
My aunt has a faint fragrance on her body, like the cool scent of plum blossoms, which smells very nice.
The words that came to her ears made her startled. Then she stood up with a normal expression, picked up the bronze mirror, looked at herself, and said with a smile: "Aunt has excellent taste. Jinlan likes it very much."
A smile appeared in Concubine Wan's eyes. "I'm glad you like it. When you enter the palace, don't forget to pay your respects to the Empress Dowager."
Wan Jinlan naturally responded readily.
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