2 Background
Gu Ningxi smiled bitterly, "Prince Zhao's unprecedented achievements have long since reached the point where there are no more rewards or titles to be accorded."
The edict was so elegant that those who were attentive can still remember a few of its sentences.
The Secretariat has leaked the news that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao will arrive in Beijing at the beginning of next month.
Everyone pondered that the Crown Prince was the foundation of the nation and would not be deposed or enthroned lightly. Gu Zhushi had the Crown Prince's protection, but it was unclear how far the Crown Prince was willing to go for him.
The current dispute over the succession to the throne in the imperial court is still unclear, but when it comes to the Xuanping Marquis Mansion, the Gu family's dispute over the heir apparent is already on the surface.
Although Gu Ningxi was the eldest son of Marquis Xuanping, he was the son of Madam Meng, who came from the countryside. This past affair of Marquis Xuanping was known to almost everyone in Kyoto.
When Marquis Xuanping was leading his troops to war, his deputy general mutinied and he was seriously injured and stranded in the countryside. By chance, he was rescued by Madam Meng. He claimed that he had been kidnapped by pirates and deliberately concealed his identity.
During wartime, household registration was difficult to find. The Meng family was kindhearted, and since their eldest son had died of illness, there were no adult males left in the family. Therefore, the Mengs spent half of their family wealth to carefully care for the man their daughter had rescued, intending to recruit him as a son-in-law.
Later, when Marquis Xuanping recovered from his illness and returned to Beijing, he made some promises to the Meng family, but the Meng family even raised enough money for him to travel.
Two years later, Madam Meng waited for no news from Marquis Xuanping, but her hometown was hit by a flood. During the escape, Madam Meng was separated from her family and had no one to rely on, so she had to go to the capital to find her husband.
The journey was initially difficult, but perhaps by divine intervention, Madam Meng encountered Empress Yao, who was traveling from Jinyang to the capital. Madam Meng showed her the marriage certificate and the jade pendant left by her husband. Empress Yao, kind-hearted, took her with her to the capital and personally escorted her to the outside of Gu's residence.
It was not until then that Mrs. Meng learned that her husband was actually the eldest son of the Marquis's Mansion, and that he was already engaged to the eldest daughter of the Earl's Mansion, and the wedding would be completed soon.
The Gu and Meng families have a huge gap in social status. If Madam Meng comes alone, the Marquis's Mansion can easily send her away as a concubine.
But Queen Yao happened to encounter this incident, and the marriage certificate left by Prince Gu was also conclusive evidence.
This incident caused an uproar in the city, and the Gu family was in a difficult situation. Even the emperor personally intervened.
At that time, Your Majesty was still the Prince of Jin. Although he married Zhen, the legitimate daughter of the Prince of Zhending, as his princess, he still had deep feelings for his first wife, Yao.
After he proclaimed himself King of Jin, he brought his wife from his hometown to the capital, intending to have two concubines. The Gu family incident happened at the right time and was a good opportunity to build momentum.
The Marquis Xuanping's residence, understanding their master's wishes, arranged for the marriage of Meng and Shen to take place simultaneously in palanquins carried by eight men. The Crown Prince now had two legitimate wives, with no distinction of seniority in status. While the Earl's residence resented the fact that the eldest daughter was treated on equal terms with a rural woman, they dared not disobey the wishes of the Prince of Jin and the Marquis's residence.
In the rear quarters of Marquis Xuanping's mansion, the two ladies were addressed by their surnames. Madam Meng had only one son, Gu Ningxi, while Madam Chen had one son and one daughter.
Although the title of the principal wife has been relinquished, Madam Shen and the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion will never give up the position of the crown prince.
How could the Meng family, with its influence, compare to the Earl's Mansion? Everyone speculated secretly, no wonder Lord Gu had chosen to join the Eastern Palace so early, leveraging the Crown Prince's influence to fight for the throne.
…
After drinking half a cup of tea, they waited for the Shangshu to arrive as scheduled and then began to discuss matters in the hall.
The renovation of Prince Zhao's residence has been the Ministry of Works' most pressing task since the beginning of last winter, and the Minister of State has emphasized this matter. Especially since Prince Zhao will be returning to court soon, there can be no room for sloppiness.
The two officials were solely responsible for Prince Zhao's palace affairs, leaving them unable to handle other trivial matters. Therefore, the Minister of Works appointed Gu Ningxi as the new official, assigning him the task of building the embankment outside the city.
"I understand." Gu Ningxi bowed and went to retrieve the necessary files later.
The Minister of Works at the top nodded slightly. Although he was born into a noble family, Master Gu still had some real talent and was not the kind of person who would just do his job perfunctorily.
Several matters were arranged, and around 9:00 p.m., everyone in the hall dispersed.
Gu Ningxi knew that his colleagues' attitudes towards him had changed several times recently, but he had no time to pay attention to it for the time being.
It was another busy day. When she left the Ministry of Works in the afterglow of the setting sun, it was already more than an incense stick later than the scheduled time to leave.
Without having time to bring some of his mother's favorite cakes, Gu Ningxi ordered the carriage to go straight back to the Xuanping Marquis Mansion.
She never brought the turmoil in the outer court back to her mother's Qinlan Courtyard.
After all, such a huge mansion is already troublesome enough.
The third branch of the Gu family had not yet separated. My grandfather had been ill since he joined Emperor Taizu in his rebellion years earlier, and he had been given a nominal position and was now living at home. The Gu family was now headed by the eldest branch, and with the three branches living together in one house, it was naturally a lively place.
In early spring, the cymbidium orchids in Qinlan Courtyard have not yet bloomed.
"Mother."
Gu Ningxi greeted her. Madam Meng hadn't seen her for seven or eight days. After looking her up and down, she said with concern, "Why do you look so haggard? Is there any trouble at court?"
"It was windy last night, so I didn't sleep well." Gu Ningxi said with a smile, "Mother, I'm hungry."
Except for the New Year holidays, the eldest sons of the family always ate separately, and Gu Ningxi accompanied his mother to eat in the Qinlan Courtyard.
Knowing she was coming, Madam Meng had already instructed the kitchen to prepare a few new dishes. Qinlan Courtyard had spent some extra money, and the kitchen was quite attentive.
"This is red date and black chicken soup. It's been simmered for two hours. Come and try it."
Madam Meng always felt sorry for her daughter, who was still so young and had to dress up as a man to run around in the court. Were the people in the court easy to get along with?
But she was powerless and could not change the Marquis's decision.
When she was pregnant with Xi'er, the second house had already given birth to a grandson, who was quite beloved by the old man. On the other hand, in the first house, besides the eldest daughter born to Madam Shen, there were already three or four other illegitimate daughters, but no boy was born yet.
Rumors had been swirling for years, saying that the title of the eldest son would soon be lost. As she grew older, the Marquis decided that no matter whether the baby was a boy or a girl, it would be announced as a son.
Xier took on the responsibility and became the eldest son of the marquis's family.
Even if Madam Shen gave birth to a legitimate son a year later, Xier's identity could not be changed after all.
Over the years, Xi'er gradually grew up. Most girls her age were already engaged, so how could Madam Meng not be anxious? She couldn't afford to let her daughter assume the status of a legitimate son and delay her marriage for the rest of her life.
Last month, she finally found an opportunity to bring up the matter with the Marquis, but the Marquis simply said, "Ning Xi is of the Gu family's bloodline, so of course I have plans for her. Let's not talk about this again."
The Marquis left without finishing his dinner, and Madam Meng was at a loss as to what to do.
Gu Ningxi served food to her mother and comforted her, "I feel very good now."
Although she knew that the Marquis' Mansion was using her to pave the way for his third brother, being in the court was far better for her than being confined in the harem.
Besides... Gu Ningxi smiled. Only by serving as an official in the court could she have the opportunity to realize her wish.
Perhaps if the crown prince succeeds to the throne, this matter will be easier to accomplish.
She sighed and thought back to her dream.
…
Gu Ningxi's residence in the Marquis' Mansion was called Leyouyuan. Every time he came back, his mother would ask someone to clean it in advance.
The bedding had all been freshly dried in the sun. The maid Chuntao, who was making the bed, smiled and said, "Madam heard that Master has been having trouble sleeping lately, so she sent some calming incense. Would you like me to add some for Master?"
Tomorrow is a day off, Gu Ningxi nodded in agreement.
The moonlight shone through the window pane like water, and the fragrance lingered in the air, allowing the person on the couch to have a good night's sleep.
After getting enough rest, Gu Ningxi changed into a moon-white round-necked brocade robe the next day and left the house at 9:00 a.m. to keep the appointment.
As usual, they met at the elegant house on the second floor of Qingming Tea House. Gu Ningxi arrived early and ordered a pot of tea.
The window of the corridor was half open, and I could hear the storyteller on the first floor of the teahouse starting to sing.
Gu Ningxi listened attentively. The story was about Prince Zhao's victory in capturing two kings at Sishui Pass. This scene had become quite popular in Kyoto recently, and it was no exaggeration to say that everyone knew it.
"Have you been waiting long?"
Gu Ningxi raised her eyes and saw her cousin. She smiled and shook her head: "I ordered a pot of Biluochun." She originally wanted to come out and relax, so she left the house early.
Meng Ting sat down opposite her and didn't care what kind of tea he drank.
Gu Ningxi poured tea for his cousin. His mother had been separated from her maternal grandparents, and for years, there had been no news of her family. He had given up hope, but he had never imagined his cousin would be so capable, achieving military success during the Southern Expedition and earning the rank of Fifth-Rank General Yunwei.
Gu Ningxi met his cousin in the court and quickly confirmed their identities. His mother was overjoyed when she heard the news, and the Xuanping Marquisate readily acknowledged this relative.
My grandfather and uncle are both deceased, so my cousin is the pillar of the Meng family. He bought a house in Kyoto and brought my grandmother and aunt to the capital to spend their remaining years there two years ago.
After more than ten years, Mrs. Meng met her mother and sister-in-law again, and cried with joy as they hugged each other.
Although Gu Ningxi had never met his cousin since childhood, perhaps due to their kinship, the two quickly became familiar with each other.
When my cousin came of age, General Sun, who taught him military strategy, gave him a courtesy name.
These were the two words that King Zhao called out in the dream, "Mingxuan".
Logically speaking, King Zhao should not know his cousin's courtesy name.
Gu Ningxi shook her head unconsciously, realizing what she was thinking. This was just a dream, and she was trying to reason with him in it.
"What's wrong?" Meng Ting asked with concern.
"I was just thinking about Prince Zhao's return to the capital."
Gu Ningxi never had to hide too much in front of her cousin. To her, he was far more trustworthy than her brothers in the Gu family who had the same surname.
The same was true for Meng Ting. He knew a little about what was going on in the Xuanping Marquis's mansion, especially the fact that Ning Xi was disguised as a man, which his aunt had never concealed from him.
The storyteller in the audience was talking about the key point of the battlefield. Folk news spread by word of mouth always has the tendency to be exaggerated.
To this day, Gu Ningxi still hasn't learned the full story of the war. Naturally, the Eastern Palace has only spoken a few words, fearing to overstate Prince Zhao's achievements.
Since they parted three years ago, Gu Ningxi has been deliberately avoiding news about him.
"Cousin, tell me about it," she said.
"Okay." As a military general, Meng Ting had more unique insights into this world-famous battle.
Facing Gu Ningxi, he tried his best to explain the battle in a concise and easy-to-understand manner: "Prince Zhao's campaign was originally to capture Prince Xingman of Luoyang."
Wang Xingman raised an army during the chaotic times, occupied the land of Henan, proclaimed himself King of Zheng, and commanded an army of over 200,000.
"Luoyang City is the ancient capital of three dynasties. It's guarded by a hundred thousand elite soldiers and has ample provisions, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack." Meng Ting dipped his fingertips in the tea and drew a simple map on the table. "Your Highness Prince Zhao didn't attack head-on. Instead, he deployed surprise attacks along the way, seizing the granaries and citadels surrounding Luoyang City and sealing off the northern bank of the Yellow River. Last autumn, he formed a siege on Luoyang City."
Luoyang became an isolated city, and many generals fled out of the city gates and surrendered. It was only a matter of time before Luoyang was captured.
Just at this time, Wang Xingman secretly sent an envoy out of the capital and offered a large sum of money to ask for help from King Xia Liu Jianan.
The people of Hebei are all loyal and righteous, and Liu Jianan was afraid that if one of them were to be killed, he would suffer the consequences, so he led 100,000 elite troops to come to their rescue.
The storyteller slammed the gavel. "But Wang Xingman is still holding out in Luoyang, and the Xia army is approaching. Your Highness, Prince Zhao, is caught in a dilemma. If he doesn't withdraw, he will be surrounded by the armies of Zheng and Xia, and attacked from both sides. But if he withdraws, the battle of Luoyang will be in vain, and I'm afraid there will never be such a good opportunity again."
King Zhao's generals were divided into two factions, arguing endlessly about whether to withdraw the troops.
Meng Ting said, "The military situation was urgent. King Zhao ordered his soldiers to continue the siege of Luoyang with all their strength, while he himself mobilized the Black Armor Army and rushed to Sishui Pass to fight Liu Jianan. His Highness King Zhao led 3,500 cavalrymen to defeat the 100,000-strong Xia army, and Liu Jianan surrendered."
Seeing his reinforcements taken prisoner, Wang Xingman, besieged from both within and without, quickly surrendered. King Zhao captured both kings in one battle, pacified the Central Plains, and gained widespread fame.
The situation in Kyoto is in turmoil again. Ning Xi is in the middle of it, and Meng Ting knows her difficulties.
She often seemed to be worried lately, and Meng Ting wanted to cheer her up, so he picked some light-hearted things to talk about.
"Upon hearing that Liu Jianan had surrendered, King Zhao ordered his soldiers to tie him up and bring him before him. He demanded, 'I came here to capture Wang Xingman; your business is none of yours. Why have you crossed the border and challenged my forces?' Can you guess what Liu Jianan said?"
"How is it?" Gu Ningxi raised his eyes and gave his cousin some face.
Meng Ting cleared his throat and imitated the man's words: "If I didn't come, wouldn't you have to trouble me to go all the way north to get it?"
With a "puff", Gu Ningxi laughed softly.
King Liu Jianan of Xia was flexible and adaptable, and could be considered a hero of his time.
The storyteller finished his performance, but the teahouse was still bustling with activity.
Meng Ting was of similar age to King Zhao, and he was filled with emotion that there was such a rare genius among his peers.
"In the battle of Sishui Pass, Prince Zhao achieved results that others might not have achieved in thirty years." Meng Ting was genuinely curious. "I just wonder how Your Majesty will reward Prince Zhao this time."
Half of the country was conquered by Prince Zhao. Gu Ningxi smiled bitterly, "Prince Zhao's unprecedented achievements have long been beyond reward and title."
Now, only the last throne of the Eastern Palace is left, and even—
The throne of the Great Jin Dynasty.
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