Chapter 147: Great Victory in the Southwest
What a shameless little girl! How dare you jump out and criticize her, the imperial concubine, in public!
Meng Yan glanced at Madam Liang and the second daughter, Liang Yanhua. Madam Liang looked normal, but the corners of her lips curled up slightly, as if she was pleased. Liang Yanhua, on the other hand, was embarrassed and ashamed, lowering her head even more fiercely, as if she wanted to dig a hole in the ground to crawl into.
It seems that Liang Chunrong is very favored in the Liang Mansion's backyard. She must have tried her best to please and flatter her stepmother.
She is a clever girl who is very good at observing people's expressions and judging the situation. Her aptitude is even higher than that of her elder sister.
However, the more she acted like this, the less Madam Liang would feel comfortable letting her enter the palace.
If I let her out to bite someone, if I lose control and get furious, she's just a lowly concubine's daughter with no rank, and at worst I'll send her to the family temple and confine her.
In this way, Madam Liang not only eliminated the stumbling block that might hinder Liang Chengbi in the future, but also made Concubine Meng lose her composure in public. It was a good strategy that killed two birds with one stone.
From this perspective, Liang Chunrong has some cleverness but no wisdom, and is a fool.
As Liang Chunrong finished speaking, several voices rang out, "That's right. When I was in the mansion, I often heard our master say that the court is in a difficult situation now, and the palace should save as much as possible. At this critical juncture, the imperial concubine held a flower viewing party. I wonder what her intention is?" "That's right, two days ago, I heard from the servants in the mansion that there were poor families in the suburbs of Beijing whose entire family died of illness. I felt scared and pity when I heard it. Although we women can't do anything, we should be more content. Coming out to appreciate flowers and have tea, aren't we just adding to the chaos?"
Meng Yan heard this and was not surprised at all.
The husbands of these women are all members of the Liang family, so they will naturally lend their support at this time.
Someone echoed this, and Liang Chunrong was even more proud. She was so happy that her eyebrows danced with joy. She said, "Please give me some guidance, Your Majesty."
Meng Yan didn't say anything at first, but just looked at the empress dowager.
Empress Dowager Jiang's eyes were sparkling and she smiled without saying a word. She already knew in her heart that the Empress Dowager had handed the entire scene over to her.
She smiled faintly, ignoring Liang Chunrong for the moment, and went straight to Madam Liang, "Madam Liang, I had no idea that this was the family tradition in the inner chambers of the Prime Minister. The Liang family is truly benevolent and kind, to allow a bastard girl to be so outspoken and bold."
As soon as the words came out, some of the women in the room started to snicker.
There are those who are on good terms with the Liang family, and there are also those who are at odds with them.
Furthermore, apart from the ladies of high rank, all the unmarried women attending the banquet today were legitimate daughters of wealthy families. Yet, the Liang family had brought along two illegitimate daughters, treating them as equals. These ladies of noble birth, each proud of their status, wouldn't show it on their faces, but they were certainly unhappy inside.
Meng Yan grasped this point and took the lead in attacking Old Madam Liang, implying that the Liang family had a bad tradition and no rules.
She couldn't get along with Liang Chunrong, and if she dealt with this little girl seriously, it would be a loss of her status.
As expected, all the women in the hall felt happy and relieved after hearing her words, and they also developed a sense of closeness to the imperial concubine.
Madam Liang was a little embarrassed and forced a smile. "I'm sorry to make the Imperial Concubine laugh at me, but this is the way things are in my house. Although these two girls are not my own, they have always been smart and filial, and our master loves them very much."
At present, she still needs Liang Chunrong, so she has to support this concubine's daughter.
Meng Yan smiled, then stood up and walked to the hall, saying to everyone, "Today, I am holding this flower viewing party at the order of the Empress Dowager, partly to appease the people. Although the court is currently facing a turbulent time, the current emperor is a wise ruler, a true dragon sitting on the throne, and with the protection of heaven, he will surely lead the people of the Great Zhou through this difficult time."
Before he could finish his words, someone lowered their voice and said, "Such auspicious words are just for fooling the ignorant masses. But this imperial concubine is probably relying on such sweet talk to curry favor with the emperor, isn't she?"
Meng Yan smiled faintly, pretending not to hear, and continued, "This morning, I got up and went out to look at the sky. I saw that the red sun had risen, and a bright moon was hanging in the western sky..."
Before she had finished speaking, several people whispered, "The sun and the moon shine together!"
Meng Yan nodded and smiled, "Indeed, it is the sun and the moon shining together. This is why I believe that the appearance of such a celestial phenomenon must mean that the country is blessed and that God will bless the Great Zhou. As long as each family is loyal to the emperor and obeys his orders, they will be able to safely survive this disaster."
After the speech, there was silence in the hall.
It is true that vague auspicious words cannot convince the public, but if there is celestial phenomena to prove it, that is another matter.
The world believed these auspicious signs, whether in the previous dynasty or the Great Zhou, without exception. The women in the harem were especially devoted to them.
When Concubine Meng mentioned the sun and the moon shining together, several people remembered that they had seen the sun rising and the moon not setting in the morning. They did not think much about it at that time, but when she mentioned it, they realized that this was an auspicious sign of the sun and the moon shining together.
Among the visitors today, there were those from the Liang Mansion camp, and naturally there were also those who were on good terms with the Yiyang Marquis Mansion and loyal to the emperor. However, before they came, they were full of doubts and had just watched the situation develop without saying anything. After listening to Concubine Meng's words, their doubts were resolved, and they all spoke up, "Your Highness is right. When I got up early this morning to comb my hair, I saw the moon hanging in the sky. It was very light, so I didn't pay much attention to it. Now it seems that this is a good omen for our Great Zhou." "Isn't it? With a wise ruler like the emperor, what do we have to fear?"
A group of women chattered at once, and the situation in the hall was turned upside down in an instant.
Seeing that Meng Yan solved the dilemma so easily, Old Lady Liang gritted her teeth and just stared at Liang Chunrong.
Liang Chunrong understood and continued, "We understand the Imperial Concubine's intention in hosting this flower viewing banquet. But what good can empty words do?"
Even though she was reborn and had much better patience, Meng Yan was still somewhat annoyed by being questioned repeatedly in public by a bastard girl.
She glanced at Liang Chunrong coldly and said calmly, "Who are you? Are you a high-ranking official or a concubine in the harem? What kind of occasion is this? The Queen Mother and I haven't even had a chance to ask you questions, so how can you speak?"
These two words were merciless. No matter how bold Liang Chunrong was, she was still just an unmarried girl, and her skin was still thin. After being humiliated in public like this, her cheeks immediately flushed and she hesitantly said, "Your servant, your servant is just..."
Meng Yan no longer looked at her, but smiled at everyone and said, "The second meaning of this flower viewing banquet is that I invited you all here today because I want you ladies to help solve the court's problems and do your best."
Everyone looked at each other, not understanding how a woman like them could contribute.
Meng Yan smiled and said, "Although we are all women, you are also imperial consorts. I believe that contributing to the country is not just for men, and we women can also contribute." As she spoke, she turned and walked to the empress dowager, bowing deeply to her. "Your Majesty, I am willing to donate all my private savings of the past three years, and Changchun Palace will contribute one thousand taels of silver to alleviate the court's urgent needs."
Empress Dowager Jiang smiled deeply and said in a clear voice, "Well done, you are worthy of being the Imperial Concubine of the Great Zhou! Your Majesty's act is truly kind. I will also donate two thousand silver coins to the imperial court for disaster relief."
Seeing this, everyone present realized that they had fallen into a trap set by the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine.
The Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine have both donated their money. How can the rest of them still shrink their necks? Aren't they afraid of being laughed to death or drowned in spit?
Moreover, they publicly announced how much they would donate, so how could the people below donate less? Even if it was just to avoid tarnishing their own reputation, they couldn't donate less.
This old lady has always loved to extort money, and now that she is old, she has teamed up with Concubine Meng to rob people!
It is true that there is no good banquet and no good meal.
Among those present, there were those who were truly concerned about the country and the people, some who were reluctant to donate, and some who secretly cursed the Empress Dowager and the Royal Concubine for being insidious. Although they had different thoughts, they all spoke up and told how much they had donated.
Meng Yan smiled and told the palace maid Ruizhu to record each one in the book, adding, "Don't mix up each family's account. It will be easier to reconcile the accounts later."
The hall was bustling with activity when the palace guard outside suddenly announced loudly, "The Emperor has arrived!"
Meng Yan was surprised. Lu Haozhi actually came?
Without thinking too much, she hurried out to greet him, and the women in the hall followed her.
But in a moment, a pair of bright yellow cloud-patterned boots came closer.
Then, a hand was extended to her, just as he had done thousands of times.
Meng Yan was a little dazed, but still stood up with the help of that hand.
Lu Haozhi held her hand and walked with her to the Queen Mother, greeting her, "Your son greets you, Mother."
Empress Dowager Jiang showed no sign of surprise. She nodded and smiled faintly, "The Emperor is here."
Lu Haozhi smiled, "Yes, my son has a great news to tell mother."
After saying this, he ordered everyone to stand up and shouted in high spirits, "Great victory in the southwest!"
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