Chapter 246: Jiang Yichun has a reputation for virtue
Su Zhenzhen was so shocked that she didn't know which one to think.
Why did Emperor Chang seek out Lady Huo?
Because a fortune teller predicted that this woman was destined for greatness, "prosperous in having children and a good husband, and suitable for living a good life."
Madam Huo's husband was just a country bumpkin, but under her encouragement, he became ambitious, went to the battlefield, made military achievements, and was promoted to deputy general.
His son is also an outstanding individual, whose achievements are no less than his father's.
General Hu Buwei was a subordinate of the first General Huo in his early years, and was later promoted to the position of border general due to his military achievements.
When Emperor Chang learned that the son of Lady Huo, whom she had casually fathered with a lazy man in a village, could become a great general, wouldn't he become even more fanatical?
Madam Huo continued, "Southerners value sons highly. Each son makes a man's back slightly weaker. After the lazy man snatched the child, he was afraid my parents would come after him for money, so he hid with relatives. Later, he married a woman, but they never had children. Not long after, the lazy man was beaten to death for petty theft. This boy, Buwei, joined the army to earn food for his mother, and in return, he bought two loads of rice. Emperor Chang sent people to investigate all of this; he thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of all the important officials in the court. He found out that Buwei was my son, and he insisted that I give him a son."
Su Zhenzhen remembered that Chunzhi had said before that the Hu family did not take care of General Hu Buwei's mother. Perhaps it was not that the Hu family relatives were cold-blooded, but that General Hu Buwei's father—that lazy man—was visiting relatives to seek refuge. Anyone who paid attention to such relatives would only be asking for trouble.
Su Zhenzhen's thoughts came to an abrupt halt as Madam Huo's words were spoken.
"Emperor Chang had previously found a lady from the capital to bear him a child, but unfortunately the child was born with congenital defects and died on the spot. A Taoist master in the capital said that a woman of noble destiny has a precious life, and if she does not choose to have a child, the child she gives birth to will not be able to bear this precious life. Therefore, Emperor Chang tried every means to make me willingly bear him a child."
Su Zhenzhen hesitated before speaking, "You haven't agreed yet, have you?"
Jiang Yichun's age doesn't quite match up. If another illegitimate son of Emperor Chang were to suddenly appear out of nowhere, things would get interesting.
“Of course I didn’t agree.” Madam Huo shook her head. “How can a woman serve two husbands? It’s one thing to make a mistake when one is not in a good state of mind, but how can a woman betray her husband when she is in a good state of mind? Even if that person is the emperor, it is not allowed.”
Su Zhenzhen nodded inwardly. Madam Huo truly lived up to her reputation as a woman who brought good fortune to her son and husband; such a level of thinking was not something ordinary people could possess.
Moreover, at that time she was under someone else's control, yet she was still able to hold fast to her principles, which is truly admirable.
"And then what happened? Emperor Chang didn't dare to force you, fearing that the child you gave birth to wouldn't live long. He... and you are like this now, it's..." Su Zhenzhen tried to avoid sensitive words.
"Later, I remained unmoved. Emperor Chang, enraged, broke both my legs and had me thrown out of the palace." Madam Huo's thoughts seemed to return to those days. "I begged for food in the capital for a few days. People came and went, but no one knew that I was General Huo's mother."
But as fate would have it, when Prince Lu went to the capital, he took me back with him. It wasn't unusual for a prince to casually bring someone back to his fiefdom. But it happened to catch the attention of the then-Crown Prince, Jiang Yichun. I knew that Crown Prince; he was known for his virtue. Perhaps out of sympathy for a meritorious official, he told Buwei about my situation.”
Upon hearing this, Su Zhenzhen felt a sudden chill run down her spine.
Was Jiang Yichun truly speaking out for Madam Huo's plight, or was she simply stirring up trouble?
“Girl, you might think that because I was separated from my mother at a young age, I don’t have much of a bond with her. But that child is a sensible person. He knows that his mother went through a lot of hardship carrying him for ten months, bringing him into this world and suffering a lot, and then ending up like this in her old age. So he exchanged me with the Prince of Lu. Guess what she gave in exchange?”
Su Zhenzhen moved her lips silently.
Military power can only be military power.
“The King of Lu has long harbored rebellious intentions, but unfortunately he has no soldiers or generals at his disposal. I will give my life in exchange for not being able to train a private army for him.”
No wonder that after the siege of the capital, Prince Lu was able to take the opportunity to lead his troops to get a share of the spoils, but unfortunately, he was still not strong enough and was defeated by the combined forces of the powerful families.
etc!
Su Zhenzhen suddenly thought of something.
Jiang Yichun changed his name and stayed in Shanxian County as a county magistrate for a year. He had a close relationship with Prince Lu. Shanxian County was closer to Bianzhou. Why didn't he tell General Huo about Madam Huo's whereabouts?
Even though the second General Huo was already living in retirement in the capital at that time, Huo Zhenyue was still in the border region.
Huo Zhenyue is a staunch supporter of the Crown Prince, and his prestige in the army surpasses that of his grandfather and father. Wouldn't sending Madam Huo to the border region be a better way to protect her? Is it simply because there are many battles in the border region?
Mrs. Huo's next words cleared up Su Zhenzhen's doubts.
"To be honest, all children are different. My son is stubborn. I taught him loyalty to the emperor and love for his country, and to be kind to others, but in the end, I raised someone who doesn't know how to adapt. Buwei probably inherited his lazy father's ways; he has a bit of a crooked mind. It's not that he's not capable, it's just that he hasn't reached the point where he can make a difference. Buwei thinks that Emperor Chang is too arrogant, especially after he found out that he is also my child. The mothers of the two border generals almost became the emperor's concubines. Buwei thinks that Emperor Chang is immoral, and with the constant natural disasters in the south, the court hasn't come up with a solution, so he wants to overthrow him."
After hearing this, Su Zhenzhen became even more certain that Jiang Yichun must have told Huo Zhenyue about Madam Huo.
Hu Buwei wants to rebel, but what can he use to rebel? Just the few troops he has? Unless he has an accomplice, and that accomplice can only be Jiang Yichun.
Jiang Yichun had long been dissatisfied with the fact that his father, Emperor Chang, had always wanted to find a woman destined by heaven to be a benevolent ruler for all time.
And a single Lady Huo was enough for him to win over the general of Huzhou who commanded 100,000 troops.
Would Jiang Yichun not pass on a message to Huo Zhenyue?
The answer is, of course, no.
If these two weren't in cahoots, why would Huo Zhenyue have entrusted Old Man Bai to take care of Hensheng?
Is he loyal to the emperor and patriotic? Jiang Yichun is about to rebel against his own father, making him a traitorous minister who deserves to be killed by everyone. The son of a traitorous minister is naturally also a traitorous minister.
So in the end, it was actually the father who was forcing the son to rebel against him.
Su Zhenzhen is now very suspicious of why Jiang Yichun's use of the national treasury to relieve disaster victims in the south has had such little effect, and why it has even had some effect.
Could he have done it on purpose?
"General Hu Buwei wants to rebel and seek justice for you. Has he informed the people of Bianzhou about this matter?"
Madam Huo shook her head again. "It's not because I'm old and it's time for me to enjoy my life, but because I shouldn't worry about these things. Logically speaking, I shouldn't concern myself with these matters, but what kind of subject would rebel against their monarch?"
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