Chapter 138 Chapter 138 Since the defeat in Youzhou, the King of Chu has been...
Zhou Guojiu himself doesn't think so.
Ever since the defeat in Youzhou and the dethronement of the King of Chu, the government has become more and more suspicious.
Now that the crown prince has been established, it is time for him to step back and return to his hometown to retire.
Zhou Jingru made up his mind and deliberately got drunk at the Chongyang Palace Banquet. He cried in front of the emperor and said that he was unfilial. When his father died, he was unable to see his father for the last time due to the tense war, and he did not observe mourning. He hurried back to the army after the funeral.
The emperor was also quite sad to hear this. After the death of Emperor Liezu of the Former Jin Dynasty, the successor Emperor Yin, Gao Zhixun, was quite afraid of him and wanted to take away his military power and put him to death. Thanks to the mediation of his father-in-law and wife in the court and the palace, they bought him a chance to breathe. He was able to wait until Emperor Yin was killed by his brothers, and took the opportunity to raise an army, quell the rebellion and proclaim himself emperor.
Unfortunately, both his father-in-law and his wife passed away shortly after he became emperor. When his father-in-law was seriously ill, the Jiedushi rebelled. He led the army in person, and Zhou Jingru, as the commander-in-chief, did not return home to take care of the funeral until his family arrived on horseback to report the death.
The emperor knew that Zhou Jingru had been brooding over this matter. When his wife passed away a few years ago, he had proposed to observe six years of mourning for his parents. However, the emperor was eager to conquer Northern Zhao and did not trust anyone else to be the commander-in-chief. He reluctantly waited until he finished mourning for his mother and advised him to put state affairs first before reinstating him.
Seeing him blaming himself again, the emperor spoke gently to him, then asked, "Didn't you send people to Xinzhou last year to repair the ancestral tomb, so that the Grand Marshal and his wife could be buried together? How is the work going?"
Zhou Jingru wiped his face and replied that the work was almost done and he planned to take his parents' coffins back for burial in the near future. "I think it would be better to take this opportunity to build a hut next to the tomb and observe the mourning period for the deceased."
The emperor did not make any statement on the spot, but only said that the prince was drunk and asked someone to send him back home.
On the second day of rest, Zhou Jingru thought about it repeatedly in his mansion. When he met the emperor on the eleventh day, he first apologized for his misbehavior after drinking the night before, and then brought up again the idea of observing mourning for the late emperor.
"Now that the border generals are capable, the country is at peace, and the imperial guards have been completely reduced, it is sufficient for Wei and Peng to lead the Imperial Guards."
Zhou Jingru spoke earnestly, and the emperor sighed deeply: "You fought in battles throughout the country, serving your country with all your loyalty. If the Grand Marshal knew this, would he blame you for not observing the rules?"
"Even if you first consider forgiving me, I still lack moral integrity and cannot sleep or eat well."
The emperor still did not agree, but asked him to go back and think about it, and then ordered the prince to persuade him.
The Crown Prince had actually heard about the Chongyang Palace Banquet, but since the Emperor didn't say anything, he could only pretend not to know. Now he was asked to persuade the Emperor, but he was not sure of the Emperor's intentions. So he returned to the East Palace and consulted with the Crown Princess Zhou Congshan.
"Since my father has proposed this, he must have thought it through and made up his mind. Even if Your Highness goes to persuade him, it will be useless." Zhou Congshan finished speaking, and seeing that the prince was still frowning, he added, "I still hold the same view as yesterday. His resignation and return home at this time is probably for Your Highness's own good."
The prince said, "I understand, but the emperor ordered me to persuade my father-in-law. If I can't persuade him..."
"Doesn't the emperor know that His Highness cannot be persuaded?" Zhou Congshan asked in return.
The prince was stunned.
Zhou Congshan didn't want to say much. As a daughter-in-law, she was crossing the line by making irresponsible remarks about the emperor and father. But seeing that the prince was confused by the situation, she said, "My father is still the deputy commander-in-chief, right?"
When she said "deputy", she emphasized the word very strongly, and the prince immediately understood.
"Thank you for your guidance, ma'am."
He immediately stood up and went out to ask someone to pass on the message, inviting Uncle Zhou to come to the East Palace for a chat.
Zhou Congshan looked out the window for a moment, then sighed softly after a long time.
The prince was out for half a day, returning in the evening. "My father-in-law will submit his resignation tomorrow, and will be leaving the capital in a few days."
Zhou Congshan nodded and said, "It's been almost three years since Xinzhou was recovered. It's time for our grandparents to return home and rest in peace."
Xinzhou was previously occupied by the Northern Zhao Dynasty, and was not recovered until the Northern Expedition in the fourth year of Longxing. Therefore, after the death of Zhou Congshan's grandparents and mother, their coffins were temporarily buried in Xiangguo Temple.
"My father-in-law said that he would send my mother-in-law's coffin back to Xinzhou for burial." The prince said, recalling it.
"Um."
Zhou Congshan couldn't help but look sad when she mentioned her deceased mother. The Zhou family had returned home to observe mourning. The prince was afraid that she would be sad, so he comforted her, "Father-in-law said that now that he has returned home, our lives will be better. As long as loyalty and filial piety come first in everything, even if we suffer a little loss, it doesn't matter."
It was rare for Zhou Congshan to agree with his father so much. He was in charge of the Imperial Guard alone, and his son-in-law was the crown prince. Others thought he was powerful and prominent, but the emperor was very wary of him, fearing that one day the crown prince would not wait any longer and would join forces with his father-in-law to usurp his throne.
Now that my father has voluntarily resigned, the emperor has put his mind at ease. Even if others slander the prince again, the emperor will at least not believe it.
In the imperial city, the matter had already become a foregone conclusion. However, Fang Ying, who was in Ji's residence, only heard about it from Ji Yanlang in the evening of the next day.
"The emperor hasn't agreed, but I heard in the camp that Uncle Zhou mentioned this matter at the Chongyang Palace banquet, and the emperor even ordered His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to persuade him yesterday." Ji Yanlang sighed softly, "It seems that Uncle Zhou has made up his mind."
Fang Ying felt that it wasn't that simple. "The Zhou family's ancestral tomb has been under construction for over a year. If Uncle Zhou had such an intention, why would he only bring it up at the last minute?"
"Well, I think that Uncle Zhou must have had this idea after the crown prince was appointed."
The couple looked at each other and knew they were on the same page. So there was no need to talk much. Ji Yanlang turned to talk about family matters: "I received a letter from Zhenzhou. My father said he has sent someone to Xijing to look at the house."
"Look at the house?" Fang Ying was puzzled.
Ji Yanlang nodded. "Father said he'd discussed it with Mother. Since the capital has been relocated, the value of houses and land in Xijing will only go up, not down. He also wrote a letter to Uncle Gao, asking him to find a way to get my fifth brother to accompany us, and to find him a proper job after we get to Xijing."
In this way, it is reasonable for all the brothers to go to Xijing and buy a house to live in. Fang Ying and the fifth sister-in-law can also take their children there to reunite earlier. Even if the government grants them a house in the future, it will not be a loss to buy it. They can keep it as a villa or give it away.
"Considering the situation when our family first arrived in Bian Jing, it will probably take some time to clean up the Ci House and make it habitable." Ji Yanlang said finally.
"That's right. When the time comes, all the utensils in the mansion here will have to be moved over. We can go first and watch them pack up."
"Exactly."
"Mother didn't say when she would be back?"
Ji Yanlang laughed and said, "Mother, you went to Zhenzhou with great difficulty. It's not like you have to move all your belongings away right now. Why are you in such a hurry to come back?"
Fang Ying said, "I'm just asking."
"Don't worry, the north is peaceful this year, and the Hu people haven't invaded on a large scale. Dad has some free time, so he accompanies mom to enjoy the spring and autumn, worship Buddha and visit ancient sites, without missing a thing." Ji Yanlang thought that she might be worried that his mother would be lonely because she lived in Zhenzhou, not as well as in the mansion with her children and grandchildren around her, so he comforted her.
"How did you learn this? And did you ask the messenger?"
Ji Yanlang nodded to his ears: "I have the power of hearing."
Fang Ying naturally didn't believe it, but he didn't ask any further questions. He couldn't have made up these things himself, so how he knew them didn't matter.
"Since we're going to buy a house, shouldn't we figure out what to bring with us?"
"Just bring everything you need for daily use."
Fang Ying glanced at him and said, "Forget it. I'd better discuss this with my fifth sister-in-law."
Ji Yanlang: “…”
On the second day, after meeting with the housekeeper, Fang Ying and Yue Qing'e invited their fifth sister-in-law and sisters-in-law to discuss which things in the room should be packed up and taken with them to Luoyang next year, and which things could be packed into boxes and sealed to be sent together when the family moved to Luoyang.
"During the Mid-Autumn Festival, I said that my sixth brother and his wife would not be able to watch the moon with us next year. I never thought that in the end you would be together and I would be left alone in the mansion." Yue Qing'e couldn't help but sigh.
Fang Ying and Gao looked at each other and couldn't help but smile.
"We will be together sooner or later. Don't worry, Second Sister-in-law. Even if Fifth Sister-in-law and I arrive in Xijing, we will often send letters to ask for your advice."
Gao agreed, and Yue Qing'e said angrily, "What can I teach you? It's true that you should communicate more often and talk to each other from the heart."
Fang Ying agreed repeatedly, and the three of them talked for a while before dispersing.
She went back to her room and played with Hong'er while waiting for Ji Yanlang, but he came back half an hour later than usual.
"The emperor has approved Uncle Zhou's resignation and posthumously conferred the title of Prince of Guang'an on his father-in-law. The higher-ups have summoned the commanders of our various battalions and given them some instructions."
Fang Ying nodded, asked someone to go to the kitchen to serve food, and followed Ji Yanlang in to help him change his clothes.
"Actually, there's nothing much to tell you. In my opinion, there may not be a new commander-in-chief or deputy commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guard." Ji Yanlang said as he undressed.
"What? Master Ma still wants to..."
Ji Yanlang said, "People always want to take a step forward, but even Uncle Zhou has retreated. How can this step be so easy to take?"
The two of them chatted for a while, but it had nothing to do with their family, so they went out and didn't mention it again. They played with the children and had their meals.
Unexpectedly, the emperor directly cut off those people's ambition to make progress. Just after Zhou Guojiu and his family left the capital with their coffins, the emperor issued an edict to split the Imperial Guard Department into two.
"From now on, there will be no Imperial Guard Division. Only the Cavalry Division and the Infantry Division will exist side by side, independent of each other."
"Uncle Zhou really understood the emperor's intentions. From the time he appointed the crown prince to the time he resigned, it took less than a month."
Fang Ying and Ji Yanlang discussed the matter and both admired Uncle Zhou's decision to retire at the right time. Unexpectedly, just two days later, a maid from Zhou's mansion came to ask for a meeting.
"She said her name was Feicui, and she used to be a servant in the Crown Princess's room." The servant reported.
Fang Ying suddenly realized: "Please come in."
Feicui quickly came in with a bundle, bowed to Fang Ying, and explained her purpose.
"Today, I am here on Madam's orders to ask you a favor."
Fang Ying was surprised to hear that it was the lady who asked for the favor, but she didn't expect to hear Feicui say that her lady knew that Fang Ying would be going to Xijing soon and wanted to ask her to help take care of a relative after she arrived in Xijing.
"My lady, you probably know that our late wife's surname was Feng. After she passed away, the Feng family stopped interacting with the Zhou family."
Fang Ying had indeed heard Zhou Congshan mention that after her mother died, her uncle, because of political differences with her father, refused to support the emperor's usurpation of the Jin Dynasty, severed ties with the Zhou family, and never took up an official position.
She vaguely guessed it, so she asked, "Is this relative the Feng family?"
Feicui said, "That's right. Mr. Feng passed away last year, leaving behind Mrs. Feng and a pair of children. The youngest is only twelve years old. In addition, the late wife had a younger sister who became a widow two years ago. Her husband's family didn't accept her, so Mr. Feng took her home."
This is truly a family of women and children. Fang Ying immediately said, "I understand. I wonder where the Feng family lives?"
Feicui asked Lichun to help open the bundle and took out a piece of paper. "This is the Feng family's address." She pushed the bundle into Lichun's arms and said, "Here is one hundred taels of gold. The Feng family is small, and our lady estimates that this should be enough for them for three years."
Fang Ying was surprised. No wonder she seemed to have some difficulty carrying the bag. She put it on the ground as soon as she came in and hurriedly said it was not necessary.
"Our Madam said that it's not right to ask someone for help and have them pay for it. Please accept this and pass it on. The reason I'm taking the liberty of asking you is because you and the Crown Princess are like sisters, not outsiders."
The Zhou family had left Beijing for several days. Fang Ying didn't accept the jade, which made it difficult for Feicui. She had no choice but to let Lichun keep it, and asked the Crown Princess if she knew about this.
Feicui shook her head. "The Feng family is far away in Xijing, and the Crown Princess is in the Eastern Palace, so it's difficult to get through to them. Madam didn't want the Crown Princess to worry about it, so she never mentioned it. But to the Feng family, please send money and gifts in the name of the Crown Princess."
Fang Ying understood that if she said it was sent from the Zhou Mansion, the lady from the Feng family would probably not accept it.
"Then can you still communicate with the East Palace now?"
Before Zhou Congshan moved into the Eastern Palace, he had said that he could go find Feicui, but Uncle Zhou had already resigned and left the capital, and the tone of her words suggested that… Fang Ying hadn't finished her thoughts when she heard Feicui reply, "I'm afraid it won't be possible in the near future. We can only wait until the New Year to see if there will be any rewards from the palace."
The owner of the Zhou family has left Beijing, leaving only people to look after the house. If there are any rewards, they will not be sent to the Zhou Mansion, right?
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