Leaving in good spirits and returning in disgrace, this is how Li Chengxian and her daughter felt at the moment.
Returning to the Changping Marquis Mansion, as soon as I entered the courtyard gate, I saw my grandmother in my courtyard running over in a hurry.
"Madam, Miss, you are finally back."
Li Chengxian's heart skipped a beat and she hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
Mammy ran forward and met the anxious eyes of Li Chengxian and her daughter. She was slightly stunned and said with a smile: "It's the new year's gift from the palace! Not long after the madam and the young lady left today, the palace's motorcade arrived. The steward is here now
I’m waiting for your reply in the flower hall.”
"The New Year's gift has arrived!" Li Chengxian was overjoyed. She picked up her skirt and hurried to the flower hall.
In the past, when I was in Gyeonggi, when Prince Qian's Mansion and Marquis Changping's Mansion were both in the capital, I didn't think that if I wanted to go back to my parents' home, I could get there in less than half an hour by carriage, and it was as easy as visiting.
Nowadays, the distance between Changping Marquis' Mansion and Prince Qian's Mansion is at least hundreds of miles, not to mention thousands of miles. It is not easy to return to my parents' home. I don't even know if I will have the chance to return to my parents' home in this life.
In this era, many women who marry far away are separated forever when they get married. They will never have the chance to enter their parents' home again until they die.
Cai Shiyi felt her mother's eagerness and quickly followed her. She was actually more curious about what kind of New Year's gift the palace had sent.
Jiankang City was not as prosperous as the capital city, and the city area was not as large as the capital city. The imperial court moved south, and the powerful and wealthy businessmen from the capital city suddenly poured into Jiankang City. You can imagine how tight the housing supply was.
Most of the rich and powerful businessmen have their own villas in Jiankang, but after all, the villas are not as good as the residences in the capital, and they are incomparable in terms of area and luxury.
The Changping Marquis Mansion is no exception. They have a separate courtyard in Jiankang City, but the area of the courtyard is only five square meters.
More than a hundred servants of the Changping Marquis Mansion moved in, and the house suddenly seemed cramped.
From the gate to the flower hall, Li Chengxian arrived in less than half a quarter of an hour.
"The young one has met the princess!"
"Old slave has seen Madam!"
The old housekeeper of the Changping Marquis Mansion was chatting with the palace steward. When the two saw Li Chengxian coming in, they immediately stood up to greet him.
"No gift!"
Li Chengxian passed them and sat down on the main seat, looking at the palace steward with a smile, "Are my father and mother and concubine in good health? Are the two brothers still adapting to Lingnan?"
The steward knew that the elder brother she was referring to was the elder brother Li Chengshang and the second elder brother Li Chengzhan, who were from the same mother.
"Everything is fine with the prince and princess. Everything goes well with the uncle and the second uncle when they arrive in Lingnan, but..."
His pause made Li Chengxian's heart tremble, "Just what? Why do you, a slave like you, like to say half and leave half, you are so anxious!"
Cai Shiyi handed her a cup of tea and comforted her in a soft voice: "Mom, don't worry, listen to the steward slowly. Take a sip of tea first to moisten your throat."
Li Chengxian also knew that she was not dignified enough, so she took the tea cup and took a sip of tea to calm herself down.
The steward met Li Chengxian's slightly annoyed eyes and glanced at the housekeeper of the Hou Mansion who was standing next to him.
How shrewd an old man is to be able to climb into the position of housekeeper in the Hou Mansion? He knew what the housekeeper meant with just a glance and said with a smile: "Madam, the Chinese New Year is coming soon. There are many things in the house, and there are many things waiting for me.
I'll go and make arrangements. You and the manager can chat in advance. I'll resign now."
Li Chengxian nodded: "Butler, go get busy."
After the housekeeper left, she looked at the steward and said, "What happened in the palace, please tell me the truth!"
"Others are fine, but something happened to the uncle." The steward told the story about how Li Chengshang was injured when he went into the mountain to suppress bandits.
When Li Chengxian heard that her eldest brother had become a fool, she was so angry that her eyesight turned black.
"Princess, are you okay?"
The mother-in-law and the maid were so frightened that they hurriedly supported her, fearing that she would fall off the chair.
"Princess, don't worry, my uncle's life is not in danger now. Although, his life has been saved, he will be blessed if he survives the disaster!" Seeing this, the steward was anxious but did not dare to help, so he could only try his best to comfort him.
she.
He was afraid that if she suddenly fell ill, he was really afraid that he would not be able to leave the Changping Marquis Mansion.
Cai Shiyi stroked her back and helped her calm down, "We are separated from my uncle by two places, so what's the use of being anxious? Didn't the manager say that my uncle is fine?"
Li Chengxian finally recovered, and she shook her head. She only had two biological brothers in the palace, and the second brother was a nobody. Now that something happened to the eldest brother, the palace will definitely not fall into the hands of the first and second bedroom. After her father's death for a hundred years, her natal family will still be there.
Is there anyone willing to support her?
Cai Shiyi saw that her mother's face turned pale, and turned to ask the steward: "Where is the New Year's gift list you sent? Bring it over quickly and show it to my mother to make her happy."
The steward carefully took out a gift list from his sleeve pocket and said, "The other gift list was sent to the Marquis. This one is a copy copied by the young man."
Cai Shiyi took the gift list and handed it to Li Chengxian, "Mother, please take a look at what gifts my grandfather has prepared for you this year?"
Speaking of King Qian, Li Chengxian had a smile on her face. She didn't even look at the gift list and said confidently: "My father will always love me the most, and the gift he chooses must be the most suitable for me."
This sentence also appears in the study room.
"Your grandfather will always love your mother the most. After decades of marriage, Prince Qian's family has carefully prepared the annual farewell ceremony."
With that said, Changping Marquis Cai Shen handed the gift list to his son Cai Xinghui.
Cai Xinghui flipped through the long gift list and sighed with emotion as he read: "My grandfather loves his daughter very much. This can be seen from the gift list. The gifts he chooses are all carefully chosen."
Marquis Changping pointed at the gift list and asked, "What else can you see from it?"
The crown prince, Cai Xinghui, flipped through the gift list and asked inexplicably: "What else can a gift list mean? Isn't this how the palace prepares New Year's gifts every year?"
Marquis Changping frowned slightly, "Can previous years compare with this year?"
"In previous years, we were all in the capital, but this year we are just two places apart. What does this mean?" Cai Xinghui still didn't understand what Changping Hou wanted to express.
Marquis Changping tapped the gift list on the table, "You also said that in previous years you were in the capital, but this year everyone fled south. You said that the palace can prepare such a generous annual gift. What does this mean?"
Cai Xinghui followed his words and asked, "What does it mean?"
Changpinghou: "."
Ouch!
So angry!
The only son did not inherit his clever mind!
"What does this mean? It can mean a lot. Do you know what year it is now?"
When Marquis Changping saw his son shaking his head, he really wanted to go over and crack his head open to see how much water was inside.
"Drought, white disaster, and successive years of disasters mean that the most scarce thing now is supplies. Yet King Qian can still give such a generous annual gift in such a disaster year. Do you know what this means?"
As soon as he asked this question, Marquis Changping regretted it. It was a useless question.
Unexpectedly, Cai Guanghui reacted quickly this time and replied: "It means that my father-in-law is not short of supplies!"
"." Changping Hou pursed his lips: "It means that Lingnan is not short of supplies. It can also be said that your father-in-law is not short of supplies."
Looking at the current situation, Marquis Changping had long since regretted not following the palace to Lingnan.
I tried my best to return by boat, but ended up living in fear in Jiankang City with the new emperor. I really didn't know that one day Beidi or the rebels would break through the border defense line, rush into Jiankang City, burn, kill and plunder, leaving no room for the people.
A glimmer of hope for survival?
Cai Guanghui was suspicious and couldn't help but ask: "Isn't Lingnan a barbaric land? You said that there are plenty of supplies there, but my son doesn't believe it."
In fact, he believed that these annual gifts were collected by King Qian from all over the country.
"Regardless of whether you believe it or not, the facts are right in front of you." Marquis Changping sighed, "At this moment, I am a little doubtful. Is it right or wrong to insist on coming to Jiankang? Did we follow him to Lingnan?
Now you don’t have to worry here anymore?”
Cai Xinghui's thoughts were not as complicated as Changping Hou's. "Since my father thinks Lingnan is good, I can just find a time to move there. The only difficulty is probably traveling in a hurry."
Because traveling is very hard, and the wind and rain are really not what people live.
After hearing what he said, Marquis Changping said angrily: "Relocating your family, do you think it's as simple as just visiting each other? There are so many things involved here!"
Cai Xinghui curled his lips and didn't take it seriously. His fathers always like to think about things too complicatedly. In fact, sometimes simple things can have unexpected results if they are handled simply.
Marquis Changping had no intention of further investigation with his son, "The New Year's gift we sent to the palace this year is too light. You and your wife will discuss it later and prepare two more gifts for the palace steward to take back. Just say that they are specially for you."
Selected for the prince and princess."
"I know." Cai Guanghui scratched his eyebrows and agreed.
Many times, the development of some things is always unexpected.
Ten days after the palace steward left Jiankang, on the day of Xiaonian, the rebels who occupied the three states suddenly led their troops to attack Yangzhou despite the rain, snow and wet conditions.
The momentum was huge, claiming 300,000 soldiers and horses. The troops were divided into three groups, starting from Tongshan County, Shan County and Wangjiang County to raid Yangzhou.
The first to fall was the county town at the junction of Yuzhou and Yanzhou.
The rebels were advancing so quickly that all the soldiers stationed in the border counties were unable to react in time.
They can only be beaten passively and run away in a hurry.
Anyway, this is not the first time they have run away from battle in a war. More than this is not a big deal, but this time with less is not a lot. The most important thing is to save their lives.
It didn't matter if the soldiers on the front line escaped, but it frightened the officials at all levels in the rear and the new emperor in the palace.
The road was blocked due to heavy snow in advance, and everyone subconsciously believed that the rebels would not lead their troops south until the snow melted in the spring next year.
It's just that the development of things was so unexpected.
The frightened courtiers petitioned to send soldiers and horses from the Gyeonggi military camp to fight. They must not give Jiankang to the rebels after Gyeonggi was abandoned to Beidi.
If such a shameful thing happens again, the new emperor and several high officials in the court will probably have their names left in history.
Can the Gyeonggi battalion really be able to withstand the rebel army if it goes out to stop the rebels?
Don't take it for granted.
Except for the 200,000 rebels who stayed behind this time, the remaining 300,000 rebels fought to the death, hoping to capture Jiankang City before food and grass were cut off, so that the new emperor could move his position.
If the leader ascends to the throne, then the generals and soldiers who follow Tan Lang will basically receive rewards. Some of them may be granted titles, be made prime ministers, have wives and children, and enjoy glory and wealth for the rest of their lives.
The rebels' 300,000 troops marched southward without any hindrance, and finally headed straight for the southern capital of Jiankang.
Jiankang is in urgent need!
The soldiers and horses of the Gyeonggi camp were unable to stop Risheng's troops, and eventually Jiankang City was besieged.
The new emperor also followed the example of his predecessor, Emperor Huiyuan, and issued several edicts in one day, calling on soldiers and horses from all over the world to rush to his aid.
It's just that when Jiankang City is besieged, it remains to be discussed whether these decrees can be sent out.
Zhu Chong, the commander-in-chief of the Gyeonggi Battalion, stood at the top of the city, looking outside the city.
The vanguard cavalry of the rebels were the first to arrive outside the city, and teams slowly followed behind. As time passed, the rebels outside the city became more and more dense.
It can be seen that the number of rebels coming this time is really large.
It is said to be 300,000, so just cut it in half. There should be 150,000 troops.
The commander of the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses Department asked Mr. Chen to climb to the top of the city and asked, "What is the situation outside the city now?"
Zhu Chong raised his chin with a solemn expression, "See for yourself, there are endless soldiers and horses. I don't know if I can escape this time?"
How long can the Yu Dynasty's Guozuo last?
There are soldiers and horses gathering outside the city in a steady stream from behind. If the siege continues like this, can Jiankang City really wait for reinforcements?
After the rebels outside the city successfully gathered, Tan Lang looked at the tall and majestic city wall in front of him and said to the staff around him: "Jiankang City deserves to be the capital among the hundred cities in the south. Its strength is still very strong. This is a fortified city."
City, sir, do you have any good ideas for this?"
The staff member frowned slightly as he looked at the city wall, "My subordinates believe that we are gathering 300,000 soldiers and horses here to show our military might. The soldiers and horses in the city will not take the initiative to fight. Even if we provoke them in every possible way, they may
They will not take the initiative to go out of the city to fight."
If the enemy does not fight, then the next war will be meaningless. How can we decide the outcome if everyone is hiding?
You must know that when the army goes on an expedition, the first thing to deal with is food and grass. The rebel team is now almost running out of food.
In this case, everyone just comes as convenient as they want. But you can come casually, but you have to be able to get supplies and solve the logistical problems in the military camp. This is the business.
The officers and soldiers of Dayu on the top of the city were not fools. Of course they knew that the most lacking thing among the troops coming from a long distance should be food and grass.
You must know that the daily consumption of food and grass for an army of hundreds of thousands is measured in stones.
"Assembling the team every day, they will definitely consume food and grass faster than us. As long as we insist on getting through it together, there will always be times when they can't hold on." Zhu Chong took it for granted.
Mr. Chen: "That's not necessarily true. What if they get lucky on the way and someone takes the initiative to send them food?"
Although you are hiding in the city without exposure to wind and sun, you have a limited amount of food for each meal.
Now that Jiankang City is under siege, several ‘humeral ministers’ discussed the results for a long time.
Food in the city is centralized and everyone is provided with a limited amount of food for each meal every day. During the siege of Jiankang, everyone's food was allocated by the official.
This is used to adjust the food consumption in the city and try to ensure that the same amount of food can last longer.
Zhu Chong looked at him: "Do the rebels still have friendly forces in this area?"