After leaving Shangshu Province, Zhou Jun sat in a carriage and rushed back to the mansion while beginning to think about how to plan the next step.
Entering the back garden of his home, Zhou Jun saw his son Zhou Xiao and nephew Zhou Shang playing in the garden.
Looking around, Zhou Jun didn't find Yin Yu's figure. He couldn't help but feel a little surprised, so he asked Zhou Xiao: "Where is your aunt?"
Zhou Xiao followed the example of an adult and bowed, and said, "Aniang went to Yinan Lu."
Zhou Jun was stunned: "Recall Nanlu?"
After exchanging a few words, Zhou Jun walked along the corridor and towards the side courtyard.
As soon as he reached the entrance of the small courtyard of Yi Nan Lu, Zhou Jun heard the faint sound of a woman crying from inside the courtyard.
He hesitated for a moment, and finally stepped into the courtyard gate. When the maids and chamberlains around him saw him, they all called him Prime Minister.
At this time, the people inside heard the movement in the courtyard, and the crying stopped suddenly.
Under the guidance of his servants, Zhou Jun walked into the side hall and saw Yin Yu walking out.
When the latter saw Zhou Jun, he first made a gesture of silence, then went out and took two steps away.
Zhou Jun asked in confusion: "What's wrong? Who was crying just now?"
Yin Yu lowered her voice and said, "It's Mrs. Yuhuan."
Zhou Jun frowned and asked, "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Yin Yu shook his head and said: "It has nothing to do with food and accommodation, but it is because there is a storybook called "Kong Yu Hate", and the empress saw it..."
Zhou Jun suddenly realized that it was the storybook that compared Yang Yuhuan to beauty and disaster.
Shaking his head helplessly, Zhou Jun said: "It's just a casual chat among ordinary people in the city."
Yin Yu: "Since experiencing the Maweipo Incident, Madam Yuhuan's spirit has become much weaker. Every once in a while, she will wake up from nightmares when she falls asleep. Now she is scolded by the world as a disaster. Naturally, she is
The sorrow is unbearable.”
After Zhou Jun was silent for a moment, he said to Yin Yu: "I will go in with you to see the imperial concubine."
Yin Yu was a little surprised, but still led Zhou Jun into the inner hall as instructed.
When Yang Yuhuan first moved into the Princess Mansion, Yin Yu originally wanted to give her a villa in Liangzhou City as a residence.
But Yang Yuhuan finally chose a remote courtyard on the side of the Princess Mansion as his place to stay.
After entering the hall, Zhou Jun looked around.
Different from the scenery in the Chang'an Palace in the past, the imperial concubine's bedroom now no longer has any splendid decorations, but there are some Taoist Heart Sutras, potted landscapes, chess, calligraphy and paintings.
Interestingly, Zhou Jun actually saw a handwritten inscription by Yang Yuhuan on the wall in the inner hall.
There are two poems written on it - Looking up at the sky and looking at the moon, heaven and earth are always the same.
Zhou Jun was looking at the furnishings in the room when several palace maids accompanied Concubine Yang and came out of the inner compartment.
Yang Yuhuan's eyes were a little red and there were still tears on her cheeks. When she saw Zhou Jun, she was stunned for a moment, then unconsciously lowered her head and wiped the corners of her eyes, and saluted Zhou Jun again.
Zhou Jun returned the gift and sat down with Yin Yu.
In the past, Yang Yuhuan was always radiant and noble, but now she is like a pear blossom with rain, and she is secretly sad.
Seeing this, Zhou Jun sighed slightly and said, "My dearest concubine, those who are pure will themselves be pure. There is no need to pay attention to the mediocrity."
Hearing this, Yang Yuhuan's emotions that she had tried to suppress began to fluctuate slightly. She just heard her wailing and saying: "I am no longer a young girl who has no trouble, and I have experienced life and death. I should be calm about these rumors.
But...but after reading the story, looking back at all the things I have encountered in this life, maybe it was just karma."
Yin Yu advised from the side: "What are you talking about, Madam? Where does the karma come from?"
Yang Yuhuan: "When I was in the palace, I loved having fun and being lively. I often took Sanlang to travel around. At that time, I always thought that the Tang Dynasty was prosperous and the world was stable and worry-free, so why bother to go there?
Pay attention to the general trend of the world."
"However, I don't know that the Tang Dynasty looks prosperous on the surface, but in fact it is already crumbling. My willfulness and playfulness have caused Sanlang to ignore the government affairs for a long time, which is the reason for the decline of the Tang Dynasty... So, that may be true.
Yes, there is no difference between Yuhuan and the likes of Concubine Si and Da Ji. They are both a beauty and a disaster."
Yin Yu paused for a moment and wanted to persuade Yang Yuhuan, but she didn't know where to start.
Zhou Jun looked at Yang Yuhuan and said in a deep voice: "I dare you to teach me that even if you didn't enter the palace back then, the Tang Dynasty would still be full of disasters and decline. The saying that beauty is a disaster is just an attempt by those who caused it to shirk the blame.
, I just pulled the empress out as a scapegoat."
Yang Yuhuan was stunned on the spot, looked at Zhou Jun, and asked hesitantly: "What does Zhou Lang mean by this?"
Zhou Jun: "The rebellion in the 14th year of Tianbao was the beginning of the decline of the Tang Dynasty. On the surface, it seems that it was because the emperor ignored the government and allowed traitors to rule, which led to the rebellion in the feudal town. But the empress might as well
Think about it, An Lushan, a bandit chieftain, died in the first year of the rebellion, so why is the current world still full of strife?"
Yang Yuhuan lowered his head and thought, and finally shook his head and said he didn't know.
Zhou Jun: "The Guanlong clan in Chang'an and Luoyang mostly connected with the palace in the form of marriage, teachers and friends, etc. In the hundred years since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the Guanlong clan controlled many powers such as politics, economy, people's livelihood, etc., completely blocking other clans.
The channel for rising. When the Tang Dynasty was strong and powerful, other domestic forces did not dare to act rashly. However, Guanzhong, Henan, and Hedong suffered from floods and droughts for several years. In addition, most of the elite Tang troops were lost in Longyou, Nanzhao and other places, which made the central government weak.
, Bian Zhenqiang, this is the biggest reason for the rebellion in Hebei."
Yang Yuhuan and Yin Yu opened their eyes wide when they heard this.
Zhou Jun: "It's just a matter of feuding among the clans. However, since the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, land has been annexed, evil taxes have been widespread, households have been concealed, private slaves have been kept secretly, and other things have become commonplace. As a result, the common people have no means of livelihood and can only take risks and seek chaos to survive.
...In addition, the decline of the Tang Dynasty is also related to the employment of vassal generals, discord between generals and ministers, corruption, etc. In this way, no matter who is involved in the decline of the Tang Dynasty, no matter who is in the court, it is difficult to escape.
How can you blame a woman for your sins? It is truly unbecoming of a man to do this."
Yang Yuhuan looked at Zhou Jun, with tears slowly filling his eyes, and asked softly: "According to Erlang's opinion, the war disaster in the Tang Dynasty was not Yuhuan's fault alone?"
Zhou Jun shook his head and said: "Your Majesty is not familiar with political affairs and is naturally happy. As a noble concubine in the palace, she may have made some mistakes. But it is unfair to blame the current decline of the Tang Dynasty on you alone."
."
Yang Yuhuan burst into tears when he heard this.
She slowly stood up from her seat, said a thousand blessings to Zhou Jun, and said, "I would like to thank you Erlang for speaking up."
Zhou Jun and Yin Yu comforted Yang Yuhuan again, and then they left Yinan Lu together.
On the way back to the inner garden, Yin Yu said: "Most of the empress's family members died in Maweipo, and now they are being accused like this. It is really pitiful."
Zhou Jun: "A corporal kills with a sharp blade, a sergeant kills with a bad word, and a sergeant kills with a pen. Sometimes, articles can hurt people more horribly than swords."
Yin Yu grabbed Zhou Jun's robe and asked: "Your Majesty and I are like sisters, maybe Erlang can find a way to help her?"
Zhou Jun nodded and said: "There is a way, and you will know it after some time."