Chapter four hundred and eighty fourth maiden family
A few days after Yang Hu and Cao Xiushi, the governor of Chen, arrived in Jinling to report the civil unrest in Sizhou, Wei Qun, minister of Honglu Temple of Shu, and Cao Qian, Sima of Yuzhou, as Shu envoys, also headed east along the river and rushed to Jinling City.
An audience with Emperor Yanyou.
After the Shu-Chu marriage alliance, the death of Emperor Tianyou, the Jinling Incident, and unimaginable twists and turns, Princess Qingyang finally married Yang Yuanpu as his concubine. Wei Qun, as a send-off envoy, also rushed to Yueyang to witness the wedding.
At this time, in Jinling City, in addition to the assassination of Shang Wensheng, the prefect of Guangde, and the civil unrest in Sizhou, what really attracted widespread attention from the government and the public was the Liang Army's attack on Yingzhou from the Liang State in mid-May, and the death of Liang blogger Zhu Gui in the rebellion.
news in.
The Liang State was the first to quell the civil strife, especially in the battle where Liang Jun conquered Yingzhou. It almost effortlessly broke down the fighting spirit of the rebels and captured the city. It seems that the strength of the Liang Army was not weakened during this civil strife.
be strengthened.
The Shu Kingdom was based on Sichuan and Shu, and its national power was far inferior to that of Liang Chu. Wang Jian, the leader of Shu, saw that Chu was in trouble, so he thought of uniting the weak to resist the strong. Only two or three months after his son-in-law Yang Yuanpu came to the throne, he sent the Minister of Honglu Temple
Wei Qun came over to congratulate him and formally concluded the alliance between the two countries.
Even though Wei Qun was closer to the Prince of Shu, Qingjiang Marquis, to Princess Qingyang, it was her natal family who came here, and they had the permission of Emperor Yanyou to hold a private banquet in Changxin Palace to entertain Wei Qun, Cao Qian and others.
The envoy of Shu, Sima Cao Qian of Yuzhou, was on this trip as a deputy envoy. Princess Qingyang did not ignore the main envoy and have a banquet with the deputy envoy alone.
Since it was a private banquet, in addition to the officials from the Ministry of Rites of Dachu and Honglu Temple, as well as the female officials and eunuchs from Changxin Palace, Yuan Guowei, the young eunuch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the relatively superior Chongfu Temple, Yun Puzi was invited to attend.
.
Among the female officials and eunuchs employed by Princess Qingyang in the Changxin Palace, five of them came from the Shu Kingdom as dowries and were considered to be former vassals of the Shu Kingdom. However, the moment they entered the land of Dachu, they were separated from Princess Qingyang.
In the same way, they all became subjects of Da Chu.
The rules in the palace were strict. Not only could Princess Qingyang not leave the palace at will, but these former subordinates of the Shu Kingdom were also strictly prohibited from leaving the palace to meet Shu envoys privately.
If there are any words, it can only be conveyed by Yun Puzi, a relatively superior and free person.
On the day of the palace banquet, Yun Puzi also went early in the morning with Yuan Guowei, the young eunuch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as officials from the Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple, and rushed to the Duting Posthouse where Honglu Temple belonged to receive envoys and envoys from other countries to greet Wei Qun and Cao Cao.
Qian waited for the Shu envoy to enter the palace.
Dujeong Station was destroyed in the war, but it was also one of the first buildings in the city to be repaired. After leaving Dujeong Station, you can enter the Imperial City after passing Sungnyemun Gate. At this time, you can still see burn marks and collapsed buildings everywhere.
.
Wei Qun and Cao Gan were granted permission to enter the imperial city and still ride on horseback. At this time, the two of them looked at each other meaningfully while sitting on the horse. There were many things they could not say at this time.
Before entering the palace, Cao Gan specially met with Yang Hu and learned some details about the civil strife in Sizhou.
When civil strife broke out in Sizhou, Cao Gan and Wei Qun were on their way to Jinling.
In fact, information transmission was very limited at that time. If Yang Hu and Chen Governor Cao Xiushi had not arrived in Jinling by boat as soon as possible, no one in Jinling City would have known about the civil unrest in Sizhou at this time. Cao Qian also did not know that the Marquis of Changxiang was in Yuzhou.
Did Shi Zhi know about the civil unrest in Sizhou?
Yang Hu and Cao Xiushi privately insisted that Han Qian was behind the civil unrest in Sizhou, but Cao Qian had doubts in his heart.
In order to purchase weapons from Xuzhou and contact Sizhou to attack the Wu Liao forces occupying both sides of the Qianjiang River, Cao Gan traveled between Sizhou and Xuzhou three times. He was quite clear about the situation in Xuzhou.
Han Qian and his father Han Daoxun have been running Xuzhou in the past few years. They have vigorously developed craftsmanship, built water conservancy projects internally, renovated post roads externally, and encouraged commerce. Currently, Xuzhou's largest cotton weaving and dyeing industry relies on the surrounding Chenzhou.
Shaozhou, Yezhou, and Sizhou grow cotton and provide cotton seeds for them. On the one hand, they must sell the woven and dyed Qianyang cloth to central Guizhou, which has a wider area, through Chenzhou, Shaozhou, Yezhou, and Sizhou.
Sichuan, Shu, Hunan and even Jiangxi and other places.
Under such circumstances, what was Han Qian doing in a hurry to seek employment in Sizhou, which had a population of 60,000 to 70,000 people?
Doesn't Han Qian know how ugly it would be for Xuzhou to be isolated with enemies on all sides?
Sometimes things are so unpredictable.
Yang Hu, Chenzhou Xi clan, and even Jinling people, because of their inherent prejudice against Han Qian, tended to believe that the civil unrest in Sizhou was caused by Han Qian's manipulation behind his back, but this is more consistent with the truth.
However, Cao Qian analyzed from a more objective perspective and believed that Han Qian had no motive to interfere in the civil unrest in Sizhou, but instead deviated from the real facts.
Even though the fog of civil unrest in Sizhou confused Cao Gan, looking at the chaos in the Imperial City of Chu that could not conceal the traces of the war, he felt deeper in his heart, and he could not even guess the cold figure wearing mourning clothes and sitting under the bamboo shed in front of the tomb.
What the young man was thinking in his heart, he couldn't guess how deep this man's government and calculations were.
At least when he rushed to Yueyang to attend the wedding of Princess Qingyang, he was far from expecting that the situation in Chu State would develop like this. He could not even see that Yang Yuanpu had any hope of winning and successfully winning the throne.
At that time, everyone in the Shu Kingdom also hoped that Yang Yuanpu could separate Hunan or Jingxiang, so that the Chu Kingdom would fall into a situation of fragmentation.
Cao Gan thought that in addition to being wary of the growing power of the crown prince, Marquis Qingjiang, the emperor might have had quite a part in supporting the marriage between Princess Qingyang and Yang Yuanpu instead of pursuing the kidnapping of Princess Qingyang.
Deep down in the heart of the country, the king should be more looking forward to the fact that Hunan, which was divided by Yang Yuanpu, would eventually become a vassal of Shu, right?
But who would have thought that Han Qian would sneak into Jinling and lead the Chishan Army to rise, causing the situation in Da Chu to change in such a short period of time?
So even though Cao Qian didn't think that Han Qian was coveting the remote Sizhou at this time, he thought about the sudden changes in the situation in Jinling and felt that everything could not be so certain.
After all, there are indeed some doubts about the many doubts raised by Yang Hu and Cao Xiushi, as well as Han Qian's reaction after the civil unrest in Sizhou.
Of course, the outbreak of civil unrest in Sizhou also had a great impact on his and Wei Qun's trip.
On their mission to Dachu, in addition to congratulating Emperor Yanyou on his accession to the throne and concluding an alliance, another thing they wanted to do was to determine the national boundary between Shu and Chu in the middle reaches of the Qianjiang River.
The Marquis of Changxiang united with Sizhou to attack the Wuliao people, and at the beginning of the year the Qianjiang channel was completely opened.
The soldiers and horses in Sizhou are weak, but the Wuliao people in the middle and upper reaches of the Qianjiang River are even weaker.
The Sizhou soldiers sent troops from Shiqian County in the south and fought north along both sides of the Qianjiang River. They captured more than forty villages of the Wuliao people and pushed their territory from the northern border of Shiqian County to the north along the Qianjiang River for more than 120 miles.
At present, it controls almost most of the areas in Wuchuan County that were set up by the previous dynasty.
During the pincer attack on the Wu Liao people, the Shu State transferred the elite soldiers and horses of Zuo Qingjiang's three capitals to Yuzhou. Under the control of Changxiang Marquis Wang Yong, together with Yuzhou's state soldiers, they purchased a large number of warships and weapons from Xuzhou.
Undertaken the main combat task of attacking the Wuliao people, captured and surrendered more than a hundred villages, and controlled the waterway 300 miles south of Wulong County. In terms of straight-line distance, the controlled area was almost pushed southward for more than 160 miles.
, and almost recovered the entire Banan area.
Although the Wu Liao forces on both sides of the Qianjiang River have been wiped out, there are still a large number of Fanzhai in the deep mountains and old forests on both sides of the river, and in the southern Sichuan area in the southwest, the Liao people are also very powerful.
Therefore, even if the areas along the river are controlled, both sides still bear a lot of military pressure in the middle reaches of the Qianjiang River. From time to time, Wu Liao people emerge from the deep mountains and old forests and attack the Fanzhai strongholds along the river controlled by both sides.
Even though Wang Yong, the Marquis of Changxiang, was still a minister of the Shu court, most people still advocated determining the new state boundary between Sizhou and Yuzhou based on the actual occupied areas of both sides.
However, Yuzhou is the economic state of Great Shu, and Sizhou is the Jizhou state of Great Chu. The new state boundary is equivalent to the national boundary between the two countries in the middle reaches of the Qianjiang River, so the two countries' courts need to confirm the state boundary before it can be considered a true state.
efficient.
This was also a task that Wei Qun and Cao Gan had to complete when they went to Jinling to conclude an alliance between the two countries.
Regardless of whether Han Qian was behind the scenes or not, Wei Qun and Cao Gan could not ignore the civil unrest in Sizhou and their interference in this matter.
"Master Cao, what are you thinking about?" Yun Puzi, an old man, was sitting in a carriage. He noticed that Cao Qian was wandering and asked.
Even though Yun Puzi won the trust of Princess Qingyang, and Cao Qian accompanied the Marquis of Changxiang on his first mission to Dachu, he also received advice from Yunpuzi. However, Princess Qingyang was a noble concubine of Dachu at this time, and her thoughts were impossible.
Going back to the Shu Kingdom and the Changxiang Marquis like in the past, Yun Puzi is also an official of the Great Chu Kingdom and canonized by the Eight Classics, not to mention the presence of many officials from the Ministry of Rites of the Great Chu and Honglu Temple. Naturally, Cao Qian cannot express what he has in mind.
Think about it, tell Yun Puzi to know, and said with a smile:
"It's nothing. I just thought that when I was in Yueyang, I had a few encounters with Chen Jingzhou, the Marquis of Du Yu. I also thought that when I came to Jinling this time, I could have a chat with Chen Dujiang. Unexpectedly, there was a gap between him and Chen Dujiang.
It's a matter of being transferred to Guangde Prefecture as the prefect. The fate of life is really like a dog in the white clouds, unpredictable."
Yun Puzi said: "The former magistrate of Guangde, Shang Wensheng, and his wife were killed by assassins and traitorous slaves in their former residence in Lishui. The case made a big fuss. However, everyone said that the murderer fled to Guangde Prefecture and dragged two or three people behind him.
In August, hundreds of people were arrested on suspicion in Guangde Mansion, but the murderer was still not caught. His Majesty was very angry and decided to send General Chen to take charge, hoping to avenge Master Shang and his family as soon as possible..."
Heiyundu of Dashu was also responsible for collecting intelligence on the Chu region, but it was far from detailed in figuring out all the stakes involved in Shang Wensheng's assassination case.
Cao Qian and Wei Qun had just arrived in Jinling, and their contact with the outside world was restricted. They did not understand many situations well. Therefore, although there was some meaning in Yun Puzi's words, he could not figure it out for the moment.
"Your Majesty, you must have been waiting for a long time. Let's speed up." Yuan Guowei changed the topic to prevent Yun Puzi, who had an old acquaintance with Changxiang Marquis Wang Yong, from revealing too much information to the Shu envoy.
Shen Yang initially recommended Xue Ruogu to be sent to Guangde Mansion, but was opposed by many people. His Majesty also had doubts. Civil unrest broke out in Sizhou, and the ministers who participated in the government knew that chaos was not allowed in Guangde Mansion. After weighing the situation, they finally recommended Chen Jingzhou to be sent to Guangde Mansion.
Mansion.
Chen Jingzhou and Zhou Teng were from Junzhou copycat forces, and they were quite close to Han Qian. Using Chen Jingzhou or Zhou Tang would help stabilize the current situation in Guangde Prefecture.
Compared with Chen Jingzhou and Xue Ruogu, one thing is very clear.
That is when Chen Jingzhou led his forces out of the mountain. Although it was Han Qian who arranged it, he directly surrendered to His Majesty. It was His Majesty who made great military exploits when he was in Xichuan City and got the important task.
After the Wang Lin incident, Xue Ruogu, who had been serving as chief minister under Han Daoxun for a long time, was expelled from Xuzhou by Han Qian, but who can guarantee that he will have no problem? Isn't it a counterintuitive trick used by Han Qian?
When Chen Jingzhou goes out to Guangde Mansion, he will deal with many complicated affairs because of his close relationship with Han Qian. He may be biased towards the retired soldiers and children of the former Chishan Army and Zuo Guangde Army - this is also conducive to easing the current situation.
The situation in Guangde Mansion is tense - but one thing is clear, Chen Jingzhou and Zhou Pang are still loyal to the court and will not be Han Qian's people.
Now there are enough undercurrents in Da Chu, and Yuan Guowei, who deeply hopes that Da Chu can be stabilized and the country and the people are safe, never wants Yun Puzi to reveal too much inside information to Wei Qun, the Shu envoy, Cao Gan and others, so that Yuan Guowei can know it.
If the Shu Kingdom has nothing to do, then it will interfere and come in.
…………
…………
The private banquet at Changxin Palace was held at noon, which was for Princess Qingyang to chat with her natal family about their daily life to comfort her homesickness.
Qingyang was pregnant with Liujia, so she didn't even talk about visiting the palace. She rarely even stepped out of Changxin Palace, and she was so depressed.
When she first saw Wei Qun and Cao Gan, her eyes couldn't help but turn red when she thought about the old things in the capital of Shu.
After the banquet, Princess Qingyang still stayed with Wei Qun, and Cao Gan sat in Changxin Palace for an hour.
Since it was a conversation, it was impossible for Princess Qingyang to keep looking for Wei Qun. Cao Gan asked about many recent developments in the Kingdom of Shu and his eldest brother, the Marquis of Changxiang, Wang Yong, and also told her about some of her situation in the Chu Palace.
Wei Qun, Cao Qian knows.
When speaking, many secrets may be revealed unintentionally.
In the end, Yuan Guowei couldn't stand it, reminded Princess Qingyang that the meeting was over, and personally sent Wei Qun a "gift". Cao Gan returned to Dutingyi, and did not dare to ask Yun Puzi to have more contact with the Shu envoy.
Yun Puzi continued to stay in Changxin Palace to talk to Princess Qingyang.
"Cao Qian seems to be a little absent-minded. Is there something going on with the elder brother?" After Qingyang stabilized his mood, he also noticed some minor things and deliberately left Yun Puzi to talk in Changxin Palace.
"But I haven't heard of anything happening in Yuzhou. Maybe it was because after General Cao arrived in Jinling, he heard that civil unrest broke out in Sizhou, and he was a little uneasy," Yun Puzi said.
"How do you say that?" Qingyang asked doubtfully.
"Wei Qun is the official envoy. As the Sima of Yuzhou, Cao Gan also went to Dachu as an envoy. Naturally, the king of the country did not think of Cao Gan and the princess. In fact, this time the two countries signed an alliance to ensure that the two countries
"On the territory of the Qianjiang River, no one is more familiar with the situation there than Cao Qian," Yun Puzi said, "The current territory of the Wu Liao people in the middle reaches of the Qianjiang River is divided between Sizhou and Yuzhou. Now there is an outbreak in Sizhou
Such a large-scale chaos will naturally have some impact on the demarcation..."
Qingyang was also very familiar with the affairs of Qianjiang. Hearing what Yun Puzi said, he could understand where the interference came from.
Civil unrest breaks out in Sizhou, and the scale is so large. Regardless of whether it can be suppressed later, Yang Xingfeng must first withdraw some of the elite soldiers and horses he controls in Wuchuan County to strengthen his control over Renshan County, the fundamental place.
.
Not to mention that Sizhou's control over Wuchuan was greatly reduced at this time, and even if it successfully suppressed the civil unrest within the territory, its vitality would be severely damaged.
At this time, whether we still need to divide the two states according to the actual control areas, everyone will make new considerations.
"Do you think Cao Qian would suggest that Wei Qun have a bigger appetite when discussing the boundary?" Qingyang asked.
"Wei Qun and Cao Gan came here with their credentials. They have no right to change their plans without authorization, but they can delay the time and wait for the new decision from the ruler of Shu," Yun Puzi said, "but as the old saying goes, Sizhou can't do anything.
There were 60,000 to 70,000 men. At its peak, there were no more than 5,000 troops, and they did not exert much force in attacking the Wu Liao people. But now they have to take away more than one-third of the Wu Liao people's territory. It is impossible that there are no people in the Shu Kingdom.
Opinion. From another point of view, Sizhou is just Jixizhou of Chu State. Sizhou’s territory is larger and smaller, and it does not have much impact on Chu State. There is even a worry that Jizhouzhou’s territory is too large and will become even less important.
He is more ambitious, but it is different for Shu. There may still be some variables..."
"If Wei Qun and Cao Gan don't delay and directly present my father's credentials to His Majesty, there will be no changes, right?" Qingyang stared at Yun Puzi and asked.
Yun Puzi nodded and said: "That's true. The Lord of Shu will not be dishonest because of this small and remote land. But the problem is that Wei Qun and Cao Qian knew that such a big change would happen, but they didn't
If you wait for a new decision and wait for a new decision, you may be impeached when you return to Shu - Cao Qian's mind is wandering, maybe it's here."
"Taoist Master Yun, do you think Cao Gan should delay?" Princess Qingyang asked.
"The civil unrest in Sizhou is very likely to involve the Marquis of Qianyang. The complexity behind this is beyond the ability of an experienced person to understand. I am sorry that the old person cannot answer the princess's question." Yun Puzi said frankly.
"Does Han Qian really have the ambition to annex Sizhou?" Princess Qingyang asked.
"The old Taoist can see through the thoughts of the Marquis of Qianyang, so he won't be reduced to a lost dog back then," Yun Puzi said with a bitter smile, "But I don't know if the old Taoist had done anything before, but before Yang Xing met, Yang Hu asked for help from Xuzhou.
Han Qian was in every possible way. Seeing that the situation was favorable to Xuzhou, there was an opportunity to weaken Sizhou, and it was certain that he had bad intentions."
"If I want to help the Marquis of Qianyang seize Sizhou, how should I persuade Cao Gan?" Qingyang stared at Yun Puzi and asked.
"..." Cold sweat broke out on Yun Puzi's back, and he didn't dare to sit down anymore, and said in a trembling voice, "If this matter is leaked out, the old Taoist will be in trouble, the princess will be deposed, and she will be imprisoned in the cold palace from now on, and her life will never be endured.
ah!"
Qingyang gently held his swollen belly and said: "I heard that the bellies of Li Yao and Concubine Shu are also moving. Taoist priest Yun feels that I have done nothing. There are still many days before the confinement in the cold palace.
Far?"
"General Li is thinking of your mother-in-law's kindness..." Yun Puzi said.
"Daozhang Yun, are you really bullying me into not knowing anything?" Qingyang's eyes suddenly turned sharp and he stared at Yun Puzi, "If there weren't other people behind the scenes, Taoist Yun really thought that I was going to...
If the book is handed over to His Majesty's desk, will His Majesty finally make up his mind to replace Du Chongtao with Li Zhigao to take charge of Shuzhou? Taoist priest Yun really thought that I would be so arrogant that I couldn't distinguish the importance. I really thought that after Li Zhigao gained power, he would only
Do you think of me alone?"
"The old man is dull, but he definitely knows everything about the empress and never deceives her at all. It's just that the Marquis of Qianyang may not accept the empress's love..." Yun Puzi said.
"It doesn't matter whether you deceive me or not. I can't do anything to you unless you are a chicken and an egg." Qingyang walked to the window and said, "When His Majesty was trapped in Yueyang, I thought that Your Majesty would always rely on me.
Only with the support of Shu can it be possible to defend Hunan and confront King Xin and Anning Palace. At that time, I had Shu and my brother to rely on. There was no need to have anything to do with Han Qian. Facts have proved that I still underestimated Qianyang.
The Marquis of Qianyang may also create a rift with me. At present, the Marquis of Qianyang is deeply speculated by His Majesty and ostracized by the ministers. Your Majesty does not like that I am too thoughtful, and the ministers of Da Chu are destined not to like me.
Princess of a foreign country, I and the Marquis of Qianyang are somewhat sympathetic to each other, and it doesn’t matter whether the Marquis of Qianyang appreciates it or not - I would like to ask you, can I trust you in this matter?"
"Your Majesty, you can always trust the old Taoist." Yun Puzi said bravely.
"Then you can send a message to Cao Qian on my behalf, saying that if I and Yuzhou want to be safe, Xuzhou can only be relied upon..." Qingyang said.
"This..." Yun Puzi was stunned, and for a moment he didn't know what the consequences would be if he relayed these words.
"You can go out. Before Cao Gan leaves Jinling, he will come over to say goodbye to me. Whether you have passed these words along with you will be revealed later." Qingyang gave Yun Puzi a warning look and waved for him to leave.
