Starting today, there will be two scheduled updates per day, at 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. During outbreaks, these two update times will remain unchanged.
When Yu Lian woke up, she reached out her hand and touched the side but found it was empty. She had no idea when her husband got up.
She stretched her bare white arms out of the quilt and stretched herself. She heard some rustling noises in the room and thought it was the little girl Dong Sanniang, so she asked: "What time is it?"
A soft voice said: It's almost noon, and I didn't call you because you were sleeping soundly.
Yu Lian heard a strange voice and couldn't help but exclaimed. When she turned around, she saw a graceful figure walking towards her. She immediately remembered that it was the beauty Yang brought back by Jing Niang. Yu Lian covered herself tightly with a quilt and frowned, saying, "How did you get in?"
The door was open. Yang's accent was very different, sounding light and soft.
Yang suddenly covered her lips and sneered. She looked at Yulian's messy hair and the bed and said softly: You must be very tired.
Yu Lian's face turned red and she didn't know how to answer.
Yang came over carefully and sat beside her bed, whispering: "Don't worry, I won't fight with you for anything. I am just a concubine of the master, I just want a place to stay, I really don't want to fight in such a yard, it's too troublesome. If you are willing, I can still serve you."
This Yang had bright eyes and white teeth, and every part of her body was very exquisite, from her clothes to her fingers, all were decorated very delicately. So Yulian had an instinctive sense of threat when she saw her, but when she heard her say that, Yulian's heart softened, and she said without thinking too much: I am just a concubine, and my only support is my husband.
Yang was very humble and gentle. She gently took Yulian's hand and said: Everything has a first come first served and a big or small ranking. From now on, I will treat you as my sister.
Yu Lian was very pleased with what he said and her attitude softened: When I first saw you, I thought you were a lady from a wealthy family, but I didn't expect you to be such an easy-going person.
When Yang heard her mention a wealthy family, she remembered that she was indeed from a eunuch family, so she sighed. This sigh was also full of tactful feelings. Her face was bleak, and she smiled bitterly: It's all in the past.
Yang collected her thoughts, bent down to pick up Yulian's bra that had fallen on the floor, and seeing Yulian's shy expression, she gently hid the thing under her coat at the head of the bed. She whispered: "I have noticed that among the people living in the inner courtyard, only Sister Yulian can serve others. The others are either women with rough hands and feet or two thin girls who don't look like they can sleep with the master. You really could bear it when you were alone with the master before."
Yu Lian blushed and said unhappily: Why are you saying this
Yang chuckled and whispered: "When I was in Huainan, I was sent to my master by the emperor. The next day, I couldn't stand straight all day. I was so tired that I was in a trance for several days. If it was like this every day, who could bear it? So having two more sisters is a good thing, as long as people are easy to get along with, Sister Yulian, do you think it's right?"
Yu Lian thought for a while and said: My dear, you may have to get married, but I don’t know what kind of person the second lady of Prince Wei is.
Yang said: From Prince Wei’s Fu family, then her sister should be the current queen.
Yu Lian nodded and said: That’s right.
Yang said: "We can't compare with such a noble woman. If we have a quarrel with each other in the future, how can we live like this?"
Yulian immediately began to like Yang more and more. She was the most sympathetic person, thinking: Yang was robbed by a general in Huainan, just like when Li Shouzhen's mansion was captured. Fortunately, the one who robbed her was Guo Shao. But she came to Guo's mansion with no one to rely on, and she was unfamiliar with the place. Why should she bully others
Yu Lian thought again of the general's wife and concubine who sold her like a commodity. She just felt that she was not such a vicious woman and could not treat Yang like that.
Yang was also quite clever. After only being in the mansion for a few days, she saw that Yulian was the most powerful woman in the inner court, and she tried to please her in every way possible.
While Yang was praising Yulian's appearance, she said with deep sorrow: "Master is one of the most powerful people in the court of the Great Zhou Dynasty, why are you still wearing such rough fabrics?"
Yu Lian said: My husband asked me to manage the income and expenditure. If a woman doesn't manage the household, all the gold and silver will be gone.
Yang smiled and said: Sister Yulian, you can't think like that. The master has reached this position now, and the amount of money is not important, the important thing is to keep the position. You don't have to save him some of the worldly things.
Guo Shao came back from Xiang Xun's house, and Zuo You followed him along the way. The two of them sat down in the living room of the outer courtyard and talked, one after the other.
Zuo You frowned and said: If I hadn't gone to visit General Xiang, I wouldn't have heard that Zhao Kuangyin's first wife had passed away. Zhao Kuangyin was anxious to go to Hebei to marry Wang Zhang's daughter.
Guo Shao said: General Zhao is now the commander-in-chief of the Palace Guard, so it is not surprising that he is marrying into the family of Minister Wang.
Zuo You said in a deep voice: My Lord, do you still remember what Dong Zunxun said about his mother being in Youzhou
I remember. Guo Shao nodded.
Zuo You said: Dong Zunxun is Gao Huaide's nephew, and his mother is Gao Huaide's sister. Gao Huaide is now the commander of the Imperial Guard Infantry Division. The lord above is the commander of the Imperial Guard Cavalry Division, and the brothers of the left wing of the Hujie Army below are your foundation; Gao Huaide is stuck in the middle, directly in charge of the Hujie Army, and his position is very important. If Gao Huaide is lured away by Zhao Kuangyin, we will be so miserable in the future.
Zuo You said anxiously: "The Lord said that day that when Dong Zunxun talked about his mother, Zhao Kuangyin was also present. Did Zhao Kuangyin also think of rescuing Dong Zunxun's mother in order to repair his relationship with Gao Huaide when he went to Hebei this time?"
Guo Shao pondered for a long time, thinking about it in his heart: Gao Huaide was kicked out of the Palace Guard Department because Zhao Kuangyin said he couldn't lead troops. Zhao Kuangyin just said bad things about him, so he had to find ways to win him over.
But maybe. Guo Shao's mind flashed Zhao Kuangyin's dark and fat face. He didn't know if it was because of prejudice, but Guo Shao always felt that Zhao Kuangyin was very treacherous. For the sake of power layout, he might have tried his best to let go of the past grudges.
Thinking of this, Guo Shao took out Fu Yanqing's invitation letter from his bosom. This was the letter that the Fu family sent to Huainan after the capture of Shouzhou. Guo Shao handed it to Zuo You: You keep this thing.
Zuo You carefully put it away and said, "There are many merchants from both north and south in the Tokyo market, and they do all kinds of business. You can ask Yang Biao to find a few guides who have been to Youzhou. Yang Biao is addicted to gambling and has a lot of contacts with the messy people in the market, so it's best to let him do this."
Very good. Guo Shao nodded, and Mr. Zuo would go find Yang Biao later.
Zuo You added: Luo Mengzi is the most loyal and reliable. We can let him take his personal soldiers to take turns on duty at the lord's mansion. This can not only protect the lord from danger, but also provide more manpower for dispatch.
Guo Shao adopted all of Zuo You's suggestions.
He thought for a moment and asked again: Is the messenger organization I arranged in Haozhou useful
Zuo You's face darkened: It's too complicated. When there is no war, it seems the same; once the war starts, everything becomes urgent. Not only are military orders very slow, but a military order has to go through too many complicated processes, making it very easy to make mistakes.
Guo Shao recalled Zuo You's sweaty face in Yuecheng, Haozhou, and nodded: I don't think it's practical. It's better to disband it, reorganize the messenger command of Tan Shitou into a town, and let them settle in Xuzhou first. And Zhou Duan, who was captured in Huainan, can be allowed to live in Xuzhou first. I think there is no problem with him. If he is willing in a while, let him lead the Xuzhou shogunate.
Zuo You thought it was a good idea and agreed with Guo Shao's considerations.
Guo Shao is now the Zhongwu Jiedushi of Xuzhou. This kind of town has no elite soldiers. The purpose of establishing a Jiedushi is to gain status and salary, but the Jiedushi can open a government according to the system. Although Xuzhou has few soldiers, it is still a piece of land, so there is no need to despise it. Holding it in hand, opening a government will always increase strength a little.
The Imperial Guards Department still had many things to consider, and there were still many people in the officialdom who should visit during the New Year, but Guo Shao planned to seize the most important thing, which was to go to Hebei. Now was the New Year, and there were only a few people left in various agencies. Everything was not running smoothly and the efficiency was slow, so it was time to get out.
After some preparation, he asked for leave from the Imperial Guard and set out.
The attendants selected were: Zuo You, Yang Biao, Luo Mengzi, the initial group of 19 personal soldiers, all of whom were Guo Shao's most trusted confidants, and four hired merchant guides.
Everyone decided to go to Daming Prefecture first, the seat of the Tianxiong Army Jiedushi, the territory of Wei Wang Fu Yanqing.
The guide told him that it was only 400 miles from Tokyo to Damingfu, Hebei, after crossing the Yellow River. This was Guo Shao's first time to Damingfu. He remembered that he had stayed in Fu Yanqing's mansion for a short time as a guard, but at that time Fu Yanqing was not in Damingfu, but in Yanzhou.
Guo Shao arranged: We are not familiar with Daming Prefecture, and the hired Shen San and others are just peddlers and have nothing to do with Prince Wei's Mansion. Zuo You will take a few followers first, and after finding Prince Wei's Mansion, send the visiting card and Prince Wei's invitation letter in. Then I and the rest of the people will wait at the Daming City Posthouse for someone from the Palace to contact us.
So they planned to split into two groups, each prepare travel expenses, say goodbye to their families, and then gather at Guo Shao's residence.
It was the beginning of the first lunar month and the atmosphere of the New Year had not yet passed. In the streets of Tokyo, people were still immersed in the festival. Just like Zhao Kuangyin's second marriage to Shizhong Wang's daughter, Guo Shao's main purpose this time was not for beauty, but for marriage.
Guo Shao and others walked out of the house and saw that the snow in Tokyo had not stopped yet. The snow was fluttering in the air. Everyone prepared a raincoat. He led the horse to the street and climbed on the horse. The entourage beside him had already gone ahead, leaving a trail of black horse hoof prints on the snow.
Going to a place where he was not familiar with the place, to meet a woman he had never met before, Guo Shao suddenly felt like he was on a blind date, and felt a little uneasy.