Ancient people usually drank a cup of tea after a meal and then sat for a while. The maids collected the dishes and placed fruit plates, snacks and tea. Guo Shao continued to accompany Fu Jinzhan. After a full meal and a few drinks, he was no longer reserved.
Fu Jinzhan waved her hand to dismiss the irrelevant people, but still asked Cao Tai, Mu Shanggong and several others to stay; she was also very careful to avoid people thinking that she and Guo Shao were alone together.
What do you think Wang Pu did? Fu Jinzhan asked.
Guo Shao pondered for a moment and said: Wang Pu is just a civil official, he is very useful but not a threat, especially with his personality of getting along with others, it is difficult for him to do anything big alone. But I find his remarks today very interesting.
Fu Jinzhan nodded and motioned for him to continue.
Guo Shao then said: Wang Pu knows that I am the Queen Mother's confidant, but as it concerns the country, he is not sure to what extent. His words seem to be straightforward, but in fact, there are at least several intentions.
First, he wanted to test the Queen Mother's trust in him. Second, he wanted to show his loyalty. He was showing his loyalty to the Zhou Dynasty and to the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother was the Queen Mother of the Zhou Dynasty and would never punish him for being loyal to the court. This was the fact. However, he did not expect the Queen Mother to be so tough. It probably scared him and he would look at her with more respect in the future.
The third is to protect his own reputation. If there are any changes in the world in the future, he can say that he is very upright. At least at the beginning, he was not afraid of the powerful and was loyal to the Zhou Dynasty. After all, the former emperor had been kind to him.
Fu Jinzhan immediately covered her mouth with her hands and laughed so hard that she doubled over. People thought that Wang Pu was very cunning, but unexpectedly you saw through it all. You are quite thoughtful.
Guo Shao said calmly: I am an archer. An archer needs to shoot accurately. It is impossible to achieve the highest level with only strength but no effort. Besides, I am not very careful. Hasn't the Queen Mother noticed it yet
Fu Jinzhan's face flushed, but she stopped smiling and said seriously: Last time when I was ordered to enter the palace, I did feel that you were very thoughtful in your arrangements.
Guo Shao said: It's not just that one time.
Let's not talk about it. Fu Jinzhan's eyes flickered a little, but she didn't dare to look at the servants beside her, because although those servants looked elsewhere, they were actually paying attention to her actions every moment.
She immediately changed the subject and said: Li Jixun wants to raise an army. Since you are a military commander, do you have a way to pacify him
The Imperial Guards have not been reorganized yet, so it is not safe to use them to fight now. Guo Shaodao and Li Jixun must join forces with Li Chongjin to strengthen their strength and avoid being defeated one by one and shaking the morale of the army. Li Yun, the governor of Zhaoyi Army, is the key.
Fu Jinzhan nodded and said: You are right. The soldiers under Li Yun are also veterans of the battlefield. They have been fighting against the Northern Han in Hedong for a long time and are capable of fighting. However, when the previous emperor was in power, he told Li Yun that he would let Li Yun's youngest daughter marry Zong Xun in the future. In the future, her daughter will be the queen, and Li Yun will not rebel.
Guo Shao said: Li Yun is a man of insight, he may not think that the marriage of a young girl is reliable. He paused deliberately, hoping that the Queen Mother could guess what he meant from his tone.
He continued: "Besides, Zhangde Army Wang Rao might also rebel. Wang Rao's third daughter had been married to Zhao Kuangyin, but Zhao Kuangyin was in mourning for his father's death and did not have time to marry Wang. Wang Rao was also afraid of being implicated."
Fu Jinzhan seemed to be thinking about something.
Guo Shao said: I have an idea. If the Queen Mother intervenes and lets Li Yun's daughter marry into the Fu family, Li Yun will definitely feel at ease about the marriage with the Prince of Wei.
Fu Jinzhan immediately smiled and said: This is a good idea. The Fu family has the Queen Mother of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and is also related to General Guo; it is worth it for Li Yun to marry this daughter, and he can have the best of both worlds. ..
Guo Shao chuckled: If Li Yun still wants to rebel, then he is too ambitious and is trying to fish in troubled waters. Wang Rao's third daughter also wants to remarry. It would be best if the Queen Mother personally acted as a matchmaker and ordered Wang Sanniang to marry Chai Gui.
Fu Jinzhan laughed and said: What's the point of marrying Chai Gui
Guo Shao said: Wang Rao is old and can't have much ambition. He just wants to live in peace. Chai Gui is a general of the imperial army of the Great Zhou Dynasty and a relative of the royal family. The Queen Mother asked Zhao Kuangyin's fiancée to marry Chai Gui mainly to show her attitude. The matter between the Wang and Zhao families ends here and is no longer a concern.
Very wonderful Fu Jinzhan praised, General Guo really has some ideas, not just a military general. As long as Li Yun and Wang Rao do not rebel, Li Jixun and Li Chongjin may hesitate, buying us time for internal rectification; and it will be easier to deal with them in the future if we defeat them one by one.
That's right. Guo Shao said calmly, "War is the continuation of politics. Although I am a military commander and can fight, I should also understand why we are fighting. The weaker the enemy is, the greater the chance of winning when the war is resolved."
After they finished their tea, Guo Shao was about to leave. Fu Jinzhan seemed reluctant to leave. Even if they were not talking about private matters, just military and political affairs, she felt that she and Guo Shao had a very pleasant conversation.
Fu Jinzhan was attracted by the wisdom and voice of Guo Shao's conversation. She always felt that he was a unique person in the world. He was not born into a wealthy family, but his knowledge was much higher than those noble and idle people.
But since he wanted to leave, Fu Jinzhan couldn't force him to stay, so she had to ask Cao Tai to see him off.
She then got up and left the Jinxiang Palace, and when she arrived at the harem, she remembered that it was Mid-Autumn Festival and wanted to go around. Unexpectedly, she heard sad cries from the palace from time to time, and she couldn't help frowning.
Cao Tai said softly: "After the death of the previous emperor, those concubines who did not give birth to children had to move to the cold palace and live in loneliness until they grow old. So we can't do anything about it. They are all the people of the previous emperor. Letting them go will damage the reputation of the royal family. If it were in the past, they would not be able to survive and would have to be buried with the emperor. Now it is still considered good."
Cao Tai asked softly: Lady Qin
Fu Jinzhan's eyebrows moved slightly. The woman had teased and ridiculed her in the bed of the late emperor before; Fu Jinzhan heard it when she sent someone to eavesdrop secretly. Later, Cao Tai reported that she would also say bad things behind her back.
Fu Jinzhan pondered for a moment and said: Forget it.
Cao Tai bent down and answered.
Fu Jinzhan pondered again, "Where is Lady Du?" Cao Tai said, "She seems to be in a palace in the north, waiting to be moved to the cold palace. I will send someone to look for her immediately."
Tell her not to go to the cold palace, but to live in the Wansui Palace with me. Tell her that I asked Zongxun to recognize her as his adoptive mother.
Cao Tai hurriedly said: Yes.
Concubine Du was the elder sister of Du Chenggui, the commander of the Inner Palace Guard. Their father was killed in battle while protecting Taizu. The late emperor treated them very well, taking Concubine Du into the palace and appointing Du Chenggui as the commander of the Inner Palace Guard to guard the palace.