That night, Guo Shao didn't hear any news from Zhou Xian until he went to bed, so he let the matter go.
The next morning, the court was held. The days were short in winter, so it was still dark when they set out from home. When Guo Shao led his men to Ma Xing Street, they saw a long line of lanterns on the street, which was a spectacular scene. The shops on the street were also open early, and many officials were waiting in front of the steaming shops for their followers to buy pancakes. It seemed that many people rushed out without even having breakfast. The cold weather could not stop the lively atmosphere in the early morning.
The envoys from the Shu Kingdom's Tingyi Embassy were also summoned to attend the court, but it did not seem to be a good thing.
In the hall, the deputy envoy Wei Renpu rebuked the envoy of Shu in person: I heard that Shu took advantage of our country's mourning period to contact Southern Tang and Northern Han with the intention of attacking our country. Is this true
The Shu envoy was furious after hearing this: "The Great Zhou attacked our country at the end of the first year of Xiande and seized the four states of Qin, Feng, Cheng and Jie. It has always been the Great Zhou that actually attacked our country. Has our country ever provoked the Great Zhou? This shows that this has never happened."
Wei Renpu said: With the memorial from the King of Jingnan as support, you have no choice but to acknowledge it.
The envoy frowned and said: Jingnan is a small country and they often sow discord.
At this time, a quiet voice said slowly in a majestic tone: I have never heard of two suns in the sky, nor have I heard of two emperors in the world. Now the ruler of Shu calls himself the emperor of Great Shu, and his rebellious heart towards Great Zhou is known to the world; it is precisely because of the arrogance of the ruler of Shu that he provoked a war. Why doesn't the ruler of Shu give up his title and regard the emperor of Great Zhou as his suzerain
The envoy bowed and said: Queen Mother, when the first emperor of our Great Shu founded the country and ascended the throne, the Zhou Dynasty did not exist yet. The emperor of Great Shu became the emperor first, and the Zhou Dynasty was established later. How can it be said that the emperor of our country has the heart of not being a subject
Fu Jinzhan's voice was already filled with anger: "It has always been natural to make small matters big. Shu is a small country, so it should serve the Great Zhou as its main concern."
Wang Pu stepped out of the line and bowed, saying: "Queen Mother, since the rulers and ministers of Shu Kingdom have no respect for the imperial court, I request that we use military force against Shu Kingdom to seize its territory and make clear the hierarchy between the upper and lower classes."
At this time, the Shu envoy sneered: "The Great Zhou always resorts to war, and they can always find excuses to accuse us of crimes. Why do you have to use your honorable title to accuse our emperor?"
A eunuch above shouted, "You dare to disobey the Queen Mother? You don't want to live anymore."
Fu Jinzhan's voice said: There is no need to bother with a small envoy like him. Send an edict to the Lord of Shu. If he does not give up his title, we can only fight on the battlefield.
After a while, the eunuch sang: If you have something to report, please do so. If not, please dismiss the court.
Guo Shao and all the ministers kowtowed to express their gratitude. It had been exactly half a month since Xiang Xun and others sent out the troops. The battle was about to begin, so it didn't matter what the attitude of Shu was. He hadn't said anything just now, but now he couldn't keep a low profile. When everyone heard that the troops were going to be mobilized, they got up from the ground and all looked at Guo Shao.
Fu Jinzhan would summon him almost every time after the grand court session. This time was no exception. When he was searched outside the Jinxiang Palace in the morning, an eunuch asked him to leave the court early and meet the empress dowager.
Guo Shao then left the main hall of Jinxiang Palace and sat in the open hall next to it waiting to be summoned. Not long after, the eunuch Cao Tai came in and bowed, saying: "The Queen Mother is now summoning General Guo. General Guo, please follow me."
Guo Shao entered the back hall from the corridor and saw Fu Jinzhan in a study. As usual, there were a group of servants standing in the outer hall, and Fu Jinzhan would deliberately avoid being alone with Guo Shao in the palace.
Fu Jinzhan seemed a little angry at this time. Guo Shao could understand that. Usually everyone was respectful to her and dared not disobey her in the slightest. Today, a small envoy from Shu Kingdom did not even kneel, claiming to be an envoy of the Great Shu Emperor. The tone of his words really made Fu Jinzhan very unhappy.
When she saw Guo Shao, she straightened her neck and said: You were right when you said that we should start with Shu. The Southern Tang Kingdom is so submissive, how can we start with them? The Great Shu Emperor is simply unreasonable.
Guo Shao said softly: If Shu Kingdom does not respond in this way, the Queen Mother will have to think of another reason to mobilize the army. Isn't it a relief now
Fu Jinzhan was slightly stunned after hearing this, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth: You are quite thoughtful.
Guo Shao said: As long as we cannot win the real battle, all our dignity and face are just made of paper. The Queen Mother does not need to bother with the Emperor of Shu. You will feel relieved after destroying his country after a while.
Fu Jinzhan brushed the wide sleeves of her gown and said thoughtfully: Do you think Xiang Gong can take Hanzhong
The troops are sufficient, but the key is that the Qingniling Road is difficult to pass. It often rains on the mountains and the roads are muddy. The Shu soldiers are not strong enough to fight. If Xiang Gong can pass Qingniling, I believe he can capture Hanzhong. Guo Shao said.
Fu Jinzhan looked at him again and said softly: Li Jing, the ruler of Southern Tang, sent an envoy to ask for Li Yu and his wife to return to the country. Are you willing to let Zhou Xian go
If she wants to leave, let her go. Guo Shaodao, Zhou Xian is not my family, she has her own family and identity, I don't need to guard her like a father or brother. She should be given the right to choose.
Fu Jinzhan was thoughtful and said softly: Just now you said that without strength, dignity is just paper. If that's the case, she has no right to choose. Why is she so different to Zhou Xian
Guo Shao said: Women are different. At this time, men are superior to women, and women and children are the weak. Using violence on the weak will not give any sense of accomplishment or practical benefits; I would rather give them enough respect, so I suggest revising the crime of adultery in the Zhou Dynasty law. Women who commit this crime should not be punished in an insulting way. This is an abuse of power to persecute women and children. He took the opportunity to say that I recommend Huang Binglian, the judge of the left hall of Kaifeng Prefecture, to the Dali Temple to preside over the revision of some laws.
When Fu Jinzhan heard the unpleasant word "adultery", her face turned red and she immediately lost her mood. Her eyes flickered as she said: "I'll do as you say. That's all for today."
Guo Shao stood up and bowed, saying: I'll take my leave.
Not long after, Zhou Xian and his wife received an imperial edict allowing them to return to their country.
It turned out to be so easy. Zhou Xian's preparations beforehand, such as threatening to kill herself, were useless. After the founding of the Great Zhou, it has always been recognized as a great power by all countries in the world, even the hostile Northern Han and Liao recognized this. Their official edicts are still more authoritative. Zhou Xian breathed a sigh of relief, but was also a little surprised because she believed that men who have the power to possess her will try every means to do so. This is experience; for example, Li Hongji ignored the brotherhood and forced her husband to offer her.
But Guo Shao was released with just an imperial edict from the court, and Zhou Xian felt a little disappointed for some reason.
We will set off tomorrow, Li Yu beside him said happily.
Zhou Xian smiled: My husband is finally getting his reward after all the hardship.
She thought to herself: That's it.
A trace of gloom flashed across Li Yu's pupils, and then he whispered: "Only Ehuang knows my affairs, and others just think that I favor you. Don't tell anyone, otherwise my father will not make me the crown prince."
Zhou Xiandao: Am I the kind of woman who can speak out such private matters
Li Yu regained his composure and said casually: I heard from Zan Jurun that this morning in the Zhou Dynasty's palace, the Shu envoys made rude remarks and angered the Queen Mother of Zhou Dynasty, and they might use military force against Shu. This is good, on the other hand, the Southern Tang, my father has been restored to the throne and is on good terms with the Zhou Dynasty, so the Zhou Dynasty has no reason to use military force against the Southern Tang first; the war will definitely hit Shu first.
Zhou Xian thought of the content of Guo Shao's secret letter and couldn't help saying: Shu Kingdom is upstream of Southern Tang, and we are in the same boat. We can't gloat over their misfortune.
Li Yu said: The Later Shu Kingdom had not been conquered for decades because it was surrounded by thick mountains and could not be conquered overnight.
He said a few words casually, "While it is still early, I will go to see the Minister of Rites Wang Pu so that I can bid farewell to the Zhou Dynasty. It is a good opportunity to exchange courtesy and maintain long-term friendship between the two countries."
After hearing this, Zhou Xian found clothes for Li Yu to go out, dressed him up, and sent him out.
She stayed in the rites hall all day without going out to avoid trouble, and spent a while in a state of annoyance. At this time, an attendant came back to report that Wang Pu, the Minister of Rites of the Zhou Dynasty, had held a banquet for Li Yu to celebrate his farewell, and he would not be back at noon.
After hearing this, Zhou Xian thought to himself: Li Yu wanted to make friends with Wang Pu in the past but failed, but now Wang Pu is so enthusiastic; maybe the Great Zhou was really determined to use military force against Shu, so it took the initiative to show goodwill to the Southern Tang to avoid deploying troops on two fronts.
She didn't care too much about these things, and the thought flashed through her mind. She suddenly had an idea: the kind of banquet that her husband attended would last for a long time, which means that from now until noon or even in the afternoon, she would have the opportunity and time to meet Guo Shao. At this time, Zhou Xian's heart was pounding, and his heartbeat could not calm down.
But she stared at the charcoal fire in the middle of the room for a while, wondering what he was doing.
She wanted to know how Guo Shao felt about the three consecutive physical encounters. Maybe he was just lustful and wanted to play with her, otherwise why would he ignore her afterwards? If so, she could give up. But Zhou Xian felt that something was wrong. What if he denied it? Would she still be thinking about him after returning to Southern Tang? It would be better to give up. She should treat her husband wholeheartedly and keep the vows they made in the past.
Time passed by little by little, and Zhou Xian was suffering from loss and shame. Waiting for Li Yu to come back, losing the opportunity; or seizing the only chance before separation.
It would be better to just say goodbye, without saying anything or doing anything. Otherwise, she felt that she would be entangled in this regret for a long time.
At this moment, a servant suddenly came to the door of the bedroom and said, "Madam, a messenger has come, claiming to be sent by Zhou Duan. He said he would personally hand the letter to you, Madam."
Zhou Xian couldn't help but feel pleasantly surprised. The last time Guo Shao sent someone to deliver a letter, he used Zhou Duan's name. He immediately took a cloak, put it on, put on a veil, and walked quickly out of the bedroom.