At the end of the year, Guo Shao was allowed to take Li Chuyun's daughter Li Yuaner as his concubine.
Officials in Tokyo petitioned to change the reign title for the next year, but no one responded, so the Zhou Dynasty continued to use the reign title Xian De of Zhou Taizu. After Guo Wei changed Guangshun to Xian De, it has not changed since then. Zhou Shizong succeeded to the throne in the first year of Xian De and continued to use it. Now Chai Zongxun is still using it.
All government offices were closed for the holiday, and Tokyo was immersed in the New Year festival.
The capital of Shu was also decorated with lights and was peaceful. The population was dense, but in the winter, few people could be seen on the streets in the morning. Under the humid mist, many shops were still closed late at night. Some shop assistants took their time to take down the door panels, put out the goods, and cleaned up leisurely.
The pedestrians walked slowly and leisurely as if they were all taking a stroll; if someone suddenly walked a little faster, people would speculate whether something urgent had happened at home, or that a family member was sick and they were rushing to see a doctor.
The teahouses in the streets and alleys were already full of guests. A group of people drank tea, cracked nuts and chatted, but more people liked to play cards. According to local people, this gambling game was invented by Zhuge Kongming. It was rumored that the Shu soldiers were bored when they were marching and camping, so Zhuge Liang had an idea and invented this game. The soldiers played cards all day long, and my mother no longer worried about everyone being bored.
The fertile western Sichuan plain, with its humid climate and developed irrigation system, means that you can expect a good harvest just by throwing seeds into the ground. From the peddlers in the city to the farmers in the countryside, everyone lives a leisurely life. As long as they don't have food or clothing, most people don't have to worry about it. There is no smell of war at all.
Even the emperor and his ministers in the imperial city were not panicked, and the common people felt even less pressure.
Meng Chang was feeling very happy now, and was observing the waists and breasts of the beauties in the hall with great interest and care.
A large group of musicians were kneeling in the corner of the hall, playing the harp and the flute with an intoxicated look on their faces, while the beauties danced to the music with their long sleeves flying. The women sang and danced in a circle, and the beauties who were close to Meng Chang secretly winked at him, making Meng Chang very excited.
After the song, the singing girls filed out to rest for a while, but Meng Chang still felt unsatisfied.
Wang Zhaoyuan stood up at the right time and bowed, saying: "Congratulations to your majesty on your great victory. The Zhou army's great fanfare was just like this. We were blocked by your majesty's army and could not advance an inch."
Everyone echoed and celebrated, and for a moment, the hall was filled with a festive atmosphere and joy.
At this time, Prime Minister Li Hao said: "Your Majesty, since the reinforcements have arrived in Hanzhong, don't withdraw them. It would be better to appoint Han Baozheng as the governor of Shannan Road to guard the northern border."
"Okay, issue the decree," Meng Chang said calmly.
At this time, someone muttered: "He pretends to be loyal when he has nothing to do, and disturbs people's interest at inappropriate times, and others have to praise him."
After hearing this, Li Hao's face turned very ugly.
Lady Huarui, who was standing beside the throne, filled a glass of wine for Meng Chang and said softly: Prime Minister Li has good intentions, Your Majesty, don't be angry.
Meng Chang said: "It's the New Year, it's nothing for everyone to have some fun. Besides, wasn't the Zhou army defeated by my Great Shu?"
Li Hao hurriedly advised: The Zhou army did not fight a big battle, probably because the weather in the north was too cold, so they stopped fighting for the time being. When the weather gets warmer next year, there will definitely be a big battle. It is a perfect strategy for us to make some preparations early.
The issue of giving up the title of emperor cannot be discussed any more. Meng Chang finally showed some determination. He didn't care about Li Hao's alarmist remarks, and he didn't like others scaring him at every turn.
Deputy Privy Councilor Wang Zhaoyuan said: Your Majesty must make some preparations, but it is only preparation to rule the Central Plains.
Li Hao frowned as he heard this.
Wang Zhaoyuan raised his head, squinted his eyes and glanced at Li Hao, then looked around and said: "Have you all forgotten the ambitions set by Emperor Gaozu Meng Zhixiang when he entered Sichuan? Separate the two Sichuans, gather strength and wait for the opportunity. Once the Central Plains changes, we will lead our army out of Sichuan and rule the world."
A few people responded hurriedly: We dare not forget.
Meng Chang remained calm and did not stop Wang Zhaoyuan's generous words. After staying in Shu for decades, everyone seemed to have no interest in going out to make trouble, and even he himself did not really want to establish his capital in the Central Plains. He could not feel how much difference there was between being the emperor of the Central Plains and being the emperor of Shu, and he did not have a strong desire.
However, it is still good to let Wang Zhaoyuan talk about his ambitions and inspire people.
Wang Zhaoyuan spoke eloquently: It was a pity to lose Qinfeng three years ago. Without Longyou, the Shu army's road to Guanzhong was blocked. I think that once the Central Plains is in turmoil and the people at the border are uneasy, we can first win over Wang Jing of Qinzhou and take back Qinfeng Chengjie.
Meng Chang said seriously: That makes sense.
Li Hao asked Wang Zhaoyuan: Why did Deputy Envoy Wang think that the Central Plains would be in turmoil
Wang Zhaoyuan snorted: "The Zhou Dynasty has a weak ruler and strong ministers. The army's combat effectiveness has declined and chaos has already appeared. How long can the orphans and widows in power last?"
Li Hao seemed to dislike Wang Zhaoyuan and said in a tit-for-tat manner: You only know the appearance and don't look at the situation carefully. The Queen Mother of Zhou Dynasty was the widow mentioned by Deputy Envoy Wang. She was the eldest daughter of Fu Yanqing, a powerful family in Hebei. The Fu family was very powerful in the local area, so it was not mentioned. Guo Shao, the chief inspector of the imperial guards in Tokyo, also married a girl from the Fu family. The imperial guards of Zhou Dynasty were firmly controlled inside and outside, and it was not easy to destabilize them.
Haha, Guo Shao is just a name for nothing. Wang Zhaoyuan laughed and said, "Prime Minister Wang, don't think that you are the only one who cares about state affairs. I used a little trick to send someone to Tokyo. Guo Shao was once known as Guo the Blacksmith. Now he is living a peaceful life and is very happy staying at home forging iron all day long."
Suddenly someone was amused and couldn't help but let out some suppressed laughter.
Even Meng Chang was curious and asked: Guo Shao is quite famous, he was a famous general in the Zhou Dynasty, but he was actually a blacksmith.
Wang Zhaoyuan clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, I speak truthfully. This man may be good at fighting, but he likes the skills of a craftsman. He has relied on the Queen Mother of the Zhou Dynasty to become the Palace Guard General, a position that makes him the highest-ranking military officer in the Zhou Dynasty, but he still likes to forge iron."
Everyone has their own hobbies, Meng Chang said with a smile.
Wang Zhaoyuan said: Your Majesty, you can see clearly that those in high positions have such hobbies. This shows that they have no ambition.
Meng Chang felt more relieved after hearing this. He didn't care whether he had the chance to rule the Central Plains or not, as long as the Central Plains was not too strong, like the Jin and Han dynasties, which were unable to take care of themselves and could not attack Shu.
At this time, another group of beauties came up to dance. Everyone stopped talking about state affairs and continued to watch. Meng Chang was quickly attracted by the dancing posture of one of them. He suddenly felt a surge of heat in his body. He looked closely at the woman and found that she was not very beautiful, but there was something about her body that attracted him. Meng Chang finally discovered that the woman's breasts were the most plump among the group.
Meng Chang called the eunuch next to him to come forward, stared at the beauty, and whispered a few words in the eunuch's ear. The eunuch nodded and bowed, looking in the direction Meng Chang was looking. The beauty also found that the emperor and the eunuch were looking at her, and immediately a shy smile appeared on her face, and she glared at Meng Chang like a spoiled child. Meng Chang was even more delighted.
When the dance was over, Meng Chang left the table on the pretext of something.
Lady Huarui saw all these little actions, but she couldn't control the emperor. She couldn't get enough of being jealous, and instead made the emperor unhappy. She was just a little worried about Meng Chang's health. As soon as the Zhou army retreated, Meng Chang returned to his old ways, visiting more than one woman every day, and often looked pale and unsteady.
When Meng Chang was not able to do it, he would seek out Taoist priests and alchemists to learn the art of sex. After taking the elixir and practicing, his spirit would surge, and then he would continue to have fun among the flowers. Taoist priests, alchemists, palace maids and beauties, Meng Chang spent almost the whole day with these people. Lady Huarui was curious and secretly studied the elixir and sex art that Meng Chang liked, and felt that those things were harmful to the body.
So Lady Huarui was uneasy. On the one hand, she was worried about Meng Chang's throne, and on the other hand, she was worried about his life.
She used to think that the maids Meng Chang favored were not that pretty, and she tried to win his favor so that he would be more restrained, but later she found it was in vain. Men and women are different. Lady Huarui doesn't want to be close to too many men; but men are just the opposite. They seem to be more obsessed with trying different women.
After Meng Chang left the table, Lady Huarui also left in boredom.
She found a close eunuch and asked him to ask Prime Minister Li Hao and Wang Zhaoyuan, saying: I want to know Guo Shao's background.
A while ago, Meng Chang often summoned ministers, and Lady Huarui also learned a lot of important events. She came to a conclusion from the sporadic news: a military general named Guo Shao of the Zhou Dynasty is now the most powerful person in the Zhou army and even the government.
Eunuchs and alchemists have no knowledge of distant events, but those ministers from aristocratic families who hold high positions and enjoy generous salaries are not completely useless. Most of them are well-read in scriptures, have many friends, and have a wide range of knowledge and experience.
Sure enough, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Privy Councilor quickly answered Lady Huarui's question.
She learned a lot about Guo Shao. He was born in a humble family. He was appreciated after the Battle of Gaoping. Later, he was promoted by military merit and married into the family of Fu Yanqing. He gradually became a general. The Battle of Gaoping happened less than four years ago.
I heard that the war in the north was constant, and there were many opportunities for low-level generals who could fight to be promoted. In Lady Huarui's mind, a burly and fierce man with a full beard appeared. He must be a brave and fierce warrior, to be promoted to such a high position in just four years.
Then, this person came from a humble background, so his knowledge and talents probably could not have grown out of thin air. His vision was inevitably short-sighted due to the limitations of his knowledge. So there might be some truth in what Wang Zhaoyuan said about having no ambition.
Lady Huarui paced a few steps and thought: I have seen some nouveau riche people in Shu for a few years. Once they have money, they will indulge themselves in pleasure and enjoy everything they wanted but could not get before. What kind of ambitions and aspirations are there? How can they be as happy and tempting as pleasure
After some thought, Madam Huarui felt a little relieved.