The gate of the rear hall was open, and palace maids with their hair in buns were walking by in groups, carrying things briskly. Each of them looked efficient as they were preparing the expenses for the banquet. The moon-white dresses they wore looked elegant and graceful, making their bodies look slender.
The palace was filled with laughter and excitement. Fu Jinzhan was in a very happy mood, with a natural smile between her curved eyes, red lips and white cheeks, as if the smile came from the bottom of her heart. Suddenly, the gorgeous palace was as pleasant as spring. Guo Shao was stunned for a moment, but he immediately looked away.
The second sister seemed to have noticed something and turned to look at Fu Jinzhan. Jinzhan had stopped smiling and was sitting there calmly, without any strangeness. But she was slightly panicked inside, so she reached out and gently brushed her ears and hair, making a trivial gesture.
Fu Jinzhan spoke at this time, with clear articulation and rhythmic intonation, and a gentle and pleasant voice. In the court, the words of an eunuch are the most interesting. If the treasury is enriched, I will be better at managing the family. You thanked me in the palace, but I want to say thank you even more. The word "thank you" in the last sentence became lower, like the lingering sound of a melody, the smallest but the most charming.
With a serious and solemn tone, Fu Jinzhan seemed to be very good at conveying emotions through the changes in voice in serious words. Guo Shao also cooperated: The country is the home. The Queen Mother cultivates benevolence at home, just like the good housewife in the country. As the saying goes, a good housewife cannot cook without rice. We warriors naturally have to find a way to get rice back. This is our job.
Fu Ermei said softly: My husband is talking about benevolent policies, but he is talking about clever wives. It sounds so strange.
Guo Shao said calmly: My eldest sister is the Queen Mother in the court, aren't we a family here
Fu Jinzhan raised her hand, which was whiter and smoother than jade, and gently covered her mouth. She smiled for a while and then said, "General Guo's analogy is quite interesting. But I'm afraid Meng Chang will be very unhappy to see you moving his things."
Guo Shao nodded and said: "The country is ruined and the family is ruined. He was driven off the throne. How can he be happy? I have met him several times. From his words, he should be very dissatisfied. But I have one thing to say. Meng Chang does not look like a man who can accomplish great things. Whether he is satisfied or not, he is not a threat. Don't worry about it. You can tolerate him. This will show the Queen Mother's tolerance and kindness."
The capital has been destroyed, yet you still dare not submit, Fu Jinzhan said in a casual tone, and in the blink of an eye she was full of calmness and majesty. "I will summon him tomorrow, and you should come to the court and see if he submits or not."
Guo Shao seemed to be thinking about something.
Fu Jinzhan looked at his face and said with a smile: "General Guo has a way to fight, but he doesn't have enough means to deal with these people. By the way, how beautiful is Madam Huarui?"
Fu Ermei had discussed Madam Huarui with her sister before, and now she was already showing signs of alertness.
Guo Shao came back to his senses, put his hand behind his back, gently groped and grabbed the hand of Fu Ermei who was standing beside him, and said: Meng Chang has more than ten thousand people in the harem, and Lady Huarui is so beautiful, otherwise she would not stand out from so many people. However, I think the wives and concubines in my family are enough.
Fu Jinzhan whispered: Have you ever thought about trying it
Guo Shao glanced at her and felt that Fu Jinzhan could see through his heart, leaving no place for even a lie to hide. He then said frankly: I have thought about it, but it doesn't make much sense. There are so many good things in the world, and you can't just take whatever you like. So I endured it.
Meng Chang has no ability to do great things, but he doesn't look like a bad person. It is said that he likes Lady Huarui and built a crystal palace for her to pamper her. It is better to help them. Please ask the Queen Mother to give Meng Chang a title and let them live a good life.
Fu Jinzhan said casually with a half-smile on her face: What you see is just the appearance, including his disrespectful behavior.
After saying that, she turned around and waved to Cao Tai at the door. Cao Tai had been looking straight ahead. Jinzhan only made a move, but he immediately responded by walking forward and bending over. Fu Jinzhan whispered a few words in his ear.
Cao Tai responded without saying a word and backed out.
Guo Shao couldn't help but look back at Cao Tai.
Meng Chang and his wife lived in the Zhou Dynasty Imperial Palace's Ritual Hall. Many foreign envoys lived in this building complex. Cao Tai led a few people out of the side door of Xuande Gate and went straight into the Ritual Hall. Most people in the imperial city knew Cao Tai, especially officials who had attended the court. They often saw him coming and going beside the queen mother, and no one cared about them or stopped them.
Meng Chang and Cao Tai, rulers of Shu, stood at the door with their hands behind their backs.
An eunuch hurried inside, and soon Meng Chang came out in a hurry, frowning and asking: "What do you want from me, eunuch?"
Cao Tai walked in without saying a word, with his head held high. The young eunuch behind him immediately took out a plate from a cloth-covered basket, held it with both hands and placed it on a round table in the hall. On the plate were a thin-necked porcelain bottle and a cup.
Meng Chang looked at it and his face changed drastically. He took a few steps back and stumbled. The eunuchs around him hurriedly supported him. Meng Chang was shocked and asked: What does this mean
The Queen Mother said that the Lord of Shu had submitted petitions several times before, but I did not respond. I was a little lacking in courtesy. Now that the Lord of Shu has come to Tokyo in person, please give me some gifts. Cao Tai said coldly.
Meng Chang understood clearly. Before, he called himself the emperor of Great Shu, thinking that the mountains were high and the roads were long, and the Central Plains could not do anything to him. When he wrote letters to the royal family of Zhou Dynasty, his words were not respectful. He suddenly became angry and anxious, and walked to the table and pretended to overturn it.
Cao Tai said angrily, "If you have the guts, then go ahead and flip it over. The Queen Mother has given you a nice toast, but you don't want to eat it?"
Cao Tai pointed at Meng Chang and said: "I am waiting outside. The Lord of Shu has decided to throw the
Immediately, several Shu eunuchs and palace maids in the room fell to their knees and burst into tears. Soon, Lady Huarui also came out of the bedroom. She first glanced at the servants kneeling on the ground and the distraught Meng Chang, and finally found the wine pot on the table, and her face changed.
Your Majesty, your servants were crying on the ground. When we were in Chengdu, I advised Your Majesty that you could not come. You could not come.
Meng Chang walked to the table in a daze, looked at it for a while, then reached out to pour out a glass of wine. The wine was purple-red in color. His throat moved and his hands began to tremble.
Furong, come and drink with me. Meng Chang put down his wine glass and turned back to say in a trembling voice.
Madam Huarui also turned pale and took a few steps back.
Upon seeing this, Meng Chang beat his chest and cried: I have treated you all well, why do you all treat me like this? My more than 100,000 imperial guards do not guard the capital for me, and even my most beloved concubine is so heartless.
Madam Huarui shook her head desperately in horror.
Hahaha Meng Chang raised his head and laughed. He suddenly stopped smiling, picked up the wine glass again, and said coldly, "Everything is in vain. I won't force you anymore." I'll go first. With this glass of wine, I finally see what kind of people in the world are.
After he said that, he raised his head and drank it all in one gulp.
Madam Huarui hurried forward to stop him, but Meng Chang had already drunk it and was still sitting at the table, not saying a word. Her tears flowed down, and she said, "Well, I really have nothing to repay my debts." So she poured a glass of wine and drank it without hesitation.
The eunuch Wei Zhong almost jumped up from the ground, stared at Madam Huarui, his body went limp, and he fell to the ground again, looking confused.
The room was as silent as death, and even a pin drop could be heard. After a long while, Meng Chang and Madam Huarui looked at each other in bewilderment.
At this time, Cao Tai and others came in. After drinking the rewarded wine, Cao Tai stepped forward and took a look at the wine cup, then waved his hand, asked someone to collect the things, and said, "The Lord of Shu still appreciates it. Remember the Queen Mother's grace. There will be more rewards tomorrow."
Meng Chang looked puzzled, stood up and walked a few steps, touched his throat and said: It's not poisonous.
The eunuch Wei Zhong burst into laughter: The Queen Mother of the Zhou Dynasty was joking
Meng Chang let out a long sigh, his body softened, and he sat down on the ground. Several people hurriedly helped him up, helped him sit on a stool, and touched him all over.
Meng Chang was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and turned to look at Lady Huarui: My beloved, I was not wrong about you. You are the only one who knows how to repay my kindness.
I am not a walking corpse, so of course I can tell the difference between gratitude and resentment. Madam Huarui's face turned cold, and after a moment, she suddenly showed a very charming and naughty smile on her face. Fortunately, I drank this glass of wine.
Meng Chang frowned and said: My beloved concubine, what do you mean
Lady Huarui gradually regained her composure and said: "I understand that the king has never treated me unfairly, so I will not have any bad intentions towards the king. The king also knows what the meaning of the pot of wine just now is.
Meng Chang said: The Queen Mother of Zhou sent people to intimidate me
Madam Huarui nodded: "The eunuch said that there will be a great reward tomorrow. The Queen Mother should meet the King. You are right to listen to me. You must put aside those useless thoughts and be respectful to the Queen Mother. The court has decided to give the King a way out, otherwise it would not have done this useless thing."
Meng Chang took out a handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead and nodded. "My beloved concubine, you are absolutely right. I just realized today that what you said makes sense."
Madam Huarui held her hands in front of her belly, pursed her lips and said: "Your Majesty should thank Marshal Guo and Jingniang. They kindly invited us to dinner on the river that day. This was a gesture of goodwill. Although the attack on Shu was caused by Marshal Guo, this was not a personal grudge. Today's incident must have been a compromise made by the Fu family for Marshal Guo's sake, because the action seemed very deliberate."
Meng Chang said nothing.
Lady Huarui whispered again: The Zhou court dared to hand over all its elite troops to Guo Shao for the expedition, and he is the brother-in-law of the empress dowager. If I am not mistaken, the Guo and Fu families will form an alliance and share power. Guo Shao may even be the actual ruler of the Zhou Dynasty. Your Majesty should be aware of this.