In the spring of the fourth year of Xuanren in 963 AD, Wuyue Kingdom peacefully returned to the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Guo Shao's regime expanded several times on the basis of the Zhou Dynasty and ruled the old lands of various countries. After several months of preparation, countless people from Tokyo to the local areas supported changing the country's name. The time was ripe. Under the insistence of his ministers, Guo Shao reluctantly changed the country's name to Xu, because Guo Shao had been appointed as the governor of Xuzhou.
The reign title was changed to Shixing. The reign title for founding a country is different from the reign title for succession to the throne. Now the date of the edict is the first year of Shixing.
The imperial edict was issued, and the emperor and his ministers discussed the rituals of the new imperial temple every day, which was very busy. There were many former officials in and outside the court, and they were inevitably sad at this time, but they were really powerless to oppose it. They had served as officials under Guo Shaozhi for several years and received favors, so it was relatively peaceful at this time.
There was also an imperial decree for the harem, canceling all titles of concubines of the previous dynasty and allowing them to leave the palace with their personal belongings. From then on, they were free and only needed to register their names with the Ministry of Eunuchs to leave the palace.
Fu Jinzhan wrote a letter saying that she no longer had a legitimate place to stay in the palace and requested permission to return to her parents' home in Daming Prefecture.
Guo Shao approved it very quickly without even trying to persuade her to stay. This surprised Fu Jinzhan herself a little.
With the arrival of spring, the grass and trees in the palace have sprouted, and from a distance they look lush and green, but in the humid air of the early morning, Jinzhan inexplicably feels a little deserted. In addition, the concubines who are tired of living in Wanfu Palace are packing up their things and walking out of the path between the palaces, creating a bleak scene.
Jinzhan used to be very powerful in the palace, and the news that she was leaving the palace was also discussed by many people. Although the emperor treated her very well in the past, and there were even rumors that they had a secret relationship, it now seems that Jinzhan's status is still due to her identity. She is not only the empress of the previous emperor, but also the sister of the current empress.
Now that the emperor has established a new dynasty, he is eager to break away from ties with the previous dynasty. Jinzhan is indeed redundant in the palace.
Even though Jinzhan was beautiful, there was no shortage of beauties in the emperor's harem; compared to her involvement with the previous dynasty, it was obvious which was more important. Moreover, no matter how beautiful Jinzhan was, she was over thirty and no longer young. In ancient times, women could experience sexual relations at the age of twelve or thirteen. People believed that Jinzhan's departure from the palace was a reasonable outcome.
Fu Jinzhan's palace has been very quiet these days, with few people coming and going. Even the eunuch Cao Tai said: Fortunately, the queen is still the queen's elder sister, otherwise people's hearts would be so cold and indifferent.
Jinzhan was silent for a moment, then said: "You don't have to go back to Hebei with me. Although you are mine, the emperor still relies on you very much. No matter what, the palace is your home."
Cao Tai burst into tears: I just want to serve you, Your Majesty, and it would be useful for you to help you buy firewood and rice.
Jinzhan smiled and said: I am no longer the Queen Duanci, but I don't need to worry about trivial matters myself. The Fu family has not fallen to that point yet.
Just then, someone was heard shouting: The Queen has arrived.
Fu Jinzhan turned around, slightly bent her knees and said: “Greetings, Queen.”
The eldest sister Fu Ermei stepped forward and grabbed her hand. I heard that you were leaving.
Jinzhan said: It’s just going home.
Fu Ermei said: "I was in Fu's house before, and my sister was in Tokyo, so we never met. Now we have been together for several years, and now we have to separate again." When she said this, her eyes turned red.
If someone else said this, Jinzhan would think she was here to make fun of herself, but she knew her second sister too well, so this was the truth. Her second sister was not very scheming and did not have any sharp edges.
Jinzhan smiled and said: You are so stupid. Sisters in the world should live separately.
The two talked for a while, and the second sister hesitated to speak, and finally said softly: "My eldest sister has helped His Majesty a lot, but now she has nothing in return."
Lian Fu Ermei also believed that Jinzhan would leave this stage and become a thing of the past. Yes, the dynasty has changed, and the old things that can be discarded should be discarded, otherwise there will be no new atmosphere. The main reason is that the country and the people are incomparable with the love of children, and the importance is obvious.
Jinzhan seemed to be able to take it easy and whispered: How could I get nothing? The emperor will return those good thoughts to my second sister and the Fu family.
The eldest sister and the second younger sister pursed their lips and said, "You are so nice to me."
Jinzhan said: I always treat my own people with care.
At this time, Zhang and Du came to see her, and Jinzhan asked Cao Tai to welcome them in. The two came forward to pay their respects, and Jinzhan said kindly: "You still remember me." The two also said some good things.
Fu Jinzhan looked at Du Shi, who had been with her the longest. The emperor allowed the concubines of the previous dynasty to return home voluntarily. Will you leave the palace
Mrs. Du looked helpless and sad, and said weakly: "I am now nameless and without status in the palace, and I miss home very much. But my parents have passed away, and I can only rely on my brother to survive. My sister and I grew up together, but my brother has now started a family and a career, so it is not a solution for me to rely on my sister-in-law."
Zhang murmured meaningfully: Sister Du's brother is a general in the inner palace.
Du immediately replied: You don't want to leave the palace either.
Zhang said: I haven't seen anyone from my mother's family for almost ten years. I have become a monk, and the empty door is my destination.
Mrs. Du said calmly: That's because your nephew is a general.
Zhang sneered and said: What can you rely on your nephew? We are not family.
Jinzhan ignored their insinuations. If it were a few months ago, they would not have dared to argue about such things in front of her. Jinzhan glanced at her second sister, but she was not too worried. She did not think that her second sister's position would be threatened. The second sister, the queen, was a little special. She and Guo Shao got married for the purpose of marriage alliance, but they had feelings for each other. It was difficult for ordinary people to influence her.
After several days of preparation, the trip was almost ready. The women who survived the Beiguo Caimian had become maids of the Zide Palace and returned to Hebei as Jinzhan's attendants. There was also a eunuch, Cao Tai. The escort team was the Imperial Guards' Inner Palace Cavalry, after all, Jinzhan was the daughter of the King of Wei.
As the day of leaving the palace approached, Jinzhan felt inexplicably anxious. She had stayed in this imperial city for too long, for a full ten years, and had hardly left the palace. The two or three times she had left the palace were only for a short stay. Ten years, staying in one place
When the carriage drove away from the palace gate, Fu Jinzhan couldn't help but lift the curtain and look back at the palace city. It was a large house surrounded by a wall. From the outside, the walled city looked like a cage.
But there are cages everywhere in this world, and it’s just a matter of jumping from one cage to another.
People who stay in a cage for too long will become dependent on it. In Jinzhan's eyes, those walls not only imprisoned people, but also protected them. Now that the walls are gone, she feels extremely uneasy and like a floating duckweed.
She had been in power many times in the past and held the power of the world, but when she really came out to face the world, she felt that she couldn't even control the small things. The mysterious power in the besieged city was very powerful, but also very empty.
Jinzhan was very silent along the way and hardly spoke a word.
After leaving Tokyo, the scenery quickly changed to green farmland with occasional villages. The scenery in the wilderness was completely different from the imperial city; the memorials in the past said that the population of the Central Plains was dense, but in fact, the population in the suburbs was not that large, and a piece of land could only support so many people. The spring scenery was charming, but there was a general sense of loneliness.
Tokyo is not far from Damingfu. One is on the south bank of the Yellow River, and the other is on the north bank. Damingfu is even closer if you cross the floating bridge at the Yellow River ferry. Even if the people and horses are not in a hurry, they can arrive in less than ten days.
She stayed at the post station overnight. There were guards outside and attendants inside, but she still felt uneasy. At that time, the surrounding areas of the Central Plains were very peaceful. The feeling of uneasiness did not come from the danger outside, but from her heart. She did not sleep well during the journey, and she was drowsy in the carriage during the day. In the half-asleep and half-awake state, everything seemed like a dream.
Soon after, the imperial guards escorted them to Daming Prefecture, and after entering the city, they finally arrived at their destination.
The most distinguished family in Daming Prefecture is the Fu Family. Almost everything in this city is decided by the Fu Family, and it is also Jinzhan's family. However, this place is completely unfamiliar to her because she did not grow up in Daming Prefecture as a child.
When Jinzhan married for the first time in Hezhong Prefecture, the Fu family was in Yanzhou, and she had never stayed in Daming Prefecture. Since she left the Fu family, Jinzhan has been to many places. She became a widow and did not stay in the Fu family for long. She was soon chosen by the Guo family for marriage and waited for her to go to Tokyo, where she stayed for ten years.
The cavalry quietly entered the strange city and arrived at the strange mansion.
Jinzhan's carriage entered from the back door. Du Chenggui was a military commander of high status in the imperial army, and was personally entertained by Fu Yanqing in the front hall of the Prince of Wei's mansion.
From the late Zhou Dynasty to the early Xu Dynasty, except for the foreign tribes on the border, the only king of a different surname left was Fu Yanqing. But Fu Yanqing was indeed old, and with the wars in the world gradually calming down, it was impossible for him to pass the throne to his son.
Du Chenggui watched at the banquet. Fu Yanqing seemed to be in good health, but his hair and beard were mostly white, his skin was dry and wrinkled, and his eyes were cloudy. Time was truly irresistible.
When Du Chenggui talked with him, he was able to explain most of the polite greetings clearly, and there was nothing unusual about the general matters, but after a few more sentences, Du Chenggui felt that he had become a little confused.
Fu Yanqing's second wife, Xiang, was always by his side, and she was still young and capable. It was said that his eldest son, Fu Zhaoxu, had also returned to Daming Prefecture from Xiongzhou, but the affairs of Daming Prefecture were not affected by Fu Yanqing's stupidity.
Fu Yanqing drank a few glasses of wine, stayed for a while, and then left the table. When he left, his wife supported him, and his figure was a little hunched.
He left his son Fu Zhaoxu and a group of famous scholars from Daming Prefecture to drink with him and watch the singing and dancing, and their courtesy was very considerate.
Du Chenggui must report these situations truthfully after returning to the capital. He had thought about it before this trip. In addition to protecting the queen's sister, his mission on this trip might also include inquiring about the condition of the King of Wei.
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