Before the Queen left Daming Prefecture, she not only advised her elder brother Fu Zhaoxu, but also Fu Yanqing, but it was of no use.
Zhao Xu met the people from Zhang's family yesterday and talked alone for most of the day. It seems that Zhang was divorced and no one can stop her.
Zhang was depressed all day long, and even couldn't comb her hair neatly. She felt that the sky was dark and the world was dark, as if there was no sunshine at all. She was troubled by the complicated inside story of this matter, and she was full of regret and hatred. She hated everyone but Mrs. Fu the most.
Zhang was not sure whether the matter was instigated by the eldest lady and that eunuch; but it was definitely caused by her. What kind of queen is this? A lot of people will be in trouble and will not be able to survive.
Zhang had not been officially divorced yet, and her current status was still the principal wife of the eldest son of the Fu family. Moreover, the emperor and empress had left Daming Mansion, and her situation had not changed much from before. She was still a widow who had taken refuge with her natal family, but her reputation was indeed great. Therefore, Mrs. Fu could not touch the eldest lady, and even the eunuch did not dare to take the initiative to provoke her, after all, there were not many of their people in this mansion.
Although Zhang hated them, she did not dare to act rashly. First, she was even more wary of Madam Fu and felt that her identity was not as simple as she had imagined; second, she knew that the eunuch could see the emperor directly, which made Zhang afraid.
She knew that Madam Fu and the others were holding a grudge against her and wanted to take revenge on Zhang, who was facing divorce. She was also very angry with them. The grudges and contradictions between the two sides were very deep, but for a while, they kept to themselves and no one was willing to take the initiative to provoke trouble. Because they all knew that if they touched the other side, they would be in big trouble.
When they can't do anything to others in public, women will think of ways to do it in secret. Zhang is thinking of a way. This is why men in the court often use open schemes, while women in the harem like to use conspiracies.
The undercurrent was surging and the balance was extremely unstable. Then a stone broke the calm.
A eunuch, Wang Zhong, came to Damingfu again and brought a message to the emperor, asking the King of Wei if he was willing to marry the eldest lady as the queen.
It is said that the civil and military officials, meritorious officials and nobles have persuaded us that a monarch should follow the laws of Heaven and it is difficult to defy Heaven's will. However, the Empress is immoral, so this dynasty will have two independent Empresses, divided into the East and West Palaces, and intends to confer the title of Madam Fu as the Empress of the West.
It's called an inquiry, but how is it different from an imperial edict? Does the King of Wei dare to refuse? And what reason does he have to refuse
Upon hearing the news, the eunuch Cao Tai limped in to report. His buttocks were almost healed and he no longer needed to be prodded with a stick. He almost jumped up and down humming a little tune. From the way he held his head high and chest puffed out, it was clear that he had encountered a great fortune.
Cao Tai reported the news to Jinzhan, and seeing that Jinzhan was very calm, he suddenly understood and said in a deep voice: The emperor has good intentions.
Jinzhan looked at him calmly: Tell me what your good intentions are.
Cao Tai stepped forward and whispered: I wonder if what I said is right. I was wondering before, what kind of person is Lu? He said he was plotting a rebellion and was arrested and executed, but he took so long to make such a fuss, causing a sensation, and even the King of Wei was bitten back by him. It turns out that this step is called creating momentum. If not, how could it attract the attention of the ministers? The emperor attaches great importance to the reputation of the queen, and spared no time to make careful arrangements.
Jinzhan did not comment. But she knew that Guo Shao's plan was more than just this, and it had been planned since before the country's name was changed.
With Jinzhan's complicated identity and the rumors caused by the Zhao family, things have come to this point. Guo Shaoneng has no better way to do things this far, and he has made the greatest effort.
Jinzhan tried hard to keep a calm expression on her face, but she didn't dare to say much at this time, as her voice might be distorted if she spoke any more.
She was very happy at this moment, but she wanted to cry.
She seemed to hear what Shao Ge'er once said: In this world today, your position in my heart surpasses that of anyone else, including my parents.
Jinzhan also complained that he was disrespectful to the deceased elders in his hometown. She thought these sweet words were just to coax her, but it turned out to be true.
She reached a hand into her robe sleeve, holding the letter Guo Shao had given her, believing that the promise was true: any visit from the harem had to be approved by her.
This kind of promise does seem a bit fake. Even if the emperor disowns her in the future, Jinzhan can't do anything. But now she completely believes that what Guo Shao said is true.
She was surprised.
In this world, women have always been required to be loyal, and the idea that men need to be loyal to women is simply against ethics. Since the Zhou Dynasty emperor's etiquette, there has been a rule that the king can have 120 concubines. If a woman wants to be the only one favored, it is considered immoral and is called jealous.
Not to mention the emperors and nobles, even ordinary people with a little bit of wealth would not want to marry a virtuous wife and take in a few beautiful concubines.
At this time, Jinzhan believed that if she and Guo Shao were married from the beginning, Guo Shao would really love her alone and treat her well.
But now, he has done his best and he cannot be too unkind to his wives and concubines. Even Jinzhan is unwilling to do so, because if her love requires sacrificing too many innocent people, she will not feel at ease.
This makes Jinzhan very satisfied.
Jinzhan sat there, her eyes were red and sparkling, her hands were tightly clasped together, and she said nothing.
Tea. Jinzhan said only one word, because she couldn't finish a complete sentence normally.
Cao Tai bowed hurriedly and stepped back: I will bring tea right away.
There were still two maids standing at the door. Jinzhan sat under the window for a long time without saying a word. She pinched the back of her hand and wrist with her fingers, bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, using the pain to distract her attention and emotions.
Only a stronger sense of touch could pull her back from her dazed and obsessed state and make her feel that she was still awake.
After a long while, countless chaotic things passed through Jinzhan's mind. She calmed down a little.
She decided to persuade Guo Shao to make his second sister's son the crown prince, and also planned to help Guo Hong become the crown prince in the future even if she had her own son in the future.
Second sister is her biological sister, and it was Jinzhan who arranged her marriage with Guo Shao. Now that Jinzhan wants her man's heart, she feels that she should compensate Second sister.
One person cannot have everything. Jinzhan is the daughter of a big family. She knows that in a big family, the most important relationship is distribution and compromise. Unless you want to abandon and get rid of someone, you have to give her what she deserves. Otherwise, if you don't give others anything at all, you will become a lonely person, and others will team up to take it away, causing chaos inside, and you may also face external pressure.
Jinzhan gets along with the second sister in the palace, and it can be seen that the second sister cares about Guo Shao but cares most about her own children. Then Jinzhan will compensate her and let her children get more care from Guo Shao.
Jinzhan thought that it was enough to have Guo Shao's heart. If she could still give birth to a child, it would be fine if she didn't become an emperor but a prince. She didn't want to have all the benefits.
As the saying goes, you will get what you deserve. This is true for both Ermei and Jinzhan.
Cao Tai took a long time to bring in the tea. The eunuch was very observant. He knew Jinzhan was trying to get him out of the way, but he still brought in the tea.
Cao Tai brought the tea and took a small wine glass. He poured half of the hot tea into the glass and then swallowed it himself.
Jinzhan couldn't help but look sideways.
Cao Tai whispered: We have to be on guard. If anyone has to die, I will be the first to die.
Jinzhan frowned and said: Are you afraid that someone will poison you
Cao Tai said: "There are our people around this room, but we are afraid that we can't defend ourselves." Zhang hated the eldest lady to the core, and now she knew that the eldest lady was going to be the queen; she was a divorced woman, and the eldest lady was the queen, so she was not afraid of wearing shoes when she was barefoot.
Jinzhan pondered for a moment and said: Zhang is just jealous and always has a little bit of heart. She is not afraid of death, doesn't she still have a family
Cao Tai was stunned.
Jinzhan said no more, but she could infer that if she was really poisoned to death by Zhang, the matter would be very serious, which was not what Jinzhan wanted to see.
After two rounds of communication between the Fu family and the Zhang family, the matter had been settled and the liquidation of some property and assets was almost complete. Fu Zhaoxu then wrote a divorce letter, but instead of delivering it in person, he sent someone to deliver it to Zhang.
Zhang's hands were shaking as she held the paper. This was not just a piece of paper. Every word on it was depriving her of the basis for living.
She cursed silently, her eyes bloodshot.
At this moment, her mother's call pulled her back. Zhang looked back and immediately burst into tears:
She hugged the boy and the boy said: Mom, you strangled me and it hurts.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he saw Sheng Wu, Fu Zhaoxu came in person, grabbed the child and said: Don’t stay here, follow daddy.
Niang Shengwu shouted.
Fu Zhaoxu sighed, looked at Zhang and said: If it is really good for him, you should let him go. He is the eldest grandson of the Fu family and should be the head of the family in the future.
Zhao Xu pondered for a moment and said: It is not my wish, but I really cannot let you down.
After all, he was Fu Zhaoxu, the only one in the Fu family who would say this and show a guilty expression.
Zhang's expression was complicated after hearing this, and she gradually let go of her hand, but said: Shengwu, remember that your aunt is a bad person who will be punished.
Fu Zhaoxu was furious and said, "How can you teach your child like this? Shengwu, come with your father now."
Zhang looked at the backs of the tall and short men walking out the door. She saw that her sons kept looking back at her. For a moment, she felt as if a piece of her flesh had been cut off. She grabbed her chest with both hands and tore it, almost going crazy.
She knelt on the ground, crying bitterly. But no one paid any attention to her, even the servants had left. It was meaningless for her to cry alone, and soon she had cried enough. She looked up and looked around, feeling extremely desolate.
Zhang had lived in the courtyard for several years and had never felt very good during these years, but when she was asked to leave, she felt panic and fear of having no one to rely on. She thought it would be better to die, but she also had a glimmer of hope that she still had a son.
Zhang wiped her tears and packed her things without paying attention. She was worried about her son. She was relieved that the eldest grandson of the Fu family would not suffer, but she was also afraid that the stepmother would treat the child badly. The stepmother should be from the Zhang family, so she should be fine. However, she was not at ease until she saw that Shengwu was well fed and clothed. She was absent-minded in everything she did.