"You and Fu Qing..."
In the silent hall, Pan'er's somewhat difficult voice came.
Looking at her daughter with an obvious shy look on her face, this kind of demeanor has nothing to do with her image at all, but like a girl who has a crush, Pan'er couldn't find her voice for a while.
It really surprised her.
Not long after Zong Qian and others arrived at Phi Island, a series of wars broke out on Phi Island.
Naturally, it is impossible for the golden man to sit and watch a fierce tiger squatting beside the rear. Although this tiger is only a cub, it is precisely necessary to kill the cub before it grows up.
It's a pity that the battle ahead is still stalemate. Although the Jin people have withdrawn their troops, Da Zhou has no intention of skipping this matter. He clearly intends to take advantage of the victory to recover the Liaodong area, and also to provide Phi Island with plenty of time for its development.
A candle burns at both ends, so the Jin people will not send too many troops to attack Phi Island, and they are extremely bad at water warfare, so although Phi Island has frequent wars, it does not hinder its development.
But Wanrong's return was delayed.
Every once in a while, Pan'er would be brought over by people, but unfortunately, every time there was a war in Phi Island, so it took a year for Wanrong to come back.
But no matter what, the person always came back. Although he was dark and thin, he was still intact. Pan'er was very happy.
But her joy hadn't lasted for a few days before she was stunned by the news from Yongshou Palace.
This time, Fu Qing, who brought someone to send Wanyu back to Beijing, even took the initiative to ask the Queen Mother to marry Wanyu.
When exactly did these two start
Since then, Pan'er's long-standing doubts have finally been answered.
At the moment when Wanrong was taken aback, she secretly guessed whether her daughter was interested in someone, but then the matter was left alone. There were two other times when Fu Qing left Beijing, Wanrong went to see him off. On the surface, it was Zong Qian who sent him off, but in fact Wanrong didn't have to go at all. And this time, why not travel thousands of miles to see my uncle.
Look at uncle is fake, look at Fu Qing is real.
"When exactly did you start?"
Wanrong was naturally shy when asked by her mother about such things face to face, but she was a little embarrassed and embarrassed when she saw how shocked her mother's face was.
"Actually, I told him..."
"You fell in love with him before? That's why you said you wanted to find someone you like, and the two times he left Beijing, you didn't go with Zong Qian, you wanted to go, including this time, not To visit your second uncle, but to visit Fu Qing?"
It was probably because Pan'er's tone was not very good, or maybe her words were too sharp, and her gentle face gradually became uneasy, showing embarrassment and red eyes at the same time.
"I… "
"Is it really?"
Wanrong took a deep breath and nodded, "Yes."
"But he is your cousin!" Pan'er shouted in a low voice.
"It's not my cousin, it's still so far away." Wanrong said stubbornly, tears finally fell, "I don't know when it started, obviously I used to treat him as my cousin before, and then he left Now, I always think of him inexplicably, afraid that he will be injured at the border, afraid that he will die there, and I can't help but find ways to find out about him... I think, maybe this is my heart... "
"That time you and Zong Qian wanted to leave the palace, just to find him?"
"I don't just want to find him, but I also want to find my uncle." Wanrong said, wiping her tears.
Pan'er didn't know what to say.
Although she didn't ask very clearly, she could almost understand the context.
In his teens, he had always held a curious and enthusiastic attitude towards everything outside, but suddenly encountered a life-and-death catastrophe, and killed a heroic boy halfway.
Although this young hero is higher than his own generation, but at this time, he should be most admired.
I don't know when it started, the admiration has gradually deteriorated, and it has become admiration, but how can an ignorant girl understand her own thoughts at this time.
Until another catastrophe happened, life was at a trough, and it was even possible that the world would be turned upside down, and this boy who had become a man reappeared.
His appearance even solved all the crises and made everything develop in a good direction.
So the admiration finally couldn't be suppressed.
"Then when did he and you start?" This question was actually asked twice, but as soon as your position with him changed, the taste changed immediately.
Wanrong naturally heard it too.
She held back her tears: "He didn't start with me, but when I was about to go to Phi Island, I told him to let him come back in two years to be my son-in-law. If he doesn't come back, I will go to Phi Island to find him, and then I just go."
Pan'er held his forehead and remained silent for a long while, his mood was more complicated than ever before.
The fact that the daughter has a lover, and she even chases after him thousands of miles away, is not only a shocking event at the moment, but also the impact on the loved ones can be imagined.
After a long time, she said: "The queen mother and your father may not necessarily agree, he is your cousin after all."
"Will the queen mother oppose her daughter? Or will the queen mother support her daughter?" Wanrong held Pan'er's hand and looked at her with big teary eyes.
"I… "
"Mother's queen..." Wanrong threw herself into Pan'er's arms, and began to cry again. She cried very anxiously and helplessly, and she changed from the happy time when she just came back.
To put it bluntly, it wasn't that I wasn't panicking, nor that I didn't understand that it was wrong to do so, but the thought of wanting to see him so much overwhelmed all reason.
"You are too courageous. During this period of time, my mother always regrets that she didn't take good care of you at the beginning, so that she raised you into a bold and reckless character. You didn't think about it. You just passed by so stupidly. If people refused You, what should you do?"
Pan'er caressed her daughter's thin spine, and wanted to hit her twice, but couldn't.
"Daughter has thought about it, and daughter thinks that maybe in this life, she can only be willful once... I am really unwilling, so I thought... If he is really indifferent to his daughter, I will come back and listen to my mother. Son-in-law, live your life honestly..."
The mother and daughter hugged each other and talked a lot.
This can be regarded as a thorough frankness. As a daughter, she has hidden her thoughts in her heart for a long time, and even expressed some unspeakable emotional thoughts one by one.
It wasn't until Wanrong fell into a deep sleep that Pan'er put her down, and someone took a thin blanket from the bed to cover her, and left the warm pavilion.
As soon as he crossed the screen, he saw a man standing behind the screen.
Dressed in a dragon robe, thin but tall, it was Zong Cong.
Pan'er knew that Zong Cong was coming, so she just gave him a slightly complicated look, and the two went to the side hall.
"You are a father, tell me how to do this?"
"Wanrong's courage is really too great." Zong Cong sat down beside Pan'er, and flicked the prayer beads on his wrist.
Pan'er took the tea from the maid and handed it to him: "It's not because you got used to it. You made her so lawless that she dared to do anything."
The old father disapproved, "What is this called lawlessness? Wanrong didn't do anything harmful, but a gentle lady..."
As he spoke, he stopped, and knew that this description was the opposite, it should be a gentleman and a lady.
Perhaps it was because of his daughter becoming a ladylike girl, Zong Cong said rather angrily: "This is Fu Qing too, Wanrong has shown it so clearly, why is he so indifferent, and let Wanrong chase after him?" After going to Phi Island, do you think that my princess is not good enough for him? My princess is a golden branch and jade leaf, a thousand petites and a hundred pets... "
Pan'er looked at him who had transformed from an emperor into an old father again, blinked and said, "Then what do you mean, that you don't object?"
Zong Cong immediately fell silent.
Pan'er didn't speak, and drank tea slowly.
"...Actually, this matter is not too difficult. That kid Fu Qing is quite responsible. He found the Queen Mother to propose marriage, just..." But there is something wrong in my heart. He is obviously a cousin, and now he married his daughter. Cousin or son-in-law
"It's rare that Wanrong actually has someone she likes."
In the end, this sentence became the conclusion. To put it bluntly, parents love their children. It may be shocking or unacceptable, but all this may be nothing in the care of parents for their children.
"I'm afraid that the Queen Mother..." Pan'er said worriedly.
The Empress Dowager did not agree at the time, and it was obviously difficult to accept this matter, and this matter may have been a shock to the Fu family. Fu Qing's ability to beg in front of the Queen Mother against the pressure was also one of the reasons why Pan'er was relieved so quickly.
"The Empress Dowager actually loves Fu Qing a lot, but what surprises me is that Fu Qing can persuade the second aunt."
The queen mother finally agreed.
After all, both of them are their own beloved children.
Wanrong's marriage has been settled like this, and it is inevitable that there will be some rumors outside, but obviously this is also a strong alliance. Empress Su's eldest daughter married the second son of the Fu family, and many people even thought it was the Queen Mother's decision.
After all, the decree to bestow marriage was issued by the queen mother.
So it is inevitable that some people will think that the Empress Dowager is planning for the Fu family. Once the emperor, the courtiers, and then the uncle's family, there is a layer of separation. But marrying the prince's twin sister, there is no such concern at all. Even if the prince takes over the big position in the future, he will be merciful to the Fu family because he is worried about his sister.
After all, the master of high merit, this is something that every aristocratic family will worry about.
So the Queen Mother took the blame for this, but it was precisely because of this that no one criticized this marriage too much. Unless it is intended to offend the Fu family, offend the empress, and at the same time offend the queen mother and His Majesty, no one in this world has the courage to offend so many people together.
Then everyone thinks that this marriage is a blessing, at least on the surface.
At the same time, this incident is not without impact. With the Queen Mother and the Fu family behind him, the crown prince's position will naturally be more stable. It also dispels the small thoughts of some people, of course this is off topic.
Because Fu Qing was going back to Phi Island in a hurry, and he didn't know when he would return to Beijing next time, so the two children's marriage had better be done as soon as possible.
More or less hasty, but Wanrong is at this age, and preparing for her marriage is something that Pan'er has already put on the agenda. She has already prepared almost the same dowry for Wanrong, and the rest is for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Rites. side.
With the attitude of the three giants in the palace, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Etiquette naturally did not dare to delay, so they just dropped everything at hand and devoted themselves to preparing for the wedding of the fifth princess.
The only exception is the Princess Mansion, which may be too late. Although the Princess Mansion has been under construction for a long time, it is only half completed, and it will not be able to make it in a while.
But Wanrong's plan is to go to Phi Island with Fu Qing after her wedding, and it doesn't matter if the Princess Mansion can be repaired for a while.
Therefore, Pan'er was naturally a little worried. On the surface, it didn't seem obvious, but in private, he almost didn't tell Zong Cong that Fu Qing was transferred back to Beijing, so that he could watch his daughter every day, and he wouldn't worry about the young couple going out. what's up.
After all, this is just a thought. After all, Fu Qing has his own life and ambitions, and the more powerful he is, the less he can do things against the other party's wishes without authorization. If Pan'er Zongcong really did this, it would not be good for Wanrong, but he wanted to create a pair of resentful couples.
So this kind of idea is limited to thinking about it, and the two of them can talk in private.
Soon it will be the day of Wanrong's marriage. This is the first time in two lifetimes that Pan'er is marrying off his daughter, not to mention the complicated emotions involved.
After sending Wanrong away, she grabbed Zong Cong and cried again, which made Zong Cong lament that she really grew younger and younger, and now she loves to cry more and more.
For this reason, it is natural for the two of them to hang around for a while, which can be regarded as a new interest that the old couple has found, so I won't describe it in detail.
Three days after their wedding, when they returned to Ning, Pan'er saw that Wanrong's face was rosy and shy, but she was a little depressed.
When asked again that Fu Qing treated her badly, Wan Rong responded with a bowed head and blushing, what else did she not understand? Pan'er's heart is gloomy, she is really old, her daughter is married, maybe she will be a grandmother in a few days.
Wan Rong and Fu Qing stayed in Beijing for another ten days before leaving for Phi Island.
This trip is thousands of miles away, and the return date is uncertain.
In order to relieve Pan'er's mind, Zong Cong ordered to go to Xiyuan to escape the summer heat just after the summer.
The children naturally followed.
Including Prince Rui, Zong Cong also specially ordered him to come to Xiyuan to accompany him.
Not long after leaving the palace to build the mansion, Zong Cong arranged an errand for Prince Rui, working in the household department. Although it was a small task, Prince Rui did it with great care.
Every day is full of energy, and people look more energetic than before.
At least according to Pan'er's observation, so it is.
"Your father is talking to Zong Yue inside, and he is waiting for you."
Zong Duo saluted Pan'er respectfully, and said, "After thanking my mother, my son will go in now."
Pan'er nodded, and while shaking the round fan, walked away from Bai Zhu.
The sun was not strong outside, and the two walked along the tree-lined path to the Fish Watching Pavilion. Bai Shu held the fish food, and threw some into the water from time to time.
"Prince Rui is much more sensible than the second princess, and people are also polite."
When mentioning the second princess Wanshu, Pan'er's complexion darkened.
After Wan Shu got married, she didn't stop much. Anyway, I could always hear some news about her rioting in the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion every now and then. The family affairs in it were too complicated, and outsiders couldn't explain clearly. Anyway, Zong Cong was very upset when he heard it. That's it.
Even with Song Ming, there seems to be many conflicts. Song Ming is a military general, and he is also a guerrilla general, because Wan Shu won't let him go to the border. Song Ming has been staying in Beijing for the past two years, and Pan Er doesn't treat Wan Shu too much. Pay attention, only know that husband and wife are always at odds.
No, when Wanxuan got married before, Wanshu went back to the palace.
Pan'er heard from the people below that Wanshu complained a lot to Song Ming, saying that Song Ming still wanted to go to Phi Island with Fu Qing. When Wanshu returned to the palace this time, besides giving Wanrong a wedding, she just wanted to tell Wanxuan not to bring Song Ming with her.
What do you call this
Anyway, after hearing about it, Pan'er only had one thought—when did Wan Shu become like this
She didn't know the details, anyway, Song Ming didn't make the trip, maybe the husband and wife had a fight again, this time Song Ming made up his mind to leave, and it was useless for Wan Shu to make a fuss, so she ran to Xiyuan up.
One is to ask Prince Rui for support, and the other is to ask the Queen Mother to call the shots.
She hadn't found Pan'er yet, so she simply pretended not to know, but in fact she still knew.
"It's not good for me to interfere with the second princess' affairs, but the Queen Mother and Your Majesty will not let me take care of it."
After a while, Pan'er went back with Bai Zhu.
After returning, Zong Yue and Prince Rui had already left, and Zong Cong was reading the scriptures. The weather was hot, icebergs were placed in the house, and an eunuch stood in the corner playing a fan.
"Secretly, what did you tell Zong Yue and Zong Duo, and you still carry me behind your back?"
Zong Cong raised his eyes and saw that she was wearing a water-red summer shirt, which made her skin look as frosty as snow, with black hair and vermilion lips, holding a round fan in her hand, she was very beautiful, she looked like the mother of several children.
He smiled: "It's a matter of government affairs."
As he spoke, he rubbed the center of his brows: "I plan to send Zong Yue and Zong Duo out, so it can be regarded as a private patrol for me."
"Where?" To be honest, Pan'er was a little surprised.
He beckoned to her, and when she came to his side, he pulled her to sit on his lap, took away the round fan in her hand, took her slender hand and put it on his temple, and let Pan'er gently replace him After rubbing, he said, "Yangzhou and Fujian."
Pan'er understood.
Yangzhou has Lianghuai Salt Administration, salt merchants and salt tax, and Fujian has Jingyuan Marquis Mansion, maritime merchants and sea tax. The so-called increasing income and reducing expenditure is just a solution to the symptoms rather than the root cause. Although Annan's silver mine has greatly relieved the pressure on the Dazhou treasury, it cannot always be relied on there.
The Jinren are still in Liaodong, Pidao is under construction, and Dazhou has a vast territory. If it is flooded here today, it will be dry tomorrow, and the Yellow River bursts its banks every year. There are too many places that need money.
We can't all ask the common people to find the farmers who cultivate the land to expropriate, so we have to think of other ways.
Salt and tea are two items that the imperial court imposes heavy taxes on. Every salt merchant and tea merchant is complaining about the heavy tax, but the salt tax that the imperial court can collect over the years has become less and less.
why? Naturally there is a reason.
These reasons need to be investigated and solved by people. This is one of the reasons why Zong Cong plans to send his two sons out of Beijing. Firstly, Lao Tzu only trusts his sons, and secondly, because of his experience.
All these dishes are known, and she even knows where the crux of the Lianghuai Salt Administration is, but she can't say it clearly. At most, I can only order one or two Zong Yue, and wait for the success to come.
"Then how do you plan to arrange it? Who will go to Yangzhou and who will go to Fujian?"
Zong Cong pondered for a while: "Zong Yue is going to Yangzhou, and Zong Duo is going to Fujian."
Pan'er also understood why he made such an arrangement. Needless to say, the importance of the salt tax, this matter has been in his heart for many years, and he can't wait to solve it. He will arrange for Zong Yue to go, so naturally he values it more.
As for the problems in Fujian and the coastal area, this place has been ill for a long time, and the forces of all parties are complicated, not only the Jingyuanhou Mansion, but also local big clans, businessmen from all walks of life, and officials, all of which are intertwined. Even in the previous life, it took nearly ten years for Zong Yue and his daughter-in-law Feng Sheng to see each other for a while.
Obviously, it won't be resolved for a while, and he arranged for Zong Duo to go there, so it might be that he didn't have the idea of sending Zong Duo out of Beijing.
No matter how loving his father is, he is still an emperor after all. Now that he has decided on an heir, Zong Cong may have his own consideration and discretion.
"Since you've made up your mind, that's fine." She said softly while rubbing his forehead.
He grabbed her hand and looked at her with a smile: "Are you not reluctant to let your son stay away from you this time?"
"Of course I'm reluctant, but it's not about state affairs."
"The queen is virtuous."
This tone sounded like a joke, and Pan'er punched him twice with her fist.