Zhurou

Chapter 261 Settlement

"If something does happen in the future, it will only concern me and those on the left or the right. Family affairs should be family affairs, and national affairs should be national affairs. Why should we confuse them?"

"If he doesn't do well, then Sister won't want him. If I don't do well, Sister can't want to want me, but she can still say something about me. Isn't it better to have you in the middle than the current situation where there is only the ruler and the subject?"

"If Concubine Li hadn't caused trouble this time, would Sister have never planned to tell me?"

When it comes to this, Zhao Hong even became a little angry. He turned to Professor Zhao Mingzhi to reason and wanted to hold her accountable.

The brother and sister sat side by side and talked for a long time.

In the end, Zhao Hong shamelessly acted coquettishly with his sister for half a day before he stopped joking and said seriously, "My sister always taught me when I was a child that a blessing in disguise is not always a blessing in disguise, and that blessings and misfortunes are closely related. Why do you only think of the worst when it happens to you? When we become a family, we can sit down and discuss things properly. You give in to me and I give in to you. Isn't it better than having a relationship with outsiders? Even if there is something bad, it will be resolved in who knows how long. Why should you and I be anxious in advance today?"

On the one hand, he asked Zhao Mingzhi to have a good rest, and on the other hand, he returned to Chuigong Hall and could not stay there for a moment, so he immediately sent someone to summon Pei Yong into the palace.

When the people arrived, Zhao Hong heard the eunuch's report. Without waiting for anyone to come closer, he hurriedly told them not to greet him and had them prepare a seat. He then stood up, took a few steps forward, and looked at Pei Yong's appearance carefully.

He and Pei Yong first met in Caizhou. At that time, he was too embarrassed to look directly at his face, fearing that it would be impolite. But now that he knew that his identity had changed, he indulged himself and carefully looked at his facial features for a while. He nodded secretly in his heart, but tried his best to keep a straight face. He said first: "The governor has known my sister for a long time. Why didn't you tell me anything before?"

Since the emperor didn't sit, it was naturally impossible for Pei Yong to sit alone.

Hearing Zhao Hong's question, he did not bow, but only slightly lowered his head. Although he saw that the other party called himself "I", he still replied: "Without the princess's permission, no matter how I feel, I can't speak nonsense easily."

Zhao Hong added: "But right now I want to find a husband for my sister, and you are so peaceful..."

There was a hint of complaint in his tone.

Pei Yong shook his head and said, "I have just returned to the court. If I were to act frivolously and excitedly, the people in the court would have to think twice about it. I am afraid there are other things going on. So even if my heart is boiling, I cannot show it."

His tone was restrained, yet sincere. He paused for a moment before continuing, "The two governments have been dissatisfied with the Northwest for a long time. If this humble minister intends to curry favor with the rich and powerful, let alone other things, the Privy Council will intervene to stop me. I dare not take the risk. Moreover, my feelings for Your Highness are based on affection, but I only care about courtesy. If I show too much, it will only make people imagine things. Naturally, this humble minister is not afraid. Your Highness is of such status, as precious as jade, and cannot be affected by such idle talk."

How could Zhao Hong not know that the two governments were wary of the northwest?

Since Caizhou, until Zhao Hong returned to Beijing, he received memorials impeaching the Northwest almost every day.

Especially after the Di people were defeated, the court had been going back and forth countless times on the issue of rewards for military merit. Even now, Pei Yong's reward has not been finalized.

The Privy Council wanted to keep Pei Yong in the capital and prevent him from continuing to occupy the northwest, but was also afraid that if he remained in the capital, his power would grow and become a hindrance. After much hesitation, even if they asked now, everyone would still have different opinions and no one could give a definite answer.

If Pei Yong really revealed Princess Shang's intentions, who knows how much trouble would arise.

Seeing him thinking this way, Zhao Hong had no room for criticism. After hesitating for a moment, he finally said, "I also want to ask the governor what his future plans are. Will he return to Jingzhao Prefecture, or..."

Pei Yong didn't need Zhao Hong to finish his words, he said: "The princess is weak and in poor health, so it's time for her to rest. Besides, your majesty is in the capital, so how can she leave him? I am a minister who eats the salary of the emperor, so I will naturally obey the orders of the court. No matter what you do, I will do my best."

These words, especially the sentence "Your Majesty is in the capital, how could she leave?", really made Zhao Hong feel very comfortable. Although he tried his best to hold back, a smile appeared on his face unconsciously.

The two were talking here, and outside the inner court, Zhang Yi was also talking to the retainer Han Yichang.

The news of Concubine Li persuading the princess had spread almost as soon as it happened. Someone was so well-informed that he could even repeat every word the Concubine said, as if he was hiding under the guest table in the princess's palace and heard the conversation between the two clearly.

There was also the emperor who was listening to Sun Pingzhang's lecture at the Imperial Lecture Hall, but he was suddenly informed and hurriedly excused himself and left. He also declined several requests for an audience with the emperor and hurried to the Qinghua Hall.

The emperor stopped the concubine and had a closed-door conversation with the princess. It was unknown what they said. After they left, he immediately summoned the governor Pei Yong to meet him.

The emperor and his ministers talked privately for most of the day. When Pei Yong left, not only did he show no joy on his face, but after he returned, he ignored the house given by the emperor. He almost immediately ordered people to find a small courtyard and moved out of the official post station. He also secretly sent someone to inquire about the situation from the Minister of Personnel, asking about the time when Li Yan would send his colleagues to take up the post, and then asking about the arrangements for military and political personnel in Jingzhao Prefecture, Fengxiang and other places.

In addition, he also secretly sought out the old abbot of Daxiangguo Temple to look at his horoscope himself.

Hearing this, Zhang Yi also became concerned and asked quickly: "Is this true or false?"

"It couldn't be more true!" Han Yichang said anxiously, "He did it very secretly, not only did he change hands several times, but he also used the reputation of a wealthy man in the south, saying that for some unknown reason, all his family members had died when he was young, and his marriage had failed many times. He also donated a large sum of money to Daxiangguo Temple and Lianhua Temple, asking if there was something wrong with his horoscope and asked them to help interpret it."

Zhang Yi couldn't help but burst into laughter. He slapped the table in front of him and cursed, "The Pei guy has finally suffered this day!"

He added, "He is desperate and is trying anything he can think of! The emperor summoned him and must have asked him if he is willing to marry the princess. He is cunning and likes to pretend to be loyal. He couldn't find a reason to refuse, but he was afraid of being controlled and monitored by the Zhao family. He was even more unwilling to let the court use the princess to intervene in the affairs of the northwest, so he resorted to such a low-class method and pretended to be fortune-teller!"

The more Zhang Yi spoke, the more relieved he felt.

He had hit a wall on several major matters in the Privy Council, from organizing the members of the diplomatic corps to the north, to recommending generals to quell the rebellion, to closing the northwest trading market, and many other minor matters were also very unsuccessful.

It would have been bad enough that she suffered a loss at the hands of Pei Yong, but even Zhao Hong, a kid who hasn't even grown all his hair yet, had to call her "elder sister" all the time to make things difficult for her. Now that she's seeing a conflict between the two sides and is just watching the fire from the other side of the river, how can she not be happy?

"I heard that Daxiangguo Temple has already agreed, and Lianhua Temple has also received the money. They are just looking at the eight characters..."

"He's dreaming! They are just a few monks and Taoist priests. They dare to intervene because they don't know the inside story. If they knew..." Zhang Yi paused, "Send someone to point it out. Don't reveal your identity. Tell those Taoist temples to open their eyes and clean their mouths. Remember what they can say and what they can't say!"

Han Yichang nodded repeatedly.

This task is not difficult.

The thing that Buddhists and Taoists who can gain a foothold in the capital city lack the most is vision.

Pei Yong wanted to use the self-defilement method to escape the marriage with the royal family, but it also depends on whether there are decent people who dare to help him build this platform. If it weren't for the great monk Mingdao, who would believe it if it was spread out.

If the great monk is named Dao, who would tell others about his identity after knowing him?

"Pei Yong is quite quick-witted, but he is just taking shortcuts - even if he succeeds, he will still offend the royal family," Han Yichang said with a sigh, "Besides, with such a reputation, which family will dare to marry him in the future..."

Zhang Yi looked at his retainer strangely, thinking that a summer insect cannot talk about ice, and said, "With his current arrogance, he may not care about what he will do in the future. How can he care about such a small matter? A real man only worries about not having a wife, not fame. You have never been so short-sighted. What's wrong with you today?"

  Han Yichang had no choice but to smile along, but he couldn't help but complain in his heart: If I wasn't so short-sighted, how could I have become your disciple that day?

***

It is not yet autumn, the leaves have not yet turned yellow, and the summer heat has not yet dissipated, but many rumors have begun to arise outside.

It is said that the royal family wants to choose a prince consort for the princess, and is hesitating between a civil official or a military general.

It is said that although the royal family wants to choose a prince consort for the princess, they do not like officials in the court who are too calm and lack vigor, so they intend to wait until the special examination is held before making the selection among the new candidates.

It is said that Concubine Li is the only elder in the palace now, and the emperor has thought again and again and decided to wait for the emperor to return to the south before helping to make the decision. In particular, there are many talented people in Xiazhou who have accompanied the emperor to endure humiliation in the past few years. After returning to Beijing, they can be won over by marriage with the princess.

There are also reports that after the governor Pei Yong learned about this, he took the initiative to ask for help, but the emperor was still hesitant.

The other versions are fine, but the last one actually makes the plot gradually progress.

Today the emperor is undecided. Tomorrow the palace dowager will find out and go to persuade him, but the emperor will not listen. The day after tomorrow, it is reported that the princess has always been wise and this time is no exception. She has taken the initiative to stand up, which shows that there are huge gains and losses. Please ask the emperor to put the overall situation first and agree to Pei Yong's request.

All kinds of news were flying around in Beijing, so Zhang Yi naturally paid attention to it all the time.

He sat high in the hall, listening to Han Yichang's report.

But within a few days, the news that the previously not-so-prominent governor Pei Yong was seeking to marry the princess had become a hot topic, causing many people to secretly discuss it.

Firstly, there were people with ulterior motives fanning the flames. Secondly, between Zhao and Pei, one was already very popular among the people, and the other had just returned to the court with great achievements. They were truly heroes. Compared with the other rumors, these two were truly equally talented and beautiful, and were more worthy of discussion.

Zhang Yi couldn't help stroking his beard, looking very relieved. He just thought about it and was still a little worried, so he instructed: "Please settle those people in the next two days. Don't let them show up again."

"Don't worry, sir. They have all been sent south. They will come back in a year or so. I don't think anyone will remember them."

Han Yichang thought for a moment, then asked, "There is another matter - Pei Yong secretly sought out monks to defile himself and was unwilling to marry the princess. Should we also publicize it?"

Zhang Yi hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "That's totally unnecessary. Let's wait a little longer. We are just about to get them together. Right now, things haven't been done yet. We can publicize it once they are done."

The previous words that used justice to frame the princess were already very subtle and not easy to pursue seriously. However, if it was said that Pei Yong refused to marry the princess, although it would directly point out that he disrespected the royal family, it would first slap the emperor and the princess in the face. If the marriage really failed because of this, it would be a loss of the greater for the smaller.

Besides, Zhao was not an easy person to deal with. She had a lot on her plate in the past and was facing a powerful enemy. She might not be able to spare the time to take care of things. But if she went too far and got really angry and started to get mad, it would be difficult to deal with her.

It's better to leave some room unless it's absolutely necessary.

After all, if the princess marries Pei Yong, especially if the two of them become a couple, it will be beneficial to both the country and the people.

He wanted to drive Zhao to the northwest, not out of purely selfish motives. Apart from not wanting to see her continue to interfere in government affairs in the capital and influence him, he also had something to do with the country and the court.

Moreover, although the plot against Concubine Li this time has been passed around many times, and the lower-level officials have tried their best to clean up the mess, the matter is difficult to handle after all. If it is investigated further by those who are interested, they will inevitably be investigated in detail.

If the investigation is brought to my head, I might not be able to do anything about it, but if it gets out, it will damage my reputation.

Zhang Yi repeatedly reviewed the information and found no obvious mistakes, so he finally felt relieved.

Zhao always liked to act like he was serving the country and the people, and he got a lot of praise from the people.

But there is no such thing in the world that you can eat meat without getting beaten.

People from all walks of life in the court praised the princess for her devotion to the country. Today, we finally have the opportunity to see how far she will go for the so-called "country" and "court".

If she really gets married, the trouble will be gone.

If you're reluctant to leave, this will be a good opportunity to let people know what's going on.

As for Pei Yong, he has the royal family's reputation in front of him and the people's support behind him. In such a situation, he can't escape even if he loses a layer of skin.

  ***

Zhang Yi watched the fire from the other side of the river. Sure enough, he saw that the palace summoned the Imperial Observatory one day, and the Taichang Temple the next day. Today they asked this, and tomorrow they asked that, over and over again. Among them, Pei Yong took sick leave and did not appear in court. The palace no longer looked for any Taoist priests or monks, but instead sent his subordinates to visit famous doctors. It was unknown what method they were brewing.

Han Yichang got the news and said, "I'm afraid Pei Yong will claim that he has a hidden illness - which may not be a bad idea."

Zhang Yi sneered for a moment and said, "It's useless for him to say it himself. He needs others to admit it. I don't know how many people have suffered this time and are waiting for the result. How can we let him play tricks on us?"

He was about to say something when he heard an urgent knock on the door. A steward came in, panting and reporting, "Sir, the palace has issued an order - the princess has confessed... confessed..."

"What did you recruit?"

Without caring about who was up and who was down, Zhang and Han leaned forward and asked loudly.

"Recruit the Jiedushi Pei Yong as your consort!"