Northern Dynasties

Chapter 1307 Mother’s Grace to the World

Duke Anguo Yang Zhong led his army to war last year. After conquering Northern Qi, he did not return directly to the court. Instead, he led his troops to Youzhou to pursue the remnants of Northern Qi. The year-long expedition was a glorious one. Until recently, the court appointed Li He as the governor-general of Youzhou and Gao Lin as the governor of Youzhou, who were jointly responsible for the local military and political management. Only then was Yang Zhong able to lead his troops back to the court.

Yang Zhong was the most meritorious official in the imperial court. He had missed a series of founding ceremonies because he was away on a campaign, but he had received all the rewards he deserved. When he returned to the imperial court, he naturally received a series of rewards. The gifts from the imperial court alone filled dozens of carts, which was extremely glorious.

After Yang Zhong returned home, his relatives and friends came to congratulate him, and his home was crowded with guests. The Yang family was not a noble family, but it became increasingly prominent because of Yang Zhong's merits. The relatives were mainly his children's in-laws, and together with his colleagues, they formed a considerable network of relationships.

Dou Rongding was Yang Zhong's eldest son-in-law. When his father-in-law returned to the court, he naturally had to visit him and help entertain relatives and friends. On the surface, the couple was not affected by the previous events. They treated each other with respect and were warm and harmonious, which was praised and envied by their relatives and friends.

Yang Zhong had been away on a military expedition for a long time, and had been tense and tense all the time, not daring to relax. Now that he had finally returned home, he was in a very happy mood. Listening to the compliments and congratulations from his relatives and friends, he naturally had to drink a lot.

During the banquet, a servant came to the hall to report that Jingzhao Yin Liu Qing came to see him. Because of his former master Dugu Xin, Yang Zhong had a good relationship with the Liu brothers in Hedong. He did not doubt Liu Qing's arrival, thinking that he was also coming to congratulate him. He even stood up and went out to greet him, not noticing that his son-in-law Dou Rongding's face suddenly became nervous.

"When I entered the court this morning, I looked around and didn't see Mr. Liu. I asked Yu Zi and found out that he had already gone out to work as the governor of the capital. I must have a drink when I enter your house today!"

Yang Zhong strode forward and took the arm of Liu Qing who was bowing to him. Because he was in a good mood and a little drunk, he was more enthusiastic than usual in his dealings with others.

"Duke Anguo has returned triumphantly, and I should have rushed to greet you and congratulate you, but unfortunately I am tied up with matters at the palace and cannot spare the time. I am here to visit you today, but I am also forced to do so, so I dare not bother you with a drink. When I have time in the future, I will definitely come to your residence again and invite Duke Anguo to drink and eat."

Liu Qing responded to Yang Zhong, while his eyes searched among his relatives and friends behind him, and finally locked onto Dou Rongding who was standing in the crowd with his head down. At this time, no one else noticed anything unusual, but Yang Jian, the eldest son of Yang Zhong, who was standing next to Dou Rongding, noticed the determination in Liu Qing's eyes and the fearful look of Dou Rongding who was looking down and avoiding him, and he couldn't help but frown.

"What business does my family have that requires you to visit Jingzhao Prefecture?"

Yang Zhong was still a little unresponsive at this moment, and asked out of curiosity.

Yang Jian stepped forward quickly, saying with a smile, "Is it about the delivery of the granted land in the suburbs? The banquet in the central hall of the household is in a mess, please ask Liu Dayin to sit in the side hall first. My father has been tired from the journey, and the household affairs are all managed by the younger generation. It is inevitable that there are some omissions, and the master of the house also needs some guidance."

As he spoke, he led Liu Qing to the side hall. Liu Qing didn't want to announce his purpose in front of everyone, otherwise it would be too disrespectful to Yang Zhong. So he bowed slightly to Yang Zhong, and then followed Yang Jian to the side hall.

The other guests did not notice anything unusual either. They just sighed in their hearts that Yang Zhong was really powerful. Even the matter of granting land required the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture to come in person to handle it, which really gave him enough face.

But Yang Zhong was not completely drunk at this moment. He noticed something unusual from his son's slightly attentive and anxious attitude, but he did not say anything. Instead, he returned to the living room with the other guests and sat down. After chatting for a few words, he found an excuse to go to the side hall.

In the side hall, Liu Qing had already explained his purpose to Yang Jian. He chose to come today, not to deliberately offend the Yang family, but because a case had been implicated in a case a few days ago, and the woman who caused trouble in the street had not yet been brought to justice. Suddenly, her relatives went to Jingzhao Prefecture to report that the woman was suspected of being murdered.

Liu Qing was already dissatisfied with Dou's perfunctory attitude, and now because human lives were at stake, he was worried that if he delayed any further, the personal evidence would be destroyed again. After failing to find Dou, he went directly to Yang Zhong's house and wanted to take Dou Rongding to Jingzhao Prefecture for a thorough interrogation.

Dou Rongding knew that he was in the wrong, so he and Yang Jian went to receive Liu Qing. When Liu Qing finished telling the case and saw Yang Jian's inquiring eyes, he couldn't help but lower his head guiltily.

At this time, Yang Zhong also stepped into the side hall. After understanding the situation, he first glanced at Dou Rongding who was keeping his head down and not saying anything, then glared at Liu Qing and snorted, "Liu Gengxing is bullying me? You chose this day to come and harass me! Not to mention that the matter has not been concluded yet, even if the case is really confirmed, are you still worried that the criminal will get away from me? There is no room for you here, get out!"

Of course, Yang Zhong could not agree to Liu Qing's taking his son-in-law away at the banquet celebrating his return, otherwise everyone would think he was weak and could be bullied, and would look down on him in their hearts.

Yang Jian saw that Liu Qing's face had turned ugly, so he said quickly, "There are many guests in the palace today, and Lord Magistrate Liu has also seen it. I really have no time to deal with other matters. Lord Magistrate, please make it convenient for me. Tomorrow I will definitely accompany Lord Yongfu to Jingzhao Prefecture. If we violate the contract, Lord Magistrate can order a sea arrest!"

Dou Rongding also whispered, "Today, I still need to deal with the situation at my father-in-law's house. I will go to Jingzhao Prefecture tomorrow and explain everything frankly."

Seeing that they had expressed their opinions, Liu Qing stopped insisting. He knew that he was very unwelcome at the moment, so he stood up, apologized to Yang Zhong, and left. When he left Yang Zhong's house, he ordered two officials from Jingzhao Prefecture who had come with him to guard the door and monitor Dou Rongding's movements.

After sending Liu Qing away, Yang Zhong naturally lost the interest to continue the banquet. He glanced at Dou Rongding and walked out without asking in detail what had happened, nor did he discipline or reprimand Dou Rongding.

His father was so angry that he went back to the inner hall, but Yang Jian had to cheer himself up and go to the living room to entertain the guests. He was busy until late at night, when he sent all the guests away or arranged for them to stay overnight in his own guest house. Only then did he have time to ask his brother-in-law about the inside story.

Dou Rongding felt a little ashamed, but he could no longer conceal the truth and could only tell the story. After listening to Yang Jian, he frowned for a moment and said after a moment of silence, "It's useless to worry about it now. Brother-in-law should take a rest and get enough rest before going to Jingzhao Prefecture tomorrow morning."

When he returned to his bedroom, the banquet for the women in the inner hall had already ended. His wife Dugu Jialuo was leaning on the couch with her eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. When she heard Yang Jian walking into the room, she hurriedly got up to greet him.

"It's already so late at night. The affairs in the inner hall have been completed. Madam, you should just go to bed first. Why wait any longer?"

Yang Jian saw his wife's tired face and said with some heartache, and Dugu Jialuo also enjoyed this pampering. She snuggled up to her husband and walked into the inner room together, giggling: "My husband is not here, and I can't sleep either!"

The couple had been childhood sweethearts, and their ages were not much different. They were still very sweet after being married for several years. Recently, the court sent envoys to various provinces to collect household registration information. Yang Jian, who was now a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue, should have been sent out, but he was worried that his wife, who had just given birth, would feel lonely, so he asked to stay in the court. He missed a great opportunity to accumulate experience, but he didn't feel it was a pity.

After the couple climbed onto the couch, they lay side by side. Dugu Jialuo chattered about some of the guests today, and complained a few words about her sister-in-law He Ruo showing off her husband's promotion. She couldn't help yawning, but she was not without sensitivity and leaned close to the silent Yang Jian's ear and whispered, "Is there something on my mind, husband?"

Yang Jian's mind was also in a mess at the moment. When he heard his wife's question, he whispered about the story of his brother-in-law Dou Rongding's family.

"Dou's brother-in-law usually looks dignified and steady, but I didn't expect him to do such a thing in secret. It's really disappointing!"

Women's focus is somewhat different from men's. After listening to this, Dugu Jialuo first sighed at Dou Rongding's inconsistency, and then couldn't help but chuckled: "No wonder Dou's brother-in-law had a short and messy beard today. It must be because of that my sister. It was smart for my sister to force that slave to death. If she had indulged her like this, who knows how many ugly things would happen in the family in the future! If my husband..."

"How could I? You're talking about other people's business, why bother looking for trouble in yourself!"

Yang Jian saw that he was about to get into trouble, so he shook his head repeatedly, then hugged his wife's delicate body and whispered, "Go to bed quickly. You have to accompany your brother-in-law to Jingzhao Prefecture tomorrow morning. The court is now enforcing the law strictly and intends to weaken the arrogance of the nobles who violate the ban. Although it was just a servant being beaten to death this time, if the case is investigated strictly, we don't know what the punishment will be. Aye has just returned to the court and is unfamiliar with the current situation. It's better not to show up..."

Dugu Jialuo curled up in her husband's arms, listening to Yang Jian's somewhat worried muttering, with a thoughtful look in her eyes. She rubbed her smooth forehead against the newly grown stubble on her husband's chin, and after a moment she muttered, "Even if something similar happens in the future, I won't be able to beat or scold my husband. But I will never let that evil maid who caused trouble go!"

When Yang Jian heard this usually gentle lady talking about this matter, he became particularly irritable and felt a chill in his heart. Perhaps he was worried about his future life. He couldn't help but whispered: "I remember that my father-in-law's house is quite popular. At the beginning of the year, Her Majesty the Queen even arranged a palace selection for the Supreme..."

"What did you say?"

When Dugu Jialuo heard this, she immediately sat up from the bed, her eyes wide open, and she said angrily: "Does my husband think that I am not as virtuous as my sister? Compared with the Supreme, who among the men in the world can boast of his talent? Both husband and wife are not of high status, but only if we don't dislike each other can we stay together for a long time!"

"I spoke out of turn, please don't be angry, ma'am!"

Yang Jian also sat up with a smile, repeatedly apologized in a low voice, and kept pulling his wife's belt to comfort her. As they pulled, the two young bodies were entangled again, and the quilt was rippled. Before dawn was over, Yang Jian accompanied his brother-in-law Dou Rongding to Jingzhao Prefecture to surrender and explain the case with dark circles under his eyes and yawns, while his well-nourished little wife Dugu Jialuo was also dressing up in the room.

The Yang family was a newly-minted noble family of the founding of the nation. As Yang Zhong led troops to fight outside the country all year round, although his sons had all grown up and got married, in order to prevent their mother from living alone in misery, they still lived together in one family. Putting aside their glamorous appearance, some frictions were inevitable in the family home.

Yang Zhong married his wife, Lady Lu, when he was young. Although the couple had a deep affection for each other and never left each other, as Yang Zhong's status became more and more prominent, he had to interact with many officials and noble families. When dealing with these interpersonal relationships, Lady Lu was more or less unable to cope. Although Yang Zhong later took Lady Li as his concubine, who was from the Longxi Li clan, she was not his principal wife after all, and could not take over in many situations.

As the eldest daughter-in-law in the family and the daughter of Dugu Xin, Dugu Jialuo was treated kindly by Yang Zhong after she entered the family and did not regard her as an ordinary junior. Naturally, she also assisted A-gu in handling many household affairs.

But this harmony did not last long. As Yang Jian's second brother Yang Zheng and third brother Yang Zan got married one after another, the situation of Dugu Qieluo, the eldest daughter-in-law, was no longer as good as before.

Especially the second brother's wife, He Ruo, who was also sharp-tongued and strong-willed. She always wanted to be the first in everything at home, and she gave birth to the eldest grandson for the Yang family before Dugu Jialuo, which won the favor of Aunt Lu. Not long ago, Yang Zheng was promoted to a higher position for his merits in destroying Qi, which made He Ruo's wife more arrogant at home and even bossed Dugu Jialuo around.

Dugu Jialuo was good at dealing with complicated interpersonal relationships, and was impatient. Apart from greeting her parents every morning and evening, she rarely moved around the inner house, staying in her own courtyard or visiting relatives and friends. However, she still had the idea of ​​regaining some face in front of her aunt and her sisters-in-law, but unfortunately she didn't have any good opportunities.

After finishing her dressing, she went to the inner hall to greet her aunt Lu, but when she arrived at the inner hall, she saw that everyone had frowned and looked worried. After asking, she found out that it was all about the Dou family. A servant of the Dou family was arrested by the Jingzhao government and confessed that the mistress Yang forced the master to beat his mistress to death, so the Jingzhao government sent someone to bring Yang into the government early in the morning.

"My poor son..."

Yang Zhong's wife lay on the table and cried non-stop. Dugu Jialuo wanted to go forward to comfort her, but her sister-in-law He Ruo next to her started to pick her faults again: "Sister-in-law is really a noble and kind-hearted person. Such a big thing happened in the family, and the whole family was disturbed, but sister-in-law did not disturb her and acted in a measured way."

Dugu Jialuo couldn't help blushing after hearing this. She and her husband were full of energy and enjoyed themselves all night. They were indeed tired in the morning and got up a little late. At this moment, she was too lazy to refute. She just stepped forward and said to Lu: "Aunt, don't be too sad. After all, this matter is not the fault of your sister. Jingzhao Prefecture must have brought people there just to inquire about the truth. After the inquiry is clear, they will naturally send the people back."

But Mrs. Lu loved her daughter dearly, and Dugu Jialuo's consolation did not have much effect. She hesitated for a moment before speaking: "If Auntie is still worried, why don't I go to the palace to ask Her Majesty the Queen..."

"Are you serious about what I said? If you can ask Her Majesty the Queen for mercy, that would be great! Her Majesty the Queen is also a woman, so she will understand how my family feels after this incident. I think she will forgive my son!"

After hearing this, Mrs. Lu immediately stopped crying, stood up, grabbed her daughter-in-law's arm tightly, and spoke repeatedly.

Dugu Jialuo originally just wanted to enter the palace to inquire how the matter would be handled, but she didn't expect her mother-in-law to beg her to rescue her aunt. For a moment, she couldn't help but regret her forcing herself to take the lead, but it was difficult to refuse in front of everyone, so she could only nod and agree. Then, under the eager gaze of her mother-in-law and the envious gaze of her sister-in-law, she gritted her teeth and prepared to enter the palace.

Although Empress Dugu Miaoyin's status is different now, she does not just sit in the deep palace. She often summons ladies from other families to the palace to meet her, or take her to the gardens to play. Her life is rich and comfortable.

As the empress's sister, Dugu Qieluo's request for an audience in the palace was naturally smooth, and she was soon led to the Yanjia Palace, where the empress lived and managed harem affairs.

On the palace road some distance away from the Yanjia Palace, Dugu Jialuo saw several eunuchs dragging a woman out of the palace and leading her away to the west of the palace. The woman seemed to be forced away and was still struggling. One could even vaguely hear her shouting for mercy.

Seeing this scene, Dugu Jialuo's heart was inevitably shocked. She did not dare to peek into the private affairs of the Forbidden City. She lowered her head and walked behind several palace maids who were guiding her. She did not look up until she came to the Yanjia Palace. She looked at the queen sitting in the palace, bowed down and saluted, and said with a smile: "Sister, I come to disturb you again!"

Dugu Miaoyin's mother died early, and her father was away from home all year round. She was raised by her stepmother Cui when she was young. They had a deep affection for each other, so naturally she loved Cui's younger sister. When she heard the woman's laughter, she smiled and joked, "Of course I know that I am a disturbing guest. Why don't you bring any gifts to the host?"

"Sister, you are the mother of the country and you are rich, yet you still want to take advantage of me. This is too much!"

Dugu Jialuo walked towards the seat beside her while laughing. She looked at the gorgeous dress on the queen and couldn't help but exclaimed: "This brocade is so beautiful, it makes my sister look like a fairy!"

Empress Dugu was already beautiful, and now that her status was higher and her life was harmonious and comfortable, she became more charming. Hearing the exaggerated praise from her younger sister, she pointed at her dress and said with a smile: "This brocade is newly donated by Shuzhong weaving. The quantity is not much. When your father-in-law, Duke Anguo, returned to the court, the inner treasury gave him a lot. You can go home and ask for it, don't come here to take it!"

The two sisters chatted and joked for a while. Seeing the queen's bright smile, Dugu Jialuo couldn't help but whispered, "Just now I saw a woman being expelled from the palace. Why did she dislike my sister?"

After hearing this, the queen's smile faded slightly and she sighed, "This is Yu Cairen, who came to ask for forgiveness for her father, Duke Yong. When we first met at the beginning of the year, I thought this woman was demure and admirable, but I didn't expect her to be so ignorant after entering the palace. This woman came to the palace and asked for something without permission, which was inappropriate. So I will keep her in the palace to see what happens next. If she still doesn't repent, she must be released and go back to her residence!"

"Sister is really strict in managing palace affairs!"

Dugu Jialuo couldn't help but sigh after hearing this, and then said a little shyly: "I think that Yu Cairen is concerned about his parents, which is not bad for his filial piety. Just ask him to stop asking about the affairs of the court, and there is no need to be so harsh."

After hearing this, the Queen shook her head and said, "The Duke of Yong is a great hero and has made outstanding contributions. His ups and downs have their own reasons. How can he enjoy honor and favor because of the hard work of a woman's service? This woman's suggestion shows that she is frivolous and does not know the overall situation. It is human nature to care about your relatives, but if you think that you can act without any taboos, it will be arrogant and bring trouble to your relatives, so I warn you!"

"Sister is right!"

Dugu Jialuo had something to hide, and when she heard what the queen said, she nodded awkwardly.

"Your grandfather recently returned to the imperial court, and your family must have been busy with relatives and friends coming to congratulate you. You were not at home to help your aunt entertain the guests, so how did you have the time to come to the palace to find me to entertain you?"

After the queen passed over this matter, she looked at her sister with some curiosity and asked.

"I, I'm fine!"

When Dugu Jialuo heard that Yu Cairen was punished for pleading for his father, she quickly shook her head when she heard the question, and did not dare to tell him her purpose directly.

But seeing that the Queen was still looking at her with disbelief, she lowered her head again, feeling guilty. She was also worried that she would not be able to explain to her family when she returned home after leaving like this, so she gritted her teeth and said, "I'll tell you, please don't be angry, okay? Even if what I asked for is inappropriate, you can just scold me, but don't involve others, okay?"

"Do you think I am such an evil woman who doesn't care about right and wrong and bullies others? If you didn't do anything wrong, why would I scold you? But if you think you did something wrong, why would you make a mistake?"

After hearing these words, the queen's face immediately darkened and her tone became serious.

Dugu Jialuo felt more and more uneasy under her elder sister's serious gaze. She lowered her head and whispered, "Not everyone is as happy at home as my elder sister. Family members are friendly and considerate to each other. I, I am really helpless. My aunt..."

  After listening to her sister's story, the queen frowned even deeper, and after a moment's silence, she said, "I cannot agree to this matter. It's not that I'm saying that you can't interfere with public affairs for personal reasons, but I have to ask yourself, what role do you want to play in the family?

You are the eldest daughter-in-law in the family. In the future you will be in charge of household affairs and correct family traditions. But now you are breaking the rules for personal gain. Even if you settle the matter out of friendship, your family members respect you not because of your virtue, but because they envy your favor and are greedy for your breaking the rules.

If I ask for something in the future, it must be for the sake of favoritism. Will you agree or not? If you agree to everything, it will only wear out our sisterly love. If you don’t agree to one thing, all our previous friendship will be ruined. In the final analysis, this is not the right attitude to treat people, especially to manage household affairs! "