Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1267 Parting
When Zhen Mi received Yuan Xi's letter, it had been ten days since Yuan Xi wrote the letter from Yijing. She had hoped that Yuan Xi would return to Jicheng after the war, but after receiving the letter, she knew Yuan Xi's intention and knew that he would not come back in a short time.

Not only that, Yuan Xi also gave her a test question. Although Zhen Mi could understand Yuan Xi's intention, she couldn't help but smile bitterly with a bit of worry, so she immediately got up and went to find her mother Zhang.

Zhang has been staying in Jicheng for these years, but she is not used to the severe cold climate in the north, especially during the recent firewood control in the city. Yuan Xi took the lead in restricting fires, and everyone had to wear thick clothes and wrap themselves in quilts to get through the day. Although the siege of Jicheng was finally lifted, Zhang also caught a cold and has only recently recovered a little.

Zhen Mi was also quite worried about this. She first asked about Zhang's health. After learning that she was fine, she told Zhang the contents of Yuan Xi's letter and finally said, "My husband asked my daughter to go back to Yecheng and take the lead in donating money. I'm afraid he wanted the Zhen family to set an example. He said he wanted my daughter to consider it, but in fact he wanted to see the attitude of the Zhen family."

"Mother, I am in charge of the Zhen family. I will always consult you about the Zhen family's affairs. Please let me decide how much money and goods to bring."

"Also, since my husband has recaptured Ye City, should the Zhen family take the lead in moving back? It will be warmer there in the winter, which will also be good for mother's health."

Zhang heard this and said calmly, "The king's letter is not addressed to me, but to you."

"You also know that Jin is now on the rise. In the future, you will not only be the queen, but you will also likely go further."

"But this step is a world of difference. This is the king testing your qualifications, so you shouldn't ask mother about these two things, but you should think about them yourself."

After hearing this, Zhen Mi smiled bitterly and said, "Mother is right, but filial piety comes first among all virtues. No matter what, mother is also a daughter..."

Zhang shook her head and said, "Mi'er, I just want to ask you one question, do you want that position?"

Zhen Mi was stunned. She hesitated and said, "Whatever my husband wants me to do, I will obey. It's not up to me to decide whether I want to do it or not..."

Zhang shook her head and said, "Mi'er, you have grown a lot over the years, and your mother is quite pleased. But there is one thing you don't understand. This position did not fall from the sky, but you have to fight for it."

Zhen Mi still didn't understand, "What are you arguing about? I'm the principal wife and I haven't made any mistakes. My husband won't..."

Zhang sighed, "I have also been in the mansion for these years, watching the king take in more wives. You should know that many of them are no worse than the Zhen family in terms of origin and background."

"You have to understand that although the queen is noble, it is not uncommon. But if you go one step further, it's different. She is second only to one person and above ten thousand people."

"To stay in this position, you must have sufficient qualifications and abilities. If you are inferior to others, you may make a mistake that goes astray. Not only will you fail to protect yourself, but you will also implicate your family. Over the past few hundred years of the Han Dynasty, it has been common for the entire family of the empress and empress dowager to be wiped out. You must learn from this."

Zhen Mi said, "After hearing what mother said, it would be better for my daughter to give up the throne, so as to avoid the hard work and anxiety all day long."

Zhang sneered, "According to what you said, are you ready to give up the position of Queen?"

"Who should we give it to, Madam Wu, Madam Lu, or Madam Cai?"

"Are you willing?"

Zhen Mi said in a hoarse voice: "I have never thought about whether I am willing or not. I only believe in my husband..."

Zhang sneered, "Can you guarantee that all the ladies will not change?"

"Are you so willing to hand over your life and Rui'er's life to others?"

"Have you not seen the story of Emperor Gaozu and Empress Lü?"

Zhen Mi's face changed. She lowered her head and thought for a moment, then raised her head and said softly, "Mother, I understand your painstaking efforts."

"My daughter will prove to my husband that she is qualified to sit in this position!"

Zhang nodded with satisfaction, "This is my Zhen family's daughter. My years of teaching you are worthy. You have had ambitions since you were young. Don't let them fade away."

"The king is testing you now. This is a challenge and also an opportunity. After all, other ladies don't even have this opportunity."

"As long as you follow your heart, I believe you can do it well. As for mother, I will not interfere with your thoughts. If you can put your heart into it, you will definitely be more thoughtful than mother."

"As for me and the Zhen family, we will not return to Yecheng, so as to avoid being accused of interfering in politics."

After hearing this, Zhen Mi bowed deeply and said, "Mother, I will always remember your teachings."

"My daughter is leaving now. I don't know when we will meet again. I can't show my filial piety to you anymore. Please take care of yourself."

Zhang waved her hand and said, "Go ahead and rest assured. Yecheng is the place where you can show your talents. The king now controls most of the world, and it is time for you to step into the spotlight."

Zhen Mi returned to the room and immediately began to make arrangements for returning to Yecheng. Yuan Xi's letter was very brief and did not mention that other ladies should accompany her except Zhen Mi, so Zhen Mi did not dare to act on her own. She visited the ladies one by one and told whoever was willing to return to Yecheng that she would help propose it to Yuan Xi.

Lu Lingqi refused first. She said, "I have been following the king all these years and have not been able to teach the children in person. I will not disturb the queen and the king when they are together."

Mrs. Du naturally followed Lu Lingqi. Cai Zhaoji had not finished compiling the history yet, and she also had several children who needed her personal care, so she could not get away.

Hou said that the Gongsun family was now very busy in Youzhou, especially involving the conflict between the Gongsun family in Liaodong and Goguryeo. She was keeping a close eye on the Gongsun family members and could not leave.

Madam Feng said that it was not necessary to bother. If Yuan Xi wanted her to go, he would write to her. Before that, she wanted to stay in the north for a while. After Cao Xian learned about the situation of the ladies, he smiled and said to Zhen Mi, "Queen, there is no need to ask. Everyone knows that the king has been exhausted from the wars in recent years. Unless the king takes the initiative to ask, how can we take the initiative to ask?"

"And everyone has reservations. After all, the Queen's status is different now. Even if we want to see the King, we dare not overstep our authority and let the Queen bring it up instead."

After hearing this, Zhen Mi couldn't help but sigh in her heart. She now truly felt that the higher the position, the greater the gap between her and others. This is what is called being alone.

Finally, she thought about it and went straight to Xiao Qiao and Xiao Qiao and asked them to accompany her to Yecheng. Xiao Qiao hesitated and said, "Without the king's order, will we make the king angry?"

Zhen Mi said, "It's okay. I will explain to the king when the time comes. I will say that since the two ladies have been away from their hometown for a long time, they should go to their graves to pay homage to them as a sign of filial piety."

"If the king does not allow it, I will take full responsibility. At worst, you two can just come back."

After hearing this, Xiao Qiao and Da Qiao hurriedly leaned forward to thank her. Zhen Mi said, "I will set out with the Zhen family in a few days. When the time comes, we will first go to Yijing to meet the king, and then go to Yecheng."

After Zhen Mi left, Xiao Qiao was still confused and said, "I don't quite understand. It seems that the other ladies did not leave Jicheng. What is the purpose of doing this in the future?"

Da Qiao thought for a while before she said softly, "I'm afraid the queen wants to show her good will to us."

Xiao Qiao was puzzled and asked, "A gesture of goodwill?"

"We two sisters are the least well-connected among all the ladies. Why did the Queen choose us two?"

"If he's looking for help, Madam Lu and Madam Hou would be more likely to help, right?"

Da Qiao smiled bitterly and said, "I don't know either, but none of my husband's wives are simple."

"As for the two of us, we don't have any family support behind us, so it's easiest to get involved. Maybe because of this, we are the most reliable candidates."

Xiao Qiao pouted, "Sister, aren't you saying that we are useless?"

Da Qiao laughed, "It's okay to be useless. We just need to focus on our husbands and ignore other worries. The queen is also very tired."

"This position is not for everyone. If we don't fight for it, it will save us a lot of trouble, right?"

Xiao Qiao nodded and said, "Sister, you are right. But I am very satisfied just to see my husband. I have also heard about the affairs of the ladies. Many of them have not been together with their husbands for seven or eight years, especially the late Madam Kong. It's really..."

Da Qiao was silent, thinking to herself, if it were me, could I have persisted for so many years?

While Zhen Mi was managing her family property, Zhuge Liang led his generals back to Jicheng. He went straight to see Zhen Mi and said that he had received orders from Yuan Xi. After a brief military reorganization in Jicheng, he would escort Zhen Mi to Yijing.

Afterwards, Zhuge Liang left the palace and arranged the generals according to Yuan Xi's orders. The military order required Zhao Yun to lead an army to the junction of Changshan and Heishan to wait for orders, Gao Shun went back to Bingzhou to continue training soldiers, Zhang Liao temporarily guarded Jicheng, and Gao Lan followed Zhuge Liang's army.

After doing all this, Zhuge Liang returned home to see Huang Yueying. When the two met, they naturally felt like they were newlyweds after a short separation. But when Huang Yueying heard that Zhuge Liang was going to leave again in a few days, most of her joy disappeared.

She said depressedly: "The king is so cruel. He has been fighting all year round and never came home. My husband only sees me once every one or two years. He is so heartless!"

"I heard that Mrs. Kong..."

Zhuge Liang's face darkened. "Don't talk nonsense. Do you think the king is willing?"

"He cares about the people and has passed by his home three times without entering. Do you think he doesn't care?"

"He has been fighting for ten years, while we have only been apart for three years. Moreover, the king said that now that the country is mostly pacified, he will consider minimizing the transfer of officials and generals and allowing their families to live in the same place."

"We have a long way to go. We still have a lot of days to go."

Huang Yueying was originally aggrieved, with tears welling up in her eyes. "My husband is right, but I feel very uncomfortable. I haven't gotten pregnant in the past few years. Mr. Yuanhua also said that it is not easy for me to have children. If this continues, if the Zhuge family has no heirs for a long time, isn't it my fault?"

"Your Majesty, you have so many wives and children, so you naturally have no worries, but what about your husband?"

"How about my husband take two concubines? The concubines can follow the army, and I will go find them right away..."

Zhuge Liang shook his head and said, "We are still young, so let's not talk about it now. I will help the king to pacify the world as much as possible. Then we can recite poems and write couplets all day long. Believe me."

After hearing this, Huang Yueying held back her tears and nodded.

At the same time, a fierce quarrel broke out in the Prince of Wei's mansion in Xudu.

This was Mrs. Bian scolding Cao Pi. The reason was that after Cao Cao's death, Cao Pi did not dismiss Cao Cao's concubines according to Cao Cao's will, but instead took many concubines into his own room.

(End of this chapter)