I studied in modern times

Chapter 895 Mother and Son Talk (2)

After a long silence, Empress Dowager Xiang finally spoke again: "Although this is a matter of state, we should also distinguish between the distant and the close!"

As a queen raised in a scholar-official family, Empress Dowager Xiang was not very good at government affairs and needed the assistance of the prime ministers.

However, her political sensitivity is quite sharp.

So, as soon as Zhao Xu said it, she immediately understood.

indeed!

After the first harvest of cotton in Xihe Road last year, it brought the imperial court a profit of over one million strings of cash!
Only more this year!

According to Sixth Brother, this business will generate profits of more than 10 million taels in the future!
With such a huge income, the Tian family must have some local support.

Making money is the instinct of the Zhao officials.

As long as he hears that there is money to be made, his eyes will light up and he will pounce forward like a hungry wolf.

As long as they can make money, the Zhao officials can and are willing to do anything!
This is just like a modern lighthouse that cannot hear the word "oil has been discovered".

Oil can breed the US military, and making money can also breed Zhao Guanjia.

Over the past hundred years, in order to make money, the Zhao officials (including the empress dowager who was in charge of government affairs) have tried every possible means!

This was the drawback of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Many later generations' comments on the Zhao family's "petty" fault stem from this.

Because once the Zhao officials found a business that could make money, they would hold it tightly in their hands.

For example, in the textile industry, before Zhao Xu relaxed supervision, all textile industries in the world, except for small individual farmers, were government-run as long as they were large-scale.

At most, it gives people an option to buy a bet.

But this is also the advantage of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Especially when Zhao Xu wanted to promote the industrial revolution or relax regulations and break rules and regulations.

Nothing is more convincing than the ability to make money.

no way!
From the beginning of its founding, the Zhao Song Dynasty faced the problem of how to support millions of professional soldiers and a huge group of bureaucrats and nobles.

If we don't work hard to make money, we will not be able to pay rewards or support the bureaucracy.

Then the soldiers would go to Emperor Zhao with knives to reason with him - the emperor is the one with the strongest army and horses!
Sir, please take a look at my knife. Is it sharp?

But they cannot afford to support bureaucrats and cannot provide them with sufficiently generous treatment.

Then the entire country's ruling foundation will be shaken.

Therefore, you can only work hard to make money!
Try every possible way to make money!

This was the source of the failure of the Xining Reform - Wang Anshi wanted to take it slow, but Emperor Zhao in the palace only wanted to get the money immediately to feed the hungry tigers and jackals in this zoo.

Because the palace knows very well why the tigers and jackals in the zoo of the Song Dynasty do not eat humans!
Zhao Xu saw that Empress Dowager Xiang's attitude had softened, so he quickly said, "I will remember your teachings in my heart, and please rest assured, I have already made plans for this matter!"

"It's good that Sixth Brother knows what's going on!" said Empress Dowager Xiang.

Then, she looked at Zhao Xu and said, "But, in order to appease everyone, we have to bring in another batch of female officials for this year's Xinglong Festival!"

"It's up to you, mother!" Zhao Xu nodded.

"Yes!" Empress Dowager Xiang nodded. "In addition, the Grand Tutor has submitted a petition to ask for the maid of Ganquan County Lord to enter the palace to serve the county lord..."

Zhao Xu laughed when he heard this. Wen Xunniang used to be a concubine who served in the Wen family.

Where is the maid?
It is obvious that Wen Yanbo is trying to put people into the palace under a pretext.

It seemed that Lao Deng was also stimulated.

Then he asked, "What does the Queen Mother think?"

"The Grand Tutor is highly respected and your request will be granted!" he whispered to the Empress Dowager.

Naturally, she was willing to do this favor.

No matter what, Wen Xunniang recognized her as her stepmother and was educated by her personally.

Another daughter of a civil official!

Of course she will help if she can!
Zhao Xu nodded and said, "Then let's agree!"

The Empress Dowager nodded and said, "Then I will order the Grand Tutor to send the county lady's maid to the palace during the Xinglong Festival!"

Today, there are almost four months left until the Xinglong Festival.

Four months is enough time for the Wen family to find the right person.

Just ...

Empress Dowager Xiang couldn't help but wonder, "Could there be someone with the surname Li among them?"

After entering the palace, the concubines of the Song Dynasty would bring some maids who had been trained since childhood from their respective families.

These maids are usually considered as shadow clones of their mistresses.

Usually he serves and runs around.

When needed, it serves as the hostess's meal replacement to satisfy the emperor's needs.

Its role positioning is similar to that of a maid in the folk room.

Generally speaking, the children born to these people will also be counted as the mistress's own.

Back then, Zhangxian Mingsu had no children, so she could not be enthroned as queen.

So, her maid Li stepped forward and gave birth to Renmiao for Zhangxian Mingsu.

The ecstatic Ren Miao announced immediately that this was the child of Concubine De!

Zhangxian Mingsu was then successfully enthroned as queen.

However, Li, who was the shadow clone, was only given the title of county lady.

This is the standard folk way of playing.

However, this way of playing may work among the common people, but not in the royal family.

Because, once a prince is born, he will eventually become the emperor.

He will definitely find a way to correct his biological mother.

Just like Renmiao, Li was eventually posthumously named Empress Zhangyi.

Thinking of this, Empress Dowager Xiang looked at the child in front of her.

Seeing the sixth brother holding her hand, with an expression of admiration and intimacy, she felt relieved, because the child really treated her, his stepmother, as his biological mother, and served her with filial piety.

Even though he knew clearly that his biological mother was Zhu.

In front of her, Zhu was even more cautious and never dared to regard herself as the official's biological mother.

On the contrary, he has always been humble and modest.

Whether in public or in private, his attitude is always correct.

I also told outsiders that "the emperor is the empress's biological son and I was just giving birth on her behalf."

She looked exactly like a common concubine. Even the clothes that she had woven for her sixth brother in the palace had to be sent to her and delivered to Funing Palace in her name.

That's good!

It saves you a lot of trouble in the future.

Zhu is so tactful, and the sixth brother is so filial.

As the stepmother and mistress of the house, she would not be stingy.

So, in the past two years, she has continuously improved Zhu's status and treatment.

Not only did she approve Zhu's promotion to the rank of Grand Concubine, she also upgraded the place where Zhu lived to be called "Palace", and the orders used by the Grand Concubine were called "Jian". At the same time, she ordered the eunuchs to inspect the Grand Concubine's status and make it second only to the Empress Dowager.

She even thought about it, that a hundred years from now, her will would clear away obstacles for her sixth brother and Zhu.

For example, following the story of Zhangxian Mingsu's will honoring Empress Zhang Hui (Empress Dowager Yang of Baoqing), the will honored Zhu as the Empress Dowager.

Make Zhu the legitimate wife and let her enjoy the treatment of the empress dowager.

In this way, when we meet at Yongyu Mausoleum in the future, we can still be in harmony.

Empress Dowager Xiang was open-minded about this issue.

Her bottom line was that her status as the late emperor's empress and first wife could not be challenged.

Thinking of this, Empress Dowager Xiang said to Zhao Xu: "By the way, Sixth Brother, a few days ago, the Concubine Dowager came to see me and said that Sanniang is about to reach the age of marriage... It's time to start choosing a consort for Sanniang..."

"What does Sixth Brother think?"

As Zhao Xu listened, the image of the girl who always smiled brightly every time she saw him flashed through his mind.

Zhao Xu smiled and said, "Mother, there is no rush for this matter..."

"Sanniang is still young, there is no need to rush to choose a prince consort."

Although, the fate of the princess of the Zhao family was determined after she was born - to be used as a tool for marriage alliance and to win over noble ministers.

And once you get married, it doesn’t matter what kind of person or character the prince consort is.

Whether her marriage is happy, or even whether she is abused by her husband's family.

For the sake of face, the royal family would order them to be patient.

He said to the Queen Mother: "This matter was requested by the Concubine Dowager, but it is not easy to refuse..."

Zhao Xu listened and became curious: "Sister, have you set your eyes on the prince consort?"

She nodded to the Queen Mother and said, "Yes!"

"It is Han Jiayan, the youngest son of Han Zhongxian..."

Zhao Xu widened his eyes.

Han Jiayan?!

Zhu, just like in his previous life, actively pushed Sanniang into the fire pit!
He is already twenty-one this year!
He is at least seven or eight years older than Sanniang?
and……

Zhao Xu pursed his lips, thinking back to his previous life, when this fellow was reported for being "unfair to the princess and disrespectful".

What does "being unkind to the princess and being disrespectful" mean?
Please refer to how Li Wei and Wang Shen treated the princess!
Therefore, Zhao Xu was furious at that time, and he issued an edict to depose him and ordered him to divorce the princess.

However, the court officials strongly opposed it, with a very high-sounding reason - now Jia Yan was deposed for not being able to be the eldest princess, so a woman can defeat her husband. If a woman can defeat her husband, then a son can defeat his father, and a minister can defeat his ruler.

Translated it means: The princess was just wronged, she is not dead!

Zhao Xu was still very young at that time and had not studied abroad in modern times. Naturally, he could not convince the ministers and had to give up.

But unexpectedly, in this life, Zhu was still determined to push her sister into that fire pit again!
Poor Sanniang, she has to live in an unhappy marriage all her life!

Empress Dowager Xiang looked at Zhao Xu's expression and couldn't help asking, "Sixth brother...what's wrong?"

"But does Han Jiayan have a problem with his character?"

Zhao Xu said softly, "Mother, as the saying goes, a dragon gives birth to nine sons, each one is different."

"This youngest son of Duke Han Zhongxian..."

He thought about Han Jiayan's character and sighed: "I can only say that he is not inferior to Wang Shen!"

Queen Mother Xiang swallowed.

Sixth brother dragged Wang Shen out again and whipped his corpse!

How much hatred this is!

Since Sixth Brother said so, it is no longer possible for Han Jiayan to get Princess Shang.

After all, this child is very caring towards his sisters.

Just ...

The Han family is the leader of the civil officials.

He said, "Sixth brother, Han Zhongxian, has made great contributions to the country and should be praised!"

"I know!" Zhao Xu said, "But Han Jiayan must not marry the princess!"

"Especially not Shang Sanniang!"

That's his biological sister!

"Okay!" Seeing Zhao Xu's firm attitude, Queen Mother Xiang could not persuade him any further and said, "But this matter must be handled properly."

"Ok!"

"I will take care of this matter!" Zhao Xu replied.

No matter what, she is my own sister, and I must choose a good family for her!

(End of this chapter)