No war in the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 14 Royal Palace
Compared with the Forbidden City of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the harem of the Song Dynasty was not large.

Zhang Chulan wanted to follow again, so Zhang Daocheng had no choice but to take his daughter to Xihua Gate on the west side of the imperial palace and hand over his badge to ask to see Zhang Xiuyuan.

Ministers entered the palace through Donghua Gate, while relatives and ladies of the imperial family entered the palace through Xihua Gate.

The Ming and Qing dynasties had strict etiquette and the harem was closed. The Song Dynasty was relatively different. The empress dowager, queen, and concubines of the Song Dynasty would often meet with people outside the palace. For example, the Empress Dowager Liu, who was once in power, often discussed state affairs with outer court ministers such as Lu Yijian in the Baoci Hall where she lived.

In addition to meeting with ministers, the imperial harem in the Song Dynasty also often summoned their relatives into the palace for chats, or invited the families of court officials to the palace for sightseeing.

Zhang Daocheng was a royal merchant and a relative of Zhang Xiuyuan, so he was also granted a badge to enter the palace.

After verifying their identities, Zhang Daocheng brought his daughter into the palace. The two came to the Zhengjian Terrace. Zhang Daocheng brought his daughter inside and said to Zhang Chulan:

"Just wait here."

Zhengjiantai is where people entering the palace tidy up their appearance, and it also serves as a waiting room for people waiting in line for an audience.

Zhang Chulan wanted to insist, but Zhang Daocheng glared at her and said:
"The Imperial Palace is a sacred place, how can you act recklessly? Dad will explain this to Zhang Xiuyuan."

Hearing this, Zhang Chulan had no choice but to put away her temper and walk into the Zhengjiantai under the guidance of the eunuch.

Inside the Zhengjian Terrace, there were many ladies waiting to be received, many of whom were there to pay homage to the Queen, and they were all wearing imperially-appointed clothes.

Although the Zhang family was an imperial merchant, they were certainly not eligible for imperial decrees. Zhang Chulan could only wear the coarse cloth clothes of ordinary people, which naturally attracted a lot of attention.

Even though Zhang Chulan has a calm personality, she felt a little overwhelmed by these gazes.

Throughout the dynasties, the status of merchants was not high. It was considered good in the Song Dynasty, but the daughters of merchants could not be compared with those ladies from the outer court.

Zhang Chulan found a corner to sit down, but a little girl with a bun on her hair came over.

"This sister looks unfamiliar to you?"

Seeing Zhang Chulan was a little panicked, the girl introduced herself:
"My name is Gao Taotao. Is this sister also here to see the Saint?"

"Saint? No, I came with my father to pay my respects to Madam Zhang."

In the Song Dynasty, the emperor was called "Guan Jia", the empress was called "Sheng Ren", and the concubines were called "Niang Zi".

The sage was naturally referring to the current mistress of the harem, Empress Cao. These ladies from the outer court basically came to pay homage to Empress Cao.

Gao Taotao's eyes lit up after hearing this and he said:
"Mrs. Zhang? It's rare for someone to come and pay their respects to you, dear?"

Zhang Chulan nodded, and Gao Taotao continued:

"The sage once said that Madam Zhang has few relatives. Are you Zhang Dengwen's family?"

Zhang Chulan was stunned, and it took her a while to understand who Zhang Dengwen Gao Taotao was talking about.

Zhang Yaozuo, a Jinshi graduate, is now appointed to judge the Dengwengu incident.

Unlike relatives in her own family who she didn't know where they came from, Zhang Yaozuo is Zhang Xiuyuan's uncle and currently the highest-ranking official in the Zhang family.

Zhang Chulan had also heard about this "relative" from her father. She heard that the emperor also admired Zhang Yaozuo's talents and would promote and reuse him in the future.

The judge of Dengwengushi is an official who is responsible for beating the Dengwengu drum outside the imperial palace. This official position is not of high rank. Several judges of Dengwengushi may not even meet someone to beat the Dengwen drum.

This position required running around inside and outside the palace, and was considered a transitional noble position.

Zhang Chulan remembered that her father had said that this relative of hers might be appointed by the government as the magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture to oversee the affairs of the prefecture.

This is a very important position. The Kaifeng Prefecture Procurator is the deputy of the acting prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture. However, this position is not too important. Kaifeng Prefecture usually has two to three judges and magistrates, all of whom are deputies to the prefect.

But it’s different when it comes to handling official affairs of the prefecture.

The chief of the prefecture was in charge of the affairs of Kaifeng Prefecture and the counties outside the city of Bianjing.

It is equivalent to the current Standing Committee of the Capital Municipal Party Committee, and is also the head of counties and townships outside the capital city.

His father was delighted to have such a relative. If Zhang Yaozuo could really be appointed as the governor of the prefecture, the Zhang family's business would be able to reach the counties surrounding Bianjing City. How could this teenage girl know such a thing?

Zhang Chulan remembered her father's teachings and said cautiously:

"My family has nothing to do with Zhang Dengwen."

Gao Taotao asked with a bright childlike innocence:
"Besides Zhang Dengwen, does Madam Zhang have other relatives in the capital?"

Zhang Chulan quickly changed the subject and asked:
"Are you here to see the Saint as well, young lady?"

Gao Taotao shook her head, straightened her back and said:
"I'm not here to pay my respects to the Saint. The Saint is my aunt, and I serve her."

Zhang Chulan was shocked. She finally understood why Gao Taotao was so well-informed.

She had heard that the current queen had no children, so she raised her niece in the palace and treated her as her own daughter. It turned out that this niece was Gao Taotao.

Zhang Chulan asked curiously again:
"Then what is Miss Taotao doing at Zhengjiantai?"

Gao Taotao said innocently:

"I'm waiting for someone!"

After a while, a boy about the same height as Gao Taotao, about eleven or twelve years old, was brought into the Zhengjiantai by the eunuchs.

When Gao Taotao saw the boy, he immediately said to Zhang Chulan, "Sister, the person I've been waiting for has arrived. Goodbye!"

After saying that, Gao Taotao went up to the boy and shouted, "Thirteenth Regiment Training!"

The boy was a little restrained when the girl called him in public, but the ladies around him stood up and saluted him.

Zhang Chulan also quickly stood up and saluted along with them.

Gao Taotao took the boy's hand and said:

"The Saint is waiting for you!"

The boy said:
"Let's meet the official first."

Then the two of them left Zhengjiantai surrounded by a group of eunuchs.

Zhang Chulan recalled that when she was eleven or twelve years old, she also followed Su Ze like a little shadow, often pestering him to tell interesting things in the school.

I guess this golden boy and girl are childhood sweethearts, right?

What is the identity of this boy who can make friends with Empress Cao’s adopted daughter?
Zhang Chulan was a little confused for a moment. She didn't dare to cause trouble and could only sit quietly in the corner.

After a long while, her father Zhang Daocheng appeared in Zhengjiantai. Zhang Chulan hurried to greet him, and then followed her father out of the palace without saying a word.

The palace had strict rules, which made Zhang Chulan feel uncomfortable. After leaving the palace, Zhang Chulan, who had been holding back all the way, immediately asked:
"Dad, what did Zhang Xiuyuan say?"

Zhang Daocheng said:
"Zhang Xiuyuan is willing to do my father a favor and will speak to the emperor, asking him to pardon Su Ze."

Zhang Chulan widened her eyes and said:

"Why is it pardoned? Su Ze is innocent, why should he be pardoned? If we pardon him, wouldn't that mean Su Ze admits his guilt? What about his future?"

Pardon is one of the emperor's powers, but the prerequisite for pardon is that the person has confessed his crime and accepted the punishment, and the emperor will grant him leniency outside the law.

Scholars value their reputation the most. If they accept a pardon, it will be a lifelong stain. In the future, they will not be able to become an official, and they will not even be able to take the imperial examinations.

Zhang Daocheng sighed and said:
"Dad has already made up his mind. Let's recruit him as our son-in-law."

While the father and daughter were talking, Li Yonghe, the governor of the Palace Front Department, had already met with Emperor Zhao Zhen with Su Ze's petition.

(End of this chapter)