Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 55 The Imperial Concubine Visits Her Parents
Li Zhi was reading a memorial.

The memorial was sent by Yuan Xiuye, in which he impeached Xue Rengui for using the name of the emperor to incite the soldiers, and recorded everything Xue Rengui said in the military camp.

Xue Rengui's going to Songzhou to mobilize troops was top secret news. Li Zhi had informed him that this matter did not need to go through the normal procedures. Any news should be sent directly to Li Yifu by the Ministry of War.

So this memorial was sent by Li Yifu.

After reading it, Li Zhi said nothing and looked up at Li Yifu.

"Mr. Li, what do you think of Yuan Xiuye's impeachment of Xue Rengui?"

Li Yifu said, "Your Majesty, there are two things I find strange."

"Oh, what two things?"

Li Yifu said slowly, "First, Shu is a dangerous place. It would take at least seven days to travel from Songzhou to Chang'an by express horse. Based on this, it can be inferred that Xue Rengui only took eight or nine days to travel from Chang'an to Shu. He must have been traveling very fast."

Li Zhi nodded and sighed, "Indeed, I didn't urge him to hurry, but he still did so quickly. This shows his heart for serving his country."

After hearing this, Li Yifu became more certain of Li Zhi's attitude, and then he continued.

"Secondly, if Yuan Xiuye ​​had cooperated with General Xue and transferred his troops to him, why would General Xue have said these words to motivate the soldiers of Songzhou?"

Li Zhi said: "Well said. According to your suggestion, how should this matter be handled?"

Li Yifu smiled and said, "I think we can put it aside for now and wait for General Xue's memorial. Once we compare the two memorials, we can make a decision."

Li Zhi said: "As you say, you can leave now."

Li Yifu took his leave and left.

Li Zhi worked on the documents for another hour and then finished his business.

On normal days, he would never have been able to handle state affairs so quickly. However, after Liu Rengui, Shangguan Yi, Li Yifu and others were transferred to the two provinces, the efficiency of the two provinces improved a lot.

For example, there were many edicts that Li Zhi was not satisfied with in the past, so he sent them back for revision.

Now these memorials have been rejected by Liu Rengui in the Ministry of Personnel, so there is no need to show them to him.

Moreover, the imperial edicts issued by the Secretariat were much simpler, with less self-praising nonsense at the beginning, making them much easier to read.

He stretched his body, left the hall, walked slowly towards the harem, and slowly let go of his thoughts.

Four days ago, the Chief of Construction and the Ministry of Works jointly submitted a memorial to break through the Sanmenxia Pass.

He didn't need to be reminded, the plan mentioned the method of drilling and blasting, which shows that there are many capable people in the court.

According to Yan Liben's memorial, the drilling method was proposed by the Grand Historian Li Chunfeng, who also drew the drilling diagram himself. After testing, the effect was excellent.

Li Chunfeng was an astronomer in the Tang Dynasty. He was proficient in mathematics and yin and yang. He wrote the book "Yi Si Zhan" and was able to deduce the climate. He was considered a versatile person.

With so many capable people in the court, Li Zhi didn't have to worry too much. He just had to put them in the right positions.

Before I knew it, the Lizheng Hall appeared in front of me.

As soon as Li Zhi arrived outside the palace gate, a eunuch announced loudly.

Wu Meiniang hurried to the door, bowed to Li Zhi, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, why are you here so early today?"

Li Zhi smiled and said, "The imperial edicts from the two provinces have been much more concise recently, which makes me feel much more relaxed. What is the Queen busy with?"

Wu Meiniang welcomed him in, picked up a book on the table and handed it to Li Zhi.

"I'm busy with this."

Li Zhi took it and took a look. It turned out to be a book about the "Silkworm Ceremony".

Every spring, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty would lead his ministers to preside over the "Farmer Ceremony" to worship heaven and earth, and at the same time tell his subjects not to forget the roots of farming.

The queen led all the concubines to worship the silkworm goddess Leizu, pick mulberry leaves and feed silkworms to encourage the people to be diligent in weaving.

She had just become queen and was not familiar with the etiquette, so she read books to learn.

Li Zhi read for a while and found it very boring, so he put the book down and chatted with Wu Meiniang.

Wu Meiniang ordered someone to fetch the tribute Jiaqing plums from Luoyang. While peeling the skin, she said with a smile, "Your Majesty, do you feel something different in the harem today?"

Li Zhi asked curiously, "What's the difference?"

Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "Do you feel a lot quieter now?"

Li Zhi thought for a moment and said, "I guess the princes are all studying at Chongwenguan, so it's quiet."

Wu Meiniang said, "That's not what I'm talking about. Your Majesty, have you forgotten that Concubine Zheng is going home to visit her family today?"

Li Zhi slapped his forehead and said with a smile, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have really forgotten it."

A few days ago, Wu Meiniang asked Li Zhi about this matter, and Li Zhi agreed immediately.

Because this was a harem matter and extremely complex, they first had the Imperial Historian Bureau calculate an auspicious date, then sent eunuchs to the Zheng residence in advance to check whether it was properly prepared and to determine the proper procedures. Unlike Li Zhi and Wu Meiniang, this visit to the royal family was not a secret one, but rather a grand ceremony to avoid tarnishing the royal family's dignity.

Even the Jinwu Guards had to cooperate and plan the route for the visit in advance, set up checkpoints at various locations, and block the curtains. The Internal Eunuchs and the Palace Department would arrange the ceremonial guards.

Li Zhi was naturally impatient to deal with all the trivial matters and let Empress Wu take care of them all.

As a result, after a few days, I actually forgot about it.

Li Zhi asked, "When did she leave the palace? She should be at the Zheng residence by now, right?"

Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "I gave her a day and a half to visit her parents. As soon as the palace gates opened at noon, she left in a hurry. I guess she was already at the banquet."

The imperial concubine's visit is a great honor for the Zheng family.

The Zheng family selected the best garden from the family property in advance and named it "Huifeng Garden".

A Feng Shui master was also invited to survey the Feng Shui, and several architectural masters decorated the house exquisitely as the concubine's residence.

Concubine Zheng's ceremonial procession has now stopped outside Huifeng Garden. There is a lake in the garden and a pavilion in the center of the lake. On the door of the pavilion are inscribed the words "A Phoenix Comes Here".

Concubine Zheng sat in the inner hall of the attic, accepting greetings from her clansmen behind a pearl curtain.

Concubine Zheng's father was named Zheng Kaiju, the cousin of Zheng Rentai. He was originally a concubine of the Zheng family, but because of Concubine Zheng, he was appointed as the Shaoqing of the Taichang Temple.

After the grand court meeting at the beginning of the year, he was elected as the clan leader by the Zheng family.

Concubine Zheng's mother was a daughter of the Cui clan of Boling, and her grandmother was from the Li clan of Longxi, who held a first-rank imperial decree.

Concubine Zheng had a bad relationship with her father, and the only people in the family who cared about her were her grandmother, mother, and a younger brother.

After the men had bowed and left, Concubine Zheng stepped forward, took Grandmother and Mother's hands, and tearfully asked, "Grandmother, are you feeling well? Is Mother's heart disease getting better?"

Li had a kind face and smiled, "Okay, everything is fine."

Cui wiped her tears and said, "The imperial physician you sent someone to examine her has prescribed a prescription. She's feeling much better now. You're in the palace, are you still..."

Concubine Zheng interrupted with a smile: "My daughter is doing well. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to return home to visit her parents. Where's Mingyu? Why don't you meet him?"

Cui said hurriedly, "I'm waiting outside the house."

Concubine Zheng hurriedly let him in. After a while, Zheng Mingyu strode in and bowed to Concubine Zheng.

Concubine Zheng hurriedly supported him and looked at her brother carefully.

Seeing that he was becoming more and more handsome, she was secretly delighted. She compared him with his head and said with a smile: "The last time I saw him, he was only up to my shoulders, but now he is almost taller than me."

He pulled Zheng Mingyu to sit beside him and asked him about his studies in detail. He then said to Li and Cui, "Mingyu looks so good, could he be a good match for us?"

People in ancient times married early, especially children of aristocrats.

Zheng Mingyu suddenly said, "Sister, I want to marry the younger sister of the Lu family."

Concubine Zheng was slightly stunned and looked at her grandmother and mother.

Li smiled slightly and said, "She is your second aunt's daughter, Fanyang Lu, Lu Wanjun. Your second aunt often brings her to the mansion, and they often play together."

Cui suddenly said, "Mingyu is a playful child. She often plays with your aunt's daughter, Wang Yunfang, from the Wang family of Taiyuan. I mentioned her in my letter. She's quite a nice child."

Concubine Zheng immediately understood that her grandmother and mother had their eyes on different women, so the marriage had not been arranged.

She thought for a moment and asked, "Are those two children in the mansion now?"

Li and Cui both said they were there, so Concubine Zheng ordered someone to invite the two women into the back hall.

As soon as the two women entered, she secretly praised them.

Lu Wanjun had a slender waist and a delicate neck, her eyes were full of movement, and she was soft and charming. Wang Yunfang was plump, gentle and elegant, with a graceful figure.

Concubine Zheng looked at her carefully for a while and found that Lu Wanjun's face was pale, as frail as a willow in the wind, and she seemed to be ill. She sighed inwardly, "Although this child looks pretty, her health is not good. What a pity."

After the two women bowed to her, Concubine Zheng exchanged a few words with them and then asked them to leave.

After the banquet, Concubine Zheng gave out some questions to test the knowledge of the young women in the clan, and she specifically called on Lu Wanjun and Wang Yunfang to participate.

After some testing, she discovered that Lu Wanjun was more talented than Wang Yunfang, which made her feel very embarrassed for a while.

In the afternoon, we strolled around the garden, listened to some singing and dancing, and enjoyed some puppet shows and variety shows. We had fun until midnight without realizing it.

Concubine Zheng was unwilling to rest, so she played the zither and the flute with her sisters, appreciated calligraphy and paintings, and played chess with her younger brother Zheng Mingyu. She did not rest for an hour until dawn.

After the hour of Chen, the eunuchs and attendants began to prepare to return to the palace.

Concubine Zheng held her mother and grandmother's hand and talked to them for a while, reluctantly. It was not until the middle of the Si hour that she returned to the palace in tears.

(End of this chapter)