The prince is more stable

Chapter 612 Jurchen Wanyan
Zhen Ding City, Prince's Mansion.

The relationship between the six women in the backyard gradually transformed from initial unfamiliarity to harmony.

Di Ying was the Princess Consort. After Niao Niao became pregnant, she was always afraid of her. In the first few days after Di Ying arrived, Niao Niao would always avoid her intentionally or unintentionally. She would even have her maid bring her meals to her room and would basically not leave her room on weekdays.

Niao Niao's fear was not without reason. In wealthy families of that era, concubines had no human rights. The mistress of the house could bully them however she wanted, and even if she killed one, the only compensation would be the price of a cow.

Now that the mistress of the house is not pregnant, but Niao Niao, as a concubine, is, how could she not be afraid?

When Di Ying first arrived in Zhen Ding City, she was busy taking over the power of the Prince's Mansion and establishing her authority as the mistress of the house, and for a moment she did not notice Niao Niao.

Two days later, Di Ying heard from a servant that Niao Niao hadn't left her room for two days. Only then did Di Ying take it seriously. So she pushed open Niao Niao's door, helped her up without saying a word, and walked towards the back garden.

Niao Niao was being supported by Di Ying with trepidation, her eyes flashing with fear from time to time, afraid that Di Ying might have a change of heart and push her into the pond in the backyard.

However, Di Ying simply accompanied her for a walk and to bask in the sun. They started by talking about Zhao Xiaoqian, and then each other recounted how they met Zhao Xiaoqian, his parents and family, and the little things about their lives with him.

The shared men among wives and concubines always made it easy to find common ground.

Di Ying and Niao Niao had only been walking for less than half an hour when their relationship gradually warmed up. They started chatting and laughing. Niao Niao's worries of the past few days had gradually faded away, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"The gentleman comes from a wealthy family and is extremely capable. He is a hero of the Song Dynasty. Such a man has the world in his heart and the ambition to govern the country and bring peace to the nation. He is unlikely to be devoted to one woman. I have seen the elders in my family like this since I was a child, and I am used to it."

Di Ying sighed and said, "It's all because we women have such a hard life. A woman's heart is completely occupied by one man, but what about a man's heart? It's often divided into many parts, with one woman taking one part and another woman taking another. As his legal wife, I'm just someone who met him earlier."

"So, Niao Niao, you don't need to worry about what I'll do to you. If I'm really unhappy that my husband has married so many women, the most effective way is to castrate him, not to take my anger out on his women. Do you understand what I mean?"

Niao Niao panicked and grabbed her arm tightly: "Sister, no!"

Di Ying rolled her eyes: "I was just saying. In the years since we got married, you've gotten pregnant, but I haven't had a baby yet. Whether it's castration or not, at least wait until I'm pregnant before we talk about it."

"Even if my sister is pregnant, she can't be castrated..." she said weakly, trying to uphold the dignity of a man for her husband.

Di Ying chuckled, her laughter growing louder and louder, and couldn't help but gently pinch her little cheek.

"Niao Niao, you are truly a wonderful person. No wonder my husband likes you so much... Hmph, it's probably because he favors you and puts more effort into you, which is why you were the first to get pregnant!"

Niao Niao's face flushed red, and she said shyly, "No, no, my husband is very fair..."

Di Ying blinked: "This matter... can it really be fair? You lived in Zhen Ding City with two Japanese sisters, and how did your husband treat you at night? One by one, or all at once?"

Niao Niao was so embarrassed she almost jumped into the pond. Her ears turned bright red, and she lowered her head, saying, "Sister, why don't you go ask your husband?"

"We're an old married couple, and he's already gotten her pregnant, what's there to be ashamed of?" Di Ying rolled her eyes at her.

"Anyway, anyway... I can't say it," Niao Niao said shyly in a low voice.

"Fine, I'll go ask him. He's the most shameless guy; he can say anything, no matter how shameless. I have to find out exactly what happened between you and him, and how you got pregnant..."

After walking for half an hour, seeing that Niao Niao looked tired, Di Ying helped her walk back.

"Go back to your room and lie down. Your husband is too busy to take care of much. Let's not cause him any trouble. From now on, I will personally take care of your meals and daily life. Yesterday, the doctor from the city sent over a recipe for nourishing food for pregnant women, and I have instructed the kitchen to strictly follow the recipe."

"You should go out and move around every day, like we are today, for half an hour, and get some sunshine. Childbirth is a life-threatening experience for pregnant women, so moving around more during pregnancy will make childbirth less tiring."

"I've already sent servants to Bianjing to buy some snacks. Pregnant women crave them, so eat as much as you want, as long as it doesn't interfere with your regular meals..."

Di Ying was like a nagging mother, constantly giving instructions.

As Niao Niao listened, her eyes welled up with tears, and she suddenly stopped and grabbed her arm.

"Sister, I'm so lucky..."

"What's wrong?" Di Ying asked, puzzled.

"I am so lucky to have married my husband, and even luckier to have met such an open-minded and generous sister. No one has ever been so good to me since I was a child. I must have accumulated good karma in my past life to receive such a blessed reward in this life," Niao Niao said with a smile through her tears.

Di Ying ruffled her hair: "So dramatic! Now you're not afraid I'll throw you into the well? You were so scared that you hid from me for two days and didn't dare to leave your room. Tsk! I'll laugh at you for the rest of my life."

…………

A flurry of blueprints and samples were sent to the Juma River camp, but Zhao Xiaoqian was still in Zhengding City.

There was also a firearms bureau in the main camp, where craftsmen were allowed to build them first. Zhao Xiaoqian never paid attention to the minor details, and he certainly wouldn't do things like Zhuge Liang, who was meticulous in everything.

Silently calculating the days, he knew that the 50,000 troops from Bianjing would be arriving in Zhending Prefecture soon.

Of course, the arrival of 50,000 troops also meant that the war to recapture Yan and Yun was about to officially begin. This was a battle that would determine the fate of the Song and Liao dynasties, and even the most lazy Zhao Xiaoqian had to take it seriously.

On this day, Zhen Qing from the Imperial City Guard suddenly arrived at the Prince's Mansion. He entered through the back gate. When Zhao Xiaoqian heard about his sneaky way of entering, he knew that this guy must have something important to report that he couldn't keep to himself.

So Zhao Xiaoqian met him in the woodshed behind the back door, as was customary.

Upon meeting, Zhen Qing immediately bowed obsequiously, smiling like a treacherous minister: "Your Highness, it's been a long time! You are as radiant as ever, even more so than before..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Xiaoqian waved his hand dismissively, waving away the musty smell in the woodshed.

"Hey Lao Zhen, can we be a little more open and aboveboard when we meet in the future? Every time we meet in these shady places, it makes me feel like some kind of evil villain. Even if I am a villain, don't I have dignity? Why should villains only be able to meet in these dark places?"

"Next time, go to the government office openly and beat the grievance drum. I'll meet you in the main hall of the government office, and we'll be all honest and straightforward."

Zhen Qing hurriedly said, "You mustn't! Your Highness, I'm doing something that can't be seen by others. If I show myself, I'll be in danger."

"Oh, never mind then. I was just being sarcastic and venting. Forget what I just said."

Zhao Xiaoqian found a comfortable spot to sit down, crossed his legs, and raised an eyebrow at Zhen Qing: "You suddenly came to Zhending City, is there something you need?"

"Something's up." Zhen Qing smiled mysteriously: "His Highness once instructed me to secretly contact the Jurchen tribes in the northeast of Liao. I have done my duty and secretly infiltrated the Jurchen tribe, where I met Wanyan Polashu, the leader of the Wanyan tribe."

"After making contact with the chieftain Wanyan Polashu, he was quite interested in the friendly signals released by our Great Song Dynasty, so he sent a secret envoy to come to Zhengding City with me, wishing to have a talk with Your Highness."

Zhao Xiaoqian immediately sat up straight, revealing an interested expression: "The Jurchen Wanyan tribe? Heh, who is the secret envoy? Where is he now?"

"This man is named Wanyan Aguda, the nephew of the chieftain Wanyan Polashu. He has been brave and strong since childhood, and is a highly respected hero in the Jurchen tribe. He is waiting outside the back gate of the Prince's mansion. I dare not bring a stranger into the mansion without His Highness's approval."

Zhao Xiaoqian's expression immediately became complicated: "Wanyan Aguda? Heh, heh heh..."

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian's strange smile, Zhen Qing cautiously asked, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Zhao Xiaoqian closed his eyes and shook his head.

The world has come into existence, and the trajectory of history has changed.

In other words, the wrong decisions in real history, such as allying with the Jin against the Liao or allying with the Mongols against the Jin, have long since changed the original trajectory. In Zhao Xiaoqian's world, the wrong decisions of the past are not necessarily wrong.

Wanyan Aguda, the founding emperor of the Jin Dynasty, was only the nephew of the leader of the Jurchen Wanyan tribe. The Jurchen tribe was not as powerful as it had been during the Southern Song Dynasty, and was now suffering from the bullying and humiliation of the Liao Dynasty.

Is there any potential in allying with the Jin against the Liao?

Of course it's worthwhile. This decision is a crucial part of Zhao Xiaoqian's recapture of Yanyun. As for whether the Song Dynasty and the Jurchen tribe will be friends or enemies after the recapture of Yanyun, that's a matter for the future. At worst, they can stab each other in the back; it's not like they haven't done it before.

“I am right here. Let Wanyan Agu break in, and I will see him,” Zhao Xiaoqian said calmly.

Soon, Zhen Qing led in a tall, burly man with a full beard.

This man was not yet thirty years old, in the prime of his youth and strength. He had a pair of large, bright eyes, and his skin was dark from years of sun exposure, making him look like a Kunlun slave.

Zhen Qinghe came to Zhen Ding Prefecture in secret, dressed in Song Dynasty clothing, but it looked out of place on the big man, and the more you looked at it, the stranger it seemed.

Seriously, Hanfu also requires a certain temperament; only people who are not Han Chinese can truly pull it off.

The door to the woodshed was rather low, and the burly man had to bend over to enter. Standing in front of Zhao Xiaoqian, the burly man stared at Zhao Xiaoqian without any fear, and after a long while, he finally put one hand on his chest and bowed.

“Wanyan Aguda, a secret envoy of the Jurchen Wanyan tribe, pays respects to His Highness the Prince of the Great Song Dynasty.”

When Wanyan Agu opened his mouth, his voice was loud and clear, and he could speak the official language of the Central Plains of the Song Dynasty. However, his tone was particularly awkward and strange. He had to speak each sentence very slowly and carefully, word by word, before he could barely understand it.

Zhao Xiaoqian narrowed his eyes slightly as he also sized up Wanyan Aguda.

After observing him for a long time, Zhao Xiaoqian laughed heartily, stepped forward, and took his arm, saying, "Wanyan Aguda, I have long admired you. I heard that you are a remarkable hero of the Jurchen Wanyan tribe. Seeing you today, I can see that your reputation is well-deserved."

Wanyan Aguda was taken aback: "Your Highness has heard of me?"

“Of course, it’s a household name. I’ve heard of your esteemed name in my past life,” Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

Wanyan Aguda suddenly became excited: "I'm actually that powerful?"

Zhao Xiaoqian's face darkened. He turned to look at Zhen Qing and whispered, "Is this guy really Wanyan Aguda? You didn't bring a fake, did you?"

(End of this chapter)