After rebirth, I made the princes cry

Mrs. Jinzhu's attire did not look like she was here to "talk" but rather to make an appointment to play polo. She even brought a horse whip with her. The whip was tied up, and the dazzling thing was the golden handle inlaid with large and small coral gems. Such a gorgeous horse whip was placed on the tea table in the side hall. The tea table in the side hall - or perhaps it should be said to be a desk, was of high-legged design, and of course it was matched with a couch where one could sit with one's legs dangling. Mrs. Jinzhu took the seat of honor without any hesitation. She was obviously impatient to wait, and when she saw someone coming in, she only lazily raised her eyelids.

Her complexion was not very fair, but it was delicate and lustrous, and one could tell she was young at a glance. Her emotions were clearly written on her face. Her royal blue lapel was embroidered with small precious flowers in gold thread, and she stretched out her tall, proud neck.

"So you Han women are all so lazy? This is my third time here and I just saw you show up."

The Qiang people named their country Han and claimed to be descendants blessed by the Han emperor. It seemed that Lady Jinzhu did not agree with this.

Yingshu saw that she was a simple-minded young lady and it would be unfair to argue with her.

Since Madam Jinzhu did not greet them first, the Lord of Shenyuan Palace also "followed the local customs". The diplomacy between the two countries has rules. The envoys of Dayu have already been received by the monarch of Northern Han, and the monarch of Northern Han has personally designated Baoguang Palace as the palace inn. Although Weiyang Palace is the imperial palace of Northern Han, in Baoguang Palace, the envoy of Yu became the temporary master. It was impolite for Madam Jinzhu to directly occupy the seat of honor. It was fair for the Lord of Palace and Yingshu not to treat them as guests with courtesy.

"I am sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. Next time you want to come to Baoguang Palace, please send a maid to ask if we are free. Don't waste time running back and forth three times."

Mrs. Jinzhu's neck shook.

Yingshu saw that she subconsciously wanted to tilt her head to think, but didn't want others to see that she didn't quite understand the "counterattack", so she tilted her head back halfway, forming the movement of shaking her neck. The little girl spoke harshly, but her mind was simple and her temper was not the worst. Such a noble lady should be able to live a carefree life, but it was her misfortune to be involved in the palace and power struggles.

"I heard that you want His Majesty to pardon Wumei Slave?" Madam Jinzhu decided to "let the small go and catch the big". She didn't like talking to Han people. Jiang Gaofan was like this, and the two Han women were the same. They spoke in a roundabout way. She could understand them word by word, but when they put them together into a sentence, she always felt that there were many meanings that she couldn't understand.

The Lord of the Divine Yuan Palace also looked serious: "Madam, do you have any objections?"

"Of course I have objections. Wumei Nu is a traitor. How can he be pardoned? Don't you think we are meddling in other people's business when our envoy asks you to pardon Jiang Ke?"

"Madam, do you mean that Wumeinu once rebelled?"

"They want to rebel, but do they have the ability to do so? The Han people are all used to being servile."

"I remind Madam that it was Northern Han that first showed goodwill to our Great Yu." The Lord of the Divine Origin Palace frowned, "They are not criminals, let alone traitors, as they are regarded as the remnants of Wumei slaves by your country. Madam just admitted that they did not commit treason. Do you have any real evidence to prove that they have the intention of treason?"

"The eyebrowless slaves are all the remnants of those who originally planned to escape and surrender to the enemy!"

"Back then, whether it was the Qiang tribe, the Xiongnu tribe, the Xianbei tribe, the Di tribe, or the Jie tribe, which is now known as the six northern states, all paid tribute to the Great Yu Dynasty. Many Diyi tribes were favored by the Great Yu, which allowed the people of your tribe to live in the nine provinces of China. The nobles of your tribe could do business in the Great Yu, and the common people of your tribe, in order to be well fed and clothed, became slaves and exchanged their labor for food and clothing. The Great Yu allowed the people of your tribe to live and work in peace under its rule.

However, the six tribes took advantage of the internal strife in Dayu to launch an invasion. The people of Dayu heard that their country had been lost to foreign races and were afraid of disaster. How could it be considered a crime to follow the monarch who was rebuilding the country to avoid disaster? Since your country has the sincerity to make peace with Dayu, shouldn't you amend the barbaric and overbearing law that prohibits the Chinese people from speaking the Chinese language?

When Dayu was strong, it treated the people of other ethnic groups with kindness and courtesy. Even the monarch of Northern Zhao, the leader of the six kingdoms, could not deny that Dayu had shown kindness and righteousness to the Yi people. I advise Madam, since you do not understand state affairs, you should not speak arrogantly. If the monarch of Northern Han really despises the people of Dayu as slaves, Dayu will dare to fight with Northern Han. If Madam is just deliberately humiliating our dynasty, although I can forgive Madam for her youth and ignorance, I must also ask the monarch of Northern Han to teach and restrain the concubines in the harem. "

Mrs. Jinzhu was speechless after being refuted and reached for the horsewhip.

Yingshu couldn't help but frown.

But Madam Jinzhu just held the whip in her hand and said, "I am too lazy to argue with you. Anyway, His Majesty will never be threatened by you and will amend the law to pardon those eyebrowless slaves. I advise you to write a letter to Emperor Yu as soon as possible and ask him to send Brother Mu Chi back quickly, so that you can return to your Great Yu alive!"

As he spoke, he hurried away, whip in hand.

"Who is Brother Mu Chi?" The Lord of Shenyuan Palace could only ask Yingshu.

"It should be His Royal Highness King Zhenyuan."

There were too many people in the outer hall to have a deep conversation, so Yingshu took the Palace Master back to the small garden in the back hall and sat in the pavilion. As soon as they sat down, the Palace Master of Shenyuan said, "This Lady Jinzhu is like a spoiled child."

"Your Excellency is right. This child is indeed willful and naughty, but it's clear that she never cares about state affairs. I even think that she doesn't really despise the Han people, otherwise she would definitely argue with them instead of running away."

The Lord of the Divine Yuan Palace just nodded, then felt something was quite strange. He recalled Ying Shu's words again and laughed: "I am a few years older than her, so it's ok to call her a child, but Ah Shu is obviously the same age as her, how can she call someone a child?"

Alas, sometimes, out of habit, Yingshu would still regard herself as an "elder" who is almost thirty years old and already a mother.

"Only children can be as outspoken as Madam Jinzhu. Not to mention entering the palace, even before entering the palace, ever since my mother gave me the villa to manage, I have to think about what I want to say. In fact, sometimes I envy the women of the Yi tribe. They are not so restrained in their words and deeds."

"I can't understand why Madam Jinzhu came here, is she here to deliberately provoke me?"

"She must have believed the instigation." Ying Shu said, "She said before she left that Jiang Tai would not accept the conditions we proposed and amend the law to treat the survivors well. She must be worried that the peace talks between the two countries would fail and Jiang Mo would not be able to return home safely."

"But...she is now Jiang Tai's harem."

"This child must be incapable of love, or she actually values ​​family and friendship more. In her opinion, although the throne of Northern Han has been seized by Jiang Tai, her family is still a noble family that even Jiang Tai cannot suppress. She will not be wronged in the Weiyang Palace. Concubine Wen is her aunt and must have loved her very much in the past. Jiang Mo is no different from a biological brother to her."

"But what is the purpose of those who instigated Madam Jinzhu to provoke trouble today?"

"It's hard to say." Ying Shu saw Ling Shang Gong bringing over a large tray of purple agate-like grapes, and quickly took it, wondering: "Grapes are ripe in Chang'an at this time of year? The grapes are so plump, it's rare to see them in Jiankang."

Ling Shang Gong then said, "Early in the morning, the Queen of Northern Han sent a maid to deliver a large basket of grapes and two jars of wine. She didn't tell him anything else, so I didn't specifically inform the Lord and the Deputy Envoy."

Ying Shu peeled grapes while saying, "Pardoning the eyebrowless slaves is actually a small matter, but if we really want to save so many eyebrowless slaves from persecution, we must at least persuade the Northern Han Dynasty to agree to revise the laws against the survivors. If Jiang Tai agrees, he will definitely force Dianjun to stay in the Northern Han Dynasty. I think there must be many people in the Northern Han court who oppose Jiang Tai's proposal. Dianjun should know that Jiang Tai is not actually the biological son of the Grand Master, right?"

“Jiang Tai actually…” The Lord of Shenyuan Palace widened his eyes.

Yingshu fed the peeled grapes to her mouth with one hand and slapped her forehead with the other hand: "It's my fault. I have talked too much these days and forgot to tell the Lord of the Palace about this. It's not a secret. Jiang Tai's biological father was Tai Zun's elder brother and the leader of the Qiang tribe. Before the Qiang tribe entered the pass, the way of succession of power was not only the succession of the father to the son, but also the succession of the elder brother to the younger brother. After Jiang Tai's biological father died in battle, because his sons were still young, the power was inherited by his younger brother.

Your Excellency, now I don’t know whether I should call him Huyan Xiongying or Jiang Xiongying. He not only inherited his brother’s power, but also his brother’s wife and children.”

The Lord of Shenyuan Palace seemed to have heard some myth and his eyes continued to widen.

"This is against the etiquette of the Central Plains, but the Yidi tribe has always had this tradition. After Jiang Tai's biological mother remarried Tai Zun, Jiang Tai became Tai Zun's son. Although he is not Tai Zun's biological son, according to the old customs of the Qiang tribe, Jiang Tai is the first heir among Tai Zun's sons. Tai Zun exiled Jiang Tai in order to pass the throne to his biological son. It is understandable from a moral point of view, but in the eyes of the Qiang tribe, Tai Zun's actions violated the trust and loyalty they respected. Therefore, some tribesmen feel sorry for Jiang Tai."

The Lord of the Divine Yuan Palace hesitated and said, "So, although Jiang Tai relied on raising an army to regain the throne, it actually complied with the etiquette and laws followed by the Northern Han Dynasty?"

"Not entirely." Ying Shu continued peeling grapes. "The Qiang tribe was just a tribe before, but after entering the Pass, since the Grand Master has named his country Han and called himself the emperor, it is in accordance with etiquette for him to insist on passing the throne to his biological son. Just like the dynasties in the Central Plains, although they all follow the system of primogeniture, it cannot be said that the king of a country wants to pass the throne to other princes, which is not against etiquette."

"I understand a little bit." Seeing Ying Shu eating grapes with gusto, the Lord of Shenyuan Palace could not help peeling them. "Jiang Tai usurped the throne. Although he had the support of some old subordinates, he did not dare to kill the king, otherwise there would be chaos in the Northern Han Dynasty. He had no choice but to enshrine his stepfather as the Grand Lord and force the Grand Lord to draft an edict to abdicate, so that he could get a legitimate reason.

However, the old subordinates of the Grand Master knew that the Grand Master was under house arrest in Rongsui Palace by Jiang Tai, and would not really submit to Jiang Tai. Therefore, Jiang Tai had to win over Master Wen. Madam Jinzhu was Master Wen's legitimate daughter. If she gave birth to a child, she might be made the crown prince. Master Wen and Jiang Tai had an alliance of interests, so they might give up their nephew Jiang Mo. "

"Mrs. Jinzhu is so easily provoked. Master Wen must not have analyzed the pros and cons for his daughter."

Yingshu just stopped at the right time.

When the Lord of Shenyuan Palace understood the implicit meaning, she felt particularly happy. She tasted a sweet and juicy grape and smiled happily.

Of course, she didn't feel that she had won for sure. She was happy because with Yingshu's guidance, she was able to sort out some clues. Compared with before, when she knew nothing about political affairs, she found that she had made great progress.

That afternoon, after Madam Jinzhu, several other concubines came to Baoguang Palace for a visit. All of them had entered the palace not long ago and were not used to being trapped in such a "golden bird cage". They volunteered to be the ambassador's guide and go out of the palace to stroll around Chang'an City. The Lord of the Palace then realized that these less favored concubines of the Northern Han Dynasty could actually go out of the palace for a stroll as long as they found a reasonable excuse.

Of course, the Lord of Shenyuan Palace did not agree.

"It is better to be cautious." Ying Shu smiled and praised the Palace Master for his proper social behavior: "I heard from Yang Nei Chen that the people who came later this afternoon were all concubines taken in by Jiang Tai during his exile. Although they are all Qiang people, they are all daughters of soldiers' families. They are not of noble birth. They will not be allowed to leave the palace without reason. Although they will be allowed if the Palace Master speaks up, we will also be held responsible if something unexpected happens.

Besides, concubines of ordinary backgrounds may not be immune to power struggles. We don’t know their backgrounds. We should treat them politely, but keep a distance. There is no need to get too close to them. "

If he wants to escape safely, he must take advantage of the power struggle within Northern Han, but he cannot get himself trapped in it.

"But my Lord, we can leave the palace tomorrow."

"This...it's only the third day since we arrived in Chang'an, and we haven't even received a formal audience with the Northern Han court. If we rush out of the palace, will it alert the enemy?" The Lord of Shenyuan Palace hesitated.

Yingshu waved the round fan in her hand, and said calmly: "Thank you Madam Jinzhu. She came to provoke us today and said those words. How can we two women not be on guard? It is natural to take this opportunity to verify whether we can exercise the power to leave the palace at any time and test the sincerity of the Northern Han Dynasty in establishing diplomatic relations. When I entered the city yesterday, I saw my two men. I will try to get in touch with them when I leave the palace tomorrow.

Therefore, I have to rely on the Palace Master and the Third Prince to distract most of the spies so that I can act at my convenience."

Although Yingshu believed that Sikong Yuehu would ensure the safety of Baimian and Xuanmian, she still had to confirm the two girls' current whereabouts in case something happened. If they were not notified in time during the evacuation and contact was lost, and she didn't even know their whereabouts, how could she rescue them and ensure that they also escaped safely?

If such an accident happened, many secret offices of the Flying Eagle Tribe might be exposed. After all, Bai Meng and Xuan Meng were not members of the Flying Eagle Tribe. Yingshu was worried that the Flying Eagle Tribe would ignore them in an emergency.

In her previous life, she did not make arrangements for her own people to escape from the disaster, and her disastrous defeat implicated too many people.

We must never make the same mistake again this time.

"Tomorrow we will go to the envoy post station to meet the two princes. Your Excellency suggested that since we have to discuss the issue of the survivors with the emperor and ministers of the Northern Han Dynasty, we can go to the market in the city first. It would be best to ask about the current situation of the survivors. Let's not talk about the slaves for now. We should first pay attention to those survivors who are fortunate enough to obtain good status. Have they been bullied? What is their main business for a living? How much taxes do they bear? Are they able to keep enough food and clothing? It is understandable that Your Excellency has such thoughts. I will also travel with Your Excellency at first, and I will find a way to separate from Your Excellency on the way. Your Excellency and your group will attract more eyes and ears, and I will take fewer risks in my actions." Yingshu explained her plan very simply.

The Lord of Shenyuan Palace suddenly became very interested.

She is a quiet person and is not keen on going out for fun, but tomorrow's trip is not for fun. For her, it is a new experience she has never had before.

As a result, Dianjun couldn't sleep again that night.