After rebirth, I made the princes cry

The Northern Han restored the old name of the Weiyang Palace. When Yingshu was in Jiankang, she learned about some situations of the Northern Han court from many archives. For example, Jiang Gaofan was not the only Han minister valued by the Northern Han royal family. He was just the Han minister with the highest official position and the most power. In fact, long before Luoyang fell, there was a Confucian scholar who joined the Qiang King. This Confucian scholar was penniless at the time, and he knew that it would be difficult to realize his ambitions in Dayu, and he didn't even have the opportunity to enter the officialdom, let alone high positions and generous salaries, and leave his name in history. He realized that there were constant internal struggles in Western Yu, the Sikong royal family was killing each other, and those aristocratic families were also involved in the chaos, busy fighting for power or avoiding disasters to protect themselves. The monarchs and ministers of Western Yu completely ignored the great power of the Diyi people, and the disaster of national destruction was imminent.

I don't know why this Confucian scholar chose the Qiang King to assist him, but the Qiang King made Chang'an his capital and named his country Han, all at the suggestion of this Confucian scholar.

Since the Qiang King claimed to continue the rule of the Han Dynasty, the imperial palace should of course restore its former name of the Han Palace.

This Confucian scholar also advised the restoration of Han laws, prohibiting the Qiang nobles from occupying the land and houses of the survivors, and issued a call for talented people to allow talented people like him who had no hope of entering the officialdom under the rule of the Yu Dynasty but were actually well-educated to enter the Han capital and grant official positions after questioning. However, not only were his advice not adopted by the Northern Han king, but he also suffered hostility from the Northern Han nobles and was eventually executed.

The structure of today's Weiyang Palace is of course different from that of the old palace.

Hundreds of years passed, and it experienced the rise and fall of two unified dynasties. At this time, the world was divided into the north and the south, and it was a time of chaos and strife. The Weiyang Palace had experienced several wars. When it was in Xiyu, it was actually inevitably dilapidated and overgrown with weeds. Even the imperial city was demolished for a time. Although it has been rebuilt by the Northern Han court, the system of the imperial city outside the palace has not been restored.

The Dayu delegation entered the Weiyang Palace directly through the Donghua Gate.

Generally speaking, when a foreign envoy arrives in Beijing, the king will not receive him immediately. The envoy will first be welcomed into the embassy by the official in charge of reception. But today, Jiang Tai immediately received the envoy from Henan.

Only four people came to see him.

Ying Shu followed the Palace Master closely and entered the Dongming Palace. Without looking around, she could tell from the corner of her eye that this palace was not a hall for court meetings, nor a place for palace discussions. Rather, it looked like a banquet hall. The person seated at the helm was of course the King of Northern Han, Jiang Tai. He was indeed more robust than the old crown prince, Jiang Mo. He had short eyebrows and round eyes. He wore a black crown with five-colored pearl tassels and a black brocade. When he spoke, his voice was majestic, and he seemed to never think twice before opening his mouth.

Although Jiang Tai chose to receive the foreign envoy in a place that looked like a banquet hall, he did not plan to hold a banquet for him.

"Your Excellency has come from afar, and I should have held a banquet to welcome you. However, the Grand Minister reminded me that I should have allowed your Excellency to rest first to relieve the fatigue of the journey. I neglected this. The two Excellency are both weak women. After dozens of days of trekking, they must feel tired on the way. However, because of the special status of the Lord of Shenyuan Palace and Deputy Envoy Wang, I have discussed it carefully with the Grand Minister and we both think that we cannot let the two of you live in the embassy according to the old rules. This palace is not far away. There is a Baoguang Palace, which is very suitable for the Lord of Shenyuan and Deputy Envoy Zuo to live in. This is my good intention, and I hope your Excellency will not refuse."

This was expected, and the Lord of Shenyuan Palace did not refuse.

She had just presented the letter of credence after the courteous meeting, but the letter of credence was prepared before the mission. It was just a courtesy reply to the king of Northern Han, expressing that Dayu also had the sincerity to establish diplomatic relations. The details of the peace talks actually needed to be negotiated. The palace lady was anxious about the fate of those eyebrowless slaves. She didn't care where she lived now, so she immediately asked: "Your Majesty should have heard about the matter of Meicheng. The foreign envoys believed that since both countries were sincere in establishing diplomatic relations, Your Majesty should not only treat the foreign envoys and others with courtesy, but also revise the old laws and treat the remaining people of our country well."

"There is no rush to discuss this matter today." Jiang Tai had been paying more attention to the Third Prince, and now he looked at the Lord of the Palace: "But since the Lord of the Palace has spoken, I will naturally not ignore it. I will discuss it with the Minister of the Grand Chancellor and other ministers in time. After two days, I will hold a banquet to welcome the noble envoys, and then I will discuss with the noble envoys in detail about how to revise the law and various details."

Yingshu heard Jiang Tai mention Da Shangchen several times, but the ministers of Dongming Palace now did not seem mysterious and covered with leather masks. It couldn't be that Jiang Gaofan suddenly changed his nature and was willing to show his true face. She guessed that Da Shangchen was not present, but she would not test him. What she cared about was the Lord of the Palace and her future residence.

"I appreciate your Majesty's good intentions, but I still have some doubts."

Jiang Tai's gaze shifted again. He knew of course that the woman who was speaking at this time was highly trusted by the Emperor of Dongyu, and her influence on the political situation in Dongyu was even greater than that of the Lord of Shenyuan Palace. Although there had been precedents of women in power in the dynasties of Central Plains, these women in power were either empress dowagers or queens. Wang Yingshu was not even a crown princess. Although she had a great chance of becoming Consort Guisu in the future, the intelligence he had received was that it was impossible for the fifth prince of Dongyu, Guisujun, to be made the crown prince.

It is still unclear whether Guisujun will be able to participate in politics in the future. However, the fact that Emperor Dongyu attaches so much importance to Wang Yingshu is an unprecedented case.

"Vice Envoy Wang may express his doubts directly."

"First of all, I think it is against etiquette to live in your country's harem."

"Baoguang Hall is certainly not the harem. Baoguang Gate leads directly to Donghua Gate. Baoguang Hall was originally the palace where the crown prince lived, but it is still vacant now."

I understand. It turns out that Baoguang Palace is where Jiang Mo lives.

"In addition, I believe that although your country will not allow a palace coup again, Baoguang Palace will definitely be safer than the embassy outside the palace. However, the status of the Lord of Shenyuan Palace is noble, and our Majesty has repeatedly reminded us not to be careless. Moreover, according to the etiquette, even if I am honored by your Majesty and have the honor to temporarily live in your palace, my movements cannot be restricted. The Lord of the Palace and I should have the right to consult with my subordinates at any time. In this case, we must let the envoy guards escort us. I know that your country has its own rules for palace prohibitions, and it is impossible to allow the envoy guards to enter your palace. Therefore, I hope Your Majesty will speak frankly and allow how many envoy guards to serve in Baoguang Palace?"

"ten people."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for clearing up my doubts. I have no further concerns."

In fact, it doesn't matter how many envoys guards are allowed to serve in Baoguang Palace. Even if Jiang Tai agrees to let all the envoys guards serve, it is impossible for them to protect the palace master from the Northern Han Dynasty's Forbidden Palace and forcibly escape. Even if they escape from Weiyang Palace, they cannot escape from Chang'an City. However, since Jiang Tai agreed to let all the envoys guards serve, he will not prevent foreign envoys from entering and leaving the palace. Ying Shu wants to make sure whether they still have a certain personal freedom for the time being.

Baoguang Hall is indeed not far from Donghua Gate.

It does look like it was once used as the "Eastern Palace". It has a main hall, a back hall, a side hall, a study, and a separate small flower garden with lush flowers and plants, and pavilions that are elegantly decorated. Inside the Baoguang Gate, a row of houses against the main wall seemed to have been a temporary residence for soldiers and guards on duty. Since it is such a large area, of course there would be palace people from the Northern Han Dynasty staying there. In addition to the palace maids, there are also two eunuchs.

The older eunuch was now responsible for taking Yingshu around the Baoguang Palace, introducing each office and repeatedly emphasizing that if there was any shortage of anything, he could be asked to prepare it.

"Are you Han Chinese?" Yingshu asked.

"Of course I am a Han Chinese. The Weiyang Palace has been abandoned for many years. There were no eunuchs in the palace. Before the Qiang tribe entered the Pass, they had no habit of employing eunuchs. Only after entering the Pass did they need eunuchs. I was forcibly conscripted as a eunuch and have always served in the Baoguang Palace. In the past, the King of Zhenyuan treated me very considerately. However, although the Princess of Zhenyuan is still in the palace, she has moved out of the Weiyang Palace and is no longer equipped with eunuchs."

"How should we address the eunuchs?"

"My humble surname is Yang, my humble name is Jiachen, and I used to be a soldier of King Weinan. But when King Weinan was executed, I was not even ten years old, and was confiscated into the government slavery."

The King of Weinan was a member of the Sikong royal family. He was defeated and killed during the Rebellion of the Nine Princes.

"I won't bother Eunuch Yang today. There are fourteen maids accompanying you. They are all palace maids who serve the prince personally. You don't need to trouble Eunuch Yang and other palace maids about the prince's daily life." Yingshu spoke in a gentle manner, but set the rules.

The Third Prince and Nanci also followed Yingshu for a walk. Although Jiang Tai did not forbid them to live in Baoguang Palace, his attitude was to make them "avoid suspicion". However, it was very early and both of them were responsible for protecting the safety of the Palace Master. Jiang Tai would certainly not refuse if they followed Yingshu for a tour of Baoguang Palace.

In a pavilion in the garden, Ling Shang Gong had already prepared tea - it was wild tea that Liang Hui had picked and dried himself.

Seeing that Liang Hui was also there, the Lord of Shenyuan Palace had no choice but to "go with the flow". She really couldn't do anything to let the other party down.

As soon as Yingshu drank the tea, she inexplicably felt like laughing, but she held it back.

Nanci didn't even notice the taste of the tea. He put down the teacup and said, "Since Jiang Tai allowed ten envoys to serve, why don't I stay?"

"You are the commander of the embassy. Most of the embassy guards are in the post house. You have to be outside to take charge of the situation." Ying Shu objected, "Besides, I have misled the emperor and ministers of Northern Han, making them think that the Third Prince has the final say. Their attention is focused on the Third Prince, which makes it easier for me to act. The safety of the Third Prince is also extremely important. There must be spies from Northern Zhao and other countries in Chang'an City. They are eager to provoke a war between our country and Northern Han."

"Your Highness, please rest assured that I can serve in Baoguang Palace. I swear on my life that I will ensure the safety of the Palace Master and Deputy Envoy Wang." Liang Hui and others were here just to recommend themselves.

Ying Shu nodded: "Just now I specifically asked Jiang Tai to summon Deputy Commander Liang to come in, so that Deputy Commander Liang could serve here. Your Highnesses, whether it is the Lord or I who have a message to send to the posthouse, we will only entrust it to Deputy Commander Liang, or send it by flying bird."

Nan Ci knew that once Ying Shu made up her mind, it would be difficult to convince her, and there were many inside stories, so he couldn't tell them in front of the Third Prince. So he had to give up the idea of ​​serving the prince, frowned and said nothing.

The Third Prince said, "The eunuch just now seemed quite dissatisfied with Jiang Tai."

"It was intentional." Yingshu was very sure.

"So, he lied and he is not a survivor?"

"That's not a lie, but not all the survivors are loyal to Dayu."

The third prince also frowned.

"For the survivors who are in dire straits, they certainly hate the oppression and abuse of the Northern Han regime, the seizure of their land and houses, and even the destruction of their families and the separation of their flesh and blood, but they have no power to resist. For them, self-protection is the most important thing. Just like the eunuch just now, he certainly didn't want to enter the palace as a slave, but he had to obey the power. Now he is in the palace, at least he doesn't have to worry about food and clothing, and he even has the opportunity to strive for more glory and wealth. He has accepted his fate, and in his view, we have come to the Northern Han, and it is difficult to protect ourselves, so how can we keep him safe and give him wealth?

Even if he hopes for the smooth establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, he is also expecting that he can take this opportunity to make meritorious deeds. He will never betray Jiang Tai. When Jiang Tai goes back on his word, he will help us escape from Northern Han. Your Highness, I will not hide it from you. We have our insiders in the Weiyang Palace, so I am sure that I can mediate with Jiang Tai. But for eunuchs like this, we are not sure of his thoughts, so we must never trust him.

Your Highnesses must also be careful outside the palace. No matter who it is, if they surrender voluntarily, do not trust them. It is possible to take advantage of the situation.”

As soon as Yingshu finished speaking, she saw the eunuch mentioned by the third prince trotting towards her.

There was actually a visitor coming to the door.

The visitor was Madam Wei - according to Eunuch Yang, she was a concubine that the Emperor of Northern Han loved very much - in that case, it was naturally inconvenient for the Third Prince and Nan Ci to stay for long. Yingshu also asked the Lord of Shenyuan Palace to go and rest first, and she was the one who actually met this uninvited guest.

When Yang Neichen followed Yingshu to meet the guests, he lowered his voice and said, "Although Madam Wei is not a survivor, her biological father is a Han Chinese. She is only half Qiang. Madam Wei was a concubine bestowed upon Your Majesty by Your Majesty. Your Majesty was away for training at that time, and Madam Wei followed Your Majesty all the time. Madam Wei also gave birth to a son, but unfortunately, he died not long ago. Alas, after Your Majesty returned to the palace, he was about to reunite with the little prince, but who knew... Madam Wei had experienced the pain of losing her son, and it was not easy for her to cheer up."

Ying Shu was surprised and asked, "Has the little prince born to Madam Wei actually lived in the palace all this time?"

"I can't explain these things in a short time. Wait for the envoy to meet Madam Wei first, and then I will report in detail later."

Yingshu followed Yang Neichen out of a small door in the flower garden and turned into a corridor. She guessed that Madam Wei went straight to the tea room named Qiu Ming Zhai to wait. Sure enough, outside Qiu Ming Zhai, there were already two palace maids standing there with their hair in high buns, wearing lapel-collared Hu clothing and long belts around their waists.

Looking inside, a rather thin woman was standing by the window, wearing a silk gauze dress with wide sleeves in the color of water apricot, and a long skirt in the color of Sumei and water apricot. Both the dress and the dress were embroidered with orchids, auspicious clouds and flowers. She turned her face slightly to the side, with delicate eyebrows and eyes. She was not a glamorous woman, but looked well-behaved, like a lilac.

When I got closer, I saw that her eyes seemed to be covered with a frosty mist like light smoke.

"Deputy Envoy Wang?" asked Madam Wei.

"Madam, you are in great peace and happiness."

"It is indeed Deputy Envoy Wang. His Majesty said that the prince has an ordinary appearance, but Deputy Envoy Wang lives up to the praise of being the most beautiful woman in the country. This tea room is set up with a sitting table. I am no longer used to kneeling, so I will stand to talk."

"Please, ma'am."

Yingshu also stood up and talked.