female concubine

In mid-June of the 15th year of Qianyuan, the city of Tokyo was still as prosperous as ever. The businesses in the shops facing the street opened early in the morning. Cars and horses drove slowly past and occasionally stopped in front of the shops. Maidens or schoolboys jumped out of the cars and squeezed in. Buy a few steaming steamed stuffed buns or pancakes in the shop. Pastry, pastry and porridge shops are the busiest in the early morning. Several famous shops often have long queues when they go late.

In June, Jingyang, the red-crowned rooster is standing on the eaves of a pavilion in the workshop to report the time. As the sun gradually rises, the city gradually becomes hot and dry. The cool summer wind blows across the river, causing slight ripples. The boatman was holding a long bamboo pole with a bamboo hat, and the boats kept coming and going. A cold drink shop on the side of the street was surrounded by children with Zha Zongjiao, holding a few copper plates in their hands, engraved with "Qianyuan Tongbao"

At the foot of Yishan Mountain in the northeast corner of Kaifeng Inner City, the ice well office set up by the Imperial City Division is located in Yimen at the foot of the mountain. As soon as the sun came out, the internal servants and supervisors urged the soldiers to remove the ice cubes collected from Jinmingchi from the cellar. Take it out.

"Cabinet Chief, is Ouchi going to host another banquet?"

The servant shook his head, "Who knows the order from above?" Thinking of the concubine of the Eastern Palace, the servant said happily again: "I'm afraid a good thing is coming soon."

The soldiers put the ice cubes taken out of the cellar into wooden barrels, loaded them into trucks and transported them to Da Nei. There were countless shops selling iced drinks in the summer city.

On a scorching summer day, the streets were full of people, and the man with the hairpin was holding a round fan in his hand, and he kept muttering, "It must be too hot today."

There is a long banner hanging in front of a shop in Linli, with two huge signboard characters written on it, "Yinzi"

The boss looked at the small wooden sign pointed by the woman, and immediately lowered his head and took out a bowl of corresponding cold drink from the ice cube, "Girl, this is the water you want to soak in snow."

The hostess stood by the carriage and waited, only wearing a thin gown. The maid next to her paid a copper coin, took the cold drink and turned around to hand it to the little boy in the hostess' arms, "What do you want, Miss?"

The hostess shook her head, "It's all his father's used to, and the cold drinks rewarded by the government are not enough." Immediately, the boy was handed over to the wet nurse and carried into the carriage, "I must eat outside."

The hostess took off the veiled hat and put it on the side, and stretched out her hand to straighten the child's skirt, "Do you know that you will call Weng Weng when you see grandpa?"

The boy tied his horns and nodded repeatedly while holding a bowl of iced drink. The woman lowered her hand helplessly when she saw her son like this, "I don't know if you are really stupid or just pretending..."

A horse and a carriage rushed towards us, and immediately sat a guard with a red leather belt and a cross-legged headband. The guard held up a flag and preached loudly: "Northern victory, the Marquis of Nanyang led his army to break through the capital of the Northern Liao Dynasty. "

The shout of great victory traveled from the east to the north of the city, and within an hour the news spread throughout the entire Tokyo city. The coachman hurriedly drove the carriage aside to make way for the officer.

"Zhongjing is broken..." The woman in the car immediately opened the curtain.

The envoy turned around and asked: "The Great Victory in the Northern Conquest, Mr. Xiang is probably not at home right now, girl, shall we go back to Fang Zhai?"

"Back."

The carriage moved forward slowly and stopped in front of the Fangzhai gate opposite the Yinping Hou's Mansion. The maid took the little boy off and then helped the hostess to get off the carriage.

Mrs. Fang first turned her head and glanced at the Yinpinghou's mansion, and then took her son back to Fang's house. There were not many adults and people in the house. Fang Zhiyan's first wife, Li Shi, walked out of the house happily, "Young lady is back."

"Mother." Fang patted his son's head lightly on his mother's body.

The boy at the Zha Zongjiao raised his head and opened his innocent eyes and shouted, "Grandmother."

The grandson's call made the old woman even more happy. She bowed her waist and picked her up, rubbing her forehead, "It seems that our brother Lin has grown a lot taller, and grandma can hardly hold her."

"Mother, hasn't Daddy come back?"

Mrs. Li shook her head, "He has been busy making reforms for the government. He has been rushing through the house for several months and then left. He was supposed to come back today after Xunxiu. The Privy Council can't escape."

"Daddy and officials have been busy reforming the system for many years, and my daughter always feels flustered."

"I've been demoted, so what can I do? At worst, I'll be demoted out of Beijing again. I've been used to wandering with your father for half my life, but you should pay more attention to your grandfather. He suffered a leg injury when he went west. Walking around, you also know that you are the one your grandfather cared about and missed the most."

"My daughter knows, and I will take Da Lang to visit Weng Weng after lunch."

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In June of the 15th year of Qianyuan, the Shenji Camp blew up the capital of the Northern Liao Dynasty, and Nanyang Hou led the army to capture Zhongjing. The Emperor Yeluming of the Northern Liao Dynasty fled north with the tent guards and his own officials. The first battle was won, and the emperor sent envoys to the front to reward the three armies.

In the same month, the Crown Princess of the East Palace gave birth, and the emperor ordered the Hanlin Medical Academy to rush into the East Palace. In addition to more than a dozen experienced maids and palace servants, Princess Qin was personally accompanied.

The crown prince waited anxiously at the door, listening to the heart-piercing voice, he wanted to enter several times but was stopped by the palace guards, the eldest sister of the princess, Zhao Chen, was also ordered to sit outside the door, holding a heart The sleeves were clenched tightly on the chair.

Zhao Chen looked at the anxious Crown Prince, "Sit down and rest, Your Highness, you haven't closed your eyes all night."

"Ah Xi is still inside, how can I rest."

The woman's tearing cries were heard frequently in the room, and after struggling weakly, the voice gradually died down, and the palace people hurriedly brought in the decoction and brought out the red-dyed warm water, and put in new clean hot water.

In the room, the faintly wrinkled hands tightly clutched the sweaty hands of the person who was about to give birth, and seeing her daughter suffer the pain she had suffered, Princess Qin could empathize with her, and her heart ached like a knife, "Da Lang is at the door Besides, they're all waiting for you."

On the only road between the Forbidden City and the East Palace, every quarter of an hour, you can see servants wearing the clothes of the courtiers galloping back and forth on horseback.

In the past few days, the imperial court has shifted its attention to the East Palace. It seems that all civil and military officials are also looking forward to something. All the subjects in the world are guessing whether the emperor's eldest grandson born in the East Palace will be the county king or the princess.

Two days later, with the birth of the rising sun, a sonorous baby cry came from the side hall of the East Palace, causing everyone in the East Palace to heave a sigh of relief, and some even wept with joy.

A group of servants ran out from the gate of the East Palace, grabbed the horses and jumped up, "Drive!" With their backs facing the rising sun, they galloped towards the red wall shining in the rays of the sun.

The servant hurried inside and presented the brochure recording the birthday of the eldest grandson of the emperor, "Officials, saints, concubine Donggong is born."

"In the 13th year of Qianyuan, Jiazi of the year, Wuzi of June, seven quarters of Mao on the 21st." Xiao Youqing took the booklet and turned and threw it into the emperor's arms, weeping with joy: "Many years ago, my concubine never thought of being a grandmother one day."

The emperor raised his hand to gently caress Xiao Youqing's back, and said guiltily, "I'm sorry."

Xiao Youqing grabbed the clothes on the back of the emperor and raised his head, "This is my voluntary, my willingness, it has nothing to do with the officials."

The emperor put Xiao Youqing into his arms again, and told the courtiers who were bowing and waiting outside the curtain: "Let Neidong Mensi deliver the prepared rewards, and let the East Palace handle it according to the specifications when the prince was born. In addition, tell the prince, I will bestow a name on the day the eldest grandson of the emperor is [-]."

"Yes."

Xiao Youqing left from the emperor's embrace, "Let's go to the East Palace to see the two of them, Xi'er is the official family's first adopted daughter no matter what."

The emperor stretched out his hand to gently caress Xiao Youqing's wet red eyes, "I'll go later, I have to summon a few ministers first."

"Meet the minister?"

The emperor nodded, Xiao Youqing raised his eyebrows and said: "Are the officials going to celebrate and reward the ministers with Yu'er buns?"

The emperor immediately shook his head, "Now that the war is tense, there are soldiers fighting hard in the frontier, and there are still people who are not hungry enough. There is no need to spend gold and silk to celebrate the birth of the prince."

Xiao Youqing was puzzled, "Who is the official family?"

The emperor smiled and said: "Consolation to the ancestors, defending the Song Dynasty, there will be successors."

Xiao Youqing raised his head and was stunned for a while.

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In the East Palace, Crown Prince Wei Xu had just been promoted to be a father. When the baby was brought out, his first reaction was to be at a loss. In the end, it was the sitting mother-in-law who taught him how to hold the newborn safely.

From the first moment when he saw the child, the crown prince's dark eyes suddenly turned red. Looking at the newborn baby, his eyes were filled with endless joy. Looking for a nurse, she turned around and entered the room.

The filth in the room has been cleaned up, so no one stopped him from coming in, "Auntie."

Princess Qin comforted her daughter and got up, "His Royal Highness." She glanced sideways at her daughter and then left.

The crown prince walked to the side of his weak wife in three steps at a time, bent down very distressed, took her hand and put it in front of his nose, choked up and said, "I'm sorry for making you suffer here alone."

Zhao Xi's face was pale, looking at the crown prince's worried and self-blaming expression, he shook his head with difficulty, "The concubine made His Highness worry."

Hearing this, the Crown Prince burst into tears and threw himself in front of his wife's bed, "In this world, the only person I'm sorry for," and immediately looked up with tears in his eyes, "It's you."

On the afternoon of that day, the emperor and empress went out of the palace on a chariot to the East Palace to visit the Crown Princess and the newborn baby in the East Palace.

The next day, the emperor issued an edict to send his servants to visit the Jingling Palace, and told the Taimiao, Tiandi, Sheji, and Zhuling, that the treatment was like the birth of a prince, which shocked the government and the public.

Shangshu Ministry of War

In midsummer, the Ice Well Affairs Department of the Imperial City will deliver ice drinks to all provinces and ministries every day. Since the beginning of the Northern Expedition, the Ministry of War and the Privy Council have been the top priorities.

Han Bang sat in front of the office file, and he was so busy that the ice drink next to the official document melted without touching it. The scorching heat was unbearable, and the number of times the ice well service delivered ice drinks increased. After finishing a matter, Han Bang stretched out Stretching his waist, he looked at the female officer who was busy transcribing official documents, carefully, and immediately got up and brought a bowl of drink newly rewarded by the emperor to the female officer's table, "It's hot and hard work for Lu Zhizhong."

"This is the job of a subordinate official, a reward from His Majesty, such a small official as a subordinate official..."

"Officials in the same dynasty were divided into ranks, but in Han Jingming's heart, there is no distinction between men and women, and they are all subjects of the emperor."

The female officer blinked her moved eyes, and immediately cupped her hands, "Thank you, Mr.

For the next half month, Han Si stayed in the Ministry of War and never returned home. Even Donggong Daxi sent someone to inform his family to send gifts to Donggong to express his congratulations.

In late June, the Ministry of War

Busy from early morning to noon, Han Bang was already sweating profusely, and his clothes were completely soaked in sweat. The female officer walked in with a new purple official uniform, "Master, the county lord has brought you clean clothes."

For several months, the Ministry of War received clothes from Yuanling County Lord every few days, so Han Si stopped writing.

When changing clothes and handing over the old ones, Han Bo deliberately picked up a key and held it in his hand, "I forgot when I took off my clothes last time. Although the East Palace is overjoyed, the battle is so tight now that we can't be careless."

The female officer nodded, folded his old clothes and sent them out.

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In July of the same year, the war did not stop because of the joy of the East Palace, but the soldiers in the northern border drank the imperial wine rewarded by the emperor.

At the beginning of July, the civil war in Beiliao stopped, the emperor of Beiliao fled to Shangjing and sent envoys to discuss peace, and the military report was sent back to the capital again.

On July [-]th, Wangri, all the ministers gathered in the Zichen Hall to discuss the matter of peace, and the main war faction and the main peace faction disagreed.

"Beiliao is now willing to cede land for peace and promises annual tribute. It can obtain more than dozens of states in the north without spending a single soldier. Why not do it?"

Knowing the Privy Council, Fang Zhiyan, as the main combatant of the reform, came out with a wat board and said: "The army of the country and dynasty is pressing the border, which consumes manpower, material and financial resources. Negotiating a peace would not be a lost opportunity."

"The capture of Zhongjing was due to the civil strife in the Northern Liao Dynasty. Now that their capital is broken, they will put down the civil strife and jointly defend against the enemy. The war will not be so easy at that time."

"The Kingdom has the Shenji Battalion to attack the city and seize territory, so is it still afraid of the barbarians?"

"It is the people who suffer in the war. Now that the land has been taken back, Beiliao is also willing to surrender hundreds of miles of land to the court. The minister thinks that the war should be stopped and the people should rest..."

"It's just a little bit of flesh from an elephant."

"Greed is not enough to swallow an elephant." The main peace faction continued to argue, "Southern Tubo has been very ambitious in recent years. If they continue to attack Liao, it will last for one or two years, and it will last for three to five years. During this period, there is no guarantee that the countries in the Southwest will not have ulterior motives. At that time, the entanglement with the Northern Liao Dynasty will be entangled, and there will be chaos in the southwest, and the country will be attacked by enemies..."

"Don't bother a few censors to worry about it. The army is the army, and the government is the government. The Privy Council and the Ministry of War have already deployed defenses on the southwest border. The vision of the emperor, the ministers, etc. look up."

Hearing Fang Zhiyan's last words, the ministers of the Zhuhe faction were so angry that their heads were smoking and they were extremely helpless, so they had no choice but to step back into the queue in despair with their wat boards in their hands.

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In August of the 15th year of Qianyuan, the post sent an envoy to ride a fast horse and hold a wooden plaque inlaid with red lacquer and gold. He traveled [-] miles a day and carried the edict sent directly by the emperor. , Pedestrians can't avoid the road.

In mid-August, the front line connected three gold medals in just two days. The imperial court ordered the refusal to negotiate peace and ordered the coach to attack Liaoyang with all his strength. In Tokyo, because of the collapse of Zhongjing, the Liaoyang defender surrendered without a fight.