Daiyu's wife in the Red Chamber

Chapter 123

Hearing the word "unlucky" from Baoyu, she sighed repeatedly, clear to her ears, Feng Ziying couldn't help laughing, and said heartily: "Today's sages, my court is mighty, and my sharp weapon can level the world. How can I give up my daughter and bow down to the king? Java country It is a pity for Nan'an Prince's Mansion. I'm afraid Brother Bao doesn't know that this time in Pingxi, Nan'an Prince underestimated the enemy and went deep into it. He has already been captured. Fortunately, his deputy, General Qin, rushed over and sacrificed the new army from the court. The treasure ship and sharp weapon turned defeat into victory, and rescued the prince of Nan'an."

Baoyu breathed a sigh of relief at first, as long as he didn't trade his daughter for peace, then he was stunned again, and said: "So, when the soldiers from Xihai Yanzi return to Beijing, the prince of Nan'an will not only have no merit, but will have done something?" His family had a long history of contact with Nan'an Prince's Mansion, and Nan'an Concubine was a frequent visitor to his house, and he couldn't help frowning when he learned about Nan'an Prince's matter.

Feng Ziying nodded and said: "This is natural. Since rewards are based on merit, they should be rewarded for meritorious deeds and punished for demerits. The prince of Nan'an was ordered to guard the border, but he did not perform his duties faithfully. He was in danger of being occupied by foreign barbarians. Vice-General Lai rescued him and returned. Even if there is no severe punishment, there must be no reward."

Seeing that Baoyu was still puzzled, Chen Yejun poured himself a drink beside him, and explained: "A few years ago, the imperial court equipped the troops in the northern border, Guangdong sea, Tibetan border, western regions, and Xihaiyanzi with various types. Such treasures as firecrackers, explosives, mines, and red-clothed cannons have deterred the world, and they are extremely powerful. Over the past few years, there have been several places where thieves dare not invade."

Baoyu suddenly realized, and said: "I understand. The equipment is the same. Other places guarding the frontier are invincible in all battles. Only the prince of Nan'an was defeated and captured. The work of the prince."

Feng Ziying poured herself a glass of wine, shook her head and said, "If you can't keep those sharp weapons, you are also incompetent."

Because those present were all close friends, and Feng Ziying's father will definitely be rewarded for his great achievements with the lieutenant general this time, so he has no taboos in his words, and he doesn't have to worry about someone spreading the news.

Hearing of General Feng's achievement, Baoyu hurriedly congratulated Feng Ziying, Feng Ziying accepted it, might as well Baoyu suddenly thought of Han Qi, who went to Xihaiyanzi to join the army in summer, and unconsciously asked, Feng Ziying said: "I don't know either. I know what happened to Han Shixiong, he set off at the end of May, and now at the beginning of August, I'm afraid he hasn't arrived at the West Sea."

Baoyu flexed his fingers and counted his footsteps, and said: "The West Sea is two or three thousand miles away from Chang'an City. He is alone with a few servants. No matter whether it is flood or dry, it will take two or three months. Isn't it Is it a waste of hard work?"

Chen Yejun said, "It's not hard work in vain, but a fluke."

Baoyu was stunned, and soon remembered that Han Qi's intention to go here was to serve in the army under the footsteps of the Prince of Nan'an. If he really lost the battle with the Prince of Nan'an, he might lose his life, so Chen Yejun said it was a fluke.

Feng Ziying said: "Brother Bao, don't worry. As Brother Chen Shixiong said, when Han Shixiong arrived here, it happened that Xihai Yanzi was very stable after the great victory. Before serving in the army, he didn't have to fight. Anyway, he received the imperial decree and returned to the court. The frontiers still have to stay. It is not considered that Han Shixiong's hard work was in vain, but he avoided the defeat of Prince Nan'an."

Baoyu thought it was reasonable, and felt relieved. When he asked about the time of the class teacher, he went to congratulate General Feng. Feng Ziying said with a smile: "It's early, I will be lucky to be able to return to Beijing next spring. Today's news spread quickly, saying Xihaiyanzi achieved great victory in late June, and the Java State sent envoys to Beijing at that time. They are still on the way, and the decree has not yet been sent. When the decree is sent, it will be October at the soonest. After finishing the settlement and signing the covenant To return to Beijing, no matter what, it will have to be in February, March and April next year."

Hearing this, Baoyu kept it in his mind for a while. Unexpectedly, although General Feng had not returned to Beijing, when the news came, Long Yan was very happy and rewarded the meritorious ministers. Many people had already visited Feng's house to congratulate him personally. People came and went in an endless stream, only the Nan'an Prince's Mansion was deserted, and even Nan'an Dowager could not get sick.

Baoyu pondered for a moment, and understood the reasoning. Seeing that the mansion was just like the common people, they only gave gifts to the Feng family and the Qin family, and did not go to the Nan'an palace. At the end of the day, Sister Feng took Xichun and Sister Qiao for a walk.

After paying off the debt, their eldest family had no other major crimes. Sister Feng used to be afraid that her family would be in trouble and others would make trouble, so when she heard Baoyu's words, she felt a little bit sad about the Nan'an palace.What's more, although the prince of Nan'an was defeated, the punishment was not enough to kill him. Sister Feng comforted Princess Nan'an with kind words.

Concubine Nan'an and Mrs. Wang are about the same age. Recently, under worry, her temples have turned gray and she seems to have aged a lot. She couldn't help holding Sister Feng's hand and crying, "Good boy, it's hard for you to come to see me. If I had known this, I shouldn't have let him take over his father's army. Wouldn't it be pure to be an idle prince like the Prince of Beijing at home? It's just that he has no ability to win a battle, but he was captured again. If there is no Vice-General Tan, I don't know how many lives he will have Right and wrong. When he comes back, I will ask him to plead guilty, resign from this position, and think about his mistakes behind closed doors at home."

Although Sister Feng knew that the future of her family was not good, she didn't know much about the affairs of the court, so she was busy comforting Princess Nan'an, and waited for Princess Nan'an to rest before taking Xichun to leave.

The two sisters-in-law and sister-in-law were sitting in the car, Xichun was puzzled and said: "Others stay away, but my sister-in-law doesn't, why?"

Sister Feng poked her on the forehead and said with a smile: "Silly girl, if I used to be the same as the rest of the world, I would have been as far away from Nan'an Palace as I was, but I was worried about our family's affairs for several years. When we are in trouble, no one reaches out to help, and we have a heart-to-heart relationship, so we have this trip."

What Sister Feng didn't say was that at this time, everyone kept away from each other, which showed their affection and righteousness. There was no hidden danger in their family, and at this time, it was more convenient for Xichun to marry her daughter.When the world seeks advantages and avoids disadvantages, it does not expect others to do the same.

Xichun didn't know what Sister Feng was thinking, so she put it aside.

They went back to the mansion to tell Jiamu that she knew, and they still paid attention to the news from the court.

Before the envoys arrived, Emperor Changtai first sent important officials to Yanzi, Xihai, saying that the envoys of the Java Kingdom were not very loyal, so he ordered the important officials to make sure that the Java Kingdom compensated for the expenses spent on the war in recent years. Include the country of Java in the territory of the dynasty.

The country of Java is made up of several sea islands. Except for the territory occupied by Kyoto which borders the dynasty, the rest of the territory is in the sea, and the islands are of different sizes. Such a small country dares to invade. Emperor Tai had already accumulated a cavity of anger in his heart, and he couldn't let them off lightly.

When the envoys of the Java State came to Beijing in September, the scene was grand, causing many people to stop and watch. The envoys of the Java State bowed their heads to Emperor Changtai and offered 5000 taels of gold. Emperor Changtai accepted it calmly, but for their request He flatly refused to marry the princess.

When Baoyu heard about it in the mansion, he clapped his hands and applauded. This is the style.

As for the pedantic ministers in the court who talked all the time, Emperor Changtai didn't take it to heart when talking about the great country of this dynasty and the fact that it should uphold the style of a gentleman. It's fart!"

The queen was picking out the dead leaves of the chrysanthemums, and asked with a smile: "What did the sour rot in the court say, Your Majesty is so angry? Let me guess, maybe it means that since the Java State bowed its head and proclaimed its vassal, we will Should we show our generosity, not only forgive their crimes of infringement with a magnanimous mind, but also reward them heavily, so that the foreign countries will know our benefits?"

Emperor Changtai sat down, picked up the queen's tea bowl and drank the tea in one go, nodded and said: "You guessed it right, these old things who have been stunned by reading are becoming more and more incomprehensible. Tell me to forgive them, not only to forgive, but also to reward all the gold, jewelry, shells, silk and satin in this dynasty as a reward. Listen, what is this? Because of their invasion, many of my soldiers and civilians lost their lives, and I reward them like this Why don't you tell other small barbarian countries to invade as soon as possible, and if we win, we will cede land and pay compensation, and if we lose, we can take a large amount of property from us? When I sent people to Xihai Yanzi to take care of this matter last month, It is imperative that the Java State cede land and pay compensation. Many old people objected, saying that I do not have the tolerance of a large country. Today, I refused the Java State's marriage proposal. "

The queen smiled, put down the bamboo scissors in her hand, gathered the cut dead branches and leaves together, swept them into the bamboo basket, and said: "It is understandable for a defeated country to negotiate peace like this. We won a big victory, but they said such words, as expected, what His Majesty said, they don’t know what it means. Don’t listen to these sour words, Your Majesty should ask the Java Kingdom to pay a heavy sum of money, and pay a certain amount of property every year. Weaken their vitality and make them eternal ministers."

Emperor Changtai nodded and said: "In the end, you know me. I didn't think of this before, and I used to forgive such foreigners on my own, but when I faced it in person, I suddenly remembered that when Wei Ruolan was fourteen or five years old When I talked about the previous dynasty, I jokingly said that I treated the defeated country well, but I clearly told them to use the rewards of this dynasty to restore their vitality and then invade again, which is really unwise."

The queen recalled in a trance that this happened. At that time, she also agreed with Wei Ruolan's statement in front of Emperor Changtai. She felt that it was novel and reasonable, and she couldn't help saying: "This child is really dedicated to His Majesty, and his thinking is different from ordinary people. Sour, self-sufficient, no half benefit, just like what His Majesty said just now, those civil servants want to maintain a decent reputation, I suggest that His Majesty reward you heavily, maybe those small countries that have been defeated will get riches after a few compliments and go back and say that we are fools. !"

"That is to say, if I really rewarded countless property and envoys to bring back and send the princess to marry, they will definitely say that I am a fool when they go back! 5000 taels of gold brought back more property and princesses, as well as a large amount of dowry, how cost-effective, It's a lot of money." When Emperor Changtai said he was angry, he slapped the table with his palm, not wanting to use too much force, so he withdrew his hand in pain.

The queen raised his hand, and seeing that the palm was red, she blew lightly on it, and complained: "Your Majesty will get angry when you are angry, why bother to get angry with your own hand? How hard is my red sandalwood case."

Emperor Changtai stared at the big case, and said: "Unfortunately, if I chop up ordinary wood for firewood, red sandalwood is rare, so let's keep it!"

The queen found a box of ointment, took a hairpin and wiped it on Emperor Changtai's palm, and said with a smile, "I, the master of the red sandalwood case, can only make amends for him."

Emperor Changtai only felt the coolness in his palm, and the pain subsided suddenly. When he asked what medicine it was, the queen said: "Where is the good thing? It's the balm formula found in Lin girl's ancestor's prescription, which is better than using my prescription. I have only used this balm for the past few years. Occasionally, when I was standing in the window and admiring the flowers and trees outside, my forehead touched the window rail and a spot was green. Fortunately, I applied this balm and it didn’t hurt much. Take it Looking at the prescription, it turns out that it has the effect of removing blood stasis and relieving pain."

Emperor Changtai raised his palm to smell it, and there was indeed a fragrance, which was no different from what he smelled on the empress on weekdays. He couldn't help laughing and said: "It's true that you two know how to make these things, and you are more particular than before. gone."

The queen said: "If we are free, if we don't find something to do, wouldn't it be boring?"

Emperor Changtai smiled and said: "As you like, whatever you do is a good thing anyway. Wei Ruolan wrote an excerpt a while ago, and I forgot to tell you. Going to school, I want to use my name to set up a private school in each Zhuangzi, and invite one or two gentlemen to teach folk children to read and write, so as not to be deceived by others."

As he spoke, he told the queen the whole story of Wei Ruolan and his wife's intentions, and finally said: "I also do this everywhere in my Huangzhuang, what do you think? It doesn't cost a lot of money anyway, but it will enlighten the foolish people." , be sensible and law-abiding.”

The queen clapped her palms and said with a smile: "These two have always been careful and merciful, and they really did this. Although government schools have been set up in various places, how many of them can enter? It's better to set up such unruly private schools. People who are rich or poor can learn some characters. The most appropriate season is winter storage, without delaying farming work. Just allocate such a sum of money from Huangzhuang's annual income, at most a few dozen a year. Two is enough."

Emperor Changtai said: "That's what I mean too. We can't gain fame in vain but do nothing. I have already approved Wei Ruolan's paper. They are like this in their own village, and we are like this in Huangzhuang. As for whether other people follow suit, that is their business. Unfortunately, I don’t know how long it will take for private schools like this to be established everywhere in the world to educate all people.”

The queen comforted her and said, "It's better now than in previous years. Everything can't be done overnight, let's take it slowly. As long as it gets better every year, it's a good thing."

Emperor Changtai smiled, and suddenly asked: "I heard that Miss Lin lives in the Zhuangzi next to Daying in Ping'an Prefecture?"

The queen said: "Miss Lin wrote to say that the village is clean and cool in summer, so she doesn't want to move into the city after staying here, and she also finds it bothersome in the city. Has Wei Ruolan gone to the coast for some time? How about it?"

The queen somewhat understood the couple's thoughts, and did not socialize with others, which made Emperor Changtai feel more at ease.Wei Ruolan became a Jiedu envoy at a young age, in charge of the local military and finances, and if Dai Yuruo was good at running around, she seemed to form a clique, so she must be called Changtai Emperor Jiji, really two extremely clever children.

Emperor Changtai said: "I have lived up to my heart, Wei Ruolan has wiped out the Japanese pirates' chaos along the coast."

Japanese pirates mostly haunt two places in southern Fujian, Guangdong and Hai. Although there are a few pirates in the place where Wei Ruolan went, it is easier to take care of than these two places. The reason why Wei Ruolan stays there is that the local troops are really not strong. Incompetent, the city was almost breached, and a few living people were ruined. Wei Ruolan had to stay for two or three months to train, killing the Japanese pirates, and rearranging the local military. Even the Double Ninth Festival was missed.

Daiyu is considerate and has no complaints. Instead, she tells Wei Ruolan one by one the new news in the capital, and inevitably mentions the dispute between the defeat of the Java State and the long Taidi and Suanfu.

"Your Majesty is right, that's how it should be. Let's see if those small barbarian countries dare to invade in the future. Those sour and rotten people are more and more concerned about the style of a gentleman, and no one is despised." Wei Ruolan said while picking up a bowl to eat thing.After a few months away, he didn't eat well or sleep well, he lost a lot of weight, and because of the coastal wind and sun, his fair complexion was no longer fair, Daiyu felt distressed, and hurriedly asked someone to make something to make up for him.

Daiyu agreed: "Your Majesty is the demeanor, those sour and rotten things are just for fame! What makes me most happy is that Your Majesty refuses the marriage proposal of the Java State. You said, the three sisters in the manuscript marry far away, could it be the Java State? "

Wei Ruolan finished eating the tonic, and said: "Probably, did you hear that Prince Nan'an was defeated and captured?"

Daiyu muttered, and said: "The prince of Nan'an is really incompetent. How many good things His Majesty has equipped there, he can make the Java country captive. If there is no deputy Tan's bravery, I am afraid that we will be at the disadvantage."

If it is true that the dynasty is defeated, that would be a joke. Not only did it fail the all kinds of sharp weapons that Emperor Changtai spent manpower and money to make, but even if Emperor Changtai refused to negotiate peace with the marriage of women, those sons and daughters in the court would be sour. At the meeting, Emperor Taidi was admonished to act in this way, sending his daughter to marry him, and ceding the land to pay compensation, which made the atmosphere of peace.

Thinking of this, Daiyu recited Buddha's name again and again, and said: "Amitabha, fortunately, His Majesty wanted to take back the military power of Nan'an Palace secretly, so he put his confidant in the army early, so he won this battle."

Wei Ruolan deeply thinks so, not only in Xihai Yanzi, but also in other places.

Emperor Changtai had a kind heart, even though he knew that it would be easier for him to take back his military power if the princes of Nan'an were defeated, he couldn't bear to lose their lives. If they were defeated, many soldiers' lives would be sacrificed and the local people would be affected.Therefore, Emperor Changtai allocated a lot of sharp weapons, just because he didn't want Prince Nan'an and others to lose the battle, and promoted his trustworthy and capable generals everywhere.

The husband and wife were finally reunited, Emperor Zhichangtai had his own idea, and he didn't care about anything except reading the residence newspaper and news. He heard that the private school here had been built, so he put all his energy on it.

The local people are naturally grateful. At that time, they had finished their farming work, prepared their own sand basins and bamboo pens, and sent their children to school.

In the blink of an eye, when the rent was delivered elsewhere, although the local people did not need to pay the rent, they sent countless dried vegetables and wild game to Wei Ruolan and Daiyu. throughout.

When the queen received Daiyu's filial piety, it happened that new news came from Xihai Yanzi.