On the evening of the second day, the Yang family in Tianbo Mansion.
The ladies had just finished their meal, drank tea and chatted for a while, and were about to disperse in twos and threes when a family of men ran in with joyful faces and said:
"Old lady, the eighth lady's letter has arrived."
When the female generals heard this, they sat back down and laughed:
"Old lady, look, what did Eighth Sister say? When will she return to Beijing?"
The old lady took the letter, opened the envelope, and complained helplessly:
"This girl writes back every few days. It's just about where she went to play, what fun things she saw, and what was there to read?"
"I don't know whether the couple went to Huaidong for business or pleasure. They came and went in time to catch up with military reports. They really don't know how to save..."
Although there were official posts and merchants carrying personal letters in these years, the movement was slow. Letters from Sister Yang were usually delivered by hand, and the cost was still very high.
Such behavior made Taijun She, who had always been frugal, a little uncomfortable with it.
Sanniang of the Yang family smiled sourly and said:
"Who told the Eighth Sister to marry well? The Cao family is as rich as any other country, much richer than ours. I don't know where that kid Cao Bin got so many crooked talents."
Taijun She ignored her. After opening the letter, she slowly began to read it. When she saw that the eighth sister was pregnant, a smile suddenly broke out on her face:
"Okay, okay, this girl has lived up to my plan."
The female generals were also very surprised, but the aunt was a little worried and asked hurriedly:
"Old lady, what did Juncai say? You have no regrets about adopting the child to the Yang family, right?"
In this era, people attach great importance to their heirs. The Zhongjing Marquis Mansion does not have a male son yet. If Pang Yanyan, who was pregnant first, does not give birth to a son, there is no guarantee that Cao Bin will not cheat.
When Taijun She heard this, her heart tightened, and she quickly looked down, her eyebrows suddenly bloomed, and she smiled with satisfaction:
"He didn't regret it. He even asked me to prepare a name for my grandson."
Sanniang smiled and said:
"That kid Cao Bin still has some conscience."
Taijun She rolled her eyes:
"Much more conscientious than you..."
Sanniang smiled and said to everyone:
"You see, the old lady only loves her precious son-in-law now. She won't be happy if I just say a word to her. We have all become outsiders."
The old lady smiled and then asked:
"You all tell me, what would be a good name for the child?"
While the female generals were discussing with great interest, Menzi suddenly reported:
"Old lady, Masters Kou and Bao would like to see you."
The old lady was stunned for a moment, her smile immediately disappeared, and she sighed:
"Please, two adults, come in."
Before Cao Bin left the capital, Bao Zheng expressed his concerns to her and hoped that the female general of the Yang family would use her military prestige to help stabilize the situation in the capital, but she was perfunctory.
Nowadays, the two groups of people in the court, King Pan, are like fire and water, and drastic changes are about to happen. Taijun She can probably guess what they are doing.
Sure enough, after Kou Zhun hurried in, he said urgently with a livid face:
"Pan Renmei actually led the troops to arrest Prime Minister Wang and several other important ministers without any consultation from the court. This was clearly an attempt to control the court and usurp power."
"Old lady, the matter is urgent. Only you can turn the tide now."
Taijun She shook her head repeatedly and said:
"Why did Mr. Kou say this? If Pan Renmei dares to act like this, it must be because of the Queen Mother's will. What can I do? It is a crime of treason to launch an army without permission."
Seeing that she didn't take it seriously, Kou Zhun stamped his feet anxiously:
"Old lady, you are confused. Wushe Renyuan drafted and signed it. How can the Queen Mother's private decree be counted?"
"Kuang Pan and his daughter arrested important officials for no reason, with the intention of excluding dissidents. If they succeeded, wouldn't the Song Dynasty be in danger?"
"From ancient times to the present, how many relatives and powerful officials have subverted the country and usurped the country. How could the old lady not understand this?"
Bao Zheng had been pondering for a long time, and then added:
"In Bao's opinion, the old lady does not need to lead troops into the court. This is illegal. She can only submit a letter requesting an order to train troops to express her attitude."
"I think this can intimidate Pan Renmei and others, so that they will not act recklessly without any scruples."
Having said this, he couldn't help but sigh:
"After that, Bao Zheng spoke out since he became the leader and tried his best to defend the king's innocence."
He knew that his idea was a bit idealistic, but his character did not allow him to break the law, compete with Pan Renmei, and add chaos to the situation.
Kou Zhun didn't expect Bao Zheng's ideas to be so conservative, nor did he think his ideas would have any effect. He already regretted bringing him over.
But the most important thing now is to persuade Taijun She to come forward first. When it comes to specific actions, you can plan and guide her separately:
"Old lady, Kou knows that you have a lot of grievances against Wang Xiang, but this time it is to protect the Song Dynasty."
"The late emperor was kind and never treated the Yang family poorly. You don't want to see the Song Dynasty usurped by Pan Renmei..."
Seeing Taijun She's hesitation, Kou Zhun was about to continue his efforts and intensify his persuasion, but Mu Guiying suddenly interrupted:
"Old lady, the late emperor entrusted the important affairs of the military and state to three important ministers. Even if Prime Minister Wang is not here, there is still Marquis Zhongjing."
"My Yang family is not worthy of military honors, and my position is low and insignificant. How can we usurp our position and meddle in government affairs without authorization?"
Cao Bin has always been cunning and valued intelligence. She did not believe that Cao Bin did not know the situation in Beijing. Since the other party had not made arrangements for the Yang family, he must have other plans and would not let the Yang family suffer.
She still believed in Cao Bin on this point.
Moreover, Kou Zhun mentioned that the late emperor treated her well, which made her a little unhappy. If the late emperor had truly treated the Yang family well, they would not be ups and downs and would be beaten and suppressed from time to time.
Compared with the Yang family, the late emperor treated the Pan family more favorably, otherwise Pan Renmei would not have the ability to control Shanxi remotely, which would lead to Zongbao's accident.
Hearing Mu Guiying's words, Taijun She also realized that no matter how unfair the reason for the arrest was, it was still the Empress Dowager of the Song Dynasty who held a righteous position.
What's more, the Yang family is now taking care of Cao Bin, and he is not involved. What reason does the Yang family have to stand up for Wang Yanling and others? So he shook his head and said:
"No need to say it, Master Kou. I don't know anything about court strife. I only know how to serve the country and be loyal."
"Without an express decree from the imperial court, I would not dare to do anything on my own."
Kou Zhun was about to persuade Taijun She, but he was rejected by Mu Guiying, and he became a little anxious:
"Huntian Hou and Zhongjing Hou are far away in Huaidong, beyond the reach of the whip. By the time he returns to Beijing, it may be too late."
"His power is weak, how can he resist the Pan family and his daughter on his own? This is also not good for the Yang family."
At this time, he already regretted sitting back and watching Wang Yanling and others transfer Cao Bin out of Bianjing and destroy the late emperor's checks and balances.
He was even more worried that after Wang Yanling fell, Cao Bin, an unscrupulous man, would seek refuge with Pan and his daughter because of their power, and help them do evil.
After all, this guy is not an upright person. Although he is talented, his bottom line is a mess.
Mu Guiying is not so easy to convince:
"There is really nothing I can do in Tianbo Mansion. If Lord Kou has a plan, why not go to General Di Qing to discuss it?"
"He is the deputy commander of the Imperial Palace Department and is in charge of the Forbidden Army in the capital..."
Hearing this, Kou Zhun was quite helpless. He had already approached Di Qing, but he had no official order from the court and had no friendship with Di Qing, so the other party ignored him.
Thinking of this, Kou Zhun said in despair:
"The Song Dynasty is afraid that it will be in chaos as soon as possible."
After sending Kou Zhun and Bao Zheng away, Taijun She sighed worriedly:
"The country is in turmoil, and we can't do anything about it. How difficult it is!"
Mu Guiying supported her and comforted her:
"Old lady, don't worry too much. After all, we are not in charge of the court and we don't know the plans. We should trust Cao Bin at this time."
Taijun She nodded:
"Tomorrow is the imperial court. Let's see what Pan and his daughter plan to do."
On the second day of the court meeting, there were many vacant seats in front of the main hall. Pan Renmei, with a high-spirited look on her face, actually crossed the political hall to escort the court attendants herself. Queen Mother Pan also had awe-inspiring eyes, wanting to increase her prestige.
Taijun She sighed secretly, and was quite worried when she saw Empress Dowager Pan criticizing Wang Yanling for monopolizing power and enfeoffing close ministers.
During this period, although Bao Zheng and others spoke out and remonstrated, they were punished by the imperial censor as a criminal. They were deprived of the chance to speak and could no longer shake the Queen Mother Pan.
Just as Queen Mother Pan was immersed in the joy of having great power, Wang Yanling suddenly burst into the hall holding an imperial edict and shouted in a loud voice:
"The late emperor decreed that if Queen Mother Pan and her father unreasonably belittle important ministers and engage in internal warfare, it would be suspected of usurpation, so Wang Yanling asked the Queen Mother to supervise the country."
Upon hearing this, Queen Mother Pan's face changed greatly, and she scolded angrily in a sweet voice:
"Wang Yanling, you are so brave. Not only did you escape from prison privately, you actually dared to forge the late emperor's decree. Take him down quickly."
At this moment, Empress Dowager Liu walked into the hall wearing a phoenix crown and harem, glanced at Empress Dowager Pan and said:
"The Ai family can testify that the decree given by Mr. Wang is true..."
