Yu Shilan, the wife of the Prime Minister, heard what her husband Zhao Gang said when he returned home late at night, and she realized that her original plan to secretly join forces with her brother, Master Sanjie, to rescue Mei Xiaomu was abandoned halfway. However, she felt extremely fortunate that her plan to rescue Mei Xiaomu was fortunately successful. Failure, otherwise Chen Guo may really have no hope this time!
"Prime Minister, do you think this kid Xiao Dai is really as amazing as the people of Qin say?" The stupid image of Mei Xiaomu imprinted in Yu Shilan's heart made Yu Shilan unable to match the glorious image of Chen Xiaomu in Zhao Gang's mouth tonight.
"Madam, don't think about how smart the Qin people are. They have annexed several countries in the past few years. It can be said that no one in the country is not afraid of them. If Xiaomu does not pose a threat to them, think about it. Can they take the initiative to propose marriage to the princess and bring her to our small country?"
Yu Shilan thought for a while, nodded and said: "Master Xiang, if Xiaodai returns to the country to unite the army and defeat the armies of Wu and Zhou, can our Sheng'er also be rescued?"
"That's natural," Zhao Gang stroked his beard, looked at the moon hanging in the sky outside the window, and sighed slightly: "Po Sheng'er's whereabouts have been unknown since Jiangling City. Some people said that they saw him captured alive by the Wu and Zhou coalition forces. I don't really believe this. As the saying goes, a son is better than his father. With his son's character, he would rather die in battle than be captured alive!
After listening to Zhao Gang's words, Yu Shilan couldn't help but cry secretly. Two of her three sons died in the war, and now the whereabouts of this one are unknown. Her daughter-in-law, Yu, has been pregnant for nearly ten months. Although she forced a smile in front of the two old people, she did not mention this. However, Zhao Gang and Yu Shilan also saw the sadness behind their daughter-in-law's smile. Yu Shilan even saw her hiding in the room secretly crying several times. Their daughter Zhao Yiqiu tried to disguise herself as a man and go to the front line to find her brother several times, but Yu Shilan discovered all of them. , sent someone to intercept it and bring it back.
''Dad, mother, I want to go to Yecheng to find brother Xiaodai and come back with him to rescue the third brother! "Zhao Yiqiu quietly walked into Zhao Gang and Yu Shilan's room at some point.
"Qiu'er, it's more than a thousand miles from Luocheng to Yecheng. How can a daughter of yours travel so far? Besides, the emperor has sent Feng Baobao, the chief eunuch of the palace, to bring back Xiaomu with his imperial edict and gold medal. This kid, you don’t have to join in the fun." After hearing what his daughter Zhao Yiqiu said, Zhao Gang immediately stopped him.
"Dad, I'm afraid that Mr. Feng won't be able to recruit his little brother back this time. Think about it, when he was replaced by the emperor as the sixth prince to marry Princess Zheng, according to the situation of Zheng at that time, it was clear that he wanted to marry Princess Zheng. If he goes to be the scapegoat of the Sixth Prince, I'm afraid that he will be resentful and unwilling to return to the Chen Kingdom. Besides, he still has the current Princess Zheng by his side, and the war there is not over yet. Even if he wants to come back, I'm afraid that he will I can’t help myself!”
After listening to Zhao Yiqiu's explanation, Zhao Gang felt that it was not unreasonable, and he suddenly began to be undecided.
"Qiu'er, your eldest and second brothers are gone, and now your third brother's life and death are uncertain. If something unexpected happens again when you leave, who can we rely on in the future?" Yu Shilan said sadly.
Zhao Yiqiu walked gently to Yu Shilan, stretched out her arms to hug Yu Shilan, "Mother, just because the eldest brother and the second brother are gone, I must find the third brother back, but now our Chen army is being invaded by Wu and Zhou. The coalition forces are retreating steadily, and even the capital city of Luo City is in danger. If I don't get my little brother back, I'm afraid the country will be ruined and the family will be destroyed. I won't even be able to save the child in my sister-in-law's belly. Now, Brother Xiaodai is the only hope for our country and our little family!"
''Okay, Yi'er, go ahead. I'll ask Wang Baozhong to take someone to escort you. After seeing the child Xiaomu, let him come back to save Chen Guo in danger no matter what, no matter how the emperor and Chen Guo have sorry for him before, But after all, his mother is still in Chen country! "Zhao Gang thought about it again and again, and finally made up his mind to let his daughter Zhao Yiqiu go to Yecheng, Chu State, to look for Chen Xiaomu.
As soon as he left, Zhao Yiqiu was so anxious that he didn't want to delay even for a moment. Zhao Gang called Wang Baozhong and asked him to choose a few skilled guards of the prime minister's house to escort his daughter Zhao Yiqiu to Yecheng in Chu State to retrieve Chen Xiaomu. Before leaving, The three of them came to the backyard of the Prime Minister's Mansion to meet Mei Yunniang. At this moment, Mei Yunniang didn't know what was happening outside about her son Chen Xiaomu. She was still sitting on the bed in a daze in front of an oil lamp in the dead of night. The maid who was serving her stood there. Stay with her quietly.
When she heard the door, she turned around and saw Yu Shilan walking in with Zhao Gang and Zhao Yiqiu. She hurriedly got up from the bed and got ready to put on her shoes. Yu Shilan immediately took a few steps and pressed her on the bed, saying softly: "Yun Niang, it's cold down there." , you just sit on the bunk, the prime minister and I have some important words to come over and talk to you."
However, Mei Yunniang insisted on going down to the lower bunk to meet Zhao Gang. She had known that Zhao Gang was the prime minister below one person and above ten thousand people in this country. She had been living under someone else's roof for many years, but Zhao Gang had never said a word to her. From the bottom of her heart, she had always regarded Zhao Gang and his wife as her parents. In desperation, Zhao Gang stepped to the center of the room, bowed to Mei Yunniang, and said: "I pay homage to the emperor." The royal concubine!”
Mei Yunniang was shocked when she heard this, and said hurriedly: "Prime Minister, a civilian girl is just a commoner woman, and she dare not bear the title of Prime Minister. It would be terrible if the emperor knew about it!"
Yu Shilan hugged Mei Yunniang tightly, looked at the few white hairs on Mei Yunniang's temples, and said emotionally, "Yunniang, nearly twenty years have passed, and now I finally look forward to the day when you will come forward!"
"The first day?" Mei Yunniang looked at Yu Shilan in surprise.
So Zhao Gang told Mei Yunniang in detail about today's Qin coming to propose marriage to the princess, and also named Chen Ruchang the imperial concubine. He would personally come to pick her back to the palace tomorrow morning, and ask her and Queen Zhou at noon. An An accompanied him to the banquet to welcome the Qin Proposal Envoy and told Mei Yunniang.
Mei Yunniang listened silently, not as ecstatic as Zhao Gang expected, as if she knew that this day would come sooner or later. Even though tears kept overflowing from her eyes and flowing quietly on her cheeks, Mei Yun When my mother first arrived at the Prime Minister's Mansion, she barely knew a word, and she was also ignorant of some etiquette in dealing with others. However, during the more than ten years of living in the Prime Minister's Mansion, she was trained by Yu Shilan. Although she cannot be said to be proficient in all kinds of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, At least she can be regarded as a well-informed lady!
"So my Mu'er didn't become a monk?" Mei Yunniang asked in a murmur.
"Of course I didn't become a monk. I don't know how my brother did it. He lost Mu'er and didn't come to report it! As a result, Yun Niang and I always thought that Mu'er was a monk in his temple. ." Yu Shilan complained about her brother Master Sanjie.
"Hey, madam, Yun Niang, I feel that not only can we not blame Master Sanjie, but we should also thank him. If he hadn't lost Mu'er, how would we have known that Mu'er was like this and a genius in the world? What?" Zhao Gang said with a half-joking, half-serious smile.
Yu Shilan rolled her eyes at Zhao Gang and feigned anger: "You used Mu'er to replace the sixth prince to marry Princess Zheng. Now the princess of Qin has come to propose marriage to Mu'er. What should you guys do?"
It's okay that Yu Shilan didn't mention it. Zhao Gang felt a headache when he mentioned this matter. He didn't know that the monarch of Qin State seemed to have taken the wrong medicine. He knew that Chen Xiaomuji was married to the princess of Zheng State, but he still came to Chen State. Proposing a marriage proposal for the princess and Chen Xiaomu is obviously bullying others. Before returning to the prime minister's house tonight, Chen Ruchang also discussed this matter with several of them in the imperial study. The final result of the discussion was that if the Qin State pressed too hard, it would not be possible. We can only try our best to let Chen Guo bear the infamy and find a way to reconcile Chen Xiaomu and Princess Qingfeng of Zheng State, because at this time, Chen Guo and Zheng Guo together cannot afford to offend Qin State.
At this time, Zhao Yiqiu came over, wished Mei Yunniang a long blessing, and said: "Aunt Mei, I will soon go to Yecheng of Chu State with Brother Baozhong overnight to meet Brother Xiaodai. Can you please write a letter to Aunt Mei? Give Brother Xiaodai and ask him to follow me back to the Chen Kingdom to save all the people of the Chen Kingdom from the fire and water!"
Mei Yunmei said angrily: "Why are you kid so polite to Aunt Mei tonight? Even if Aunt Mei doesn't write this letter, if Mu'er dares to deny you, wait until he comes back and see if I break his legs!"
Then Mei Yunniang sighed again: "Master, Madam, to tell you the truth, when I saw these two children playing and having fun together, I thought how great it would be if these two children could get married in the future, but at that time I saw that Qiu'er was so beautiful and smart, but Mu'er was as dull as a piece of wood, and the emperor didn't give us two any status. I felt that Mu'er was not worthy of Qiu'er, so I kept these words in my heart and didn't dare to speak out!"
Zhao Gang and Yu Shilan were stunned. They didn't expect Mei Yunniang to still have such thoughts. Indeed, they had never even thought about it. Zhao Gang and Yu Shilan's inner plan was to return the country to normalcy in the future. At that time, a Jinshi scholar with excellent talent and appearance would be selected from among the Gongsheng students who came to take the exam. No matter if he was the top scorer or the second best, then Zhao Yiqiu would be betrothed to this son-in-law who was riding a dragon!
As soon as Mei Yunniang finished speaking, two red clouds flew up to Zhao Yiqiu's cheeks. She lowered her eyebrows and whispered shyly, "Aunt Mei, no matter what happens to my little brother Xiaodai in the future, I will always be by your side."
Mei Yunniang smiled and nodded, "That's good. No matter which princess is around Mu'er in the future, Aunt Mei's favorite is Qiu'er." After saying that, she turned around and asked the maid standing next to her to bring paper and pen. Wrote a letter to Chen Xiaomu. In the letter, in addition to saying that Chen Ruchang had given the two of them their names, he also asked him to come back as soon as possible to help his father solve his problems. He also specifically told Chen Xiaomu to treat Zhao Yiqiu well when he came to find him. , a discerning person can see the hidden meaning in Mei Yunniang’s letter at a glance.
Several people had just seen off Zhao Yiqiu in front of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and before they returned to their respective rooms, the deacon and eunuch's shrill screams came from in front of the Prime Minister's Mansion, "The Emperor has arrived, please come out to greet him, Sir!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Gang quickly asked someone to open the middle door of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and took Yu Shilan and Mei Yunniang to welcome him out. Chen Ruchang got off the sedan early and waited at the door. When he saw the three people who were coming out of the door, they were about to kneel down and worship him, so he quickly waved his hands. He said pleasantly: "It's cold on the ground, so let's skip those common etiquette!"
After Chen Ruchang finished speaking, he walked up to Mei Yunniang, gently took her hand, and said in a choked voice: "Yunniang, you have worked hard for so many years, and you have given me a good son. I have been so slow to treat you two, but now we are facing a national crisis! I just thought of you, and I feel really guilty!"
After hearing Chen Ruchang's words, Mei Yunniang burst into tears and cried, "The emperor is only worried about national affairs. How could He De, a little girl, let the emperor be distracted by the affairs of the little girl's children!"
Chen Ruchang trembled all over. He heard that there seemed to be a sense of resentment towards him in Mei Yunniang's words. Chen Ruchang put his arms around Mei Yunniang's shaky shoulders and said softly: "Yunniang, from now on I will stay with you day and night and never leave you. Now I have prepared the Yongchun Palace for you in the palace. Now, will you follow me back to the palace?"
Mei Yunniang nodded gently in Chen Ruchang's arms and said, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister and his wife have been so kind to our mother and son over the years. I want to thank them before leaving!"
Zhao Gang was startled when he heard this, and hurriedly stopped him and said: "Your Majesty, your concubine, these are all things you should do as a minister, why should you say thank you?"
Chen Ruchang smiled and said: "My dear concubine, there is no need to thank the Chief Minister and his wife. This favor should be repaid by me. After all, they are also entrusted by you. They are loyal to you. Now I pardon and make Prime Minister Zhao Gang the patron of Chen Guo." King, I am pardoning and conferring the title of First-grade Lady of Haoming to the Prime Minister’s wife Yu Shilan and Chen Guo. I accept this. I will have someone deliver the imperial edict of pardon and conferment to her after I return to the palace.”
Zhao Gang and Yu Shilan were both stunned. After being reminded by the deacon and eunuch, they both hurriedly knelt down and thanked them. They must know that since the founding of the Chen Kingdom, except for the emperor's brothers, ministers with foreign surnames have never been crowned kings, no matter how great their merits are. At most, they can only grant the title of Marquis, and reward them with the title of Marquis of 100 households or 1,000 households. Because Chen State is a small country, it has never been granted the title of Marquis of 10,000 households. Basically, the title of Marquis of 1,000 households has reached its peak. Now I can grant myself the title all at once. Obtaining a hereditary throne was not only beyond Zhao Gang's expectation, but also beyond the expectations of everyone present.
Outside the city of Ye, the capital of Chu, a loud arrow suddenly flew out from the city wall at noon today, which had been quiet for four or five days. Due to lack of back force, it struck with a "pop" sound far away from Zheng Jun's camp. On the grass, perhaps because Zheng Jun's attention was not attracted, more than ten loud arrows flew out one after another from the top of the city. This finally attracted the attention of Zheng Jun's lookout sentry, who hurriedly reported the situation to Chen Xiaomu.
Chen Xiaomu walked out of the tent, put his hands on the city and observed it for a long time. At this time, more than ten loud arrows flew out of the city. The sound arrows were blown by the wind in the air, whining, snapping, snapping, and then inserted into the originally shot arrows. Around him, Chen Xiaomu turned to the sentry standing next to him and said, "Hold your shield and pick up a few of the noisy arrows stuck in the ground and give them to me."
