It was cold in spring, and a heavy snow fell at the end of the year. The entire Lin'an Palace was covered with white snow. In addition to the lush pines and cypresses, large plum blossoms were in full bloom throughout the garden, and the fragrance was lingering, making it a special place.
In the Linghan Pavilion, the maids stayed far away from each other in the corridor, the wine pot on the stove was steaming, and Li Weiming, the wise concubine of the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, was quietly alone, looking at the dazzling plum trees.
Because the emperor was away at war, the palace was deserted and New Year's Day was not spent well. As the New Year's Eve approaches, there is still no news about the war in the northwest. Everyone in the palace was anxious and wanted to know what the situation was like.
For some unknown reason, Li Weiming felt that he didn't seem to care about this. Compared to Princess Yi, Zhou Xiuniang, Cuizhu and others who often prayed for blessings and asked for fortune-telling, she looked sad all day long. She would only think of the war in the northwest occasionally. As for the emperor, he seemed dispensable.
Even from the bottom of her heart, she hates war. Wasn't her homeland, Daxia, trampled by Tatar cavalry and crossbows?
She is a calm person by nature and likes to be alone, reading and writing quietly. She even felt that having two children in three years was a bit boring to her. This also made her subconsciously avoid sleeping with Zhao Hong.
Anyway, the emperor's harem was full of women. Jia Sijin is soft and charming, Cuizhu is slender, and Zhou Xiuniang is plump. They are all beauties. They look after their husbands and raise their children without any complaints.
Speaking of which, Yang Yi is still the same cool and cheerful person. The child was left to Princess Yi, and she often traveled out of the palace, poetry and wine while enjoying her youth, free and unrestrained.
Although she and Zhao Hong have two children, she and Zhao Hong always spend less time together and more time apart. As the halo fades, life becomes dull, and those memories deep in the heart are resurfaced.
Spring fills the old mountains and rivers. In my motherland, the Yellow River is still frozen, and the willow branches have no buds yet.
Suddenly, shouts rang out, surprising Li Weiming in the pavilion and the maids outside the pavilion.
He raised his head and looked around, and saw hurried figures of palace maids and eunuchs all over the back garden, heading towards the Kunning Palace.
"what's going on?"
Li Weiming frowned and called out to a palace maid who was passing by the path.
"Go back to Concubine Xian, I don't know. It's just that Concubine Yi and Concubine De asked everyone to go. They said there was a happy event!"
"happy event?"
Isn't it the military situation of the Great Northwest Victory?
While Li Weiming was suspicious, a eunuch came over in a hurry, his face full of joy, and saluted Li Weiming.
"Concubine Xian, the Queen Mother and the concubines called empress by Princess Yi all went to Cining Palace to celebrate together."
"What are you celebrating?"
"Reporting to the Concubine Xian, Your Majesty led the King's Army of the Song Dynasty to defeat the Tatar army in Hanzhong, killing tens of thousands. Now the King's Army has occupied Shaanxi!"
The eunuch's face could not conceal the ecstasy.
"So that's it."
Li Weiming nodded slightly, without changing his expression, and said softly:
"Hurry up and get your reward. I'm feeling a little unwell and I'll get over it later."
The eunuch secretly glanced at Li Weiming, then glanced at the wine pot on the stove, and hurriedly excused himself.
Sure enough, the emperor succeeded again!
Li Weiming looked at the maids around him and raised his voice.
"You all go to the front hall to receive your reward. I want to be alone for a while."
The maids left one after another, and Li Weiming sat down at the stone table, picked up the wine bottle on the stove next to him, poured himself a glass, and drank it.
No matter how many battles the Song Dynasty won, what did it have to do with her? Can Daxia in her dream come back?
Unconsciously, a trace of resentment emerged in Li Weiming's heart.
If Zhao Hong really loved her, he would not annex her mother country of Daxia.
The cheers in the front hall continued, reaching Li Weiming's ears, making her upset. She stood up and was about to find a place to escape when several people came along the path, and one of them greeted her from a distance.
"Only the name!"
Li Weiming couldn't help but be startled by the familiar local accent and stopped in his tracks.
"Brother, uncle, why are you here?"
It was his brother Li Sui, King of Xia, and his uncle Li Deren, Duke of Xia who came.
"We also heard that the Song army defeated the Tatar army in Hanzhong, so we rushed over immediately."
Li Deren and Li Sui sat down separately, and Li Sui spoke first.
"I just heard about it too."
Li Weiming said calmly, pouring wine for Li Sui and Li Deren respectively.
"The border troops are rushing six hundred miles away, and the whole Lin'an City is going crazy. Gongs and drums are beating outside, and firecrackers are blasting. Not to mention how lively it is!"
Li Deren drank, but his expression was a little lonely.
"The 70,000 Tatar army was wiped out in ashes, and even Zong Wang Tuo Lei was beheaded by the Song army. It is a happy event no matter how you say it. Let's all respect our grandfather, our father, and the thousands of dead souls of Great Xia who died!"
Several people picked up the wine glasses and drank together, feeling a little sweet and more bitter.
In any case, Daxia is no longer here.
"Weiming, I'm here today to tell you something. I discussed it with my uncle and I plan to immigrate overseas and leave after the New Year."
Li Sui drank another glass of wine.
"Immigrate overseas? Where are you going?"
Li Weiming was startled, his hand shook, and all the wine in the glass spilled out.
"Africa! Take the steamship headed south by the Song Dynasty Navy and leave in a few days."
Li Sui's expression suddenly became lonely.
"Africa? That's thousands of miles away!"
"Yes, it's Africa."
Li Sui nodded and continued:
"To be precise, it's South Africa. I heard that the summer there is a little hotter, and the other four seasons are like spring. I guess the climate is better than that of Xingqing Mansion! There are also some old ministers of Daxia, let's go together."
There seemed to be some self-deprecation in Li Sui's words, and he picked up the wine glass.
"Come on, Wei Ming, just think of this wine as a farewell to eldest brother."
Li Weiming was confused, and he and Li Sui raised their wine glasses, and the three of them drank it down in one gulp.
After several glasses of wine, Li Sui's face turned red and he wanted to drink more, but Li Deren dissuaded him.
"You can't drink enough, so you'd better drink less. This is in the palace."
"Uncle, I know you won't get drunk!"
Li Sui poured himself a glass of wine, picked up the glass, his eyes were red.
"The carved railings and jade structures should still be there, but the beauty has changed. Come, raise a toast to Daxia!"
"Brother!"
Li Weiming felt uncomfortable and wanted to stop him, but Li Sui had already finished the drink in one gulp.
"In the past forty years, my family and country have traveled three thousand miles of mountains and rivers... On the day of leaving the temple in a hurry, the church still played farewell songs and cried to the palace maiden."
Li Deren's eyes filled with tears, he murmured and groaned.
Li Deren and Li Sui said goodbye and left. Li Weiming looked at their backs, his heart full of bitterness and sadness.
She stood up and came to the lake unknowingly. The lake was green and there were still jagged ice fragments on the shore.
If you jump down, will it be over and done with? There will be no homeland or worries anymore?
When Li Weiming was lonely in the Houyuan, the Cining Palace where the Empress Dowager Yang Guizhi of the Song Dynasty lived was now a different kind of lively scene.
The Empress Dowager Yang Guizhi of the Song Dynasty, the emperor's heir mother, Princess Yu of Yi, the concubine Yan Meiren, and the concubine Mrs. Zhong.
There were also the emperor's concubines Zhou Xiuniang, Jieyu Jia Sijin, the beauty Zhang Cuizhu, as well as the young princes and princesses, and all the maids and eunuchs, all of whom looked happy.
Yang Guizhi, the Empress Dowager of the Song Dynasty, is already in her seventies, but she is still rosy-cheeked and energetic.
Although Yang Guizhi is getting older, he has become more kind.
"Queen Mother, old princess, concubine, I, the King of the Song Dynasty, defeated the Tatar army and restored Shaanxi, congratulations!"
Zhou Xiuniang smiled brightly, and together with Jia Sijin and other younger generations, they saluted Yang Guizhi and others.
"Joining the joy! Rejoicing together!"
Yang Guizhi sat on the chair in the middle, smiling and nodding gently.
That self-righteous guy actually succeeded!
"The Queen Mother, the old princess, the concubine, the Jin people are only left in Henan. I, the King of the Song Dynasty, will restore the Central Plains, just around the corner!"
"The Queen Mother, the old princess, the concubine, and the Tatars were all defeated by my army of the Great Song Dynasty King, not to mention the Jin people. I think it won't be long before you can go to Tokyo City to visit!"
Jia Sijin and Cuizhu spoke happily one after another.
"The Queen Mother, the old princess, the dowager, when the time comes, you can take the steamship. It's fast and not bumpy. You can reach Tokyo in a few days, and you won't be tired at all!"
A eunuch intervened obediently.
Yang Guizhi, Yu Shi and others nodded repeatedly and smiled broadly.
They had been on steamships, traveling thousands of miles, but the black smoke was a bit unsightly.
"The whole country celebrates the great victory of the King's division. Everyone present today will be rewarded with 50 guan, and I will spend my own money!"
Yang Guizhi said it with a smile.
"Thank you Queen Mother for the reward!"
Everyone in the palace was delighted and thanked Yang Guizhi together.
"Since the Queen Mother has spoken, I will also add 30 guan, and everyone present will have a share."
Princess Yi, Princess Yu, said with a smile.
"The two of us each add 10 strings to make the icing on the cake 100 strings."
Princess Yan Mei and Princess Zhong then spoke, and the palace was filled with joy.
Yang Guizhi glanced at everyone and suddenly asked:
"Isn't Concubine Li Xian here?"
"Back to the Queen Mother, Concubine Li Xian's brother and uncle are here. It must be because of the news of the great victory in Hanzhong."
"I still have a deep love for my motherland!"
Yang Guizhi nodded slightly and turned to Yang Yi's daughter Zhao Xin, who was also her grandniece.
"Where is Yang Guiyi? Xinxin, where is your mother?"
"Queen Mother, I don't know, my mother hasn't been back for several days."
Zhao Xin whispered, feeling aggrieved and tears streaming down her face.
"Xinxin, don't cry. Be good!"
Zhou Xiuniang comforted Zhao Xin and quickly smoothed things over.
"Queen Mother, sister is just going out to play for a few days to relax. She will be back soon."
Before Zhou Xiuniang finished speaking, Yang Yi's voice sounded outside.
"Auntie, I'm here! Has the news of the victory of the army arrived?"
Everyone stepped aside and Yang Yi came in to greet Yang Guizhi and others. Her pretty face was red and her nose smelled of wine.
"Where have you been? The child doesn't care. Why is your face so red?"
Smelling the smell of alcohol on Yang Yi's body, the joy on Yang Guizhi's face disappeared, and her face immediately sank.
"I just drank a little. Auntie, why did you lose your temper?"
Yang Yi's face turned red and she wanted to pull her daughter next to her, but Zhao Xin moved forward and hid in the arms of Princess Yi, Princess Yu.
"come over!"
Perhaps because he was drunk, Yang Yi's eyes widened and he went over to pull his daughter back.
"Presumptuous! What do you think of you? Why do you drink in broad daylight? Even the children avoid you, do you still act like a mother? How decent are you?"
Yang Guizhi slammed the table and said angrily.
"Queen Mother, calm down. Forget it, forget it!"
Everyone persuaded Yang Guizhi one after another.
"What are you pretending to be? I think you all have no good intentions and want to see my jokes!"
Being humiliated by his aunt in public, Yang Yi couldn't help but turned around and scolded the people around him who were trying to smooth things over.
"You are presumptuous! You still have this in your eyes..."
Yang Guizhi became so angry that he slapped the table and stood up.
"Okay, stop scolding me. I won't be in your way anymore. I'm leaving!"
Yang Yi turned around and left without looking back.
"Yang Yi, you...you..."
Yang Guizhi's energy and blood surged up, and he suddenly felt dizzy. He couldn't stand steadily and fell backward.
"Queen Mother!"
"Go and call the doctor!"
Seeing the unconscious Yang Guizhi, Zhou Xiuniang and others shouted.
The doctors came over and checked the condition, but they all shook their heads.
Yang Guizhi was seventy years old, and he was so angry that he was probably unable to recover.
"This is how to do?"
Zhou Xiuniang and others were dumbfounded.
"This is a state matter, and we can only report it to His Majesty. No matter what, we must let the Emperor come back and see the Queen Mother for the last time!"
Yu had no choice but to make a decision.
The Song Dynasty governed the country with filial piety. The Queen Mother of the Song Dynasty was seriously ill. If the Emperor of the Song Dynasty did not come back to fulfill his filial piety, how could he convince the world?
