Chapter 118 Concubine
The Southern Yan Dynasty valued civil officials over military officials and allowed eunuchs to murder loyal officials. The Southern Yan army had to defend against foreign enemies while also guarding against its own people.
In the third year of Wenhe, Xiling City was attacked from all sides, the general died due to the suspicion of the Emperor of Southern Yan, the three cities of Liling were captured by the enemy, and the Beirong army marched south and fought all the way to the capital.
The court could no longer find anyone who could drive Beirong away.
The only option now is to seek peace.
The Emperor of Southern Yan sent his favorite Princess Ronghua to marry to Northern Rong, and the three cities of Xiling became Princess Ronghua's dowry.
"Father, I don't want to marry a foreign prince. I don't want to go to the Northern Rong." Princess Rong'an begged bitterly. How could this little princess, who had grown up in luxury and pampering, endure the hardship of marrying a foreign prince?
"Ronghua, don't blame father. If Zhang Cheng hadn't been so careless and hadn't fought for so long without driving the Beirong away, we father and daughter wouldn't have to endure the pain of separation."
At this time, the Emperor of Southern Yan did not reflect on himself at all. If he had not appointed eunuchs, listened to one side only, and persecuted loyal officials, Zhang Cheng would not have died, and the Northern Rong would not have reached the capital.
Princess Ronghua was unaware of the twists and turns of court politics and did not want to marry a foreign prince. She only wanted to marry her beloved cousin, who was talented, handsome and romantic, and the dream lover of countless girls. She was a princess with a noble status and had natural advantages. Her father had also long promised to grant her marriage after she reached the age of 15.
Now, the Northern Rong have invaded the capital, and they want her to marry their cousin. Not only will she miss out on being with her cousin, but she will also have to endure the Northern Rong's humiliation. How can she accept this?
"Father, I don't want to go. Just let Sister Rongchang go to marry. She has no one to rely on in the harem. You are also trying to find a good future for her."
The Emperor of Southern Yan had thought about it, but Rongchang was only eight years old. If he sent Rongchang to marry, wouldn't the literati in the court criticize him?
Seeing that the Emperor of Southern Yan was silent, it was obvious that she had a wild idea. "Father, you can let Zhang Cheng's daughter marry me. Anyway, it was her father's incompetence that allowed the Northern Rong people to attack us. If you want to marry, let her go."
There is only one girl left in the Zhang family, Zhang Shan, who is two years older than Princess Ronghua. She is big and strong, and not as gentle and delicate as a young girl. She is also from a military officer's family, so no one has proposed to her, and the process has been delayed until now.
Ever since the Northern Rong soldiers arrived in Kyoto, people had been throwing rotten eggs and vegetable leaves at her house, and Zhang Shan didn't want to go out anymore.
The residence of the great general of the dynasty was a small courtyard with two entrances. There were only two servants in the house: a middle-aged woman who was responsible for taking care of Zhang Shan's food and daily life, and a middle-aged man with a limp who was responsible for shopping and seeing off guests.
When the imperial edict was delivered to Zhang's house, Zhang Shan had just woken up.
"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims: General Zhang Cheng failed to defend against the enemy, resulting in the three cities of Xiling falling into enemy hands. Now the foreign enemy has invaded the capital... Considering his daughter, who is beautiful and intelligent, he shall be made Princess Ronghua a concubine to pacify the northern barbarians and protect Great Yan forever..."
Princess Ronghua did not get her wish in the end. She put on a red wedding dress, sat in a carriage, and cried bitterly. Her most beloved cousin did not come to see her off, and she was afraid that they would never have the chance to meet again in this life.
Zhang Shan was a concubine, and her status was much higher than that of a maid. She had her own independent carriage, but it was filled with Princess Ronghua's "dowry".
Princess Ronghua's wedding was a grand occasion with a ten-mile-long red wedding bridal ceremony, even more grand than the emperor's wedding to the empress. There were carts full of gold and silver, silks and satins, which were a feast for the eyes.
This made Princess Ronghua feel much better. With so much dowry, she could marry in a grand manner and gain both face and wealth.
She sacrificed herself for the country, and the people of Southern Yan would remember her kindness. If one day Southern Yan defeated Northern Rong and welcomed her back, she would still be a high and mighty princess.
But she forgot that she and herself were all spoils of war of the Northern Rong, and it was not a marriage between two families, so how could there be any talk of dowry?
"Where's Zhang Shan? Let her serve this princess."
Thinking of this culprit, Princess Ronghua was so angry that her teeth were itching.
If that old man Zhang Cheng hadn't been useless, she wouldn't have married the Northern Rong. She, a high-and-mighty princess, had to submit to the barbarians who ate raw meat and drank blood. When comparing herself with her cousin Yu Shu Lan Zhi, she wished she could eat Zhang Shan's flesh.
"I will call Concubine Zhang to come and serve the princess."
When the palace maid came to find Zhang Shan, Zhang Shan was outside the carriage, peeling fruit with the dagger she carried with her. With one cut, half of the peach was gone.
"Concubine Zhang, the princess is calling for you."
"No." Zhang Shan refused without even raising her head.
"What did you say?"
The maid thought she had misheard. How could anyone dare to refuse the princess?
"I said I'm not going."
"How dare you! Do you know what you are saying? How dare you disobey the princess's order? Be careful that the princess will punish you for disrespect."
"Princess? We are all the same now. We are all spoils of war of the Northern Rong. No one is more noble than anyone else, even the princess. She is the same as me and you."
Zhang Shan emphasized on the word "you". The little palace maid's eyes flashed. The princess, who was high above her, was in the same situation as her, or even worse off. For some reason, she felt a strange sense of relief in her heart.
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
Not wanting others to see what was in her mind, the young maid angrily shouted.
"Don't worry, we are out of Dayan's territory. The emperor is too far away to reach us. Moreover, he can't control Beirong either. We are all fish on Beirong's chopping board now. All we can do is protect ourselves. You don't want to die here at such a young age, do you?"
The little palace maid fell silent. Anyone who could become Princess Ronghua's personal maid was not a fool, and she understood her current situation. To say that she was the dowry of the princess who was to be married off to a foreign country was, to put it bluntly, a vassal of the spoils of war of the victorious country.
After eating only two bites of the peach, Zhang Shan went back into the carriage. As for Princess Ronghua, Zhang Shan believed that the little palace maid would give a good explanation.
Sure enough, Princess Ronghua did not bother Zhang Shan along the way. Zhang Shan knew that this was the sincerity of the little palace maid, but this sincerity was not enough for Zhang Shan to cooperate with her.
Princess Ronghua was restless all the way. The Beirong generals looked at her with dark eyes, as if they had tortured her to death several times.
After finally arriving in Beirong, the delicate little princess couldn't get used to living in the tent room filled with yellow sand and she even asked to take a bath.
"This princess wants to take a bath, can't you hear me? I came all the way to Beirong to marry, and you treat me like this?"
"I am the king's consort, the Princess Ronghua of the Great Yan Dynasty, of noble status. How dare you treat me so lightly? Be careful or I will punish you!"
But before the princess could be punished, she saw the Beirong soldiers carrying away her "dowry" in boxes.
"What are you doing? This is my dowry. Who allowed you to move it?"
Princess Ronghua, along with her few palace maids and eunuchs, blocked the way of the Beirong soldiers.
It's not like there were no princesses who were married off to foreign countries in the previous dynasty, and they either brought guards or generals as dowries. However, Dayan valued civil officials over military officials, and military officers had no status and were rarely trained, so when Princess Ronghua was married off, she brought only palace maids and eunuchs. In Beirong, a country that respected military power, these weak servants became proof of Dayan's weakness.
"Is this the princess of Dayan? I don't think you're that good." Suddenly a voice came from behind. It was a very tall man with a muscular build and a full beard. Only a pair of eyes as bright as an eagle's could be seen.
Beirong’s aesthetic is not about being fair, young and thin, but about having wheat-colored skin, being strong and robust, and being able to both stabilize the rear and fight in battle.
In this way, even if the man dies, the woman can still support a family and take care of the children.
The status of women in the Northern Rong was not low.
But it is only limited to the Northern Rong people.
"But the other spoils sent by Dayan are still good."
Princess Ronghua's heart bleeds as she watched the boxes of "dowry" being carried away, but when she saw the people coming, she hid behind the palace maids in fear.
Is this the King of Beirong?
very scary!
She was so scared that she just wanted to cry.
The people of Southern Yan like clean, thin, well-educated scholars. This kind of burly man is not on their list of choices at all.
"I heard that Zhang Cheng's woman is here too. Where is she?"
The man looked around and didn't see anyone standing up. He suddenly felt bored. Zhang Cheng was such a big shot, but his daughter was so timid.
Zhang Shan walked out of the tent. She was 1.68 meters tall, with a well-proportioned figure and fair skin. She stood next to Princess Ronghua. She was much older than her, but much thinner than the Beirong woman.
"Zhang Shan has met the Ninth Prince."
The Ninth Prince, the ninth son of the King of Beirong, is thirty years old this year and is a popular candidate to succeed the throne of Beirong.
"What? The Ninth Prince?"
The ninth son of King Beirong is so old now, how old is King Beirong?
She's not going to marry an old man, is she?
Princess Ronghua was in tears.
Not only did she marry a barbarian, but she also married an old man. The psychological gap was huge.
"Are you Zhang Cheng's daughter? This prince admired Zhang Cheng's abilities, but it's a pity that he died too early. This prince is very sad."
"My father also felt regretful for not being able to spar with the prince."
"Hahahaha, you are a very interesting person. It was your Emperor of Dayan who was blind and ruined a good general."
The Ninth Prince's voice was as loud as a bell, deafening, and even Zhang Shan was startled.
When Princess Ronghua heard someone belittling her father, she immediately reacted, "Don't say that about my father. It's obviously Zhang Cheng's fault for not doing his job well, so you barbarians took advantage of the situation..."
Snapped! !
There is no such thing as not beating women in Beirong. The Ninth Prince had a very strong hand and slammed Princess Ronghua to the ground.
"My precious princess, you are not qualified to speak to this prince like this now."
Princess Ronghua only felt her ears ringing and was completely confused. From childhood to adulthood, no one dared to treat her like this.
"Princess, are you okay?"
The little maid stepped forward to help her up, but not only was she not thanked, she was slapped in the face, "How dare you! I am a princess from Dayan, and you are a prince, how dare you hit me? Be careful or I will ask my father to send troops to wipe out the Northern Rong."
Everyone looked at Princess Ronghua as if she were a fool. If the Emperor of Southern Yan had the ability to do so, why would he send the princess over to marry?
At night, Zhang Shan met the King of Beirong, an eagle of Beirong.
"Are you Zhang Cheng's daughter?" He ignored Princess Ronghua who had been holding her head high waiting to be licked, and locked his eyes on Zhang Shan.
Zhang Shan stepped forward and performed a Beirong etiquette. Under the satisfied gaze of the Beirong King, he replied, "Greetings, King Beirong. My father is Zhang Cheng."
"Your father was a very powerful general."
"We have been in a stalemate for more than ten years. If the Emperor of Southern Yan had not decided whether to judge loyalty or treason, we would not have been able to break into Yanjing so quickly. It's a pity to keep such a talent in Southern Yan!"
No one in Southern Yan, from the court to the people, has ever acknowledged Zhang Cheng's contribution. Zhang Cheng spent his entire life fighting for Southern Yan, but it was only the Northern Rong who recognized his achievements after his death, which was ridiculous.
"Your Majesty knows how to use people well. It is indeed a blessing for the Northern Rong generals. Shan also looks forward to it."
Zhang Shan's surrender was within the expectations of the King of Beirong. He had also advised Zhang Cheng that a man like the Emperor of Southern Yan was not worthy of loyalty, but Zhang Cheng did not listen to the advice, and his final fate was obvious to all.
"You are a man of the times."
The whole family was killed, and the only bloodline was forced to be sent to the enemy camp. If it were in another country, he would probably have died without knowing how he died.