Chapter 390 Use offense as defense
Chapter 390 Use offense as defense
This winter, the Western Region delegation entered the city under the attention of the public.
For the people in Beijing, this is clearly a major event worthy of attention in the cold winter. There is already a lack of entertainment activities in winter. For people of this era, outsiders with exotic customs from thousands of miles away are always worthy of attention.
What’s more, among them is a princess returning to her mother’s home?
……
early morning.
Zhao family.
"Wow!"
Zhao Duan stood by the sink in the room, scooped up a handful of warm water and poured it on his face, washing it reluctantly.
"Waking up early in the winter is simply inhumane!"
Complaining in his mind, he looked at his wet face in the mirror and the remaining sleepiness disappeared.
Zhao Duan wiped his hair hastily and put on his coat. Then he looked at the splashes of water on the ground that he accidentally spilled while washing his face. He raised his hand and a small seal was floating in his palm.
Then, the water stains on the ground dried up little by little, evaporated into water vapor, and condensed into water droplets again and mixed into the copper basin for washing face.
"I'm getting more and more proficient at it!"
Zhao Duan stroked the black tortoise seal, looking somewhat excited.
During this period, he secretly took out the Black Turtle Seal to practice whenever he had time, and constantly improved his ability to control this talisman.
Just like a sword, it is not possible to exert its full power right away. Talismans also need to be fine-tuned and mastered, not to mention an ancient magical tool of the level of the Black Turtle Seal.
"I can already control water to a certain extent, and even..."
Zhao Duan pushed open the door, and the cold wind from outside blew in. The charcoal basin on the bedroom floor suddenly became bright, and the temperature in the barely warm house dropped rapidly.
Zhao Duan looked outside and saw that the garden of the house was covered in silver and scattered with snow, not to mention the ice and snow accumulated on the roof and walls.
The sky finally cleared up today, and the sun shone through the clouds, filling the entire yard with a dazzling white glow.
"Snow is also condensed from water. Since the Black Turtle Seal is a creation of the 'Water God', it can also control snow to a certain extent... but it is obviously much more difficult than controlling water. Why?
Is it related to the state of water, or is it because in this world, people have different perceptions of water and snow? So, the water god does not fully master the magic related to snow? "
Zhao Duan fell into deep thought.
After a while.
He shook his head, put away the Black Turtle Seal, and laughed at himself:
"Eat your meal one bite at a time, don't be too greedy."
……
As Zhao Duan walked toward the dining room, the servants in the mansion were sweeping the snow in their cotton-padded coats and saluted him one after another.
In the dining room.
The stepmother was already waiting, but Zhao Pan came in reluctantly, yawning.
The girl was wrapped in a cotton coat and had not dressed up, protesting against the bad practice of getting up early to eat in winter.
"Wang!"
The Pekingese dog that Zhao Pan raised also shivered and ran into the room from the girl's feet, and then Eugene Hua waved a broom and chased it out:
"How dirty is the snow that's been stepped on?"
The Pekingese dog curled up into a ball in grievance, wagging its tail and begging for mercy.
"Next time, just wipe its feet before you enter the door."
Zhao Duan smiled, sat down at the dinner table and casually suggested.
Stepmother Eugene sighed softly and said with some emotion:
"I've heard before that a poor man in winter is not as good as a dog of a rich family. Now I know it's not an exaggeration."
Although Eugene Hua was born into a prominent family in Xipingdao when she was a child, her good days did not last long and she was still an ordinary woman at heart.
Even though the Zhao family had undergone tremendous changes in this year and had become one of the new elites in the capital, the family was still far from developing the mentality of wealthy aristocrats.
Zhao Duan sat in a chair, picked up a bowl of hot soup and took a sip, without commenting too much.
No matter what era it is, this kind of thing always exists objectively.
"Hasn't our family just received a sum of money? Ask Uncle Zhao to buy some charcoal and rice. If anyone in the city is in need, give them some help."
Zhao Duan said.
Half of the dividends from the saltpeter formula went into his pocket, and the other half was given to Jin Jian, who represented the Tianshi Mansion to negotiate business with him.
This left him with some extra money, which he could donate appropriately. In fact, the rich families in the city had the practice of donating alms every winter.
Not to mention the "Charity Hall" in Dongcheng that Zhao Duan has been supporting, this winter not only has there been a lot of snow, but it has also been colder than in previous years.
The prices in the city have risen a lot recently, which has no impact on the Zhao family, but it is really hard for those poor people.
"Yes, I've asked someone to prepare it." Eugene Hua said softly, looking at her stepson with more emotion.
Dalang is really different now.
While eating breakfast, Zhao Duan casually flipped through the imperial court newspaper that was already on the table.
——The Dayu Dynasty already had official bulletins similar to newspapers, which were usually read by officials and major government offices.
It is a bit similar to those newspapers and magazines that government agencies at all levels were required to subscribe to in the previous life.
Zhao Duan glanced over, raised his eyebrows and said:
"Has that holy monk from the Western Region gone to the Shenlong Temple?"
It has been several days since the Western Regions delegation arrived in Beijing.
Zhao Duan has been recuperating at home, so he has rarely appeared in public recently. The empress has consciously reduced his presence, which can be considered a kind of protection.
Zhao Duan was also happy to have some free time. He went to the government office less frequently and did not pay as much attention to news in the city.
The court newspaper recorded that yesterday the leader of the Western Regions delegation, the Red Sect master "Holy Monk", formally paid a visit to the abbot Xuanyin of the Shenlong Temple.
The description in the official report was brief, but it contained a huge amount of information. It mentioned that the "holy monk" issued a challenge to the Shenlong Temple to debate Buddhist scriptures and Buddhism. The Shenlong Temple agreed. The time has not been determined yet, but it will be in the near future.
"Those monks are not good people. It would be better to teach them a lesson and let them fight each other and make a big joke!"
Zhao Pan ate the meat bun and commented seriously.
Zhao Duan joked:
"You haven't had much contact with them, how do you know they are not good things?"
Zhao Pan said as a matter of course:
"What kind of good person can be who wants to harm my brother?"
Zhao Duan’s family members were not aware of the details of the assassination attempt, but they knew that it was done by Master Dajing.
The mother and daughter had very clear attitudes. Eugene Hua burned all the Buddhist items in the house that day.
Still not satisfied, he boldly ran to the Shenlong Temple and asked for the incense money he had donated when he went to burn incense with the noble ladies in the capital...
Zhao Duan was amazed when he learned about it.
However, his attitude as the person involved is much better.
Especially when Bodhisattva Nagarjuna returned, Abbot Xuanyin gave him a severe punishment. After explaining the situation to the empress, he did not vent his anger on others. He just silently wrote down "Great Master" in his small notebook.
……
……
After breakfast, Zhao Duan wore only an ordinary cotton robe and walked to a nearby teahouse.
After listening to the story for a while, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.
Several people went upstairs. Three of the four golden flowers of Lihua Hall came today, and only Zheng Laojiu stayed behind.
Hou Renmeng, Shen Juan and Qian Kerou, three capable subordinates, were not wearing brocade uniforms, nor did they carry weapons. Instead, they were all dressed as servants.
Lao Hou and Lao Shen dressed up as servants to guard the house, while the confidential secretary Qian Kerou dressed up as a maid.
Moreover, their faces have been modified to a certain extent, which is a superficial disguise. If you are not a familiar person, you may not be able to recognize them at first glance.
"grown ups--"
After the three of them went upstairs, their eyes lit up and they all bowed.
Zhao Duan sat at the table, eating sunflower seeds. He spat out the shells and glanced at them.
"What should I call you today?"
Qian Kerou smiled on her rosy round face and said sweetly, "Sir."
Zhao Duan showed a satisfied smile, pointed to the empty chairs, asked a few people to sit down, and then asked:
"What are you investigating?"
Secretary Qian Kerou quickly took out a document and handed it over:
"Sir, this is Princess Wenzhu's movements and whereabouts in the city over the past few days. According to the information we have gathered, she is going to East City to give alms to the people today."
Zhao Duan shook off the melon seed shells in his hand and picked up the document to start looking through it.
Princess Wenzhu!
Another "aunt" of Zhenbao, a woman of the same generation as Princess Yunyang, the deceased old emperor, Prince Jing and others.
To be precise, she should be called "the Grand Princess", but both in the court and among the people, she is accustomed to being referred to as "Princess Wenzhu".
This princess is quite legendary. It is said that because her biological mother had offended the emperor at that time, she was banished to the cold palace, which caused Princess Wenzhu's status in the palace to plummet and she became extremely unpopular.
Later, the ruler of the Western Regions asked for marriage. The emperor at that time probably thought that out of sight, out of mind, so he simply married off this princess, who had a very low sense of presence and was neglected, as a bargaining chip for marriage.
It is said that when Princess Wenzhu got married, apart from the items required according to etiquette, the only thing that belonged to her was a box of various miscellaneous books on farming, craftsmanship, divination, medicine, etc.
As a result, before the people entered the Western Regions, an armed seizure of power broke out in a small country in the Western Regions. The prince who was originally going to marry was seriously injured by a scimitar and became disabled.
The moment Princess Wenzhu set foot on the land of the Western Regions, her identity became quite embarrassing. She could neither return to Dayu nor settle down as planned.
At this time, Princess Wenzhu showed extraordinary resilience.
She assisted her seriously injured "husband" and led his subordinates to stabilize the situation. Afterwards, Princess Wenzhu used her status as a royal descendant to obtain help from the Dharma King of the Western Regions' ancestral Buddhist temple and the officials and troops of the Dayu Dynasty guarding the border.
She assisted her nominal husband to gain a foothold and continued to strengthen the strength of her tribe through the many books she carried with her.
It took several years to gradually regain the territories lost after the seizure of power. His reputation in the Western Regions grew as he repeatedly rescued the people and demonstrated an image of being "close to the people."
Later, even after her nominal sickly husband died, Princess Wenzhu managed to maintain her original status.
“That’s quite impressive.”
After Zhao Duan learned about his experience, his first reaction was to think that this was a powerful figure similar to Zhen Bao.
They all kept a low profile and were not liked in the early stages, but then showed their outstanding talents at critical moments.
There is a strange similarity between Wenzhu and Zhenbao's experiences. In fact, although this aunt and niece do not spend much time together, they do have a sense of mutual sympathy.
However, after careful study, Zhao Duan overturned this view.
Princess Wenzhu’s character is actually closer to a saint or virgin with some kind of "religious significance".
Although he is talented, he lacks the toughness and decisiveness of Zhenbao, and is more compassionate and empathetic.
The temperament is also softer.
The reason why it has a great reputation in the Western Regions is mainly due to its "people-friendly" image and a certain political compromise reached between Buddhism and Dayu.
Moreover, the so-called "Kingdom of the Western Regions" is strictly speaking a collection of tribes in the Western Regions, and the tribe where Princess Wenzhu belongs is only the most powerful one among the many tribes.
The political situation is far less complicated than that of Dayu, and is more rough and primitive.
……
"Sir," Qian Kerou, with a round and rosy face, said in the teahouse:
"The last time this princess came back was when the previous emperor was in power. This time she came to the capital, nominally on behalf of the Western Regions to negotiate next year's trade, but I'm afraid her biggest purpose is to build a relationship with His Majesty.
These days, they have repeatedly inquired about you. If you were not recuperating at home, you would have closed the door to visitors long ago. I am afraid that this group of people still want to meet you."
Zhao Duan flicked the paper with his fingers, threw the information on the table, and said with a smile:
"The person who came here is not a good person."
Unlike the intelligence obtained by Lihuatang, Zhao Duan has been staying at home most of the time these days, refusing visitors and telling others that he is seriously injured and recuperating.
But in fact, he also learned about the situation in the palace through the White Horse Prison.
The old eunuch Sun Lianying told him that Princess Wenzhu seemed to have a deep prejudice against him and believed that the empress was bewitched by him, a treacherous minister.
It's like an aunt who married far away returns to her parents' home to check on her niece and eliminate the yellow-haired boyfriend around her...
"Haha, this princess has been in the Western Regions for a long time. If she doesn't understand the situation in Yu Country and misunderstands me, that's fine. But I'm afraid she has ulterior motives..."
Zhao Duan stroked his chin and said:
"Instead of just sitting there and waiting for her to come to you, it's better to take the initiative and find out more about her."
Hou Renmeng scratched his hair with his big hands, his face showing a fierce look:
"Sir, do you want us to secretly kidnap the person? And then..."
Shen Juan glared at him and said speechlessly:
"Vulgar. Can you think of anything else besides fighting and killing? Princess Wenzhu is not Princess Yunyang. She represents the Western Regions."
Zhao Duan smiled, took out the disguise mask, pressed it on his face, and slowly transformed into a new appearance:
"Xiao Shen is right. Jianghu is not about fighting and killing. We are just going to find out the truth today. If he has any misunderstandings about me, it would be best if we can resolve the misunderstanding in a gentle way."
The second half of the sentence he didn't say was:
If the gentle method cannot resolve the problem, then Lord Zhao will have no choice but to use physical methods to sober up this "aunt" who intends to eliminate him.
Although……
Lord Zhao, a local boss in the capital, was not afraid of a mere married princess.
But as the saying goes, I'm not afraid of thieves stealing, I'm afraid of thieves thinking
"Always being passive and defensive is not good either."
However, before that, in order to avoid being exposed because of his handsome appearance, he decided to contact the person under a different identity.
Russian qing.
After disguising himself, Zhao Duan led three trusted aides disguised as maids and servants to drive the carriage. The wheels rolled, leaving two ruts on the snow.
Heading towards East City.
……
East of the city.
Near the orphanage where Zhao Duan had donated many times, a long line formed at the intersection of a street today.
The poor people who heard the news gathered in front of the shed where coal was distributed for winter heating. Amid the shouting, they held their winnowing baskets and shivered in the cold wind.
Not far away, a carriage slowly drove over, and then Princess Wenzhu, wrapped in a thick cotton dress and without her jeweled ornaments, got off the carriage, escorted by the tall female warrior.
-
I'll make a 4k chapter and update it as normal today. In addition, my leave actually prompted a bunch of book friends to vote for the monthly ticket... It turns out that women can't compare with brothers at all!
(End of this chapter)