Chapter 1106: The twelfth month

Chapter 1106: The twelfth month

Chapter 1106: The twelfth month (Part )

It was only a few days away from New Year's Day, and most officials had closed their offices, so nothing major was happening.

However, after the Minister of the Central Secretariat Yu Liang visited his uncle's house, he lamented repeatedly.

On the 26th, he went to the palace in person to meet Yu Wenjun and could not help but pour out his grievances.

"Uncle Shubao has been in seclusion for several years and is about to pass away. Uncle Zisong is also..." Yu Liang lamented.

Of these two people, Yu Shubao is the uncle, who has been living in seclusion for many years cultivating immortality, but has been unsuccessful and is obviously failing.

Yu Zisong was my uncle, the Supervisor of the Imperial Household. He seemed to be in good health, but suddenly he became ill when the cold wind blew before the Lunar New Year without any signs.

Maybe, this is what it's like when you get older, and you might just pass away one day.

Regardless of whether it is a biological uncle or a cousin uncle, one has to mourn for one year. The only difference is whether one wears a cane for the period of mourning or not.

But how long has Yu Liang been reinstated? Is he going back home to mourn again?

It is right to mourn for one's relatives, but one must also consider one's relatives. So Liangzi took the opportunity of entering the palace to deliver New Year gifts to complain to Yu Wenjun, and his intention was self-evident.

"Brother, do you want His Majesty to take away your love?" Yu Wenjun felt sad when she heard that Yu Gun and Yu Hua were not doing well, but she cared more about her brother's feelings, so she asked.

"In the past, Li Chong and Le Kai, who were in charge of Xuzhou and Nanyang respectively, both lost their love. The Secretary General Lu Chen was also like this. There are many such cases." Yu Liang said.

Yu Wenjun frowned, sighed softly, and said, "I will find an opportunity to tell Your Majesty."

Yu Liang breathed a sigh of relief.

The mourning system is really hard to describe, but you can't say anything. There are more than 10,000 officials in the imperial court, and countless people are forced to resign and return home every year due to mourning, which greatly hinders the management and layout of the court.

Of course, it also brings about the mobility of officials, giving some people who have been waiting for vacancies for a long time the opportunity to fill the vacancies. Everything has two sides.

From Yu Liang's point of view, mourning for three years for one's biological parents is reasonable, but mourning for another year for one's uncle or great uncle is not so good. However, this matter can only be discussed privately with close relatives.

After finishing this story, Yu Liang changed the subject and said, "After the new year, Mu'er will be nineteen years old. I wonder——"

Speaking of her daughter, Yu Wenjun smiled and said, "On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, your majesty will hold a climbing meeting at Mount Mang (Mangshan). At that time, nobles and military students aged sixteen or above and under twenty will be invited to attend the meeting. Let Muer choose for herself. This is an established rule and will not be changed."

Letting my daughter choose her favorite from among more than a hundred people is already a great favor.

Yu Wenjun herself married the man she loved, so she knew this feeling very well and hoped that her daughter could continue her happiness. Although her troubles have increased over the years, every time Yu Wenjun recalled the feeling of getting married, her heart was still filled with sweetness.

When Yu Liang heard his sister say this, he knew there was no hope.

The emperor actually told him implicitly that it would be better to forget about cousins ​​getting married, as he didn't like it.

Now that I heard from my sister that she wants an open election, I have completely given up.

"I heard that after the Prince of Yan arrived in Youzhou, he became very close to Li Chong. This is indeed worrying. Wenjun, you must be alert." Zhaoyang Palace is the Queen's bedroom, not the Emperor's bedroom. The palace is full of the Queen's people, so Yu Liang no longer concealed his words. He only said: "The governor of Beiping reported that the Prince of Yan went to inspect the Xianbei pasture of Duanbu, went into the mountains to hunt together, and had a very pleasant conversation..."

Li Chong was the governor of Youzhou.

However, he may not be able to hold the position for many more days, as his father's condition has taken a turn for the worse and he is about to die.

When Li Chong's mother passed away, he was supposed to observe a year of mourning - one year for when a father dies and one year for when a mother dies, and three years for when a father dies and a mother dies - but the emperor issued an edict to change his mind, so he continued to stay in Xuzhou.

This time, I'm afraid it's not appropriate to seize the love.

Li Zhong's third daughter, Li Yu, was already nineteen years old after the mourning period.

She got married in the middle of this year. Her husband was Mao Xiu, the son of the Minister of Personnel Mao Bang and a student of the Minister of Works Liu Han. He was seventeen years old this year, slightly younger than Li Yu, and a good match.

If she missed this year, Li Chong's daughter would be missed by so many people and would have to be in mourning. She might not be able to get married until she is over 20 years old.

Yu Wenjun felt a little uneasy when she heard her brother mention the King of Yan. She subconsciously wanted to say something, but stopped herself.

The news of Prince Zhao's marriage caused a sensation in the capital. More and more people praised his talent. Some even mentioned Prince Zhao's filial piety and his friendship with his brothers. All this made Yu Wenjun a little upset.

She is just a little woman and doesn't want to care about so many things, but reality forces her to pay attention to them.

However, after all, she is in her thirties and has experienced so much that she already knows how to suppress her negative emotions, the importance of patience, and how to gain an advantage.

"Brother is now the Minister of the Central Secretariat. I don't know how many people are watching your every word and action. Don't say some things carelessly, or it may cause unrest in the court." Yu Wenjun calmed down and said, "There are some things that if you don't do it or he doesn't do it, everyone will be cautious. But once you do it first, others will not hold back. The court will be in chaos and disputes will continue. When the emperor is furious, the instigator will not have a good end."

Yu Liang was a little surprised when he heard this.

He was finding it increasingly difficult to understand his sister.

Once upon a time, Wenjun was just a little woman who depended on her father and brother at home and depended on her husband after marriage. She didn't have any deep thoughts. Who made her like this?

"Invite all my sisters-in-law and sisters to the New Year's Day court meeting. I haven't seen them for a long time. I will give them gifts." After saying this, Yu Wenjun lowered her head.

Yu Liang came back to his senses and answered yes. On the first day of the lunar year, the emperor received congratulations from his ministers in Taiji Hall, and the empress received congratulations from the ladies in Zhaoyang Hall. The specifications were the same.

Isn't it said that every woman wants to be a queen? These two are the only two monarchs in the world.

Thinking of this, Yu Liang’s anxiety was greatly reduced.

As long as my sister's position as queen is not shaken, then there will be no problem.

If one day we follow the example of Emperor Guangwu of Han and depose Guo Shengtong and enthrone Yin Lihua, that would be a devastating event.

******
When Yu Liang entered the palace, Wang Yan was entertaining guests in Jingu Garden.

The visitor was named Zhuge Heng. As Chinese New Year was approaching, he came to visit Wang Yan with gifts.

To be honest, who to meet after arriving in Beijing is not just a matter of etiquette, it often involves politics.

Before leaving, Zhuge Heng asked his father-in-law Deng You, who was recuperating at home, whether he should pay homage to Wang or Pei after arriving in Beijing.
Zhuge's family was a Langya aristocratic family, so they were naturally close to Wang's family. However, Deng You was once Sima Yue's staff member, and the Deng family was within the influence of Hedong Pei's family. From the perspective of a father-in-law, it was normal for them to be close to Pei's family.

Unexpectedly, Deng You had no good feelings towards Concubine Pei. He hated her for being a slave despite being a mistress, so he directly cut off the second way.

After hearing this, Zhuge Heng was secretly delighted, because from the perspective of the Zhuge family's interests, they also preferred to be close to Wang Yan, so it was decided.

Of course, the visit was only one of the things. In fact, there was something more important. Wang Yan, an old fox, had already guessed it, so after the greetings, he said, "Daoming is in Wuchang, and you live in Pingyang. The distance is long and difficult. It's a pity that we can't meet now that it's almost the festive season."

Zhuge Heng heard this, clasped his hands, and said, "Thank you for your concern. Although the post road is long and gloomy, it is not completely blocked. A few days ago, I received a letter from my father, and after reading it, I felt very relieved."

"Oh?" Wang Yan seemed to be completely unaware and said with a smile: "Did Daoming mention me in the letter?"

"My father is very grateful for your help." Zhuge Heng paused and said, "Besides that, there is one more thing..."

"What's the matter?" Wang Yan asked casually without changing his expression.

"My father was shocked to hear about the incident in Badong and was very confused."

"What's the confusion?"

"Among the three counties of Badong, Jianping and Yidu, only Yidu has some flat land. Going west from Yiling, the mountains are continuous and the road is difficult to travel. We need to cross the place where the barbarian cave masters are entrenched, which is very difficult." Zhuge Heng said: "If we take the Yangtze River, it may not be a problem on normal days, but after the outbreak of war, the navy patrols and blocks the river. How can we send soldiers and supplies to Badong? If not, it is possible for a short time, but over a long period of time, we will be in a dilemma of food and weapons. How can we hold on?"

"With Badong and Jianping in hand, Yidu will be captured in no time. If we recover them, the barbarian chieftains will come to submit. No matter how poor they are, it is not difficult to raise a few thousand soldiers." Wang Yan said disapprovingly: "Take all the land north of the Yangtze River in Jianping and Yidu, and use the Yangtze River as the boundary, so it will be clear at a glance and avoid further disputes. Badong will be in Liang, and if Chengguo attacks, Daliang will resist, and Zhuge Daoming won't have to worry about it, isn't it wonderful?"

Zhuge Heng smiled bitterly when he heard this.

To be honest, this suggestion is really not bad. These three counties are basically mountainous areas, extremely poor, and the people are extremely complicated, with many barbarians!
Thinking back to the Battle of Xiling between Wu and Jin, Lu Kang would rather save Xiling than Jiangling because he was worried that the "Nanshan barbarians" would rebel against Wu and join Jin.

In these places, there are very few Han people but a lot of barbarians, and their inclinations can completely determine the affiliation of a place.

In order to appease these barbarians, successive governors of Jingzhou had to spend a lot of effort to give them official positions, money, and land, and then slowly find ways to convert the barbarians into Han people and register them as equal citizens - as long as they were registered, they would eventually be assimilated.

However, it was easy to control the barbarians in the plains, but difficult to control those in the mountainous areas. They were basically left to their own devices, and every year they had to worry about them launching rebellions and being held accountable by the court.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could get rid of this burden?
Of course, this is just a thought. It may not be a bad thing from the inside, but it is really not good from the outside.

If my father dares to keep his troops in place and watch the three counties and the north of the Yangtze River fall, he will definitely be impeached by the censors. Although he may not be dismissed at that time, he will definitely be in an embarrassing situation.

Therefore, it would be great if Daliang could give up on these places. But after testing him just now, Zhuge Heng knew that this was impossible.

Wang Yan was also observing Zhuge Heng's expression. Seeing this, he smiled and said, "I heard that Jianye promoted Zhuge Daoming last month?"

Zhuge Heng nodded silently and said, "Add the title of General of Chariots and Cavalry, and Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of the Four Provinces of Jing, Yi, Ning, and Liang."

In fact, not only was his father promoted, Shan Xia and Shan Yanlin were also appointed as General Wei, Governor of Yuzhou, Commander-in-Chief of the Military Forces in Yangzhou and Jiangbei, and stationed in Liyang.

It's just a nice name, but there's nothing practical about it.

The governor of four states of Jing, Yi, Ning and Liang sounds intimidating, but in fact it is only half of Jingzhou plus Badong County of Yizhou.

"In fact, the imperial court intends to use military force against Li Cheng." Wang Yan said, "I'm afraid Junwen doesn't know yet? Yang Nandi in Wudu has been defeated, and the next step is to advance to Hanzhong."

"Doesn't that mean we can attack Li Cheng from two directions?" Zhuge Heng asked in surprise.

The pincer attack he mentioned was not the one between Jin and Liang, but the one between the Daliang Dynasty, which sent troops alone to attack Hanzhong and Ba County and Baxi, attacking from both directions and destroying Li Cheng.

Wang Yan laughed after hearing what Zhuge Heng said, "Li Cheng is a bandit with no integrity. What did they do during the last battle with Tao Shiheng? They raised troops to attack Nanzhong, recruited barbarians, and took Ningzhou. I think Daoming might be able to think of a way to recapture Nanzhong."

Zhuge Heng's heart moved, maybe - it really is possible.

Don't talk to me about the overall situation. Why didn't Li Xiong talk about the overall situation before? Isn't it true that he took advantage of the situation to seize Nanzhong?
Now it's Dajin's turn to take advantage of the situation!

(End of this chapter)