Chapter 1288 Newcomers

Chapter 1288 Newcomers

Chapter 1288 Newcomers
On November 12th of the first year of Zhenming, the sound of horse hooves could be heard amidst the white snow.

More than 40,000 soldiers from the Left and Right Cavalry Guards, the Left Jinwu Guards, the Left Flying Dragon Guards, and the Left and Right Yulin Guards gathered in Bianliang and launched winter drills together with more than 50,000 imperial guards' infantry and cavalry.

At one time, the number of troops gathered near Bianliang reached 100,000.

This is an army of 100,000 people with complete equipment, high morale and having experienced the test of many years of war. With them, you can dominate the world.

Of course, 100,000 people could not be confined to one place. They gathered in the "near" of Bianliang, not just in Bianliang. There were probably no more than 20,000 or 30,000 people in a single place.

Even so, it is still very spectacular.

In winter, many people have nothing to do, but they don't mind the severe cold and come to watch the fun.

This is still a good trick. In fact, there were always people watching when the two armies fought - when Yuwen Xin and Yuchi Jiong fought, "there were tens of thousands of men and women in Yecheng watching the battle." Yuwen Xin was at a disadvantage, so he decided to attack the spectators first, causing chaos, and finally won.

There were also many people in the palace who came out to watch, but they had a fixed platform and there were guards around to maintain order.

Among all the female members of the family, the most popular one was undoubtedly Crown Princess Lu.

She was graceful and elegant, yet very tactful, and was surrounded by many wives of princes and generals.

Compared to her, the emperor's female relatives were overshadowed. Of course, this was also related to the fact that the queen and the third wife were not present.

Wang Yinling stood on the high platform with her two sons and one daughter, except Yaoxi.

Yuan Zhen watched very seriously, staring at the constantly changing military flags, muttering to himself, as if he was commanding thousands of troops.

Wang looked for a while and then looked away.

The veterans of the Daliang Royal Army are still there, and their fighting power is very strong.

The Left and Right Cavalry Guards came with a total of 7,200 cavalrymen. They charged with astonishing momentum. I wonder which tribe could resist them.

There is no chance of a head-on confrontation. You can only try to lure them deeper into your territory, and then rely on the vast space of the grassland to wear them down bit by bit. However, they may not give you this opportunity.

Her interest soon shifted to Shao Xun's woman.

Not far from her stood several Sima ladies, with whom she had recently interacted and were on good terms.

"Little slave, we are from the same family." Wang Yinling took a few steps forward, looked at the childish girl, and chuckled.

Wang Jianji was stunned for a moment and said, "Madam Wang, I...I am from Taiyuan."

She found herself a little afraid of this woman.

She is so much like Concubine Shi Guipin, with a seductive look and a charming demeanor. Even before she arrives, a sweet and greasy scent of flesh is already blowing.

The emperor should like such a woman very much.

She looked down at her body which had not yet fully grown, feeling a little inferior.

"The Wang family of Taiyuan." Wang Yinling said with a smile, "My family is the Wang family of Guangning. We should get closer to them in the future."

Shi, who showed up for the first time after giving birth, signaled with her eyes, and Ying immediately stepped forward and pulled Wang Jianji back.

Wang Yinling didn't take it seriously, just smiled and walked away.

Shi felt the aura of a kindred spirit, but the other person was eleven years younger than her. Alas.

Someone is peering over here from a distance.

Shi turned her head and met Zhuge Wenbiao's eyes.

Shi looked away immediately as if she had been electrocuted. Even in the cold wind, her face felt a little hot.

The daughter-in-law is still fine, but she, as the elder, has already given birth to a child.

At the same time, Shi also had some complicated feelings in her heart. Although she was confident that her appearance and figure were not inferior to her daughter-in-law, she was old after all. Thinking of the emperor sleeping in Wen Biao's room every night, Shi felt uncomfortable.

However, Shi felt that she should still win over Zhuge Wenbiao, if for no other reason than because of their past relationship. After all, this was her real daughter-in-law.

"…The technique of soap preparation was published in the October edition of the Wanxiang Academy. Sun Xi received 300 pieces of silk and sold them. Anyone can use them." Wang's voice was heard not far away.

The Jin sisters, concubines including Wang, Xuan, Liu, and Fan surrounded Liu Ye and actually talked about the way of making money.

"Sun Xi got 400 pieces of silk in total. He made too much money."

"Compared to lye and soap, it's nothing."

"I got the soap and boiled water yesterday, but the emperor didn't come, so I had to wash it myself. It's really a good thing, it washes very clean."

Shi secretly spat when she heard this. These Hu girls were so bold and unrestrained. What they said was not subtle at all.

But they are really young. When Liu Cong died, few of the queens were over 20 years old. The youngest was only fourteen or fifteen years old. Even today, they are only around 30 years old. Alas.

"Crown Princess." The crowd quickly stopped talking and the sound of greetings was heard everywhere.

Shi came to her senses and saw that Lu was not far away, so she also took Ying and Wang to pay their respects.

Mrs. Lu returned her greeting and looked away for only a moment. Then she smiled and said, "It's cold, you should go back early."

"Okay." Wang Yinling smiled and said, "We've seen the excitement, why not go back to Huangnv Palace and play a game of Chupu."

Mrs. Lu glanced at her and said, "You'd better do more needlework. The emperor used to value fur cloth, but now there are only a few people who can weave it. If this continues for a long time, I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to set an example for the world."

Wang was secretly surprised.

That guy found a good daughter-in-law, who knew the direction of the court's major policies and persuaded the harem to set an example. Although she had crossed the line a little, it was not a big problem if she was just persuading. The only regret was that her appearance was much worse than that of Chen, who was beside the queen. She was only average in appearance and could not be considered a great beauty. Moreover, although she was only sixteen years old, she was gentle on the outside but strong on the inside, and she should have her own ideas.

I just don’t know how the prince will deal with this difficult situation.

After the women left, the training in the distance continued.

Shao Xun took the prince to inspect the troops while talking about military matters.

This is an opportunity for the prince to show his face, which is crucial to his growth.

Shao Xun was on the defensive, but since he had been appointed as the crown prince, he would receive considerable support.

He is also looking for a middle balance.

******
After returning to the palace, Lu took the sedan chair and went straight to the Xianju Palace.

"Granduncle and great aunt." When facing the retired emperor and the retired empress, Lu paid her respects with great ceremony.

"Hurry up and get up." Shao Xiu ordered the palace servants to help Lu up, and then ordered someone to bring her to sit on the couch.

After Lu thanked her, she sat down next to Shao's mother Liu and asked softly, "Is Grandma feeling better?"

Liu's health had become weaker than in the summer, and she was no longer in good condition, but she still managed a smile and said, "My grandson's wife comes more often than my grandson. Life and death are determined by fate. I am already satisfied to be alive to see you get married."

Mrs. Lu's eyes were slightly red, and she said, "Grandma, please don't scare me. I still want to be with you."

Liu stretched out her trembling hand and gently held Lu's.

"Is grandma in trouble?" Liu said, "Liang Nu came here yesterday and I gave him some instructions. Don't worry, if he makes a mistake and the queen is soft-hearted, your Excellency will take care of it."

"Grandma, please relax. Everything will be alright." Mrs. Lu said with a smile.

"Where did Liang Nu go today?"

"I'm reviewing the troops with His Majesty," said Mrs. Lu.

"Yes, I forgot that I have to do it every winter." Liu murmured to herself.

"The prince should review his troops, otherwise which military leader would recognize him?" Shao Xiu suddenly said from the side.

"My great uncle is right. Although the country has its own laws, it also needs to be connected with human feelings and gratitude. Only in this way can it be peaceful." Mrs. Lu said.

Shao Xiu looked at this granddaughter-in-law with new respect.

After all, they were from Youzhou, and they were very different from the scholars and ladies in Henan, where the literary style flourished. It is estimated that most of the people they interacted with on weekdays were those who fled from Youzhou to Lu Chen. After being influenced by them for a long time, their ideas were different.

Liang Nu is lucky.

"I heard that after Xin Zuo was dismissed from his post, he continued to work as a retainer in the Prince's Mansion. Is that true?" Shao Xiu asked again.

Mrs. Lu's mind raced. She didn't know where her great-uncle had heard these things from, but they were true.

"Xin has followed the prince for a long time. If she is dismissed from her post one day, she will be driven out of the mansion, which may damage the prince's reputation for benevolence." Lu said.

"You are the mistress, don't keep silent about everything." Shao Xiu said.

Lu responded and said, "I advised the prince to send Xin to Jiangnan and give her a piece of land and house, but it has not been carried out yet."

Shao Xiu sighed and said, "Indeed, everyone has their own opinions on what to do. Sending him to Jiangnan is not a bad idea. As for this matter, well, you decide."

"Sunwu is more sensible than you." Liu turned her head with difficulty and looked at Shao's father, saying, "You can't even manage a family with several people. Sunwu is a lady from a wealthy family, she knows what to do."

Shao Xiu stopped talking and just looked at the ground silently.

He became increasingly taciturn.

Physically speaking, he was in much better shape than Liu. In his seventies he could still barely wear armor, although only for a short while.

But mentally, he was very dependent on Liu. Seeing Liu's serious illness, his spirit and energy gradually collapsed, and he seemed to have no attachment to the world.

Lu stayed in Xianju Palace until the afternoon, then went to Cuiwei Hall to visit her cousin Lu Xun. In the evening, she came to Ganlu Palace to pay her respects to Queen Yu Wenjun.

Since I have decided to enter the palace to be the Crown Princess, I will do my best to lay the foundation for the Fanyang Lu family to move to a higher level. As for my own thoughts, they are not important.

Queen Yu was a very kind person and was easily influenced by others. As a daughter-in-law, it was necessary for her to visit her every morning and evening.

Lu stayed in Ganlu Palace until the moon was above the willow branches before she left in her sedan chair and returned to Linzhi Palace in the Eastern Palace.

Lady Yao and Child Chen had already been released by the Queen. When they saw the Crown Princess return to the palace, they all came forward to greet her.

Lu smiled and took the two girls into the palace, waiting for the prince to return.

However, soon a palace servant brought news that His Majesty and the Crown Prince were staying in the military camp, and would lead the army westward tomorrow to enter the Songshan Mountain, Dayi Mountain, and Chenggao Pass areas to practice military formations and hunt birds and beasts, and would not return to the palace in the short term.

Lu waved her hand and asked everyone to leave, and began to plan what to do in the next period of time. Most of them were internal affairs of the Eastern Palace and had nothing to do with state affairs.

Because of the incident of Jia Nanfeng in the Jin Dynasty and the lessons learned from previous generations, there was almost no interference of the harem in government affairs in the Daliang Dynasty unless the emperor gave special permission.

Mrs. Lu was very clear-headed. As the mistress, it was her duty to manage the properties that the prince had acquired during the Qin King's era.

How to combine these industries with the matters that the current emperor cares about and please the emperor is something she needs to consider.

(End of this chapter)