La vie des gens de la campagne en ville sous la dynastie Song

Chapitre 68

Volume Two: Eagle Soars Through the Sky Chapter 127 It's All an Act, No Matter What

"Senior brother, I want him to live."

This is what Qin Zhen said to Su Mufei, who had sneaked into the palace, on the day he learned that Zhao Huan had been captured alive.

Su Mufei patted Qin Zhen's head, who was no longer a little girl, and smiled in agreement, but sighed in his heart: The little girl still can't bring herself to be ruthless.

When Wanyan Aguda was killed in an attack, and the Jin people threatened to use Zhao Huan's life to appease Emperor Taizu of Jin's resentment, the Song army launched wave after wave of attacks. They had no other way to rescue Zhao Gou except to besiege the city.

In fact, the Jurchens were not stupid. Even if Wanyan Aguda was assassinated, they would not kill their last trump card just to vent their anger. Their clamor to kill Zhao Huan was simply because Zhao Huan had disappeared and they only wanted to test whether Zhao Huan had been rescued by the Song people.

Judging from the Song army's reaction, it seems that this is not the case.

When the secret passage of the Feng Huo Sect was "accidentally" discovered by the Song army, the city of Bianjing was no longer an impregnable fortress. An army of 300,000 swept across the Jin army, but in the end, no trace of Zhao Huan was found, not even his body.

With the fate of the emperor and princes unknown, what situation is the Song Dynasty facing now?

The ministers were stunned, the people were in a panic, and even the morale of the army began to crumble. At this moment, Zhao Gou stepped forward.

Qin Zhen watched the elaborate drama she and Zhao Gou staged with a cold laugh, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She kept telling herself, "So be it. Let me create a paradise before I go to hell. Even if I deserve to die, there is hope as long as I live."

The appointment of a regent to oversee the government was arranged before Zhao Huan's expedition, but seeing Zhao Gou handling each unexpected event with such efficiency, the officials' doubts pounded like thunder. Yet, even with these doubts, who dared to speak out?

If the emperor were truly gone, and the young prince were truly dead, then Zhao Gou would naturally ascend the throne. This powerful trend overwhelmed everyone's doubts. They understood that even if there were conspiracies behind these events, they had no choice but to go with the flow once things had come to this point. Otherwise, how much turmoil and disaster would the Song Dynasty face?

After three months of fruitless searching for Zhao Huan and Zhao Yi, a memorial written by Zhu shocked the court, as she requested that Zhao Gou be granted the right to rule the throne!

No one expected that the first voice requesting Zhao Gou to ascend the throne would come from Zhu himself. This caused some neutral royalists to be uncertain until they requested to enter the palace to speak directly with the Empress, and discovered that it was indeed her own wish. They had nothing more to say, because Zhu simply stated: She did not want to see the people suffer.

After seeing off the ministers, Zhu's eyes suddenly dimmed. She looked at Qin Zhen with resentment and asked coldly, "Is this enough?"

Qin Zhen hesitated slightly under her cold gaze and could only whisper, "I will keep my promise. Your family will be reunited."

Suddenly, Zhu laughed coldly. She felt utterly exhausted, betrayed time and again. She couldn't help but wonder, in this world, what is still worthy of trust?

Seeing her like this, Qin Zhen instructed Yuqin, "The Empress is tired, help her down to rest."

Once Zhu's remonstrance was issued, it garnered countless supporters, including ministers who were originally part of the Kang Prince's faction, ministers who were loyal to the emperor and wanted to maintain the overall situation, and of course, some who were opportunistic. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. However, Zhao Gou did not heed the advice.

Qin Zhen chuckled coldly to himself in the darkness of the night. He was really greedy, wanting to make this performance perfect.

Indeed, Zhao Gou concealed everything, striving to cultivate an image of a noble and loyal ruler. He ordered the court to continue searching for the whereabouts of the emperor and his nephew, declaring a state mourning if no news was found within a year. Furthermore, he swore in court that he would not ascend the throne until he avenged his brother.

This was a truly moving and brilliantly acted scene...

In the spring of the sixth year of Xuanhe, Emperor Qinzong had been missing for a full year. The two veteran generals, Zhong Shidao and Zong Ze, who were in charge of the front-line battle, took the blame and wrote down their apologies, expressing their willingness to die for the late emperor!

Zhao Gou personally wrote a letter to comfort the two generals, telling them that only by living could they avenge Emperor Qinzong.

Thus, in the autumn of the sixth year of the Xuanhe era, the Song army pursued the Jin army for a thousand miles, finally annihilating the Jin dynasty at the border of Western Xia. The Wanyan tribesmen thus became a part of history. After avenging their defeat, the two generals again pleaded guilty. Zhao Gou, unable to bear it, ultimately only stripped them of their command seals and ordered them to resign and return to their hometowns.

At the young age of twenty-three, Yue Fei and Han Shizhong were appointed as the second marshal due to their outstanding achievements, which shocked the court and the public.

The following year, Emperor Yelü Yanxi of Liao died of a serious illness, and his eldest son Ao Luwo ascended the throne. Yelü Huan was unable to resign as commander-in-chief and was instead promoted to regent, sending a letter to the Song Dynasty to negotiate.

That summer, Li Gang brought back a letter from the Liao Kingdom. The black characters on the white paper thrilled the hearts of every Song citizen: the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, lost for a century, had finally been returned! The vast lands within the Great Wall were finally all in the hands of the Song people!

Under immense glory, Zhao Gou ascended the throne in the spring of the following year amidst the praises of the people, changing the era name to Jingkang. At the same time as Zhao Gou's ascension, Empress Zhu, who styled herself Wuxin Daoren (the Taoist of No Heart), requested permission to move out of the palace and go to Quanguan to seek Taoism, which was granted.

Empress Zhu's entourage headed openly towards Liquan Temple, but Qin Zhen knew that Zhu was not among them, because she had secretly sent Zhu to Fuyun Villa in Kunlun Mountain the night before, where her husband and child were waiting for her.

In early spring, with a chilly wind blowing, Zhao Gou, who had already ascended the throne, quietly appeared at the Qin residence and draped a cloak over Qin Zhen's shoulders from behind. Qin Zhen did not turn around, but only asked him, "You will let them go, won't you?"

Zhao Gou's facial features stiffened slightly, but he still managed a smile and said, "I will naturally keep my promise. Besides, with Brother Tang's traps and Brother Su's heavy guard, I'm not worried about anyone being able to rescue them."

Qin Zhen knew he would answer that way, but she still felt uneasy. Suddenly, Zhao Gou grabbed her hand and asked with a smile, "You're not young anymore, shouldn't you start thinking about us?"

At eighteen, Qin Zhen suddenly realized she was already eighteen, well past the age of marriage. Countless people outside were watching the Qin family's misfortune. Some said Qin Hui had offended the Emperor by refusing marriage years ago and would surely suffer the consequences; others said the Emperor had long been tired of Qin Zhen, which was why he hadn't discussed marriage.

But they knew that the reason the wedding was delayed was not because of anything else, but because they were too tired from acting and could no longer distinguish between the play and reality. Unconsciously, they had also developed feelings for each other. What should they do?

Volume Two: Soaring Eagle 128 The Wedding on the Schedule

At the beginning of the Jingkang Incident, a new emperor ascended the throne. Although it could not be described as a time of great peace and prosperity, the Liao and Jin rebellions had been quelled, the Western Xia was no longer a threat, and the world was relatively stable.

Within the Song Dynasty, the turmoil caused by the disappearance of the late emperor had been replaced by the joy of the new emperor's ascension to the throne. Zhao Gou's successive achievements gradually convinced those who had once harbored doubts that perhaps this was the right thing to do.

The curtain had barely fallen on the coronation ceremony when another joyous occasion was set for the future: the emperor's marriage.

On this day, Empress Dowager Wei received several senior officials in the palace. Some of the officials held lists of names, while others held scrolls, indicating that they were urging the Empress Dowager to select concubines for the Emperor as soon as possible.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty neglected marriage during his early years of campaigning, but now that the world is at peace, it is time to select someone to serve His Majesty." An old minister said tremblingly, handing over the roster in his hand.

Although Madam Wei knew her son's intentions, she had no choice but to take the register and casually flip through it. Fortunately, Qin Zhen's name was also on the register.

Seeing that the Empress Dowager was looking at the list, the minister quickly said, "These twelve women are eligible women selected from the daughters of ministers of the fourth rank and above. Their appearance and character have been carefully examined. According to the opinions of the ministers of the Ministry of Rites, they should all be brought into the palace. In addition, the selection of women from the common people has also been ordered and is proceeding in an orderly manner. Two months later, outstanding women from all over the country will be sent to the capital."

Empress Dowager Wei frowned and asked, "Why is this event being held with such grandeur? Is this the Emperor's intention?"

The minister replied, "His Majesty has not yet given a reply on this matter, but the harem is indeed empty, and more people should be added so that the imperial line can be established sooner. To fill the royal palace..." What the minister really wanted to say was: to add more princes, to prevent a repeat of what happened to the late emperor.

Empress Dowager Wei naturally understood his deeper meaning. She herself was also hoping that her son would get married soon, so she said, "Among the people on this list, I really like the little girl from the Qin family. She used to stay in the palace and knows the rules. As for the others, you can let the Emperor decide for himself."

"this……"

The old minister was heartbroken. His purpose in coming here was to persuade the Empress Dowager to select more women to enter the palace. That way, they could prepare arguments to "force" the Emperor to take concubines. But who would have thought that the Empress Dowager would only mention Qin Zhen!

Empress Dowager Wei did not want to dwell on the matter any longer, so she declined, saying, "I am also feeling tired, so please take your leave."

Having said that, the officials of the Ministry of Rites had no choice but to give up. They then went to find Zhao Gou again with the albums and lists, but the result was predictable. Moreover, when Zhao Gou learned that they had already begun selecting candidates from among the people without authorization, he flew into a rage, reprimanding them for disturbing the peace and ordering each of them to have their salary reduced by half a year, which frightened everyone so much that they dared not act recklessly again.

When the good news reached the Qin residence, Qin Hui sat contentedly in his study, stroking his not-so-long beard. This was the day he had finally waited for. Since his "escape" from the capital, Bianjing, he had been "taking responsibility" and living in seclusion at home. He had spent the last few years meticulously portraying himself as loyal to the late emperor.

Now that Zhao Gou had ascended the throne, he no longer needed to pretend to be at odds with him, and readily agreed to the marriage without making any excuses.

He beamed and instructed his servants, "Quickly tell the young lady the good news."

Qin Zhen didn't need him to inform her; she already knew. After Liang Hongyu dismissed the servant who came to report, she continued to lean against the table, looking at the ancient book in her hands.

Liang Hongyu walked over and said, "Zhenzhen, why aren't you happy at all? You and the Emperor have finally achieved your happy ending, and we are all happy to see that."

Qin Zhen put down her book and said, "You all seem happy looking at this? Why don't I feel anything? Is it because we've been together for so long that we've become indifferent...?"

The two chatted idly, but Qin Zhen's attention was no longer on the ancient books. She was thinking that with Zhao Gou managing the peaceful days well, the people could soon live in peace and prosperity. What should she do? Was it really a matter of marrying into the deep palace and never seeing the light of day again?

Shaking off her jumbled thoughts, Qin Zhen suddenly smiled and said to Liang Hongyu, "After this wedding, my elder brother and Brother Han will definitely be returning to the capital. You don't need to follow me around then. Spend more time with Brother Han; it's not easy to see each other."

Liang Hongyu's face flushed instantly. She and Han Shizhong had long harbored feelings for each other, but unfortunately, they were separated by hundreds of miles and rarely saw each other, so their wedding had never taken place. Wu Shaofen and Yue Fei were in a similar situation; the four of them were truly suffering.

"It seems I'll have to find an opportunity to get things done with you..."

Qin Zhen hesitated alone, while Liang Hongyu, her face burning, had already run out.

The wedding date was set for the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, which was more than five months away, but preparations were still underway and even rushed. At the end of February, Yue and Han, who had been stationed on the frontier for many years, returned to the capital for rest and recuperation, and everyone was finally able to get together.

In the largest private room at Zhenlongfang, Qin Zhen, Liang Hongyu, Wu Shaofen, Han Shizhong, and Yue Fei gathered together to enjoy themselves, chatting happily.

Seeing that Qin Zhen's hair had become increasingly exquisite and beautiful, Yue Fei said with relief, "You and the Emperor can finally get married. Twelve years together, it hasn't been easy!"

Qin Zhen was in a daze. She had actually been with Zhao Gou for twelve years! Was it really because they had been together for so long that she had become numb to everything? Seeing her elder brother so happy for her marriage, she couldn't help but feel ashamed.

Han Shizhong also said happily, "Next time we see you, we'll probably have to address you as 'Your Majesty the Empress,' how could we allow you to be so presumptuous with us again?"

"Brother Han is joking. You are all my good brothers and sisters. No matter how I change, this fact will not change."

Hearing Qin Zhen's sincere words, everyone felt gratified! Seeing everyone happy, Qin Zhen wasn't afraid to be blunt, and jokingly said with a smile, "When are you two brothers going to marry the sisters? You're just wasting their youth like this, aren't you ashamed!"

Upon hearing this, both Yue Fei and Han Shizhong were stunned. Previously, they had been too busy fighting to think things through, but Qin Zhen's words made them realize that they had achieved great success and it was time to give their beloveds a proper status. Furthermore, with Qin Zhen's wedding imminent, the atmosphere stirred within them, and the two men suddenly felt a strong urge to marry their loved ones immediately.

After several rounds of drinks, everyone had drunk quite a bit. Yue Fei and Wu Shaofen, Han Shizhong and Liang Hongyu huddled together, talking in hushed tones, with bursts of cheerful laughter occasionally breaking the silence.

Qin Zhen ate alone with her head down. When she was full, she couldn't eat anymore, so she picked up a wine glass and walked out of the room to the corridor facing the street.

Volume Two: Soaring Eagle 129 A Precious Night

The streets were deserted, with hardly any pedestrians in sight. A gust of early spring wind made Qin Zhen shiver. He quickly tilted his head back and gulped down the wine in his cup. He sighed deeply and couldn't help but recite: "A crescent moon hangs over sparse paulownia trees, the water clock has stopped and all is quiet. Occasionally, a recluse is seen wandering alone, a solitary wild goose's shadow drifting by. No one understands. It picks through every cold branch but refuses to perch, lonely on the cold sandbar."

Several rounds of applause came from the higher pavilion. Qin Zhen turned his head and saw his third senior brother, Su Mufei, flying down from above. His figure was agile and his clothes were fluttering. He was very dashing!

"Junior sister, you are so talented. Why are you reciting the poems of the great poet Su today?"

Qin Zhen stepped aside and stood side by side with Su Mufei in front of the carved railing. Looking at the undulating rooftops of the city, he said with a touch of melancholy, "Among all living beings, who is my true home?"

Su Mufei raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "Junior sister is so greedy, one isn't enough and you want to find another one?"

"Senior brother actually drank more than me, how could he say such nonsense!" Qin Zhen said angrily. "I just felt that there was something wrong between Zhao Gou and me. I was so envious of the loving scenes between my elder brother and the sisters."

Su Mufei then realized that Qin Zhen was indeed a little disappointed tonight. He patted her head and said, "You're a girl who's going to get married. Why are you envious of others? You and the Emperor can be very loving."

Qin Zhen chuckled softly, then asked uncertainly, "Is it really possible?"

A series of hoofbeats approached. Su Mufei, with his sharp eyes, nudged Qin Zhen and said, "Speak of the devil, and he appears. Here he comes!" With a light laugh, he vanished from Qin Zhen's sight.