Chapter 259: Bazhou City
In fact, if Zhang Guifen could calm down, she would be able to understand what Minglan said.
Even if a princess has not been able to conceive, there is no reason to stop her husband from taking a concubine.
Cao Siyu had only been married into the Anyang Marquis's Mansion for three or four years, and her husband was only in his early twenties, so Cao Siyu did not feel any sense of urgency.
In a few years, even if Lady Anyang Marquis does not mention it, Cao Siyu will take the initiative to take a concubine for her husband.
But the wife of the Marquis of Anyang could not wait any longer. As long as Old Lady He took a look at Cao Siyu, and if Cao Siyu really had health problems, it would be best if she could be cured. If not, it would make Cao Siyu give up, and then she would not stop him from taking a concubine.
However, because Zhao Xing told Zhang Guifen that this matter was a test from Empress Cao, she was a little too nervous. She always wanted to handle the matter perfectly and became a little too picky.
"You are too kind, Crown Princess. I just said it casually." Minglan said.
"You." Zhang Guifen smiled and said, "I heard that His Highness got angry several times because you were too cautious. I am not a mean person. As long as you abide by your duties and understand the rules, I am willing to treat you as sisters."
"Yes, I understand." Minglan replied.
Zhang Guifen saw Minglan still a little restrained and said, "You were so neat and tidy when you played polo. I felt very comfortable seeing your smile. No wonder His Highness likes you so much. It would be better if you were as cool and tidy as that normally."
Minglan remained silent after hearing this. Although she accepted Zhao Xing and changed her attitude towards him, it did not mean that she had changed the way she treated others.
The character she has developed over a long period of time makes her not trust someone easily.
Without truly understanding the other person's temperament and personality, she cannot show her true self in front of him.
Zhang Guifen shook her head slightly and said, "It's getting late, you should go back and rest."
"I'll take my leave!" Minglan bowed and left.
"Why did the Crown Princess think of asking her about these things?" Mother Qian asked with some confusion.
Zhang Guifen looked at Mother Qian and asked, "What does Mother Qian think of this Sixth Miss Sheng?"
"She looks like an honest and decent person, but there are only a few concubines in the Eastern Palace, and there are two girls from the Sheng family. Although they are just dowry, His Highness likes them very much, and they will definitely be canonized in the future.
Besides, His Highness usually goes to Shuanglan Pavilion the most, except for the Crown Princess. Just now, a palace maid reported that His Highness went to Shuanglan Pavilion again tonight. Crown Princess, you have to be on guard. "Mother Qian reminded.
"Mother Qian said that she is honest and decent, so what do we need to be on guard against? His Highness is the Crown Prince, and there will be more concubines in the future. How can I be on guard against them all?" Zhang Guifen shook her head.
In her opinion, if Zhao Xing liked her, there was no need to be on guard.
If Zhao Xing doesn't like her, there is no point in being on guard, and it will only make Zhao Xing dislike her even more.
Moreover, Zhang Guifen also has her own pride. Zhao Xing likes her, and she is willing to humble herself to serve and please Zhao Xing and manage the relationship between husband and wife.
But if Zhao Xing didn't like her, then there was no need for her to humble herself to please Zhao Xing.
It seems contradictory, but it is not contradictory at all.
To put it simply, Zhao Xing likes her, so she would give everything for Zhao Xing.
In her opinion, love gained by compromising and flattering is not true love.
"My girl." Mother Qian was so anxious that she didn't even bother to call her the Crown Princess. She said, "Which of those concubines wasn't honest and dutiful at the beginning? Only time can reveal a person's true character!"
"Okay." Zhang Guifen waved her hand and said, "I understand what you mean. I am clear-headed. Let me get ready. I want to take a shower and rest."
"Yes!" Mother Qian was helpless when she saw Zhang Guifen say that.
Cui'e didn't need to be told and prepared to go into the bedroom to prepare some clean clothes for Zhang Guifen.
"Cui'e." Zhang Guifen called Cui'e, her face slightly red, and pursed her lips and said, "Bring me the cheongsam that His Highness had someone send me a few days ago."
"Huh?" Cui'e was stunned when she heard that, and said in surprise: "Didn't the Crown Princess not want to wear that dress? And His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is not coming tonight, so His Royal Highness the Crown Prince won't be able to see the Crown Princess even if she wears it."
After Yu Yanran made the cheongsam, Zhao Xing asked her to teach the embroiderers in the Eastern Palace how to make cheongsam, and asked them to make a few for each of the concubines in the Eastern Palace.
The one given to Zhang Guifen a few days ago was the best, so Zhao Xing asked Zhang Guifen to try it on.
Because of her martial arts training, Zhang Guifen is not only tall, but also has the best figure among the concubines in the Eastern Palace.
In Zhao Xing's opinion, among all the women in the Eastern Palace, only Zhang Guifen and Sheng Shulan looked the best in cheongsam.
Zhang Guifen is famous for her tall stature, while Sheng Shulan is famous for the charm that comes with her age.
The others were shorter in stature and too young, so they lacked some flavor.
But when Zhang Guifen saw that the cheongsam not only exposed her arms but also had a slit at the hem, she refused to wear it.
No matter how Zhao Xing coaxed him, he just wouldn't agree.
As a personal maid, Cui'e naturally knew about this.
She didn't know why her daughter suddenly wanted to wear cheongsam, but since the Crown Prince was not around, no one would appreciate it even if she wore it.
"Why are you talking so much nonsense? Just take it when I tell you to!" Zhang Guifen glared.
Zhao Xing had said before that she would look good in it, but she was too embarrassed to do it and didn't have the nerve to try it in private.
I finally made up my mind to try it on. I was already shy enough, and Cui'e was still talking a lot.
"Oh." Cui'e was not afraid and walked into the house with a smile.
…………The Duke of England came to the north on the pretext of inspecting the northern border on behalf of the government, and the 50,000 soldiers he brought with him were in the name of changing guard.
Even though the reason is false, it has to be done.
After arriving at the northern border, the Duke of England was busy inspecting the defenses of the northern border towns.
After this inspection, he found that the defense problem on the northern border was indeed serious.
Not to mention that the city has been in disrepair for a long time, many of the stored equipment are already old and some are even unusable.
These are just external factors. There are problems in the military from top to bottom.
After the Treaty of Tanyuan, there were no major wars in the north for fifty or sixty years.
The long period of peace has led to a sense of laxity among the northern border troops from top to bottom.
In fact, this is normal. In ancient times, people got married and had children in their teens. For fifty or sixty years, almost no one in the army, from generals to soldiers, had ever fought a real war.
The Liao Kingdom had never launched a large-scale invasion. The only time was more than ten years ago, when the Liao army approached the border and forced the Song Dynasty to increase the annual tribute.
The Song Dynasty agreed and retreated.
The long period of peace has paralyzed the soldiers in the north.
The Duke of England was very worried about this situation, as the defenders of various cities knew that his patrolling the border on behalf of the emperor was just an excuse.
He is always like this when he is on patrol. Wouldn't he be even more relaxed at other times?
Once the Liao Kingdom is fully prepared and launches a sudden attack, how can these cities resist?
I’m afraid that before the reinforcements arrive, these border cities will be almost lost.
However, he was only inspecting on behalf of the government, and it was fake, so he had no right to interfere in the defense of the northern border.
However, he still wrote a letter about what he had seen and heard in the north and his worries, and ordered someone to send it to Bian Jing.
In Bazhou City, Duke Yingguo stood on the city wall of the north city, staring in a daze towards the northwest.
The sound of light footsteps came to the Duke of England's senses.
"Duke Ying!" Qingyuan Marquis Fang Zhou bowed and looked towards the northwest, saying, "Duke Ying has been standing on the top of the city for half an hour. It's cold today, so you should be more careful."
Duke Ying nodded slightly, looked towards the northwest again, and said with a worried look: "Marquis Qingyuan, what do you think would happen now if Yanmen Pass had not been lost?"
Fang Zhou's face changed slightly when he heard this, and he said, "Mr. Ying, be careful with your words!"
In fact, the northern part of the Song Dynasty was not always defenseless.
After the loss of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, Yanmen Pass became an important pass for the Song Dynasty to defend against the Liao Kingdom.
The Song Dynasty built a defense line along the Yanmen Pass.
Unfortunately, Emperor Taizong failed in the Northern Expedition and lost Yanmen Pass, which led to the Song Dynasty's defense line moving south.
After the Treaty of Shanyuan, Song and Liao entered a period of peace with the Baigou River as the boundary.
But the Baigou River is not the Yangtze River or the Yellow River after all, so it is a bit of a stretch to use it as a barrier.
It can be said that if Yanmen Pass had not been lost, the Song Dynasty would not be in such a passive situation today.
However, that battle was led by Emperor Taizong himself. Although someone was blamed afterwards, the loss of Yanmen Pass has become a taboo topic.
"There are only two of us here, so it's okay to talk." said the Duke of England.
He dared to say these to Fang Zhou, so he naturally trusted Fang Zhou.
"Duke Ying, Yanmen Pass has been lost. What's the point of making assumptions now?" Fang Zhou asked in return.
The Duke of England was stunned when he heard this, then he smiled bitterly and said, "You are right, I am obsessed. Alas, I am old after all, there are some things I just can't see through."
"The Duke of Yingguo is a pillar of the imperial court, and he is still strong despite his old age. It's not that you can't see through it, you're just worried about the imperial court. In this respect, I'm not as good as you." Fang Zhou said.
"I haven't seen you for a long time. How come you have learned these flattering words?" The Duke of England scolded with a smile.
"I'm just telling the truth."
Fang Zhou smiled, looked around and said seriously: "Duke Yingguo, my son often praises His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for his ambitions in his letters. Do you think His Royal Highness will..."
"Ark!" The Duke of England interrupted him, his eyes stern, "Even if you are father and son, you cannot inquire about or communicate about His Highness!"
"The Duke of England has misunderstood." Fang Zhou smiled bitterly, "I have never asked about it, and my son has never said anything. Even my son occasionally mentioned Your Highness in his letters, and whenever he did, he was full of admiration for him."
The Duke of England's expression eased a little, and he said, "Your Highness is only the Crown Prince now, and what will happen in the future is a matter for the future. You and I are generals in the army, so it's better not to worry about these things that we shouldn't worry about."
"The Duke of England is right. It was me who was reckless," Fang Zhou said.
"Report!"
Just then, a soldier came running towards this side hurriedly, shouting.
"Damn it, it must be those Liao people coming to harass us again!" Fang Zhou cursed.
(End of this chapter)