Chapter 257: On Bazhou City
In fact, if Zhang Guifen could calm down, she would also be able to understand what Ming Lan said.
Even if the princess is unable to conceive an heir, there is no reason to stop the prince-in-law from taking concubines.
Cao Siyu has only been married to the Anyang Hou Mansion for three or four years, and she is only an official in her early twenties, so Cao Siyu has no sense of urgency.
In a few years, even if Mrs. Anyanghou doesn't mention it, Cao Siyu will take the initiative to take concubines for her officials.
But Mrs. Anyanghou couldn't wait any longer. As long as Mrs. He took a look at Cao Siyu, if Cao Siyu really had a physical problem, it would be best if she could cure it. If Cao Siyu couldn't be cured and Cao Siyu gave up, she wouldn't stop him from taking concubines.
However, because Zhao Xing told Zhang Guifen that this matter was a test for her by Empress Cao, she was a little too nervous and always wanted to handle this matter perfectly, which was a bit over the top.
"The Crown Princess has been praised too much, so I just said that casually." Minglan said.
“You.” Zhang Guifen smiled and said, “I heard that Your Highness got angry several times because you were too cautious. I am not a mean person, as long as you keep your duty, You understand the rules. I am also willing to treat you as sisters."
"Yes, I understand," Minglan responded.
Zhang Guifen was still a little nervous when she met Minglan and said: "When you play polo, you are so neat and tidy. Your smile makes me feel very comfortable when I see it. It's no wonder that His Highness likes you so much. If you are as neat as usual, , it would be better."
Minglan was silent when she heard this. Although she accepted Zhao Xing and her attitude towards Zhao Xing changed, it did not mean that her treatment of others changed.
The temperament she has developed over a long period of time prevents her from trusting anyone easily.
Without truly understanding the other person's temperament and character, she cannot show her true self in front of the other person.
Zhang Guifen shook her head slightly and said, "It's getting late, you should go back and rest."
"My slave, please leave!" Minglan bowed and left.
"Why did the Crown Princess want to ask her about these things?" Qian's mother asked a little confused.
Hearing this, Zhang Guifen looked at Qian’s mother and asked, “What does Qian’s mother think of this Miss Sheng Liu?” There are two girls from the Sheng family. Although this is just a dowry, His Highness likes it very much and will definitely be canonized in the future.
Besides the Crown Princess, His Highness usually goes to Shuanglan Pavilion the most. "The palace maid just came to report that your highness went to Shuanglan Pavilion tonight. Princess, you have to be careful," Qian's mother reminded.
"Mother Qian said she is honest and responsible. What else do we need to guard against? Your Highness is the prince and will have more concubines in the future. How can I guard against her?" Zhang Guifen shook her head.
In her opinion, if Zhao Xing likes her, there is no need to guard against him.
If Zhao Xing doesn't like her, there's no point in being defensive, and it will make Zhao Xing dislike her even more.
And Zhang Guifen also has her own pride. Zhao Xing likes her, and she is willing to put aside her status to serve and please Zhao Xing and manage the relationship between husband and wife.
But if Zhao Xing doesn't like her, then there is no need for her to compromise herself to please Zhao Xing.
It seems very contradictory, but in fact it is not contradictory at all.
To put it simply, she would pay for Zhao Xing only if Zhao Xing liked her.
In her opinion, love gained through humiliation is not true love.
“My girl.” Mother Qian was so anxious when she heard this that she didn’t even bother to call her the Crown Princess. She said, “Which of those concubines was not honest at the beginning? It will take a long time to see each other. People's hearts!"
"Okay." Zhang Guifen waved her hand and said, "I understand what you mean. I'm awake. Let me get ready. I'm going to take a bath and rest."
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"Yes!" Seeing Zhang Guifen say this, Qian's mother was helpless.
Cui'e didn't need to give any instructions, so she went into the bedroom to prepare a change of clothes for Zhang Guifen.
"Cui'e." Zhang Guifen called Cui'e, her face turned red, she pursed her lips and said, "Bring me the cheongsam that His Highness had sent to you a few days ago."
"Huh?" Cui'e was stunned when she heard this, and said in surprise: "Isn't the Crown Princess unwilling to wear that dress? And His Highness the Crown Prince is not coming tonight, and His Highness the Crown Prince will not be able to see the Crown Princess if she wears it."
After Yu Yanran made the cheongsam, Zhao Xing asked her to teach the embroiderers in the East Palace how to make cheongsams, and asked the embroiderers to make several pieces for each of the concubines in the East Palace.
The one given to Zhang Guifen a few days ago was the best, so Zhao Xing asked Zhang Guifen to try it on.
Due to martial arts training, Zhang Guifen was not only tall, but also had the best figure among the concubines of the East Palace.
In Zhao Xing's opinion, among the women in the East Palace, Zhang Guifen and Sheng Shulan are the most beautiful in cheongsam.
Zhang Guifen is because of her tall figure, while Sheng Shulan is because of her age.
The rest of them are a bit short in stature and too young, so they are a bit lacking in taste.
But Zhang Guifen saw that not only the arms of the cheongsam were exposed, but the hem was also slit, so she wouldn't wear it.
No matter how Zhao Xing coaxed him, he just refused.
As a personal maid, Cui'e naturally knew about this.
She didn’t know why her daughter suddenly wanted to wear a cheongsam, but His Highness the Crown Prince was not here, and no one appreciated it.
"How can you come up with so much nonsense? Just take it if you are told!" Zhang Guifen glared.
Zhao Xing said before that she would look good in it, but she couldn't hide her face and didn't have the nerve to try it in private.
I finally made up my mind to put it on and try it on. I was already shy enough, but Cui'e was still talking a lot.
"Oh." Cui'e was not afraid and entered the house with a smile.
……The British prince came to the north on the grounds of inspecting the northern border defense on behalf of an official, and the 50,000 troops and horses he brought were in the name of changing defenses.
Although the reason is false, the appearance is that it should be done.
After arriving at the northern border, the British Duke was busy inspecting the defense of the northern border city.
After this inspection, he found that the defense problem at the northern border was indeed serious.
Needless to say, the city has been in disrepair for a long time. Many of the equipment in reserve are old, and some are even no longer usable.
These are just external factors. The army has problems from top to bottom.
After the Tanyuan Alliance, there had been no major wars in the north for fifty or sixty years.
The long-term peace has caused a sense of relaxation in the northern frontier army from top to bottom.
In fact, this is normal. In ancient times, people got married and had children in their teens. In the past fifty or sixty years, almost no one in the army, from the generals to the soldiers, had actually fought in a war.
The Liao Kingdom never invaded on a large scale. The only time it happened was more than ten years ago, when the Liao Kingdom's army pressed the border and forced the Song Dynasty to increase their annual coins.
After Da Song agreed, he retreated.
The long-term peace has paralyzed the soldiers in the north.
The British Duke was very worried about this situation. The defenders in each city knew that it was just an excuse for him to patrol the border on behalf of the officials.
When he was making his rounds, he was always in this state. Wouldn't he be more relaxed in normal times?
Once the Liao Kingdom is fully prepared and suddenly launches a sneak attack, how can these cities resist it?
I am afraid that if the reinforcements do not arrive, these cities on the border will be almost lost.
However, he was only inspecting on behalf of the officials, and it was still fake. He had no right to intervene in the defense of the northern border.
However, he still wrote about what he saw and heard in the north and his worries, and ordered people to send him to Bianjing.
In Bazhou City, the British public station stood on the tower in the north city, staring at the northwest in a daze.
The sound of slight footsteps came, and the British Duke came back to his senses.
"The British Duke!" Qingyuan Hou Fangzhou bowed his hands, looked to the northwest, and said: "The British Duke has been standing on the top of the city for half an hour. It's getting cold now, so we should pay more attention. .”
The British Duke nodded slightly, looked to the northwest again, and said worriedly: "Marquis Qingyuan, what do you think would be happening now if Yanmen Pass had not been lost?"
Fang Zhou's face changed slightly when he heard this, Said: "The British public should be careful what they say!"
In fact, the northern part of the Song Dynasty was not always without danger.
After the loss of the Yanyun Sixteenth Prefecture, Yanmen Pass became an important pass for the Song Dynasty to defend the Liao Kingdom.
The Song Dynasty built a defense line along Yanmen Pass.
Unfortunately, Emperor Taizong failed in the Northern Expedition and lost Yanmen Pass, which caused the Song Dynasty's defense line to move south.
After the Tanyuan Alliance, Song and Liao entered a period of peace with Baigou River as the boundary.
But the Baigou River is not the Yangtze River and the Yellow River after all, so it is too reluctant to serve as a barrier.
It can be said that if Yanmen Pass had not been abandoned, the Song Dynasty would not be so passive now.
But that battle was fought by Emperor Taizong himself. Although some people took the blame afterwards, the loss of Yanmen Pass has also become a taboo topic.
"There are just the two of us here, so it doesn't hurt to talk." The British father said.
He dared to say this to Fang Zhou, so he naturally trusted Fang Zhou.
"British Lord, Yanmen Pass has been lost, what's the point of assuming this now?" Fang Zhou asked.
The British Duke was stunned when he heard this, and then smiled bitterly and said: "You are right, I am obsessed with my appearance. Alas, I am old after all, there are some things that I just can't see through."
"The British prince is the pillar of the imperial court, and he will grow stronger with time. It's not that you can't see through it, you're just worried about the imperial court. I'm not as good as you in this regard." Fang Zhou said.
"We haven't seen each other for a long time. How can I learn these flattering words?" the British public laughed and scolded.
"I'm just telling the truth."
Fang Zhou smiled, looked around and said seriously: "The British prince, the prince often praised His Highness for his ambition in his letters. You said that in the future His Highness Could it be..."
"Ark!" The British Duke interrupted him and said with stern eyes: "Even if you are father and son, you cannot inquire about His Highness!"
" The British Lord misunderstood." Fang Zhou said with a wry smile: "I have never asked about it, and Quanzi has never mentioned it. Even Quanzi mentioned it occasionally in his letters. Every time he mentioned it, he expressed his admiration."
The British duke's face softened a little and he said: "His Royal Highness is just the prince now. What will happen in the future will be a matter of the future. As military generals, you and I, it is better to worry less about these things that should not be ours to worry about."< br>
“What the British Duke said is that it’s me, Meng Lang.” Fang Zhou said.
"Report!"
At this moment, a soldier yelled and hurried over here.
“Damn it, it must be the Liao guys who are attacking us again!” Fang Zhou cursed.
(End of this chapter)