"This shows that the Queen Mother is still very sensible."
Hearing these words, Xie An was also touched and praised him repeatedly. He felt that the previous strategy of staying in Xie's mansion and living in seclusion was not necessarily right.
Before Zhiyuan and his army returned to the city, there were some things that he, an old man, should do.
"I already know everything about you, Aning. I can also explain my thoughts to you. As for Zhiyuan, he is indeed my grandson-in-law and he respects me very much."
"However, the Beifu Army is now in his hands after all, and he is also a man who has a family and a career. I have no decision-making power on how many things will be handled in the end, and neither do you. It all depends on Zhiyuan.
choose."
"Let me confess to you, I also sent a letter to Zhiyuan before. The content was nothing more than admonishing him to guard against arrogance and impetuosity. Even if the Beifu soldiers win a great victory, they must obey the imperial court's orders."
"I didn't tell you these things before. This was my mistake, but you can rest assured that neither the Xie family nor I will be enemies of the imperial court when it comes to the behavior of Beifu soldiers."
"Is everything Mr. Xie said true?"
"Do you really think so?" Wang Gong was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped.
Although the purpose of today was to put their respective ideas on the table, even Wang Gong himself was not ready to make peace with Xie An.
The results of it?
Wang Gong was unprepared, but Xie An extended an olive branch first.
Is this okay?
Xie An smiled calmly and said, "Of course it's true."
"how?"
"You still don't believe what I said?"
"No, no, how is this possible?"
"Thank you for being so generous, I am so grateful to you." At this point, if you don't follow the lead, you will lose your vision.
Wang Gong gave an exaggerated salute and called all his friends over.
"Aning, what are you talking to Mr. Xie?"
"You don't know how to greet guests?" Xi Hui opened his mouth, and his words were filled with anger. In addition, he had drunk enough wine now, and his momentum was even more unstoppable.
They all came to Xie An.
"Aqi is right, Aning, that's all we're talking about today, we should let the banquet return to its original appearance."
"Yep!"
"Xie Gong is right!"
"I'm going to greet the guests right now."
After Xie An spoke, Wang Gongcai immediately stood up and went to greet the guests. Such a perfunctory attitude seemed to be telling the guests openly.
You guys are completely a shield for me to invite Xie An. Without Xie An, you wouldn't be able to get a job at all.
Is this... the end?
You won’t take us to play either?
Several friends watched Wang Gong leave, and they all fell into doubts.
What's happening here?
How did the two of them become so close to each other?
So that even the brothers are left aside?
Simply unbelievable.
However, there is nothing to say about this.
Friends in the imperial court are just like this. If they are harmonious, they will gather together. If they are different, they will scatter. That's all.
It must be said that the most powerful figure in the Jin Dynasty today is Xie An. If Wang Gong can win Xie An's support, there is no need to think about it. He will definitely do so. There is no need to think about it.
Will hesitate.
In the past, when the Wang and Xie families continued to be at odds, it was all because there was a knot in their hearts, and neither party was willing to bow down first.
Now, since the two sides have made peace, there is no need to doubt that Wang Gong will definitely join forces with Xie An.
It seems that when the Beifu army returns to the city, the situation in the court will completely change!
In what direction will it change?
Will it be what everyone expects?
And what exactly are everyone’s expectations?
Several people looked at each other, each with their own calculations in mind.
The next day, news of the Beifu Army was sent to the court early. According to the battle report, the army had successfully passed through the important town of Xuzhou and would arrive outside Jiankang City in about three days.
Although this battle report came out of nowhere, originally, it was totally fine not to send this battle report.
Because in Xuzhou, the army was not blocked, let alone the hilt of the sword. If this is the case, what is the purpose of sending such a letter?
There is no doubt that Wang Mi would never send a letter without any intention to entertain everyone.
He definitely has ulterior motives.
What is his intention?
You can see it if you carefully discern his terminology.
Jiankang!
Health is the key!
Wang Mi was revealing the news that he would lead the army back to Jiankang City instead of stopping at Jingkou!
So far, the thing that Wang Gong was most worried about would never happen, and a huge stone fell to the ground in his heart.
It’s not easy!
Although this was just a battle report revealing the news, and Wang Mi did not clearly express his attitude, Wang Gong still insisted that his guess was not wrong.
Wang Mi is not a person who expresses his stance casually, but whenever he expresses his stance, he will not be perfunctory.
He will definitely act according to his statement!
Unknowingly, Wang Gong began to believe in Wang Mi's character. Isn't this proof of strength?
Putting these aside for the time being, since Wang Mi's battle report arrived, everyone in the government and the public has returned to their hearts, eagerly looking forward to the triumphant return of the Beifu army.
All eyes were attracted to Wang Mi.
No one even knew about the changes in the palace.
I don't know if it's luck or misfortune.
Today in the harem, Queen Mother Wang Zhenying got up very early. Before dawn, she asked the eldest maid to carry the little baby Sima Dezong to her side.
Sima Dezong was sweating, rolling his big, round black eyes, and looked at Wang Zhenying in confusion.
Although this was not his biological son, Wang Zhenying developed a sense of affection for him after spending time together.
She took out her handkerchief and wiped his face.
"Where is Madam Chen?"
The eldest maid put Dezong on the small couch and quickly reported: "Ms. Chen has found a female doctor in the harem these two days, and she is practicing calligraphy!"
This was a big deal. Ever since the eldest lady learned about it, she had been waiting for the opportunity to tell Wang Zhenying.
Sure enough, Wang Zhenying's face changed as soon as she heard this.
"Practice calligraphy?"
"What is she going to do to practice calligraphy?"
"Which female doctor taught her?"
The eldest palace maid answered one by one: "My servant heard that Chen Niangniang has always been illiterate. She feels that now that His Majesty has ascended the throne, it is really embarrassing for her as His Majesty's biological mother to not know a single word. Therefore, she plans to grow up with His Majesty.
In the few years before you become an adult, you should learn something on your own."
"The person who gave her lectures was none other than Dr. Song."
"Oh, it turns out it's her."
Dr. Song, also known as Song Chengyi.
What a coincidence!
Wang Zhenying also knew Dr. Song.
The Jin Dynasty still had some experience in the management of the women in the harem.
Because the women in the harem, especially those at the queen level, often come from well-known families. Although they may not necessarily be academics, at least these women are still somewhat talented.
Under the influence of such an environmental background, the government and the public generally adopted a supportive attitude towards women being educated.
Within a few years, the palace would recruit some talented female doctors from the public and come to the harem to teach the women in the harem.
Song Chengyi is such a person.
The Song family in Wu County specialized in producing female bachelors, which was already a well-known story in the Jin Dynasty.
Song Chengyi was born in Wu County.
And she thought she was also acquainted with Wang Zhenying before she entered the palace. Later, Wang Zhenying entered the palace first. A few years later, Song Chengyi was also selected to enter the palace and became a female doctor.
This is the highest-ranking female official in the Jin Dynasty, and her honor is very high.
However, since both of them entered the palace, they have not had much contact with each other. It is not that they deliberately did not see each other, nor did they have any civil festivals in the past.
On the contrary, it was precisely because there was no special reason to meet and there was no special reason for them to meet that they did not interact with each other.
However, if any of the female bachelors in the palace dared to take on this job, the one Wang Zhenying could think of was indeed Song Chengyi.
Only she has the courage, or in other words, only she is willing to wade into this muddy water.
It's not that Song Chengyi did it deliberately and became an enemy of Wang Zhenying, but she didn't take the so-called court battle to her heart at all, and it didn't matter at all.
You fight for what you have, I am only responsible for teaching female students, everything else has nothing to do with me.
The eldest palace maid looked at Wang Zhenying's face and looked a little unhappy, so she quickly said attentively: "Your Majesty, please ask your slave to find Dr. Song. Your Majesty, please give her a good lesson!"
right!
You should be taught a lesson!
The eldest maid was already ready, but Wang Zhenying stopped her: "That won't work!"
"Let me tell you, I have my own opinion on this matter. You and the servants in the palace should be more alert and don't get involved in this matter, and you can't disturb Dr. Song."
"Did you hear that?" Wang Zhenying didn't know what she was thinking. He was just afraid that she would be disobedient and make some small moves in private. Before she could speak, Wang Zhenying started making ugly remarks.
Sure enough, the eldest palace maid showed a disappointed look instantly: "Your Majesty, all servants are thinking about your Majesty and have no other thoughts."
Wang Zhenying comforted her with kind words: "I understand your thoughts, but I still have to resolve this matter myself, and you don't have to interfere."
"But why did Ms. Chen think of learning how to read?"
"She can't read, and it's not just in the past few days."
Speaking of this, the eldest maid really has something to say.
"Don't worry, Madam. This servant has already inquired about this matter. I heard that Madam Chen doesn't have to take His Majesty with her, so she has nothing to do every day, so I want to make some progress. After all, Madam Chen is now the emperor.
His Majesty’s biological mother is now illiterate and uneducated, which is really a bit embarrassing.”
Does it really matter whether she is embarrassed or not?
It is not her biological mother that Sima Dezong will rely on in the future. Even if she needs to leave the palace to meet people in the future, she, Wang Zhenying, will take the lead. Does she need her, Empress Chen?
Although Wang Zhenying was disdainful in her heart, she also kept her discretion and did not say it out loud. This kind of thing must not be mentioned casually to the slaves.
Sometimes, a seemingly easy statement or a simple sentence will be remembered by these slaves and used to spy on your thoughts.
Wang Zhenying didn't want her words and deeds to become a reason for her slaves to take advantage of her.
The words and deeds of the slaves are actually the same as those of Chen Guinv.
It can be viewed in two parts.
In a positive sense, Sima Dezong was led by Chen Guinv herself, and she did need to worry about it.
But now, Sima Dezong has been taken to the Queen Mother's palace by Wang Zhenying. As a biological mother, she will indeed feel empty.
Maybe, the so-called literacy is just to find a pastime for myself, and I don't think about much else.
The suggestions given by the palace maids may be just to show courtesy and have no malicious intent. Of course, they are thinking of things in a positive direction.
There is also a bad side. Chen Guinv's need to learn to read is probably a prelude to her continuing to toss in the harem.
After all, the possibility of an ignorant and uneducated woman being able to cause trouble is very low. Even if she was lucky enough to do it, it wouldn't cause much trouble.
Can't make a fuss.
But what if she has knowledge?
Not to mention those who became a monk halfway, as long as you work hard, you can always achieve some results, and your ability to do things will change instantly. This is why Wang Zhenying is wary.
As for these slaves who only know how to flatter Chen Guinv every day, they may not want to harm her compared to Chen Guinv, but their various behaviors are also very likely to make Wang Zhenying passive and make frequent mistakes.
Both of these things need to be resolutely avoided.
No discussion.
"Ms. Chen's idea makes some sense. Forget it, let's just leave it like this for now and wait and see again."
Chen Guinv needs to find something to do. She is always bored and it is indeed easy to feel uncomfortable, but what to do?
But it cannot be Chen Guinv who has the final say, it should be Wang Zhenying who has the final say.
But while Wang Zhenying was deep in thought, Xiao De'er suddenly ran into the palace quickly and said in a hurry: "Your Majesty, Mr. Xie is here."
"Thank you sir?"
"Xie An?"
"Why is he here?" Although Wang Zhenying was surprised, she quickly made preparations for the meeting. No matter what the reason for Xie An's trip was, such an important official of the imperial court came to the palace to ask for an audience, and he had to meet him anyway.
Xiao De'er shook his head: "This slave doesn't know that Mr. Xie is so powerful, and it's impossible to tell this to Xiao slave." As he said this, Xiao De'er became a little anxious and started to sweat.
"Then send him to the palace, and I will see him."
Xiao Deer hurriedly went to deliver the message, while the eldest palace maid was busy helping Wang Zhenying dress up. Xie An is here!
This is truly an unexpected turn!
Wang Zhenying was particularly shocked when she first heard the news, but when she thought that yesterday was her eldest brother Wang Gong's birthday, and heard that he held a grand banquet, even Xie An, who had always been at odds with her, was present, Wang Zhenying began to make some guesses.
Could it be related to her confused brother?
Wang Zhenying should feel lucky that in her era, the requirements and management of the female family members in the harem were not as strict as in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The women in the harem can interact with the former ministers almost without any pressure, even when His Majesty the Emperor is around.
They can participate in court banquets and talk freely with ministers. As long as they have normal interactions, no one will make irresponsible remarks.
It is precisely because of this that an old man like Xie An can calmly go to the palace to ask for an audience without informing him in advance.
What could go wrong?
Anyway, the inside and outside of the Queen Mother's palace were guarded by guards. Wang Zhenying could not do anything extraordinary, and there was no need to worry that Xie An would threaten the Queen Mother's safety.