Brother Song Taizu

Chapter 188
Kaifeng City.

A pair of slender hands picked up a peeled lychee and put it in his mouth to eat. After a while, he spit out the core and sighed:
"This lychee tastes really bad. It's either too sour or too astringent, or it just smells bad. It's not sweet at all. Bah, bah, it's far worse than when I was in Shu."

The person who spoke was wearing a plain-colored special robe. His figure could not be covered, whether it was legs, waist, chest, or big and small arms, they were all well-proportioned. His pretty face could be said to be the most beautiful thing in a country. , stunning beauty in the world.

It is the famous Mrs. Huarui of Shu. Since she followed Zhao Kuangyin, she has been known as the most beautiful woman in the world. The people of Shu called her the demon concubine. Even the ministers and common people of the Song Dynasty, and those who did good things, also called her a beauty, a disaster. .

Of course, some people say that she is the most beautiful woman in the world, and everyone is quite convinced.

For example, Meng Chang was actually quite good when he first came to the throne. He could not be said to be wise and mighty, but at least he was a conservative leader who promoted culture and education and emphasized official governance. In fact, in history, after Zhao Guangyi inherited the throne, his national policies at least included Meng Chang probably learned from him, and this series of practices is at least qualified for the successor.

As for emphasizing literature over martial arts, it is not necessarily wrong in the context of the Five Dynasties. How many people want to do this but don’t have the ability. And Meng Chang’s fall is actually what happened after this bitch entered the palace. .

Originally this was all, but after she entered the palace, Zhao Kuangyin also had a tendency to covet beauty. Just allowing her to ride a horse in the palace was enough to make her jaw drop.

Because Zhao Kuangyin has always been lewd. Before he became the emperor, he only had one wife and two concubines. Although he had a few more in the past few years after he became the emperor, they were just a few, and I had never heard of him. No matter how she indulges her harem, her favorite things to do every day when she has nothing to do are hunting birds, playing Cuju, sumo wrestling, and drinking a lot of wine.

A standard martial artist's living habits, as a result, as soon as Mrs. Hua Rui entered the palace, she was immediately loved by thousands of people.

People in the world will naturally think: How beautiful must this girl be? Meng Chang is just fascinated by her. Why is it that even an immortal hero like the official is so obsessed with her?
Naturally, people all over the world will think of Yang Yuhuan, Li Longji, and the Anshi Rebellion. Then, naturally, this woman's reputation among the people of Kaifeng will not be very good.

Although this woman has never been out of the palace at all, and she has never participated in political affairs. She is just good-looking, so who has she provoked?

"Madam, this is Kaifeng after all. These lychees have to be transported all the way from Nanhan. Naturally, they are not as good as what you are eating when we were in Chengdu. They were sold at sky-high prices in the market. Most people just spend money. No matter how much I want to buy it, I can’t.”

Unexpectedly, Mrs. Huarui said: "Humph, don't people outside say that I am Yang Guifei? Now, am I not being favored? The Concubine Riding the Red Dust laughed, Yang Yuhuan is in Chang'an, do you want to eat lychees? Can I still eat fresh food? Am I not Yang Guifei? Am I not a demon concubine? Where are the lychees? I just want to eat some lychees, where are the lychees? Aren’t they still shipped by ship? "

When the maids heard this, they could only smile awkwardly.

The imperial concubine laughed. This is not a good word. The kings of future generations must take this as a warning. If someone really dares to use six hundred miles to transport lychees urgently, the officials will not say anything, and all the ministers will explode first. Pot, besides, the world of the Song Dynasty does not belong to the official family alone, but there is also the King of Qin behind him.

King Qin...

"What's wrong? You don't look right. Are you hiding something from me?"

Mrs. Hua Rui is quite perceptive.

"Ah no, no."

"You heard someone outside talking about me again, right?"

"........."

"It's true, it's not Concubine Yang this time? Are you comparing me to King You of Zhou's concubine, or to King Zhou of Shang's Daji?" Mrs. Huarui said disdainfully.

"Huh? It's more serious than this? What words are you talking about? You don't even dare to say them."

"It's... it's a poem."

"Poetry? What kind of poem? Recite it to me."

"........."

"Why, can I still be punished for what I said?"

"Yes... yes, that poem says, 'A man is at the border, fighting to the death to achieve his feats. A noble woman is enjoying herself in the palace, so how can we call her a hero?'"

Mrs. Huarui's face turned gloomy when she heard this, but then she said without caring: "This poem is just that, is it popular and popular? The rotten literati were not taken seriously in the Song Dynasty. What do you want to say? Just let them have their say.”

"No...it's not a rotten scholar, it's a poem by His Highness the King of Qin."

With a clatter, the plate of lychees accidentally fell to the ground.

"King Qin?!"

After all, he has been in the palace for several months. Naturally, he doesn’t know that King Qin’s status in the Song Dynasty is not just a matter of what official he is, but the real second person in the world. Now the Song Dynasty, which has great promise, is It's more like a business partnership between the two brothers.

With Zhao Kuangyin's care, of course she could be arrogant and pampered. It didn't matter what anyone said, but after all, King Qin was different from everyone else in the world.

"When did I...offend King Qin? Shouldn't he be in Shu now? Why did he say this to me?"

"His Royal Highness the King of Qin ordered that the rebels in Shu be buried generously and a cemetery was built for them. This poem was inscribed on the inscription in the cemetery."

"Does the inscription say that the rebellion in Shu is over? He is coming back too?"

"I also heard from the eunuchs in the palace that it was almost over. Except for the 3000 people under Wang Quanbin who had vowed not to surrender, all the others surrendered. Commander Yang Yeyang, who temporarily replaced Wang Quanbin, sent troops to the Qing Tang and Tubo to fight with the Qing Dynasty. Tang and Tubo also fought a battle and won a complete victory, but it is said that he took his own initiative and led his troops directly to Qinghai Lake."

"Qinghai Lake? Qingtang and Tubo? Didn't King Qin go to quell the rebellion?"

"I don't know. It is said that the Qing and Tang Tibetans also got involved, and it seems that there are Khitans who are stirring up trouble behind the scenes."

"Oh~"

Mrs. Huarui pondered slightly after hearing the words, closed her eyes and thought for a while, and said: "It seems that King Qin is indeed a little dissatisfied with me."

"Mother...Mother, the King of Qin is in the Song Dynasty, which is unusual. You must not..."

"Hmph, it's unusual, but it also makes you countless enemies. Xiaoqing, pick up these lychees on the ground." "Yes."

"Come on, let's take these lychees and deliver them to the Queen."

"Yes, ah? Oh"

Then, Mrs. Hua Rui took the plate of lychees she had just picked up from the ground and went to find the queen.

When they went there, Queen Wang was playing with Zhao Defang on her lap. She smiled and gave a half salute and said: "I have met the Queen. Today, the official gave me some lychees. I came here to give them to my sister and my wife." Fang'er eat some."

Empress Wang smiled and said: "Since the officials specially rewarded my sister, why should my sister take it?"

"I don't dare to eat it. People outside now compare me to Yang Yuhuan. For those who don't know, they think that my lychees also take six hundred miles to be transported in a hurry. I don't know how many people in the civil and military dynasties He said that I was a demon concubine, and that the Shu regime was defeated because of me. One day, I, the demon concubine, would be scolded as Bao Si and Daji, and dragged out and chopped up to avoid further defeats. This is the country of the Song Dynasty."

Queen Wang frowned and said: "The people who sit in the country and enjoy the country are obviously men, but when the country is destroyed, we women are to blame. So, does the Anshi Rebellion really have anything to do with Yang Yuhuan? Huh, man, Whose gossip has my sister heard again? Don’t worry, our official is not Emperor Tang Ming, and we won’t take such nonsense to heart.”

The relationship between Queen Wang and Mrs. Hua Rui is not bad, because although Mrs. Hua Rui is favored, she is of low origin and does not pose any threat to Queen Wang's position as queen.

In the early Song Dynasty, the power of the generals was still very strong. The entire royal family was marrying the generals, and Zhao Kuangyin was no exception. To a certain extent, Queen Wang represented not only the Wang family, but the entire generals. There is absolutely no reason to be bullied by a girl from an ordinary family.

In fact, at least before Liu E, or before emphasizing civility over martial arts, the queens of the Song Dynasty paid great attention to family background. Among the more than a dozen queens, there was not one prominent daughter who had been a general for generations. If Liu E could be a queen, she was basically a civil servant. The rise of the group began to suppress Jiangmen, a landmark event.

So she and Mrs. Hua Rui are not on the same level at all. A young and beautiful woman, which no man does not love, is just a plaything. If a master fights with a plaything, wouldn't it be a loss of identity for the master?
Mrs. Huarui also knew this well. Although she was a beloved concubine, she was able to position herself right at all times. At least on the surface, she was always respectful and courteous to the Queen. She sincerely taught her how to dress up and even the magic of the room. Of course, Queen Wang would definitely disdain learning Fang Zhongshu.

Mrs. Huarui said with a look that made me feel pity: "If it is really just gossip, my sister will not take it to heart, but King Qin... Hey, you are laughing at me calling the queen, my sister is too pretentious, come on. , Fang'er eats lychees, I think this Fang'er is really extraordinary."

Queen Wang raised her eyebrows: "Is it Zhao Guangmei?"

Mrs. Huarui nodded.

Queen Wang snorted angrily, and the anger in her heart suddenly came up. She couldn't help but cursed: "This old man, who does he think he is? He has great talent and strategy, and can only care about external affairs. Why is he still doing it?" Are you going to have trouble with women like us in the palace? It’s really unreasonable.”

"Forget it, queen, His Highness the King of Qin is the crown prince after all. In the future, if the official family happens a hundred years later, we will still have to watch his appearance. Alas, since ancient times, it has always been the father who dies and the son succeeds. It's a pity that our Song Dynasty is different after all. If Zhao'er and Fang'er come to inherit the throne in the future, we can be regarded as the elders. Even if the children are out of filial piety, they will naturally have nothing to worry about. But in the future, when King Qin enters the palace, I'm afraid we We have to find another way out, it will be inconvenient to live in this harem anymore."

While talking, he picked up Zhao Defang again and fed him lychees. At the same time, he said: "The outside world says that His Highness the King of Qin is the smartest person in the world. He is a well-deserved and the best choice to be the crown prince. Woolen cloth."

The little Zhao Defang couldn't help but said: "Aunt Xu, I am the smartest person in the world. Mom, you said I am the smartest, right?"

"Yes, yes, Fang'er is the smartest. Hahaha, eat lychees quickly. We can't eat them easily in the north."

After chatting for a few more words, Mrs. Huarui said her goodbyes and left without saying anything that she shouldn't have said. However, Queen Wang couldn't help but look gloomy, and even had a look of gnashing her teeth.

"Mom, this lychee is delicious. You can eat it too. You can eat it too."

"Hey, okay, okay, mother, eat it, Fang'er is so good."

While eating, I couldn't help but think, why did the succession to the throne in other dynasties follow the father's death and the son's death, but in the Song Dynasty, it would become a brother's death?

Although she is a childless queen, she has given birth to three children but none of them survived. However, although Zhao Defang was born to Zhao Kuangyin's ex-wife He, she was basically raised by herself. She is not yet five years old this year, so in fact It's almost the same as her biological son.

He is Zhao Kuangyin's second wife, who is more than ten years younger than Zhao Kuangyin. It is natural for him to consider the situation that Zhao Kuangyin died earlier than him. After all, women inherently live longer than men. How could he not have considered the future of his son's succession? In the future, she will naturally be the Queen Mother, even if it is Zhao Dezhao?But if his younger brother succeeds, then who is he?The royal sister-in-law?

Not to mention, Zhao Guangmei still had a sworn hatred for her for killing her younger brother.

But after all, she is only the master of the harem, and he can't even make the decision in harem affairs. The old lady, Empress Dowager Du, is still alive, and although Zhao Guangmei is only the third child, the limelight is too strong, and the trading company is already a behemoth. , and now he has grabbed the imperial court's money bag and swallowed up the Hu Department and Duzhi Department in the Sansi Yamen. The Salt and Iron Department has not been swallowed up, but it is about to be disbanded.

However, the officials still trusted their younger brother so much that they almost never had any doubts.

Hey ~
What can I do as a queen?

On the other side, after Mrs. Huarui returned to the palace, she asked the people around her: "I heard that the Queen believes in Buddhism?"

"Yes, I heard someone say that."

"Xiao Qing, is there a Master Mingyang in Kaifeng City? It is said that he is quite famous and many dignitaries entrust him with their entrustment?"

"Yes, but Master, this Master Mingyang is not a Buddhist master. It is said that he is from the Ming Sect."

"What I want is Mingjiao. Xiaoqing, can you find a way to let this mage enter the palace to lecture me? I want to convert to Mingjiao."

"Ah? Why?"

"Those who use sex to serve others will inevitably suffer the consequences of losing sex and falling behind in love. Buddhism and Taoism have no shortage of people who believe in them. Naturally, they don't look down on me. How can the icing on the cake be as good as providing help in the snow?"

"But Master, I heard that this Ming Cult is also called the Demon Cult."

"Haha, it depends on the Ganzhou Uighurs. Last month, didn't they send envoys again? They also said that they wanted the officials to confer a saint for them. Xiaoqing, do you want to be this saint? Temple? I heard that all the people there believe in this Ming religion. As long as the Song Dynasty allows their tribute and accepts their title of vassal, can this Ming religion still be a demon religion? Xiaoqing, Xiaoqing, if you really do it in the future If you can become this saint, maybe I will have to rely on you for help."

"Huh? But...but the Buddhist side..."

"Haha, queen, don't you believe in Buddhism? She lacks a Buddhist master by her side."

(End of this chapter)