Farmers of Shu Han

Chapter 1436 Shandong Girl
Looking around, he saw that the palace servants and guards had all been sent far away, and A Dou was still clinging to him tightly. Feng Da Sima couldn't help but feel a little strange.

He knew he seemed to have misjudged the situation once again.

When he was in Yecheng, he discussed with the General of Zhendong that the emperor had encountered some trouble that he could not make public, so he disregarded the overall situation and ran to Luoyang to hide.

When they arrived in Luoyang and met Jiang Wan, they thought they had been wrong and had wrongly blamed Fatty Liu, who had been made a scapegoat.

Seeing Fatty Liu's expression now, it seems my initial prediction was... correct?

The thought flashed through my mind, but I said it aloud:
"Your Majesty, please speak freely. I am all ears."

Upon hearing this, Fatty Liu's awkwardness deepened even further.
“There are only the two of us here, and no one else. Mingwen, you don’t need to be so reserved.”

I wasn't being reserved at all, just being polite.

But the more you say that, the more it seems that what you're about to say is not simple.

Grand Marshal Feng even hunched his back slightly, leaning forward as if listening attentively, and lowered his voice:

"Has Your Majesty encountered some trouble?"

Upon hearing this, Fatty Liu paused, a look of surprise on his face, and mumbled something under his breath:
"Yes...no...well, if you put it that way, you could say that?"

Seeing Liu Pangzi's hesitant manner, Feng Da Sima's feeling of unease grew stronger.

The emperor's expression... why does he seem a little embarrassed to say it?

"Your Majesty, is there something troubling you?"

Upon hearing this, A Dou, with a bellyful of unspoken words, let out a long sigh, his expression somewhat dejected:

"It is indeed a bit of a dilemma..."

Then, looking at Grand Marshal Feng, he paused for a moment, and said, "Actually, this matter is also related to you, Mingwen."

"Is it related to me?"

Grand Marshal Feng was slightly taken aback.

That was unexpected.

Now that you mention it, I really need to listen to that.

Grand Marshal Feng leaned forward again:
"Your Majesty, please speak plainly."

A Dou swallowed hard and said:

“Mingwen, as you know, the palace in Chang’an is far larger than that in Jincheng. Since the capital was moved to Chang’an, there have been quite a few palace servants who came from Jincheng.”

"The Imperial Household Department has accumulated some money in recent years, so it has recruited quite a few people in the palace in the last two or three years."

"As for the Empress, well, the Empress is quite virtuous and generous. For the sake of the royal offspring, she has allowed many new people to enter the palace."

Feng Da Sima's fist suddenly hardened.

"Your Majesty, let's get down to business!"

Okay, stop talking.

I know your first wife will take the initiative to find you a concubine.

"Important business? I am talking about important business now. Mingwen, please don't be impatient, let me finish."

Damn you!

Feng Da Sima held back.

Interrupted by Grand Marshal Feng, Fatty Liu paused for a moment, reorganized his thoughts, and then continued:

"With news of the great victory in Hebei, many people from the east have come to Chang'an recently."

The east side, of course, refers to the Guandong region.

Their purpose is self-evident.

The battle in Hebei shattered the last glimmer of hope for the powerful families of Guandong.

Sima Yi, who was on whom high hopes were placed, could not hold off Feng for a year despite relying on the strategic Taihang Mountains.

As for Shandong and Huainan, which face the Han army directly and have no natural defenses, no one would believe that they could launch a counterattack against the Shu Han.

Even the most stubborn aristocratic families in Guandong, if they did not intend to live or die with Cao Wei, would seize the last moments to find a way out.

If the disaster in Hedong made the powerful families of Guandong determined to recommend Sima Yi to block the eastward advance of the Shu Han dynasty, then...

The recurrence of the Hedong disaster currently unfolding in Jizhou has utterly terrified the powerful families of Guandong.

Before the royal army arrived, everyone was cursing the Shu barbarians, hoping that one day they would hear news of a sudden internal strife between the Shu ruler and his ministers, leading to the Shu Kingdom's collapse.

Even if not, hearing the news that Sima Yi defeated Feng in Hebei would be excellent.

But instead of good news, terrible news arrived first.

The royal army has arrived, and not only has it arrived, it has also wreaked havoc in Ji Province.

With no hope left, and judging from the situation in Ji Province, it's clear that the Shu Han's slogan of "Han is an old state, but its destiny is to be renewed" is not just empty talk, but a firm commitment to implementing the new policy of forcefully cracking down on powerful clans.

As a result, the powerful families of Guandong wished they could immediately sprout wings and fly to Chang'an to open doors and beg for a way to survive.

Families that made arrangements in the Han Kingdom in advance undoubtedly gained an advantage.

For example, the Taishan clan.

A few years earlier, the Yang family had sent Yang Shuzi (Yang Hu) to Chang'an, and even through the connections of Cao Zhi and the Xiahou family, he met with Grand Marshal Feng several times.

(Chapters 1290-1293) (Chapters 1342-1343)
He was even able to enroll in the academy because he helped Cao Zhi deliver a letter.

Then, through his friendship with Du Yu, he became friends with the second young master Feng.

It can be said that if the Yang family had not made prior arrangements, they would have suffered a heavy blow and might even have been one of the first major Shandong families to perish.

Because Taishan Commandery happened to belong to Yanzhou.

Yang Shuzi risked his life to help Cao Zhi deliver a message and escorted the Xiahou clan to Chang'an. Finally, he received a rich reward at this time.

The Yang family, who had been closely monitoring the war in Hebei, had already sent many of their clansmen to Chang'an through Cao Zhi and the Xiahou family before Sima Yi led his army south after the fall of Youzhou.

Due to her years of management in Chang'an, coupled with the reputation of the Yang family in Tai'an, the empress, who was keen on finding concubines for the emperor, soon heard that the Yang family had a daughter named Yang Huiyu, who was intelligent and virtuous, so she sent people to seek her out.

Unexpectedly, when faced with the people sent by the Empress, Yang Huiyu said that she already had someone she liked and had already expressed her feelings, and refused to enter the palace.

As the powerful empress of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Xingcai had a smooth and successful life in recent years, except for the setbacks she suffered against the newly powerful noble group represented by Feng.

The Imperial Household Department is the second largest conglomerate after the Xinghan Society. As the head of the department, the powerful families would only rush to send their legitimate daughters to the palace. How could they be so disrespectful?

In the future plans of the Han Dynasty, cotton from Northeast China was an important source of revenue.

The Royal Household could not possibly remain uninvolved.

The Empress sent Yang's daughter into the palace with the intention of taking advantage of the Shandong aristocratic families' anxiety to accumulate shares at the bottom of the market.

After all, the chips at this point are all real, hard-won chips.

If you don't seize the opportunity now, when will you?

I never expected that a mere woman surnamed Yang who fled from Shandong to Chang'an would be so disrespectful.

If we really lose face because of the Yang family woman, then when the Imperial Household goes to Shandong to plant cotton in the future, who knows how many people will not give us face and how many troubles will be caused for no reason.
So the Empress continued to send people to inquire, wanting to find out who Yang's daughter had been betrothed to. If they didn't give a clear answer, it would be a crime of deceiving the Emperor.

Unexpectedly, Lady Yang was also a woman of strong character. Seeing the harsh tone of the people from the palace, she ran to the back room and hanged herself to show her resolve.

Fortunately, the rescue was timely and the injury is not serious.

What was even more unexpected was that the people sent out by the palace learned that the woman surnamed Yang was in love with none other than a fellow surnamed Feng.

When the palace learned of this news, they were completely thrown into a panic.

冯？
Which Feng?
Seeing that things were about to get out of control, the Empress panicked. She wasn't afraid of others, but she was really afraid of a certain person surnamed Feng.

Although this man surnamed Feng is her brother-in-law.

Because the man surnamed Feng not only dared to take action, but he was also incredibly ruthless in his methods.

He was the one who banished himself from Weiyang Palace to Gui Palace, far removed from the center of the court.

But who in this world can truly make decisions for her?

But it only applies to the emperor alone.

When A Dou heard about this, he was also thrown into a panic.

He can delegate state affairs to his brother-in-law or the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, but when it comes to matters of the inner palace, who can he delegate them to?
We can't just throw it back to the Empress, can we?
After all, the beauties the Empress brought into the harem from outside over the years were all for his pleasure, not for the Empress herself to enjoy...

Therefore, as the empress's support, he had to step forward even if he didn't want to.

“Mingwen, it is true that the Empress did not handle this matter well, but let alone her, even I did not expect that you and that Yang woman had already secretly developed feelings for each other.”

"Yes, yes, I know and understand. You don't dare, uh, you don't want to publicize this matter, but your affair is too secretive, there's not even a whisper of it."

“If the Empress had known beforehand, she certainly wouldn’t have sent someone to cause this mess. Mingwen, don’t blame the Empress for this. If you have to blame someone, blame me.”

"In recent years, I have indeed indulged in too much sensual pleasures and lost my self-control, which is why the Empress has repeatedly taken in new concubines from outside..."

Listening to A Dou's incessant rambling, Feng Da Sima was completely dumbfounded.

"Wait a minute!"

Coming to his senses, he interrupted A Dou without regard for etiquette:
"I had feelings for Lady Yang? When did that happen? How come I didn't know?"

Could it be that someone is impersonating me to swindle and deceive, even the legitimate daughter of a noble family is being fooled because of my reputation for being highly talented?
It's not impossible.

Countless naive young women and married women in later generations have been deceived and swindled out of their money and sexually exploited in this way.

"That's too much, that's too much!" A Dou pointed at Grand Marshal Feng. "Mingwen, it's just the two of us here. Are you going to deceive even me?"

"I ask you, did that woman from the Yang family write you a letter expressing her admiration?"

Grand Marshal Feng blinked, but did not answer immediately.

I vaguely remember something like this.

(Chapter 1343)
I must have refused back then...
should?

So, did they actually refuse?

It's been too long, and I hadn't paid attention, so I've long forgotten about it.

Feng Da Sima's speechless silence, in A Dou's eyes, was the look of someone whose secret had been exposed, and he pressed his advantage:

“Mingwen, you not only asked the young lady her maiden name, but also about her marriage to Sima Shi, didn’t you?”

Did you ask?
It seems that I did ask.

Seeing that Grand Marshal Feng was speechless, A Dou couldn't help but point at Feng again, revealing a knowing smile:

"Mingwen, Mingwen, after all these years, your tastes haven't changed..."

He's fucking bastard!

Why don't you try saying it again?
slander!

This is blatant slander!

Do you think I won't dare to hit you just because you have many concubines?

But then A Dou let out a long sigh, his tone filled with regret, and his expression became serious:

"The Empress wanted to take Yang's daughter as her concubine, but her real intention was to make a move on the cotton fields in Guandong."

"I never imagined that you, Mingwen, had been preparing for this for so many years. When it comes to foresight and strategic thinking, who in the world can compare to you!"

In fact, the Taishan family was indeed one of the preparatory wedges for Feng's operation in Shandong.

The problem is that the person he prepared as a prelude was not a woman from the Yang family, but rather Yang Shuzi, also known as Yang Hu.

Otherwise, how could Yang Hu have been able to thrive in Chang'an?
Did they really think that Mr. Feng's reputation for being ruthless was just for show?
"No, Your Majesty, it's not like that! Let me explain! No, let me see why..."

"I won't listen." A Dou waved his hand. "Your ability to use flattery and sophistry is unmatched in the world."

"If you start to argue, I might just be coaxed into returning to Chang'an tonight to help you arrange for a concubine."

What bullshit are you talking about?
You won't listen to the trouble your wife caused.
Do you want to listen to what you are saying?
Say it again if you dare?
Grand Marshal Feng wished he could rush forward and punch the Emperor three times!
“General Zhen Dong is a pillar of the nation, with outstanding military achievements. Whether in the court or the army, he is second only to you. No matter how much you try to hide this matter, you still need her approval in the end.”

"It's not worth causing trouble in the backyard for a mere Yang woman..."

When Feng, who was indignant, heard A Dou mention the General of the East, he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

Even the words he was about to use to defend A Dou vanished in terror, disappearing without a trace.

"This this……"

After all that, Mr. Feng still couldn't come up with a solution.

In a moment of quick thinking, he suddenly said, "This isn't quite right."

Although Feng was known for his deep thinking and foresight, he was briefly flustered by the title of General Zhen Dong, but he quickly regained his composure.

Our Lady Right is in charge of Chang'an, so why does she seem to have disappeared from this matter?
To say that Ji Province hasn't been captured yet could be attributed to the importance of the war and the need to prioritize the overall situation.

But having spent so much time idly in Ye City, given Lady You's personality, she certainly wouldn't remain silent about this matter.

Back in the day, when the Right Lady got extremely jealous, she even tried to kill herself with a dagger.

Therefore... there must be something fishy about this.

Once his mind was set in motion, Mr. Feng's thoughts began to expand.

Over the years, countless large and small aristocratic families have been directly or indirectly destroyed by Feng.

He knew very well what kind of people aristocratic families were.

He knew very well what kind of person a woman from a prominent family was.

It's not that there aren't good women; on the contrary, women from noble families are actually among the most outstanding women in the world.

The women from prominent families who were chosen to serve as a link in the chain of interests were selected through a rigorous process.

A noblewoman who dared to offer herself to Feng Guiwang was absolutely perfect in the four virtues.

Yang's daughter never met Mr. Feng in person, but through correspondence alone, she remained chaste and faithful to him.

Such women do exist, though Mr. Feng believes he doesn't have that kind of luck.

Mr. Feng is long past the age of being impulsive and hot-blooded.

The fact that the Right Lady remained silent about the matter, as if she were invisible, already hinted at something unusual.

"Explicit text?"

Seeing his brother-in-law suddenly freeze in place, Fatty Liu assumed he was terrified by the General of the East and waved his hand in front of his eyes, trying to summon back his spirit.

Grand Marshal Feng's eyes followed the emperor's plump hand as it moved, and then he spoke:

"Your Majesty, the Empress wants the Imperial Household Department to make arrangements for the cotton fields in Shandong in advance. This approach is not wrong, but the wrong person has been chosen."

"Lady Yang is strong-willed. Even if she enters the palace, she may not be able to serve His Majesty well. If she displeases His Majesty, the Empress may end up doing more harm than good."

"Now that things have come to this, it would be better to choose another noblewoman who is virtuous, pure, kind, intelligent and discerning."

"In this way, the Empress can achieve her goal and also satisfy His Majesty's wishes. Isn't that wonderful?"

Anyone can scam people.
The Empress has dug such a huge pit for herself. Whether it was intentional or unintentional, wouldn't it be a waste of her reputation as a vengeful and benevolent person if she didn't retaliate?
Sure enough, Fatty Liu's attention was immediately drawn upon hearing this:
"Oh? Is there a woman in Shandong who is even more outstanding than Lady Yang?"

Yes brothers, yes!