sjar Chapter 255 Princess, I'll tell you a secret!
Chapter 255 Princess, I'll tell you a secret!
Chapter 255 Princess, I'll tell you a secret!
The princess's convoy continued on its journey, and along the way, Zhou Wei inquired about the route.
Jiang Yueli instructed her, "Go south first. I want to visit my eldest and second brothers' fiefdoms."
The eldest and second princes had long been sent away by the Great Zhou Emperor, who granted them the title of kings and fiefdoms.
But the more this was the case, the more the court and the public tacitly accepted it, and the two princes lost their chance to compete for the crown prince position.
"Princess, I've heard that the First Prince and the Second Prince were extremely favored and enjoyed great prestige in the palace back then. Is that true?"
This part of the plot was unrelated to the main storyline that Zhou Wei was watching, so it was naturally glossed over.
However, since they are going to the fiefdoms of the First Prince and the Second Prince, they will have to deal with these two, so it's good to ask them beforehand.
"It's true. My eldest and second brothers' birth mother, Consort Rong, was extremely favored back then. She was a woman who shared hardships with Father Emperor even before he ascended the throne."
“My eldest brother was born in a chaotic era, before the Great Zhou Dynasty was established. My second brother was the first son of our father after he ascended the throne. Both of these children were born to our father’s beloved women, so he naturally doted on them.”
"At the time, everyone in the court and the public thought that my elder brother would be the crown prince, because he was brave and resourceful, a rare military talent, and a ruler who could expand the territory."
"Even if the eldest brother can't become the crown prince, the second brother is not bad either. The second brother is learned and talented, and can be a ruler who can maintain the status quo."
Jiang Yueli and Zhou Wei sat together on A Bao's back, recounting the past of the two princes.
As she said, Consort Rong's two children were exceptionally outstanding, and whichever one was chosen would be a wise ruler for the country and its people.
But things took an unexpected turn in the end!
“In the early years of the Great Zhou Dynasty, my mother entered the palace. She was immediately out of favor and could only rely on Empress Jian Xiyan, who was also the former Consort De, for support.”
“The two women addressed each other as sisters. In the second year of the reign of Emperor Da Zhou, my mother became pregnant and gave birth to me the following year. Only then was she promoted from the rank of concubine to the rank of imperial consort.”
"It's a pity I'm a woman. My mother felt that I couldn't guarantee her and Jian Xiyan's position in the harem, so she disregarded her still-healthy state and started vying for favor as soon as she finished her confinement."
"It's just a coincidence that she and Jian Xiyan were pregnant at the same time, but my mother's health was poor, which caused Yue Lin to give birth prematurely."
Zhou Wei listened attentively; the eldest princess had clearly explained the origins of these children of the Great Zhou royal family.
Jiang Yueli, the Third Prince, and the deposed Crown Prince were all born in the same year.
The one who was most clueless among them was Consort Li.
"Consort Li is being too wishful. Just look at how the Empress and she were pregnant at the same time; the Empress doesn't treat her like a good sister at all."
"She must have taken advantage of the time when Consort Li was in confinement to get close to the Emperor. She finally got pregnant, and then Consort Li came again."
Zhou Wei almost laughed when she thought about this scenario.
Consort Li desperately wanted to have a son so that she and Jian Xiyan could gain a foothold in the harem.
Unexpectedly, Jian Xiyan only intended to rely on herself.
How can you trust a child that comes out of someone else's womb?
Of course, it's safest to have your own child!
Jian Xiyan never expected that Consort Li would be so blindly loyal to her, even disregarding her own health.
This was also thanks to Jian Xiyan, who had become pregnant while Consort Li was in confinement after childbirth.
Otherwise, even if Consort Li was so eager to win the emperor's favor, and it was all for Jian Xiyan's good, Jian Xiyan would not have spared her life!
The eldest princess sighed, feeling utterly helpless towards her own mother.
"Yue Lin was born prematurely, which gave him an advantage and made him the elder brother of the deposed crown prince. The empress was quite resentful about this. Fortunately, the emperor treated Yue Lin and Yue Shan equally, which relieved the empress."
“The turning point came when I was three years old. My father suddenly became disgusted with Consort Rong and banished her to the Cold Palace. Soon after, news came that Consort Rong had died suddenly.”
"My eldest and second eldest brothers were also granted fiefdoms by imperial decree at that time, and were ordered to go to their fiefdoms immediately and not return to the capital without an imperial edict."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Wei asked curiously, "So, the princess hasn't seen the two princes all these years?"
The eldest princess nodded. After not seeing them for so many years, she barely remembered her two brothers.
I only remember that my eldest brother was very tall, much taller than other people his age.
Her second brother had fair skin, and when he stood in the garden calling her to go out and play, he looked like a porcelain doll.
Both women perfectly inherited Consort Rong's beauty and were very pretty!
"My eldest brother was enfeoffed in Ningzhou by our father, while my second brother was in Jiaozhou. The two places are very close. I heard the deposed crown prince mention that my second brother often left his fiefdom to stay with my eldest brother."
"If we are lucky on this trip, we might be able to see our two elder brothers in Ningzhou."
The convoy traveled smoothly on the official road.
Along the way, everyone stayed in inns and had little contact with ordinary people.
Even though some people were afraid when they saw Ah Bao, they immediately lost their fear when they saw this huge creature obediently pulling the cart.
In the countryside, some children even dared to approach and play with Abao.
Ah Bao, with the intelligence of a child, played with these children with great restraint.
Many children love Abao so much that they even take out the food they themselves are reluctant to eat and feed it to him.
When the local officials arrived and bowed to the princess, the people realized that the convoy actually belonged to the Crown Princess.
The black and white beasts that frolic with the children in the fields are auspicious beasts!
In an instant, the people all kowtowed to the princess and to Abao, praying for favorable weather and a bountiful harvest.
The princess did not stop the people from kneeling before her and Abao; it was simply a reflection of their beautiful aspirations for the future.
The further the caravan left the capital, the more dilapidated the official roads became.
In some places, the damage to the roads clearly indicates that they have been there for a long time.
After entering Ningzhou Prefecture, the official road seemed to disappear, becoming a muddy and difficult-to-traverse path.
The little red horse's cart got stuck in the mud many times, and it was only thanks to Abao that it was pulled out.
After finally arriving at the post station, they found it to be dilapidated.
The large inn was guarded by only one old man, who would only light a kerosene lamp after nightfall.
Looking at the dilapidated surroundings, Zhou Wei couldn't help but ask, "Princess, why is Ningzhou Prefecture so poor? The official roads are unmaintained, and even the post stations are so run-down!"
"Where does the tax money paid by the people of Ningzhou Prefecture go every year? No wonder the people along the way look so pale and thin. It turns out that the entire prefecture is so poor from top to bottom."
The eldest princess frowned, clearly not expecting this situation.
She could never see such a realistic scene while holed up in the capital.
"I don't know either. I only heard from Luo Maocheng, the Minister of Revenue, that some prefectures have been in arrears with taxes for years. This has been the norm for many years. Even when the Ministry of Revenue urges them to pay, the prefectures have no money and can only drag it out. Now, the situation in Ningzhou Prefecture seems to be more serious than I imagined."
"But I always feel that things shouldn't be like this, Weiwei. Do you know that my second brother's strategies for governing the country were no less than Xie Yuan's back then!"
"Although my elder brother is more skilled in martial arts, he is not good at management and business. He cannot be a great general. Both governing a country and leading an army require boldness and meticulousness."
"Looking at the situation in Ningzhou Prefecture, I really can't imagine that this is under my elder brother's rule."
"Ningzhou is much wealthier than Jiaozhou, where my second brother is. If even Ningzhou is like this, I really don't know what kind of life the people of Jiaozhou are living?"
Jiang Zao knocked on the door and came in, carrying an oil lamp.
After adding another lamp, the dim room became much brighter.
Seeing that Jiang Zao's hands were empty, Zhou Wei frowned: "Xiao Zao, where's the food?"
Jiang Zao smiled wryly: "Sister Wei, there is no extra food at the post station. All the stored grain is only enough for the old man who guards the post station."
“If we eat, he will go hungry for a year. Even the fodder for Little Red Horse is saved by the old man.”
Helpless, Zhou Wei instructed Jiang Zao: "Go to the carriage and get two quilts. The quilts at the post station are too thin. As for food, I'll figure something out."
After Jiang Zao left, Zhou Wei turned to look at the Eldest Princess.
After considering it for a moment, he said, "Princess, I have to tell you a secret."