Chapter 20: The Moment of Crisis (Part 1)
Lü finally came back from her memories, and this brief moment of distraction did not attract the attention of the people around her, everyone thought she was still thinking.
She glanced at Zhou Deyu.
Zhou Deyu knew that his sister-in-law was seeking his opinion.
He was grieved by the death of his elder brother and nephew, but he saw hope in this young nephew.
Even he, who has been drifting in the officialdom for twenty years, cannot help but admit that this is the most comprehensive and feasible proposal.
Zhou Deyu nodded slightly.
Lü finally made a decision: "Wenbo, let's do it your way. What do we need to do with the Zhao Guo Gong Fu? Just say so. Your father and older brother are no longer here, you need to take charge of this family!"
Zhou Wenbo suddenly looked at his nominal mother with some surprise, because according to the memory of this body, Lü Old Lady seemed to have been quite wary of him, which led to his previous self only learning literature and not practicing martial arts.
Suddenly, he saw the determination and decisiveness in her eyes, with a courage of breaking through the waves, he began to deeply admire and respect this old man who was already over sixty years old.
Zhou Wenbo nodded, his own plan must get the support of Zhao Guo Gongfu, otherwise how to talk about the next step? If not, Zhou Wenbo even planned to escape to Wu State or Wu Yue State immediately.
Zhou Wenbo began to explain how the goal was achieved: "The first step must be to make friends with eunuchs, otherwise we will not be able to get in touch with Empress Liu. The leader of the eunuchs beside Empress Liu is Liu Chengen, and this eunuch is her confidant."
"Fourth Uncle, you have many social connections, so I'm troubling you with this matter. Please take a gift card marked 'Zhao Guogong Fu Jing Liu Huanghou' and find a way to deliver it to Eunuch Liu. That's the first step."
"How much does it cost for the invitation cards?" asked Mrs. Lü.
"How much is left in storage?" Zhou Wenbo asked.
Lü raised his head and glanced at Zhou De, the housekeeper.
Zhou De was an old man in the mansion, familiar with everything in the Zhao Guo Gong Fu.
"There are 4,500 taels of gold in the treasury, 50,000 taels of silver, pearls and precious stones worth 60,000 guan, 100,000 guan of copper coins, 800,000 dan of rice and wheat, and 1,400,000 dan of miscellaneous grains."
According to ancient standards, one dan of rice is equivalent to about 27 kilograms of rice today. Therefore, the Zhao State's public granary stored approximately 10,000 tons of grain, and other grains were less than 20,000 tons.
"Take three thousand taels of gold and twenty thousand taels of silver, and select a few precious jewels to present to Empress Liu!"
"Also give 5,000 taels of white silver to Liu Taichang!"
As soon as Zhou Wenbo's voice fell, Zhou De couldn't help but frown and look worried. If this is sent out, the Zhao State Duke's mansion will immediately lose half of its prestige.
He cast a pleading glance at Madame Guo, attempting to solicit her intercession.
"According to Wenbo's quantity preparation, this matter will be handed over to the fourth brother!" Mrs. Lü chose to firmly support him. At this time, it was not the time to regret the money, and if they didn't cut off a large piece of flesh, how could they satisfy Liu Huanghou's greedy wolf?
"Sister-in-law, our family is in trouble. I'm not capable of helping much, but this matter of sending gifts, I'll take care of it!" Zhou Dexiu may not be talented, but he's not stupid either. He knows that as long as the Zhao Guo Gong Fu remains standing, he'll have the means to continue living a carefree life. So, he pats his chest and guarantees it.
"I'll write a letter and attach it with the gift list, then send them together to Empress Liu. Once they reach her hands, this matter will be halfway settled!"
Zhou Wenbo turned his gaze to his third uncle, Zhou Deyu, who was sitting beside him: "Third Uncle, is there a close adult in the court who can help me, the Duke of Zhao, with my remonstrance on the imperial court?"
Zhou Deyu thought for a moment and replied, "There is one. The Military Governor of Baoyi, Fu Yanqing, has always been on good terms with me. He was appointed as the Military Governor of Baoyi due to your father's recommendation. His eldest daughter, Fu Fenghuang, was selected by Your Majesty two years ago to enter the palace and became a noble consort. Although he is currently serving as the Military Governor of Baoyi, it so happens that he is in the capital due to his mother's illness."
Fu Yanqing?
Isn't this the father of the famous Fu sisters?
Baoyi Army Jiedushi Fu Yanqing is most famous not for his military achievements or official position, but for the three lovely daughters he fathered.
The eldest daughter married Chai Rong of Later Zhou as empress and was known historically as Empress Xuanyi of (Later) Zhou.
When he was seriously ill and about to die, he also arranged for his sister to marry Chai Rong as the empress, known in history as Empress Dowager of Later Zhou.
More legendary is that Yu Xianqing's youngest daughter married Zhao Kuangyi, and later when Zhao Kuangyi became emperor, she also became empress, known in history as Empress Yide of the Song Dynasty.
They were indeed three sisters, each becoming an empress.
However, Fu Yanqing shouldn't have been born in 898 AD and is only 28 years old now, how can he be the daughter of a noble concubine? Moreover, he finally became the military governor of Tianxiong Army, how did he also become the military governor of Baoyi Army?
This damn history, it's really a headache, always overturning the memories in your mind in unexpected places. Zhou Wenbo secretly warned himself that from now on, his stored historical knowledge could only be used as a reference and must not be relied upon as evidence.
Fu Yanqing's eldest daughter, Fu Shi, unexpectedly became Li Cunxu's noble concubine in this chaotic history!
What a pity she was originally destined for an empress's fate in history.
Zhou Wenbo was too lazy to think so much and continued to arrange his own schedule.
"Third Uncle can hand over the visiting card, and interact with the Fu family a bit more. Although it's just a casual move for now, it may come in handy in the future. If the Zhao Guo Gong Fu can get the help of Empress Liu, and His Majesty shows us some sympathy, then it will be these ministers who are on good terms with us who will recommend Third Uncle to enter the inner circle."
"When the memorial of King Wei Li Jike is presented, the news of Father's passing will inevitably be exposed. The Emperor will summon us soon, and at that time, it will be up to you to respond, Mother."
Although Zhou Deyu was not as talented as his elder brother, he had been in the officialdom for many years and still had the most basic judgment.
Although Lu Shi, the elder sister-in-law, was clever and decisive, she was after all a woman who didn't read many books. Originally, the eldest nephew Zhou Wenshuang, who held the family together, had also passed away; one of the two grandnephews was missing, and the other was still an infant, so someone in the household had to take charge.
It seems that this person can only be Zhou Wenbo, a younger cousin of mine.
Since ancient times, there has been a saying: "If names are not correct, words will not be in order."
Simply standing out in the name of a humble son of the Zhao State Duke's manor is not proper and does not sound right.
Moreover, at present, the Zhao Guo Gong Fu has no nominal master, and many colleagues, subordinates, even the housekeeper, women, and servants are all waiting to see what happens. If they cannot quickly decide on a successor to the title of Zhao Guo Gong, then nothing else can be accomplished, and this grand Zhao Guo Gong Fu will not be able to exert its strength together.
Zhou Deyu naturally knew his own weight, although he could take charge of Zhengzhou as a local official, it was also the result of being promoted by his elder brother's party. If the Zhao Guogong Mansion fell, he would not be able to survive either. At present, they were in the same boat, and some taboo things had to be done.
Zhou De-yu naturally knew that Zhou Wen-bo was a son born out of wedlock, but he was also the offspring of his elder brother. Now that the legitimate son Zhou Wen-huan had died and the legitimate grandson Zhou Jin-kang's whereabouts were unknown, at this critical juncture, only Zhou Wen-bo could inherit the title of Duke of Zhao.
Moreover, he knew that his young nephew was well-read in poetry and books, and today's performance had also made people look at him with new eyes. It was a fortunate thing for the Zhao Guo Gong Fu to have such an able person stand out in time.
To speak bluntly, the current situation is like the emperor and the crown prince dying together. Among the officials in the capital, anyone with a brain would only support the emperor's grown son to take the throne, and would never pin their hopes on the crown prince's son. After all, since ancient times, it has always been the case that when the father dies, the son inherits, but there has never been a case where the grandson inherits after the grandfather dies.
Grandson inherits from grandfather, violating the heavenly and earthly principles of reason. Sooner or later, a great calamity will occur.
Zhou Deyu made up his mind after some deliberation and decided to stage a play of a loyal minister supporting the new emperor.
