Chapter 23: The Feng Family Had a Daughter Named Feng Huang
"It's been only a year or two since we last met, but this week, Lao San from the Zhou family can really talk, he's got a whole set of persuasive words, almost convinced me."
In a large mansion east of Luoyang City, a middle-aged man in his forties saw off an old friend he had just warmly received and sighed while reading the letter left by the other party.
This is the current protector of the righteous army, Fu Yanqing, who is also the father-in-law of Emperor Li Cunxu. Although his military achievements and experience are not as good as those of the ministers who followed King Jin to conquer the world, he has also become a town governor and entered the center of power in the Later Tang Dynasty.
"Oh, but isn't Zhou Deyu serving as an observer in Zhengzhou? Yet today he has arrived in the capital, and the news from the Zhao Guo Gong Fu is still quite timely."
Responding to him, however, was a silver-haired old lady leaning on a cane and walking slowly from the backyard. Although this old lady was already nearly 70 years old, her eyes were not dim and her ears were not deaf, and she could be called an elderly longevity star. She was the old mother of Fu Yanqing, known as Gao Taijun after being granted a noble title.
Note: Taijun is a title for the mothers of high-ranking officials in this era, such as She Taijun from Yang's Saga. Do not associate it with the titles used by Japanese invading military officers.
Although the old lady was already old and frail, no one in the mansion dared to look down on her. She was a noblewoman from the Tang Dynasty, well-versed in poetry, books, etiquette, and rituals. What's more, she had a clear understanding of major events. Whenever something happened, Fu Yanqing would often consult with his mother before making a decision.
"Son, read me the letter that Zhou Deyu brought?" Old Lady Gao sat in her armchair, and a servant took over her cane.
"After waiting for Guo to finish speaking, he began to ask: 'Mother, after Old Man Zhou left, relying solely on Zhou De's ability, it is impossible to support the Zhao State Duke Mansion. Zhou De has been in power for a long time and has offended countless eunuchs and courtiers. Although I am friends with Zhou De and was recommended by Zhou De, I still cannot withstand this trend.'"
"The Zhao State Duke's Manor didn't let you come out to take the blame for them, it was clear that they wanted you to speak on behalf of the Zhao State Duke's Manor when the situation was at a stalemate. This task of taking the lead probably has other arrangements." The old lady thought for a long time and made an even more accurate judgment.
"Huh? But it's like this, I was careless. I also wondered why Zhou Deyu didn't panic even when faced with great changes, and thought that his two years of practicing qigong had reached a higher level. It turns out he has already received secret help, which is why he is not rushed or slow." Fu Yanqing seemed to have suddenly realized something.
"In this world, at this moment, there is only one person who can help Ao." The old lady seemed to have already figured it out and spoke slowly.
"Not bad, it must be that the Zhao State Duke's residence has bribed Empress Liu with a large sum of money." Xiang Yanqing had already figured out the current situation at the Zhao State Duke's residence.
"How is Feng Huang doing in the palace?" Old Lady Gao suddenly changed the subject.
"Although Feng Huang is a woman, she has great ambitions and aspirations, her mind is extraordinary, and her decision-making is bold. If she were born as a man, she would definitely be the Qilin of our family, and would surely achieve great things in the future. Now that she is in the palace, she is getting along well with Empress Liu, and has excellent relationships with others, so for now, there's no need to worry about anything." Symbol Yanqing seemed to hold this daughter in high esteem.
"Do you still remember what that wandering Taoist priest said back then?" Madam Gao also saw the regret in her son's heart.
When Madame Fenghuang, the eldest daughter of Fu Yanqing, was born, it is said that there were sounds of a phoenix chick outside the house, golden light shining in the sky, and thunder tearing through the night sky. A Taoist priest came in to take a look and after a long time, he was shocked: "This girl's fate is extremely noble, too noble to be spoken of. If she were born as a boy, she would definitely become a true dragon. Even if she were born as a girl, she still has the fate of ruling the world for ten years, which is wonderful and cannot be described."
The Taoist priest bowed and bid farewell, saying: "From now on, your destiny will depend entirely on your daughter. You will have three daughters, each of whom must be a true dragon or none at all. Heaven has ordained the Phoenix's decree. Heed my words carefully."
He departed with a flourish, singing loudly: "In the morning I tour North Yue and in the evening I'm at Cangwu, with a green snake's gallbladder and coarse energy in my sleeve. Three times I've entered Yuezhou and people don't recognize me, I sing loudly as I fly over Dongting Lake."
In an instant, it vanished from everyone's sight, leaving no trace.
Fu Yanqing was greatly startled and knew that he had encountered a Taoist immortal. Although he was half-believing and half-doubting, he copied down the poem recited by the Taoist and ordered someone to carefully mount it and hang it in front of the hall.
Years later, a guest from the south came and saw the poem written by Fu Yanqing. Only then did he inform Fu Yanqing that this poem was actually written by Lü Zu (Lü Dongbin) when he traveled to Lake Yueyang.
Only then did Fu Yanqing thoroughly believe and from then on treated his daughter with even more care than his own flesh and blood.
Twelve years later, Fu Jia's third daughter, Fu Fengting, was born. As expected, Fu Yanzheng had three daughters in his fate. The eldest daughter, Fu Fenghuang, was already twelve years old at that time, and the second daughter, Fu Fengzhen, was also ten years old.
Three years later, Fu Fenghuang, who had grown into a stunning beauty like a lotus flower emerging from the water, was favored by Li Cunxu, who was forty-five years old at that time, and was made a noble concubine. Fu Yanqing also became a relative of the imperial family overnight, and indeed fulfilled the words of the old Taoist when Fu Fenghuang was born.
"Who succeeded Zhao Guo Gong's title?" Old Lady Gao continued to ask.
"He is the second son of Zhou Deyan, Zhou Wenbo. It is said that this son was clever and well-read in poetry and books from a young age." Xue Yanqing didn't know much about Zhou Wenbo, who usually stayed at home and had very few friends.
"There's no need to rush into making a decision, wait until it's necessary and then make a move. If the Zhao State Duke's estate is able to turn things around, we can lend a helping hand and also form a good relationship." Old Lady Gao finally made up her mind.
"The son listens to his mother's orders." Fu Yanqing replied.
Today, I received feedback from both Third Uncle and Fourth Uncle at the same time. As expected, things didn't go too smoothly with Third Uncle; after all, the Zhou family isn't particularly close to the Fu family, so it's extremely difficult to get the Fu family's backing at this point. However, the good news from Empress Liu has reassured Zhou Wenbo for the most part, leaving only half of his worries remaining - and that half depends on how he performs in court.
At this moment, Zhou De suddenly came to report that eunuchs from the palace had already arrived with an imperial edict.
Zhou Wenbo hurriedly ordered someone to set up an incense table and personally supported the still somewhat weak Lü Old Lady as she came to the front yard.
Zhou Wenbo didn't have time to look for Zhou De for money now, and first went to greet the white-faced old eunuch.
"Sir Zhao, I don't know what imperial decree you have to convey?"
Zhou Wenbo's face was filled with a warm smile, but in the instant he met the old eunuch, he handed over ten taels of gold exchanged from the system from under his large sleeve.
These ten taels of gold are equivalent to one hundred strings of cash, but they only consumed half a gold coin in Zhou Wenbo's system, and for Zhou Wenbo's assets, it was almost negligible.
This Director Zhao was also a red man in front of the emperor, and as soon as he got this gold bar, he slightly weighed it and knew that white silver could not be so heavy. Relying on his many years of experience, this piece of gold is worth about 100 taels of white silver, which is indeed an irresistible gift.
Since he accepted the generous gift, this Director Zhao seemed to have learned the art of changing his face like a Sichuan opera actor. His originally cold and stern face that could freeze people to death suddenly blossomed into a bright smile, radiant like a blooming chrysanthemum.
"Yo, yo, yo! I'm here to deliver an imperial edict. His Majesty the Emperor has ordered Madame Lü and the current master of the Zhao State Duke's estate to follow me into the palace immediately. He wants to comfort you all personally. There's no need to kneel down here, don't bother Madame Lü." The voice had already taken on the eunuch's characteristic nasal tone, which made Zhou Wenbo feel almost uncomfortable.
Lü and Zhou Wenbo then got into a carriage together, following behind Zhao's vehicle as they made their way to the imperial palace along the bluestone road.
