Chapter 13

"Please step aside for a moment, I need to speak with this young man."

Princesses of the Song Dynasty did not refer to themselves as "ben gong" in ordinary situations; they usually used "I" or "wu," with "I" being more common and "wu" used more in written language. Moreover, I am quite proud, and I refer to myself as "qie shen" when showing respect to the other party.

But even if Zhao Nianu suddenly used "ben gong," it wouldn't make Wang Ju feel as if lightning had struck him.

"Are you that princess?" Wang Ju asked, still unwilling to give up.

"I am the Princess of Yanguo," Zhao Nianu said very politely.

Although Wang Ju was somewhat impolite, he had saved her life on the way here, and her age and intelligence also made her admire him greatly.

"Princess of Yanguo, why did Your Highness come to the border?" The dark clouds on Wang Ju's face grew thicker. No wonder she kept talking about a mother-in-law and a humiliating marriage on the way. No wonder Yun'er mentioned "dian" several times in the inn, which turned out to be "dian" (Your Highness), with the word "xia" (below) left unsaid.

"On the way here, you must have heard my maid say some things. I married a very bad husband and have a wicked mother-in-law, so I went to Gong County."

Gong County was very important in the Song Dynasty, as all the imperial tombs were there. However, not all members of the imperial family went there to pay respects. Some might use the pretext of paying respects to go sightseeing, or even travel south to Mount Song to visit Shaolin Temple.

There was no doubt about this. The main question was why she came to Yan Prefecture.

"I stayed in Gong County for a few days, then suddenly thought of my maternal grandfather, who serves as a signatory in Yan Prefecture. So I came to Yan Prefecture, but coincidentally, my grandfather was transferred to Bashu. I planned to stay for two days and then return. That day, I saw people from the Imperial City Office. I had to avoid them."

"Why?"

"If they discovered me, they would inevitably report it to my father, and my father would scold me. So I hired a carriage and left Yun'er at the inn to gather information. I went to Baoan Military City with an attendant and a eunuch. But unexpectedly, we encountered bandits. One of them saw the jiaozi (banknotes) I was carrying and took me to a secluded place. I had never been to the border before and felt something was wrong. He said the roads at the border were like this. Then he colluded with several accomplices to harm me. Fortunately, I had the eunuch with me. He was killed, but I and the eunuch managed to escape. We got lost on the mountain road and were fortunate to meet you."

Wang Ju listened and recalled the tragic history of this princess.

It was a tragedy.

The best emperor in history, who was also a much-suffering emperor, had a mother from Hangzhou named Li, who gave birth to a noble prince. The prince was adopted by Empress Liu E, and they never recognized each other. Later, when Empress Liu E died, the Eighth Prince revealed the truth.

This Eighth Prince was the prototype of the Eighth Virtuous Prince.

But here, Wang Ju suspected his motives. During Empress Liu E's reign, as the only surviving prince, he was suppressed by her and stayed at home. This was the inevitable result of imperial power. However, the Eighth Prince harbored resentment and revealed the truth.

Emperor Zhenzong was furious. When he opened his mother's coffin, he found that she had been buried with the honors of an empress, and the Li family was also well taken care of. He had no outlet for his anger.

Therefore, he showed great favor to Li Yonghe, the only relative of the Li family.

Perhaps this was a way to express his longing for his birth mother.

Many of his children died young. He now had a few daughters, but they were still young, and it was uncertain whether they would survive. Only one daughter grew up, so Emperor Zhenzong bestowed upon her the title of Princess Fugong.

This daughter seemed quite sensible and was very intelligent from a young age. When Emperor Zhenzong was ill, she served him day and night and even prayed to the heavens, offering to take his place. Therefore, she was deeply loved by Emperor Zhenzong. When she grew up, she was almost enfeoffed with the honors of an empress.

To repay the poor maternal family, Emperor Zhenzong arranged for Princess Fugong to marry Li Yonghe's son, Li Wei.

At this time, Li Yonghe had died, and Li Wei's mother, Yang Shi, was a common woman he had married when he was in the most difficult times in the capital. Her husband was crude and ignorant, and her mother-in-law was fierce. The princess suffered in the Li family and had to run to the palace. However, the ministers disapproved and strongly advised the emperor to change the palace guards.

In her distress, the princess drank a cup of wine with her close attendant, Liang Huaji. Yang Shi spied on them from the window. The princess questioned her, but since Liang Huaji was a eunuch, she was not worried. Yang Shi used foul language, and the young princess, unable to argue, hit her in anger. Yang Shi cursed even more, and the princess had to run to the palace again. However, she was pulled by Yang Shi, and with her hair disheveled, she was not allowed to enter the palace.

At this point, she could only seek affection from her close attendant, Liang Huaji. It might have been a Platonic love, but what could a eunuch do? Lady Li spread rumors in the capital.

The ministers came again.

Wang Tao, Lu Hui, and others rushed in, and Emperor Zhenzong had to transfer Liang Huaji to Luoyang to do clean work. Even Song Yang, who pitied the young princess, was removed from his position after speaking up for her.

Her father did not care, her mother-in-law and husband gave her daily trouble, and the ministers, like mad dogs, bit her. Even the only eunuch who could offer a few words of comfort was sent to Luoyang. She was a young princess, and thus, Princess Fugong, unable to understand, went mad. She first feigned madness, burning the house to force her father to recall Liang Huaji, and Emperor Zhenzong was about to agree.

The ministers came again. Yang Wenguang's nephew, Yang Tian, Sima Guang, Gong Dingchen, and others rushed in, forbidding Emperor Zhenzong from recalling Liang Huaji to the capital. They even used some means to persuade Empress Cao to intervene, dealing with the princess's mother, Consort Miao, and Yu Chongyi, who were pleading for her. As a result, the princess really went mad.

This is what the historical records say.

However, the historical records are written with a biased pen, and the Song history has been altered after the party struggles.

Analyzing this very unglamorous event, Emperor Zhenzong bears some responsibility, but the main responsibility lies with Yang Shi, Sima Guang, and another person, Empress Cao.

If we analyze further, the problem becomes even bigger.

First, why did Emperor Zhenzong and Emperor Renzong lose so many children? Scientifically, it is said that Emperor Zhenzong had a preference for young concubines, so the children he fathered were not healthy, leading to their early deaths. But why was Emperor Zhenzong also like this?

Looking at Zhao Kuangyi's few sons who did not survive to adulthood, or the future Emperor Shenzong's offspring. No one dared to play tricks in front of Zhao Kuangyi or Empress Gao. Why did Emperor Zhenzong, following the rules, have to be the son of the main wife to grow up safely? Empress Liu E's methods were very sophisticated. The palace was a very terrifying place.

Second, the relationship between Emperor Zhenzong and Empress Cao. Emperor Zhenzong liked Yang Meimei and Shang