Moma Liangshan

Chapter 121 Hidden Strength in Subtlety, A Righteous Person Receives Much Help

Consort Qiao entered the main hall and, seeing Empress Dowager Meng's obvious delight in the coat, sneered, "Why does Sister Meng treat a mere wool coat like such a treasure?" Empress Dowager Meng's title wasn't officially bestowed by the Song Dynasty imperial family, which emboldened Consort Qiao to act so arrogantly. Empress Dowager Meng, seeing Consort Qiao's overbearing tone, gave a slight sneer and said, "The wool coat is elegant and dignified, perfectly matching the ancient scrolls and lamps of my Yaohua Palace. Sister Qiao, in the prime of your youth, naturally cannot understand my indifferent heart!" Consort Qiao was momentarily speechless, but refused to back down, deliberately saying, "I have three sons, each respectful and filial. The fox fur coats they give me are more than I can wear; why would I need woolen fabric?" Consort Qiao did indeed have three sons, but apart from Prince Jing, Zhao Qi, who was already married and had his own residence, Prince Ji, Zhao Xu, and Prince Yi, Zhao Pu, were both still children, not yet of age. How could they possibly have the means to frequently present such luxurious items as fox fur coats?

Seeing Consort Qiao's vulgar and arrogant demeanor, Consort Wei, fearing for her reputation, quietly moved aside. Empress Dowager Meng shook her head slightly and said, "Yaohua Palace is too cold and austere to be worthy of such luxurious furs. Since Sister Qiao finds all these clothes unappealing, why not return to your own chambers and admire those jeweled treasures?" Consort Qiao was furious, but dared not vent her anger in front of Empress Zheng, and reluctantly said, "Although I don't need these woolen coats, I'd like to join in the fun!" Empress Zheng, not wanting the situation to become tense, said, "Since you two sisters are here, why don't you take a look? The craftsmanship of folk tailors is indeed unique!" Half an hour later, Empress Zheng added, "The children should be out of school soon. Since we're all in such a good mood today, let's call them all over!"

Consort Qiao was always arrogant, and her three sons were practically pampered by her from a young age, making them distant from the other princes. When Prince Ji and Prince Yi entered the hall and bowed slightly, Consort Qiao said, "Please excuse me, sister!" Empress Zheng, not wanting to argue, said, "Please go ahead, sister!" Prince Kang, Zhao Gou, entered the hall with a respectful demeanor, bowing to each of the concubines, saying, "Greetings to the Empress Dowager, Imperial Aunt, Imperial Concubine, and all the other concubines!" Empress Dowager Meng, who had no sons, stepped forward to help Zhao Gou up, saying, "This must be Prince Kang?" Consort Wei immediately replied, "Indeed, it is Prince Kang, Zhao Gou!" Empress Dowager Meng smiled and said, "It's been a long time. This child is not only humble and polite, but also handsome!" Consort Wei said, "Sister Zheng, who oversees the harem, has always been strict with the princes and princesses' studies. Prince Kang's progress today is entirely due to Sister Zheng's hard work!" Empress Zheng smiled slightly and shook her head, saying, "Although I am the legal mother, I have always had a leisurely life. Prince Kang's current success is largely due to you, his birth mother!"

At this moment, Consort Wang chimed in, "Sister Zheng is also Huanhuan's legal mother, but look at Huanhuan, she throws tantrums all day long, and even after she turned ten, she refused to have her feet bound!" Everyone laughed at this. Empress Zheng feigned anger and said, "Sister Wang, are you blaming me?" Consort Wang smiled and said, "Sister, you found such a good match for Huanhuan, I'm more than grateful to you, how could I dare to blame you?" Consort Wei secretly gloated, thinking, "A country bumpkin from the marketplace, yet you, a dignified consort, praise him to the skies. I really don't know if you're deceiving yourself, or if you're blinded by Wang Hao's meager wealth?" Zhao Gou subconsciously glanced at his mother, and the two understood each other without saying a word. Just then, two young girls arrived together, Princess Chengde Zhao Hu'er and Princess Roufu Zhao Duofu. Both were around ten years old, with the mind of children, and were very excited to see all the new clothes. Even the usually quiet Princess Chengde could not hide the smile on her face. The two girls approached Empress Zheng and the others, bowing respectfully in greeting. Empress Zheng, noticing their furtive glances, knew their thoughts and said, "We adults are talking; you two children are free to do as you please!" Princess Chengde and Princess Roufu, as if granted a pardon, said in unison, "Your daughters take their leave!"

The two looked at the novel and exquisite clothes. Princess Roufu said, "According to Brother Xianmeng's arrangements, there shouldn't be this exhibition today. Mother is usually quiet, so why is it arranged like this?" Princess Chengde pondered for a moment and said softly, "I'll tell you the truth, please don't be angry!" Princess Roufu pulled Princess Chengde and said, "Sister, please tell me quickly, how could I be angry?" Princess Chengde said, "Brother Xianmeng comes from the countryside and isn't very familiar with the etiquette among royalty." Princess Roufu nodded and said, "Not to mention Brother Xianmeng, even I..." "It's very vague!" Princess Chengde continued, "The royal family and nobility are role models for all people, so as long as woolen cloth can be promoted in upper-class society, it will naturally be accepted by the common people. Holding a grand exhibition, inviting the imperial concubines, princesses, and noble ladies of the capital to attend, and then having the mother distribute the rewards on their behalf, is indeed an ingenious arrangement. But everything has its blessings and misfortunes. If the censors criticize Brother Xianmeng and even Father Emperor on the grounds of extravagance and waste, what will the result be? Have you thought about that, sister?" Princess Roufu shook her head and said, "I haven't thought about it!"

Princess Chengde continued, "What you and your brother Xianmeng never considered, your mother has thought of thoroughly! Father Emperor inherited the throne from his uncle, Emperor Zhezong. Your mother invited Empress Dowager Meng and the other imperial concubines to choose clothes in advance, using filial piety to silence the dissenters." Princess Roufu, being intelligent, immediately understood and said, "If it weren't for your mother's thoughtful consideration, Brother Xianmeng's grand exhibition might have truly been doomed?" Princess Chengde sighed slightly and said, "Whether it's you or your brother Xianmeng, you are both unrestrained, but there are rules in the world. The higher your prestige, the more you cannot avoid these formalities!" Princess Roufu could easily imagine the consequences if the exhibition were not arranged properly, and slowly said, "I will definitely restrain my temper from now on and never act willfully again!"

After reviewing the day's memorials, Emperor Huizong said, "It's a rare sunny day; is there a good place to go?" Eunuch Chen, already prepared with an answer, immediately replied, "The Genyue Garden is quite lively today. Would Your Majesty like to go and see?" Huizong asked in confusion, "While the Genyue Garden is indeed beautiful, how can it be lively?" Eunuch Chen replied, "Wang Hao has sent hundreds of woolen garments, reportedly with very novel designs. Her Majesty the Empress has invited Empress Dowager Meng and many imperial concubines to choose from them." Mentioning Empress Dowager Meng, Huizong seemed to recall some past events, saying, "When my elder brother, Emperor Zhezong, was alive, although I was just a leisurely prince, he took great care of me in every way. I wasn't burdened by these mundane affairs, and I lived a carefree life!" Eunuch Chen looked regretful and said... He said, "It's a pity that this old servant wasn't assigned to Prince Rui's residence back then, and missed the chance to witness Your Majesty's splendor!" Emperor Huizong laughed and said, "Back then, renowned painters and elegant scholars flocked to Prince Rui's residence, and I treated them all with fine wine and delicacies, which led to countless tales of romance. Later, my elder brother, Emperor Zhezong, passed away without an heir. Empress Dowager Xiang brought me to the palace to inherit the throne. At that time, the struggle between the old and new factions was raging, and I, having just ascended the throne, only knew that the affairs of state were difficult, but had no idea where to begin. I could only devote myself wholeheartedly to every matter, personally reviewing every memorial and every official report, pondering it repeatedly, and then discussing it with the Three Departments before issuing decrees. In the end, Heaven rewarded my efforts, and I not only stabilized the court but also defeated the Western Xia and intimidated the Liao Kingdom."

Taking advantage of the situation, Eunuch Chen flattered, "Lord Tong has allied with the Jin Dynasty, and Lord Wang has weakened the Liao Dynasty. When the time is right, the Song Dynasty will mobilize a million troops and surely recreate the glorious era of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han!" Emperor Huizong beamed and said, "Tong Guan has served me the longest, and I have witnessed his abilities. Wang Hao, at such a young age, already possesses the style of the strategists Guiguzi from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods; it is truly astonishing." At this point, a large golden tiger displayed nearby came into view. Emperor Huizong pondered for a moment and continued, "Moreover, his ability to amass wealth is truly breathtaking!" Eunuch Chen said, "Lord Wang has amassed millions, but he voluntarily offers most of it to Your Majesty. Sometimes I think, if there were more virtuous and loyal ministers like Lord Wang in this world, why would Your Majesty worry about a mere insufficient annual revenue?" Emperor Huizong... Emperor Huizong asked, "How can you be so sure that Wang Hao has given me the majority of his wealth?" Eunuch Chen replied, "I have no concrete evidence, but this one golden tiger alone certainly exceeds the remaining wealth in Lord Wang's possession." Before Huizong could ask further, Eunuch Chen continued, "Sixty-six thousand taels of gold can be exchanged for sixty-six thousand taels of silver, which is one million three hundred and twenty thousand strings of copper coins. Lord Wang has only been in Dongjing for less than two years. Even if he were a reincarnation of a money-making god, he couldn't have amassed more than two million seven hundred thousand strings of copper coins in such a short time!" Huizong nodded and said, "Your argument makes sense! Since Wang Hao is so grateful, I will certainly strongly support his desire to hold the cloth exhibition!" Having ascertained Huizong's true attitude towards the cloth exhibition, Eunuch Chen was no longer uneasy. Huizong said, "Move the imperial carriage to Genyue!" Upon receiving the decree, Eunuch Chen immediately went to arrange for the carriage.

Without the assistance of Empress Zheng, Eunuch Chen, and others, even if Wang Hao's exhibition had been successfully held, the outcome would have been extremely unpredictable. After all, in ancient China, public opinion was controlled by a small number of scholars, and what Wang Hao lacked was precisely the recognition of these scholars.

News of the grand occasion at Genyue quickly spread throughout Tokyo, and the ladies of all the powerful and wealthy families eagerly awaited receiving an invitation from the Empress.

However, Wang Hao always viewed everything that was happening in front of him with the eyes of a modern person, and had no clear understanding of the compromises, attempts to win over, and induce Empress Zheng and Eunuch Chen to do in secret.