Chapter 226: Submission
The next day, the two groups went on the road together and arrived at Yongzhou early in the morning of the third day.
If he insisted on living outside the city, it would arouse suspicion. It would be better to use He Xuehui and the others to hide his identity, so he stayed at the inn that night.
As soon as they settled down, someone came from the Yamen to deliver a message.
Xie Tingzhou unfolded the letter and scanned it quickly, then handed it to Shen Yu, "Zhang Jinglian, the magistrate of Yongzhou, invited us to visit his house."
Shen Yu looked at the letter and said, "We haven't even met each other yet, so how did he recognize us? Have you ever had a relationship with him before?"
"No, I didn't lead troops through Yongzhou last year." Xie Tingzhou's eyes turned cold, "I'm afraid I won't know this until I meet Zhang Jinglian."
"Are you going to the banquet?" Shen Yu had already read the letter.
Xie Tingzhou took it, scanned it roughly and said, "It's us."
After saying that, he lit the letter on the lamp. The flames almost reached his fingertips before he let go, leaving only gray-white ashes on the ground.
Xie Tingzhou said: "There are two thousand troops stationed in Yongzhou. Even if the shortage is serious, there are still more than a thousand at least. It is enough to capture us people. Zhang Jinglian did not mobilize troops, but only sent a Yamen officer to pass the news. The letter shows that he has no intention of persecution.”
"Are you going?" Shen Yu asked.
"Why don't you go?" Xie Tingzhou looked at her and said, "Let's see what he wants to do."
Zhang Jinglian hosted the banquet in his own house.
Unexpectedly, the Zhang Mansion was not big. It was just a courtyard with two entrances. It was not considered a wealthy family among ordinary people.
There is a screen wall at the entrance, and you bypass the screen wall and enter the courtyard. You can see the main room and the side rooms on both sides. Behind it is the kitchen, which can be seen clearly at a glance.
The layout is also simple. There are a few flowers and plants planted in the yard, but they are no longer blooming at this time of the year. For a local official of the fourth grade, it is really shabby.
They came to the banquet today and showed their true colors.
"Your Majesty, please take a seat." Zhang Jinglian was a little excited.
He was only in his fifties, but he looked much older than his age, and most of his hair was gray.
Xie Tingzhou sat down and Zhang Jinglian poured him wine himself.
Today, Shen Yu still wore women's clothes and didn't put on much makeup. Zhang Jinglian's mind changed and he said, "This must be Yu Hou."
Zhang Jinglian thought to himself that the famous man before the late emperor could be regarded as a powerful figure in Shengjing, but he did not expect that he was not as powerful as he imagined.
"That was the title in the past. Now I am no longer Yu Hou. Sir Zhang, there is no need to be so polite. I can do it myself." Shen Yu took the wine bottle and checked it quietly before giving Xie Tingzhou a look.
Xie Tingzhou said: "Master Zhang, please take a seat as well."
Zhang Jinglian sat down and said, "Your Majesty has condescended to come to this humble abode. I only have a small amount of wine and light food. Please don't mind."
Xie Tingzhou smiled lightly and said: "I didn't come here just for the meal today, the interview is the important thing."
Seeing him being so direct, Zhang Jinglian nodded and said: "The Crown Prince must want to know how I learned about the two of them entering the country. To be honest, the prefect of Guangzhou has gathered people to stop the Crown Prince's men in the territory."
From Hezhou back to Beilin, the shortest route is via Guangzhou.
When he said this, both Shen Yu and Xie Tingzhou understood.
The journey to Guangzhou is much closer than that of Yongzhou. If they had taken that route, they would have met each other in battle long ago, and the news would definitely reach Yongzhou.
Zhang Jinglian probably guessed that they would take a detour through Yongzhou.
Zhang Jinglian continued: "Now other places are in turmoil. The refugees are all rushing to Yongzhou. There are not many people coming in and out. I have already sent people to keep an eye on the city gate. Today, I finally waited for the crown prince."
Just as Xie Tingzhou was about to speak, Yu Guangxian saw Shen Yu holding the cup to drink. He put his hand on her wrist and whispered, "Don't drink on an empty stomach. Eat something first to make up for it."
His attitude forced Zhang Jinglian to re-examine Shen Yu's identity.
Xie Tingzhou seemed to know what he was thinking, and said calmly: "My wife is prone to abdominal pain when drinking on an empty stomach. Lord Zhang laughed at me."
Zhang Jinglian was shocked by the news, and he quickly changed his title without hesitation, "I was careless. The Crown Princess and the Crown Prince have been running around for days. The weather is getting colder, so I should prepare some hot soup to warm up the Crown Princess."
After that, he ordered the maid to prepare.
"Let's talk about business." Xie Tingzhou said, "I won't stay in Yongzhou and will leave tomorrow. If you have anything to do, please just tell me."
Zhang Jinglian was silent for a moment, and after a while he seemed to finally muster up the courage. He stood up and bowed deeply to Xie Tingzhou.
"Master Zhang, what are you doing?"
Zhang Jinglian said solemnly: "Zhang Jinglian is here to beg Your Highness to save the people of Yongzhou."
Xie Tingzhou's expression did not change, "Yongzhou belongs to the Zhou Dynasty. If Mr. Zhang wants to save the people, it is better to go to Shengjing."
Zhang Jinglian's mood became unstable when he talked about it, "May I ask what the prince and his concubine saw most along the way after they entered Yongzhou?"
Shen Yu said: "Refugees and wasteland."
"That's right." Zhang Jinglian said in a deep voice: "The heavy taxes have been collected in the 21st year of Tongxu. The late emperor passed away in the 19th year of Tongxu. Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, taxes still have to be collected. Both the court and the people How can anyone afford to cultivate land if they have to eat a lot of food? I have written to the court many times, but the court does not care. Every year, the censor sent to patrol has to earn a sum of money before leaving. This is no way for people to survive. I have arrived. At the age of being a grandchild, I thought I might as well not become an official, but I..."
Zhang Jinglian's face was full of anger, "But I think about the people again. If another corrupt official comes here, how will we live like this?"
"Your Highness, Your Highness' Consort." Zhang Jinglian didn't wait for the two to react, and suddenly knelt down with his robe.
"What is Lord Zhang doing?" Xie Tingzhou said.
Zhang Jinglian was stubborn, "I'm kneeling for the people. Yongzhou is willing to submit to Beilin and be governed by Beilin."
Xie Tingzhou and Shen Yu looked at each other and said, "I have no intention of this. Lord Zhang, please stand up and speak first."
Zhang Jinglian stood up, "Your Highness has no intention, but will others believe it? Regardless of whether it is the will of the prince or not, Beilin has become a force, and there is only one result, that is, you die and I die. It is impossible for the prince to hide his edge."
Regardless of whether Xie Tingzhou has any idea, at this moment, facing Zhang Jinglian, he can't open his mouth to agree before finding out the truth.
Xie Tingzhou said slowly, "Then according to Lord Zhang's opinion, what should I do? Why don't you give me some advice?"
Zhang Jinglian had thought about this problem a long time ago, and blurted out what he was thinking, "I dare not give you advice. Now the world is in turmoil, banditry has suddenly emerged in various places, and there are many people who claim to be kings. Taking this opportunity, the prince can issue a manifesto to take over various states on the grounds of eliminating various banditry."
"Lord Zhang said it lightly. Fighting a war is not as simple as opening your mouth. Shengjing is busy with its own affairs and will not provide any military expenses to Beilin at this time. The battle line is too long, and Beilin alone cannot support such a large military expenditure."
Zhang Jinglian cast his eyes on Shen Yu and spoke with some difficulty, "Now, the Lu family's silver vault is probably fuller than the national treasury. "
Shen Yu smiled faintly, "Lord Zhang wants Lu to bear the military expenses."
Zhang Jinglian blushed, knowing that this was no different from exploiting merchants, but still said with a stiff face: "I heard that Lu has been helping refugees every year. It is better to remove the firewood than to stop the boiling water. Although the carbuncle is painful, it is worse than to let the poison grow. Every year, the expenditure is like this. It is difficult to cure the chronic disease by just relieving the surface. It is better to remove the firewood from the bottom of the pot and solve it once and for all."
Xie Tingzhou smiled, "Lord Zhang wants to surrender to Beilin, but he thinks too simply. There is Pingzhou between Yongzhou and Beilin."
"Why doesn't the prince think about it the other way around?" Zhang Jinglian said: "It should be said that Pingzhou is trapped between Beilin and Yongzhou, and it is already in the bag."
Xie Tingzhou was still calm, but Shen Yu changed his face.
"Prince, Princess." Zhang Jinglian said with glory, as if he was a little younger.
"I was born in a poor family and have wasted more than 50 years. Since I can remember, I have seen corrupt officials running rampant and people living in poverty. The prosperous times of peace and prosperity have only been seen in history books, but I see a turning point in the prince. The north is self-sufficient and the people live and work in peace. If such a grand occasion can cover the land of Da Zhou, what a fascinating scene it would be."
The conversation lasted until the evening.
Zhang Jinglian kept the two for dinner before leaving.
①. The third chapter of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".