Chapter 271 I Want to Enter the Imperial Court as an Official

Chapter 271 I Want to Enter the Imperial Court as an Official

Along with the imperial decree to build Dayun Temple, Zheng was also granted the official position of Prefect, in charge of overseeing the temple's construction. He was transferred by the Empress Dowager to the position of Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies. As for his merit in killing the rebellious minister and guarding the city gate in Runzhou, which was used to protect the Zheng family of Xingyang, the crime of rebellion committed by Zheng Chang, the former Prefect of Runzhou, only involved Zheng Chang's father, brothers, sons, and grandsons. Six households, eighteen people, were demoted to commoners and driven out of Luoyang and Chang'an.

At the end of January, all 183 households of the Zheng family in Xingyang were released from prison. On the day of their release, Zheng Siqing stood alone outside the prison to greet them.

When the two sides met, the clansmen who had betrayed Zheng Yu and brought him down from his position as prime minister all lowered their heads in shame and covered their faces, while the rest all looked grateful.

An elderly man with faltering steps approached Zheng Yu with a solemn expression. He took out the family head's jade pendant and handed it to him. "Third Brother, I have failed in managing the family and misjudged people. I brought a disloyal and unfilial traitor into officialdom, almost causing the extermination of the Zheng family of Xingyang today. I am ashamed to assume the position of family head. From this day forward, you will take over as family head and lead the Zheng family to rise again."

Zheng Siqing made no polite formalities or refusal. Four years ago, his clan accused him of exaggerating his achievements, making him unfit for the position of prime minister. He didn't believe that he, as the second son, was unaware of this; the head of the family must have been involved. Trying to sacrifice him to protect the family, and even using this to distance themselves from the then-Empress Dowager Wu, was indeed senile. This was only because Empress Dowager Wu still needed him; otherwise, the accusation initiated by her clan would have been enough to cost him his life.

Zheng Siqing held up the jade pendant and examined it under the sunlight. The jade pendant, which had been in existence for over a hundred years, had a smooth and lustrous surface. Inside, a touch of chicken-blood color from a horse totem seemed to move like water under the refraction of light.

"We share the same fate, and we share the same fate. The lives of the entire clan are in your hands. I hope you will think twice before making any decisions," Zheng Siqing instructed. "I will not pursue the past. From today onwards, the Zheng clan will obey my orders."

No one present voiced any objection.

Zheng Siqing took out a list from his sleeve, selected fifty people to follow him, and sent the rest home.

Three days later, fifty members of the Zheng clan, carrying Zheng Siqing's written order, went to various prefectures and counties to meet with the local military advisors and monks, and were responsible for supervising the construction of temples and the establishment of monks.

The Zheng family of Xingyang then sided with Empress Dowager Wu.

*

On the day of the Dragon Raising its Head on the second day of the second lunar month, the imperial court was on holiday. Minister Zheng led his eldest son and his wife, along with their youngest daughter, to visit Lady Wu's residence in Quanshanfang.

Meng Qing and Du Li, along with Wang Zhou, greeted the distinguished guest in the front yard. After the guest alighted from the carriage, the two sides sized each other up for a few moments before engaging in warm greetings.

"Madam, this is my eldest son, Zheng Yecong. Before being imprisoned, he was a secretary in the Ministry of Rites. The day before yesterday, the Empress Dowager appointed him as a secretary in the Ministry of Justice, concurrently serving as the governor. In five days, he will accompany Lord Du to Guannei Circuit to inspect the fields and be responsible for handling any wrongful or unjust cases discovered during the inspection," Zheng Siqing introduced.

Zheng Yecong gave an embarrassed smile, "Lady of Wu, I've long admired you."

Meng Qing nodded in response. She glanced at Wang Zhou, who was staring blankly with a surprised expression. She followed his gaze and saw Zheng Xiaoniangzi with a mischievous look on her face and a hint of smugness in her eyes.

"Yunnu, hurry up and pay your respects to Lady Wu," Lady Li reminded her.

"Yunnu greets Lady Wu."

"Young lady's voice is crisp and clear, like a nightingale in spring, which makes people happy." Meng Qing held Zheng Xiao Niangzi's hand and said, "Sister Li, Uncle Zheng, Brother Zheng, let's go to the main courtyard to talk. There are fewer houses in the front courtyard, and it's windy and a bit cold."

“It’s already February and there’s still a cold snap. A night of rain has brought back the chill of the year-end season.” Madam Li continued, and then explained, “My mother-in-law caught a cold the night before last and can’t go out for a while, so please forgive her, Sister Meng.”

Meng Qing caught a glimpse of a figure from his memory and said, "Seventeen years ago, I stayed at your residence when I traveled from Luoyang to Chang'an. I met Aunt Cui a few times then, so we are old acquaintances. I will visit you when you recover from your illness."

Zheng Siqing also remembered that Meng Qing and her brother had stayed at his residence, but his wife, mindful of her status, only instructed her three sons to entertain them, which was truly disrespectful.

"Seventeen years ago, the couple were sent to Bozhou, not Chang'an." Zheng Siqing first mentioned the eldest couple to avoid incurring Meng Qing's wrath. "Yunnu was born in Bozhou and didn't return to the capital until she was ten years old. Am I mistaken?"

“Father has a good memory, that’s right.” Madam Li nodded.

Upon arriving at the main courtyard and entering the main hall, the warm air inside immediately put one at ease.

"Is Prime Minister Du not here?" Zheng Yecong asked.

"The Empress Dowager summoned him to the palace. My sister-in-law took the three children to inventory the more than six thousand books bestowed by the palace. Today, only the three of us are at home to wait," Meng Qing explained. Today was only for the two children to meet, and she didn't want Du Min and Yin Caiwei to be involved in assessing Zheng Xiaoniangzi's character. She and Du Li were Wangzhou's biological parents, and his marriage only needed to consider their opinions; the opinions of others could be ignored. As for the three children, she didn't want them to cause a ruckus, lest they provoke Wangzhou into mistaking shyness for love. Therefore, she had instructed everyone unrelated to the matter to leave early this morning.

The four members of the Zheng family were taken aback. It didn't seem like Meng Qing was intentionally being negligent, but it also didn't seem like he didn't value her...

"You're so kind, sister." Madam Li was the first to react. As a woman, she had also been the one being looked after during a matchmaking process, and the embarrassment of being scrutinized by the man's elders was still fresh in her mind. Meng Qing's actions today were to save Yun Nu from unnecessary scrutiny and criticism. She could also see that Meng Qing had a say in this family.

Hearing more is not as good as seeing it for yourself. Madam Li had no more doubts. She patted her youngest daughter beside her and explained for her, "Four years ago, we received a letter from her grandfather. In the letter, he said that he had chosen a husband for Yunnu, who is Madam Meng's eldest son. Three years ago, her grandfather wrote again, saying that Wangzhou had returned to the capital and that we should find an opportunity to meet him. Who knew that this girl would take the words in the letter to heart? Every month when she goes to Baima Temple to offer incense, she makes sure to inquire about Wangzhou's whereabouts."

Meng Qing understood. No wonder Wang Zhou looked surprised when he met Zheng Xiao Niangzi, while Zheng Xiao Niangzi looked smug. It seemed that Wang Zhou had been thoroughly investigated, while Wang Zhou knew nothing about Zheng Xiao Niangzi. If she were in his shoes, she would be smug too.

"Have you met before?" Meng Qing asked deliberately.

Wang Zhou glanced at Madam Zheng and nodded, saying, "Madam Zheng is skilled in painting, especially in color mixing and color identification. She has given me some pointers before."

"Since you know each other, why don't you go and talk privately? Don't disturb our conversation." Meng Qing gave them a chance to be alone.

Wang Zhou stood up, and Zheng Xiao Niangzi followed suit. She bowed to the people in the hall and quickly walked out.

Wang Zhou, lagging behind, bid farewell to the elders and then hurried after them.

Those in the hall couldn't help but smile when they saw his hurried steps.

"Lady Wu, it seems that the marriage between our two families is a done deal," said Minister Zheng bluntly.

Meng Qing smiled and said, "The grandson-in-law you've chosen is yours."

Zheng Siqing laughed heartily, pointed at Zheng Yecong, and asked, "How about arranging the marriage before he leaves Luoyang?"

Zheng Yecong frowned secretly, but he couldn't very well refute his father. What kind of woman would be so eager to be with a man?

Meng Qing pondered for a few moments and said, "In the next few years, more than ten people from both families will be traveling. Once we leave Luoyang, it will be difficult to keep in touch in a timely manner. When our two young children come in later, if they both agree, we will ask the matchmaker to come to our home tomorrow to arrange the betrothal and ask for their names, so that we can set the wedding date in advance. This will also make it easier for those of us who are away on business to adjust their schedules and return before the wedding."

Zheng Siqing looked at his son and daughter-in-law, and this time let them make the decision.

"I won't let Wangzhou's third uncle and aunt be present today, but they will all come back to support him on his wedding day. I will make sure the wedding is not quiet." Meng Qing promised, "Wangzhou also has an uncle who works in Huaizhou. When I'm not here, he will be in charge of handling the relevant etiquette. We will not neglect it."

Madam Li glanced at her father-in-law and made up her mind: "As you say, in urgent situations, we should act expediently and not be too dogmatic."

Zheng Yecong nodded in agreement.

With the private matter settled, the two families chatted about the happenings in the court for a full incense stick's time before Wang Zhou and Zheng Xiaoniangzi entered. Both of them had rosy cheeks, and it was clear at first glance that they understood each other's feelings.

"Please ask Uncle Zheng, Brother Zheng, and Sister Li to wait for me at home tomorrow," Meng Qing decided.

“Alright.” Zheng Siqing stood up. “It’s getting late, we should go back.”

"Please stay for lunch. I've already instructed the kitchen to prepare." Du Li said, inviting the guest to stay.

"No need to be so polite. I have other things to do. There will be many more opportunities for our two families to eat together in the future, so there's no rush," said Zheng Siqing sincerely.

Zheng Yecong and Madam Li also got up and left, with Zheng Xiaoniangzi obediently following behind.

Meng Qing followed Zheng Siqing out of the main hall one step behind. Before seeing the guest off, she took the mahogany box from the maid and put it into Zheng Xiaoniangzi's hands, saying, "This is the first time we've met, so your aunt is giving you a gift."

"Yunnu thanks you, Auntie." Madam Zheng accepted the gift graciously.

Meng Qing smiled; she quite liked this young lady Zheng's personality.

After seeing the guests off and watching the three carriages disappear into the distance, Meng Qing turned back and slapped Wang Zhou, "You brat..."

Wang Zhou smiled shyly.

"You know Miss Zheng, why didn't you tell us? You even agreed to meet Miss Zheng." Du Li asked.

“I didn’t have those thoughts before. She doesn’t look much older than Ximei. I’m not a beast who would have feelings for a girl who’s about the same age as my sister,” Wangzhou protested.

"Want to be a beast today?" Du Li teased.

Wang Zhou yelled, jumped onto Du Li's back, and grabbed his neck, "Father! Are you my father? What are you saying?"

Du Li laughed heartily as he carried Wang Zhou into the mansion.

“Miss Zheng is a bit young, so the wedding date can be set later, next autumn or the spring after next,” Meng Qing said, walking ahead.

Wang Zhou jumped off Du Li's back, "I'll do whatever Mother says."

Meng Qing sent her steward to ask the matchmaker to buy wild geese, while she took the father and son to the storeroom to prepare the gifts for the betrothal.

The next day, Meng Qing and Du Li, along with Wang Zhou and the matchmaker, went to the Zheng family to propose marriage. After the two families exchanged betrothal gifts, they each took their gifts to a fortune teller to predict the future.

After Wangzhou cast his own divination, he then asked Master Huijue to cast another divination and predict the wedding date.

On the sixth day of the second lunar month, Meng Qing and Du Li visited the Zheng family again. After discussing it, the parents of both families set the wedding date for the sixteenth day of the ninth lunar month of the following year.

With one thing on their mind, Meng Qing and Du Li immediately set off for Huaizhou. Before leaving, they instructed Wang Chuan to handle the matter of withdrawing from the Imperial Academy.

After they left, Du Min, along with his hundred guards, went to Guannei Road with Zheng Yecong.

Meng Qing and Du Li traveled on horseback to reduce travel time. They stayed at the Meng family's house for half a month before rushing off to Luoyang.

More than 6,000 books have been loaded onto the ship, and Meng Qing and Yin Caiwei's carriages have also boarded. They are on the mission of bestowing books upon scholars across the land on behalf of Empress Dowager Wu, so the more ostentatious and eye-catching their journey, the better.

At the end of May, Meng Qing's ship arrived in Yangzhou again. The Suzhou literati and martial artists who had received the letter long ago had been waiting in Yangzhou for more than a month. After the two groups met, they entered Yangzhou city in a grand manner.

As a city once occupied by rebels, it once gathered 100,000 followers. The end of the suppression campaign did not mean the demise of rebellious sentiment. On the contrary, Xu Jingye's uprising here may have extinguished the open flames, but undercurrents must have been surging beneath the surface.

Meng Qing brought a thousand books from the Imperial Library and Chongwen Pavilion, as well as more than five thousand books from the Xu family, to Yangzhou to hold a reading session. He imitated Xu Jingye by issuing a proclamation on behalf of Wu Zetian to bestow books upon scholars throughout the land, calling on scholars from all over the country to gather in Yangzhou for a book reading event, and reimbursing their travel expenses.

From the publication of the proclamation to the gathering of scholars from all walks of life in Yangzhou, three months passed, and Meng Qing made a name for herself. Capitalizing on the height of her popularity, she again bestowed books, allowing scholars to take away a copy of any book they left behind, bringing the book-reading gathering to a climax.

However, the book reading club only lasted for two months, and most people only completed two handwritten copies. Just when things were in full swing, Meng Qing announced the closure of the book reading club in Yangzhou, as she was going to Shannan Circuit to bestow books on behalf of the Empress Dowager.

Undoubtedly, most scholars took the bait and chose to follow her ship away from Yangzhou, heading together to Shannan Road.

Meng Qing petitioned the court to cover the travel expenses of his fellow travelers, and as a result, more and more scholars gathered at the back of the boat, including renowned scholars and hermits who had traveled extensively.

Under Meng Qing's instruction, Wang Chuan and Wang Shan led the scholars to recite the classics while traveling and to copy books during rest periods. Wherever they went, the sound of reading filled the air, and Empress Wu's decree to bestow books upon scholars throughout the land became a household name.

Meng Qing and her group stayed in Shannan Road for more than half a year. After the hot summer passed, she led more than 5,000 scholars to Henan Road to prepare to return to Luoyang to handle Wang Zhou's wedding.

Before the ship reached Bianzhou, Meng Qing was stopped by men sent by Zheng Siqing. Half a year ago, Empress Dowager Wu adopted Yu Baojia's suggestion to set up a copper box in the court to accept petitions from the people of the country, which also marked the beginning of anonymous accusations. She also abolished the rule that people would be punished for suing officials and encouraged people to sue officials. Those who made truthful accusations could be granted official positions. Now everyone in the court was in danger.

A month ago, Cui Shaoshi was accused of plotting a rebellion, was convicted, imprisoned, and committed suicide. The person accused was Zheng Siqing's brother-in-law. After this incident, Zheng Siqing's wife, Cui, fell ill and passed away seven days ago. Zheng Xiaoniangzi had to observe mourning, and the wedding was postponed.

"Lady Wu, Lord Du asked me to bring you a letter." The messenger took out the letter.

When Meng Qing read the letter, she saw that Wang Zhou advised her not to return to Luoyang.

After reading the letter, Meng Qing pondered that Zheng Siqing's sending someone to Bianzhou to deliver the message was probably also an intention to prevent her from returning to Luoyang. She immediately decided to change her route and set off for Lingnan Road.

He traveled from Bianzhou to Lingnan Road, stopping and starting for more than a year, before detouring back to Yangzhou and bestowing the manuscripts he had collected over the past three years upon the libraries of various prefectures and counties in Jiangnan Road.

When Meng Qing settled in Yangzhou, he heard news that His Majesty had abdicated, changed his surname to Wu, and knelt to ask the Empress Dowager to ascend the throne.

Meng Qing was stunned. She recalled the events of the entire day and confirmed that Wu Zetian's ascension to the throne had been brought forward by two years.

She temporarily set aside her duties and arranged for Wang Chuan to return to Suzhou to take the prefectural examination, while she led Yin Caiwei and others back to Luoyang first.

At the end of August, Meng Qing set foot on Luoyang soil. As soon as she disembarked, she inquired about the news and learned that Empress Dowager Wu had chosen the Double Ninth Festival to ascend the throne. She didn't even go home, but went straight to the Prime Minister's Mansion in Quanshanfang. Zheng Yu had once again ascended to the position of Prime Minister, moved into the Prime Minister's Mansion, and his fame and power had soared. He was very suitable to speak on her behalf.

"I am Lady Meng Qing of Wu. Is Prime Minister Zheng in the mansion?" Meng Qing asked.

Upon hearing this, the attendant immediately led Meng Qing to see the master.

"Lady Wu? You've returned?" Prime Minister Zheng came out to greet her upon hearing the announcement. "Why didn't you send a message beforehand? If the Empress Dowager knew, she would surely send someone to the ferry to welcome you..."

"Prime Minister Zheng, could we perhaps talk somewhere else?" Meng Qing had no interest in idle chatter.

Prime Minister Zheng looked closely and noticed that her eyebrows were raised, her eyes held a sharp edge, and her imposing aura was irresistible. He dared not delay and immediately led her into the study.

Meng Qing swallowed hard, sat down, and asked, "I once said, 'Sow good seeds and reap good fruit.' I wonder if Prime Minister Zheng still remembers that?"

"I remember."

"I wonder if the good deeds I planted with Prime Minister Zheng will bear good fruit."

"What does Madam need me to do?"

"I want to become an official in the imperial court." When he said this, Meng Qing's eyes shone with an alarming light.

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Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait. I had to write the last plot point.