20demayo Chapter 1075 is about the Wan family.
Chapter 1075 is about the Wan family.
Zhang Qian fell into deep thought after hearing Jiang Fenghua's words. His nose tingled and his eyes reddened. After a moment, he said, "Jing'er once scolded me for being old and pedantic. It was I who killed Jing'er. If I hadn't let her enter the palace, she would still be my crazy girl."
"Crazy Girl" was Zhang Qian's affectionate nickname for his daughter, but now his crazy girl will never come back.
Jiang Fenghua didn't know how to comfort her. The most painful thing in the world is for a parent to outlive their child. Zhang Jingjing entered the palace for the sake of the people of Yuzhou and for her father.
Jiang Fenghua said, "I don't know where Consort Jing's tomb is. I would like to go and pay my respects."
Zhang Qian wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes. "Yu County is half a day's journey from Yuzhou City. It's already getting dark. Your Majesty, please stay in Yuzhou City for the night and depart early tomorrow morning."
Jiang Fenghua said, "I come from Yu County. My maternal grandparents' family is from Yu County."
Zhang Qianning asked, "Your Majesty's maternal family is from Yu County. Which family?"
“Feng’s Escort Agency,” Jiang Fenghua said again.
Zhang Qian paused for a moment, "Old Master Feng is the Empress's maternal grandfather. Why didn't he mention that most areas of Yuzhou were affected by the disaster, but Yu County was the least affected? The Feng family immediately organized people to go to various places to help rescue the victims. The Feng family did not seek credit or any reward. I never expected it to be the Empress's maternal grandfather's family."
Zhang Qian admired the Feng family's escort agency more and more for their righteousness. The Feng family was now considered to be related to the imperial family, but no one ever mentioned it or even flaunted their status. As the prefect of Yuzhou, he was unaware of the relationship between the Feng family and the empress.
Zhang Qian said, "I am ashamed!"
Jiang Fenghua never revealed her true gender even in Yu County, so no one knew. The Feng family never revealed this relationship, and Zhang Qian, being an upright official, didn't bother to inquire about it, so of course he didn't know.
Jiang Fenghua decided to return to Yu County the next morning. Zhang Jingjing's tomb was located in Yu County, and it would take her half a day to travel from Yuzhou City back to Yu County.
Jiang Fenghua said, "All parts of Yuzhou have suffered damage, large and small. In particular, the villages near the foot of the mountains were all flooded. The area near Yuzhou City was the least affected, but there were still signs of damage. However, Yu County was completely unharmed. It seems that Yu County is a place with good feng shui."
Zhang Qian said, "This humble official did not expect such an outcome. Indeed, only Yu County in the entire Yuzhou was unaffected by the disaster. The Empress was not wrong. When Lord Xiao escorted Consort Jing back to Yuzhou, he brought the officials of the Imperial Observatory to thoroughly investigate and find this auspicious burial site in Yu County for my daughter. Lord Xiao said that the Empress specifically instructed that Jing'er should be given a grand funeral. In my opinion, we should not be extravagant. However, Lord Xiao said that Consort Jing's tomb should not be taken lightly."
The next morning, Jiang Fenghua accompanied Zhang Qian to the tomb of Consort Jing.
Zhang Jingjing's tomb was indeed lavishly renovated, befitting the treatment of a favored concubine in the palace. It was right of her to entrust Xiao Yu with this matter.
She kept everyone outside and entered the Jingfei Mausoleum alone.
Jiang Fenghua came to Zhang Jingjing's grave, lit incense, and paid her respects.
She said, "If only Baili Shang could change your fate too!"
"The Third Princess is exceptionally beautiful and very healthy, so don't worry! I will treat her like my own daughter and love her dearly."
"You wanted to return to Yuzhou the most, but when you came back, you were a cold corpse. Zhang Jingjing, I'm sorry. It's all my fault for not protecting you. I thought I could control everyone, but I was too arrogant."
Suddenly a gust of wind blew, blinding Jiang Fenghua. She saw a wisp of blue smoke before her eyes and asked again, "Zhang Jingjing, is that you?"
She waited for a while but there was no movement. Only a gentle breeze lifted her clothes. She smiled bitterly, "I thought you would be like me. It turns out I was overthinking it. If there really is a way to be reborn, I hope you don't come back. Go and find your own happiness!"
Xiao Shang was able to be reborn, and Zhang Yumo also came back from the dead. Will Zhang Jingjing also be blessed by heaven to pursue her happiness?
She said, "When the Third Princess grows up, I will arrange for her to come back to visit her birth mother. Rest in peace!"
At this moment, the incense that Jiang Fenghua had lit suddenly bent over and went out. She was stunned. "Don't you want the Third Princess to come back?"
She lit incense again and said, "Zhang Jingjing, if you have a spirit in heaven, please bless your daughter! If you can hear me, please give me a hint."
The incense in front of her transformed into swirling smoke, and as she gazed into it, she seemed to see the words "blessings."
Jiang Fenghua blinked and the two words disappeared again. Was she really seeing things, or was Zhang Jingjing appearing in spirit form?
After experiencing so many strange things, she had to believe that the supernatural really existed.
However, the smoke condensed into the shape of the Chinese character "回" (hui), and it did not dissipate for a long time.
She reached out to touch it but couldn't dissipate the words. She said, "Do you mean you want me to go back, back to Shengjing? What happened in the palace?"
A sense of panic rose in her heart. With Lianye, Lin Feng, and others protecting her in the palace, and everything that needed to be dealt with had been taken care of, there shouldn't be any danger, right?
If anything really happens, Lianye and Linfeng will definitely send a message.
As soon as Jiang Fenghua exited the tomb, he saw Gongsun Ling's figure. He stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty."
"How did Mr. Gongsun find his way here?" Jiang Fenghua asked.
It was naturally easy for Gongsun Ling to find out the Empress's whereabouts. The Empress was protected by hidden guards, and he could find out by contacting them. "The purpose of my trip out of the capital was actually to help His Majesty in the war in the Northwest. I also came to Yuzhou after hearing that my sister was getting married."
I need to gather a batch of military supplies to transport to the front lines, and I'd like to ask the Feng Family Escort Agency to escort this shipment to the Northwest reinforcements. I've already discussed this with my brother-in-law and Old Master Feng, but the supplies are scarce, and it will be difficult to gather them in a short time.
Jiang Fenghua looked in the direction of Prefect Zhang and introduced, "This is Mr. Gongsun, who serves His Majesty."
Zhang Qian quickly clasped his hands in a respectful bow, saying, "Master Gongsun."
Jiang Fenghua added, "He is Zhang Qian, the prefect of Yuzhou. Prefect Zhang is the father of Consort Jing. Without Lord Zhang's hard work, Yuzhou would not be what it is today."
Gongsun Ling said, "I have heard of Lord Zhang's name. Mr. Ge mentioned you. He greatly admires Lord Zhang and often says that Lord Zhang is a rare and upright official."
Zhang Qian only considered himself a local official, whose duty was to serve the people since he was paid by the government. He never imagined that people around the emperor had heard of him.
He said, "I am truly ashamed, as Yuzhou has always been the poorest place."
Gongsun Ling said, “Yuzhou is indeed the poorest, but its people are the richest. If Yuzhou were not prone to natural disasters, it would not be in such a difficult situation. Prefect Zhang is dedicated to serving the people and never associates with celebrities and powerful figures for personal gain. You have done more than half of the officials in the Great Zhou.”
Zhang Qian quickly replied, "Mr. Gongsun, you wouldn't dare say that."
Jiang Fenghua said, "We can start with the merchants regarding supplies. I am also familiar with Yuzhou, so perhaps I can be of help to Mr. Gongsun."
Before Gongsun Ling could answer, Zhang Qian said, "Yesterday, Your Highness and I discussed this matter. If many merchants in Yuzhou could lend us grain for an emergency, it would be of great help to Mr. Gongsun. I will organize the lobbying and will give Your Highness and Mr. Gongsun a satisfactory answer as soon as possible."
Zhang Qian thought about it all night. He should make good use of his position. The empress was right. Being too upright would only make him seem pedantic.
On their way back from Consort Jing's tomb, they ran into a caravan with a banner bearing the character "万" (wan, meaning ten thousand) on the carriages.
Jiang Fenghua said calmly, "It's the Wan family."