NFBE Chapter 242 The Truth About the Rebellion of the Mongols
Chapter 242 The Truth About the Rebellion of the Mongols
Today, Yu Wan went to the Duke of Anguo's mansion to talk with the Duke of Anguo's wife and also learned from the Duke of Anguo about the rebellion of the Mongol and Li people in Yuanbei River.
After returning to the Yun residence from the Duke of Anguo's mansion, she sat in the room lost in thought.
After sitting for a full half hour, Yun Shang finished his shift and returned home.
He entered the room and saw Yu Wan sitting blankly in the chair. His steady steps suddenly quickened, and he stepped forward.
"What's wrong?" His cool voice was tinged with anxiety.
A streak of blood-red sunlight streamed into the room through the window, its dazzling golden light shimmering like scattered gold dust, landing precisely on Yun Shang's shoulder.
It was as if a shimmering golden veil had been draped over him, making him appear like a ghost, dangerous yet alluring, amidst the interplay of light and shadow.
Yu Wan stared blankly for a moment before she came to her senses.
She looked up at Yun Shang, her voice a little hoarse from not having drunk water for a long time, "Is the rebellion of the Mongol-Li people in Yuanbei River related to you?"
Perhaps the question she asked was too surprising, for a distinct look of astonishment flashed in Yun Shang's eyes.
He asked, "Why do you say that?"
As they spoke, Yun Shang picked up a teacup, poured Yu Wan a cup of hot tea, and handed it to her.
Yu Wan took the hot tea, lowered her head and took a small sip, then said softly to herself, "Although Grandma Sheng's case has been accepted by the Dali Temple, Su Mu has been unable to do anything about Prince Xiang."
"During the daytime, the Emperor urgently summoned his court officials to the palace for discussion. I suspect that during the main hall, Prince Xiang proposed that you be sent as an envoy to the Yuanbei River?"
Yun Shang looked at Yu Wan, a hint of disbelief flashing in his dark eyes.
It seemed she hadn't expected that she could guess these things.
Yu Wan noticed Yun Shang's surprise and was secretly delighted.
His expression remained serious as he analyzed earnestly, "But since the Emperor didn't send you as an envoy to Yuanbei River, he most likely sent the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, right?"
Yun Shang's gaze never left her, his thin lips slightly parted, "You're absolutely right."
"I never knew my wife was so intelligent."
Yu Wan pretended not to see the scrutinizing look in his eyes, her smugness undisguised, "There are many things you don't know."
After saying that, Yu Wan immediately changed the subject, "So, how did you convince the Mengli people to cooperate with you?"
Yun Shang did not answer her question directly, but instead asked, "Why do you think that the Mengli people's rebellion is related to me?"
Yu Wan thought to herself, because such a thing had also happened in the original novel.
In the original work, the situation of the Mongol-Li people was not as free and carefree as the officials in Shengjing thought.
In reality, because they were not ordinary citizens of Dazhao, they had long suffered from the harsh policies and exploitation of local officials, as well as the strange looks from the common people.
Because they were living under someone else's roof, the Li people swallowed all their grievances and endured them silently.
In the original story, the trigger for the rebellion of the Mongol-Li people was the death of the son of the current Mongol-Li chief, who was mocked and humiliated by the sons of officials and gentry while herding horses.
When the chief of the Mengli tribe found his son, he discovered that his son's body was covered in horse dung, with not a single piece of good flesh on his body.
The Mongol people demanded justice from local officials, but the officials protected each other and gave them evasive answers.
They even prevented the Li people from entering Beijing.
In the original novel, it was Prince Chen's informant who discovered the matter and secretly made contact with the Mengli people.
After discussions, both parties reached a cooperation agreement.
Prince Chen helped the Mongol-Li people of Yuanbei River achieve self-governance in Yuanbei River. From then on, Yuanbei River was no longer under the jurisdiction of the local government, but directly under the imperial decree.
In exchange, the Mengli people secretly trained fine horses for Prince Chen.
Yu Wan remembered that these horses played a crucial role in Prince Chen's later struggle for the throne.
Therefore, upon learning of the rebellion of the Mongol-Li people in Yuanbei River, Yu Wan's first reaction was that this matter was related to Prince Chen.
If it's related to Prince Chen, then it's naturally inseparable from Yun Shang, Prince Chen's strategist.
Yu Wan snapped out of her daze, met Yun Shang's questioning gaze, and smiled with her eyes crinkling, "I guessed."
Yun Shang seemed not to have expected her to say that. After a long silence, she lowered her eyes and chuckled softly.
With a hint of helplessness.
"Yes, the rebellion of the Mongol-Li people in Yuanbei River is indeed related to me and His Highness Prince Chen."
"This period is the flood season for the Yuanbei River. It rained continuously in the past few days, and the Yuanbei River was flooded."
Yu Wan was shocked and subconsciously said, "How is this possible? Although the rainfall a few days ago was not small, it was not enough to cause flooding. Moreover, the Mengli people have lived in the Yuanbei River for decades and should have taken precautions against this disaster. How could they be flooded?"
Yun Shang was no longer surprised that Yu Wan knew these things.
He replied, “Someone deliberately damaged the dikes above the Yuanbei River, causing floods that submerged large areas of the Mongol-Li ethnic group’s settlements. The pastures and farmlands on which the Mongol-Li people depended for survival were destroyed, and many of their people lost their lives.”
Yun Shang's eyes revealed a hint of coldness and anger.
"They sought help from the local government, but the government not only failed to provide adequate assistance, but also attempted to take the opportunity to plunder their remaining possessions. The Mongol people wanted to seek help from the imperial court, but the local officials held absolute power and trapped them on the Yuanbei River."
When the Mongol and Li people of Yuanbei River rose up in rebellion, local officials only reported the news to the capital without mentioning why the Mongol and Li people of Yuanbei River had rebelled.
Yu Wan frowned, her brows furrowed tightly. "Local officials, do they have such audacity?"
Seeing Yun Shang's expression, Yu Wan had a sudden inspiration and blurted out, "These local officials, could they be related to the Prince of Xiang?"
"The official in charge of the Mengli tribe was the brother-in-law of the King of Xiang."
The wife of the King of Xiang came from the Langya Wang clan. She was beautiful and intelligent, and her virtues were exemplary for women, earning her high praise.
However, her younger brother, Wang Xunzhen, was a good-for-nothing who was incompetent and had killed an innocent woman because of his lust for women.
To avoid trouble or perhaps out of a desire to protect his own, King Xiang arranged for him to be sent to Xiaozhou, which was far from Shengjing.
Unexpectedly, after Wang Xunzhen took office as the prefect of Xiaozhou, he not only did not think about restraining himself.
On the contrary, because the land was far from the emperor's reach and no one could control it, it became increasingly reckless and unruly, like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins, without any restraint.
Over the years, he used his power to oust and suppress the officials in Xiaozhou who did not obey him, causing them to fall from power one by one.
Those he promoted were all birds of a feather, sharing his wickedness.
As the saying goes, snakes and rats are in the same den. How could such despicable people, when they gather together, possibly do anything good for the country and its people?
During a field trip, Wang Xunzhen saw a Mongolian woman herding horses and was immediately struck by her beauty.
He asked the chief of the Mengli tribe to marry the woman, but because of the Mengli tribe's rule against intermarriage with outsiders, the chief did not agree.
At that time, although Wang Xunzhen was rejected, he did not pursue her on the spot.
Therefore, the chief of the Mengli tribe felt a sense of gratitude towards him, thinking that although he was reckless, he still had some manners.
Unexpectedly, a few days later, the Mengli woman disappeared. The Mengli people were extremely anxious and searched with all their might for several days without success.
Until Wang Xunzhen sent someone to bring the woman's body.
From then on, the hatred and entanglement between the two sides was like a seed of hatred, deeply buried in each other's hearts, taking root and sprouting, eventually becoming an intractable blood feud.