Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 77 Ten Thousand People Umbrella

Chang'an, the royal palace.

In the hall, Cheng Pu was worried, pacing back and forth, saying: "Now that Lord Yang has passed away, Xu has succeeded him as Minister of Works, but he has not been pardoned, and you have been detained in the imperial prison. I don't know what to do now!"

Cheng Pu stopped walking, pounded his fists, and said in a deep voice, "Why not find an opportunity to kidnap Zhang Feng and force Zhang Rang to release the envoy?"

"No!"

Wang Chen's expression changed drastically, and he said, "Zhang Feng is the general's brother-in-law. If we kidnap Zhang Feng, we will definitely offend the general and the queen. And Mr. Cheng, have you ever thought that even if your uncle is released from prison, Zhang Rang will probably become even more angry with your uncle. Unless there is no other way, this strategy cannot be adopted."

Zhang Feng, son of Zhang Rang, served as imperial physician and his wife was the sister of Empress He.

From the perspective of the marriage between Zhang Rang's family and He's family, Zhang Rang was no longer an ordinary eunuch, and his influence had spread to the descendants of the family. Therefore, Zhang Rang and He Jin were related by marriage. If there was no power conflict between Zhang Rang and He Jin, the two might have lived in harmony.

As for why Zhang Rang was able to marry into the He family, we have to trace it back to several years ago, when Empress He poisoned the beauty Wang Rong with poisoned wine, which angered Emperor Ling of Han, who wanted to depose Empress He.

Zhang Rang, who had a long-term political vision, decisively chose to help Empress He. He and a group of eunuchs each contributed tens of millions of yuan to make Emperor Ling of Han pardon Empress He. In order to strengthen the connection with the empress's family, Zhang Rang's son Zhang Feng married He.

With the support of the emperor and the empress, Zhang Rang's power was extremely terrifying. Even the Yuan and Yang families, who had been officials for four generations, did not want to offend him too much. Wang Yun provoked Zhang Rang. If it were not for the protection of Yuan and Yang, he would have been killed by Zhang Rang.

When Cheng Pu learned about Zhang Rang's terrifying strength, he smiled awkwardly. It was obvious that the water in Luoyang was too deep and not known to ordinary people.

Wang Chen pondered for a moment and said, "This year's amnesty is difficult to achieve due to Prime Minister Xu's mischief. Why not pay a visit to General Yuan and the general to see what plans they have?"

"The three dukes jointly submitted a petition to Your Majesty to commute the death penalty. Now that Lord Yang has passed away, Xu will succeed him. With only the two dukes submitting a petition, even if we can rescue the envoy, we don't know how long it will take!"

Guo Tu stroked his short beard and said, "It is winter now. The prison is damp, cold and dark, and there is a lack of food and clothing. Your Excellency is old. If you stay there for a long time, you may catch a cold. We need to find another solution."

Guo Tu looked at Zhang Yu and said, "I have already sent someone to inquire about Madam Cheng's situation. Madam Cheng is from the Yue family of Jizhou. Although she is greedy for money and women, she is quite righteous and is especially good at pitching pots. If we can convince Madam Cheng, then Envoy Wang will be able to escape from prison."

Zhang Yu frowned slightly. Guo Tu's strategy was really unconventional. No wonder Yuan Shao valued him so much in history, but was defeated by Cao Cao.

"Why don't I take the money and go visit Madam Cheng?"

Wang Gai hesitated for a moment and said, "Ji'an has a handsome face, and I'm afraid he will cause trouble."

"This~"

Guo Tu hesitated for a moment and said, "Although Madam Cheng has a beautiful young man accompanying her, I have never heard of Madam Cheng forcing anyone to do anything."

Zhang Yu pondered the pros and cons. Under the current circumstances, even if Wang Yun could be released from prison, it would be difficult for him to be reinstated. Wang Yun's loss of his official position meant that he had lost his backer, and no matter how talented he was, it would be difficult for him to be promoted. Not to mention getting a favorable ecological niche in the chaos a few years later.

He had to do something, not only to help Wang Yun escape from prison, but also to help Wang Yun get back to his post, and even to help Wang Yun change his image in the mind of Emperor Ling of Han, which would be beneficial for Wang Yun to make further progress.

What was the true character of Emperor Ling of Han?

Judging from the change of the reign title to Zhongping and many other operations, Emperor Ling of Han was a smart man who had the idea of governing the country well. It was only affected by his own level of governance and the shortcomings of many aspects.

If Emperor Ling of Han could truly understand Wang Yun's political achievements, the situation would probably be different. After all, Emperor Ling of Han learned about Wang Yun through the oral accounts of Zhang Rang and Yuan Wei, and his likes and dislikes of Wang Yun were influenced by many things.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yu suddenly asked, "How can Shangshu Lu Zhi be reinstated?"

Although no one knew why Zhang Yu suddenly mentioned Lu Zhi, everyone could guess that it was probably related to Wang Yun.

Wang Gai thought for a long time and said, "After General Huangfu succeeded in defeating the enemy, he wrote a memorial to praise the merits of the generals and highly praised Minister Lu's military exploits. Your Majesty was delighted and released Minister Lu and restored him to his original post."

After a pause, Wang Gai asked, "What does Ji An mean?"

Zhang Yu narrowed his eyes and said, "If Your Majesty knew about my uncle's merits, he would not have kept him in prison for so long. He would not only pardon his crime, but also reinstate him."

Wang Chen pondered for a moment and said, "When the three ministers jointly submitted a memorial, they pleaded with Your Majesty to pardon my uncle based on his merits. Now Your Majesty has only spared my uncle's death sentence, not pardoned him, let alone reinstated him."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "It was the three ministers who jointly reported the achievements before, but the three ministers are not ordinary people in Yuzhou, so Your Majesty may not believe them all. Besides, words are not enough, so how can Your Majesty know about your uncle's achievements?"

"What does Yi Ji'an mean?"

"Umbrella of the people!"

Everyone was puzzled, wondering what the "Umbrella of All People" that Zhang Yu mentioned was and what its use was.
"What is this umbrella for all people?" Wang Chen asked puzzledly.

Guo Tu thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that the names of the people are embroidered on the umbrellas?" "Yes!"

"An umbrella protects people from wind and rain; an official protects the people from disasters. Therefore, officials can be like umbrellas. To express gratitude for the benevolence and love of the officials, the people embroider their names on them. This is an umbrella for all the people."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly and said with a smile: "Your Excellency has made great contributions to the governance of Yuzhou, but Your Majesty does not fully understand your achievements. If you can make the Ten Thousand People Umbrella and present it to Your Majesty, your achievements will be self-evident!"

Hearing this, everyone present understood the benefits of the "Umbrella of Ten Thousand People" mentioned by Zhang Yu. With the names of the people on it, doesn't it represent the people's will? Doesn't it further illustrate Wang Yun's achievements?
It should be noted that the Wanmin Umbrella appeared in the Qing Dynasty. At the end of that feudal society, various forms of publicizing officials' achievements had been played out, which led to the birth of the Wanmin Umbrella.

Although Liu Hong was not very wise, he was not a tyrannical monarch. When he faced the umbrella representing the will of the people, he would certainly be filled with emotion, and his impression of Wang Yun would change because of the will of the people. After all, no monarch would dislike a good official.

"What style does this umbrella have and how should it be made?" Wang Gai asked.

Zhang Yu recalled the few records of the Wanmin Umbrella and said: "It is made of silk and satin as the umbrella cover, with brocade strips as tassels under the umbrella cover, and the strips are embroidered with the surnames of various families..."

"Do we need to ask the noble families in Yuzhou for help?" Guo Tu said.

"Exactly!"

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "This umbrella cannot be made privately. It must be woven by the people of Yuzhou themselves. If it is faked, it will be counterproductive!"

As he spoke, Zhang Yu looked at everyone and said, "Bosong can ask Luoyang craftsmen to make the umbrella cover, and make sure that the eunuchs don't notice it. The tassels will be provided by Wang. Lords Gongze and Demou may need to go to Yuzhou to recruit the old officials of the envoy and ask the Yuzhou nobles to embroider their names on the tassels."

"How many nobles do you need?" Guo Tu asked, "This may offend the eunuchs, and I'm afraid not many nobles will be willing to sign."

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "I will pay a visit to the governor of Henan and ask him to allow the Runan Yuan family to be embroidered on it. With the Runan Yuan family as the name, we will also add the other families from Yingchuan and Runan counties, and the names of the three local elders. Although the number of people is only two or three hundred, it is enough to be called the umbrella of the people."

Wang Gai added: "Father and Kong Wenju have a very good relationship. Now why not ask Kong Wenju to write an article and embroider it on the umbrella cover to show father's achievements in governing Yuzhou."

"Where is Kong Wenju?" Zhang Yu asked.

"I am now an official of the general. After my father was imprisoned, I relied a lot on Kong Wenju's hard work." Wang Gai said.

"In that case, my cousin, please ask Kong Wenju to write a letter and then embroider it on the canopy." Zhang Yu said.

"good!"

"It's not difficult to make the Wanmin Umbrella, but how can we deliver it to Your Majesty?" Wang Chen thought for a moment and asked, "Do we need the general or Lord Yuan?"

"You can't let the two gentlemen present it on your behalf!" Zhang Yu said, "If the two gentlemen present the Ten Thousand People Umbrella on your behalf, it will not show the sincerity of the people, and will make Your Majesty suspect that the Ten Thousand People Umbrella is a fake."

Guo Tu seemed to be thinking about something, and said, "According to Ji'an's intention, maybe he should pay a visit to Madam Cheng and ask her to send him to Your Majesty."

"That's what I mean!"

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "Madam Cheng is your majesty's tutor and a trusted figure, and has a close relationship with the Empress Dowager. If we can get Madam Cheng to present the Ten Thousand People Umbrella on your behalf, your majesty will surely be convinced."

It doesn't mean that Liu Hong will believe Wang Yun when he sees the Wanmin Umbrella, a powerful weapon that is used for show. It also depends on who presented the Wanmin Umbrella to Liu Hong.

The person who brought the Wanmin Umbrella to Liu Hong was very crucial, as it determined whether the Wanmin Umbrella was mixed with water.

If it was Yuan Wei who submitted the report, it would be hard to convince people because he was a person involved in the case, which would make Liu Hong suspicious; if it was Mrs. Cheng who had nothing to do with the case, Liu Hong would not have any doubts because of her "objectivity".

Zhang Yu stood up from the table and said, "My brother and I will take care of Madam Cheng, and my cousin can ask Kong Wenju to write the article."

Wang Gai hesitated and said, "How about I go on Ji'an's behalf?"

"The Duke said that Madam Cheng never forced anyone to do anything!"

Zhang Yu seemed very confident and said with a smile: "There is no need to be afraid of such a small matter when visiting Madam Cheng today."

Apart from her martial arts that satisfied Zhang Yu, the other thing about her was her pretty face.

When visiting Mrs. Cheng this time, Zhang Yu did not intend to "sleep with her".

Since he had no intention of sleeping with the servant, it is not difficult to understand why Zhang Yu took the initiative to volunteer.

If an ugly stranger chats with you, you probably won't be very interested. But if a handsome stranger talks to you, even if what he says is not so pleasant to hear, you will be patient and listen to him a few more words.

(End of this chapter)