Chapter 699: The Marriage

Chapter 699: The Marriage

The Imperial Study.

The young Yongxing Emperor, with a sullen face, sat behind a large case covered with yellow silk, listening to the report of the new chief minister, Qian Qingshu, a university scholar at the Wuying Hall.

After Wang Zhenwen recuperated, the court within the court push, after the party a fight, the position of the first minister fell to the Wuying Hall University Professor Qian Qingshu head.

It’s still the King’s Party.

“There are many cases of bandits plundering the township gentry in various places, and in Jiangzhou and Jianzhou, there are even cases where the people in the city collude with the bandits and open the gates of the city to let the bandits enter the city to loot and plunder.

“There are similar things everywhere.”

The goatee-whiskered money love letter sank in:

“Your Majesty, please also send troops to fight the bandits earlier, or else great chaos will come. If we can’t stabilize the rear, the situation in Qingzhou will be critical.”

The members of the King’s Party chimed in.

Members of each party, half silent, half in agreement.

The bandits, who specialized in robbing the scholarly class, undoubtedly irritated the nerves of the princes.

“Your Majesty think twice!”

At the sound of shouting, Liu Hong, the left imperial historian of the Imperial Palace, came out and made a bow:

“The war in Qingzhou is in full swing, and the court should do all it can to help Yang Gong keep the rebels out of Qingzhou. It is not right to spend the national resources to eliminate the stray bandits when the court is short of money and food.

“That’s just a bunch of rabble, hardly a great power.”

Members of the former Wei Party immediately echoed and supported the admonition of Liu Hong, now the leader of the party.

Members of the King’s Party immediately jumped in to refute it:

“A rabble? Nowadays, the vagabonds have become a force to be reckoned with, looting and robbing food. If we leave it alone, before the Yunzhou rebels hit the capital, those stragglers and bandits will be at the city first.”

Both sides began to argue, the Imperial Study Room, also known as the “small meeting”, as opposed to the early morning, more loose and casual, the argument gradually evolved into a war of words.

Yongxing Emperor coldly watched, to this day, Wei Yuan and Wang Shoufu a death and a disease, the pattern of the courtroom is still two parties fighting, the parties mixed with the hilarious.

He swept over the group of ministers, his gaze landing on the Secretary of the Da Lisi, and said faintly:

“What is the opinion of the Lord Secretary of the Temple?”

Inevitably, the gazes of the princes turned to the Secretary of the Da Lisi.

The Secretary of the Da Lisi is over fifty years old, and there is no white silk visible between his whiskers and hair, so he is quite well maintained.

“Your Majesty, I think that we can adopt a recruiting strategy for the stray bandits by granting the leader of the bandits an official position and letting him lead his men to Qingzhou to defend against the rebels.”

The Secretary of the Chancery said.

Yongxing Emperor was silent, and after a long time, slowly said:

“The matter is set aside for the time being.”

There was a pause and a deep voice:

“The first line of defense in Qingzhou has been captured by the rebels, and Yang Gong has failed to deal a heavy blow to the rebels in Yunzhou. Can any of you Secretaries tell me if this Qingzhou can be defended? How long can it be defended?”

No one answered.

Yongxing Emperor sank his face and looked at the Minister of War and the Minister of Household:

“The two Secretaries, I asked you to deploy troops and food to support Qingzhou, is there any progress?”

The Minister of the Household stepped forward and made a bow:

“It will take some time yet, so I ask Your Majesty for another ten days of grace.”

Yongxing Emperor originally wanted to rebuke, but took a look at the haggard appearance of the Minister of households, sighed in his heart and did not make it difficult.

Turning to look at the Minister of War, he faintly said:

“Zhao Jun Moo, who was recommended by Xu Shangshu, gave me a folded document yesterday, saying that he suggested that the army supporting Qingzhou, led by him, should attack Yunzhou in a roundabout way. Destroy the rebel base camp.

“What a rare general.”

The Secretary of the Ministry of War’s heart flinched, seeing the Yongxing Emperor with a smile on his face, but his eyes were unusually cold, his forehead instantly seeped out cold sweat, and he hurriedly said:

“I have eyes but no eyes, please punish Your Majesty.”

Emperor Yongxing didn’t take any notice, letting him keep his bowing position, his face ugly as he swept over the princes:

“There is no food or grass to be had, and there is no one who can fight, the imperial court has raised soldiers for 600 years, but it has raised you guys? Fortunately, the western countries did not raise their troops to enter the country, and only harassed at the border of Leizhou.

“Otherwise, the Western Region’s armies are hitting the capital at this time.”

When he said the end, Yongxing Emperor was roaring out loud.

The princes were silent, knowing that he was complaining that the money and food preparations were not in time to send troops to Qingzhou immediately.

But if the treasury has money, reinforcements are already on their way to Qingzhou.

During this time, the Ministry of Revenue has already been collecting taxes and raiding the people’s fat and wealth, which is what the court will inevitably do under the war, and this has been the case in all dynasties.

And such behavior is accumulating public resentment and depleting the country.

If the war can be pacified, all is well, but once the court loses the war, the people’s grievances will rebound, and the country’s qi will be instantly depleted.

“The situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly, and the generals in front are resisting with their lives; do you know how many war opportunities will be delayed if you delay in preparing money, food, and troops?”

Emperor Yongxing broke into a rage.

The males were still silent.

At that moment, clear light rose, and a figure manifested itself between the princes and the emperor, and it was none other than Zhao Shou.

He wore a pulp-white, but meticulous Confucian shirt, and his flower-white hair fell casually, his overall image was like that of a down-and-out scholar, or an old one.

Yongxing Emperor and the court were surprised, completely did not expect Zhao Shou can “break” into the palace.

“Your Majesty!”

Zhao Shou smiled and bowed.

Yongxing Emperor fixed his mind and squeezed out a polite smile:

“Dean has nothing to do with it.”

Zhao Shou laughed:

“The matter is at His Majesty’s table.”

Emperor Yongxing looked down blankly and saw an additional folded document on the large case, he picked it up with some consternation, and when he looked up again, Zhao Shou had already disappeared.

The dukes looked at Emperor Yongxing and waited for him to say something.

Yongxing Emperor unfolded the folded document, and as he read it, his expression appeared to change extremely vividly, first full of consternation, then frowning tightly, and when he saw the back, his eyes widened, as if he had seen something surprising.

And then surprise turned to ecstasy.

“Yes, yes!”

Yongxing Emperor’s dragon face was pleased: “With the addition of the compulsion elite, can temporarily ease the urgent need of Qingzhou, Xu Yinluo repeatedly let me surprise.”

The elite of the Compassionate Race? The eunuchs under Xu Yinluo’s hall looked at each other in dismay.

Qian Qingshu’s eyes flickered for a moment and said:

“Your Majesty, is there any joy?”

Emperor Yongxing did not answer and looked at Zhao Xuanzhen, the eunuch in charge of the seal under the imperial throne, and laughed:

“Circulate to the public.”

Zhao Xuanzhen respectfully received it, he was inwardly incomparably curious, but did not dare to pry into the contents, respectfully handing the folded document to the new Chief Minister Qian Qingshu.

Qian Qingshu’s expression was bland, but the speed of receiving the folders was extremely fast, he unfolded the folders and read them intently, and after a long time, he took a deep breath:

“Shangshu Liu can have a good night’s sleep.”

Liu Shangshu was the Minister of the Household who had aged several years since the Cold Storm and moved his hairline up several centimeters.

Hearing this, Liu Shangshu looked over fiercely and said sharply:

“What does it say? Quickly, quickly give this official a look.”

Qian Qingshu, who is not in the same party as you, calmly handed the fold to Sun Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice behind him.

Sun Shangshu read it silently, his face was extremely complex, both with joy and disappointment.

Disappointed because that kid who was previously regarded as a thorn in his side was now an unattainable figure, a top expert in the Kyushu.

The folders were circulated in the hands of the princes, and one old face was either relieved or elated, and the most excited was Liu Shangshu.

“In this way, the situation in Qingzhou will surely be eased, and this official will be able to breathe a sigh of relief and have a good night’s sleep” Liu Shangshu nearly wept with joy:

“Xu Yinluo was able to get the Compass Clan to ally with Da Feng, unbelievable, unbelievable.”

The tone of his voice did not hide his admiration and appreciation.

The princes murmured.

“How did he manage to get the Companions to send out their troops at such a small cost?”

“The Companions have a deep hatred for my Da Feng, so this time, they didn’t ally with Yunzhou, but with my Da Feng?”

“He always impresses people, he’s not like Wei Yuan, who can command the three armies and is invincible in battle. But as a martial artist, he’s considered a character in the transcendent realm.”

“With him and the Supervisor being there, there is still more or less some hope for Da Bong .”

Yongxing Emperor laughed:

“The matter of the covenant will be left to the cabinet to draft. Do you have any objections to this?”

The public roads:

“Your Majesty is wise.”

After ending the deliberations, Emperor Yongxing’s heavy mood over the past few days eased a little, and the alliance between the Companions and the Dafeng was undoubtedly an uplifting news.

But in Yongxing Emperor’s heart, there was still a matter that was sticking in his mind.

“Your Majesty, First Minister Qian seeks an audience.”    Zhao Xuanzhen stepped into the bedchamber.

Emperor Yongxing frowned and said, “Invite him in.”

Since he didn’t say it during the deliberations in the Imperial Study Room, it meant that Qian Qingshu had something to enlighten him alone.

Qian Qingshu, who was wearing a flowery white goatee, returned to the Imperial Study Room under the leadership of the eunuchs.

“What does First Counselor Qian have to discuss with me alone?”

Yongxing Emperor asked with little expression.

Qian Qingshu said in a deep voice:

“Your Majesty, banditry is rampant everywhere, if we don’t send troops to clear it out, sooner or later it will lead to a big disaster. Now that the pressure on Qingzhou has been reduced, it’s the right time to divide the troops and surround them.”

The Yongxing Emperor sulked.

Qian Qingshu said in a loud voice:

“Your Majesty, I am honored by Your Majesty, and I will sacrifice my life for Your Majesty.”

Emperor Yongxing moved slightly:

“Good, then, as the loving minister says.”

Such a painful reply instead caused Qian Qingshu to freeze and arch his hand gladly:

“Your Majesty is wise.”

Yongxing Emperor nodded:

“Aiqing retire first, I am tired.”

Looking at Qian Qingshu’s back, Emperor Yongxing sat expressionlessly for a long time.

The thing that stuck in his mind was what Xu Xinxin had once proposed, secretly dispatching experts to organize the stragglers and fall into the grass as bandits, in order to plunder the merchants and the gentry class, and to quell the increasingly rampant straggler problem.

Such a decision to betray the class, if exposed, would cause the Yongxing Emperor to turn against his own people.

On balance, he chose to give up.

However, it was not expected that there were people in the dynasty who secretly practiced the scheme and reaped great results, growing in size.

“I am not the only enemy of the Yunzhou rebels.”

Emperor Yongxing murmured in a low voice.

He knew in his heart who that man’s enemy was.

At the same time, he secretly made the decision that he could not delay any longer, and that the bestowal of the marriage was an imminent matter.

Xu New Year has already developed a different heart and secretly defected to the former Fourth Prince, now Prince Yan.

And his decision would inevitably affect Xu Qi’an.

If Xu Qi’an also turned against Prince Yan, his throne was bound to be unstable.

Xu Qi’an was promoted by Wei Yuan, who was an old friend of the Empress and a firm supporter of the Fourth Prince, and Xu Qi’an had a rather good relationship with Huaiqing.

And now Xu New Year has joined the Fourth Prince.

The only way that Emperor Yongxing could think of to break the situation was to marry his sister Lin’an to Xu Qi’an.

In this way, the throne can be stabilized.

Dexin Court.

Not long ago, Huaiqing had remodeled his study to some extent, bringing in a sand table, a map of Qingzhou, and a desk full of military books, including the one written by Xu Qi’an, The Art of War by Sun Tzu.

Xu Qi’an claimed that this book was written by his grandson, but Huaiqing knew that where did he get a grandson?

It’s just bullshit.

As a princess, it is not easy to be so concerned about the war in Qingzhou.

Huaiqing is actually not proficient in the art of war, and marching and fighting is even more of a layman, but these days, reading military books behind closed doors and practicing on the sand table, he has made extremely fast progress.

Of course, this is only an improvement in terms of the big picture; the actual lining up of the troops is too much of an experience to be meaningful on paper.

Behind the desk, wearing a plain long dress, the air of the cool Rapunzel, slender jade fingers unfolded the note.

The note said two things:

One, the Companions were pushed by Xu Qi’an to ally with Da Feng and send troops to aid Qingzhou.

Second, Zhao Shou personally delivered the Qingzhou zhengzhu.

At the first message, Huaiqing’s heart fluctuated nothing, for it had been known for a long time.

But the second message, she chewed on for a long time.

The light in the doorway dimmed for a moment, and the courtesan stood outside the study, speaking softly:

“Your Highness, Prince Yan is here.”

Huaiqing put the note in his sleeve, got up, and led the palace maid to the inner hall.

In the inner hall, the dignified Prince Yan’s purple robe and jade belt, gorgeous, holding a tea in his hand, his temperament is calm.

“Why is Fourth Brother free to come to my De Xin Yuan.”

Huaiqing said faintly.

Yongxing Emperor ascended to the throne, the brothers are “driven” out of the palace, but not out of the sister, can still stay in the palace.

Princes don’t come to the palace at leisure.

Prince Yan waved away the palace maid in the hall and said in a deep voice:

“I’ve heard that Xu Qi’an has allied himself with the Compass Clan and has brought in the Compass Clan’s elite to aid Qingzhou at a very low cost.”

Huai Qing Qing Qing said coldly:

“It’s a good thing.”

Prince Yan nodded:

“It is indeed a good thing, in my case, it is not a good thing to talk about, but it is not a bad thing either, at most, I will wait for another chance. My brother has come today for another matter.”

“Fourth Brother please.”

Prince Yan said in a deep voice:

“Today Zhao Shou entered the palace, the supervisor is pressing the cloud deer academy for two hundred years, that Zhao Shou this life into the palace only two times, once is to force the father emperor under the imperial edict of sin, and then is this time.

“What does the Supervisor mean by this, Huaiqing thinks?”

The last time I entered the palace was excusable, but this time, just sending a folded document?

Huaiqing raised her hand, letting the wide sleeve slide down slightly, so as not to hinder her from serving tea, taking a slow sip and faintly saying:

“Fourth Brother thought he had a guess.”

Prince Yan let out a “hmm” and nodded his head as he did so:

“At this time of crisis, I’m afraid that the Supervisor will have to compromise with the Cloud Deer Academy and allow Zhao Shou to join the dynasty as an official. A great scholar at the peak of the third grade is worth the Supervisor’s putting his foot down.

“Fourth brother is looking for you because he wants to travel with you to Qing Yun Mountain to pay a visit to Dean Zhao Shou.”

The words are more straightforward, Huaiqing is considered half of the Yunlu Academy students, had studied in the Academy for several years.

Her face, Zhao Shou would not fail to give.

Huaiqing nodded:

“Even if Fourth Brother doesn’t seek me out, I’ll still come to you.”

Prince Yan smiled, “Good sister.”

Phoenix Palace.

Lin An took two personal palace maids and walked through the compound, entering the clear and cold Feng Qi Palace.

She crossed the threshold and entered the inner hall, finding it as cold as the courtyard, with the number of courtesans and sisters kept to a minimum.

Lin An knew that this was Mother Consort making things difficult for the Empress.

However, since the emperor’s brother ascended the throne, the empress has completely lost her temper, no matter how difficult mother consort bullying, the empress ignored.

Lin An originally thought that this was the Empress compromising and admitting defeat. But sometime I heard my mother consort say in a conspiratorial manner that after Wei Yuan’s death, that bitch was just like a dead person, it was really boring.

In the plain and simple inner room, the Empress in civilian clothes sat at the table, watching her with little expression.

Lin An hadn’t seen the Empress for many years, but the impression was that the Empress and Huaiqing were the same, clear and cold, not enthusiastic about anyone. But not like now, besides being cold or indifferent.

“Greetings, Mother.”

Prosper respectfully bowed toward his nominal mother.

The Empress is an extremely beautiful person, even if the Shaohua is no longer, but time seems to be unable to bear to destroy her beauty, there are no traces of the pouring country’s face, but instead more years of precipitation.

“His Majesty has just come to see me.”

The Empress looked at the person in front of her, with a round face and peach blossom eyes that were charming and sentimental, a woman who could seduce people without saying anything.

In comparison, her daughter Huaiqing, even though her body and appearance were not inferior, was too cool.

“Brother Emperor?”

Prosper was a little taken aback.

The Empress nodded slightly, her tone flat:

“Linan has also reached the age of marriage, and His Majesty has come for your marriage.”

Prosper’s face changed violently.