Zheng Hua was stunned when he heard this, and thought to himself: "I am a weak person, what's the point of the emperor taking me with him? Is he worried about leaving me alone in the capital? But I have never coveted the throne, and it is not a hard job to follow the emperor to travel around Jiangnan..."
Thinking of this, Zheng Hua was already overjoyed, and he bowed again and replied: "I am tired of staying in the capital, and have long wanted to go to Jiangnan, but I just haven't had a good opportunity. Now that I can go south with Long, it can really be regarded as the fulfillment of my wish."
Zheng Rong was also very pleased to hear this, and joked: "Although my dear brother's military strategy is not good, his literary talent is excellent. This time, we will win the battle against the rebels in Lingnan, and you will be indispensable in writing a "triumphal ode". It's a pity that I am a poor emperor, and I may not be able to afford your writing."
When talking about poetry and prose, Zheng Hua immediately became excited: "Brother, what are you talking about? I am very honored that your Majesty has taken a liking to my few sour words. Mr. Zhongli and the 'Ban Song Hermit' beside Yizhi are also masters of literature. Your Majesty, why don't you ask them to try to write a few pieces? Your Majesty is already very skilled in military strategy, and he has also gained literary talent to support him. This is a prosperous era that has never been seen in previous dynasties."
Zheng Rong and Zheng Hua were just chatting and laughing when they heard Zhong Likuang ask coldly, "Since Prince Heluo is going south with the Emperor, I wonder if Prince Lingnan will also go south?"
"Of course!" Zheng Rong answered without hesitation, "I am fighting against Zheng Gui. If he is not in Jiangnan, wouldn't I be without a legitimate reason?"
Qiu Yizhi was stunned when he heard this. While he was still thinking about it, he heard Zheng Rong continue, "Besides, after I accomplish my mission, I will have to hold a grand ceremony to present the captives, and he, the Prince of Lingnan, will also be indispensable..."
The more Qiu Yizi listened, the more chilled he became - the King of Lingnan was, after all, the emperor's younger brother. Although he had been captured, whether he was to be killed or cut into pieces was a matter of the emperor's words. But he was, after all, a genuine royal relative. Why bother holding a ceremony to present captives and humiliate him in public
He also thought of how King Zheng Gui of Lingnan had spared his life on the battlefield more than once, and he felt that this was not a matter of principle. Perhaps he could use his own face to mediate and at least give Zheng Gui some dignity.
However, when Qiu Yizhi raised her eyes, she saw that the emperor was getting happier and happier as he spoke, with a flush of excitement on his face. If she tried to persuade him forcefully at this moment, it would undoubtedly bring bad luck to this supreme ruler, and no one would be happy about it...
So Qiu Yizi listened quietly to what Zheng Rong had to say, and then followed Zheng Hua and Zhongli Kuang, stood up, saluted the emperor, and was about to leave the palace.
But then the Emperor Zheng Rong said, "Yizhi, don't leave the palace today. Stay here. The Queen hasn't seen you for a long time and misses you very much. Stay here so that you can get up early tomorrow to pay your respects to her."
Qiu Yizhi was startled when he heard this, and quickly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, the royal family has a rule that outsiders cannot stay overnight in the palace. I dare not be so bold as to overstep my bounds."
Zheng Rong smiled with relief: "Yizhi, you are being too polite. You grew up by my side, and both I and the Queen treat you as our own child, the same as your three brothers, and there is nothing to be shy about. So, I will order the eunuchs to clean up a room next to the 'Shuli Palace', and you can live in the palace for the next few days. It will be convenient for me to summon you, don't you think?"
The emperor allowed a person of a different surname to live in the palace. What an honor this was. Qiu Yizhi was very moved. He suppressed his excitement, kowtowed a few times on the ground, and thanked the emperor: "I will obey the emperor's order, I will obey the emperor's order..."
Zhongli Kuang stood aside and watched this scene coldly, but his mind was extremely clear—
The emperor's move achieved two goals at once. First, Qiu Yizhi had made such great contributions in Jiangnan that he had to be rewarded handsomely. Rather than giving him promotions and rewards of gold and silver, it would be more effective to show his affection. Second, Qiu Yizhi brought more than 200 people with him to Beijing when escorting the King of Lingnan. Although these people were few in number, they were all experienced and brave generals who only took orders from Qiu Yizhi. Therefore, it was indeed the best choice to separate Qiu Yizhi and his troops with a high wall in the imperial city.
Zhongli Kuang felt deeply moved when he thought about how Qiu Yizhi had risked her life for the emperor and the country in Jiangnan, but what she got in return was Zheng Rong's rational yet somewhat ruthless imperial mentality.
However, he has always been shrewd and deep, and the ups and downs in his heart did not cause any ripples on his old and withered face. He only whispered to Qiu Yizhi: "This is the imperial palace after all, you can't be presumptuous at all. You have to be careful, understand?"
Qiu Yizhi nodded in agreement and watched Zhongli Kuang and Zheng Hua leave. Just as he was about to pay his respects to the emperor, he heard Zheng Rong ask, "Yizhi, where is your golden medal?"
Qiu Yizi hurriedly said, "Yes, yes. I carry it with me all the time and dare not be separated from it for even a moment." As he spoke, he took out the golden medal arrow, which had played a crucial role several times in the battle to quell the rebellion, from his bosom and held it respectfully in his palm.
When Zheng Rong saw it, his eyes lit up. He reached out and grabbed the five-inch-long, pure gold command arrow in his hand, asking, "How is it? Will this thing work? Will the local military governors know the benefits of this thing when they see it?"
Although this question sounded like a casual one, Qiu Yizi felt that it was very profound, so he answered carefully: "It is all thanks to the majesty's divine power. I have used it twice to gather the defeated soldiers and it has greatly boosted their morale. Although it has not been effective in turning the tide, it has been able to inflict heavy damage on the enemy, and I have lived up to the majesty's trust."
Zheng Rong pondered Qiu Yizi's words carefully before answering with a "OK", holding the golden medal tightly in his hand.
Seeing that the emperor had nothing to say, Qiu Yizi bowed again and followed a leading eunuch under the guidance of a dim lantern to a nearby side hall, where she stayed overnight.
The next morning, Qiu Yizi got up early in the morning according to the emperor's order last night, and handed in her visiting card to pay her respects to the queen.
The current queen was the princess consort when Zheng Rong was the Prince of Youyan, and she watched Qiu Yizhi grow up. Although she did not breastfeed Qiu Yizhi and seemed a little distant, she still had to show her motherly style, and she knew that Qiu Yizhi was a confidant favored by the emperor, so she had to win her over for her husband.
So the queen tried hard to act enthusiastic, and she took Qiu Yizi aside to talk for a long time, and gave her a lot of rewards. She talked until almost noon before letting Qiu Yizi say goodbye.
The palace was no different from other places. Even a bold person like Qiu Yizhi did not dare to take a single step or move a finger. When Qiu Yizhi left the Queen's place, he did not know where to go, nor did he dare to go anywhere else. He asked a eunuch to lead the way back to his bedroom.
This bedroom was a side hall that was temporarily cleaned up overnight. There was nothing in the room except tables, chairs, beds, and bedding. There was not even a book with a single word. Helplessly, Qiu Yizi could only lie flat on the bed, staring blankly at the palace's beams that rose like a mountain ridge. There seemed to be endless things in his mind, but it seemed empty.
At this moment, there were two slow knocks on the half-open wooden door.
After hearing this, Qiu Yizhi hurriedly rolled off the bed and asked loudly, "Who is it?"
The knocker did not answer, but pushed the door open and said with a smile: "Who is it? An old friend. My dear brother, don't you even recognize me?"
Qiu Yizi looked carefully and found that it was the emperor's third prince Zheng Miao.
Zheng Miao and Qiu Yizhi had originally gone deep into Lingnan to deliver the imperial edict, but unexpectedly the King of Lingnan rose up in rebellion at that time, forcing the extremely honorable Third Prince to flee back to the capital in disgrace, leaving Qiu Yizhi alone to fight the enemy in Jiangnan.
Now the two of them met again in the palace. Qiu Yizhi had a lot to say, but he heard Zheng Miao say: "My dear brother, I didn't receive an imperial decree to come to see you today. I came here when my father summoned me to see him. Now, I'm going to see the emperor. If you have anything to say, we brothers will have time to talk in the future..."
Qiu Yizi was stunned when she heard this - this third brother in front of her grew up with her, and although he was a royal relative, they had done a lot of naughty things together. Since when did they need the emperor's approval even to meet and say a few words
However, Zheng Miao's reason was so plausible that Qiu Yizi could not refute it. He had to force a smile and said, "Okay, the emperor's affairs are military and national affairs and cannot be delayed for a moment. Third brother will go first."
Zheng Miao smiled and nodded again, then waved to the door: "Wang Laowu, come in! What are you doing standing outside like an idiot?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a sturdy man with a hint of shyness came in from the door, and said tremblingly, "Sir, I'm here." Then he bowed down with weak knees.
Qiu Yizi hurriedly helped the man up. Seeing two lines of tears on his dark face, he couldn't help but laugh: "Haha, you are indeed Wang Laowu! What? You actually followed my third brother into the palace today?"
At this point, Qiu Yizi's heart suddenly tightened, and he quickly looked up and asked Zheng Miao: "Third brother, what kind of person is this Wang Laowu? How could he be brought into the palace casually? Is there also a decree from the emperor?"
Zheng Miao's face was also a little nervous. He finally managed to smile casually, "Father didn't order this, but I heard that you might be too lonely without someone to accompany you in the palace, so I took the initiative to bring him into the palace so that he can keep you company. If you need anything from outside the palace, you can tell Wang Laowu. If I have it in my house, you can take it; if I don't have it, I can buy it temporarily."
When Qiu Yizi heard that Zheng Miao's arrangements were appropriate, she quickly expressed her gratitude.
Zheng Miao nodded with relief, and suddenly exclaimed in a low voice: "Oh, my father has something else to ask me, and I was so busy talking to my brother that I almost missed the time. So, Lao Wu, please stay here first, and I will come to pick you up after I finish talking to my father. But you are not allowed to walk around the palace without permission, otherwise you will be caught by the patrolling guards and it will be troublesome."
Sitting down, Zheng Miao waved to Qiu Yizi and left.
Looking at Zheng Miao's back, Qiu Yizhi suddenly felt sad - like him today, he couldn't move around or see anyone without the emperor's order, what was the difference between that and being in prison? Zheng Miao and Wang Laowu were just here to visit the prisoners...
However, this thought flashed through his mind. After more than ten years of raising him, Qiu Yizi was unwilling to believe that Emperor Zheng Rong was the kind of heartless person who would abandon his father after his death.
Therefore, Qiu Yizhi forced a smile and said to Wang Laowu: "Laowu, after not seeing you for a few months, I see you are now plump and white. When I think of you when you were under my command, you were much darker and thinner than now. It seems that following me is really a tough job!"