It was also early summer, and the wind in Xiliang was still chilly. In the imperial capital, even though it was on the banks of Chuncao Lake, calmed by the lake breeze, there was still an obvious restlessness.
As soon as the cicadas began to chirp, the guards ordered everyone to stick to them so as not to disturb everyone.
But even without the noisy cicadas, this summer is destined to be sad for the royal family and nobles who are used to pampering themselves.
Because the imperial capital was besieged by the Rong people last winter and could not leave the city to cut ice for storage. Even if someone took some ice in their garden, it would turn into pure water in the Rong people's burning mansion after the city was broken.
The summer heat in the imperial capital is no less hot than in the south. Without a cool room, even if you move to a place like a waterside pavilion, it will be very difficult. Especially now, Shen Lianshi's injury in the other courtyard has not healed yet. Shen Shuguang and other children are still young and have already been tortured when they broke out before. Now that they are enduring the scorching heat, it is really worrying.
However, ice cubes are heavy and difficult to transport. It’s not easy to buy from anywhere else.
This worry became more intense when Wei Changying went to the city to visit her husband that day.
The house that was hastily renovated to serve as the sixth department was very cramped.
With Shen Zangfeng's current status in the court, there is only one small room available for exclusive use in this yamen.
The room was filled with official documents and files. It was in the middle of the night when Wei Changying entered. At this time, the dew by the Spring Grass Lake had not yet dried, but there were clear stains of sweat on Shen Zangfeng's clothes. Not far behind him was a wooden frame with a gold basin. The water soaked in a white linen handkerchief was slightly turbid. It was obvious that Shen Zangfeng had washed his hands or face with it more than once.
"Why hasn't anyone changed the water?" Wei Changying sighed and waved his hand to her husband, who was about to ask her why she came. "It's not an urgent matter. I'll change the water for you first."
"Now that we are short of manpower, Shen Die asked me to send him out to do some work." At this time, Shen Zangfeng said that he was taking care of everything. He said hastily, and immediately picked up his ink pen and quickly reviewed the official documents.
Wei Changying looked at him and feared that he would be delayed for a moment. He sighed secretly, rolled up his sleeves, walked around behind him, picked up the basin and went out.
Huang and others at the door did not go in because the small room was small and the couple had something to say. Unexpectedly, Wei Changying walked out as soon as he entered the door, carrying the basin himself, and he couldn't help but be stunned.
Huang was the quickest to react. He quickly went up to take the basin and asked, "This is it?"
"Wash that handkerchief and go get the basin of fresh water." Wei Changying frowned and said, "My husband is short of manpower, and there is no one to even change the basin of water with fresh water."
Speaking of which, although Shen Zangfeng is not so particular about mysophobia, his upbringing since birth has also destined him to be very clean. If this was before the change in the Imperial Capital, not to mention that the water was obviously turbid, he would not continue washing his hands with the water he used to wash his face once, but would ask someone to bring another basin of clean water.
But then again, in the past, Wei Changying, a spoiled and pampered wife who was always doted on by her husband, most often had people change the water for him, so how could he carry the water basin himself
Thinking of this, Wei Changying smiled mockingly to himself: The so-called being particular is just self-reliance on status in a favorable situation. When you are really in embarrassment, it is useless to be picky.
Huang quickly found a well, rinsed the handkerchief, and replaced it with fresh water.
Wei Changying took it, carried it in, twisted a handkerchief, stood behind Shen Zangfeng, waited for him to finish approving an official document, put down his pen for a while, then stepped forward to wipe his forehead and face, and said: " Or should I send two more people to serve you? Just Shen Dui. He is sent out like this, and you don’t even have an ink grinder here.”
"No need." Shen Zangfeng closed his eyes, took a short rest, and said with a hint of exhaustion, "It was an accident to send Shen Tie out today. Some soldiers in the Xiliang Army had a conflict with the Qingzhou Army. It is said that the matter was quite big. Even my uncles knew about it. That’s why I sent Shen Zi to find out what was going on. Normally, he would take care of me here.”
After a pause, he then said, "As you can see, I have a lot of official documents here. Although the Wei Dynasty is very corrupt now, many things are known to outsiders without telling them. But there are always some things that are not convenient for outsiders to know. Although we can collect them now I hired some old servants to come back to serve, but there are not many confidants left... Now there are many places to employ people, so I can only make do with them. "
Wei Changying sighed and saw that he had finished wiping his face. He turned around and threw the handkerchief back into the basin, then stretched out his fingers to gently press his temples. Although she had never learned the art of serving others, Shen Zangfeng was extremely tired from working for days, so she felt very relieved after just rubbing it twice.
"Why did the Xiliang Army come into conflict with the Qingzhou Army?" Since it was difficult to provide Shen Zangfeng with more people to serve him, the guard chief Ying Shunkou asked about the reason for Shen Tie's absence. The Shen family and the Su family are two generations of in-laws. Su Xiuming and Su Xiuwei are the biological uncles of the Shen Zangfeng brothers. Ordinarily, even if the Xiliang Army and the Qingzhou Army are not as close as one family, there shouldn't be any conflict!
Of course, the two frontier armies now add up to hundreds of thousands of people, and so many people are stationed in such a small area in Gyeonggi Province. Let alone each other, my comrades in the army would probably have dozens or hundreds of conflicts every day. However, it is impossible for these proud and powerful generals not to know about the relationship between the Shen and Su families. They have to give the coach some face, right
In addition, when Shen Zangfeng said that, he put the Xiliang army in front, Wei Changying wondered if someone in the Shen family did it deliberately? The intention was to provoke conflicts between the border troops, which would not only damage the relationship between Shen Zangfeng and the Su family's nephew, but also make Shen Zangfeng busy dealing with the matter and have no time to take care of Xiliang.
… Could it be that they have already started taking action in Xiliang
Wei Changying frowned slightly and massaged her husband a little harder.
"It is said that it was caused by a quarrel." Shen Zangfeng didn't know whether he had seen such things happen too often or had some countermeasures. There was a clear look of fatigue between his eyebrows, but his tone was light and casual, "You are a good soldier, you have a bad temper." It's very big. I think I have been busy with political affairs these days and my military discipline has been relaxed. "
"Do you want to punish those people in the Xiliang Army?" Wei Changying asked this question, and then he remembered what his mother-in-law had told him before: "A woman should remember her duty. If your husband and your husband don't agree with you about the matter ahead, then don't ask." " She was thinking about whether she should say something else to change the subject, but Shen Zangfeng had already answered: "I won't know how to deal with it until Shen Die comes back to report it. But unless it is caused by the Xiliang Army. It’s too outrageous, otherwise even if we have to punish them, it will be a matter of time. Now the most important thing is to protect them.”
"Would this make uncles look bad?" Wei Changying actually agreed to protect her shortcomings in her heart. She was not a gentle and tolerant person to begin with. Since she is the wife of the Shen family, and the Xiliang army is the private army of the Shen family, no matter what Why did those Xiliang soldiers clash with the Qingzhou Army? They naturally preferred the Xiliang Army first.
But hearing what Shen Zangfeng said, I felt a little doubtful.
"Uncles are elders and have always been magnanimous." Shen Zangfeng opened his eyes, gently moved her fingers away and said, "Let's take a rest, I'm much better."
Wei Changying saw that he was really energetic, so he went around to sit on the outer banquet and said thoughtfully: "Of course both uncles are our elders."
With this sentence, Shen Zangfeng knew that his wife understood the unfinished meaning of his words, and smiled lightly: "No matter what, as juniors like us, there is no escape route or step."
The two major frontier armies stationed in Gyeonggi Province, the Xiliang Army was led by Shen Zangfeng, and the Qingzhou Army was led by Su Xiu Ming. The two were nephews and uncles. Originally, Shen Zangfeng was a generation below Su Xiu Ming. If there was a conflict between the servants of the two families, the nephew should give way to his uncle. Others will also say that Shen Zangfeng is sensible and filial, and they will never laugh at him for being weak and cowardly.
But the conflict is that the two armies are different.
It is said that soldiers are the power of generals and the courage of generals.
As Su Xiuming's nephew or Ding Guogong, Shen Zangfeng could make concessions to the Su family. But as the commander-in-chief of 300,000 Xiliang troops, he couldn't lower his head!
Because he lowered his head, it meant that the Xiliang Army bowed its head in front of the Qingzhou Army. In this way, the Xiliang Army would inevitably be despised by the Qingzhou Army. Not only that, but if the coach lowers his head, how can the soldiers below not be affected
Low morale is a very fatal blow to any army.
Especially in this time of war and chaos, Xiliang soldiers still followed Shen Zangfeng all the way to the capital to fight. If their morale is weakened, deserters will inevitably appear.
By then it will be a major event that will shake the morale of the military.
On the contrary, the Su family can take a step back.
Because Shen Zangfeng is a junior, he is lower than Su Xiu Ming. If he retreats, he will show cowardice. As the elder, Su Xiu Ming, since the two families were not at odds at the moment and had always had a good relationship before, it would not have much impact if he took a step back.
But there is another problem here, that is, although Su Xiu Ming is the commander-in-chief of the Qingzhou Army, Su Xiuwei and Su Yuwu are also in the army. Sanfang and his son currently have no evidence to expose Su Xiuming's usurpation of the throne. However, relying on the manpower left by Su Pingzhan, they also have a place in the army, which Su Xiuming cannot ignore.
Wei Zhang Yingzi was also aware of the subtle relationship between the eldest and third bedrooms of the Su family - after all, she heard her aunt Wei Zhengyin reveal with her own ears that Su Pingzhan clearly designated the third bedroom to take over Fufeng Hall. Now the Su family is headed by Su Xiuming...
Su Xiu Ming and Su Xiu Wei are still maintaining brotherly harmony in public at this moment, but in private they have obviously begun to compete with each other. As for the conflict between the Xiliang Army and the Qingzhou Army, these two uncles might catch them and make a fuss about it.
Obviously, no matter how Su Xiu Ming dealt with it, Su Xiu Wei would propose the opposite approach. On the other hand, if Su Xiuwei said the method of disposal first, Su Xiu Ming would immediately object.
"... Are they from the Xiliang tribe?" Thinking about it this way, whether this conflict was caused by a quarrel, and why the quarrel happened so coincidentally... Wei Changying sighed, "It's my uncle. still?"
From the bottom of her heart, she did not want to be her third uncle. Although she was not familiar with Su Xiuwei, who was both uncle and uncle, Su Yuwu was her biological cousin! Thinking of his aunt Wei Zhengyin, Wei Changying did not want to become an enemy with his cousin.
But she also knows that many times, people can't help themselves. (To be continued)