After indulging himself at night, Chen Jingzong got up early the next day before dawn and went to the guard post in the dark.
In suppressing the rebellion, Daxing Zuowei not only made military achievements but also lost more than a thousand brothers. Now it is time to reward them according to their merits. Chen Jingzong wants to make sure that every soldier, whether alive or dead, can get what they deserve.
He and Fugui each rode a fine horse and galloped away at full speed after leaving the city.
After running two miles, a lantern suddenly appeared in the middle of the road ahead, emitting a dim light.
On this cold and bleak early morning in late winter, although there were no desolate mountains and wilderness outside the city, there were bare fields all around. Most of the people were fast asleep in their beds, and suddenly there was a light on the road, which was very creepy no matter how you thought about it.
Fugui got goosebumps all over his body, and subconsciously pulled the reins to slow down: "Master, is that a human or a ghost in front?"
Chen Jingzong ignored him and rode closer. When he was four or five horse lengths away from the lantern, he recognized the half-human, half-ghost figure. It was his eldest brother!
He got up early enough. How long has my brother been here and when did he get up
Chen Bochong was wearing a thick sable cloak.
He was a civil servant, and he always rode in a carriage when he went to the government office, and he rarely wore a cloak. Yu Xiu knew that he would make this trip this morning, so she took out the mink cloak that her mother had given her.
Even so, Chen Bozong still stood on the leeward side of the horse until a horse came running in front. He guessed it was the fourth brother, and then he asked his attendant to light the lamp.
The two brothers met, walked to the side of the road together, and talked in low voices.
Chen Jingzong: "Why are you here?"
Chen Bozong: "My father met with General Ling in the cabinet yesterday. General Ling mentioned the ambush that your Daxing Left Guard encountered at Baihe Ridge, and that someone in the Jinwu Vanguard might have colluded with the enemy. Later, the princess accompanied you home, so it was not appropriate for you to stay for long. My father didn't want to ask you, so he asked me to wait for you here, out of the sight of others."
Chen Jingzong: "This matter is not urgent. I was planning to find a chance to tell you in a few days. You look so weak and fragile. Don't go out of the city in the dark in the future. Be careful not to be robbed by someone pretending to be a bandit."
The old man is so majestic in the court, but his whole family has to follow him and take those risks. It would be fine if it was done openly, but I am afraid that someone would use some inferior means.
Chen Bozong: "Stop talking about unnecessary things and get down to business."
Chen Jingzong: "I will only say this once. If you believe it, then believe it. If you don't, I won't explain any more."
Chen Bozong: "I know. First, why do you suspect that someone in the imperial court would collude with the enemy before the great victory?"
Chen Jingzong: "My grandmother warned me in my dream. Isn't that ridiculous? But the facts prove that she is really powerful!"
Chen Bozong: "…be serious."
Chen Jingzong: "I am serious. I have answered this question. Next one."
Chen Bozong shook his head and said helplessly: "General Ling suspects that the Jinwu Vanguard wants the rebels to kidnap you and deal with your father. What do you think?"
Chen Jingzong: "The rebels captured me to threaten the imperial court to withdraw the troops. The Jinwu Vanguard probably just wanted to use the rebels to kill me."
Chen Bozong frowned: "Who has such a big personal grudge against you?"
Chen Jingzong: "Qi Jin, last year during the martial arts demonstration, I didn't even make it to the top three of the Jinwu Vanguard. Since then, whenever he sees me alone, his eyes are not right."
Chen Bozong: "How could he be so narrow-minded that he could even betray the imperial court for such a small matter?"
What he meant was that he felt his brother's reasons were too far-fetched.
Chen Jingzong could only say this, and there was no way he could involve Huayang. "I can't help it if you don't believe me. Anyway, I will be on guard against Qi Jin, and I advise you to be on guard against him. Of course, let's forget about suppressing the rebellion for now, unless the old man really thinks that the Queen Mother will stand firmly on his side, and really thinks that his words can clear me of the suspicion of colluding with General Ling to frame the Jinwu Vanguard."
Chen Bozong: "You don't have to worry about this. Without solid evidence, father will not expose the Jinwu Vanguard, let alone implicate General Ling."
Chen Jingzong: "Then there is nothing more to say. You should go back quickly. I have to continue on my way."
Chen Bozong grabbed his brother's arm and patted his chest and shoulder: "Are you hurt?"
My younger brother was away at the battlefield, and my mother was worried day and night. Sometimes, even when she was talking to them about something completely unrelated, her eyes would suddenly turn red.
His father would not show it, but Chen Bozong knew that his father must be worried about his younger brother.
Chen Jingzong stood still. When Chen Bozong slapped him for the third time, he suddenly took a breath and said, "The wound here has not healed completely yet."
Chen Bozong quickly retracted his hand.
Chen Jingzong: "Tell mother not to worry too much. If she really loves me, just return the money I gave her yesterday. It's better to return it quietly and don't let the princess know."
Chen Bozong: …
Chen Jingzong laughed loudly, strode to his mount, climbed on it, held the reins and said to his brother standing on the side of the road: "Go back, don't leave the city if you have nothing to do!"
After saying this, he urged his horse to ride away, and Fugui quickly caught up with him.
The night quickly engulfed the figures of the master and servant.
Chen Bozong listened to the sound of horse hooves getting farther and farther away, shook his head, and got on the horse.
That evening, Chen Tingjian returned from the cabinet only after it was completely dark.
Chen Bochong waited until his father had finished dinner before asking for a meeting.
Chen Bozong told his father about his brother's speculation.
Chen Tingjian stroked his beard and asked his eldest son, "What do you think?"
Chen Bozong said: "Although the reason given by my fourth brother sounds far-fetched, Qi Jin is indeed the most suspicious among the entire Jinwu Vanguard. It is more likely that he collaborated with the enemy not to settle a personal grudge with my fourth brother, but to block your reforms. If this is true, there may be other officials behind Qi Jin who support him."
Chen Tingjian looked out the window.
If all this was done by Qi Jin alone, this guy is too vicious. If Qi Jin was just instructed by other officials, those officials really picked the right person. If he questioned Qi Jin without sufficient evidence, where would Empress Dowager Qi be placed? The emperor was too young, and Empress Dowager Qi made many decisions for him. If Empress Dowager Qi had a rift with him, how could the reform continue
Chen Tingjian believed in the fairness of Empress Dowager Qi. If the evidence was really conclusive, she would be willing to sacrifice her own nephew Qi Jin for the sake of justice.
The bad thing about this matter is that the fourth brother couldn't explain clearly how he guessed that someone was colluding with the enemy. Anyone could see it as if Ling Rucheng deliberately set up the situation to promote his son and frame Qi Jin.
Chen Bozong suddenly said: "Father, we should be thankful. No matter what, fortunately Fourth Brother was prepared, otherwise the battle of Baihe Ridge..."
Chen Tingjian's face darkened.
If the Fourth Brother was caught off guard and led only 5,000 men from the Daxing Left Guard into the ambush at Baiheling, given his temper, how could he surrender
"I'll leave the investigation of Qi Jin and the Jinwu Vanguard to you. Remember to be cautious and don't alert the enemy."
Chen Tingjian was too busy, so he had to hand the matter over to his eldest son, who was capable of being entrusted with important matters.
Chen Bozong agreed solemnly.
.
The Chinese New Year was approaching, and before the officials took their New Year's Eve holiday, the court swiftly charged the Eight Kings of Henan with the crime of joint rebellion.
The mastermind, Prince Yu, and the main general of the rebel army, Guo Jixian, were all executed immediately, and all other princes and royal family members were demoted to commoners. Except for a little land that was enough for them to make a living, all their other private properties were confiscated.
At the same time, Emperor Yuanyou also sent a letter to other princes. It seemed that he was telling them about the grievances of the Henan princes who bullied him when he was young, but in fact it was a wake-up call in the ears of the princes, warning them to behave themselves and not follow the fate of the Eight Princes of Henan.
Although Huayang was staying in the Princess's Mansion to mourn, Wu Run had his own way of passing on news from the streets to her.
In addition, her aunt, Princess Anle, would come over to visit every now and then.
"After the incident with Prince Yu, Nankang has completely become obedient. He will definitely not dare to provoke you again in the future."
Sitting in the warm room, Princess Anle sighed.
Huayang is her niece, and Prince Yu and Nankang are also her nephews and nieces. Although she and the late emperor are not born of the same mother and she is not related to these nephews and nieces by blood, they are all children she watched grow up. Suddenly, things turned out like this, one died and the other could never be proud again. Princess Anle felt very upset.
At this time in his previous life, Huayang was not interested in Nankang, but now he had the leisure to ask, "How is she doing now?"
Princess Anle: "Just like you, she is staying at home to mourn. Fortunately, your mother is kind and did not vent her anger on her. She has given her the title of Princess, and the Marquis of Jing'an has not been affected for the time being."
Huayang nodded. Prince Yu had done something wrong, but Nankang did not have the courage to rebel. As long as she did not do anything foolish and thought about avenging her brother, she could still live a life without worries.
After having lunch with Huayang, Princess Anle said goodbye.
Only then did Chen Jingzong come over from Liuyun Palace to see Huayang.
The day after tomorrow is New Year's Eve. In previous years, the couple celebrated it with everyone in the Chen family. This year, it's just the two of them, and they can't even set off firecrackers, so it inevitably seems lonely.
Chen Jingzong: "If you want to go out, we can sneak out in the evening. The streets are quite busy recently." The national mourning lasted only three months and was lifted long ago.
It was simply impossible, Huayang didn't even bother to care about it.
Chen Jingzong glanced at her skirt and asked with concern: "Does your stomach still hurt?"
Huayang had her period this morning, and it wasn't painful, but she just couldn't muster the energy to do anything.
Chen Jingzong carried her to the bed in the inner room and tucked her in with a quilt to prevent her from getting cold.
Huayang asked: "Why don't you go home secretly? It's New Year's Day, at least you can see your mother."
Chen Jingzong: "She has an old man around her, two pairs of sons and daughters-in-law, and grandchildren can also make a table, so I am not missing one. Besides, you have lived in Lingzhou for two years and didn't make a fuss to return to Beijing. Am I more pampered than you?"
Huayang: "It's because it's too far away. If your hometown is also in the capital, even if I don't go back to the palace, I will come back here and live by myself for a while."
Chen Jingzong said proudly: "Fortunately, we are far away. You have no choice but to look at me every day. You fell in love with me as you looked at me."
Huayang: "You're dreaming. I don't like you like this."
Chen Jingzong smiled but said nothing.
Huayang glared at him: "Are you stupid? You're still happy when I don't like you."
Chen Jingzong lifted the quilt, lay down, and held her in his arms.
Huayang: "Don't move."
Chen Jingzong knew that she was afraid of dirtying her skirt and bed, so he held her in one position, kissed her fair forehead and said, "I just like the way you don't like me, just like you gave me that black cloak because you didn't like it, just like you joined the army just for peace talks and meritorious service, which has nothing to do with me, including the fact that you like to sleep next to me at night, just because you treat me as a hot water bottle."
Huayang: …
Why does his tone become more beautiful as he speaks
(End of this chapter)