Jizhen is the most important of the nine border towns. Its jurisdiction extends from Shanhaiguan in the east to Juyongguan in the west. It guards the capital from the east, north and west. Its importance is self-evident.
Jizhou City, the seat of Jizhen, is located nearly 400 miles northeast of the capital. It would take six or seven days to get there at the speed of the imperial carriage.
The weather in mid-August was just right, and Emperor Yuanyou often got off his carriage and rode his maroon fire unicorn to stretch his muscles.
At the invitation of her younger brother, Huayang changed into riding clothes, rode her snow-white mount, and accompanied Emperor Yuanyou on both sides with Chen Tingjian.
Chen Tingjian was well-read and familiar with the local customs and practices of various places. Along the way, he was able to explain to Emperor Yuanyou whatever he was curious about in a timely manner.
The Prime Minister was dignified and solemn when handling government affairs, but when he was "traveling around", he was more like an elegant scholar, with both literary talent and humor in his conversation.
Every time he spoke, the brother and sister would listen carefully and then smile happily.
Although Chen Jingzong was far away, he could still see the three people, young and old, chatting happily in the middle of the official road.
They set up camp at dusk, and Emperor Yuanyou ordered a bonfire to be lit. He then sent people to invite his sister, the prince consort, and Qi Jin.
During the day, he spent more time with the ministers, and even five ministers took turns to teach him in the imperial carriage. This was naturally arranged by his good teacher, who didn't want him to waste his time. Emperor Yuanyou was also willing to cooperate, but in the evening, he didn't want to read or attend government affairs anymore, and wanted to chat with his sister, brother-in-law, and cousin.
The eldest princess of Huayang's tent was close by, so she arrived first and sat on her brother's left.
Emperor Yuanyou: "Why don't you see the prince consort?"
Huayang: "He is in the guard camp."
Emperor Yuanyou remembered that the prince consort seemed to have been eating and living with the soldiers of the same garrison for the past two days. He didn't know whether he didn't dare to go to his sister's tent, or was disliked by his sister when he went to her.
Not long after Huayang sat down, Qi Jin arrived. He was wearing the scarlet official uniform of the commander of the Jinwu vanguard. The uniform was flickering with firelight and his face was as handsome as a jade.
Although Emperor Yuanyou appreciated Chen Jingzong's true character, he was only occasionally annoyed by the style of civil servants like Qi Jin who liked to flatter and fawn on others, and he treated them fairly most of the time. As an emperor, when he was in a good mood, he liked everyone, but when he was in a bad mood, even his mother and sister could be found fault with by Emperor Yuanyou. What he had to do was to try not to let these personal preferences affect the handling of state affairs.
After the greetings, Qi Jin sat on the right hand side of Emperor Yuanyou, with an empty seat in between.
Emperor Yuanyou: "Why are you sitting so far away? Come closer so it's easier for us to talk."
Qi Jin smiled and moved over readily. From this position, he could see Huayang opposite him just by looking up.
There was a tea table in front of Huayang. The white porcelain tea bowl was illuminated red by the firelight, which attracted her attention. However, she didn't know that her face at this moment was more touching than the jumping flames.
Qi Jin didn't linger for too long and asked Emperor Yuanyou: "A line of wild geese flew across the sky this afternoon. Did Your Majesty see them?"
Emperor Yuanyou: "Well, it's a pity that it flew too high, more than a hundred feet, right? Otherwise, I could try archery."
Qi Jin: "Your Majesty has a good eye. This range is difficult to achieve with ordinary bows and arrows. Crossbows may be worth a try."
The two began to talk about bows and arrows and hunting techniques.
From a distance came the sound of guards saluting the prince consort. Huayang looked up and saw Chen Jingzong striding towards him, also wearing the scarlet robe of a third-rank military officer. He was definitely as handsome as Qi Jin, but he was holding a long branch in one hand, with two preys skewered on the branch that could not be identified.
Huayang withdrew his gaze.
Emperor Yuanyou looked at his prince consort who was getting closer and closer with great surprise.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you." Holding the prey in his hand, Chen Jingzong saluted in an unceremonious manner.
Emperor Yuanyou said with a smile: "No need to be polite, is this the game you hunted during the day?"
Chen Jingzong said, "I didn't go hunting on purpose. I just saw some movement in the bushes while riding my horse. I was lucky enough to kill two. If Your Majesty hadn't called me, I would have almost shared them with the soldiers over there. You are the lucky one."
Hua Yang frowned and said, "Your Majesty has never eaten this kind of roasted food. Will your stomach be upset?"
Emperor Yuanyou: "Sister, you worry too much. I am not that delicate."
Huayang continued to stare at Chen Jingzong.
Chen Jingzong looked at the brother and sister, looking as if he didn't know who to listen to.
Emperor Yuanyou was the first to compromise with his sister: "I have already had dinner, I will just take two bites to taste it."
Huayang's expression eased a little.
Chen Jingzong breathed a sigh of relief and threw a rabbit to Qi Jin across the campfire. He walked around to Huayang's left side, sat upright, and started roasting the rabbit meat without saying a word.
The flames roasted the seasoned rabbit meat, which sizzled with oil and gave off an enticing aroma.
Huayang remained silent. Emperor Yuanyou smiled and asked Chen Jingzong, "Did you often eat these wild game before?"
Chen Jingzong glanced at the dignified and graceful eldest princess next door, and secretly winked at Emperor Yuanyou, hoping that the emperor's brother-in-law would not mention it for the time being.
Emperor Yuanyou wanted to hear the story and insisted that he tell it. After all, his sister had been disliking her husband's vulgarity for a long time.
The emperor was the most important, so Chen Jingzong had to talk about his childhood experiences of hunting in the mountains and fishing in the rivers. As he spoke, he seemed to have forgotten the princess, and his spirits became more and more high-spirited, and his voice became louder and louder. Seeing that his brother loved to listen so much, Huayang simply exchanged places with Chen Jingzong.
When the rabbit meat was roasted, Chen Jingzong tore off the crispiest and most delicious part and handed it to Emperor Yuanyou without thinking.
Emperor Yuanyou winked at his sister.
Chen Jingzong reacted and quickly handed it to the eldest princess.
Chen Jingzong was disappointed and handed the barbecue to Emperor Yuanyou.
Emperor Yuanyou tasted it and was surprised whether the roasted rabbit was delicious or Chen Jingzong’s cooking skills were just too good, and he even helped persuade his sister.
The two of them coaxed Huayang together, and she reluctantly agreed to eat a little. However, she refused to touch the greasy barbecue, so Chen Jingzong tore off a piece and fed it to her mouth.
Huayang lowered his eyes and took a bite. His delicate cheeks were reflected red by the firelight. The color was so gorgeous, neither shy nor shameful, that even his younger brother Emperor Yuanyou was stunned for a moment.
Chen Jingzong stared at the eldest princess with his hand still stretched out.
Huayang glared at him.
Chen Jingzong lowered his head in embarrassment, but the corners of his mouth raised.
After all, they are husband and wife, and the affection that was revealed unintentionally made Emperor Yuanyou look at Qi Jin, who was also single at this moment.
Qi Jin smiled and tore off a piece of barbecue from his side and presented it to Emperor Yuanyou.
The four of them ate and talked until Chen Ge Lao, with his beautiful flowing beard, came strolling over. Emperor Yuanyou immediately understood what Chen Ge Lao meant, coughed, and reluctantly announced that he was going to rest.
Qi Jin walked alone in the direction of the Jinwu Vanguard.
Chen Jingzong escorted Huayang back to the camp.
It’s not a long way and we’ll be there soon.
When he reached the tent, Huayang turned around and looked at Chen Jingzong who was two steps away.
She had been with the army for half a year before, and Chen Jingzong would only sneak into her tent to serve as her hot water bottle when the weather got cold. Now, even if Huayang invited him in, Chen Jingzong would not go.
He only asked: "Is the roasted rabbit tonight really not tasty?"
Huayang lowered his eyes: "It's okay."
Chen Jingzong smiled and said, "Next time we go out alone, I'll grill it for you again."
Huayang responded vaguely and went in.
Chen Jingzong watched her slender figure enter the inner tent, watched her sit down, and then left.
.
Four days later on the morning, the emperor arrived at Jizhou City.
Liu Jie, the governor of Ji and Liao, and Qin Yuantang, the general, led local civil and military officials out of the city ten miles to welcome them.
Huayang got off the car in advance and rode on horseback to accompany her brother. The brother and sister accepted the kneeling of the officials together.
The brother and sister's eyes all fell on Qin Yuantang, the current number one general.
Qin Yuantang is fifty-two years old this year. If he were a civil servant, he would have looked old, but Qin Yuantang looks only about forty years old. He is more than eight feet tall, with a stature as majestic as a mountain. His face has become bronze due to years of fighting in the south and the north, but his eyebrows and eyes also have some of the elegance and humility of a scholar. He looked at the Huayang siblings with respect and restraint, and his voice was also neutral and mellow.
The people all praised him as a fierce general, but he did not give people the impression of being intimidating, but rather very approachable.
Of course, this has something to do with his appearance, and also because he is kneeling before the emperor at this time. If he appeared on the battlefield among the soldiers of the three armies, he would definitely have a different style.
The brother and sister dismounted, and Emperor Yuanyou personally stepped forward to help Qin Yuantang up: "General, please don't be polite. This time, Duoyan was defeated in three days, all thanks to you!"
Qin Yuantang said modestly: "Your Majesty, thank you for your praise. It is all thanks to your allocation of funds to us to strengthen the city walls and develop firearms. The city defense force has been improved, making Duoyan difficult to attack and difficult to defend."
The emperor and his ministers praised each other for a while. Liu Jie, the governor of Ji and Liao, lowered his eyes respectfully, and his gaze moved vaguely at the prime minister Chen Tingjian who was a few steps away.
In this dynasty, civil officials control military officials, so Qin Yuantang should listen to him, the Governor-General of Ji and Liao. Qin Yuantang won a battle, so the credit should be shared equally with him.
But who allowed Qin Yuantang to climb up to the high position of Chen Tingjian, the chief minister of the cabinet
Ever since Qin Yuantang was transferred to Jizhou as the general, several governors-general could not stand his arbitrary dispatch and disobedience to his commands, and they all submitted memorials to the court. However, the final result was that Qin Yuantang's power became increasingly greater, and those governors-general who complained were demoted or transferred to other places by Chen Tingjian.
Liu Jie saw it clearly, so after he took office he did not bother to restrain Qin Yuantang. Qin Yuantang could do whatever he wanted, and Liu Jie turned a blind eye.
After the greetings, everyone entered the city.
The inn has been cleaned up, with the front part for Emperor Yuanyou and the back part for the eldest princess.
Next, Emperor Yuanyou will listen to Liu Jie and Qin Yuantang's report on military affairs together with the five cabinet elders, and then have a banquet and some drinks. Huayang will not get involved and will directly stay in the inn.
Commanders such as Chen Jingzong and Qi Jin always stayed with Emperor Yuanyou.
When Chen Jingzong was still a carefree young man in Lingzhou, he often heard people talk about General Qin's heroic deeds of fighting against the Japanese pirates without a single defeat. It can be said that Chen Jingzong's admiration for Qin Yuantang far exceeded that for his own old man.
Today, he was finally able to witness Qin Yuantang's elegance with his own eyes, and even sit in a lobby with Qin Yuantang and drink. Chen Jingzong's heart was surging, and his eyes were glued to Qin Yuantang's face. He couldn't help but look at him while eating, and couldn't help but steal a glance at him while drinking.
After seeing so much, Chen Jingzong soon discovered one thing: Qin Yuantang was respectful enough to Emperor Yuanyou, but the way Qin Yuantang looked at his old man was even more humble than the way the old man looked at Emperor Yuanyou!
The food and wine in his mouth suddenly lost its taste. Chen Jingzong withdrew his gaze and never looked towards Qin Yuantang again.
(End of this chapter)