Zi'an went to Chen's house to see the old lady. She was holding a steamed bun in her hand and eating it in small bites while sitting on the stone steps in front of the corridor. She looked a little bored.
It was such a cold day, and she rolled up her trouser legs, which were covered in mud. A hoe was placed next to her. She looked like an old lady who had just returned from the fields.
As Zi'an spoke, she ate the steamed buns, occasionally nodded, and occasionally smiled.
Finally, she gently bit the steamed bun in one bite, then frowned tightly, looking worried.
Seeing this, Zi'an asked anxiously, "Why don't you say something?"
"The situation is quite serious." The old lady shook her head and sighed, swallowed the steamed bun, and stretched her neck very long.
"Serious? Do you see what the problem is?" Zi'an sighed, "Can you please stop keeping me in suspense?"
The old lady turned to look at her and sighed, "Last year, I could eat spare ribs and lamb in one meal. Last year, I had no difficulty eating meat. This year, even eating a steamed bun makes my teeth sour. I'm old and my teeth are not good. Do you think it's serious?"
Zi'an was disappointed. "You're talking about this? Isn't it normal for people to have bad teeth when they get old?"
"It's normal, but who would be willing to accept it? I love food, and that's the only hobby I have left. For me, nothing could be more miserable than this."
Zi'an couldn't help but feel sympathetic. This person is getting old. To young people, it's normal. But is the old person willing to accept it? Even if he doesn't want to accept it, doesn't he have to accept it? This is the law of heaven and earth. Who can change it? Who can stay young forever
"Don't understand?" Seeing her deep in thought and a little sad, the old lady smiled, "What I said is actually very simple. The emperor is in such a high position. He actually knows that he has reached the end of his life. Everyone who knows his condition knows it, but is he willing to accept it? What if he doesn't want to accept it? Try your best, try every possible means, just like I still hope that one day I can bite through the small crispy bones of the ribs with one bite."
"Are you talking about him using witchcraft to treat illnesses? I understand that, he did it to stay alive." Zi'an nodded, "But why did he recall Su Qing and Xiao Tuo?"
"You don't understand this. The generals who fight hold the power of the army. What is this power of the army? It is the foundation of the throne. Without the army, who will protect the dignity of the emperor? The emperor ordered a full-scale attack. He seemed to have listened to the words of Wu'an Hou, but in fact he had his own calculations, because he knew the prince's ability very well. He used up all the troops of the Great Zhou to fight against Beimo. Although my Great Zhou would suffer heavy casualties, Beimo would not get any benefit. Qin Zhou was a general who would not fight unless she won. If she suffered a heavy blow, she would call off the army and would not talk about fighting easily. Because the generals had a high status in Beimo, especially Qin Zhou, her opinions could directly influence the emperor's opinions. If Qin Zhou did not fight, would the emperor of Beimo still fight? This achieved a short-term peace for the two countries. However, this peace was temporary, and it was also exchanged for the blood and lives of countless soldiers of my Great Zhou."
"Too cruel!" Zi'an shook his head.
"Is war not cruel? The emperor ordered an all-out attack, but your prince made up a lie about the post horse being robbed to fool the emperor. Of course, the emperor felt that he was out of control. An uncontrollable general holding a large army, how could he not make the emperor feel a sense of crisis? What to do with a sense of crisis? You have to cut off his hands and feet. Su Qing and Xiao Tuo are your prince's hands and feet. Cut off the two of them and send his two to be the left and right vanguards. If Murong Jie makes a decision that is not in line with the emperor's wishes, hmm..."
The old lady stopped talking, and Zi'an understood.
"The emperor has sent two generals, one is Chang Su and the other is Fu Jia. What do you think of these two men?"
"No need to look," Chen Taijun smiled, "Could the people sent by the emperor be the regent's men? But..."
Seeing that she was keeping it a secret again, Zi'an couldn't help but get anxious, "But what?"
"However, these two were my old subordinates in the past. They later broke away from my Chen family army and took important positions under the emperor. They are loyal generals of the Great Zhou, but I have a great favor to them. I think if I write to them, they will at least give me some face."
Zi'an smiled, "I see, no wonder you are so calm."
"Calm? Not so long. This situation is difficult to resolve. The emperor has ordered a full-scale attack. The regent can't avoid it. If the two generals go this time and still make excuses, I'm afraid they will have to send the military supervisor. Once the military supervisor goes, the deployment of troops will not be so free. However, there is nothing we can do. It all depends on how the prince resolves it. He will not sacrifice the lives of his soldiers just to exchange for one or two years of peace. If he is not 70% or 80% sure this time, he will not launch a full-scale attack."
"Yes, Qin Zhou is an expert at strong attacks. It's not a good idea to confront her head-on. It's best to use guerrilla warfare, sneak attacks, and make her upset. That way, we have a chance of winning."
"Well, your analysis is correct. I didn't expect you to be so insightful. There is no one who can check and balance the emperor, and I'm afraid the wind direction in the court will be different, which will be very unfavorable to the prince." The old lady couldn't help but become worried.
"Yes!" Zi'an knew this, so he came to ask her for advice.
The days passed quietly, and more than half a month had passed in the blink of an eye.
Su Qing and Xiao Tuo are already on their way back. Counting the days, they should arrive in the capital in the next two days.
On April 12, King Ye sent someone to report that the noble concubine Sun had died in the Heavenly Prison.
Zi'an didn't feel any wavering after hearing this. He thought it was a great achievement for her to have managed to hold on until today.
Given her injuries, it was initially estimated that she would not survive more than three days.
She is very persistent, and if she had a more positive mindset, she would be an outstanding talent.
Zi'an hasn't seen Sun Fang'er since she went to Xiwei Palace.
However, she actually came back that day and went to Qingning Pavilion to get something, and Zi'an went over there.
She had lost a lot of weight, her face looked particularly pale, her eyes were bigger but lifeless, she took out a brocade box and handed it to Zi'an, "Please help me pass it to Hu Huanxi and tell her that I am not worthy of her gift."
Zi'an opened the box and found the white jade Guanyin that Hu Huanxi had given her at the end of the year. Zi'an said, "Since you've left the palace, why don't you send it back in person?"
"No, just leave a good impression on her. I am..." She looked at Zi'an with a desolate look in her eyes, "Please, just pass it on to her."
After saying that, he turned and left.
"Sun Fang'er!" Zi'an called out to her, "Why don't you leave the palace?"
Sun Fang'er stopped and turned around. An almost withered smile appeared on her pale and beautiful face. "Isn't it absurd to ask this question? The whole world belongs to the king. Where can I go?"
"What did he ask you to do?" Zi'an felt that her whiteness was very abnormal, as if she had no blood at all.
"I didn't do anything," Sun Fang'er thought for a moment, "In the wing of Huiqing Palace where I live, there is a porcelain bottle with my blood in it. I used potion, so the blood won't coagulate. That little bit of my blood is useful. Go and take it out. If you can develop a way to cure the poison, this blood will be very important."
(End of this chapter)