Sui Sui's prediction was correct. Before the end of the first month of the year, news came from the Wei Bo army that Xue Zhi led the Chengde army to rebel against Heshuo. He sent assassins to assassinate Xiao Tongan and the eunuch sent by the court to supervise the army, and brought the two towns under his command.
It was not uncommon for vassal generals to fight for power and kill each other, but killing the imperial military supervisor was a challenge to the emperor's authority.
When the news reached Chang'an, the emperor was furious and there was an uproar throughout the court and the country.
Half of the Shenyi Army's forces were in Huaixi, and the imperial court had also spent a large sum of money to borrow troops from various vassal states. If Xue Zhi launched a large-scale rebellion at this time, the imperial court would simply not have the manpower and financial resources to open another battlefield in Hebei.
Sui Sui was in Youzhou and received the news immediately after the incident.
Hearing that Xiao Tongan was really dead, she was not very happy, but just stunned - since the death of their father, they, the uncle and nephew, have been fighting openly and secretly for years, wishing to kill each other, but they were not like this from the beginning.
When she was young, her father was always busy with military campaigns, and she was taken care of by her uncle for a few years. It was no exaggeration to say that they were as close as father and daughter during those years. Even her first foal was given to her by Xiao Tongan.
No matter whether we die or not, Xiao Tongan is the only relative she has left in the world.
Tian Yuerong knew that she would feel bad, so she changed the subject and said, "Fortunately, General Ye is in charge of Youzhou, so Xue Laomei dare not act rashly. I heard that he is mobilizing troops and said that he wants to go to Huaixi to "support" the imperial army..."
Sui Sui certainly knew what his plan was. It was called "support", but in fact it was to harass the imperial army and secretly support Huaixi.
"Do you want to take action?" Tian Yuerong asked.
Sui Sui hesitated for a moment and shook his head: "No need, let him do whatever he wants, it will bring us all benefits and no harm."
Tian Yuerong thought about it and understood that after the imperial court conquered Huaixi, they might turn around and attack Heshuo. This was exactly what Xue Zhi was afraid of, so he did not hesitate to kill the eunuchs to strike first.
With him at the forefront against the court, they could use the court's help to weaken Xue Zhi's military strength, and when the time was right they could wipe him out in the name of suppressing a rebellion - Cheng De had always been a hidden danger among the three armies, especially Xue Zhi's personal army, and taking this opportunity to purge them would save them the effort.
Things went quite smoothly. While attacking Huaixi, the King of Qi also dispatched troops to deal with Xue Zhi's harassment. His army was still unstoppable and they captured Caizhou City in early February. Huaixi Jiedushi Guo Zhongxuan was killed by the deputy commander and his brother Guo Jikuan.
This deputy general killed his own brother and immediately surrendered to the court. The Battle of Huaixi ended ahead of schedule. The King of Qi turned around and fought with Cheng De's "reinforcements", killing thousands of elite soldiers under Xue Zhi, almost leaving no one alive.
Xue Zhi felt that the situation was not good, so he retreated to Chengde. He submitted a petition to the emperor to plead guilty, executed a deputy general, and put the blame on him for the murder of the military supervisor.
The imperial court had just fought a huge war that cost the people a lot of money and resources and did not want to fight again, so both sides took a step back.
Because of Xue Zhi's incident, Huan Xuan was delayed for several months. It was not until May that he received the order to return to the court.
The news that the King of Qi had won a great victory and was about to return in triumph spread throughout the capital, but some were happy while others were sad.
The one who was unhappy was of course the crown prince, but as the heir to the throne, he could not show any sign of it. He had to attend court every day, listening with a smile to the emperor and court officials praising the King of Qi.
Zhao Jun, the Duke of Wu'an, who was also a military general, was also not happy. The more glorious the military exploits of the King of Qi and the more skillful he was in commanding troops, the more it highlighted the incompetence of others. Although he did not personally participate in the attack on Huaixi due to an injury, he was still secretly compared with Huan Xuan.
His son Zhao Qinghui is a different story.
The fire in Zhaoying Mountain was really an accident. Although no one of Zhu Erlang's gang was left alive, the whole thing did not go according to his plan - he intended to kill Zhu Erlang and his gang, but before he could do it, they were burned to death. Of course, someone secretly took action first.
Zhao Qinghui couldn't figure out who was behind this, whether that person wanted to lend him a hand or had other motives, so he had no choice but to kill his close follower who knew about the incident to silence him.
After much thought, there should be no other evidence left, but knowing that the King of Qi had returned to the capital, he couldn't help feeling a little uneasy. He was not afraid that Huan Xuan would cause trouble for him - he had just made a great contribution, not to mention that the Crown Prince did not want to see him gain power, the Emperor also had to be on guard against his achievements overshadowing his own. Even if he found out the truth, they would not dare to deal with their Wu'an Mansion. He was just worried that if he found out, his cousin would be unhappy.
Logically speaking, everyone in Prince Qi's Mansion should be the happiest, but Gao Mai, Grandma Gao and others were happy but worried at the same time. What they were worried about was naturally how to explain the news of Lu Suisui's death to His Royal Highness the Prince Qi.
Gao Mai calculated the days. The army had just set out, and it would take at least August to arrive in Chang'an. He had three months left to survive.
Unexpectedly, Huan Xuan could not wait to march slowly, and he traveled lightly with twenty or thirty guards, and arrived in Luoyang in early July.
It was afternoon when they arrived at Luoyang City. Huan Xuan asked the guards to go to the posthouse first, while he went to the market. He hurried back, galloping all the way. Halfway through the journey, he remembered that he had collected a lot of things from Lu Suisui this year, but he didn't bring anything with him. It would be inappropriate for him to meet her empty-handed.
Luoyang's prosperity was second only to Chang'an. As it was the terminus of the north-south water transport, many fresh goods from the south and the Western Regions were first shipped here and then to Chang'an. Therefore, he specially spent half a day to buy things in the market.
He rode his horse around the silk shops, colored silk shops, cosmetics shops, gold banks, and new goods shops that women liked to patronize. When he saw a shop he liked, he pointed at it and a guard would come forward to check the account, put the goods in his bags, and put them on the cart.
Huan Xuan walked around and pointed, and soon the cart was almost filled with all kinds of women's clothing, jewelry, and cosmetics. He knew that Lu Sui Sui loved to eat, so he bought half a cart of dried meat, preserved fruits, and dried fruits.
But after buying so many things, he still felt that something was missing, so he asked the guards to pull the cart away first, and then he went shopping in the Gold and Jade Store.
Just now he only visited those large shops with conspicuous facades and luxurious decorations, but this time he visited all the inconspicuous small shops as well. Finally, he found something that caught his eye in a small antique shop at the end of the street.
It was a jade pendant full of ancient charm. The pattern was not the usual ones such as dragons and phoenixes, cranes or peonies, but a pair of deer, with one deer walking in front and the other following closely behind. The two deer were depicted in a simple yet lifelike manner, with beads dotted around them.
Huan Xuan stroked the doe on the jade pendant and couldn't help but think of Lu Suisui, and couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.
He nodded to the guard, who then asked the shop owner, "Sir, how much is this jade pendant?"
The shop owner, with wrinkled skin and white hair, held up a finger and said, "Ten thousand gold."
The guard was startled: "Old man, are you confused? It's just a piece of jade, the quality is not good, why does it cost so much?"
The shop owner said, "That is my family heirloom. I won't sell it for less than a penny."
The guard was about to say something, but Huan Xuan said, "We are from Xijing. We are away from home and don't have so much money with us. Can you leave a token of trust and take the jade pendant with you first?"
The shop owner shook his head and wanted to take the jade pendant back: "Please come back later when you have enough money to buy it."
The guard also said, "Sir, it is impossible for anyone to pay 10,000 gold to buy his jade pendant. When we get to Chang'an, just ask someone to bring the money to buy it."
Huan Xuan held the jade tightly and refused to let go. Somehow, he felt that this jade pendant was exactly what he had been looking for. He must bring the jade back to Chang'an and give it to Lu Suisui.
He thought for a moment and said, "Can I exchange something for it?"
The old man looked him over, narrowed his eyes and asked, "What do you want to exchange for it, sir?"
Huan Xuan took off the mutton-fat jade dragon pendant from his waist and placed it in front of him.
The old man took a look and still shook his head.
Huan Xuan took the sword from his waist.
The guard was surprised, this sword had been with the King of Qi since he first went to the battlefield. Who knows how many enemy generals' blood it had sucked from its mouth. Not to mention its value, its meaning to him was extraordinary.
He actually just casually exchanged it for a broken jade pendant!
Huan Xuan didn't even frown: "Is this enough?"
The old man drew his sword from its sheath, and the blade shone like snow, brightening the dim shop.
The old man nodded and said, "It is a good sword. This sword is enough. Please take back the jade pendant."
Before Huan Xuan could say anything, the guard immediately took the Chilong pendant away.
Having found a suitable gift, Huan Xuan was very satisfied. He did not delay any further for the next few days and headed for Chang'an along the official road. The journey of 800 miles was completed in just a few days.
When he arrived in Chang'an, it was the Zhongyuan Festival. Huan Xuan had to report to the palace when he came to the capital in advance. When he arrived at Changle Posthouse outside the city, he sent someone to deliver the message to the emperor. However, entering the palace to meet the emperor would inevitably take a day or two, so he had a private thought and wanted to go to Shanchiyuan to see Lu Suisui before entering the palace.
He was determined to give the village girl a surprise, so he did not send guards to pass the message first. Instead, he went around to the west of the city, entered from Yanping Gate, and headed straight for Chang'anfang.
Gao Mai didn't get the news until Huan Xuan and his party arrived at the gate of Shanchiyuan. He was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat - it was too late to move the princess to save him.
He could only bite the bullet and lead the servants to the door to greet him, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness. Congratulations on your triumphant return."
Huan Xuan got off his horse, clenched the jade pendant with a pair of deer in his hand, glanced at the crowd, and didn't see Lu Sui Sui and her maid who followed him like a shadow, so he asked, "Where is Lu Sui Sui?"
Everyone lowered their heads. Gao Mai's face turned pale and he couldn't utter a word for a long time.
Huan Xuan's face looked a little strange, and he suddenly remembered that today was the Ghost Festival, and all the major temples were holding Ullambana Festivals. Lu Suisui must have run out to play.
He was a little unhappy, but he also understood that she was not aware of his sudden return to Beijing, so he couldn't blame her.
"But did you go out to play?" Huan Xuan asked.
Gao Mai had a bitter face and knelt down with a plop: "Your Highness, please punish me. I didn't take good care of Madam Lu. She...she is gone..."
Huan Xuan was stunned: "What do you mean? She left?"
Gao Mai fell to the ground and cried bitterly.
Huan Xuan ignored him, jumped on his horse, kicked the horse's belly hard, and galloped straight towards Tangliyuan.
When I arrived at the maple forest path, I saw that the wooden door of Tangli Courtyard was ajar, and white smoke could be vaguely seen rising from the courtyard.
He felt his heart beating wildly in his chest. He crossed the path in two steps and pushed open the gate. He saw a bonfire in the courtyard. Nanny Gao and the maids from Tangli Courtyard were gathered around the bonfire, burning paper money. He looked up in astonishment. Their eyelids were red and swollen, and their faces were covered with tears.
Huan Xuan involuntarily took a step back, his hands loosened, and the deer pendants fell down and hit the bluestone slab. With a clear sound, the priceless gem broke into two pieces.
Huan Xuan didn't even glance at her, but just stared at Grandma Gao's red eyes from crying: "Where is Lu Sui Sui?"
Without waiting for Grandma Gao to answer, he quickly walked through the courtyard and walked up the stairs. He pushed open the door with a "bang" and said, "Lu Sui Sui, come out!"