Guo Shao led his troops back to the capital.
The imperial army won a great victory. Li Chongjin was forced to kneel down and the soldiers shouted "Long live the emperor". Inspector Guo Du immediately avoided Zan Jurun and narrated what he had seen and heard in the Privy Council.
Wang Pu took notes in person and asked about the entire march and battle process. His hair had turned gray under his futou, but his small eyes were exceptionally bright, flashing with the curiosity and enthusiasm of a young man.
He paid special attention to the combat methods of the infantry battalion of the Huben Army, which used volleys of bows and arrows only after advancing forward. Some of these tactics had never been heard of before.
Seeing Wei Renpu reading his writing calmly, Wang Pu turned around and said with a smile: In my opinion, Guo Shaojiang is the most interesting person in recent years.
The next day, a grand court session was held in Jinxiang Hall.
The heavy drum beats of "dong dong dong" opened the performance, then slowed down and formed a very slow and rhythmic rhythm with the bells. Hundreds of musicians on the side of the hall struck various musical instruments hanging on huge racks. The grand palace music immediately enveloped the spacious hall in a solemn atmosphere.
After Guo Shao, Shi Yanchao and Yang Biao took off their weapons, they stepped into the hall. All the civil and military officials in Tokyo turned their heads to look at them. At this time, the Queen Mother and the Emperor had not yet arrived. Everyone bowed and greeted them: Congratulations to General Guo on his great victory! Congratulations!
Guo Shao clasped his fists and greeted the officials, smiling and very modest. On the contrary, Shi Yanchao on the side was very proud.
Soon, the eunuch shouted: Queen Mother, the Emperor has arrived.
Guo Shao and others lined up on the east side, and he stood at the front. Then more than a hundred civil and military officials in the hall knelt on the ground and shouted: Long live the emperor!
The eunuch knelt down and helped the emperor, who was wearing a crown, onto the dragon throne. Fu Jinzhan sat down behind the curtain beside him and said, "Everyone, please stand up." Everyone shouted again, "Thank you, Queen Mother."
At this time, Guo Shao stepped forward, presented the seal of the Grand Marshal of the Army, and knelt down, saying: "I was summoned to suppress the rebellion. Within 15 days, I defeated the 100,000-man rebel army of Li Jixun and Li Chongjin in Jinzhou and captured Li Chongjin and brought him back to the court. I have finally lived up to the Queen Mother's trust. Today I am returning to the army and handing over the military power."
Yang Shiliang came down to take the seal. Fu Jinzhan behind the curtain said: "Guo Du Dianjian is invincible, and I am very relieved. You have worked hard and made great contributions. Come, reward Guo Shao, Shi Yanchao, Yang Biao, Dong Zunhui, and Luo Mengzi with brocade robes, silver belts, and silver saddles as a reward. Today, we will hold a banquet in Jinxiang Hall to celebrate the achievements of the generals. Guo Du Dianjian, please stand up.
Guo Shao thanked him, stood up, turned around and faced the ministers and said: "I once said that I would be the defender of the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Looking back today, how can I say that what I said in the past be true? If the rebels were allowed to enter the capital, the world would be in chaos, and your wealth and honor would not be preserved."
Everyone immediately started talking.
Guo Shao then clasped his fists to the emperor and said: "I am loyal to the Queen Mother and regard Tokyo as my hometown. I will take it as my duty to defend the court and will not hesitate to sacrifice my life. In the army, I am often slandered for being too soft-hearted, but I don't care; to eliminate those who are disloyal with a heart of benevolence and righteousness is the way of a defender. Today, the world has been suffering from war for a long time, and people want peace. The imperial army should follow the will of the people, so that they can work together with the people of the world to assist the Queen Mother in creating a prosperous era."
Fu Jinzhan praised happily: Inspector Guo is truly a loyal minister of the court.
Everyone looked at Guo Shao sideways, their eyes showing goodwill. In such a chaotic world, being able to fight and protect their wealth is good for everyone present, so of course everyone likes Guo Shao.
After Guo Shao finished speaking, he retreated into the queue, and the civil servants on the opposite side all nodded to him in greeting.
At this moment, a civil servant stepped out from the back and bowed, saying: I, the envoy of the Southern Tang Kingdom, have something to report.
The eunuch Yang Shiliang looked back at Fu Jinzhan behind the curtain, and then said: Come forward.
The envoy stepped forward, bowed first, then presented the letter of credence with both hands, and said loudly: Our ruler Li Hongji congratulates the Great Zhou Emperor on his victory in suppressing the rebellion, and would like to offer 1.2 million strings of money as a gift. Please order the Great Zhou Emperor to recognize the throne of the ruler and return the ruler's sixth brother, so that the two countries can establish a friendly relationship between monarch and subject; if the court grants permission, our ruler will transport the property to Tokyo before the end of the year.
At this time, Prime Minister Fan Zhi stepped out and said: "Empress Dowager, the 20,000 imperial guards have made great contributions and returned to the court. They should be rewarded. If each person is rewarded with 20 strings of cash, 400,000 strings of cash will be needed. After the emperor ascended the throne, he also exempted some taxes for famines; but the expenses were not reduced at all. The expenses of the more than 100,000 imperial guards and the horses are very tight for the central government. If the Southern Tang Kingdom offers 1.2 million strings of cash, the court can alleviate the tax shortage next year."
Fu Jinzhan accepted the letter and said casually: I will discuss this matter with the ministers and then reply to the envoy of Southern Tang.
There were too many people in the court, and nothing in the court could be kept confidential. Li Yu soon learned about Li Hongji's second letter through the officials of the guest province whom he had made friends with in Tokyo.
Li Yu and Zhou Xian have lived in Tokyo for more than two months, and they really feel like the days are passing by like years.
Zhou Xian comforted him for a while: Although Fan Zhi is the prime minister, his words do not count. General Guo has the prestige of suppressing the rebellion, so his words carry more weight in the court. My husband, please don't worry too much.
The two talked for a while, and seeing that it was getting late, Zhou Xian went to the room to take a shower.
The inner room was filled with smoke. She took a deep breath and slowly washed herself. At this moment, she vaguely felt someone behind her and exclaimed in surprise: Who is it
When she looked back, she saw the door curtain swaying, and sure enough, she saw Li Yu approaching the door. Zhou Xian complained: "Why did my husband secretly watch me bathing?"
Li Yu sighed: Some women in the palace can't bear it anymore and then they masturbate. Ehuang wouldn't do that secretly by herself.
Zhou Xian's face suddenly turned red, and he felt very uncomfortable. He angrily said: What kind of person do you think I am
Last time, Li Yu hesitated and said, "You went to seduce Guo Shao. It seemed very different from before. It seemed very comfortable. Didn't you say you hated that kind of thing?"
Zhou Xian said: Of course I hate it, don't you know that? Go out quickly, I'm just taking a shower.
Li Yu finally left.
After bathing and changing clothes, Zhou Xian felt dizzy, as if she had caught a cold in the cool weather. Just by saying a word, Li Yu actually sent someone to invite a doctor to prescribe medicine, and then worked until late at night to personally bring the medicine to her before he felt relieved.
Zhou Xian was deeply touched. No matter what, her husband was still the best person to her.
The two of them went to bed without saying anything. Zhou Xian woke up once in the middle of the night. When she opened her eyes, she suddenly saw Li Yu awake and looking at her. She was shocked and pulled the quilt hard to sit up. After being scared, she didn't know what to say for a while, so she said that she had a nightmare and didn't want to reveal it.
But she could no longer fall asleep, so she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. After the shock, she was very angry.
She had been feeling very uncomfortable in Tokyo recently, and always felt that someone was watching her. Zhou Xian didn't want to cause trouble for herself, but she did find her husband secretly observing her from time to time.
For example, the day before yesterday, she just got a box of nail polish from Chen Jiali, saying that it was something that Tokyo ladies liked very much; Zhou Xian wanted to try it very much, but for some reason she had to hide secretly before applying it, probably because she was afraid that her husband would think she was frivolous.
Zhou Xian turned over and finally said: Husband, are you asleep
In the dim light, Li Yu's voice said: Not asleep.
Zhou Xian pondered for a moment and said: I think it’s better to talk about some things. Husband, can you please stop staring at me? It makes me uncomfortable. Women have some very private things, and it would be embarrassing if others saw them.
Li Yu said: You and I are husband and wife, is there anything you have to hide from me
I'm not trying to hide it from you, Zhou Xian frowned. I think we should still avoid each other a little. Before I got married, even my mother didn't keep an eye on me all the time.
Li Yu sighed melancholy and said: I think you want to slowly move away from me.
Zhou Xian opened his mouth and explained with difficulty: For example, during menstruation, which woman would like to be seen and stared at all the time without any privacy? I feel very embarrassed.
Li Yu was furious: When did I have any interest in seeing that kind of thing
I just want to make my point clear. Zhou Xian said hurriedly, everyone wants to show their best side in front of others, no matter who they are in front of; no one wants to be seen in an embarrassing situation.
Li Yu said coldly: I know that you have begun to hate and despise me since you met Guo Shao.
Zhou Xian thought about it and felt uncomfortable with Li Yu, but it didn't seem to be because of Guo Shao. Li Yu didn't hear her answer, and then said: I was so sincere to you, think about it yourself, how I treated you in the past few years, I always thought you were the most important thing to me, then Li Hongji forced me to offer you, I would rather flee and think that Ehuang belonged to me alone and loved me in every way. Are you going to be ungrateful
Husband, when have I ever been ungrateful? Zhou Xian hurriedly grabbed his arm, thought for a moment and said, I know you are good to me.
Li Yu said kindly: Your father has passed away, the Li family and the Zhou family are relatives, and I care about you so much, I will protect you like a father. Ehuang should not be blinded by temporary temptation, you must understand who treats you as their own family.
Zhou Xian responded softly, but he couldn’t express clearly what was in his mind.
Last time, Guo Shao was forced to do it. If her husband had any other options, he would never have been willing to send his beloved wife out to serve others. Apart from this matter, her husband was indeed very obedient to her, willing to give her everything, and had given a lot to her.
If Zhou Xian really wanted to be disloyal, even he would feel condemned by his conscience. Moreover, in the current situation, the Zhou family's big tree has fallen, and the family must keep the land and population; if they have no support in Jinling for a long time, will there be local tyrants who intend to bully and seize the Zhou family's large amount of property
She turned over silently and stopped complaining.