Persuasion

Seeing Liu Chunwei's angry look, Qin Yousi felt that the setback in her marriage had not made her grow up, and she was still a willful girl.

After all, they didn't have any deep hatred, so she spoke frankly, "Princess, you disliked me the first time you saw me. I guess it's because I look so much like my second cousin from the Qin family, and it reminded you of your unhappy past. I've also heard about your story with my second cousin. I invited you to talk today because I have a few sincere words to say to you on my second cousin's behalf."

"When you and my second cousin were young, you always competed for the first place, just to get a word of praise from the late emperor and the people of the capital. Does it matter who is first and who is second? Qin Yousi is dead, and you didn't get what you wanted. It shows that what others think of you is not important at all and cannot determine your life. My second cousin has no chance, but the princess still has. Why waste your energy on me for such an insignificant thing? Keeping yourself and your loved ones safe and sound is more important than anything else."

Liu Chunwei's expression was somewhat moved and she was also very surprised. She never expected that the delicate woman in front of her would say these words to her.

But when Liu Chunwei thought of what she said, "Qin Yousi is dead, and you didn't get what you wanted," she felt empty. What were they fighting for?

But Liu Chunwei would not give in in front of others. She still gritted her teeth and said, "You are more disgusting than Qin Erniang!"

Qin Yousi smiled instead of getting angry and said, "That must be because of Lord Baili."

Liu Chunwei was about to explode in anger again, but Qin Yousi spoke first, "Princess, please don't be upset. Lord Baili has been so kind to me because I saved him. You may not know that a while ago, he went to Yangcheng for the Sang family case and was ambushed by the Black Gunpowder Guards of Xichang Marquis Xifeng, seriously injured. Now, although Xichang Marquis is being tried by the three courts, the case has not made any progress. If Xichang Marquis really escapes this disaster, I wonder how he will retaliate against Lord Baili. If the princess truly cares about Lord Baili, instead of making things difficult for me and putting him in a dilemma, why not secretly help him?"

Her father-in-law, Prime Minister Su, was one of the key figures in the joint trial of the three courts.

"Where is he injured?" Liu Chunwei asked nervously.

Qin Yousi gestured exaggeratedly, "My entire left back is burned. Fragments of the explosion penetrated my lower back and chest. I'm bleeding a lot. It's extremely dangerous."

Liu Chunwei gritted his teeth and said, "How dare that old thief Duan use gunpowder to assassinate a court official! He's planning a rebellion! My brother is so foolish to favor such a jackal!"

Qin Yousi saw that his words had been spoken and stopped adding fuel to the fire.

Liu Chunwei had already let down her guard and said to Qin Yousi, "Take good care of cousin Baili. He doesn't take good care of himself. I'll have my maid bring you some tonic later. You must make sure he takes it."

This was something Qin Yousi had not expected, but he agreed with a smile.

At this moment, Baili Hongyuan, who was at the palace banquet, was rarely called by his mother, Princess Linglong, who always ignored him.

"I heard that one of your men took a girl to Zhizhen Pavilion yesterday?"

Baili Hongyuan didn't intend to hide it and nodded: "That's true."

Seeing that he admitted it so generously, Princess Linglong asked directly, "Are you finally planning to get married?"

Baili Hongyuan held the wine glass, smiled bitterly and shook his head: "It's not the time yet."

Princess Linglong complained, "When I was your age, I got married for the second time!"

Baili Hongyuan sensed something was wrong and asked, "You've never cared about my affairs before, why are you concerned today?"

"Just before the banquet began, the Queen Mother asked about you. If you delay any longer, she will intervene."

Baili Hongyuan smiled and said, "The Emperor will protect us, so we don't need to worry about it."

He holds the confidential information of the Supervisory Office, and the Emperor will not allow the Queen Mother and others to place their confidants around Baili Hongyuan.

Princess Linglong's two marriages ended in misfortune, so she really didn't care about her son's marriage, but...

"Even if you don't plan on getting married, don't you plan on finding a confidante? I used to see you frequenting brothels, but you haven't touched them in recent years. Could it be that your health has deteriorated?"

Baili Hongyuan didn't bother to pay attention to his nonsensical mother. He stood up with a sullen face and said, "Don't worry about your son's affairs. If you really have nothing to do, you might as well pay attention to what's going on in Xizhu. I heard that the King of Xizhu hasn't given up yet."

No one knows a mother better than her son. His words successfully made Princess Linglong's face darken.

When Xizhu and Shengguo went to war, Princess Linglong fled back to Shengguo. Although the late emperor sent a letter to Xizhu stating that Princess Linglong and the King of Xizhu were no longer related, the King of Xizhu did not acknowledge it and repeatedly sent people to sneak into Shengjing to try to kidnap Princess Linglong back.

Even after Princess Linglong remarried the Beiliang hostage, he did not stop.

In recent years, King Xizhu has grown old and in poor health, and has gradually become incapable of movement. Princess Linglong thought she could peacefully send her ex-husband to the west, but unexpectedly, her son's words made her feel bad for the whole night.

After coming out of the palace banquet, Baili Hongyuan went directly to Bailu Terrace.

He had recently received some important intelligence, suggesting that Xizhu seemed to be preparing for war.

In summer, the northwest boasts lush grass and abundant livestock, and swamps abound. Logically, this wasn't the right time to launch an attack on Xizhu. He suspected the Marquis of Xichang and the people of Xizhu were colluding internally and externally to create tension and force Emperor Sheng to release the Marquis and reinstate him.

This is also the most effective way for Marquis Xichang to resolve the current dilemma.

But the country's war is a big deal, he cannot gamble, and he cannot ignore the safety of the border.

If they wanted to dissolve Marquis Xichang's plan, they would have to nominate a general who was more suitable than Marquis Xichang to lead the troops in the northwest. However, except for the navy of Dongzhou and Huangzhou, which had not yet been infiltrated by Marquis Xichang, all other units had already become his pawns.

After much deliberation, Baili Hongyuan had no choice but to send a letter to Xizhou, asking the old general Yin Song, who had lost his command seal in the past, to come out of retirement.

Yin Song was a veteran of three dynasties and a loyal minister deeply trusted by emperors of all generations. He never formed cliques for personal gain, nor did he take credit for himself. When Emperor Sheng ascended the throne, all important military and political affairs were decided by Yin Song.

However, Emperor Sheng's repeated actions against the Qin family made Yin Song very disappointed. He resigned from the court and retired to his hometown.

It is difficult to say whether Yin Song retired because he saw the new emperor's intention to eliminate old ministers in order to protect himself, or because he was really disappointed and unwilling to help the evil. However, Baili Hongyuan believed that the Yin family was full of loyal and brave people, and would not sit idly by and watch the enemy's cavalry trample through the mountains and rivers.

After dealing with the urgent matters at hand, Baili Hongyuan called Xin Chen in and asked if the moon-viewing banquet at Prince Bao's mansion was over.

Xin Chen said with an embarrassed look, "It's over."

Baili Hongyuan frowned and asked, "What happened? Just tell me what you want to say."

"Miss Sang was sent home by Princess Chengyue... I heard they had a pleasant conversation along the way..."

Baili Hongyuan didn't know the reason, he just thought that Qin Yousi had some tricks to win people's hearts.

The next day, Qin Yousi came to give Baili Hongyuan acupuncture treatment and brought several large bowls of boiled tonic medicine.

Baili Hongyuan drank three large bowls of water, feeling somewhat full, and asked, "What kind of medicine are these? Do I have to drink them? I haven't drunk so much before."

Qin Yousi smiled and said, "These are all from Princess Chengyue's heart. My Lord, please make sure to finish them."

Baili Hongyuan put down the medicine bowl and raised his eyebrows in confusion.

Qin Yousi said, "I'd like the princess to visit the Su family and ask Prime Minister Su to help with the Xichang Marquis case. I told her about your injuries sustained by the Marquis. She was very nervous and sent someone to deliver these tonics last night."

There was nothing wrong with Qin Yousi's action from the perspective of her purpose, but Baili Hongyuan still felt uncomfortable.

She didn't mind having a woman care about him, nor did she mind using him as a bargaining chip.

I thought that the relationship between the two had changed a little. Even if they didn't say it explicitly, they should understand each other a little bit.

Now it seems that it was all his wishful thinking.

Baili Hongyuan's face darkened, and he felt as if something was blocking his throat.

Qin Yousi carefully observed his expression. Seeing him lost, she felt bad too. However, she could only keep him out of her heart in this way without leaving any trace, which was for his future.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment, and Qin Yousi started the conversation, saying, "If Prime Minister Su can really persuade Emperor Sheng to give up protecting the Marquis of Xichang, it will be necessary to promptly promote a capable military general to fill this vacancy. Your Excellency can make preparations early."

Baili Hongyuan came back to his senses and nodded, saying, "I have already written to General Yin, hoping that he can come out of retirement, but Emperor Sheng may not necessarily use the Yin family. The Song family may be a better choice."

The emperor's tutor Song Jinnan was implicated in a crime involving his wife's family in his middle age, and his son Song Yiping was also exiled to Nanling.

Later, Emperor Sheng ascended the throne and pardoned the Song family's crimes and took Song Jinnan back. However, his son Song Yiping had given up literature to pursue military career and remained in the Nanzhou Army to serve. In recent years, he has become quite successful.

Baili Hongyuan said, "The Song family has been a family of scholars for generations, but their path has fallen apart. It's not easy for a scholar like Song Yiping to save the Great Xia from collapse. Previously, the Marquis of Xichang controlled military affairs, and the Song family was also restricted. It would be great if they could replace him this time. With the Song family in the open and the Yin family in the dark, working together, they can completely eliminate the remaining Marquis of Xichang's followers in the army."

Although the Song family assisted Emperor Sheng, they, like the Yin family, were upright and honest ministers, not treacherous ministers like the Duan family.

Qin Yousi also quite approves of these two families: "If the treacherous and corrupt officials are not eliminated, ministers like the Song and Yin families who serve the country and the people will never have a chance to rise to prominence. I hope Prime Minister Su can see the big picture and force Emperor Sheng to make a decision soon."

As the summer heat dissipated and the autumn wind began to rise, the situation in the capital began to change rapidly.

The trial of Marquis Xichang, which had been put on hold for over a month, finally made progress after the imperial tutor Song Jinnan, Prime Minister Su, and Prince Bao entered the palace to meet the emperor.

Prime Minister Su personally dispatched a special envoy group from the three departments to the northwest front to verify and investigate, and the Supervisory Office dispatched secret guards to escort them.

At the same time, the spies deployed by the Supervisory Office in Xizhu sent back a secret report that Xizhu planned to take advantage of the vacancy of the garrison commander on the western front to plunder the border town during the autumn harvest season.

The current Dali Temple Minister took the opportunity of interrogating the Marquis of Xichang to tell Duan Weiming these military secrets.

Duan Weiming smiled grimly and said, "Without me, the country's gates are wide open. Just wait, His Majesty will issue an order to release me from prison and send me to the front lines."

The Dali Temple Minister asked, "My Lord, does Xizhu's sending troops at this time have anything to do with you?"

Duan Weiming glared at him warily: "Who taught you to ask like that? Do you think I can be fooled by you?"

The Grand Court official clapped his hands and said, "My Lord, you misunderstood me! Now that the court officials have seen you lose the emperor's favor, they have all defected, and I am the only one left fighting for you! How could you harbor any suspicion towards me?"

During the time Duan Weiming was in prison, some news was always sent to him earlier, and recently only the Dali Temple Minister could contact him.

He relaxed his expression and said, "Then what is the meaning of your question?"

The Supreme Court official whispered, "Eunuch Qu said the Emperor has issued a secret order to transfer Song Yiping from the Southern Province Army to the Western Front! If this news is true, then His Majesty has no intention of deploying you. If the Xizhu Army only acts as a pretense to build momentum for you, they won't be able to withstand General Song's counterattack. Wouldn't that just be giving him military merit for nothing? And they might even be able to use you against them. You need to make a decision quickly. If you wait until the special envoys arrive in the western border, it will be too late!"

Duan Weiming's expression froze completely. He asked with a stern face, "Did Your Majesty really transfer Song Yiping to the Western Front?"

"Eunuch Qu sent someone to say this, so it can't be wrong!"

Duan Weiming gritted his teeth, thought for a moment, and said, "Send someone to the Fuyuan Escort Agency and tell them that the harvest was poor in the autumn. You don't have to worry about anything else."

"Yes, Lord, take care!"