Chapter 220 Court

In the ceremonial hall, the elderly Emperor Yuanzong not only kicked over the dragon table, but also kicked down two ministers who were giving him advice.

Just because these two ministers wanted to punish Tang Ying, the commander of the Xuanwei Army.

Punishing Tang Ying was a small matter, and only a word from Emperor Yuanzong was needed.

But when Pingliang Fort fell, this matter was mentioned in the court.

It was because Emperor Yuanzong was partial to Tang Ying, or rather, partial to the eldest prince, and did not replace Tang Ying that the situation today came about.

If he were to change people now, Emperor Yuanzong would have to admit that he was not as good as Zhao Yanjiao.

How could he recognize it!

That was something he hated to the core, yet he dared not say it out loud.

Emperor Yuanzong felt as if his chest was being stagnated by a knife, and he gasped for breath.

The personal eunuch was so frightened that he knelt down and patted his chest: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty's health is at stake!"

Emperor Yuanzong's head was buzzing. His face was dark, and he was panting. He coldly questioned the Minister of War, Xu Zheyuan: "Didn't you say that the Zhenbei Army had already led the Dilu cavalry out of Qing'an Prefecture? Then why did they rush into the city again? Why? Tell me!"

Ever since Pingliang Fort fell into the hands of the Di Lu people years ago, there has been a continuous flow of military reports from there. In the beginning, Tang Ying often received reports of victory, such as the successful suppression of bandits and the capture of numerous Di Lu people.

He also did not forget to flatter Zhao Yanjiao from time to time, saying that the Zhenbei Army was slacking off.

However, by May, the situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse. The Dilu cavalry entered the country, and the Xuanwei Army, which had engaged them head-on, was instantly defeated. The defense line that had been gathered under Pingliang Fort was completely destroyed.

In just half a month, the Dilu cavalry swept through the villages, towns and county towns within a radius of hundreds of miles, and even opened the gates of Qing'an Prefecture, directly threatening Qinzhou Prefecture and the capital in the rear.

Urgent military reports from the border were sent to the imperial city once a day. This was different from the tragic incident of looting people in the past. If the territory was lost and could not be recovered in time, there would be endless troubles.

During the years that Zhao Yanjiao led his troops to garrison Xishi Pass, except for the first few years when the Di Lu frequently invaded, later on they only committed petty thefts across the border.

Even after the Suijin tragedy, it was the Zhenbei Army that chased those tribes on the grassland, and the Di Lu people never entered the Wu Dynasty on a large scale.

Emperor Yuanzong was so anxious that he issued an imperial edict of reprimand every day and severely reprimanded the Zhenbei Army for its dereliction of duty.

But...his words were useless once they left the capital.

The Zhenbei Army was rejected on the grounds that "a general is on the battlefield and may not obey the orders of the king."

Tang Ying was obedient, but he was just a small soldier fighting in the battlefield. When the emperor's edict reached the front line, it was no match for him.

No matter how nice the words sound, when faced with fast horses and curved swords, the soldiers only wish their parents had no legs.

If you have lost your life, who would care about empty talk about promotion, title, and wealth for your wife and children?

Seeing that Emperor Yuanzong was not in good condition, Crown Prince Li Xi stepped forward and said, "General Tang is leading the troops to repel the Di people. The Ministry of War is making plans inside. Minister Xu is in the court. Father, please take care of your health!"

On the other side, the eldest prince and the third prince also came out and urged the emperor to calm down.

The prince was only seventeen years old and looked like his mother, with an ordinary appearance.

He was always cautious and spoke little when attending court. Today, he spoke a few times, and everything he said was well-reasoned and well-founded.

Hearing his voice, Emperor Yuanzong finally found a place to vent his rage, and he slammed the memorial in his hand across his face: "Why shouldn't I be angry? It's because your good uncle, who commanded the Zhenbei Army, achieved nothing, and allowed the Dilu cavalry to enter the Wu Dynasty and destroy our beautiful land."

"If you can't take back Qing'an Prefecture as soon as possible, your Zhao family will be punished!"

These words made the ministers in the court look at each other in bewilderment.

Pingliang Fort was lost at the hands of Tang Ying, and Qing'an Prefecture was garrisoned by a general appointed by Emperor Yuanzong.

Everyone knows that even the prefect Yu Qiujing is from the third prince's mother's family. How can the Zhenbei Army be blamed? It is nonsense to repeatedly call Crown Prince Li Xi a member of the Zhao family in the court.

Could it be that such unreasonable favoritism is an attempt to depose the crown prince using the defeat of the Zhenbei Army as an excuse?

Or is the emperor so angry that he speaks without thinking?

But everyone can only think about this kind of things in their hearts and dare not say it out loud.

Seeing the emperor's rage, Li Xi fell to his knees and said, "Father, I am wronged!"

The other princes also knelt down and said, "Father, take care of yourself!"

In such a huge meeting hall, you could hear a pin drop.

Emperor Yuanzong pointed at the crown prince and cursed, "Is your mother accusing me of making random accusations again? Does she want you to come to court and contradict me?"

Li Xi buried his head deeply in the ground, his voice choked with sobs. "Father, your Majesty, your mother said you haven't eaten or drunk anything in the past two weeks, relying solely on ginseng soup for nourishment, and you've had trouble sleeping every night... The imperial physician also said that overwork is harmful to your health, and asked me to comfort you more..."

Emperor Yuanzong grew increasingly furious. "She lives in Zhaohua Hall. How did she know my daily life? Did Zhao Yanjiao plant spies in the harem to murder me?"

His words became even more unreasonable.

The ministers kneeling on the ground were terrified after hearing this.

If the queen does not live in her own bedroom but in Zhaohua Hall, it is equivalent to being banished to the cold palace.

Also, the emperor has not eaten or drunk anything for half a month and has been unable to sleep at night. This is a big deal.

Emperor Yuanzong was already over fifty years old and had reigned for nineteen years. In his early years he was an unfavored prince, living in fear and suffering from torture. His health had always been poor and had become increasingly weak in recent years, but he had always claimed to the outside world that he was in good health.

Everyone shouted "Long live the emperor", but who could really live to be a hundred? It was rare for people to live to be seventy, and few emperors even lived to be sixty.

Now that Emperor Yuanzong's physical condition has been revealed by the Crown Prince, these ministers have to think more.

After Emperor Yuanzong finished cursing, he slumped down on the dragon throne, panting heavily, and pointed a trembling finger at Li Xi: "Come here, drive that evil creature out of here, and put him under house arrest. He is not allowed to attend court meetings anymore."

The eldest prince knelt down and pleaded, "Father, the Empress must be concerned about you, that's why she has someone watching you everywhere."

The Third Prince also said, "Father, please calm down. No matter how close the Crown Prince is to the Marquis of Zhenbei, he is also of the Li family bloodline. He will definitely urge the Marquis of Zhenbei to reclaim the lost territory as soon as possible and restore peace to the Wu Dynasty."

After saying that, Crown Prince Li Xi lay down in silence, clutching the memorial that his father had thrown at him in his hand.

He knew that this was sent by his uncle, Marquis Zhenbei.

It was said above that Qing'an Prefecture had been recovered, but Tang Ying was eager to take credit and abandoned the city's defense. He led a large group of troops to directly attack the Di Lu cavalry, but was cut off from retreat by the Di Lu cavalry, who took advantage of the city's emptiness to charge back into the city.

This was Tang Ying's failure in command. What does it have to do with his uncle, the Marquis of Zhenbei?

When the rabbit dies, the dog is cooked; when the bird is dead, the bow is put away. Peace is originally determined by the general, and the general is not allowed to see peace.

The emperor was wary and disgusted with his uncle. If it weren't for his uncle, who held a large military command, both he and his mother would have died long ago.

My father hates my uncle so much that he now considers me and my mother as members of the Zhao family as well.

Originally, everyone was thinking of waiting until their father passed away so that they could ascend the throne smoothly, but several of their older brothers could no longer hold back.

In this case, don't blame me for being heartless and disloyal.

"Father!" Li Xi threw himself to the ground and wailed loudly, "Father, Yunzhou is now littered with rotting corpses, and the people are living in misery. This is all because Tang Ying's Xuanwei Army has been defeated. I am willing to fight in your place, lead the Zhenbei Army, drive out the Dilu, and return our land to us!"

(End of this chapter)