The end of the first month of the year passed quietly, and February came. The cold and snowy days were completely over. The earth came back to life, and the temperature rose suddenly.

The sky is blue, the spring sun is shining brightly, and the golden sunlight shines on the red walls and golden tiles, reflecting a dazzling brilliance.

The Shangyang Palace before us still has its golden-red roof and tall white marble platform, but the imperial guards standing outside the palace have taken on new faces.

They wore armor with solemn expressions and stood guard with swords in hand. Their spirit and appearance were many times more dignified than when the young emperor was in power. The entire Shangyang Palace looks brand new, and one can truly feel the emperor’s awe-inspiring majesty.

Yang Yanzong raised his eyes. The dazzling sunlight just happened to shine on the ridge of the hip roof and refracted into his eyes. He squinted slightly and suddenly remembered the rumors that had suddenly emerged in the market in the past few days. It was said that the true dragon emperor had ascended the throne and even the heavens were favoring him, as it had been sunny for many days in a row.

Yang Yanzong smiled faintly. What about the continuous snowy days when Ji Yuanhao just ascended the throne?

However, there are many ignorant people, and after various versions of the rumors spread, many people actually believed them.

Yang Yanzong had just arrived outside Shangyang Palace when the chief eunuch in the imperial court, Wei Jin, was ordered to come out to greet him. He was the fat middle-aged chief eunuch, the one that General Xu had taken the trouble to find from the temporary palace. He was also a smart and capable man. The eunuch had no other choice, so he devoted himself to being by the side of the new emperor. The coronation ceremony and the palace banquet went smoothly thanks to his cooperation and coordination. Ji Yuanhao did not have any eunuchs under his command, so after investigation, he continued to appoint him as the chief eunuch of the palace and the imperial court.

"Please come in, Lord Yang. Your Majesty has summoned you."

Without waiting for the summons, Wei Jin quickly ushered Yang Yanzong in. Yang Yanzong entered the hall and brushed his sleeves. Before he could kneel down, Ji Yuanhao had already stood up from the throne, quickly stepped forward to support him, and laughed, "We are brothers, why should we be so bound by these vulgar etiquettes?"

He patted Yang Yanzong on the shoulder and went to the warm room with him. After sitting down, the two discussed important court and military affairs as usual. The little emperor was still cleaning up his mess. Ji Yuanhao had been busy by lamplight for nearly half a month. His face was full of fatigue, but his eyes were very bright.

"I've finally figured it out," Ji Yuanhao rubbed his brows and sighed, "I'll sort it out slowly later."

"Hey, Shenxing, it turns out that you haven't decided on your fiefdom yet. Come on! Now that you remember it, quickly choose one and I'll issue the decree later."

After finishing the official business, the two chatted for a while. Ji Yuanhao slapped his forehead and waved for someone to bring the maps. Wei Jin hurried over. Not long after, the young eunuchs carefully brought six portable maps. Each map was half the size of a tabletop, and the pictures on them were very detailed. The six maps together showed the entire territory of Daqing.

"Which one do you like, Shenxing?"

After Ji Yuanhao ascended the throne, apart from General Xu and the old Prince Su, the first person to be conferred an honor was Yang Yanzong. Yang Yanzong was now the Duke of the State and had the title of Grand Tutor, but his fiefdom had not been decided yet. With the disgusting incident with Changyi and Yanyi, Ji Yuanhao simply let him choose for himself and choose wherever he liked.

——This kind of treatment is something that no one else can ever have.

Spreading out six maps, Ji Yuanhao specially put the prosperous Jiangnan, as well as the southwest and northwest where Yang Yanzong once lived, and some extremely rich salt-producing areas near the sea in the forefront.

Yang Yanzong didn't care much. Ji Yuanhao complained about the former Changyi and Rongyi. He picked up the map of Yangdu. Changyi and Rongyi were on it. He glanced at it casually and pointed to a point not far from Changyi. "That's it."

Looking down, this place is called Queshan. It is not far from Changyi and Changyi, only about a hundred miles to the northeast. Compared to Changyi and Rongyi, two crappy places that could not be defended, Queshan is much better. It is backed by the Daxiling Mountains and surrounded by mountains on three sides. There is water inside, but it is not a big river. Because there is a mountain pass in the Daxiling Mountains leading to Yangdu, it is a pretty good transportation route, so the population of Queshan is quite prosperous.

In general, it is an above-average fiefdom. It is not bad but not particularly good either. It does not have the crappy settings of Changyi and Yanyi that are impossible to defend. However, due to the many mountains in the territory, the population is not very dense.

Ji Yuanhao looked down and the smile on his lips widened. He thought that Yang Yanzong would choose an important town in the northwest or southwest. After all, these were places that Yang Yanzong was familiar with but were far away from the emperor. Unexpectedly, he pointed to Queshan.

"Queshan is just average," Ji Yuanhao teased him with a smile, and gave him Minyi, which is next to Queshan.

"Okay, I'll send out the decree later."

Ji Yuanhao threw the map down and said, "Then go and take a look when you have time."

He finally talked about something serious: "Speaking of Daxiling, do you still remember Ji Lin?"

When this person was mentioned, Ji Yuanhao's brows became serious: "According to the report, this person's scouts have been spotted in the Zihuiling area, and they have colluded with the remnants of the Kun family."

The Daxiling Mountains run from east to west, stretching for nearly a thousand miles, with countless large and small branches. The Zihuiling Mountains is one of the larger ones, about two hundred miles away from Queshan Changyi. However, Zihuiling runs from north to south, and the other end is connected to Qiling, Qingtong Mountain and other super-large mountain ranges of the same level as Daxiling in central and southern Daqing. In short, the mountain conditions are quite complicated.

It is said that these four princes were capable. Before their death, they ordered the fourth prince's son Ji Lin to abandon his old nest in Ansuizhou and go straight to Wanzhou with his 80,000 private soldiers. However, these 80,000 private soldiers were really hidden very deeply. Both the old emperor and Ji Yuanhao and Yang Yanzong guessed that the fourth prince had hidden private soldiers and that Ji Lin had gone there, but no matter how hard they looked, they could not find him. It was as if Ji Lin had disappeared from the face of the earth.

This was a big concern for Ji Yuanhao. Even during the fierce battle with the old emperor Kun, he never gave up searching for Ji Lin's whereabouts. This time, he was implicated by following the remnants of Kun's family. It seemed that Ji Lin was the one who contacted the remnants of Kun's family!

Ji Yuanhao immediately focused his attention there. He was worried about others going there, so he warned, "Be careful, you and Zi Che go there."

It would be best to verify this matter and find out Ji Lin’s lair and catch him in one fell swoop!

…

For the next two months, Yang Yanzong went to Zihuiling to suppress bandits.

It wasn't far, a fast horse could go to and from Yangdu in one day and one night, and Yang Yanzong didn't mind leaving the capital. After all, Ji Yuanhao had just ascended the throne and there were so many complicated things to deal with. If he could sway him with such a short distance, he would be really capable.

For now, the relationship between the two is relatively harmonious, at least on the surface.

Yang Yanzong led his troops to set off the next day, accompanied by Ji Yuanhao's trusted general Dingguo Tang Xianzhou and his deputy general Zhenwei Chen Yiqiu.

The fact that he sent Tang Xianzhou and Chen Yiqu shows that Ji Yuanhao is very concerned about this matter.

That's right, no matter it's the old grudge or the fact that he is now the emperor, Ji Lin and his private soldiers are a big threat to him.

However, the process of suppressing bandits was not very smooth.

"Lord Yang, should we request an order to send more troops to search the mountain?"

Although they were named as a team to suppress the bandits, both Tang Xianzhou and Chen Yiqu consciously took a step back and put Yang Yanzong first, and did not dare to be on an equal footing with him.

After nearly half a month of tracking, they finally caught all the remnants of the Kun clan. However, Ji Lin had a very sharp nose, and before Yang Yanzong and others could find him, he immediately gave in and withdrew the remnants of the Kun clan, disappearing into the mountains without a trace.

Tang Xianzhou frowned and looked at the towering Zihuiling Mountain in the distance, feeling very anxious.

Yang Yanzong also raised his head and glanced at him, then nodded and said, "That's right, pass on my order immediately, 50 people in a team, set up the net formation, and search the mountain!"

As for Yang Yanzong, it wasn't that he wasn't dedicated in suppressing the bandits - he knew that there would be no shortage of spies in the army, so he certainly wouldn't show that he wasn't dedicated.

But in fact, he didn't really care whether he could find Ji Lin's trace and nest.

However, after a search, it was found that Ji Lin had indeed made a lot of progress. Yang Yanzong guessed that Zihuiling would definitely not be Ji Lin's lair. It was probably just one of his strongholds, large or small, which had probably been abandoned by now.

Adversity is what makes people grow!

In fact, this was indeed the case. It took nearly a month to search the mountain, but in the end, there was no result.

Another half month passed, and Yang Yanzong whipped his horse whip and said, "Retreat, get out of the mountains."

There is no need to waste time.

Unlike Tang Xianzhou and the other man who returned in disappointment, Yang Yanzong didn't care at all. He was thinking about Su Ci, and when he came out of the mountain and returned to the camp at the foot of the mountain that day, he went straight to the general's tent.

He did not enter his own tent, but turned around and went to an inconspicuous small tent on the left.

"Porcelain?"

He brought Su Ci with him this time, planning to take her to see the new fiefdom on the way back. Su Ci has the rank of military doctor, which was given to him during the reign of the old emperor. Therefore, it is legitimate for him to accompany the army.

However, after Ren's death, she rarely performed surgery herself. Although her friend died tragically on her own operating table, it was not her fault, but it still had a negative psychological impact. She is currently adjusting, but she is not in a hurry. After all, Zhang Xin and Mou An are both very capable.

She did not go into the mountains with the army, but stayed in the camp at the foot of the mountain to make medicine.

She was pounding the copper pestle with her head down. When the door curtain behind her rang, she fell into a warm embrace. Yang Yanzong kissed her neck and said with a smile, "Does your hand hurt? Stop it. We'll move out tomorrow. I'll take you to visit Queshan in two days."

"manor?"

Su Ci was really interested. She turned around and gave him a kiss, smiling: "Okay, okay!"

…

The army was organized that day, and the camp was broken the next day. They marched slowly along the Yang River. When they were close to Qi County, Yang Yanzong changed into casual clothes and headed north with Su Ci's fast horse. After about three hours, they arrived at Queshanjie.

Surrounded by dark green mountains, Queshan is probably a gourd-shaped terrain. Su Ci is currently at the mouth of the gourd. She stands on the high slope and looks into the distance at the pass leading to Yangdu. In the morning light, small caravans of early-rising porters have appeared in twos and threes on the loess road.

She sighed, leaned her elbow on Yang Yanzong's chest, and whispered, "Hey, why did you choose this as your fiefdom?"

Don't tell her that she really did it casually just to avoid making Ji Yuanhao more wary. Su Ci didn't believe a word of this. She knew Yang Yanzong much better than Ji Yuanhao in some aspects. It was impossible!

Yang Yanzong couldn't help but smile and glanced at her. "I don't know if it will be useful. Let's talk about it later."

His pair of sharp eyes were slightly raised with an arc in the morning sun, which was completely different from his usual style. His long eyebrows and slight smile made him so handsome!

Su Ci couldn't help laughing. She was always sweet-talking. She kissed him on the cheek and put her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, "Did I tell you that you look handsome today?"

Yang Yanzong couldn't help but curl his lips back and raised his eyebrows: "Today?"

Su Ci giggled and looked up. The golden morning light shone on her face, and even the fine hairs were clearly visible. "No, I'm handsome every day." Is that okay, brother?

Yang Yanzong hugged this big baby tightly in his arms, holding her butt with his hands. She refused to get down, so he held her like this. The two of them hugged and kissed for a while. Su Ci's attention soon turned to other places, "Hey, what's fun in Queshan? Is there a hot spring?"

They came out to have fun for a day and then ride back to the main group.

Speaking of this, Yang Yanzong became excited. He said to Su Ci with great interest: "There is no hot spring, but there is a Guanyin Temple here, which is very effective in praying for children!"

Su Ci: “…”

No way, this was too beyond her expectations!

…

In the ten days and a half before leaving Beijing, Yang Yanzong had enough troubles. That day he said, "Let's have a child!"

The next day, he started to make trouble.

In fact, the two have always had their pulse checked, and the doctor said that they are in good health, and the reason they haven't had children yet is simply because they are not destined to be together.

Yang Yanzong had not cared about it before, but this time he really took it seriously. He was afraid that the old doctors in the mansion were not well-trained in this area, so within two days he found several doctors who were very famous in this field.

But what these doctors said was similar to the old doctor's. They said that the couple were in good health and they couldn't see any problems. It was probably just not fate, so they shouldn't be too anxious and so on.

Child?

Su Ci leaned against Yang Yanzong's chest, her fingers circling the dogtail grass in her hand. It was late spring in March, the grass was lush and the birds were singing. It had rained yesterday, so the ground was a little muddy, but the air was really fresh.

She took a deep breath and felt relieved.

As for the matter of the child, she had thought about it before and it was almost time, so she might as well have one.

When they first got married, she actually deliberately didn't want it. She would always try to avoid the most dangerous days. She had a ready-made excuse: he was too fierce, and she asked for a break every once in a while, otherwise her little belly couldn't bear it.

She really liked children, but she was only seventeen at that time, which was still a little young. It would be safer to have a child at least when the child is over eighteen years old, as the mother's body would then be considered mature.

Su Ci privately felt that twenty and above was actually better.

She had this idea, and Yang Yanzong never mentioned it, so she just came here.

Now that Yang Yanzong had expressed his desire, she thought about it and agreed. After all, they had been married for several years and Yang Yanzong was almost thirty. Chen had urged him privately countless times, so it was about time.

Okay, take it if you want it!

Although the two of them have sometimes been in danger over the years, overall, who knows when they can finally calm down? They can't always not have children.

Su Ci readily agreed.

In the military camp, Yang Yanzong was still very strict with himself. Even if he wanted a child very much, he did not have sex with her. But now that he was outside, he no longer cared. He worked hard for half the night in the inn, and this morning he took her to worship the Goddess of Childbirth with great enthusiasm.

Su Ci couldn't help but glance at him: "Brother, do you still believe this?"

Yang Yanzong was a military commander who had come from the battlefield. He had seen countless blood and killed all gods and Buddhas he encountered. When he said he believed in Bodhisattva, she was the first one who did not believe it!

She muttered a few words, but Yang Yanzong pinched her mouth. He glared at her, then said seriously: "It's okay to believe it occasionally."

The most important thing is to have a child as soon as possible, right?

Since destiny hasn't arrived yet, then he can just pray for it, and it will work out, right?

Su Ci couldn't help laughing. Doesn't that mean that when there is trouble, it's Zhong Wuyan, and when there is nothing, it's Xia Yingchun? !

Okay, okay, then goodbye.

She made two quick "Puh" sounds, clasped her hands together, bowed to the Bodhisattva temple, and apologized to the Bodhisattva. Only then was he satisfied, "Don't talk nonsense."

At this time, Su Ci was still making fun of Yang Yanzong in her heart, but she soon couldn't laugh anymore.

When they arrived at the foot of the hill where the Bodhisattva Temple was located, Yang Yanzong dismounted at the foot of the mountain. He held Su Ci's hand and walked step by step to the mountain gate, and followed the crowds of people into the Hall of Guanyin, the Goddess of Childbirth.

Guanyin Bodhisattva smiles compassionately, standing upright on the lotus seat and overlooking the world.

Yang Yanzong looked up at the standing statue of the Bodhisattva for a moment, then personally lit six incense sticks, gave three to Su Ci, and then pulled her to kneel on the cushion.

Su Ci was very close to him and heard him mutter, "My disciple has committed countless sins in his life. If the Bodhisattva finds it wrong, just blame it on me. It has nothing to do with my wife and children.

"Please, Bodhisattva, I have guarded the border for many years and resisted foreign enemies. I have also protected the peace of this area. Please give me a husband and a child. Please have mercy on me."

Some people say that if the sin of killing is too serious, the chance of having offspring will be weak.

He blamed it all on himself.

He closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, and murmured a prayer. Su Ci had never seen him so pious.

The hall was filled with smoke. Su Ci had originally been eavesdropping with great interest, but as she listened, she could no longer laugh. She didn't know if it was because of the thick smoke, but it made her eyes a little sore.

Su Ci was a little stunned. Yang Yanzong had finished praying. He kowtowed three times, put the incense into the big incense burner, then turned around and put the incense in her hand in as well.

Turning around and seeing her in a daze, he gently kissed her cheek, then held her hand with his warm, calloused hand and interlocked their fingers.

"What's wrong?" he said softly.

Yang Yanzong became more and more gentle towards her, and in fact, Su Ci was not without feelings for him.

She came back to her senses and smiled, "Nothing? I haven't prayed to the Bodhisattva yet."

She also clasped her hands together, closed her eyes for a moment, and kowtowed three times.

Her forehead gently touched the blue bricks, and out of the corner of her eye she could see the blue trouser legs and boots of the man beside her.

In addition to becoming more gentle, she could also vaguely sense other changes in Yang Yanzong.

He was a man of strong character, and when it came to the relationship between the two of them, even if he was willing to give in a little, the process was heartbreaking.

But she didn't know when he started to change, and the clearest change was this time. Su Ci could feel his concession, and she also guessed why he was so anxious to have a child.

But this time he retreated silently.

Su Ci didn't know what to say for a moment. This kind of Yang Yanzong made her feel even more sad when she thought about it carefully, compared with the previous one.

After kowtowed three times, she stood up. A big hand helped her to stand up. Yang Yanzong added some incense money and took her away.

Su Ci looked back for the last time and saw the compassionate Guanyin, the Goddess of Childbirth, twisting her fingers and smiling.

…She thought, actually it would be nice to have a child.