The next day.
Inside the Golden Palace in the capital city.
The court officials stood in attendance on either side, and the hall was completely silent. Jin Fengluan, wearing a crown, sat upright on the dragon throne, her exquisite face showing neither joy nor sorrow.
Jin Fengluan surveyed the assembled officials and said in a deep voice:
"According to my decree, the Prince of Zhenbei went to Hurong Pass to quell the rebellion of the Hu horses. In just a few days, he had already annihilated 80,000 Hu horses and resolved the rebellion."
"Not long ago, I bestowed upon him the title of General Who Pacifies Bandits and distributed rewards. Now he has made great contributions again. My beloved ministers, what do you think should be done to reward him?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Huang Long bowed and stepped forward, saying:
"Your Majesty! I thought back then that the Prince of Zhenbei was a man of great wisdom and strategy, which is why I recommended him to go to Hurong Pass to quell the rebellion of the Hu Ma. Now, the Prince of Zhenbei has indeed lived up to expectations and has accomplished a great feat!"
At this point, a cold glint flashed in Huang Long's eyes, and he continued:
"In my humble opinion, he should be summoned to the capital so that His Majesty can personally bestow a reward upon him, thus demonstrating the Emperor's boundless grace!"
Jin Fengluan nodded, "You are right, my dear minister."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Li raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "Just as I thought."
Thinking of the secret letter Qin Ze had sent, Zhang Li felt conflicted, but without hesitation, he bowed and said:
"Your Majesty! I have something to report! It concerns Northern Liang, and also the Prince of Zhenbei!"
As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes turned to Zhang Li.
Jin Fengluan narrowed her eyes slightly, a hint of doubt in them. "Speak."
Zhang Li's expression turned serious, and he said, word by word:
“The Prince of Zhenbei sent me a letter saying that he had entered the Beiku Grassland and vowed to annihilate all the Hu horses.”
"He will never return to Beiliang until the Hu Ma is defeated!"
"Therefore, he sent me a letter, hoping Your Majesty would understand that he was unable to return to the capital to report."
Upon hearing this, not only the court officials but even the Empress herself couldn't help but narrow her eyes and gasp. For the first time, a strange expression appeared on her usually calm face.
Qin Ze intends to annihilate all the Hu horses?!
When these words were uttered, all the ministers were shocked, and Huang Long's mouth was agape, his face filled with disbelief.
Yesterday, after the Empress told him those words, he followed the arrangement and advised Qin Ze to return to the capital in court today, so that he could win in one fell swoop and never let him leave the capital alive!
Now, Qin Ze actually said he would annihilate all the Hu horses on the Beiku Grassland, using this as an excuse not to return to the capital!
So, does this mean that he had already planned his escape route when he annihilated those 80,000 Hu horses?
Huang Long was terrified.
Meanwhile, the court officials were already engaged in heated discussions.
"General Qin has already made a great contribution by annihilating 80,000 Hu horses. The Northern Hu will definitely not dare to harass the border for a while. This move can be said to have deterred the Hu horses. But he actually wants to take the initiative to attack and go to the Beiku Grassland to annihilate the Hu horses!"
"This is really... really..."
On the dragon throne, Jin Fengluan's chest heaved violently, a surge of anger burning within her.
Her eyes were now as cold as ice, and although her face was expressionless, her teeth were clenched tightly.
Qin Ze said he had gone to the Beiku Grassland to annihilate all the Hu horses. Is that possible?
That's such a lame excuse!
There are more than just those 80,000 Hu horses on the entire Beiku Grassland. If I could annihilate the Hu horses, I would have sent people there long ago!
Qin Ze used the pretext of annihilating the Hu cavalry to refuse to return to the capital. This was a brilliant move!
It seems he had anticipated this, which is why he sent a message.
Jin Fengluan's eyes, sharp as knives, pierced the air as she coldly said:
"Really? He has such ambition, wanting to conquer the entire Beiku Grassland."
Upon hearing this, Huang Long immediately understood and followed up with:
"Your Majesty! In my opinion, the Prince of Zhenbei's actions are overly ambitious. How can he possibly annihilate all the Hu horses in the Beiku Grassland?"
"Even if I have made great contributions, I cannot act so recklessly. If I am unfortunately defeated by the Hu and Ma tribes, wouldn't that make me lose all my prestige?"
"In my humble opinion, the Prince of Zhenbei should be summoned to the capital immediately to report back. The threat from the Northern Barbarians cannot be resolved overnight; it can be gradually eliminated in the future!"
"Now he has led his troops into the Northern Grasslands without His Majesty's authorization. Could it be that he is using his military power to his advantage and harbors ulterior motives...?"
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Li's face flushed red. Thinking of the contents of the secret letter, and combined with Huang Long's current remarks, Zhang Li's anger erupted. He shouted:
"Your Majesty! I have three questions!"
The sudden increase in volume immediately drew the attention of all the court officials.
Jin Fengluan frowned slightly. She knew that Zhang Li, as the Minister of Personnel, was an upright and loyal man.
Although he sometimes said things that contradicted his own views, he managed the Ministry of Personnel very well. He was a capable minister with real talent and learning, and an important minister left behind by the late emperor.
Seeing his excited expression, he sighed inwardly and said:
"Speak."
This time, Zhang Li was different from before. He strode out with his head held high, surveyed the crowd, and then fixed his gaze on Huang Long before speaking in a resounding voice:
"For years, the Hu horses have harassed the border and plundered the people countless times. The Northern Liang was already poor, and it was further ravaged by the Hu horses. The people suffered unspeakably, and the population has been decreasing year by year."
The Prince of Zhenbei led his troops into the Beiku Grassland, vowing to annihilate all the Hu horses. This was what the people hoped for and what the people's hearts desired!
My question is directed at you all: having long held high positions in the government, do you still know the suffering of the common people?
Although he asked everyone, Zhang Li's gaze remained fixed on Huang Long.
Faced with that furious gaze, Huang Long's expression changed, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he felt extremely uneasy.
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