Chapter 68: The Ninth Prince is Appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Three Armies
Chi Hongyuan slowly clenched his hands, and the hatred in his eyes was completely concealed the moment he stood up. There was only helplessness and sadness flowing in his eyes: "Father, how dare I stand out in front of others?"
She has no backing, no attention from the emperor, and is confined to the cold palace. In the palace, she is even worse than the palace maids.
The emperor had lived in the palace for his entire life and had seen countless tricks and intrigues. Of course, he knew that Chi Hongyuan was not lying. What he had suffered could not be described even if he talked about it in a whole day.
"But it is true that I have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor, which has angered the emperor. I hope the emperor will order me to be punished, but I also hope the emperor will forgive me for lying to save my life, and not to implicate the mother."
After Chi Hongyuan finished speaking, he kowtowed to the emperor. Although the young man was kneeling, his back was still straight.
Until this moment, Mr. Sun closed his eyes slightly and shook his head with regret, which showed his heartache for this student.
When Lord Sun discovered that Chi Hongyuan had the talent of a general, he was overjoyed and intended to cultivate him. However, because of the incident with the Rong family, Lord Sun did not dare to act too obviously, as he did not want something like that to happen later.
If the Ninth Prince had been cultivated earlier, why would the court have to rack their brains for a general to lead the army?
After listening to Chi Hongyuan's statement, the emperor was so shocked that he couldn't recover for a long time. It was as if he had heard an unprecedented ghost story, and it happened right under his nose.
"Alas, child, when did I ever say that I would punish your mother?" Even the emperor, with a hard heart, could not help but sigh.
"Father is not angry anymore?" Chi Hongyuan raised his head, looking surprised and happy.
The emperor shook his head to show that he was not angry, but he felt mixed emotions inside.
Back then, he was afraid of the Rong family, so he designed a false charge of disloyalty to the emperor for them, and had all the members of the Rong family executed. Except for the deposed queen and her son Chi Hongyuan, the Rong family's bloodline outside the palace was cut off.
Even a tiger will not eat its own cubs. After all, Chi Hongyuan is his own biological son. In addition, the charges against the Rong family were groundless. The emperor sent them to the cold palace, but that did not mean he wanted his son to die.
The emperor didn't expect that Chi Hongyuan was pushed into the water by someone. It was indeed because he was too negligent towards Chi Hongyuan and his mother over the years that they suffered all these hardships.
"Yu'er taught you very well. It's my fault that I haven't cared about you and your son over the years." The emperor rarely felt any guilt towards his former empress.
Because of this guilt, the emperor's tone towards Chi Hongyuan was much gentler, no longer questioning aggressively. However, the emperor changed the subject and turned the topic back to the matter that the group discussed at the beginning.
"Just now I heard you answer Lord Sun's tactical strategy, which shows that you have the ability to command the three armies. Now the border is in urgent need of someone to guard the border. I wonder if you are willing to go to the border to lead the army to guard the border and resist the Hu people?"
The previous sentence was just a polite remark. It was like getting a glimpse of Chi Hongyuan's ability through just a few policy papers, but Chi Hongyuan was already the most outstanding among the princes, and the emperor had no choice.
Chi Hongyuan initially lowered his head, waiting to be questioned by the emperor for the crime of deceiving the emperor. He did not expect that he would be appointed to go to the border. He immediately raised his head, his eyes sparkling, and said in disbelief: "Father has appointed me, and I have no choice but to refuse!"
The excitement on his face did not seem fake, but he was actually calm inside. Every word the emperor said, and even his reaction, were within his expectations. The only thing that Chi Hongyuan did not expect was Sun Taibao's recommendation of him.
Chi Hongyuan was extremely disgusted by the emperor's hypocrisy, but on the surface he was deeply moved and kowtowed to the emperor, expressing gratitude for the emperor's trust in him.
"Since I was young, I have hated the barbarians who have been harassing our borders all year round and killing our people. That is why I was determined to defend my country and do what I can for my father and the people. Unfortunately, I have no chance. Now, with my father's permission, I am willing to go to the border!"
Every sentence and every word spoken by the seventeen-year-old boy was a perfect answer, and there was no fault to be found.
However, who would doubt the enthusiasm of young people? They would only feel relieved that there are still people who can shoulder the heavy responsibility.
The emperor was very satisfied with the sincerity shown by Chi Hongyuan, thinking that he was a child raised by the daughter of the Rong family after all.
The emperor thought to himself that if the Rong family had not been so ignorant of advance and retreat and had always been rooted in the border areas, thus growing in reputation, he actually did not want to take action against the Rong family. At that time, most of the military power was held in the hands of the Rong family, and the emperor had to be wary.
"Well, you are truly my good son. Someone, come and pass on my decree. I appoint the Ninth Prince as the commander-in-chief of the three armies. I order him to hold the military order and ride as fast as he can to the border to take charge. All the soldiers must follow the Ninth Prince's orders."
It was not known whether he was worried that Chi Hongyuan would go back on his word or he was really concerned about the war situation on the border, but the emperor's order was passed to the Hanlin Academy. Within half an hour, the imperial edict was drafted and sent to the cold palace.
Half an hour ago, Chi Hongyuan was in the imperial study, listening to the emperor's instructions on how to remain calm and composed when he went to the border.
Chi Hongyuan nodded obediently and rarely spoke. Whenever he spoke, he would briefly and concisely get to the point of the question.
The emperor became more and more satisfied with his son. After talking about the border affairs, the emperor remembered Rong Yuer who was still in the cold palace.
"It was not easy for your mother to raise you in the cold palace all these years. It was really neglectful of you that made you suffer so much. When you go to the border, I will have someone move Rong out of the cold palace and find another place for her."
After saying this, the emperor on the high throne sighed deeply, seeming to feel both helpless and sympathetic for the suffering the mother and son had endured over the years.
The Rong family had been abolished for many years, and it became a difficult problem to move the people out and where to place them.
The emperor's gaze fell on his son's figure, which was somewhat similar to his own when he was young. His eyes softened a lot. He didn't expect that among the princes, it was the one he had overlooked who had some talent.
"Yuan'er, where do you think it would be more appropriate to place your mother? Or, where do you want me to place Rong?"
As soon as the emperor finished speaking, the ministers, who were neither sitting nor standing, felt even more uneasy. His Majesty was testing Chi Hongyuan.
After so many years in the cold palace, if Chi Hongyuan still can't see through the emperor's hypocrisy, all the suffering he has endured over the years will be in vain.
The emperor wanted to appease Chi Hongyuan and his mother, but the status of the deposed queen was indeed a bit embarrassing. Now the emperor already had a queen and a noble concubine in the harem, so Rong Yuer naturally had no place in these two positions.
"I am already grateful for your attention, Father. I dare not ask for anything more. I just want you to take my mother out of the cold palace and put her in a quiet room. When I am guarding the border, I will be satisfied."
Chi Hongyuan kept his attitude very humble, not even asking for fame or position. He handled things in a proper manner and did not embarrass others.
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