On the northern border, the war lasted for half a month.
The two sides were in a stalemate and it was difficult to determine the winner, and there were many casualties in every battle.
But up to now, the Northern Barbarians still show no signs of retreating.
"Now, it depends on which side can hold out longer!"
"Our great Yong is a great country with a large population. We don't have to be afraid of those uncivilized barbarians. However, the imperial court doesn't provide food and fodder, and doesn't send reinforcements. I don't know if General Shi and the Northern Army can hold out alone..."
"Even if they can hold on, the troops stationed in the north will suffer heavy losses after this battle, and will be disappointed with the imperial court."
"Ah, your majesty is so confused!"
Emperor Xiao Ming stopped attending court for many days, and except for a very small number of people, his ministers could not see him at all.
Memorials were sent to the palace one after another, but there was no response for a long time. Even the most loyal courtiers could not help but discuss the matter in private.
Seeing that Emperor Xiaoming had stopped attending court for five days in a row, several old ministers in the court finally could not help but go to the palace to pay their respects.
After waiting for a long time outside the imperial study, the person who came was not Emperor Xiaoming who had not appeared for several days, but the second prince Qi Yao.
"My father is not feeling well, and the imperial physician has ordered him to rest. If you have any important matters, please speak to me first."
"The war in the north has not yet ceased. It concerns the safety of the country. I am afraid that the Second Prince cannot make a decision!" Lord Luo, a veteran of the two dynasties, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Please, Second Prince, help inform the emperor and let him meet with us old ministers."
"Lord Luo, Lord Dong."
Eunuch Liu, who came with the second prince, stepped forward.
This was the chief eunuch beside Emperor Xiaoming. The old ministers did not dare to be arrogant and politely returned the greeting, "Eunuch Liu."
Eunuch Liu reached into his wide sleeves and pulled out a bright yellow scroll.
When several old ministers saw this, they felt something was wrong.
Sure enough, Eunuch Liu then read out, "Your Majesty's order. The Second Prince is virtuous, filial, diligent and studious. I order him to assist me in managing state affairs and relieve my worries while I am recovering from my illness."
After Eunuch Liu finished speaking, the Second Prince spoke again, smiling humbly at Lord Luo and the others, "Please come in, sirs. If you have anything to say, just talk to me. It's the same."
The news spread that the Second Prince would be in charge of state affairs and that morning court sessions would resume tomorrow.
It's not that there were no objections from the court officials, but the veterans of the two dynasties in the court and the Empress Dowager in the palace did not stand up to oppose. No one dared to be the first to provoke the Second Prince and the Ling family at this critical juncture.
Unlike Emperor Xiaoming, who acted like a coward in the face of the war in the north, the second prince did not shy away from discussing the problems in the north with court officials.
However, at the end of the discussion, they still failed to allocate any food and fodder to the north. They only selected two generals from the Ling family faction and ordered them to lead 2,000 troops to the North Gate as military governors to supervise the battle and the 100,000 troops stationed in the north on behalf of the court.
In order to allow the two governors to have a say in the north, the second prince specially gave them a royal gold medal as an inspection order.
Carry this order to the north, and when facing officials below the fourth rank, you will have the right to execute them first and report later.
Capital city, Xiang Mansion.
Listening to Lord Xiang telling about what happened in the morning court today, Mrs. Xiang rolled her eyes speechlessly.
"Isn't this just sending people to annoy General Shi?"
Anyone with a discerning eye could see what the second prince was planning.
The Ling family has already had a share of the Northwest Army. Now, the Second Prince wants to take advantage of the opportunity to supervise the country for the Emperor and get a share of the North Army.
If it is the Northwest Army and the Army stationed in the North, the Ling family will have a say.
Then the word "Dai" in the name of the second prince, who is acting as the agent for state affairs, can be truly removed.
"The Second Prince is really anxious. Even if it's true that the Emperor is seriously ill...is the Empress Dowager just going to watch him act like that?" Madam Xiang was very puzzled.
Although the previous dynasty had a rule that the harem was not allowed to interfere in politics, the Dayong Dynasty did not have a clear regulation. Moreover, the Empress Dowager, as the widow of the late emperor, had an extraordinary status in the hearts of the people and court officials.
Not to mention just the Second Prince, even if Emperor Xiaoming made some obvious mistakes in political affairs, the Empress Dowager is qualified to point it out!
"Ah, who knows what the Queen Mother is thinking."
Similar conversations occurred not only in Xiang Mansion.
In Duke Xu's mansion, the old duke, his wife, Duke Xu's eldest son and his wife, the four of them were sitting in the small hall.
"According to the news from your sister, Imperial Concubine Ling has been privately very close to the Cining Palace recently." The wife of Duke Xu had just handed in a sign to visit her daughter in the palace a few days ago.
Although Concubine Xian had fallen out of favor long ago, she had been in the palace for more than twenty years and had her own channels for obtaining information.
The information she gave should be correct.
The prince of Duke Xu frowned, "Could it be that the Queen Mother also wants the Second Prince to succeed the throne? Then the Ling family will really have everything under their control. The influence of the in-laws is a big taboo!"
"If the Second Prince really succeeds to the throne, it is uncertain whether the world will be ruled by the Qi or Ling family in the future!"
"Could it be that Concubine Ling is really the reincarnation of a fox spirit, who was able to bewitch even the Empress Dowager?" The Crown Prince's wife of Duke Xu sighed.
After the voice fell, Duke Xu, who had been silent, finally spoke: "The news leaked from the palace may not be completely trustworthy. The information that can be made known to us must be what the two people in Cining Palace and Qionghua Palace want to let people know."
"There may be something else going on here. Our Xu family's daughter has no prince, so she doesn't need to take sides. No matter which prince the Queen Mother supports, it has nothing to do with us."
At this point, everyone at the table fell silent.
The Xu family has no prince, but has a princess.
The only child of Concubine Xian, Princess Changning.
Wasn't she sent to the Northern Barbarians to marry?
Now that the Northern Barbarians and Dayong have gone to war, it is equivalent to tearing up the truce agreement that was originally agreed upon. So, as the princess of Dayong, what will Changning face in the Northern Barbarians? It is chilling to think about it.
The eyes of Lady Xu, Duke of Xu, and Lady Crown Prince were red.
Seeing his old wife crying, Duke Xu hurriedly said, "Maolin just sent a letter saying that Changning is still in the Helian tribe. The Huyan tribe is in chaos and they may not be able to take him back for a while. Changning is safe for now. He has recovered a lot in the past few months. Maolin told us not to worry too much."
"It's good that everything is alright, it's good that everything is alright." Lady Xu wiped her tears and breathed a sigh of relief.
But how could she really feel at ease?
The Northern Barbarians and Dayong have already gone to war. Sooner or later, the Northern Barbarians' Chanyu and the Huyan tribe will think of Changning, the princess of Dayong.
The current stability is only temporary.
How could Duke Xu not know this truth?
Poor Changning, she did not enjoy the honor and favor of being a princess when she was in the capital, but had to bear these responsibilities.
The only blame is Emperor Xiaoming, who did not inherit the late emperor's will at all and became a coward when faced with war.
It has been the same for years!
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