58 Thoughts
◎ "Are you attracted to him?"◎
In Yuehua Courtyard, Gu Ningwan and her maids had already prepared lunch.
"Sister."
Gu Ningxi arrived as expected. Gu Ningwan smiled and said, "Have you packed all the boxes?"
"Yes, we'll set off at 5 p.m."
Gu Ningwan dismissed the maid, and she and Xier were the only ones in the room chatting and eating.
"You'll be gone for two or three months, right?"
Gu Ningxi nodded: "I will combine my days off into one place, so I should be able to come back once or twice."
Gu Ningwan poured sake for her sister. Today's small banquet was also a good practice for Xier.
Once you leave the inner house, there is a vast world outside with great potential.
The two sisters clinked their wine glasses lightly, and Gu Ningwan said, "Take care of yourself outside."
"Don't worry, sister."
Gu Ningxi had already instructed the two servants of Leyouyuan to obey Yuehuayuan's orders when she was away.
After taking a sip of wine, Gu Ningxi smiled brightly, "Sister, guess what birthday gift I prepared for you?"
When Gu Ningwan saw the gift wrapped in silk cloth, she guessed that it was a book.
When she opened it, she was pleasantly surprised: "Mr. Hedong's collection of essays? Where did you get it?"
The usually steady man flipped through the scroll with delight, reluctant to put it down. Gu Ningxi said, "It's a pity there are only the middle and lower volumes. I can't find the upper volume."
"That's fine, just wait a moment."
Gu Ningwan entered the inner room and soon came out with a scroll, which was the first volume of "The Collected Works of Mr. Hedong".
"It just so happened that the other day I went shopping with my mother for some jewelry. At the bookstore I often go to, the owner said he had received the book I'd been looking for."
Even though her mother was there, Gu Ningwan bought it immediately. Because her birthday was approaching, her mother rarely said anything.
In this way, the three volumes are complete.
Gu Ningwan filled her glass of wine, and it was a rare occasion for her to show such joy.
"Maybe it's my sister's birthday, God is especially kind to her."
Since her sister was happy, Gu Ningxi naturally followed her lead.
Gu Ningwan carefully put away the book and was in a good mood for the next few days.
The two sisters continued to eat and chat. When Gu Ningwan heard that the second volume was found by His Royal Highness Prince Zhao on Xi'er's behalf, she was silent for a moment and looked at her unaware sister: "Do you feel that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao is particularly good to you?"
Gu Ningxi nodded as if it was a matter of course: "He has always treated his friends this way. He is a protective person by nature."
"It's different." Gu Ningwan reminded.
The "Collection of Mr. Hedong" is extremely difficult to find, and it wasn't Xi'er herself who wanted it. His Highness Prince Zhao's love for Xi'er and his lack of political ambition towards her have already gone beyond friendship.
Gu Ningxi laughed: "Sister, he doesn't have a preference for Long Yang."
Having been with His Royal Highness Prince Zhao since their reunion, Gu Ningxi was certain that he had never known her identity.
"What about you?" Gu Ningwan looked into her sister's beautiful eyes. "Are you attracted to him?"
Although His Royal Highness Prince Zhao has the barrier of homosexuality towards his sister, his sister can have a normal love relationship with him.
"Me?" Gu Ningxi was caught off guard by her sister's question.
Gu Ningwan put down her silver chopsticks. Prince Zhao's family background was the most distinguished of all the princes. He possessed both literary and military skills. He had already achieved unprecedented feats at a young age, and none of his peers could match him. From Gu Ningwan's perspective, he was impeccable. Furthermore, Prince Zhao was incredibly handsome, and Xi'er often spent time with him, and he cared so deeply for her.
"Sister," Gu Ningxi said without thinking too much, just smiling, "You know, I have never thought about getting married."
It has been so in the past and will be even more so in the future.
She can support her family on her own without relying on others. Since God has given her this opportunity, how can she not cherish it?
Gu Ningwan knew her sister's determination. Her sister had only told her such words at home, so she would keep it a secret.
Gu Ningwan didn't ask any more questions about love. She also hoped that Xi'er could find her own way.
Gu Ningwan raised her wine cup lightly: "Be careful on your journey, and everything will go well."
Gu Ningxi smiled back, "Thank you, sister."
…
The days of supervising the construction work at Renzhi Palace were peaceful and relaxing. Although it was far less comfortable than in Kyoto, Gu Ningxi felt a sense of peace and tranquility when he gazed at the azure sky in his spare time.
Away from the turbulent circumstances of the court, dealing with construction projects every day, Gu Ningxi often did things he liked when he had free time.
Today, she finished her shift early, carefully assembled the wood carvings, and found a large rock to sit on by the river not far from Renzhi Palace.
The sun was bright and the sound of horse hooves was getting closer and closer.
"Cousin!" Gu Ningxi waved to the newcomer with a smile.
Meng Ting recently went to Xishan Military Camp to change guard and made a special detour to visit Gu Ningxi.
After being away from home for more than half a month, it was the first time that Gu Ningxi met his relatives and friends in Beijing.
Meng Ting had brought a lot of things for Gu Ningxi. Madam Meng had packed two bundles full of everything from spring clothes to cakes and pastries to shoes and socks, fearing that Gu Ningxi would be cold and hungry in the palace. There was also a letter from home; Madam Meng had been literate before she got married.
"How are you doing here?" There was still plenty of time, so Meng Ting could stay for a few more moments to talk to Gu Ningxi.
Gu Ningxi was naturally fine, and she asked her cousin to tell her what had happened in the capital recently.
She is extremely isolated from the news here.
Meng Ting then discussed some pressing matters of state. The current political situation was essentially a struggle between the Eastern Palace and Prince Zhao's Mansion. Since Prince Zhao's Mansion established a literary academy last year, it had attracted numerous talented individuals. His Majesty was inevitably wary of the Zhao Mansion's growing influence. His Majesty favored the Crown Prince. With the Jin Dynasty now firmly established, the political transition at court must be stable. The Eastern Palace, with the support of Prince Huai's Mansion, held the upper hand.
Um.
Meng Ting hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Recently, there have been some rumors in the capital, saying that Your Majesty is able to rule the world because His Royal Highness Prince Zhao has made countless military achievements and conquered half of the country."
Although it is true, but it is so openly stated, one can imagine His Majesty's displeasure.
Gu Ningxi pursed her lips. In the past, when Emperor Gaozu led his army, he passed the family business to His Majesty. At the beginning of the Great Jin, the Central Plains was still divided. It was His Majesty who commanded the Central Army, while the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness Prince Zhao led the troops together. However, as the situation stabilized, His Majesty left the Crown Prince in charge of the government in Kyoto. All the various factions surrounding the Great Jin were pacified by His Royal Highness Prince Zhao. Even without mentioning His Royal Highness Prince Zhao's feat of capturing two kings at Sishui Pass, or his defeat of Xue Ju and the seizure of Longyou, the mere fact that he accepted the order in a time of crisis, recaptured Jinzhou, and destroyed Western Qin was enough to make His Royal Highness famous.
"Who spread these rumors?" Gu Ningxi asked.
"The news is mixed, and it's hard to come to a conclusion, but—" Meng Ting said, "After the New Year, several officials from Prince Zhao's palace were expelled from the capital under various pretexts. It was only after His Royal Highness Prince Zhao petitioned that Lord Wei Fan was saved. After that, these rumors began to spread in the capital."
Connecting the preceding and following, it is hard not to think that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao is proud of his achievements and is dissatisfied with Your Majesty and the court.
This is a plot to destroy someone's heart, and it aims to sow discord between His Royal Highness Prince Zhao and His Majesty, the father and son.
The Emperor's intentions are unpredictable. When His Royal Highness Prince Zhao first returned to the capital at the beginning of last year, the Crown Prince was a prominent figure in the capital, cultivating considerable influence. Therefore, Your Majesty intended to use Prince Zhao's Palace to counterbalance the Eastern Palace. Moreover, given Prince Zhao's extraordinary achievements, Your Majesty could not but reward him generously. But once Your Majesty realized that Prince Zhao's prestige far exceeded his expectations and even threatened the throne, how could Your Majesty not take action to suppress him?
The wind direction in Kyoto changed really too quickly.
Gu Ningxi sighed. The establishment of a literary institute by His Royal Highness Prince Zhao and the series of decrees issued by the Secretariat were indeed a bit too aggressive.
Meng Ting said, "But His Majesty is still selecting a princess for Prince Zhao and is still concerned about his marriage."
This was also where Gu Ningxi felt somewhat relieved. "If an ordinary military commander's achievements were so great that they threatened the emperor, they would probably have had a hard time ending up well in all dynasties. But His Royal Highness Prince Zhao is His Majesty's beloved son after all. His Majesty has loved him for many years and still cares about him."
Even if Your Majesty currently allows the Eastern Palace and Prince Huai to suppress Prince Zhao's Mansion, Your Majesty will never tolerate it if they endanger the life of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
Although he wasn't involved in the political party, as an official in the court, Meng Ting had to keep an eye on the court's movements: "I also heard that the Huai Palace has been trying to win over the Marquis of Wu'an."
Marquis Wu'an was one of the three main commanders of the Black Armor Army, and had served under His Majesty Prince Zhao for less than five years. Compared to the other two, he was indeed the most likely to be instigated to rebel.
Meng Ting said uncertainly, "But I think it shouldn't be that simple, right?"
He was familiar with the camaraderie of life and death within the military. Gu Ningxi said, "Prince Huai's move is solely to sow discord between Your Highness and Marquis Wu'an. He wants to sow suspicion of Marquis Wu'an in Prince Zhao's heart."
"Is this method possible?"
"It's not that easy."
Gu Ningxi didn't take it seriously. Prince Huai judged others by his own standards. Did he really think that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao was as narrow-minded as he was?
Meng Ting looked at her. There was no one around, and he could vaguely sense Xier's true inclination.
It was getting late and he couldn't stay any longer.
He agreed to what Gu Ningxi asked, took the item from her hand, and got on his horse and left first.
"I'll come see you again when I'm free in a few days," he said with a smile.
"Okay." Gu Ningxi waved to his cousin.
…
When spring came, urgent military reports from Hebei flew into the court.
On February 16, Xu Lang led his elite troops across the river late at night, burned the Jin army camp, and broke the siege. On February 17, Xu Lang approached Mingzhou.
In three states, Zhao Jianan's former subordinates killed the imperial governor and raised an army to support Xu Lang, and the rebels gradually united into a line.
Hebei, having annexed the region less than a year ago, was plunged into war. The rebels, under the banner of revenge for Zhao Jian'an, King of Xia, rallied the people. Xu Lang even sent envoys to the Turks to seek peace and assistance, causing the war situation to deteriorate rapidly.
The court of the Great Jin Dynasty was filled with solemnity. No one could have imagined that Xu Lang's troops, which originally numbered less than a thousand people, could grow so strong in just a few months.
After the army report was submitted, Huai Wang Lu Chen and his men offered their services to the emperor: "Father, your Majesty, I am willing to lead the army as commander-in-chief to quell the rebellion."
His voice was sonorous and resonant, echoing throughout the court. He had already discussed this matter in detail with his brother, the emperor, who would surely cooperate with him.
Prince Huai stepped forward to request a fight, and many people in the court supported him.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that His Majesty was indeed unwilling to send His Royal Highness Prince Zhao to battle again. As both were sons of the royal family, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao had been invincible at the age of seventeen, so His Royal Highness Prince Huai should also be able to emulate some of Emperor Gaozu's legacy.
In response to his minister's wishes, the emperor immediately ordered the Secretariat to draft an edict, mobilizing 70,000 troops and placing them under the full command of Huai Wang Lu Chen. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War were ordered to urgently raise military funds.
"I will obey your orders and live up to your trust."
"Your Highness, I accept your order."
All eyes in the hall converged on Huai Wang Lu Chen. Lu Chen said loudly, "Father, I have another request. Wu'an Hou is well versed in military affairs in Hebei. I would like to appoint him as my deputy general. He will surely be successful in everything we do."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the court became stagnant.
Lu Chen looked at the person on his right provocatively, his pride evident: "I wonder if my royal brother would give up on me?"
The court officials watched closely, knowing that Marquis Wu'an was the favorite general of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao. From the moment he entered the palace until now, His Royal Highness Prince Zhao had remained silent.
However, this time the imperial court is deploying troops, and His Majesty has ordered the Ministry of War to fully cooperate with Prince Huai. I'm afraid His Royal Highness Prince Zhao will find it difficult to refuse.
Xie Qian clenched his fists, unwilling to put Prince Zhao in a dilemma because of him. Just as he was about to write a letter with his sceptre, Lu Jing said, "The military commanders of the imperial court are all under the command of our father. Why are you asking me, Sixth Brother?"
Lu Chen's smile faded slightly, and Lu Heng took over the conversation: "Brother Chen is also worried about the military situation and wants to ask King Zhao for more advice. The selection of deputy generals will naturally be decided by our father."
He directed the court officials' attention back to his father, the Emperor, and waited respectfully for his father's instructions. He had already learned his lesson twice before about interfering in other people's affairs, and it was a deep warning.
Emperor Mingde said indifferently, "Prince Zhao, please tell me what you mean."
Lu Jing accepted the order and said, "I wonder how the Prince of Huai intends to fight this battle?"
Lu Chen had already discussed this with his staff and was confident: "We will march north and first occupy Weizhou and Maozhou, then join forces with the Prince of Linchang to encircle him from the north and south. Xu Lang is a skilled fighter, but his forces are limited. If we can deplete his supplies, we can seize the opportunity to win the decisive battle."
Qin Yu was familiar with the military affairs in Hebei, and he frowned slightly when he heard this.
Lu Jing said, "This method is feasible. However, Xu Lang was already prepared. He risked crossing the river late at night and destroyed our 5,000-man vanguard camp precisely to break the encirclement. The army will take time to march north, so Xu Lang still has several days to deploy. He is definitely not going to let our army encircle him."
The battlefield situation changes rapidly, and trying to find a sword by sticking to the boat is tantamount to self-destruction.
His Royal Highness Prince Zhao did not need a map, but signaled Li Ji to present a map to His Majesty first.
After the map was unfolded, Lu Jing continued, "Furthermore, Xu Lang already has granaries in Zhangnan and Jinping. Even if we can besiege the city and deplete its supplies, I'm afraid our army, having come so far, will suffer even greater losses." This strategy might have been feasible last winter. However, Xu Lang's bravery and fighting prowess indeed exceeded his expectations.
The court officials exchanged glances, while Zhen Yuan stared intently at the jade sceptre in his hand. The Prince of Huai wanted to emulate His Highness's previous example of besieging Luoyang and evading the surrender of King Xingman, but he failed to grasp the essence. Luoyang had a population of one million and an army of over a hundred thousand, making a brute force attack difficult. It took them over a year to eliminate the granaries along the Luoyang coast one by one. Furthermore, Luoyang's terrain simply couldn't be replicated in Hebei.
Emperor Mingde withdrew his gaze from the map and asked, "What does Prince Zhao have to say?"
"Xiangzhou," Lu Jing replied. "Xiangzhou is in the west. We can use Marquis Wu'an as the vanguard, leading an army of 20,000 men to capture Xiangzhou first. Once reinforcements arrive, and Prince Linchang responds in the north, we can form a three-pronged attack from the west, north, and south. We'll then decide based on the military situation."
Emperor Mingde nodded: "Yes."
Although the Prince of Huai had led troops before, this was his first time to lead a force on his own.
Emperor Mingde had his own considerations. Marquis Wu'an was a pillar of the court, and he held the support of the people of Bohai, so he could not afford to lose him. If he were to be handed over to the Prince of Huai, Emperor Mingde, knowing his son's temperament well, was not entirely reassured.
Emperor Mingde issued an edict to dispatch 20,000 troops in advance and put them under the command of Marquis Wu'an, who was allowed to act accordingly.
"I obey your order."
Xie Qian received the order and no longer had to obey orders in Prince Huai's tent all the time. This was already the best outcome.
It would still take some time to mobilize the remaining 50,000 troops, so Emperor Mingde ordered the Ministry of War to make expedited preparations.
Prince Huai is the commander-in-chief. No matter what, he is generally satisfied to have the military power in his hands today.
Moreover, the achievements of the vanguard are naturally also the achievements of him as the commander-in-chief, and he is happy to see it happen.
"Your son obeys your order."
…
After the court meeting was over, all the generals who were selected went to the Prince of Huai's palace to discuss matters, and Marquis Wu'an was no exception.
In comparison, Prince Zhao's Mansion seemed particularly deserted.
Troops and generals were being recruited in various places, and Zhen Yuan and Qin Yu also had official duties to attend to.
While the imperial court was deploying troops, Lu Jing had a rare moment of leisure.
The Ministry of Chancellery had no urgent matters, and the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue were prioritizing military needs for the time being. Lu Jing returned to the palace study, only to find that next to the usual drum, there was a brocade box.
Sun Jing reported, "Your Highness, this was sent to you by General Meng, sent by Lord Gu."
After Sun Jing received it, he thought about it and placed it in front of the desk of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
After serving the tea, he bowed and left.
In the sunlight, the carvings on the brocade box are quite ingenious.
Lu Jing opened the latch and saw a pair of wooden sculptures inside.
Lu Jing took them out one by one and looked at them briefly. They were all engraved with him.
The first is to charge into the enemy camp on the battlefield; the other is to draw the bow and arrow and take the enemy's head.
The longbow could even be removed and replaced with a sword from the box.
Each ornament is meticulously carved, with the proportions of the man and the horse being comparable.
Holding the wooden sculpture in his palm, Lu Jing lowered his eyes and looked at it for a long time.
Yuan Le had never seen him on the battlefield.
It's carved very similarly.
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