65 Truth
◎How should he settle everything with Yuan Le?◎
After Yinyue was taken away, the room was quiet for a long time.
The candlelight danced, and Lu Jing burned the two secret reports on the candle flame.
The ashes were piled in the trash can. After so many years, she was still so kind-hearted and had never changed.
"Your Highness." Cheng Wen came back to report. He had followed Your Highness's instructions and added Xun Zhou's name to the list of personal guards transferred to Luoyang, allowing him to bring his family with him.
"Keep a close eye on her and don't allow her to have contact with any outsiders."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Lu Jing extinguished the candle. Luoyang was his territory, and the leverage he had over Yin Yue ended there.
The clouds covered the moon and the stars were dim.
The bedroom had already been cleaned up. Cheng Wen asked, "Your Highness, would you like to rest first?"
"Prepare the horses and return to camp."
Cheng Wen did not dare to disobey these four clear and concise words.
The night was dark, and a thin mist had already gathered on the official road, which was dispersed by the strong wind raised by the horses.
Lu Jing rode ahead, letting the wind whistle past his ears.
Yuanle, Gu Yuanle, is really great!
They had known each other for more than ten years, yet she had deceived him to this extent. She was even worse than Meng Ting, who had only been in Beijing for three years.
What kind of love is this, what kind of karma is this, what kind of coincidences are this in the past life, what kind of coincidences are this in the reincarnation, how ridiculous!
He was the only one who suffered from sleepless nights, feeling stuck in a dilemma, and finally left the country. And she was completely oblivious, just watching from the sidelines.
He had mistakenly thought that his relationship with Yuan Le would be unacceptable to the world, so he tried every possible way, even risking the wrath of the world, to seek a perfect life for them.
He didn't even dare to tell Yuan Le the truth, for fear that after exposing this forbidden love, they would no longer be able to be even ordinary friends.
He also envied Luo Yun, envious of her ability to boldly express her love.
Now think about it, once Lu Jing whips the horsewhip, it is clear that she is the one who is destined to be unable to get what she wants!
The sound of horse hooves grew faster and faster, almost crushing the morning light.
The sky was turning pale, and no one would ever know the ups and downs of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao's mood that night.
…
A rider broke into the hunting camp. The armored and spear-wielding imperial guards recognized the man from afar, saluted him respectfully, and let him pass silently.
It was already noon and the entire camp had woken up.
Lu Jing ignored the servants' attempts to stop him, dismounted his horse, and headed towards the tent of Marquis Xuanping's mansion.
Under a lush and green sycamore tree, a handsome figure was reading quietly.
Gu Ningxi woke up as usual and had breakfast. Her ankle injury had completely healed. The weather was fine, so she sat on the ground beneath a tree, basking in the warm sunlight.
The grass was green and the sun shone on her clear face. Everything was so peaceful and beautiful, more like the calm before the storm.
After a night of cold wind, Lu Jing has calmed down at this moment.
How should he settle everything with Yuan Le?
A smile appeared on his lips, but now was not the most appropriate time.
Hearing familiar footsteps, Gu Ningxi looked up from the book and stood up.
"Your Highness," she noticed that Prince Zhao seemed different today, "where did you go?"
Since early morning, Manager Sun has been leading people to look for His Royal Highness Prince Zhao, and at one point they came to her.
Gu Ningxi went to bed early last night and knew nothing about this.
Lu Jing didn't answer: "Is the injury healed?"
Gu Ningxi nodded: "It's fine now."
Sitting down next to her, Lu Jing deliberately kept two steps away.
"Why did you go so far into the mountains?"
Just by looking at Yuan Le's quiver, you can tell she is not hunting.
"Your Majesty..." Between lies and truth, Gu Ningxi met Prince Zhao's gaze. "Your Majesty was just wandering around the forest, looking for some suitable wood."
Lu Jing just listened: "Your cousin——"
"Your Highness, Your Highness Prince Zhao!"
Li Ji hurried over, out of breath. After a whole morning of hard work, he finally found his master.
Gu Ningxi and His Royal Highness Prince Zhao looked at each other. The chief steward of Taiji Palace was rarely so anxious. "Your Highness, His Majesty requires you to go to the main tent immediately. Please come in."
His tone was extremely urgent.
…
Inside the emperor's tent, the atmosphere was stagnant.
Crown Prince Lu Heng was summoned here late last night. He looked at Hebei in the tent with a solemn expression and only nodded slightly to Lu Jing when he entered the tent.
"Your son greets His Majesty, Father."
Without having time to ask where King Zhao had gone last night, Emperor Mingde ordered his attendants to present the full report to King Zhao.
The first letter came on March 19th. Xu Lang personally led the army to cross the river under the cover of night. The main force was divided into three routes, and they successively conquered Raoyang, Raoan and Raoding prefectures, and besieged Lianzhou with heavy troops.
Lianzhou, a crucial town in Hebei and a crucial transit hub for the two armies, held a crucial position. If Xu Lang could capture Lianzhou, he would be able to connect the north and south, uniting the occupied territories and sweeping across them without fear.
The Prince of Huai sent several reinforcements to Lianzhou, but each was repelled by Xu Lang's army. Lu Zhuo, the Prince of Linchang, stationed in Lianzhou, was isolated on all sides, with his food supply route cut off by the rebels.
Even a military report from Hebei would take three days to reach the capital at full speed. During these three days, Lianzhou was likely in grave danger.
Another military report said that when Xu Lang swept across Hebei, Zhao Chang, the Duke of Lu who had already surrendered to the Jin Dynasty in the south, rebelled again and echoed Xu Lang from afar.
There were also secret reports that the Turkic Khan intended to send more troops to Xu Lang to disrupt the situation in the Central Plains again.
Less than two years of peace had passed when local war broke out again.
At this point, the emperor had no interest in spring hunting. He hurried back to the palace and summoned all the civil and military officials to discuss the response.
Military reports from the front were transmitted back one after another, and the military situation became more urgent day by day.
On March 23, Prince Lu Zhuo of Linchang led his troops to break out, but was intercepted and killed by Xu Lang.
Lu Zhuo was the nephew of Emperor Mingde. He died fighting in the chaos at the age of twenty-one, and Lianzhou fell.
Xu Lang took advantage of the victory and expanded his power rapidly.
As of the latest report, except for the Xiangzhou line defended by Marquis Wu'an, Xu Lang has taken over all of Hebei and taken over the former subordinates of King Xia Zhao Jian'an. Hebei is completely out of the control of the Jin Dynasty.
The military situation was urgent, and the atmosphere in the court was tense. Officials in various departments were increasingly cautious in their duties, fearing that they would be implicated if they were not careful.
Director He, who was familiar with Gu Ningxi, returned from the Ministry of War and brought back some important news.
He was well-informed and recently had been working with the Ministry of War to oversee the production of chariots to be shipped to the front lines, giving him an even more thorough understanding of the military situation in Hebei.
"I heard that His Majesty summoned Prince Zhao to the palace this afternoon."
None of the Ministry of Works colleagues present were surprised. They seemed accustomed to the foreign military campaigns of recent years; when the fighting on the front lines got out of hand, His Majesty would order Prince Zhao to fight.
And His Royal Highness Prince Zhao has never disappointed Your Majesty.
In the duty room, Gu Ningxi paused with his pen in hand.
She looked at the signature on the official document. It had been three days since she returned from Jiuyun Mountain. She hadn't seen Prince Zhao since she had been discussing military affairs in the imperial study.
Is he leaving Beijing again?
The official documents were smudged with ink. Gu Ningxi lowered his eyes. It had only been a year since he came back.
However, when His Royal Highness Prince Zhao was in the capital, His Majesty gradually took away his military power, and his situation in Kyoto was actually difficult.
Without the support of His Majesty, and with the repeated suppression of the Crown Prince and the Prince of Huai, returning to the battlefield, at least he would still have military power.
In the battle of Hebei, many famous generals in the court were defeated, and Your Majesty had no choice but to let His Royal Highness Prince Zhao lead the troops.
If His Royal Highness Prince Zhao wins, his achievements will become even more powerful and will intimidate the emperor. The situation in the court may no longer be able to maintain the status quo.
If Your Majesty continues to support the Crown Prince, the fight for the throne will only lead to a palace coup.
Gu Ningxi recalled the unfinished questions from His Royal Highness Prince Zhao that day, which were related to his cousin.
It seemed normal, but the emperor in the dream also asked her the same question -
"Has he known your identity for a long time?"
It's a question, but it's more like a confirmation after suspicion.
Gu Ningxi's heart was a little confused for some reason, and she sighed softly at the official document.
…
As dusk fell, the lengthy meeting in the imperial study came to an end.
Qin Yu and Zhen Yuan each received the imperial edict and followed His Royal Highness Prince Zhao out of the palace.
The military situation was urgent and they had little time to prepare.
The way out of the palace was along the left side. Qin Yu paused when he saw His Royal Highness Prince Zhao and asked, "Your Highness, are you not going back to the palace?"
"The king is still busy, you guys go back first."
"yes."
Qin Yu agreed, and neither he nor Zhen Yuan asked any further questions.
Xiangzhou, which was defended by Huaicheng, was surrounded. Qin Yu was most familiar with the military affairs in Hebei, so he led his troops to provide support first.
In the duty rooms of the six ministries, most of the officials except those from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue had already left.
The duty room of the Ministry of Works was on the other side. As a result of Gu Ningxi's absent-mindedness throughout the afternoon, he was now burning the midnight oil, working hard to finish the official documents.
She didn't know whether she should go to see His Royal Highness Prince Zhao again, nor did she know whether he had the time to see him.
There were two more misspellings in the official document, and Gu Ningxi could only cross them out and remind himself to concentrate.
The ink pen slid across the pages of the book, and there was a soft knock on the door outside. Gu Ningxi stood up to answer it.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone into the house. When she faced him face to face, Gu Ningxi thought she was dreaming.
"Your Highness."
After she realized what was happening, she welcomed His Royal Highness Prince Zhao into the room. The small duty room was exceptionally tidy. After sitting opposite him for a while, Gu Ningxi broke the silence.
"Your Highness...are you leaving again?"
"Um."
"When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow. We will go out for the sacrifice in the morning and leave the capital in the afternoon."
There was another silence, and this time Lu Jing spoke first.
He took a draft from Gu Ningxi's desk, on which were scribbled some Hebei place names.
"Why are you suddenly concerned about this?"
Gu Ningxi recalled the rumors circulating in the court: "I heard that the rebellion in Hebei is because Your Majesty killed Zhao Jianan."
Zhao Jianan has always been popular among the people in Hebei. Xu Lang was once his old friend. He raised the banner of revenge for Zhao Jianan, which attracted Zhao Jianan's old subordinates to join him.
"You think so too?"
Gu Ningxi shook her head. It was just her own idea and no one could discuss it with her.
His Royal Highness Prince Zhao looked patient. Gu Ningxi said, "Xu Lang's rebels are coming with great force. Zhao Jianan's remaining power alone may not be enough."
During the battle at Sishui Pass, His Highness captured King Zhao Jianan of Xia alive, crushing the morale of the Hebei army. Although the entire Xia Kingdom surrendered, its fighting power remained.
"Your Highness originally released the 50,000 captured Xia soldiers back to their homeland. Was it because he wanted the Xia civil and military officials to use this opportunity to negotiate with the Jin Dynasty?"
It may sound incredible, but if the transfer of power is too smooth, it will easily lead to rebellion.
Perhaps His Royal Highness King Zhao did not expect that the released Xia soldiers and civilians would surrender so easily and submit to the Jin Dynasty. In this way, he lost all his bargaining chips and could only be manipulated by others.
This year, His Majesty made frequent moves in Hebei Province, first replacing officials from various prefectures in Hebei Province with officials from the Jin Dynasty. Conflicts of interest between the old and new officials were inevitable and difficult to reconcile.
At this critical juncture, His Majesty issued an edict ordering Zhao Jianan's former subordinates to return to the capital. The precedent of King Xia's execution was still fresh in their minds, and the former subordinates in Hebei had been forced into a corner.
Just as Gu Ningxi said just now, Hebei surrendered too easily, and its strength was preserved to the best of its ability, but it did not take the opportunity to obtain corresponding guarantees from the Jin Dynasty.
So when Xu Lang raised his army, the old officials of Hebei who had long held grudges came to surrender one after another, and it was like a hundred people responded to his call.
Xu Lang restored the Xia officials to their original positions. The new regime was firmly tied to these old officials. Gu Ningxi said, "This battle will not be easy to fight."
There was a look of approval in Lu Jing's eyes, and he never thought that Yuan Le could see so clearly.
Someone in the court even submitted a petition, requesting an imperial decree to rebury Zhao Jian'an to appease public opinion and allow the rebels to disperse. Such advice, other than publicly slapping my father and brother in the face, would have much effect.
"The battlefield is dangerous, Your Highness, please take care of yourself."
"Okay." Lu Jing looked at Gu Ningxi, "Is there anything else you want to say to me?"
Gu Ningxi hesitated for a moment: "That day, His Highness asked about my cousin——"
"It's not important, just a casual question. I'm just curious why he is nearby." Lu Jing took over the matter.
They were silent for a while, and then His Royal Highness Prince Zhao asked, "Nothing else to say?"
Gu Ningxi slowly shook her head. She had no say in what was happening on the battlefield.
Lu Jing looked at her deeply, imprinting her current appearance in his heart.
"Then wait for me to come back."
When I come back, we can discuss other things.
The setting sun was as red as blood, illuminating a tall figure departing.
Gu Ningxi did not respond to His Royal Highness Prince Zhao's last words, but suddenly a strange yet familiar voice came to his mind.
"Wait until I come back."
She watched the man walk away, and unspeakable sadness instantly flooded Gu Ningxi's limbs and bones, so violent that it almost drowned her.
Gu Ningxi stood up by supporting himself on the table, and subconsciously opened his mouth to call the person in front of him, but found that he could not make a sound.
She stumbled two steps in vain, but couldn't catch up.
As if sensing something, Lu Jing looked back.
"What's wrong?"
Gu Ningxi looked at him, not knowing where the overwhelming emotions just now came from.
The two looked at each other from more than ten steps away.
The afterglow of the setting sun fell all over them. In their early twenties, it seemed as if everything was still possible.
Gu Ningxi moved her lips, and the words that came from the bottom of her heart seemed to have traveled through the years and experienced thousands of sails.
She said, "I'll wait for His Highness to come back."
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