Chapter 259: So Outrageous
In the square, under the guidance of Lu Yuanting, every time Lu Xinran dug out a big melon, another adult would either faint or lower his head to concentrate on the floor tiles under his feet.
When the emperor came over with the empress dowager, he noticed that the square was completely silent. Everyone lowered their heads slightly, as if they were thinking about something.
The two men, who had already experienced this, immediately quickened their pace, stepped within a hundred steps, and ate the last big melon.
Lu Yuanting was very satisfied after answering most of his questions. Under his guidance, Lu Xinran also enjoyed the meal.
Just when I was about to ask this cousin what else he knew, a sharp voice suddenly came to my ears.
"The Emperor is here, and the Empress Dowager is here."
The people who had just come back to their senses from eating melons quickly came back to their senses, stood up, stood in the middle of the square, and knelt down to salute.
The emperor helped the empress dowager to take a seat and looked at the people kneeling below. The sounds of gossip were no longer in their ears, and both of them felt a little regretful.
"Stand up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Everyone stood up and sat down again. Lu Xinran sat obediently behind the Pei family members, then raised his head slightly and looked upwards.
The seat next to the emperor was still empty; the queen had not arrived yet.
He swept his eyes across the square again and found that Zhang Yongping and the deputy generals who had come to Beijing were all gone.
This is...
Since there is a system available, she chose to give up guessing.
He simply opened the emperor's booklet and started reading.
[No, it's not that quick to kill a donkey after it's done with its work, right?]
[He was killing enemies at the border and nearly lost his life, but because he was brave and valiant, he was promoted to deputy general and was able to go to the capital with the empress to receive a title. So you suspect that he thinks he was raised by the Zhang family?]
[Didn't Duke Zhang hand over all of the Zhang family's troops a long time ago? Does he lack confidence in himself and think that Duke Zhang dares to provoke with the lives of his entire family? Or does he think that the Great Chu cannot afford generals from outside the family?]
[Because of his suspicion, he thought that these people were all subordinates of the Queen and Duke Zhang, so he was unwilling to give them any rewards for the military achievements they had made at the cost of their lives.]
[He even asked Duke Zhang to draft the imperial edict for him. Tsk, even if the officials can draft the imperial edict, isn't he still the one who makes the final decision? ]
[If this kind of thing can be done by others, then can he also let others take his seat? ]
How outrageous!
The emperor clenched his fists suddenly.
He could tolerate her groundless slander, but his kingdom of Great Chu would not be shaken by anyone.
As an emperor, he naturally had to use the emperor's power tactics to control people. What could she, a country girl who knew nothing and had never seen the world, know!
The emperor suppressed his anger, and slightly closed his eyes at the 'warning' look from the empress dowager, trying hard not to argue with the little girl.
The Queen heard these words when she walked to the edge of the square with several lieutenants. A sarcastic arc appeared at the corner of her lips, but she quickly suppressed her contempt and walked towards the center of the square with several people.
[Wow, the queen is so cool. This military uniform suits her so well.]
[As expected, he has returned from the battlefield. His aura is so overwhelming! ]
The voice in everyone's heart was heard again, and everyone almost subconsciously looked towards the Queen and others who were approaching.
In the afterglow, the silver-white armor was coated with a layer of warm yellow halo, which calmed the fierce energy from charging into the battlefield.
When the emperor saw the queen's cold and hard armor, his expression immediately turned ugly.
He had clearly instructed the empress to change into the clothes she deserved, instead of still wearing that disgusting cold and hard armor after returning to the capital and entering the palace.
"Your Majesty, I, Zhang Wanhua, lead six deputy generals of Yuchengguan to pay my respects to you."
The clanging sound of metal hitting stone slabs echoed in the square for a long time.
The emperor narrowed his eyes and looked at the empress and others who were kneeling on one knee in the venue. He raised his hand and pointed to the position beside him without a smile in his eyes.
"Stand up, and take your seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Ever since Lu Xinran appeared, his eyes have been fixed on the Queen.
The system in her mind was still reminding her to read the Queen's booklet as soon as possible.
"Don't you suspect that the emperor wants to take this opportunity to attack the queen and ask her why Ma Linyuan died in battle? If you don't find out the reason quickly, how can you help her later?"
Lu Xinran: “…”
Although the system's voice sounded urgent and reasonable, why did she always have the illusion that this guy was just looking for trouble?
[Then let's see how Ma Linyuan died, lest the emperor take the opportunity to find fault. ]
[It's a pity that the guy's body was not brought back, otherwise we could have found out whether he went to Yuchengguan this time on some unspeakable mission.]
The inner voice echoed in everyone's ears. The emperor at the top was about to speak up to interrupt, but the empress dowager stopped him.
The older her son gets, the more suspicious he becomes. If this continues, the court officials will have to consider whether they will arouse his suspicion before doing anything.
If that day really comes, then the Great Chu will be very close to destruction.
Although she, as the empress dowager, could not interfere in the affairs of the previous dynasty, hearing why Ma Linyuan died could reduce the emperor's suspicion.
It would be great if he could reflect on himself.
[Found it. On the day of the siege, it was Ma Linyuan who repeatedly requested to guard the north gate.]
[Going north from the north gate is a vast wilderness, which is the place most familiar to Chahar and his people.]
[Ma Linyuan had calculated early in the morning that if Chahar could not defend Yucheng Pass, they would definitely try to break out from the north gate and return to the outside of the pass they were familiar with, so he ignored General Xie's advice and insisted on leading the 50,000 people he brought to attack the north gate.]
[He wanted to capture Chahar alive and bring him back to the capital, so he could receive a generous reward from the emperor. Therefore, he ignored the advice of the empress and General Xie, and did not listen to their orders. He went straight to block the north gate.]
[The Queen and General Xie did not want to argue with him before the siege, so they let him go.]
[He has no strategy, no skills, and doesn't know how to divide the troops to attack the city. He can only force his subordinates to use human waves to block rocks and arrows. ]
[They also ordered people to shoot black oil and throw bombs at the city gates.]
[He blew open the city gate, but he also destroyed most of the city wall. Although Yucheng Pass was recaptured, the city wall was destroyed. In the future, it would be difficult to rely on the strong city wall to defend against the enemy. The entire pass was useless.]