Chapter 281 Leading the Troops into Battle
Chu Jichen slowly raised his eyes, his unfathomable eyes completely devoid of any emotion.
"Qingming," his voice was calm and even, yet filled with an undeniable authority, "do you know why I have summoned you today?"
"This subordinate does not know." Qingming's voice remained calm and steady.
"Heh..." Chu Jichen scoffed, his laughter cold and sharp. "You're quite good at pretending."
"Before I ascended the throne, your Shen family's private army, under the guise of exonerating the Shen family, secretly stirred up trouble in the capital, causing rumors to spread and people to panic! Do you think I was unaware of this?"
Upon hearing this, Qingming's body trembled violently!
She lowered her head even further, but straightened her back even more: "Your Majesty, please forgive us! We are all former subordinates of General Shen! We are only here to seek justice for the General, and have absolutely no intention of treason!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Jichen snorted coldly: "What a fine 'absolutely no intention of rebellion'!"
He slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne and shouted sternly, "The Shen family has long been destroyed, yet you still hold military power and secretly gather your forces! Now, you even dare to stir up trouble and disrupt the court right under the emperor's nose! How is such behavior any different from treason?!"
Inside the golden palace, an eerie silence instantly descended!
Everyone's heart was in their throat!
Your Majesty, are you going to use this opportunity to make an example of them and completely eliminate this so-called "Shen family private army"?
But the Shen family—that's the Empress's maternal family!
The crowd exchanged glances in secret, when Chu Jichen's voice rang out again.
"However, I also know that your circumstances are understandable."
"General Shen was a loyal and virtuous man, yet he was framed by treacherous people and his entire family was slaughtered. As his former subordinates, it is only natural that you feel indignant and want to seek justice for him."
"Furthermore," his gaze slowly fell on Shen Qingci, who had not uttered a word from beginning to end, his cold eyes instantly turning into tender affection, "Since the Empress and I got married, your Shen family's private army has all submitted to me, secretly doing many important things for me and making many contributions."
"Now that the Shen family's wrongful conviction has been cleared, it was Liu Wenyuan and Huo Yunzhan who framed them. Now that the injustice has been redressed, your merits and demerits can be considered equal."
"I can spare your lives."
“Furthermore,” a calculating glint flashed in his eyes, “I can also reward those who have rendered meritorious service!”
Qingming suddenly raised his head, and his cold eyes instantly flashed with unbelievable ecstasy!
"His Majesty……"
Chu Jichen looked at her and slowly curled his lips: "I have heard that your Shen family's private army, although small in number, is composed of elite soldiers who can take on ten men each."
"Although Liu Wenyuan has been captured by me, he still has many followers, and undercurrents still surge within and outside the court."
"I am currently short of capable people by my side."
"I will give you a chance."
"From this day forward," his voice suddenly turned stern, filled with undeniable authority, "I hereby bestow upon you the title of—"
He paused, then said, slowly and deliberately:
"Second rank, Grand General Who Protects the Nation!"
These words caused an uproar in the room!
A second-rank general who protects the nation?!
This is like achieving instant success!
Just as everyone was stunned by this sudden reward, a clear, cold voice suddenly rang out from among the military officers.
"Your Majesty!" Huo Yunting stepped forward and bowed to Chu Jichen, his voice filled with just the right amount of doubt, "Rewarding meritorious officials is Your Majesty's wise act. However..."
He raised his head, his gaze seemingly unintentionally sweeping over Qingming, who was still kneeling on one knee, and his voice carried a hint of uncertainty: "This Commander Qingming seems to have a physique that is somewhat different from that of ordinary men?"
He put it very tactfully.
But who among those in the Golden Palace isn't a shrewd and calculating person?
Instantly, everyone's gaze fell upon Qingming's shapely figure, which, despite being dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, was still impossible to conceal!
Immediately, an old minister stood up, his voice filled with disbelief, shock, and opposition!
"Your Majesty! You mustn't!"
"There has never been a precedent in history for a woman to be appointed as a general or marshal!"
"Is it not child's play for a woman to lead troops?"
Just as the Golden Hall was in an uproar, with voices of opposition rising and falling, a clear, melodious, yet undeniably authoritative female voice slowly descended from the high phoenix throne.
"My lords," Shen Qingci began slowly, her voice cold as she questioned, "I am rather curious."
"When it comes to rewarding merit, is it based on achievements, or... gender?"
She slowly stood up, looking down at the court officials below with their varied expressions, her voice suddenly turning sharp:
"Our Great Zhou Dynasty has been established for a hundred years. Is the standard for judging whether a general is qualified not based on his ability to lead troops and defend the country, but on whether he is a man or a woman?"
"Whether you're male or female," her voice was firm and resonant, like the clash of metal, "shouldn't you let your abilities speak for themselves?"
Immediately, an old minister stepped forward, trembling, and retorted, “Your Majesty, you are mistaken! Since ancient times, women have been in charge of domestic affairs while men have been in charge of external affairs. This is the natural order and moral order! To let a woman lead troops into battle is simply the greatest absurdity in the world!”
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingci smiled.
That laughter was filled with endless mockery and disdain.
“I have heard,” she said, lifting her eyelids, her voice full of sarcasm, “that there was Hua Mulan in ancient times, who served in the army in place of her father for twelve years, achieving great military exploits and even becoming a general.”
“How come,” she said with a cold and indifferent gaze, “that after all these centuries, the court of my Great Zhou has not only made no progress, but has actually regressed?”
"The Empress is right."
Just then, Chu Jichen, who had been silent all along, finally spoke slowly.
His voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced all the discussions in the hall.
He looked down at the silent courtiers below and said in a calm voice, "I first met the Empress in General Shen's military camp."
“At that time,” his eyes were filled with tenderness and appreciation, “when I discussed military strategy and deduced the battle situation with the Empress, I discovered that although the Empress was a woman, her military strategy was more ingenious and her tactics more unpredictable than many of the men present who claimed to be generals.”
"Now," his voice suddenly turned stern, filled with imperial majesty, "I have just ascended the throne, and the court is beset by internal and external troubles. It is a time when everything needs to be rebuilt and talent is urgently needed!"
"When it comes to employing people, I never set aside gender, age, or background!"
"As long as," he said firmly and decisively, "possesses genuine talent and ability, can share my burdens, and serve the country, they can all be promoted and ennobled!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone else stepped forward!
"Your Majesty!" The man bowed, but his voice was full of dissatisfaction and doubt. "We are not questioning Your Majesty's decision! But how can we know whether this Commander Qingming truly has the ability to lead troops into battle?"
“After all,” his voice carried a perfectly measured hint of doubt, “the so-called Shen family private army has always existed only in rumors, never actually appearing in public. We don’t even know if she is truly the commander of that Shen family private army.”
"If Your Majesty wants her to be respected, you must at least produce some achievements that everyone can see, right?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingci nodded: "What this gentleman said is quite right."
She slowly turned around and looked at Chu Jichen beside her.
Chu Jichen looked at her, smiled, and a hint of understanding and indulgence flashed in his eyes.
"The border between our Great Zhou and the Northern You Kingdom has been disrupted once again, and I'm sure you, my beloved ministers, have already heard about it." His voice suddenly turned cold. "When the late emperor was alive, he ignored this matter, which led to our border soldiers suffering repeated defeats and losing territory time and time again!"
"I will absolutely not allow such a humiliating disgrace to happen again!"
“Therefore,” his gaze, like a sharp arrow, shot straight at the figure still kneeling on one knee in the prince, “I hereby dispatch Qingming to the border immediately to assemble a large army!”
"Ten days from now, lead the troops out to war!"
"Suppress the border rebellion!"
Upon hearing this, Huo Yunting's expression changed instantly!
He suddenly raised his head, and in his unfathomable eyes flashed a look of disbelief and shock, as well as a hint of panic that he himself did not realize!
However, his subtle change had already been noticed by the two people sitting high on the dragon throne.
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