Jiayin nodded vigorously, her eyes reddening.
"Grandma, that's right, that's right! My dad and my godfather won the battle! They took Jiangbei back from the barbarians! When we have the chance in the future, we can go back to our hometown to visit."
"That's not important. It's good that your father and the Marquis are back safe and sound!" Old Mrs. Li wiped away her tears. "We've been waiting for this for over ten years. We've finally won. We don't have to fight anymore!"
Outside the carriage, the people were growing increasingly excited and began spreading the news.
It seemed like everyone in Xindu had come out, regardless of whether they were relatives or friends, acquaintances or strangers, they all cheered and shared their joy!
Meanwhile, the messenger on horseback, carrying the good news, made its way into the palace, and the message was quickly delivered to the Imperial Study.
The emperor and several important ministers were present when they suddenly heard the good news. The ministers couldn't help but stand up, overjoyed.
The annual northern expeditions were a great test and a great burden for Tianwu.
But we cannot avoid a northern expedition, because offense is the best defense!
The peace and stability of Jiangnan is all thanks to the northern expedition!
Now that the country is unified, the northern border has been reclaimed, and the barbarians have been driven out of Tianwu, the biggest threat to our country has been completely eliminated.
"Peace and prosperity are just around the corner!"
"Great! Great! The Northern Expedition has finally been won!"
The high-ranking officials started shouting, and some even wanted to lift their robes and kneel down, yelling "Long live the Emperor!" and congratulating him.
However, the emperor's expression was somewhat strange.
Logically speaking, this should be a joyous occasion.
But the emperor's expression remained indifferent, showing no sign of joy, as if the victory in the northern expedition was a trivial matter.
No, look closely, and you can even see a hint of annoyance in the Emperor's eyes...
Annoyed?!
The high-ranking officials seemed to have been doused with cold water, and all their enthusiasm and surprise were instantly extinguished.
If they were fools, they wouldn't be in their current positions.
They had guessed some of the Emperor's previous treatment of the Northern Expeditionary Army.
Now that the Northern Expeditionary Army has achieved a complete victory and the country is unified, it is a joyous occasion for the whole world.
But for the Emperor, it wasn't like that...
Because the credit belongs to the Marquis of Xinting and the Northern Expeditionary Army, but not to the Emperor, the Supreme Martial Emperor!
The high-ranking officials all lowered their heads and dared not say another word.
The Emperor, after a long pause, slowly said, "Such a great victory is a cause for celebration! The Northern Expeditionary Army was short of supplies and the barbarians were fierce, yet they still managed to achieve such a great victory. It is truly remarkable."
The high-ranking officials all nodded, giving perfunctory responses.
Sure enough, the Emperor said, "I asked Marquis Xinting to postpone the decisive battle for the sake of caution, but I didn't expect him to disobey and attack anyway. This is a victory; if there had been any mishap, we would probably be hearing news of a major defeat in the northern expedition!"
Everyone lowered their heads even further.
Fortunately, the Crown Prince rushed back at that moment.
He glanced at the crowd and stepped forward to the Emperor, saying, "Father, you didn't rest well last night, and tomorrow you have to see Mother off on her final journey. Why don't you get some rest? Nothing is more important than your health!"
Perhaps pleased by his son's concern, the emperor's expression softened, and he waved to the crowd.
The high-ranking officials, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, quickly withdrew.
The Crown Prince helped the Emperor to the rear hall to rest, but the Emperor did not keep him to talk much. He directly found an excuse to order the Crown Prince to deal with the matter.
The moment the Crown Prince stepped out the door, the Emperor smashed the jade paperweight that was next to him!
"Cousin, I am about to die, do you still want to compete with me for these empty titles?"
"Aren't you supposed to be loyal? Why can't you give me a break!"
"I just want to go to the afterlife with the achievement of unifying the country, to give an account to my ancestors, why won't you grant my wish!"
Anxiety, anger, and resentment all turned into violence, and he destroyed everything on the desk!
The room fell into a deathly silence. After a long while, a man in gray emerged from the corner and knelt down in the middle of the room.
"Take everyone to the North, to..."
Outside the window, the twilight wind was still hot and humid, and the cicadas in the trees were singing their hearts out, as if they were protesting for someone, or mocking someone loudly!
The prince stood at the corner, holding the little fox and stroking its smooth fur.
The little fox squinted comfortably, occasionally yawning.
The prince chuckled, tapped its head, and asked, "Does your master know how lazy you are? You practically sleep all the time!"
The little fox squeaked in protest.
Unfortunately, the Crown Prince couldn't understand, but Chief Steward Yi rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
"Your Highness, this old servant has prepared a room for you. Please have a seat for a while."
"No need, Father has given me a task, so I must go and attend to it now." The Crown Prince smiled gently and instructed, "Father may have accidentally knocked over the table just now, so I'll trouble Steward Yi to clean it up."
Manager Yi bowed his head and quickly agreed.
Only then did the prince pick up the little fox and leave...
Chief Steward Yi stood there for a long time before returning to the Imperial Study.
The emperor had calmed down and stood by the window, looking at the fiery clouds outside, lost in thought.
Chief Eunuch Yi and his eunuchs quickly cleaned up the mess and replaced the items with new ones.
The study was immediately restored to its tidy state, as if it had never experienced a "storm".
Just as Chief Steward Yi was about to serve the Emperor a cup of tea, the Emperor suddenly asked, "The northern expedition is about to end. When the Marquis returns, what do you think will be the first thing he does?"
Steward Yi felt a chill run down his spine, but there was no one else in the room, so he couldn't pretend to be dead even if he wanted to.
So he could only reply, "Your Majesty, of course the Marquis will come to the palace to see you and hand over his military power. It has always been the same for so many years."
The Emperor neither confirmed nor denied, replying, "Is that so? Then what is the second matter?"
Steward Yi wished he were mute. He racked his brains and said again, "This old servant guesses that they should go home and rest properly. After all, they've been on a northern expedition for months, and haven't been eating or sleeping well..."
The emperor was unsure whether he was satisfied with the answer, and after a long silence, he changed the subject.
"Has the Crown Prince's concubine been imprisoned for quite some time now?"
Chief Steward Yi paused for a moment before remembering which of the Crown Prince's concubines was mentioned, and quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the concubine offended the princess, and the Crown Prince was very angry. Therefore, he has been reflecting on his actions behind closed doors and has not come out..."
"Speaking of which, what parent in the world doesn't love their children? Even I dote on the Third Princess. I'm afraid the Marquis of Dingbei is also losing sleep over his daughter's mistakes. Send him a message that he can come to the palace when he has some free time. I grant him permission to visit his concubine."
The emperor gave a few instructions and then waved his hand, as if he were truly speaking from the heart.
Unable to fathom the Emperor's thoughts, Chief Steward Yi could only obey orders.
He stepped back and immediately sent a young eunuch to fetch the messenger from the Marquis of Dingbei.
Coincidentally, the Marquis of Dingbei is on duty in his cell tonight, and he can't figure out what the Emperor's intentions are.
But it's not a bad thing that the Emperor has shown him leniency and allowed him to visit his daughter.
He had long wanted to scold his dim-witted daughter.
They went to great lengths to place her next to the Crown Prince, not so that she would be neglected or imprisoned!
Of course, most importantly, he had to apologize to the emperor for not raising a good daughter.
We'll find out the Emperor's true intentions in time...
Today's update is here!
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