Chapter 104 Your Triumphant Return Awaits
"Li Lu, the Minister of Revenue, abused his position to embezzle national treasury funds, misappropriate public funds, seize farmland and public resources, deduct border defense military pay, manipulate the promotion and demotion of court officials, engage in official transactions, and form cliques for personal gain... In the second year of the Shengde era, he secretly colluded with enemy spies and sold intelligence from the front lines, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers on the battlefield. His crimes are unforgivable. Now, to uphold the law and punish him according to the law, Li Lu is hereby ordered to commit suicide. All his family property is to be confiscated and added to the national treasury. His father Li Kangqi's four clans, his mother Lu's three clans, and his wife Zhang's two clans, all male members of his family are to be exiled to the frontier, and the female members of his family are to be ordered to commit suicide. The execution is to be carried out immediately."
An imperial edict, like water poured into hot oil, shattered the gloom that had gripped the capital for days. The case of the Minister of Revenue, which everyone had been watching closely, finally came to an end, leaving both the people and the officials in shock.
The people couldn't believe that so many crimes were true. Li Lu, as the Minister of Revenue, had been extorting money from the people and colluding with the enemy for years. In the end, it was none other than the people who bore the brunt of his crimes!
Thus, after the imperial edict was issued, the Li residence, which had already been sealed off, became a place where everyone shouted and berated, with rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs appearing every day.
The officialdom was in an uproar. Over the years, Li Lu, as the Minister of Revenue, had long since become more than just a powerful minister; he was also a close advisor to the emperor. It was impossible for Li Lu to control everything in the court by himself. However, the fact that his crimes had not been exposed for so many years meant that he had powerful backers.
Therefore, when the emperor was in a coma and the crown prince ruthlessly dealt with Li Lu's former subordinates, various rumors circulated in private. The loudest and most widely accepted rumor was: "When His Majesty wakes up, he will certainly not let the crown prince off the hook!"
But now that the imperial edict has been issued, the discussions have been silenced. With the deliberate arrangement of Jiang Chen to promote the newly appointed officials in this year's imperial examinations, the saying "His Majesty is wise and the court is enlightened" has become more and more tenable. Although no one specifically mentioned the Crown Prince, the emperor's actions have invisibly increased his weight as the Crown Prince once again.
However, the emperor's high regard for the crown prince went beyond this.
Three days after the imperial edict was issued, the emperor issued another imperial edict, appointing the crown prince as the General of Ding'an and ordering him to personally lead an expedition to the northern frontier to quell the rebellion.
General He Zhiju of the Cloud Cavalry was promoted to General of the Valiant Cavalry, and his grandfather, Marquis He Guangling of Loyalty and Resilience, was promoted to Duke of Yi. His father, He Jinghuan, was posthumously granted the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Resilience. He Zhiju was his only son and inherited the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Resilience. In this battle in the northern frontier, he assisted the Crown Prince. After a great victory, the General himself will confer a marquisate upon He Zhiju for his military achievements.
As soon as the imperial edict was issued, a chorus of discontent arose. It was not for the exoneration of the He family or the posthumous conferment of titles and honors, but rather because the situation in the northern frontier was now stable, and the Huan King's northward march had already bolstered morale. Going to the northern frontier battlefield now would be blatantly an attempt to steal military merit.
There were many military families in the capital who were keeping an eye on the war situation in the north. They were ready to volunteer to go north as reinforcements if things went wrong. Everyone wanted to win military merit, but the emperor handed it to the crown prince. Who would be willing to do that?
However, after the imperial edict was issued in the morning, military reports from the northern frontier arrived in the afternoon: the Northern Barbarians had broken through the Xia army's defenses, the Xia army had lost six cities in succession, and the northern frontier battlefield was in complete disarray.
As soon as the battle report arrived, all the discussions instantly ceased, and no one spoke of the emperor's favoritism towards the crown prince anymore.
The nobles in Xiajing are no longer the same group who fought alongside the founding emperor to establish the empire. With the situation in the northern frontier stable, everyone wants a share of the military merits. However, if the situation in the northern frontier were to collapse, these pampered nobles would not truly be willing to sacrifice themselves for the country.
If the Crown Prince wants to go, then let him go.
"Bang--"
Inside the study of Prince Zhao's mansion, Jiang Jin slammed a piece of paper heavily onto the desk. The veins on his hands bulged as he pressed them hard against the surface of the memorial on the desk, his knuckles turning white and blue. He was filled with hatred!
This is a memorial written in blood, sent to the capital by express courier five days ago. It contains no lengthy report, only the sentence: "The Xia army has won a great victory and recaptured Tacheng."
Accompanying the message was a note in King Huan's handwriting: "Do not lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of small gains."
The message was brought back by one of the assassins he had previously sent to the northern frontier. The assassin also brought back a message from King Huan: "Li Lu's verdict is final. If you are implicated, use this memorial to save your life. If you are not implicated, take advantage of the chaos to temporarily withdraw from the court. Do not act rashly."
The message, the note, the memorial—his elder brother had given him three safeguards to save his life. Even the timing of the memorial's delivery was perfect; it arrived five days earlier, in the evening, just as his father had awakened.
If it were a minute earlier, the emperor would fall into a coma, and the overall situation would be uncertain; if it were a minute later, military reports would arrive at the palace, and the outcome would be irreversible.
King Huan preemptively handed over the memorial and secret military report to King Zhao, giving him a final bargaining chip to cut his losses.
However, the situation changed so quickly that it surprised everyone.
Five days ago, this was a powerful tool that could influence the final decision on Li Lu's case; five days later, this memorial written in blood became worthless.
The Northern Barbarian army entered the capital, and the defenses of the northern frontier were severely damaged.
Everyone was discussing the Crown Prince's bravery in leading the army and the loyalty of the He family's orphan. No one remembered that it was Prince Huan, who had fought valiantly for over a month and brought a glimmer of hope to the Xia army by holding the front line.
No one knows how King Huan managed to maintain the Northern Frontier Camp while being hampered by various obstacles.
Tears fell in large drops to the ground. The study was silent, but King Zhao was in excruciating pain. He had countless opportunities to push Li Lu away, stay away from this mess, and extricate Huan Wang's faction from it. But his greed was insatiable, and Li Lu's ship ultimately capsized.
If the emperor hadn't shown some mercy to Li Lu out of consideration for their past relationship, if Li Lu hadn't been so ruthless as to entrust his young son to the Huan Prince's faction for safekeeping early on, and if power hadn't been so intoxicating, Li Lu would have secretly joined the side long ago—
Huan Wang's faction was completely eliminated in this purge.
Jiang Jin had never felt such hatred. He hated the emperor's ruthlessness, the crown prince's cunning, the high-ranking officials in the court who had turned against him because of their power, and he himself had been harmed by the backlash of his lust for power.
"despair--"
"despair--"
"despair--"
The clear tears that dripped onto the ground were gradually stained red. Because of the anger in his heart, his head was congested with blood, and Jiang Jin even dripped blood tears in anger. He slowly raised his head in the twilight, and everything in front of him was stained with blood. Fresh blood flowed from his right eye, slowly sliding down the corner of his mouth and stopping in that dimple.
As dusk settled, Jiang Jin, like a bloodthirsty demon, said, "Since that's how it is, then none of us will have an easy time..."
The commotion in the capital did not affect the Eastern Palace. The palace gates were tightly closed, and the inside was bustling with activity. The Crown Prince was to set off for the expedition early the next morning, and everyone in the palace was busy running around, so much so that no one noticed when the Crown Prince returned home.
"Oh dear—" The palace maid carrying the bundle bumped into someone abruptly. She looked up angrily, but when she saw that it was her mistress returning, she quickly apologized, "Your Highness, this servant..."
"Alright, alright," Jiang Chen waved his hand, glanced at the chaotic surroundings, and asked, "Where is the Crown Princess?"
"Your Highness, the Crown Princess should be in the main hall right now," the palace maid said, looking up at the Marquis of Zhongyi's heir standing behind the Crown Prince. "The Crown Princess instructed that if Your Highness returns to the residence, you may go directly to the study. Right now, the residence is probably not able to accommodate you..."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen instructed, "Go down."
Then he turned to He Zhiju and said, "You don't need anyone to entertain you. Go to the study first. I'll have someone bring Qi Zheng over later."
He Zhiju bowed to him with his hands clasped, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness. The mansion is in turmoil right now, so Your Highness need not worry about me."
Having known each other for a long time, the two no longer cared about such things. Besides, He Zhiju was no outsider. Jiang Chen nodded to him and went straight back to the main courtyard.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Shen Yujiao standing at the top of the steps, directing the process. People were coming and going in the main courtyard, each carrying something in their hands or on their shoulders. When they saw him, they all paused, but did not stop what they were doing. They simply nodded respectfully to greet him.
There was no other way; Her Highness the Crown Princess had given the order that on the eve of the expedition, everyone in the Eastern Palace should follow her command, and even if they saw the Crown Prince, they were not allowed to stop working if they had tasks to do.
"Why are you making such a big fuss?"
Jiang Chen practically navigated a maze-like path to reach Shen Yujiao's side, only to be pushed away the next second: "That's ammunition! I warned you repeatedly!"
Jiang Chen was so intimidated by the imposing manner that he instinctively took a step back. He saw that the eunuch who had misplaced the box was also so frightened that he knelt down with a thud. Then, under the urging gaze of the Crown Princess, he quickly got up and put the box back in its place.
Seeing that the ammunition had been properly stored, Shen Yujiao turned around and asked, "Is the matter at the Marquis of Zhongyi's residence settled?"
"Ah..." Jiang Chen suddenly came back to his senses and nodded in response: "I offered incense and set up the memorial tablets. Although it was a bit hasty, with the expedition imminent, we had to keep things simple. It was most important that the spirits of the He family could rest in peace in heaven... It didn't take much time. He stayed in the ancestral hall for a while and then locked the Zhongyi Marquis's residence."
Shen Yujiao nodded after hearing this: "Alright then. These days I've been having people in the capital carefully remake the memorial tablets. When..." She paused slightly, then continued: "When you return in triumph, we must open the ancestral hall and solemnly offer sacrifices."
The courtyard was bustling with activity. Although the palace servants were all very polite, there was still a bit of noise. Shen Yujiao handed over all the matters at hand to Mu Jin, and then took Jiang Chen back to the backyard.
Since the emperor fell into a coma, the two had been separated for a long time. A few days ago, they finally returned to the mansion, but they were busy with their own affairs and rarely met. The sight of them walking hand in hand back to their bedchamber like an ordinary married couple made Jiang Chen feel as if he had lived a past life.
"Come here." Shen Yujiao didn't notice his abnormality, but pulled him to the bedside and went to the wardrobe to rummage through it.
"What are you looking for? I'll help you find it."
"No need..." After a moment of rummaging, Shen Yujiao came over with a set of golden armor. She handed the armor to Jiang Chen and smiled as she wiped the sweat from her forehead: "Go, put it on and let me see."
Holding the armor in his hands, Jiang Chen's heart was filled with turbulent emotions. Two years ago, here as well, Shen Yujiao gave him a set of black armor as a birthday gift. Now, Jiaojiao's birthday is coming soon, but he is still the one who received a set of armor as a gift.
The decision to go to war had been made a done deal long ago. For Jiang Chen, there had never been the slightest hesitation or wavering. But now, facing this armor, he felt regret for the first time. He felt extremely guilty towards Jiao Jiao.
After a moment, Jiang Chen shook off the stinging in his eyes and forced a smile at Shen Yujiao: "Okay."
Unlike the imposing and domineering black armor he wore before, this golden armor made Jiang Chen look like a god descending from heaven. With just a little light, his entire body was illuminated, reflecting a dazzling golden light.
Looking at her valiant and extraordinary lover, bathed in holy light, Shen Yujiao smiled with satisfaction: "Yes, that's it, Jiang Chen. For your first appearance on the battlefield, I want you to be as dazzling as the musketeer cavalry battalion. I want you to be able to intimidate the enemy and boost morale simply by standing on horseback on the battlefield."
Countless brave generals have died on the northern frontier battlefield, and even princes have been rushing to the battlefield one after another, but none of them have been able to turn the tide of the war. The Xia army in the northern frontier has lost hope in the court, and they probably won't pay much attention to the crown prince's expedition. From the King of Wu to the King of Huan, the soldiers have exhausted their expectations, and this armor is a symbol that Shen Yujiao tailored for Jiang Chen.
The crown prince, clad in golden armor, will bring true hope to the Xia army. If the musketeer cavalry is the real weapon that will achieve victory through surprise, then this golden light is the cold glint of the blade.
In the battle of the Northern Frontier, she wanted all the soldiers of the Xia army to remember this golden armor, and she wanted Jiang Chen's symbol to become the faith of all soldiers, thus replacing the current emperor.
Jiang Chen's long-suppressed bitterness completely dissipated the moment Shen Yujiao looked at him. Strands of emotion seeped into every inch of his skin. He took a few steps forward and pulled her into his arms. A bitter taste welled up from the depths of his heart, making it difficult for him to speak: "Jiaojiao, I'm sorry..."
"...I won't be able to celebrate your birthday."
“It’s alright,” Shen Yujiao said, standing on tiptoe and running her fingers through his dark hair, trying her best to steady her trembling voice: “Your triumphant return is the best birthday gift for me.”
This armor was not only to make Jiang Chen fearless on the battlefield, but also to remind him at all times that she was still waiting for his return in the capital.
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