Chapter 558: Old man Cao, are you dirty?
The Dragon Court Guards, Prince Li, the death of the previous emperor, and the mysterious disappearance of the Dragon Jade Order were the things that Emperor An feared the most.
He and Guo Linyi followed Xiao Yan's orders and retreated with the Dragon Court Guards that day. Although they later covered it up by saying that Shang Qin knew about the old case in the South and had unauthorized ambitions and led his troops back to the capital, anyone could see the flaw in his words.
Even if Emperor An did not suspect that the Dragon Jade Order was in Xiao Yan's hands, he would still suspect that the Dragon Court Guards and Xiao Yan had been colluding for a long time.
Fu Yue said in a deep voice, "Shang Qin's affairs can't be concealed for too long. Before he led his troops into the capital, he instructed his trusted confidants to stay behind in Linping. The Shang family still controls more than half of the Dragon Court Guards in the northwest. If Old Guo and I stay in the capital, there will definitely be chaos if we don't receive any news from Shang Qin for a long time."
"Frictions along the border are becoming increasingly frequent. For the past month, Beiling has been sending troops to harass us. While they've retreated without a major battle, I'm worried they won't wait until spring to strike. If they take a drastic approach and march south with their army before the Frost Descent, General Di and Luoyan Pass won't be able to cope."
Fu Yue was worried that a war would break out suddenly in the northwest and the Longting Guards would be in trouble again. How would they be able to stop the Beiling cavalry then?
"The chaos in the capital has been settled, the He family has been cleared, and you have been granted the title of Duke. Old Guo and I have already completed what we promised you. It's time for us to go back. I just hope that the Duke will remember what you promised us and don't break your promise."
Xiao Yan said seriously, "Don't worry, General Fu. When Beiling marches south, the court will not shy away from fighting."
"The promised first batch of horses and weapons will be delivered to Luoyan Pass within two weeks, and the second batch will be raised as soon as possible. I will order my subordinate Hang Li to lead fifty trusted confidants to escort 50,000 gold to the northwest to reinforce Luoyan Pass and the Fengcheng border. I will also send another person with 100,000 gold to the south to collect food."
"I will prepare all the supplies and food, and will not harm the northern soldiers no matter when the war breaks out. However, Hang Li and his men have never been to the northwest and are unfamiliar with the border. Once we get there, they may need General Fu and General Guo to take care of them. I'll let him use the Dragon Court Guards to carry out his duties."
Fu Yue's expression paused slightly, he looked up and met Xiao Yan's stern black eyes, knowing the hidden meaning in his words.
Xiao Yan had been to the northwest, and Di Shuangcheng was closer to him at the border. If he just wanted someone to take care of him, he could have sent his confidant directly to Fengcheng. But now he said he wanted to use the Longting Guard to do things. It was just because he was afraid that the Longting Guard would produce another Shang Qin, so Xiao Yan wanted to send someone to the Longting Guard for "supervision."
Fu Yue raised his eyes and said seriously, "Duke, you are considerate of the border soldiers. We will naturally take care of the people under your command. After we reach the northwest, we will have them stay in Linping and act with the Dragon Court Guard. However, there is one thing I need to make clear to the Duke in advance."
"If your people are capable, they will naturally have a place in the Dragon Court Guard. But if they know nothing, Old Guo and I will never let them interfere in the war!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan said, "Of course. On the battlefield, it's all about ability. If he's incompetent, he has no right to stay in Linping."
Fu Yue breathed a sigh of relief. He was not afraid at all that Xiao Yan would plant his own people in Longting Guard. As long as Xiao Yan really did as he promised, he and Guo Linyi would guard Longting Guard and the northwest well. What he was afraid of was that there would be people who knew nothing but wanted to seize power and show off their abilities. If the time came, they would attract wolves to drive away tigers. Although they could get rid of Shang Qin, they would bring disaster to Longting Guard.
Now that Xiao Yan agreed, he felt relieved.
Di Tao waited for the two to finish their conversation before speaking with some envy: "Uncle Fu, when are you leaving?"
Fu Yue looked much more friendly towards Di Tao. "Just for a few days, to prevent Emperor An from having other thoughts. You've been in the capital for some time now. Do you want to come back to the northwest with us?"
Di Tao wanted to go back. No matter how prosperous and wealthy the capital was, it couldn't compare to the free and easy life in the northwest. However...
He grinned and said, "I won't go back yet. There's a lot of fun in Beijing. Besides, my father always thought I was uneducated and that I would just act recklessly on the battlefield. Brother Xiao promised to let me go to Rongsheng Academy to broaden my horizons and asked Dean Shi to teach me."
"I will stay in the capital first, and when I have finished my studies, I will go back and kill everyone!"
Seeing his youthful spirit and the vigor and vitality in his body, Fu Yue couldn't help but laugh: "Then I will wait for you to return to the northwest and lead the troops on the battlefield to shock the world."
When the atmosphere relaxed, Fu Yue's expression relaxed:
"We still have two days to prepare the army before we can set out. If you have anything for General Di, please send it to me and I will take it back for you. However, the army is moving fast and we are cavalry, so we must not bring too much luggage to avoid delays along the way."
Di Tao said, "I know, Uncle Fu, don't worry. I'll send it to you when I get back and sort it out."
The weather in September grew colder as the end of the month approached. After all the boxes in the yard were taken away, the fallen leaves swirled down in the wind, covering the ground with golden color.
As the teapot in the house boiled, several people chatted and drank tea.
Fu Yue sat for a while, left a gift to congratulate Xiao Yan and Tang Ning, and then said goodbye and left. After he left, Di Tao also found an excuse and ran away.
Gu Helian found two sweet potatoes from somewhere and put them on the stove to roast. Cao Dejiang sipped his tea and asked, "How did you convince Shi Yulin to agree to teach this kid from the Di family?"
Xiao Yan: "Not convinced."
Cao Dejiang raised his eyebrows.
Gu Helian also glanced sideways.
Xiao Yan said, "Di Tao admired Mr. Shi's talent and visited him every night. He refused to leave even though he was turned away. He quoted scriptures and classics to express his sincere desire to learn. Mr. Shi was moved by his sincerity and agreed to teach him a little."
Cao Dejiang: "...Speak human language!"
Xiao Yan: "Di Tao only knows the Three Character Classic."
"puff--"
Cao Dejiang spat out a mouthful of tea, splashing all over Gu Helian's face.
Gu Helian dropped the gold-inlaid iron pliers in her hand and wiped her face with her sleeve in a panic: "Old Cao, what are you doing? Are you dirty?!"
The jeweled necklace on his front was stained with tea foam. The more Gu Helian wiped it, the darker his face became. Seeing a wet patch on his sleeve, he walked out angrily, shouting as he walked:
"Mu Feng, Mu Feng, bring me my clothes!"
Gu Helian left cursing. After putting down the teacup, Cao Dejiang covered his mouth with his hands, coughed, and glared at Xiao Yan in a somewhat embarrassed manner.
"Did you do this on purpose?!"
How could someone who could only recite the Three Character Classic cite classic texts to express his sincere desire to learn? Perhaps it was this Di family kid who harassed Shi Chang'an night after night, persisting despite being scolded and rejected, brazenly saying nonsense until Shi Chang'an agreed to teach him...
"You're just teaching people to do things recklessly. Be careful, Shi Yulin might turn against you!"
Xiao Yan said innocently: "I didn't do anything."
"Make it up!" Cao Dejiang said angrily, "No one else could come up with such a mean idea except you."
Xiao Yan took it as a compliment.
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