Wu Liping's house wasn't very big, but it was in a pretty good location in the capital of Northern Wei.
As Wu Liping had said, the Wu residence was very quiet, with no one else inside except for three old servants.
The three old servants were overjoyed to see Wu Liping return, and they all cried tears of joy.
Su Xuening and the others could understand. After all, Wu Liping had been away from home for twenty years. The three old servants had waited so long for him to return home, so how could they not be happy?
Wu Liping was naturally pleased to see them: "Alright, I'm all back now, aren't I? This time I probably won't leave Northern Wei again."
"Really?" The old servants were even more delighted upon hearing this.
The waiting days are too unbearable. It would be wonderful if the general would never leave Northern Wei again.
"Probably." Things haven't calmed down yet, so Wu Liping didn't dare to make any definitive statements, but it was true that the Su family army had returned to Northern Wei from Eastern Chu.
Even if the emperor knew they were returning, he probably wouldn't actually let them go back to Dongchu. So they probably wouldn't leave Dongchu for the time being, but whether they could stay in the capital of Northern Wei was uncertain.
"You few go and prepare a few guest rooms. These are my distinguished guests who need to stay at the Wu residence for the time being."
An old servant wiped away his tears and said, "General, rest assured, every room in the Wu residence is very clean. Even though you are not here, we clean the house carefully every day."
Another old servant chimed in, “Yes, yes, we servants clean diligently every day. Please follow us to the guest rooms, distinguished guests.”
As the old servant spoke, he went ahead to lead the way.
Su Xuening and the others then went with them.
Wu Liping was worried, so he went along too.
The Wu residence isn't large, but it has quite a few guest rooms, which is more than enough.
Wu Liping followed and inspected each guest room. Seeing that they were indeed very clean, he felt relieved: "Go and prepare some food. I guess everyone is hungry."
Although they rode on the Vermilion Bird divine beast and didn't exert much effort themselves, they were all hungry and tired after such a long journey.
"Yes," the men replied, bowing and leaving.
Wu Liping then looked at Xuan Yuanzhan and Duanmu Junyu and said, "Our house is not large and we don't have many servants. If there is any inadequacy in our hospitality, please forgive us."
Xuanyuan Zhan said dismissively, "It's quite quiet here, which is already very good."
Su Xuening also said, "We've just entered Northern Wei, and it's already very good that we have a place to stay."
"None of that matters. The most important thing now is to find out where Su Renzhong is." Duanmu Junyu was worried. She didn't care where they stayed or whether they had food or drink. She only cared whether Su Renzhong was dead or alive.
Wu Liping naturally understood Duanmu Junyu's meaning: "Your Majesty, rest assured, this humble general will now go to find someone he knows to inquire about the General's whereabouts."
Wu Liping then looked at Xuan Yuanzhan and Su Xuening and said, "Everyone, please rest well and have something to eat. I will be right back."
After Wu Liping finished speaking, he turned and left.
As soon as Wu Liping left, Xuan Yuanzhan instructed Ye Feng and Ye Yun: "Take advantage of the darkness now and go to the Northern Wei palace to investigate. But don't be reckless. If the palace is heavily guarded, retreat. Do not cause any disturbance."
"Understood, sir." The two replied, and then leaped away and disappeared.
Wu Liping didn't return until midnight.
Upon returning to the Wu residence, Wu Liping first went to see Duanmu Junyu and the others.
Fortunately, they were all very worried about Su Renzhong's whereabouts. Apart from Xiaobao, who was already asleep, none of the others were in the mood to sleep.
Several people sat together around the table.
Before they could ask, Wu Liping said, "I went to visit my teacher this time to ask him about the current situation of the Northern Wei royal family, and also to subtly inquire about the General's whereabouts."
Upon hearing this, Duanmu Junyu immediately tensed up.
Seeing this, Wu Liping quickly reassured him: "Your Majesty, don't worry, the General is fine. Since the General returned to Northern Wei, although the other princes have always regarded him as a thorn in their side, Your Majesty has been trying your best to protect him. So those princes haven't had a chance to harm the General yet. The General is currently safe."
Upon hearing the news that Su Renzhong was safe and sound, Duanmu Junyu breathed a sigh of relief: "That's great, it's good that he's alright. So where is he now?"
"I heard that since the General returned to the capital, the Emperor has allowed him to live in the East Palace, where the Crown Prince used to live."
"Living in the East Palace?" Duanmu Junyu frowned, exchanging a glance with Su Xuening and the others. "So, the Northern Wei emperor really intends to pass the throne to Su Renzhong?"
Wu Liping nodded silently: "I think so. The Emperor must have had such intentions, which is why he asked us to send the General back and let him move into the East Palace. His intentions are even more obvious."
Su Xuening, Xuan Yuanzhan, Su Yun'an, and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.
If that's the case, then it won't be easy for them to take their father away.
However, this was indeed much as they had expected. If the Northern Wei emperor did not intend to pass the throne to his father, there would be no need to go to so much trouble to secretly bring his father back to Northern Wei.
He knew that his father staying in Northern Wei would make him a thorn in the side of his sons, yet he still brought his father back, which shows that he preferred his eldest grandson, his father, to succeed him on the throne, more than his sons.
Xuanyuan Zhan frowned as he thought of something and said, "Is the current Northern Wei court controlled by several princes, and does the emperor have little say?"
Wu Liping looked at Xuan Yuanzhan with some surprise: "How did Your Majesty figure that out?"
Did he just say anything important?
“I’m guessing.” Xuan Yuanzhan raised an eyebrow and said, “Since the Northern Wei emperor favors the Grand General, he should immediately make him the crown prince, but he didn’t. This means he encountered resistance in this matter, and this resistance must be from several princes of Northern Wei. Also, the Northern Wei emperor is old, so it’s perfectly normal for several princes to control the government.”
Wu Liping nodded silently, somewhat admiring Xuan Yuanzhan's observational skills.
The emperor truly lived up to his title; his insight was extraordinary.
Wu Liping sighed and nodded, saying, "Your Majesty's guess is correct. Because our Emperor is getting old, the Northern Wei court has long been gradually usurped by several princes. I heard that only 20% of the old ministers in the Northern Wei court support Your Majesty now. Those officials who used to support Your Majesty have been replaced by several princes through various means. Only those old ministers are left because they cannot be touched."
Su Xuening frowned: "It seems that the situation in Northern Wei is much more serious than we thought."
If what Wu Liping said is true, and the Northern Wei court was controlled by several princes, and they certainly wouldn't let my father go, then wouldn't my father's situation in the Northern Wei be very dangerous?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
