Chapter 736 Good Intentions (Part 2)
Yinian hesitated for a long time, and finally sighed in her heart, and said softly to Princess Jiangdu: "Such an important matter is decided by the Marquis. I think we should discuss it with the Marquis..." She looked very embarrassed.
Princess Jiangdu could not help but get anxious: "Aunt, this is not the time to be virtuous. You know, such an opportunity is rare. If you miss this opportunity, you will never get it again." She added, "The third prince's wife said that as long as aunt agrees, we will go and tell the third prince. The official document from the Military Selection Division of the Ministry of War has been sent out, and by then even if uncle knows about it, there will be nothing he can do!
Eleventh Lady is really grateful.
She held Princess Jiangdu's hand and said, "Jian'er is lucky to have you. But this matter is of great importance. Without the nod of the Marquis, I dare not agree." Princess Jiangdu's joy faded little by little, replaced by disappointment. She said reluctantly, "Jian'er has helped us a lot. Aunt, don't worry about it." She stood up and said goodbye. Eleventh Lady felt even worse and sent Princess Jiangdu out: "Prince Yong and the princess' good concubines understand. When the Marquis comes back from the palace, I will have a good talk with him.
Princess Jiangdu nodded unhappily and went back home.
It was after the lights were turned on that Xu Lingyi came back.
When Eleventh Lady received the letter, she went out to meet him.
Under the bright red lantern, his expression was solemn and cold.
Eleventh Lady knelt down and bowed without saying a word. She welcomed Xu Lingyi back to the house, silently helped him change into his casual silk Taoist robe, and served him tea.
After Xu Lingyi entered the room, his eyes were fixed on Shiyi Niang, following her in and out, turning around. At this moment, she stopped, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a slightly bitter smile.
Eleventh Lady did not ask further questions, but asked him with a smile: "Have you eaten yet, Lord? Otherwise, I will go to the kitchen and make you a bowl of delicious noodles."
"Okay!" Xu Lingyi agreed immediately, as if relieved.
What happened? He actually looked like he was afraid that she would ask... Eleventh Lady was confused as she made a face.
Did the emperor decide to let him take over the command again? Even if that was the case, he didn't need to be afraid of asking her! He was the head of the family. Not to mention the court affairs, even if the family wanted to buy someone's shop, he didn't need to discuss it with her... Could it be about Jiange's son... Apart from her son's affairs, she couldn't think of anything else that would make Xu Lingyi embarrassed when facing her!
As soon as she thought of this, she felt confused.
What will happen to my brother?
Didn't he send a few people to follow him secretly?
How did this happen?
She thought about it, then quickly sprinkled some chopped green onions on the noodles and brought them over.
Xu Lingyi sat cross-legged on the kang and ate two bowls of food before putting down his chopsticks.
Eleventh Lady personally helped him rinse his mouth and wash his hands.
The current situation is so chaotic, but she didn't ask a single question even though he came back from the palace... For so many years, he didn't tell her and she didn't ask, but she did whatever he told her to do, and she never doubted and trusted him wholeheartedly... Thinking of this, Xu Lingyi suddenly felt his eyes a little dull.
He pulled Eleventh Lady who was about to pour him tea.
"Moyan, the 400,000-man army not only mobilized all the troops in Shandong and Shanxi, but also the Far East and Zhejiang under the Left Army Commander-in-Chief, and Baoding and Wanquan under the Rear Army Commander-in-Chief. Although the emperor wanted Ouyang Ming to lead the army, Ouyang Ming had never led troops to fight independently. The emperor was not satisfied, so he specially summoned me to the palace and asked me, Ouyang Ming, if I could take on this important task!"
If his answer was just what the emperor wanted, why would he need to explain it to her in such detail? Eleventh Lady looked at him holding her hand tightly and said solemnly, "Who did the Marquis recommend to the emperor?"
Moyan is a very smart person!
Xu Lingyi lowered his eyelids: "Gong Dongning, the general of Guizhou!"
Eleventh Lady was shocked: "What does this have to do with Qin'er?"
"According to the Ministry of War's yellow book, he is in Guizhou Pu'anwei Pingyi Qianhu Suo." Xu Lingyi's voice is low, "If Gong Dongning is awarded the title of Pingxi General, the Ministry of War will definitely let Gong Dongning lead the Guizhou Dusi's troops to the north after considering the pros and cons. Everyone knows that Jiang Ge'er is my son. If he stays in Guizhou at this time, cowardly and afraid of trouble, and evades responsibility in times of national crisis, his reputation will be ruined, and it will also affect his career - think about it, who is willing to give the heavy responsibility to a person who dares not take responsibility when encountering problems!
Hearing the persuasive tone in his words, Shiyi Niang took a deep breath, drove away the feeling from her mind, and said calmly: "Now that Xuantong has been breached, Datong is in danger, and Guizhou is thousands of miles away from here, the emperor listened to the advice of the marquis, and it is unlikely to transfer Gong Dongning to the capital or transfer Guizhou troops to the north at this time. Not to mention that Ouyang Ming was a minister left by the late emperor to assist the emperor, and he was deeply trusted by the emperor. It was impossible for the emperor to agree to the recommendation of the Marquis under such circumstances. What was the Marquis worried about? "Before she finished her words, she spoke in her heart and lost her voice, "The emperor summoned the Marquis to the palace that day and asked the Marquis for advice. Could it be that he asked the Marquis to recommend the Pingxi General at that time?"
Xu Lingyi remained silent and agreed.
So that's how it is!
He should have recommended Gong Dongning at that time, but he remained silent because he was afraid of Qin Ge'er. When Xuantong Prefecture was breached, Fan Weigang's whereabouts were unknown, Da Zi led his troops to Datong, and the people of both places were displaced... He thought he was also responsible, so he was restless and couldn't sleep day and night! Shiyi Niang's eyes suddenly became moist.
Everyone has their own bottom line.
Just like her, she knew that if she agreed to the kindness of Prince Yong and Princess Jiangdu, her son would have a chance to rise to a high position in the world, but when she thought about the future her son would achieve at the expense of others, she couldn't accept it or even enjoy it as if nothing had happened.
The same is true for Xu Lingyi!
Using Gong Dongning might end the war quickly, or it might make things worse. But since he had no say in the matter, he couldn't help but think positively, and the more he thought about it, the more he would regret it...
"Xu Lingyi!" Eleventh Lady couldn't help but call his name softly, squatting in front of him and looking up into his eyes, "Your Majesty, have you agreed to use Gong Dongning? The war is so intense, is it possible to let Gong Dongning go to the capital alone?"
"The emperor didn't agree." Xu Lingyi pulled her up and held her in his arms. "But I have a bad feeling. Since Dazi has gathered the forces of more than a dozen tribes and dared to invade on a large scale, there is no way they only have this few people. Where did the others go? Could it be that the leader of another tribe led another group of people to invade from Ganzhou? If so, once Ganzhou loses its way, Datong will be attacked from all sides. If we win, the danger will be alleviated. If we lose, Yanjing will be in danger. The Ministry of War can only transfer troops from Sichuan and Guizhou to encircle and suppress...
Eleventh Lady's face turned pale: "That is to say, according to the Marquis's prediction, eight or nine out of ten things will turn out like this!"
Brother Jin has to follow him to the battlefield!
Xu Lingyi did not give a direct answer, but said: "Sichuan General Ding Zhi is a man of integrity and nepotism. If he is appointed as the governor of the Right Army Governor's Office, he will probably let the troops of Guizhou Dusi charge in the front. Gong Dongning loves his soldiers like his own sons and will definitely confront him. The battle hasn't even started yet, but they are already in chaos..." As he said this, he sighed slightly, "Although Minister Lu is good at flattery, he also has some courage in doing things. If this situation occurs, plus with my recommendation, he will definitely strive to let Gong Dongning be the governor of the Right Army Governor's Office to lead the right army..."
He looked straight ahead, his gaze seemed to penetrate the mountains and rivers and reach the hills and valleys in the northwest. Eleventh Lady was speechless for a moment.
If Gong Dongning wins, it will be fine. But if he loses, as the recommender, Xu Lingyi will be held jointly responsible.
Under such circumstances, Minister Lu would certainly try his best to promote this matter - if he recommended Ding Zhi and lost the battle, he would be jointly responsible. If Gong Dongning became the governor of the Right Army Governor's Office, he could be exempted from the responsibility of recommendation and could also save face for Xu Lingyi. Why not do it!
"Then, what should we do?" Eleventh Lady looked at Xu Lingyi for help.
"I hope I am just imagining things." Xu Lingyi smiled bitterly, his tone a little vague, "Maybe there aren't that many people in Dazi."
I guess he himself doesn't believe this, otherwise he wouldn't speak in this tone.
The room fell silent again.
A servant reported through the curtain: "My Lord, Manager Zhao wants to see you!"
Xu Lingyi hugged Shiyi Niang tightly and comforted her with a smile: "Let's not think about it here. Maybe Ouyang Ming is a rare handsome man like me. Back then, the governors of the Five Military Governors' Office looked at me the same way I look at Ouyang Ming today!"
Eleventh Lady couldn't laugh, but she still tried to speak softly, "It's so late, Manager Zhao must have something urgent to do. Lord Marquis, please go quickly!"
Moyan is not the kind of person who believes everything she hears. She will not give up until she sees progress.
For the first time, Xu Lingyi hated her rationality.
But at this moment, he could only say softly, "I'll be back soon," and turned and left the inner room.
Eleventh Lady felt like she was being fried on fire.
Ouyang Ming has an army of 400,000 at his disposal, with a ratio of one to four. He can defeat Da Zi even in a naval battle... If Ouyang Ming can win a great victory, it will be useless even if Da Zi has a team of troops sneaking into Ganzhou... At that time, Ouyang Ming only needs to transfer troops to the south... Gong Dongning will naturally be of no use, and Zhenge'er can continue to farm in his Shiyang and then razed the land to mine!
Although she was thinking this in her heart, Xu Lingyi's analysis kept flashing through her mind, making her feel uneasy.
She knew that this was because he trusted Xu Lingyi's ability too much and believed everything he said, but she just couldn't let it go.
Facts are the only criterion for testing. Now we can only wait for the battle report from Datong!
Thinking of this, Eleventh Lady no longer had the energy to care why Xu Lingyi came back late at night, let alone whether Xu Lingyi would be woken up. She tossed and turned, and only closed her eyes at dawn.
Xu Sizhen and Jiang came to greet them. Xu Sizhen asked Xu Lingyi for advice: "Rice in the city has already risen to eight taels of silver per stone, and it looks like it will rise further. Don't we have two rice shops in the city? I want to close the doors. This way, we will have more rice at home, and if relatives or friends are in trouble, we can also provide some financial assistance to help everyone get through this difficult time first!"
Sisters, I guess I can only update once before the end of the article!