"Or perhaps the Emperor believes that General Wu and I are too old, and the younger ones are inexperienced and unfit to handle the heavy responsibility, so he insists on going in person."
After finishing speaking, General Ye closed his eyes. He knew that what he said today might bring more danger than good. There were many people who could be cultivated in the court. All generals became successful after going through hundreds of battles. A general's success is built on the bones of thousands of soldiers. Back then, he also stepped on a pile of bones to reach this position. In the future, there would be younger generations who would also step on a pile of bones to reach his position. This cycle would repeat itself over and over again. The court has never lacked people with both virtue and talent.
If Zhou Beichen relies on him, then he will definitely treat him well. If he goes there in person this time, then naturally he will not care so much.
General Ye's neither humble nor arrogant demeanor made General Wu, who was standing next to him, move. He didn't dare to say this, for fear of causing anger. It didn't matter if he fell, but if he fell, the entire Wu family and the daughters in his harem would be finished.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Beichen smiled faintly, stood up from the dragon throne, and personally stepped forward to help General Chen Zishan and General Ye up, one on the left and one on the right, and spoke softly, as if he was telling someone, or as if he was talking to himself.
"My two beloved ministers, come, rise. I will personally lead the army. It's not that I don't believe in your abilities, but I'm already over forty. As the saying goes, at fifty, one knows the destiny. I'm now fifty, and I think of my youth, when I often fought on the battlefield. I can still rekindle the youthful fervor, holding Huang on my left and Cang on my right. Now, I simply want to take this opportunity to recapture one more city, and at the same time, enhance the prestige of our dynasty."
General Ye pursed his lips, still feeling something was wrong, but he endured it and didn't say it out loud. When Zhou Beichen ascended the throne at a young age, he rushed to the battlefield to fight. That was the emperor guarding the country's borders, and there was nothing he could do about it.
"But, Your Majesty..."
General Ye was interrupted by Zhou Beichen with a smile before he could finish his words. "Alright, Lord Ye, I have made up my mind on this matter. As for the affairs of the court, the Crown Prince has been in the court for several years. After I leave, I will let him handle it, with the assistance of the King of Qi and Prime Minister Shen."
With a biological son and a biological brother from the same father and mother, and with Deshun left in the palace, Zhou Beichen felt quite relieved.
Seeing the firmness and unquestionable tone of the emperor in front of him, General Ye swallowed back what he had to say.
......
It was already evening when Zhou Zhaonuan finished practicing martial arts. "Mom, Mom, is there anything to eat? I'm starving."
Once again, one hears about the person before seeing him. Shen Nian'an was originally talking to his youngest son. At this moment, he paused and waved his hand. When the wet nurse carried the thirteenth prince away, Shen Nian'an walked out quickly.
When he saw Zhou Zhaonuan sweating profusely, a trace of heartache flashed across his eyes. He immediately ordered the palace servants to prepare hot water, and he walked quickly forward, worriedly took Zhou Zhaonuan's little hand, and said with concern.
"Didn't Mommy tell you not to practice martial arts so vigorously during your period? You never listened. If you keep going like this, you'll have stomachaches in the future."
Zhou Zhaonuan stuck out her tongue, twisted her body, threw herself into Shen Nian'an's arms, rubbed against him, and her voice trembled with shyness.
"Don't say anymore, Mom. Nuannuan knows about this and will definitely be more careful next time."
Fortunately, there was no one in the hall, otherwise she would be so embarrassed.
“You!”
As soon as she saw her eyes wide open and her lips pouting, she knew that her daughter was fooling her. She tapped Zhou Zhaonuan's nose hard and scolded her.
"Looking at you like this, how can I understand? In my opinion, you don't understand a thing. Come, come and wash your face. Deshun just came over and said that your father will be here soon. If you are hungry, wash your face and eat first. If not, wait a little longer."
"I can wait a little longer, but, mother, if father doesn't come after a quarter of an hour, I'll eat first."
"Okay, you little rascal, go wash your face."
Shen Nian'an was extremely gentle, with a hint of motherly love all over her body, which made Zhou Zhaonuan dazed with happiness. She nodded continuously and let Biyu pull her to wash her face.
Zhou Beichen came out of Xuanzheng Hall, followed by Zhou Zeyun. Just now in the hall, he wanted to dissuade his father, but then he thought that his father must have his reasons for his decision, and seeing someone trying to stop him, he said nothing.
"Why did Your Majesty lead the army in person? If you were to leave, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to handle this important matter of state properly because I'm unfamiliar with it."
Zhou Zeyun was serious about what he said. Although he had been discussing politics with Zhou Beichen for many years, he would always show Zhou Beichen the memorials and some other things after he finished them to see if they were feasible.
Now that he's gone, so many things are falling on him alone, and Zhou Zeyun feels a little overwhelmed.
Since Zhou Zeyun was named the crown prince, he has been extremely obedient to the palace rules. Seeing people following him, Zhou Beichen frowned, stretched out his big hand, and pulled Zhou Zeyun to the front. The two walked side by side, and Zhou Beichen felt much more comfortable.
He raised his eyes and saw Zhou Zeyun's surprised expression, and spoke seriously.
"This matter is an opportunity for you to gain experience. Don't worry, even if there is something you can't handle on your own, the King of Qi is here. Hanhan, you have grown up. There are some things that you can't just listen to me. You must have your own ideas and your own considerations. I knew from reading your experiences written in the memorials that you are a person with your own ideas. It's just that you have been too cautious in the past few years since entering the court. You are afraid that the slightest mistake will lead to eternal damnation. You are afraid of doing something wrong. This is really not acceptable. You are the crown prince who is above everyone else and second only to the emperor. From now on, you have to make your own decisions on big and small matters. Don't rely on me. I think that if I am not around, you can do things better."
Zhou Beichen patted Zhou Zeyun on the shoulder, his tone encouraging. "Alright, don't overthink it. Just do it boldly. I have raised my son since he was young, and I have great faith in him. I hope that when I return, I will see a prince who doesn't come to me for confirmation every time he needs to handle things."
No matter what he does, he is afraid of not doing it well, so he always makes decisions for him, which really doesn't work.
Zhou Beichen's words almost made Zhou Zeyun's eyes red. He couldn't help but slow down his pace and looked up, only to find that Zhou Beichen was already far away from him. He could vaguely hear his father's urging voice.
"Hurry up and catch up. I'm sure your sister and your mother are waiting for us. After dinner, have a good rest so that you can handle government affairs well tomorrow."
"yes."
Zhou Zeyun didn't have time to think about it and followed him, "Dad, Dad, wait for me."
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