In mid-July of the twelfth year of the reign of Emperor Dajing, a baby boy was born in the Jing Palace.
This baby boy was born with the key to power in his mouth. He was the eldest son of the Emperor of Dajing, and Yuan Xiu named him Zhengzong.
Yuan Zhengzong.
The officials were jubilant, and the Jing Palace was filled with an even more festive atmosphere than usual, but it didn't affect Yuan Xiu much. He only made a token visit to He Wu and then held her for a while. In Wei You's eyes, Yuan Xiu's affection for his son was less than his affection for his nephew Zhao Changli.
Then Yuan Xiu went about his business as usual, spending all his time in the Imperial Palace, immersed in his blissful life.
Also in mid-July, Wang Yuluan and Du Yu returned to the capital from Chengdu.
Upon receiving the news, Yuan Xiu went to the central government headquarters. After hearing Du Yucheng's report, he was deeply moved and could not calm down for a long time.
"Zhao Huan...is he really dead?"
At this time, inside the Central Secretariat, besides the three ministers Yuan Li, He Yin, and Chen Changyun, as well as Wang Yuluan, Du Yucheng, Dian Chen, and Fu Zheng who came to report, there was also Dongfang Jun.
Since the news of Xu Shouli's betrayal reached Yuan Li, he has frequently summoned Dongfang Jun to the central government and had him participate in political discussions, seemingly intending for him to succeed Xu Shouli as a central minister.
Du Yucheng clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yuan Xiu and said firmly, "Zhao Cheng was shot into the sea by my halberd. Seeing that he had nowhere to go, Zhao Huan also jumped into the sea and followed Zhao Cheng."
Yuan Xiu's spirits were not as good as before. He was already unsteady on his feet, and now when he got excited, he needed Jin Hu to support him even when he was standing.
"They jumped into the sea... Have their bodies been found?"
"After they fell into the sea, I arranged for people to guard the beach until dawn, but their bodies were not found. But Your Majesty, rest assured, my halberd struck Zhao Cheng in the heart, and he is surely dead. Zhao Huan is old, and the waves were very big that night, so he has no chance of surviving either."
"What if they get rescued by a master?" Yuan Xiu asked again.
"The experts around Zhao Huan and his son were all held back by our experts. When I led a thousand men to surround and kill Zhao Huan and his son, they didn't have a single expert left," Du Yucheng said with certainty.
“Your Majesty, General Du Yu is absolutely right,” Dongfang Jun interjected, walking up to Yuan Xiu.
"Who are you?" Yuan Xiu scrutinized Dongfang Jun carefully, and after thinking for a while, he said, "Are you Mr. Dongfang?"
Dongfang Jun smiled and said, "Your Majesty, it is I."
Yuan Xiu grasped Dongfang Jun's hand and said, "Old sir, why are you so certain?"
Dongfang Jun said, “The late emperor was kind to me beyond measure. I have dedicated my life to serving the Yuan family. How could I stand idly by when a great traitor like Zhao Huan appeared in the empire? I have an adopted son named Changfeng, who is quite skilled in martial arts. So when His Highness Prince Xin arranged this matter, I sent Changfeng along as well. When Changfeng caught up with the Zhao family, Zhao Huan and his son only had one expert left by their side, Heng Wenhao. Changfeng and Heng Wenhao were both seriously injured and almost lost their lives. They are still recuperating in bed.”
Yuan Xiu narrowed his eyes and asked, "What did you say that expert's name was?"
Dongfang Jun said, "Heng Wenhao."
Yuan Xiuqing shouted, "Those are my elder sister's guards!"
Dongfang Jun immediately knelt down and said, "Changfeng wouldn't lie to me. It was indeed Heng Wenhao who stopped him and vowed to protect Zhao Huan and his son with his life!"
Yuan Li coughed twice and said, "Your Majesty, when Gong Xue went to arrest people, it was A Tao who stopped her. As far as I know, Heng Wenhao and A Tao are both the Princess's Dragon Guards."
Yuan Xiu was somewhat angry and questioned, "What do you mean?"
Yuan Li said, "Heng Wenhao and Atao are loyal to the Eldest Princess. Their willingness to risk their lives to protect the Zhao family could only be at the Eldest Princess's behest."
"Bullshit!" Yuan Xiu ran over and kicked Yuan Li in the leg, angrily shouting, "You mean my imperial sister has also betrayed us?!"
Yuan Li's face immediately turned bright red, overwhelmed with shame.
Yuan Xiu had never yelled at him like that before, let alone kicked him, especially in front of so many people.
Wen Hu seized the opportunity and quickly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Zhao Huan and his son are extremely good at winning people's hearts, especially Zhao Cheng, who is already incredibly wealthy and has a deep mind. Even the Princess was deceived by him, let alone others. In my opinion, it must be Zhao Cheng who bribed Heng Wenhao and A Tao, and it has nothing to do with the Princess."
"Yes!" Yuan Xiu pointed at Wen Hu and said, "That must be it!!"
Wen Hu added, "But no matter what, Zhao Huan and his son are gone. The Great Jing has eliminated a great evil, which is a blessing for the court and a boon for the people. Your Majesty, I congratulate you!"
Yuan Xiu looked towards Chengdu again and asked once more, "Are you sure Zhao Huan and his son are gone?"
Du Yucheng nodded vigorously and said, "Absolutely true!"
"Good!" Yuan Xiu, whose mood was unpredictable, suddenly beamed with joy and clapped his hands, saying, "General Du Yu, you first wiped out the pirates in the two prefectures and then killed the rebels. You deserve the greatest merit. I hereby appoint you as the Earl of Zhenhai!"
They urged Chengdu to kneel down and express their gratitude.
Yuan Xiu then looked at Wang Yuluan and said, "This Xiao Luofeng, despite my high regard for him, is utterly incapable of distinguishing right from wrong. Wang Yuluan, Xiao Luofeng's title of General of the Dragon Cavalry is stripped. From now on, you are the General of the Dragon Cavalry of the Great Jing!"
"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!" Wang Yuluan also knelt down to express his gratitude.
As the two commanders who captured the Zhao family, one was granted the title of Earl and the other the title of Third-Rank General. Just as Yuan Xiu was looking at Dian Chen and Fu Zheng, about to continue bestowing rewards, Du Yucheng immediately said, "Your Majesty, Fu Zheng betrayed his country on the eve of battle and instigated the Zhenhai Camp to cease hostilities, which almost ruined the great cause. I beg Your Majesty to punish him!"
Yuan Xiu remained calm, glancing alternately at Du Yucheng and Fu Zheng, then turned and walked towards the main seat, asking, "Fu Zheng, what's going on?"
Fu Zheng walked up to Yuan Xiu, knelt down on one knee, and told him about the situation and his thoughts without reservation.
“The pirates have not been eliminated, and the Great Jing still needs the Zhenhai Camp.” Yuan Xiu nodded and said, “Your thinking is very insightful, and you did the right thing.”
"Your Majesty..." Du Yucheng said anxiously.
Yuan Xiu raised his hand and pressed it down, saying, "But a military order is a military order. Du Yucheng is the commander, and it's wrong of you to disobey him. Fu Zheng, it wouldn't be right for me not to punish you. Go and receive twenty strokes of the cane later!"
"Yes!" Fu Zheng accepted the order.
Du Yucheng gritted his teeth and said no more.
Yuan Xiu always favors his relatives over the truth. Fu Zheng, like Dian Chen, is a deputy general he sent out to supervise and command. If he makes things difficult for Fu Zheng, he is going against Yuan Xiu.
Yuan Xiu then bestowed titles and rewards upon Dian Chen and others, including martial arts masters such as Luo Ying, Gong Xue, and Chang Feng.
"Xu Shouli, Xiao Luofeng, Yue Jiti... Ah, these people probably don't take me seriously anymore, do they?" Yuan Xiu muttered to himself, then asked, "Where did they go?"
Wen Hu said, "They, like the Zhao family, have all gone up to Lingshan."
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