Chapter 334 Autumn Hunting Invitation
After Xiao Zhuo finished the last stroke, he picked up the pen and gently placed it on the pen holder next to the drawing paper. He turned around and looked at Shen Yuexi who was standing far away at the door.
"Come here, Yuexi. There's no need to stand so far away."
Shen Yuexi said a little embarrassedly: "I'm afraid of disturbing you."
She walked to Xiao Zhuo, took his arm, and looked at the drawing paper.
Xiao Zhuo had lived with Empress Pei for sixteen years, and he must have had a vivid memory of his mother's appearance. Having seen Empress Wen's true appearance, she suspected that Empress Wen was Pei Jingyun. A similar appearance would confirm her suspicions.
But the result was somewhat disappointing. The mother in Xiao Zhuo's memory did bear a strong resemblance to the Empress Wen she had seen, but if the two stood together, anyone could see the difference; it was far from indistinguishable from the real thing. Furthermore, the woman Xiao Zhuo had painted was noticeably gentler than the Empress Wen she had imagined, and there was always something unsettling about her expression between her eyebrows.
"They do look alike, but there are still significant differences," she frowned. "If the difference were so great, how could Duke Pei, as the biological father, not recognize her when he sent her to the palace?"
Xiao Zhuo smiled and raised his hand to rub her head. "It's been twenty years, and you two don't have the same father or mother, so it's natural that there will be some differences in appearance. As long as you passed the test when you entered the palace that year, you'll be fine."
Shen Yuexi looked up at Xiao Zhuo's graceful profile: "Husband, then the Queen Mother..."
Xiao Zhuo placed his hand on her shoulder: "Everything is still speculation now. The real situation can only be understood by going to Daliang Village."
"My lord, the Queen of Xiliang has arrived with her army." Feng Zhang's excited voice echoed outside the door, and then he came running in. "The Queen has entered Shengjing and is on her way to Prince An's Mansion."
Shen Yuexi turned around and said, "I asked you to lead the army to pick up Yang Cong and the others. Did you get them?"
She and Ji Yunyan, riding the faster Qianglin horses, arrived in Shengjing first, while Yang Cong's carriage was still on the way. Because of the incident with Madam Li and her daughter, she had Feng Zhang lead his troops to fetch Yang Cong as soon as she arrived in Shengjing.
"Don't worry, Madam. Sister Cong and the others are escorted by soldiers. They will be in the city in half an hour."
Only then did Shen Yuexi feel relieved, and went out with Xiao Zhuo to welcome Queen Mei Dai of Xiliang and her sister Chen Lan into the palace.
After everyone was seated, Mei Dai said to Shen Yuexi, "You really scared us. Knowing you were pregnant, I sent Yunyan to see you. But a few days later, I heard you were poisoned and died. Your sister was so distraught that she couldn't make a plan, so we had no choice but to defend Nanping. It was Prince An who sent someone to tell us it was fake news."
Shen Yuexi remembered that when she entered the city, there were white soul-calling banners everywhere and paper money all over the ground. When a passerby recognized her, the white banners were removed in the blink of an eye. A group of children chased her and shouted "Princess An, you liar" and chased her all the way to the gate of Prince An's Mansion, causing her to not dare to go out for the whole day.
I didn't expect that the news of a fake death would cause such a big fuss and even affect Xiliang.
She looked at Mei Dai and Shen Lan with an apologetic look on her face. "The Queen attacked us, and we just...were just improvising. I was so busy rescuing people that I forgot to tell you two sisters."
Chen Lan said, "Since they've already attacked us, we won't give up halfway. The Queen has led 20,000 Xiliang cavalry to aid my brother-in-law. I hope we can do our bit."
Shen Yuexi looked at Mei Dai with some concern: "Sister is leading the troops here, what should we do with the four counties of Xiliang? Will Xirong take the opportunity to attack?"
Mei Dai said, "King Doma is no fool. He will definitely take the opportunity to attack."
Shen Yuexi exclaimed, "Isn't Nanping in danger?"
"Don't worry, sister. The Queen has already made arrangements," Chen Lan soothed. "We've considered this. Compared to King Duoma's Western Rong army, my brother-in-law's place is much more dangerous. If Xiao Beiheng were to attack, his army would far outnumber ours. Shengjing is the gateway to Xiliang. If Shengjing falls, the four counties of Xiliang will also be lost. We must resolve the crisis here first."
Mei Dai added, "And I once said that as long as Prince An needs it, the Mei family will definitely help him with all their might. Although Xiliang is also being harassed by enemy forces, I came here to fulfill the oath we made."
Although Shen Yuexi didn't understand military affairs, she had a vague feeling that a major battle was approaching. Mei Dai and Shen Lan had already made arrangements, and Qiang Lin's Western Rong army had already set up camp north of Shengjing. The three-way coalition army now numbered 70,000 to 80,000 men.
She felt relieved and told Mei Dai what happened in Anzhou and about Queen Wen.
Mei Dai was the only one on their side who had experienced the event of the abolition of the crown prince. When Emperor Yongde deposed Xiao Zhuo and killed Empress Pei, Mei Dai was in the palace. She knew more information than Xiao Zhuo.
"Emperor Yongde didn't directly order Empress Pei to be executed," Mei Dai told everyone. "Emperor Yongde banished Empress Pei to the cold palace."
Xiao Zhuo's eyes flickered, as if he was thinking: "So the Queen Mother wasn't sentenced to death immediately?"
"The news I received at the time was that Empress Pei committed suicide in the cold palace. Emperor Yongde rushed over in panic after learning about it. It was obviously beyond his expectations."
Shen Yuexi stood up and said, "Looks like we still have to go to Daliang Village."
As long as you go to Daliang Village, you will definitely discover some secrets.
Xiao Zhuo said, "Yuexi, you don't have to get involved in this matter. I'll let Feng Zhang go. He's a local."
Shen Yuexi shook her head like a rattle: "No, I want to go. I don't feel comfortable letting Feng Zhang go for such a big thing."
Feng Zhang, that clueless guy, was no match for her intelligence. She was also very curious about what secrets Daliang Village held.
Seeing that Shen Yuexi was getting stubborn, Xiao Zhuo said, "If you want to go, I'll go with you."
"Prince An, you can't go," Mei Dai stood up to stop him, "Right now, we need you to stay in Shengjing and coordinate the entire army."
Chen Lan also advised Xiao Zhuo: "Brother-in-law, Xiao Beiheng and the Queen are ready to make a move, but fortunately, His Majesty is still there to suppress them. But one of them is His Majesty's wife and the other is his son. His Majesty will inevitably be persuaded by them. Then we will be fighting against the entire Dayan. If you are not in Shengjing, we will be scattered."
Shen Yuexi spread her hands and said, "Then you let me go by myself?"
She really wanted to go, but she didn't say she was going alone. She was pregnant, so she needed someone to accompany her, in case something happened along the way.
Mei Dai said, "Yunyan and I will accompany my sister, and the military advisor will stay to assist Prince An. This way, if Xiao Beiheng rebels, Prince An and the military advisor can command the army to fight. Prince An will also feel at ease with Yunyan and I accompanying my sister."
Shen Yuexi clapped her hands excitedly and said, "I think Sister Mei's idea is good. What do you think, my husband?"
Mei Dai knew everything, so he didn't even have to think when she was around. Ji Yunyan, on the other hand, was a skilled swordsman and an excellent bodyguard.
Xiao Zhuo said: "That's fine, but Yuexi, you have to take care of yourself."
Shen Yuexi jumped up and said, "There's no time to lose. Let's leave after dinner."
At noon, Prince An's mansion hosted a banquet in honor of Mei Dai and her entourage. Doctor Hua and his son, escorted by Yang Cong and Xia Lan, also returned to Shengjing. After dinner, Shen Yuexi visited Hua Duoduo. Then, she, Mei Dai, and Ji Yunyan, carrying their bags of dry food and water, rode on horseback to Daliang Village in Liangzhou.
Xiao Zhuo stood on the top of the city wall, with his hands behind his back, watching the figures of Shen Yuexi and the other two gradually become smaller.
Next to him stood Yang Cong and Feng Zhang. Feng Zhang was still a little unhappy and muttered, "I was born and raised in Daliang Village. Why can't you let me go?"
Yang Cong curled his lips and said, "We're not going there to play. Your clumsiness will only get in the way."
Feng Zhang stuck out his tongue, not daring to argue. He turned to Xiao Zhuo and said, "My Lord, are we really going to go to war with Xiao Beiheng?"
Xiao Zhuo shook his head. "I don't want to be hostile to my brother, but the situation is beyond my control. If there is room for maneuver, I hope this matter can be resolved peacefully."
Yang Cong said unconvincedly, "My Lord, they have poisoned the mistress. It's obvious that they want to kill us."
Xiao Zhuo said, "Yuexi has discussed this with my sister-in-law. It was the Queen's personal act. My brother didn't know about it at the time."
While they were discussing this, Chen Lan walked up to the top of the city wall and said to Xiao Zhuo, "Brother-in-law, an envoy from the capital has arrived here, saying that His Majesty will hold an autumn hunt at the Anzhou Hunting Ground in five days. He wants you and Prince Ping to participate as well. Neither side may bring any military horses."
Upon hearing this news, Feng Zhang and Yang Cong both jumped up and shouted in unison: "This is a trap! They are trying to lure our lord to the capital and kill him!"
Xiao Zhuo raised his hand to stop the two of them from shouting, and said to Shen Lan, "What do you think, sister?"
Chen Lan said, "Your Majesty was ambushed in Yuangu and nearly died, but after learning the truth, he still chose to withdraw. This shows that Your Majesty has no ill will towards your brother-in-law. And judging by the process of crowning you kings, Your Majesty wants to treat you two equally."
Xiao Zhuo sighed, "That's right. Father asked us two to go because he wanted to personally resolve this crisis."
"What about my brother-in-law's decision?"
"Of course I have to go," Xiao Zhuo said calmly, "Have someone prepare the horse. I'm going to Anzhou to see my father and brother."
Feng Zhang said, "My Lord, this is too dangerous. What if they have already prepared an army? Can we have General Qiu lead 5,000 cavalry to escort them?"
Xiao Zhuo shook his head and said, "If I bring the army, my brother will definitely find out. It will only mess things up. I will not bring any soldiers. All troops must stay where they are and are not allowed to leave the camp."
Chen Lan stopped Feng Zhang with her eyes and said to Xiao Zhuo, "Let's give our brother-in-law a ride."
After everyone sent Xiao Zhuo away, Feng Zhang asked Shen Lan, "Why did the military advisor stop me at that time?"
Chen Lan said, "Prince An is a man of loyalty and righteousness. When he duelled with Xiao Kai, he failed to kill him and was stabbed. Later, he was hunted by Teacher Ji Zhong, but he didn't kill him. This trick works for kind people, but it won't work on a treacherous person like Xiao Beiheng. I guess Xiao Beiheng will definitely deploy his troops, and we can't just sit there and wait for death."
After saying this, Chen Lan summoned General Qiu Liming and said to him, "General, select five hundred crossbowmen from the Iron-faced Army, disguise them as merchants selling horses, and divide them into five groups to sneak into Anzhou and ambush near the Anzhou hunting grounds."
A few hundred horse traders wouldn't attract attention. Once Xiao Beiheng gathered his troops to attack Xiao Zhuo, these five hundred crossbowmen could withstand the onslaught of thousands of people and protect Xiao Zhuo.
Qiu Liming said, "Military Advisor, this is inappropriate, isn't it? Before the Lord left, he specifically said that the army was not to be mobilized."
Chen Lan said: "My lord also said that I will take command when he is away. Everything we do is to protect Prince An. Do as I say, and I will bear the consequences."
Qiu Liming was also worried that Xiao Zhuo would fall into an ambush, so he nodded in agreement. He selected 500 elite soldiers, disguised them as horse traders, and set off at night for Anzhou.
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