Chapter 2331 Anxi Protectorate
General Ashina said, "Your Majesty should have already sent a new Protector General of Anxi. By the time we return to Xizhou, the Protector General of Anxi should have arrived."
In fact, the new Anxi Protector was still in the capital at that time. He had just received the imperial edict yesterday, bid farewell to his relatives and friends today, and planned to set off tomorrow.
Because the war was urgent and the two places were too far apart, the news was delayed. Now no one knew what was happening in Xizhou, so he could not stay for long. He would not bring his family with him on this exile, and only planned to take his guards with him to take up his post.
He had just decided who would accompany him when a eunuch arrived to announce, "Duke, His Majesty has hosted a family banquet in the palace and has invited you to join him for the meal."
Duke Qiao thought about it and went into the palace with his wife.
It was called a family dinner and it was really just a family dinner. Apart from the emperor and his wife, there was only the crown prince, the crown princess and a few princesses.
Duke Qiao and his wife saluted, and the emperor smiled and waved his hand, saying, "We are a family, so there is no need for formalities. Please take a seat and let the imperial kitchen serve the food."
The prince led a group of sisters and called them "cousin" before sitting down separately.
Of course, the royal family didn't really eat in silence, they just ate.
As the emperor ate, he recommended dishes he thought were good to Chai Wei and mentioned some things about the Western Regions. "You took office so hastily this time, and the Anxi Army is so brave, I'm afraid they might be a little dissatisfied. You might ask Ashina for some advice."
The emperor said, "Even Li Qing has said that Ashina is the best among the vassal ministers, and many Han generals cannot match him in strategy."
Chai Wei agreed.
The emperor thought of Guo Xiao and snorted coldly, "Guo Xiao is far inferior to General Ashina. I heard that he even brought gold and silver with him when he went to war, and even his tents were inlaid with gold and silver. He offered his own tent to Ashina, but Ashina refused it. The difference between these two generals can be seen from this. When you go to Xizhou, don't learn from Guo Xiao."
Chai Wei agreed more seriously, saying that he would manage the Western Regions well and would definitely live up to the Emperor's expectations.
The emperor nodded in satisfaction. "The Western Regions' importance to the Central Plains lies not in their vast land, nor in their thriving population, but in their trade routes. Seventy percent of the traffic between the Central Plains and the Western Regions, and even further afield, relies on these Western Regions trade routes, while only thirty percent is by sea. Therefore, you must protect these trade routes and prevent those Turks from destroying them again."
Chai Wei nodded repeatedly.
The emperor looked at the prince and said with a smile, "I have given you all the instructions I wanted to give you. Is there anything else your cousin needs to be told?"
The prince thought to himself, what could he say to a cousin and an important official who was about to be sent out to command a large army?
Could he say that in front of the emperor? Would the emperor still be able to sleep at night if he said that?
The prince complained in his heart, and looked up and said to Chai Wei, "Cousin, when you get to the Western Regions, why don't you help find Doctor Zhou and the others?"
He said, "The news they sent back last time was vague. They only said they had found some information about cowpox, but nothing more specific. Preventing and controlling smallpox is a big deal. They've been out for almost a year now, so there should be some news, right?"
After glancing at Mingda who was sitting beside him, he continued, "Also, the legitimate son-in-law is still in the procession. Mingda will be in mourning after the new year, so it's time for her to get married, right?"
The emperor had been wanting to talk about this for a long time. When the crown prince mentioned it, he immediately perked up and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes, you go to the Western Regions and look for Bai Cheng. If they have found a way to vaccinate against cowpox, you should return quickly. If they haven't, you must return to the capital to report on your work and then go out again later."
At least come back and get married first.
The emperor smiled and said, "He is your cousin-in-law. If he behaves inappropriately, you can just teach him a lesson."
Chai Wei just listened to what he said. Didn’t he see that Princess Mingda, who was sitting next to him, was blushing?
It was obvious that he was very satisfied with this future son-in-law. As the saying goes, a son-in-law is half a son, especially since this man was not only the son-in-law of the legitimate princess, but also seemed to be very much liked by the legitimate princess. If he really taught someone a lesson, he would probably be the one to be taught a lesson in return.
However, Chai Wei still agreed and praised Bai Cheng, "Mr. Bai is also a young talent. He was admitted to the Imperial College at a young age and is now studying with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. He is a man of good manners. How could he be so impolite?"
The emperor thought of the boy who had stood in front of him and patted his chest to say that he would treat his princess well, and nodded secretly.
Seeing that the emperor actually nodded in agreement, Chai Wei no longer wanted to "teach" Bai Cheng a lesson.
The meal made the emperor and his ministers happy, no, it was the relatives who were happy. Anyway, Chai Wei finally left the palace happily with his wife.
Lady Qiao was a little worried. It was a good thing that her husband got promoted, but he had to go to such a faraway place, the Western Regions. She heard that all she could see there was yellow sand, and some people didn't take a bath for half a year.
The wife of the Duke of Qiao asked her husband, "When shall we set off for Xizhou? When you are settled?"
Duke Qiao glanced at his wife and said, "What are you going to do? The sky is covered with yellow sand over there, the sun is still blazing, and the children are still young. It's the crucial time for them to study and practice martial arts. It won't be easy to find a teacher there."
He said, "You should stay in the capital. Come to the palace whenever you have time. His Majesty, the Empress, and Mother all have a very good relationship. You should come to the palace more often. When the children are older, maybe you can use the Empress's connections to get them into the Chongwen Hall."
Lady Qiao was taken aback. "The prince is already so old. Doesn't he have many study companions in Chongwenguan? Why does he need to admit someone else?"
Duke Qiao said, "As long as the Crown Prince is still the Crown Prince, he must study. The teachers in Chongwen Academy are not the Crown Prince, but the lecturers. No matter how many students there are, as long as the Crown Prince is still the Crown Prince, he must have a companion in Chongwen Academy."
Lady of the Duke of Qiao: ...
She paused and whispered, "Didn't you tell us to have less contact with the Crown Prince?"
"Things are different now," Duke Qiao said, "Now that the Crown Prince has a little grandson, even if... we are obeying the imperial decree, Your Majesty will not blame us."
Are the risks now comparable to those in the past?
So we can still get closer.
The wife of the Duke of Qiao nodded, secretly delighted at the thought that she wouldn't have to go to the Western Regions. She wanted to make the Duke of Qiao happy too, "I'll send a few more servants to the Duke. It's bitterly cold over there, and someone needs to take care of him."
The Duke did not refuse, but still said, "Send less. Your Majesty does not like extravagant people."
The wife of Duke Qiao agreed.
Chai Wei was the emperor's nephew. His father was a founding general, and his mother was the emperor's sister. Whether between siblings or between monarch and subject, the relationship between the two sides was very good.
Especially his mother, Princess Pingyang, who was truly glorious in life and tragic in death. She was also a wise and brave female general during her lifetime.
Chai Wei was quite capable, so the ministers did not have much objection to the emperor's decision to promote Chai Wei several levels to the position of Anxi Protector.
Everyone accepted it calmly, and Chai Wei took up his post calmly.
See you at 9pm
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
