Following Ye Guixue’s understanding of the Nangong Family, that was the only reasoning he could think of. What other reason could there be?
"If that’s the case, it makes sense," Su Rong put away the letter. "I wonder how many troops they have—fifty thousand or a hundred thousand."
"The Nangong Family’s wealth, accumulated over generations, is substantial enough to maintain a hundred thousand soldiers without surprise," Ye Guixue said. "If that is indeed the case, Zhou Gu might have a tough job subduing them."
Su Rong said to him, "Departing from the Royal Capital and marching rapidly, it would take half a month to reach the Southern Three States. I am considering dispatching another hundred thousand soldiers from the Royal Capital there, what do you think?"
Ye Guixue nodded, "My lord, I have no objections. The sooner the situation in the Southern Three States is resolved, the better. The closest troops Zhou Gu can dispatch are only two military camps, at most a hundred thousand soldiers. If another hundred thousand soldiers are dispatched from the Royal Capital, they could help Zhou Gu resolve the troubles more quickly."
"Okay, whom do you suggest we send?" Su Rong asked.
Ye Guixue said, "How about I go myself?"
Su Rong looked at him, "You leaving the Capital City would make you too big a target."
Ye Guixue replied, "I can feign illness."
He sighed, "I don’t trust anyone else, and having worked so hard for so long, it wouldn’t be odd for me to fall ill. As long as we can keep my departure from the Capital City a secret, by the time I lead troops to the Southern Three States half a month later, it will be done. Even if the Nangong Family has spies in the Royal Capital or elsewhere, by the time they find out about my absence, it will be too late to change anything."
Thinking it over, Su Rong agreed, "Okay, then you go personally."
She trusted Ye Guixue deeply. "Take good doctors with you. I will have Lan Zhi and Bi Qing accompany you." Before Ye Guixue could object, she added, "Doctor Zhang remains in the Royal Capital. Although Lan Zhi and Bi Qing’s medical skills are not on par with Doctor Zhang and Qin Feng, they are much more competent than military doctors should there be any sickness on the way. Besides, it’s almost deep autumn now, the weather is cold, and sickness easily occurs. Just take them with you."
Ye Guixue had no choice but to swallow his words of refusal, smiling, "Since that is the case, I accept the command."
Thus, they agreed. That day, Ye Guixue took the Tiger Talisman and left the Royal Palace. By night, he quietly led a hundred thousand troops out of the Royal Capital, accompanied by Lan Zhi, Bi Qing, and Yin Yue.
The next day at the Morning Court Meeting, he called in sick.
During the Morning Court Meeting, Ye Xiang kept coughing. Su Rong asked with concern, "Minister Ye, if you are feeling unwell, you should rest at home and not overexert yourself."
Covering his mouth with a cloth, Ye Xiang replied, "Guixue had a fever last night, and I seem to have caught his cold. I didn’t take it seriously when I woke up, but it turned out to be severe. Thank you for your concern, Princess. I will return home to rest after the court meeting."
Minister Ye’s illness was feigned, fearing Ye Guixue might fail to keep it secret on his own. He decided to cover for him together.
Indeed, following the Morning Court Meeting, Minister Ye didn’t discuss matters with Su Rong but went straight home, and very soon, Doctor Zhang arrived at the Ye Residence carrying his medical box and stayed there the whole day.
The Ministry of War’s movement of troops couldn’t be concealed from Zhang Yun. After all, he had to urgently prepare provisions. Busy all night without rest, he indeed fell ill from the exertion.
Hence, following Minister Ye, Zhang Yun kept coughing at the Morning Court Meeting.
With concern, Su Rong asked, "Minister Zhang, why is your cough so severe?"
Looking exhausted, Zhang Yun replied, "I’ve caught a cold."
Seeing his genuine illness, Su Rong said with care, "The weather is getting colder; you must take care of yourself. You can delegate the duties of the Ministry of War to someone else. Haven’t you rested since returning to the Royal Capital? Take three days off to rest and recuperate properly."
Zhang Yun shook his head, "This official is unharmed, not feverish, and need not rest in bed."
Hearing this, Su Rong forcefully commanded, "Rest for three days, no more discussion."
Zhang Yun: "..."
After the morning court meeting, Su Rong had someone send Zhang Yun a prescription and selected some good medicines from the storehouse to strengthen his body, which were sent to the Zhang Residence.
Zhang Yun could only be forcefully ordered to recuperate at home.
Zhang Yun visited Zhang Yun and said enviously, "Third brother, it’s good that you’re sick, get some rest. I want to rest too, alas, but since Lord Ye has fallen ill, there are too many affairs in the Ministry of Personnel, I can’t take the time to rest."
No sooner had he finished speaking the next day than he himself coughed, startling everyone. He thought it was over, he had been infected by his third brother.
Ning Ze, Jiang Zhu, Cui Xingzhi, and others who had spoken with Zhang Yun inevitably fell ill one after another.
Thus, at the morning court meeting, there was an uncontrollable chorus of coughs.
Su Rong was also alarmed, thinking to herself that this time there was no need for Ye Guixue to fake illness to conceal it, as nearly half of the civil and military officials in the court were coughing. This matter, even if false, had become real.
Consequently, she allowed the sick court officials to take leave and rest at home. Feeling that the typhoid at the end of autumn and beginning of winter was rather severe and possibly soon the officials at the Imperial Court would be ill, it wouldn’t be long before the citizens of the capital might also fall ill en masse. Given the certain contagiousness, it needed serious attention; therefore, she promptly had Doctor Zhang study the prescription to prevent and cure the spread of typhoid.
The feigning-sick Ye Xiang, supremely speechless at his residence, said to his wife, "Should I say I’m lucky? Thanks to your son, I was forced to feign illness, and thereby avoided contact with the court officials, and didn’t get sick."
The Lady of Minister Ye was amused, "Isn’t that so?"
Doctor Zhang, skilled in medical arts, led a group of Imperial Doctors from the Imperial Medical Bureau and quickly developed a prescription. After having it copied, they delivered a copy to each court official’s residence and, following Su Rong’s order, posted the prescription in the form of a royal proclamation.
Therefore, half a month later, the incipient epidemic of cold-related illnesses in the capital was swiftly eradicated.
And during that half month, Ye Guixue had led a hundred thousand soldiers to the Southern Three States. Indeed, by the time he arrived, Zhou Gu had already faced off with eighty thousand of his own soldiers against the hundred thousand privately maintained soldiers of the Nangong Family in the Southern Three States’ Dark Gorge.
Ziye had at most dispatched eighty thousand soldiers, which put Zhou Gu at somewhat of a disadvantage. Fortunately, with the abundance of Hidden Guards and others he had brought, he was not beaten into continuous retreat.
The arrival of Ye Guixue’s hundred thousand reinforcements was like a gift from heaven, instantly alleviating Zhou Gu’s pressure and allowing him to turn the tides.
Zhou Gu looked at Ye Guixue in astonishment, "Brother Ye, how did you come here? And with a hundred thousand soldiers at that?"
"It was the Princess who, after receiving your letter and out of concern, guessed that the Nangong Family’s generations of accumulated wealth was substantial. Fearing they might privately maintain more than fifty thousand soldiers, we reckoned they might have an extra ten count. Just as expected," Ye Guixue explained, "I personally led the troops here." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Zhou Gu nodded and patted Ye Guixue on the shoulder, "Thank you."
Thus, with the support of Ye Guixue’s hundred thousand reinforcements, after retreating three hundred li, the main commander of the Nangong Family’s privately maintained soldiers was beheaded by the double-handed sword of Zhou Gu, with the majority of the remaining soldiers surrendering.
By this time, news of the Nangong Family’s rebellion officers harboring soldiers in the Southern Three States had leaked out, reaching the Capital City. It was only then that the court officials learned that Ye Guixue had not fallen ill, but had instead led troops out of the Royal Capital. Furthermore, the Master of the Imperial, supposedly going to fetch the old Duke of Protectorate and others, had in reality gone to inspect and suppress the rebellion in the Southern Three States.
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