Chapter 47 Where will she choose to escape to?
"Husband?" Cen Yuwei asked with some concern, "What's wrong?"
Xiao Shenjing relaxed his brow and walked towards her. "The weather is nice today. After breakfast, I'll accompany you for a walk in the Imperial Garden."
Cen Yuwei nodded immediately, smiled with delight.
The two dined in complete silence, except for the eunuchs announcing the dishes.
As the mother of the nation, Cen Yuwei's every move was impeccable, making her a role model for all noble ladies.
She would never speak while eating or sleeping, unlike Yunxi, who dared to mock him even while eating.
In the silence where you could hear a pin drop.
Xiao Shenjing looked up at Cen Yuwei several times, then quickly looked away.
Soon, Xiao Shenjing put down the gold-inlaid ivory chopsticks.
Fu Shun, standing to the side, frowned almost imperceptibly. His Majesty had eaten very little again today.
This has been the case for days.
I thought that with the Empress accompanying me today, my appetite would be better, but unexpectedly it got worse and worse.
Since the wedding, His Majesty has not only lost his appetite, but has also devoted himself entirely to state affairs.
They were often busy until the wee hours of the morning, still reviewing memorials.
Sometimes it gets too late, so I just lie down in the warm pavilion for a while with my eyes closed before heading to the morning court.
If this continues, even a body made of iron won't be able to withstand it next time.
How can the body withstand such dedication, neglecting sleep and meals?
So as darkness fell, Fu Shun had intended to persuade His Majesty to rest as soon as possible.
But then another urgent report came from the frontier.
The Turkic assassins, disguised as Sogdian merchants, infiltrated Yumen Pass and set fire to the beacon towers and signal towers at night. After a rampage of burning, killing, looting, and massacring the defending general and his soldiers, they left with women and treasures.
The bronze incense burner in the Zichen Palace emitted plumes of blue smoke, and Xiao Shenjing's fingers repeatedly traced the Kunlun Mountains on the map of the Western Regions. The sound of the third watch drum pierced through the carved window lattices, and the Vice Minister of War's fingers, holding the urgent report from the beacon tower, were still trembling.
The young emperor slammed his hand on the imperial desk. "Twelve beacon towers were burned in three days and nights, and the smoke signals at Yumen Pass were extinguished by our own people."
“Your Majesty, please look. The Turks dared to set up a quicksand formation in the Moheyan Desert because they had calculated that the merchant caravan would have to take the Yizhou Road.” Lu Xiuran’s slender fingers traced the northern foothills of the Kunlun Mountains, finally pausing above Dunhuang. “If the garrison commander of Khotan were to lead the Modao troops north along the Qiemo Ancient Road, they could reach Yangguan in seven days.”
"A fool's tale!" the Minister of Revenue retorted. "The imperial road on the northern slopes of Kunlun has long been buried thirty li by shifting sands!"
The water clock in the corner of the palace suddenly made a hollow sound. Lu Xiuran slowly said, "In the eighth year of Jingquan, Zheng Kui reopened that pass when he passed through India. In last month's report from the Anxi Protectorate," he paused deliberately, noticing the emperor's suddenly raised eyelids, "it was mentioned that the Khotan garrison on the banks of the Qiemo River had acquired three hundred Ferghana horses."
The Minister of Revenue's lips twitched.
Xiao Shenjing's finger stopped at the source of the Qiemo River in the sand table, where a faded flag was planted, and the two faded seal characters 'Yumi' could still be faintly seen.
"Have the Inspector carry my golden fish tally and travel along the Hexi post road," Xiao Shenjing suddenly changed his mind, "No, take the falconry route of the Longyou Pasture and send the proclamation to Yutian within three days. Have An Sishun's Hongfang Army escort twenty carts of fire hawks and arrows and wait for me at the western entrance of Guiqi District."
After Xiao Shenjing finished speaking, he slowly glanced at everyone, his phoenix eyes gleaming with a sharp light.
"If the Turks dare to offend my Jingsheng even an inch, I will have General Cai lead the Northwest Army to repay them a hundredfold or a thousandfold."
Afterwards, Xiao Shenjing kept Lu Xiuran behind.
The two discussed the matter for a long time in the Zichen Palace.
Lu Xiuran didn't leave the hall until almost four in the morning.
Fu Shun yawned and said in a low voice, "Lord Lu, we have to go to court at dawn. Why don't you sit in the side hall for a while?"
"Thank you, Grandpa Fu."
As Fu Shun walked ahead, Lu Xiuran suddenly stepped forward, walked to his side, and asked in a low voice, "Eunuch Fu, has Miss Yunxi been found?"
He turned his head, glanced at Lu Xiuran, and finally shook his head.
If it were someone else asking him the question, he would simply pretend he didn't hear it if he didn't receive a gift.
But this Lord Lu is different. He is honest and loves the people. He uses his salary to establish schools and does not charge a penny to talented scholars from poor families. He has a very high reputation among the people and is now a favorite of His Majesty.
Fu Shun naturally didn't want to antagonize them, since it was just a matter of nodding or shaking his head.
Lu Xiuran had only recently entered the court and his position was not yet secure, but as a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, he always had influential people under him.
Knowing that his relationship with Yunxi was different, she told him about Yunxi's escape early on.
In the cold wind of the night, the young scholar of the Hanlin Academy quietly looked out of the palace, then at the fading, cold moon.
The bright moon here also shines on her.
Go far away and never come back.
Xiao Shenjing has been eating very little these past few days, which has worried Eunuch Fu.
I remember when Miss Yunxi was with His Majesty, His Majesty's appetite improved a lot.
But now that even dining with the Empress hasn't restored His Majesty's appetite, let's try the other concubines.
As dusk approached, Xiao Shenjing finally put down his brush. Taking advantage of the opportunity to add incense, Fu Shun asked, "Your Majesty, would you like to visit Jingren Palace tonight?"
"Consort Xue?" Xiao Shenjing suddenly remembered a pair of familiar eyes.
Seeing that he did not refuse, Fu Shun immediately said, "I heard that Consort Xue recently learned a new way to make hot pot. It tastes very good and is suitable for warming up in winter."
Xiao Shenjing slowly lowered his eyelashes, his gaze passing through the curling incense burner.
Yes, he has a huge harem with beauties of all kinds, as radiant as autumn chrysanthemums and as graceful as spring pines, who can be summoned and dismissed at a moment's notice.
He only needs to treat them a little better, and they will flock to him with joy.
Nothing is irreplaceable.
Especially the Forbidden City.
Seeing Xiao Shenjing nod, Fu Shun couldn't suppress the smile in his eyes and immediately went to deliver the imperial decree.
Tell Consort Xue to make good preparations so that she can please His Majesty tonight.
Once the emperor is pleased, his appetite will naturally return.
"Your Majesty, I heard you were coming, so I specially prepared twenty-four dishes of dipping sauce," Consort Xue said happily as she welcomed Xiao Shenjing into the room. "This dogwood sauce is made with the newly tributed chili peppers from the Prince of Shu, pounded in a jade mortar and pestle from Bingzhou for three hours."
The copper-bodied cloisonné enamel hot pot simmered with soup that resembled mutton fat jade. Consort Xue used the tip of her gold-inlaid ivory chopsticks to stir the white chrysanthemum petals floating on the surface of the soup, and suddenly fed half a matsutake mushroom to the emperor's lips: "Your Majesty, please try this. This mushroom was dug out of the ice cave in Liaodong by my brother, who rushed it over eight hundred li."
Looking up along her wrist, which was half-exposed like a tender lotus root, one could see Consort Xue's dark almond-shaped eyes brimming with a hint of a smile.
It's as sweet as if it's been dyed with honey.
Xiao Shenjing stared into those eyes without moving.
The deep creases at the corners of the eyes concealed a dark light.
It is obscure and unpredictable.
"Your Majesty, why are you looking at me like that?" Consort Xue's expression stiffened for a moment, then she scolded her somewhat embarrassedly.
Xiao Shenjing suddenly smiled.
The less interested they were, the deeper their smiles became.
The darkness in Danfeng's eyes was dispelled by her smile, as if it had transformed into deep affection.
He picked up a slice of venison as thin as a cicada's wing, dipped it three times in the boiling broth, and the crimson slice of meat, coated with sesame sauce, was handed to Consort Xue's bowl. "You've worked hard, Consort."
Consort Xue couldn't suppress the sweet smile spreading across her face.
"Your Majesty, why don't you stay here with me tonight?"
"Today, I still have memorials to review." Xiao Shenjing's smile remained, but his words were like a bucket of cold water poured over one's head.
Fu Shun sighed silently.
Even Consort Xue couldn't do anything about it?
Soon, Xiao Shenjing left with his hands behind his back.
Upon exiting Jingren Palace, Fushun immediately stepped forward and respectfully asked, "Your Majesty, shall this servant arrange dinner for you?"
"No need, I have no appetite," Xiao Shenjing said.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.
Looking at the moonless night sky, he remarked, "It's getting colder and colder."
"Yes, it will snow in a few days," Fu Shun nodded and said.
Whether traveling on horseback or in a carriage, setting out on a long journey in the harsh winter is always a difficult undertaking.
but
Xiao Shenjing gave a cold laugh.
Given her quick temper, why would she choose to ride in a carriage?
They would definitely speed along the way, wishing they could get as far away from Kyoto as possible.
So Yunxi, where are you going to run away to?
If you wouldn't want to stay in the North, then the South is the furthest place from the North.
Xiao Shenjing suddenly asked, "How many concubines do I have in my palace?"
When this question was raised, Fu Shun, as the chief steward, naturally knew it like the back of his hand.
He answered without even blinking.
Finally, Xiao Shenjing said, "I will go see Consort Wang at dinner tomorrow."
Although he couldn't even remember what the other person looked like.
"Young Master, would you like to rest for a bit?" Ah Bei asked.
Sitting on her horse, Yunxi raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Abei, you're not good enough. You're so young and you're not as good as your older sister?"
After saying that, she flicked her riding whip.
With a flick of its hooves, the horse galloped off like lightning.
At this rate, they should be able to reach Hanzhong in just a few days.
Even though Abei was composed, he was still a young man. Spurred on by Yunxi, he also felt the urge to win and raised his whip to chase after her.
For several days in a row, Xiao Shenjing dined in the various palaces, but Fu Shun remained frowning.
Despite the best efforts of the concubines, His Majesty's appetite did not improve much. In addition, the temperature had dropped in recent days, and His Majesty was always reviewing memorials until late at night, so he had caught a cold.
After enduring the coughing that occasionally echoed from inside the warm pavilion, Fu Shun finally couldn't bear it any longer and went in to remind Your Majesty, "It's already past midnight, it's time to rest."
"Go and rest first. I'll finish reading this memorial before I go," Xiao Shenjing said without looking up.
Fu Shun had no choice but to order someone to brew loquat syrup to stop the cough and send it over.
But he still couldn't stop coughing.
During the morning court session, the cold wind of early winter seeped in through the cracks in the palace doors, and the urgent war reports from the Ministry of War, carrying the stench of blood, rustled on the imperial desk.
Wang Yunxiang, the magistrate of Pinghu County, opened the city gates without permission, which led to the Japanese pirates massacring the county.
The court was shaken. The underground heating in the Fengtian Hall was burning too brightly, and the backs of several Grand Secretaries' robes were soaked with sweat.
"I will hang Wang Yunxiang's head on Chongwen Gate!" The young emperor smashed a jade thumb ring at the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Zhili. The shards of jade grazed the dragon pillar, startling the copper bells on the eaves. He stared at the four blood-red characters "women and children filling wells" in the battle report, and suddenly remembered the "Ten Strategies for Resisting Japanese Pirates" presented by this traitor half a month ago. The ink of the imperial annotation "loyalty and diligence to the country" was still wet.
The Minister of War bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Magistrate Wang may have fallen for the Japanese pirates' diversionary tactic."
"What a clever diversionary tactic!" Lu Xiuran suddenly stepped forward. "Last month, the warships of Ningbowei capsized because the dragon bone broke. The Ministry of Works allocated fir timber, which was all replaced with paulownia!" He turned sharply and stared at Grand Secretary Zhang. "Grand Secretary Zhang, are the paulownia merchants who handled the timber purchases your students dealing with relatives from your hometown of Quanzhou?"
Grand Secretary Zhang immediately knelt down and cried out, "Your Majesty, this old minister knew nothing of this matter! This old minister is innocent!"
On the high platform, Xiao Shenjing coughed suddenly.
The crown, made of pearls from the South China Sea, rustled softly.
Fu Shun was terrified upon hearing this.
They were terrified that they might cough up blood.
Having barely managed to suppress his cough, the young emperor's face flushed slightly, as if he couldn't contain his anger.
"I request that Wang Yunxiang's entire clan be executed!" The Vice Minister of Justice's shout shattered the deathly silence.
"Your Majesty, you mustn't," the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate objected, insisting on a joint trial by the three judicial departments according to the law.
"By the time you finish your interrogation, the Japanese pirates will have their swords at Shuntian Prefecture." Xiao Shenjing stared at the Left Censor-in-Chief. "Issue an imperial decree to escort Wang Yunxiang alive to the capital and immediately detain his entire clan."
The Minister of War bowed again and said, "Your Majesty, Commander Wang Zhu has recently been training a new type of chariot formation. If he is transferred to Zhejiang, he will surely be able to drive out the Japanese pirates."
“Wheel formation?” Lu Xiuran looked up suddenly. “Last year, Xu Hai launched a surprise attack on Jiaxing, and Wang Dusi’s wheel formation was completely annihilated by the Japanese pirates’ iron cannons.” He turned around and kowtowed heavily: “Your subject recommends Han Chengyu, the commander of Taizhou Guard.”
Before the assembled officials could react, he continued bowing, "This young man, a sixth-rank official, led three hundred local militia to seven victories in seven battles at Cixi. Last year, he even used an improved triple-layered formation to completely annihilate the Japanese pirate fleet!"
"Han Chengyu?" The Minister of Revenue frowned. "How can a sixth-rank military officer be qualified for such a great responsibility?"
"Your Majesty, I have a military training map presented by Han Chengyu. Please take a look," Lu Xiuran said.
"Present it here." Xiao Shenjing finished scanning the training map and nodded with great appreciation. "Issue an imperial decree to promote Han Chengyu to the position of General of Zhejiang and Zhili, and grant him special permission to recruit three thousand new soldiers and mobilize two thousand guest soldiers."
The Minister of War immediately stepped forward and advised, “Your Majesty is wise. According to the ancestral system of our dynasty, military affairs in Zhejiang and Zhili are divided among the three provincial military commands. If a general is appointed to govern the three provinces, it may set a precedent for military officers to seize power. Moreover, the right to recruit new soldiers and deploy foreign troops is of paramount importance.”
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures." Xiao Shenjing abruptly stood up, the golden dragon pattern on his black dragon robe surging in the morning light. His brows, sharp as if carved by a knife, framed eyes as cold as stars. "I rule over this land, how can I allow the Japanese pirates to run rampant? I will surely sweep away the evil waves of the East and restore peace to my seas."
The clinking of the jewels on the twelve-tiered crown concealed the sharp gleam of swords being drawn.
"My navy will surely crush their nest, display our national power across the four seas, and protect my people from harm!"
After the court session ended.
Snowflakes had already rolled out of the sky.
Xiao Shenjing stood under the eaves, and a gust of snowy wind startled him, causing him to cough rapidly.
Fu Shun quickly draped the cloak over him.
After a while, the coughing gradually stopped.
He pulled his cloak tighter and suddenly said, “In the north, the Turks are causing trouble, and in the southeast, Japanese pirates are rampant along the coast. Many of the Tibetan tribes in the southwest have developed rebellious intentions, and although the Jurchen tribes in the northeast are under the control of the court, their wolfish ambitions have long been stirring.”
Dao Yi, standing behind him, advised, "Your Majesty, you ascended the throne during a time of great upheaval, saving the nation from collapse. Under your rule, the Jing Kingdom is gradually regaining its glory. I believe that with your diligent governance, our Great Jing will surely reach its zenith."
Xiao Shenjing lifted his thick eyelashes and stretched his hand out of the corridor.
Snowflakes fell into my palm and quickly turned into a damp patch.
Xiao Shenjing remained silent for a long time before slowly asking, "The border regions are all unstable. Where do you think she would choose to flee to?"
Dao Yi naturally knew who this "she" referred to.
He immediately replied, "Miss Yunxi is skilled in martial arts and is clever and quick-witted, so she will certainly not be in any danger."
Xiao Shenjing suddenly turned his head to look at Dao Yi. "She is brave and hot-blooded, has a quick temper and is unruly. She will draw her sword to help those in need and never thinks twice before acting. How can such a personality not be dangerous?"
Dao Yi was speechless when questioned.
"She dared to assassinate me after doing something wrong. The number of petitions demanding her head is as many as the snowflakes falling from the sky." Xiao Shenjing sneered. "I only gave her twenty strokes of the cane, which is already a great act of mercy, yet she doesn't know how to be grateful at all."
Dao touched his nose.
That's the logic.
Anyone else would naturally be grateful, but Miss Yunxi is different from others.
Dao Yi would naturally not say that.
Silence was the only option.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Shenjing suddenly asked, "Did you personally administer those twenty strokes?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Xiao Shenjing frowned and slowly glanced at Dao Yi.
Dao Yi thought he was being questioned, so he immediately knelt down on one knee and said, "Although I left room for maneuver that day, I did not reduce the punishment by one stroke for every twenty strokes."
"She's thick-skinned and tough; she'll probably be able to walk out of Anle Hall full of energy after being beaten." Xiao Shenjing sneered at the thought of such a scene.
His voice was cold.
“Miss Yunxi was carried out.” Dao Yi, not wanting to incur the emperor's wrath, immediately retorted, “She was completely unable to get out of bed, her consciousness was blurred, and she developed a high fever during the night, which escalated into a severe case of heat entering the blood.”
"What did you say?" Xiao Shenjing suddenly turned his head and stared at Dao Yi.
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