Upon hearing the word "secret decree", Fu Mingchi and Concubine Zhang were stunned almost at the same time.
Ting Feng immediately took out the secret decree and handed it to Fu Mingchi. Fu Mingchi glanced at it and his brows knitted together. "Your Majesty abdicated, and Queen Mother Gu proclaimed herself emperor. She also appointed her nephew as a king of a different surname. Isn't this Sima Zhao's intention obvious to everyone?"
Concubine Zhang carefully examined the contents of the secret decree. Seeing the mottled bloodstains, she couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache: "Our emperor is truly adaptable and resilient. It's a pity that he has been suppressed by Empress Dowager Gu for so many years, and his ambitions have never been realized."
After thinking about it, she suddenly felt something was wrong: "Empress Dowager Gu has been in charge of government for so many years and has never considered becoming emperor. His Majesty has never thought of abdicating. These two have been fighting for most of their lives. Why did they suddenly have the urge to do such a thing?"
Hearing this, Fu Mingchi raised his lips and smiled faintly: "I'm afraid it wasn't Wan'er's idea."
Thinking back to what she had said to him on the day of the engagement, Fu Mingchi finally understood the deep meaning behind her words: "Wan'er has always wanted me to legitimately rule Lin'an. Now with this blood decree from His Majesty, not only can I go to Lin'an, but I can also lead the Yuezhou Army into Lin'an. I have the confidence to completely challenge the Gu family."
"This girl is really a hidden talent." Concubine Zhang felt warm in her heart and secretly admired herself for not listening to others' instigation and giving up this marriage.
"Although my daughter has stirred up undercurrents in Lin'an, Prince Qi hasn't yet rebelled, so I'm afraid your majesty's edict will be of no use." Ting Feng said anxiously, "My master is in a very difficult situation before leaving."
"Manager Feng, you're wrong." Fu Mingchi said with a smile, "Why would we gamble on whether Prince Qi will rebel? Queen Mother Gu has abused her power and is now harboring presumptuous intentions. She is the most intolerable person in our Great Ye Dynasty. With this imperial edict, it is now legitimate for me to come to the capital to support the king."
Upon learning that they had misunderstood Miss Ye, Yu Bai and Yan Jin were filled with guilt and hurriedly urged, "Your Highness, the princess is in a dire situation in Lin'an. Please send troops immediately. I am willing to lead the vanguard."
Fu Mingchi sighed softly, looked at the feng shui map in the room, and shook his head, saying, "We can't place our bets on Prince Qi, and we certainly can't rely on His Majesty's edict to get the court to let the Yuezhou army into Lin'an."
Ting Feng was confused: "What does Your Highness mean?"
"Huizhou, as well as Tanzhou and Yezhou, which are closest to Lin'an, have nearly 300,000 troops stationed there. While they aren't close to the Gu family, they won't be easily mobilized by the prince. If Empress Dowager Gu learns that the prince is going to the capital to defend the country and issues an order to stop him, they will become undecided."
Fu Mingchi pointed to one of the feng shui maps and asked Ting Feng, "It's fine if my Yuezhou army doesn't move, but if they leave Yuezhou, they will definitely attract attention. Steward Feng has been in Lin'an for quite some time and knows Empress Dowager Gu and the Gu family very well. If Steward Feng is Empress Dowager Gu, where would you like my army to appear?"
Ting Feng pursed his lips in thought: "Judging from the Gu family's attitude towards the Mu family's army, I'm afraid they most hope that the Yuezhou army will go to the northern border to fight the enemy."
"That's right." Fu Mingchi nodded with satisfaction. "Since Your Majesty's edict is still a secret edict, if we openly announce our support to the king, it will lose its original purpose."
Concubine Zhang had already guessed her son's intentions: "Mingchi, do you want to take the secret decree to the northern border to fight the enemy?"
"Fighting the enemy is only one thing; the most important thing is to remove the fuel from the fire."
Fu Mingchi explained, "Xie Zhan's 300,000-man army is currently stationed at Jiayu Pass, 300 miles outside of Lin'an. This army is the elite force that the Gu family relies on the most. The Gu family has stationed this army here so that they can advance against the northern invaders and retreat to defend Lin'an. Our Yuezhou army will need to pass through Jiayu Pass to enter the northern border to fight the enemy. When the time comes, we can use Your Majesty's secret decree to force Xie Zhan to send troops to defend the king, and seize the opportunity to seize his military power. By combining the two armies, we can not only resolve the crisis in Lin'an, but also jointly resist the northern invaders' cavalry."
Ting Feng listened with a look of worry on his face: "Your Highness has led the Yuezhou Army to the northern border. If Prince Qi really rebels, it will be difficult to rush back to Lin'an in time to provide assistance over the 300-mile journey."
"Wan'er must be in dire straits in the Duke of Rong's mansion right now. Every moment I'm late in arriving, she's in even greater danger. How can I wait until Prince Qi rebels?"
Gu Tingchen looked at Concubine Zhang and said, "Mother, I will lead three thousand men to Lin'an tonight. Before I leave, I will report to the court and request that the Yuezhou Army march north to fight the enemy."
"Ming Chi is going to Lin'an. Who can take on this important task at Jiayuguan?"
After Concubine Zhang finished speaking, she suddenly understood her son's intention and couldn't help laughing: "You little brat, are you thinking that your grandfather will personally lead the troops to Jiayu Pass?"
After all, only his father could have such prestige to intimidate the arrogant and powerful generals of the Gu family.
Just at this moment, Duke Ningguo came in, supporting Mu Qingqing and led by Zhu Wencai.
"Why not?" Duke Ningguo laughed heartily. "My grandson has found a wonderful granddaughter-in-law. That girl risked her life to save the entire Zhang family and even the lives of a hundred thousand men. Even if it costs me my old bones, I will fulfill my mission. I can't just hand my granddaughter-in-law over to the Northern Bandits."
Seeing her father and niece enter, Concubine Zhang hurried forward and said with great concern, "Father, I naturally hope that you can come in person, but I'm afraid this journey will be very difficult."
"Aunt, Qingqing is willing to go with Grandpa." Mu Qingqing said, "If it weren't for Sister Wan, my mother would have died in the northern border. No matter what, we must welcome her back to Yuezhou."
Duke Ningguo walked over to Fu Mingchi and said cheerfully, "Mingchi, tell me, what do you want grandpa to do?"
Fu Mingchi did not beat around the bush and directly handed the secret decree to him.
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