Chapter 183 Tolerable
After Jiang Yingli recovered, she was even sadder than Xiao Chenglan. He stayed with her for a whole day and finally made her happy.
It was late at night. Xiao Chenglan tucked in the quilt for Jiang Yingli, who was already fast asleep, and then got up.
Fu Wanquan lowered his voice beside him and said, "Your Majesty said that those filthy creatures cannot come near the Empress, so please move outside the palace to check."
Xiao Chenglan walked out of the hall with his hands behind his back and saw Fulin holding a tray full of charred objects mixed with some jewelry.
Those things gave off a strange burnt smell that had not dissipated even after being dug out for a long time.
"Your Majesty, I've already inquired with the Imperial Household Department about these jewels, and they are indeed the Dowager's. They were found among these charred bones."
The meaning of this sentence is self-evident. This pile of things emitting a burnt smell is most likely the corpse of Concubine Xue.
Xiao Chenglan glanced indifferently at the pile of charred bones, a look of disdain that he didn't bother to conceal.
"I've already seen it, take it away."
Fu Wanquan quickly waved at Fulin and asked him to go down quickly.
**
"Knock knock knock."
The alley where Xue's house was located was filled with urgent knocks on the door. The doorman looked out through the hole and was startled when he saw the face outside the door. He quickly opened the door.
"Tiffany...Toffee..."
"Shut up." Xue Ning's face showed a fierce look, warning the doorman not to say another word.
Xue Ning walked straight into the mansion. Xue Shide was still awake. Hearing the noise at the door, he rushed over with a lantern.
The moment he saw Xue Ning, his pupils constricted, and then he realized that she had escaped through the Xue family's secret passage.
From the fire in Fukang Palace today to the emperor's order to attack Yuelin, he knew that Xue Ning had failed.
Fortunately, she burned the evidence. Even if the emperor became suspicious, he would not be able to trace it back to the Xue family for the time being. He had enough time to act.
But now Xue Ning actually came to his door.
Do you think the Xue family is not in dire straits enough now?
Xue Shide pretended not to know her and pointed at the palace guards who were on night watch and said, "Where did this crazy woman come from? How could she be allowed into the palace so openly? Throw her out."
Xue Ning knew that Xue Shide would react like this. Her cold-blooded father put profit above all else.
But she still has leverage.
"Father, what's the point of abandoning me? Ever since the Su family fell, the Xue family is doomed to fail. That day will eventually come. Abandoning me won't change anything. You have to protect me and find a place for me to stay."
Xue Ning walked over with a smile and whispered his bargaining chip: "During the time when the late emperor was on an incognito tour, he had an illegitimate child. Your Majesty is also looking for him because he is a threat to his throne. But the enemy of my enemy is my friend, isn't he?"
Xue Shide was stunned. He no longer tried to find out where Xue Ning first knew these things. He was just surprised that this prince who had been exiled to the people came at such a good time.
"Where is he?"
Xue Ning remained silent.
Xue Shide narrowed his eyes and said, "Okay, your father will naturally protect you."
Xue Ning knew about this prince because he heard it accidentally in his previous life. In order to eliminate future troubles, Xiao Chenglan wanted to find him and kill him as soon as possible.
Later, he was found. He hid his identity in Qin Yang and knew that he was a prince, so he had great ambitions.
Qin Yang had a garrison with 50,000 garrisons. He and the garrison commander Yu Wang had long harbored rebellious intentions, but before they could even light the flames, they were killed by Xiao Chenglan.
In her previous life, she didn't care about these chaos, but now, these are her bargaining chips.
**
The next morning, an urgent letter from the northern border was delivered to the emperor.
Just a few words reveal the crisis.
The Northern Liang army general Lu Yuan died suddenly of an acute illness, the army's morale was low, the thirteen Northern Di tribes were eyeing them covetously, and a war was imminent. I report this to the emperor for his attention.
As soon as the report came out, the court was convened to discuss the matter.
General Lu died too suddenly. He was originally the main general of the Northern Expedition. The situation took a sudden turn for the worse with the death of the main general before the war even started.
What's more, the Beiliang Army has always been taken over by the Lu family. Now that the Lu family is left without anyone, Beiliang must be in chaos.
The most important thing to avoid when marching and fighting is the shaking of morale in the army. If you declare defeat before the battle even begins, the enemy will be considered to have won without fighting.
Xiao Chenglan discussed matters with all the officials in the Changqing Palace for three full days, working day and night.
Jiang Yingli knew that he was too busy to attend, so she took the initiative to go to Changqing Palace to deliver food to him.
The voice she heard behind the screen was nothing but one.
For hundreds of years, Daye has valued civil officials over military officials, and there are not many talented generals available now. However, even if a commander-in-chief can be appointed, the most important issue is the morale of the army.
Something happened at this critical juncture, and some words that shook the army's morale spread from one person to another, and the entire military camp was shrouded in the shadow of decline before the battle.
Those ministers did not dare to give direct advice, but Jiang Yingli could hear the hidden meaning in their repeated words "military morale", which was a hint for His Majesty to go north and stay in the rear to maintain the stability of the military morale.
Xiao Chenglan was slow to respond, and Jiang Yingli naturally knew what he was worried about.
Since their marriage, she and His Majesty have never experienced such a long separation.
He was reluctant to let her go, but also worried that she would be sad.
At night, Xiao Chenglan returned to Changyang Palace with a heavy heart.
As soon as they entered the palace, Jiang Yingli threw herself into her arms, holding his hand, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty is back. Lin'er and I missed you very much."
Xiao Chenglan lowered his head and kissed her between the eyebrows: "I haven't been able to spend enough time with you these past few days."
Jiang Yingli hugged him, feeling truly reluctant to let him go, but she still spoke frankly, "Once the war in the northern border is resolved, Your Majesty will be able to accompany me and Lin'er like before. Therefore, I am not greedy for temporary warmth; I am thinking of the long-lasting future."
Xiao Chenglan naturally understood the hidden meaning in her words. He held her in his arms and asked softly, "Would you be sad if I were not around?"
Jiang Yingli's eyes were red. "Lovesickness is a very painful thing, but I know that Your Majesty will always come back to me, so I can endure it."
Xiao Chenglan traced her eyebrows with his fingertips, and comforted her softly, "Don't be afraid. I'm not good at marching and fighting. I'm just staying in the rear. There won't be any danger. I will definitely return to you as soon as possible."
Jiang Yingli nodded vigorously: "Lin'er and I are waiting for Your Majesty's return."
She couldn't hold back her tears. She didn't want to add to the sadness at the time of parting, but there was nothing she could do.
Xiao Chenglan kissed her from the corner of her eyes to her lower abdomen.
The night was extremely passionate, and Jiang Yingli held him tightly.
Even though she couldn't bear it anymore, she still begged him to continue.
She didn't want to remember anything else, she just wanted to remember the joy of tonight.
**
The incident happened suddenly and the trip was rushed.
But Xiao Chenglan knew that the Xue family had to be on guard when he left Beijing.
General Gu asked to accompany the emperor to the northern border, but Xiao Chenglan did not agree. Instead, he left him to Jiang Yingli just in case.
The Imperial Guards, the Southern Army and the Northern Army are all under the jurisdiction of the Imperial City Central Army. Xiao Chenglan gave the military tokens for dispatching these three armies to Jiang Yingli.
If necessary, she could take the military token to find Wei Zhi and General Gu.
The Central Army has a total of 100,000 troops, all of whom are elite soldiers. Xiao Chenglan can only feel at ease when Jiang Yingli holds the military command.
In addition, in the government, Xiao Chenglan set up a temporary council, which included four veteran ministers: Song Zhang, Liu Xingjian, Shen Xi, and Ge Huaichuan.
On the day of departure, Jiang Yingli went to the city wall to see him off. She stood on the high wall and looked at Xiao Chenglan, dressed in military uniform, riding a horse and standing among the crowd.
He looked back at her for a long time before turning around and giving the order to set off.
Watching the team gradually moving away, Jiang Yingli stopped crying and simply picked up the prince from Yunniang's arms and pointed to him:
"Lin'er, that's your father, the Emperor, a wise ruler who can shoulder his responsibilities. You were born a prince, and your father has high hopes for you. When you grow up, you must become a wise ruler like your father."
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