Wenren Brothers
In the training camp north of Shanghua City, soldiers wearing reddish-brown armor stood upright in square formations. They shouted slogans and waved their spears in unison for training.
The man sitting on the high platform on the other side of the battlefield, watching from above, was clad in silver-grey armor. His features were handsome, but his skin was tanned to a bronze hue. His rough skin and the countless tiny wounds on it told everyone that he was a battle-hardened warrior, weathered by many hardships.
At this moment, his eagle-like sharp eyes were scanning the soldiers training below the stage.
"Humph, it's all just some fancy stuff."
The man closed his eyes in disdain, his tone full of arrogance.
The man sitting next to him was wearing gray-green armor and had a handsome and gentle appearance. Just looking at his face, one would have thought he was a civil servant, or at least the top scholar.
"Brother, the training of these city defense soldiers focuses on throwing cannons and shooting arrows for defending the city. They don't need to practice many close combat skills. How can they compare to your posture of killing enemies on the battlefield?"
The person who spoke was the commander-in-chief of the training camp, the fourth young master of the Wen family - the vanguard captain Wen Renju.
Although he had a gentle face like jade, he had also inherited his family's martial arts tradition. Fortunately, he lived up to his bookish appearance and was once the second runner-up in the imperial examination, making him one of the few generals in the Wenren family who were both civil and military.
However, Wen Renju's ability in marching and fighting was obviously not as good as his elder and third brothers, so he was only responsible for commanding the defense layout of Shangbei City and the training of new recruits.
Shanghua City is divided into north and south, but the central street and the imperial city are almost all on the south side. The north city has a small population and is not prosperous. There are many vacant lands that are just enough for large-scale deployment of defenses and military exercises.
The man just nodded when he heard this and said no more: "Yeah."
He had led troops to garrison the northwest for eight years and was accustomed to fighting with real swords and guns on the battlefield. Suddenly seeing this light and airy drill in front of him, he naturally felt as powerless as cotton.
After all, these were soldiers led by his own brother, so since he was here to inspect them, he had to offer some advice. Wen Rencuo was straightforward and directly suggested that the soldiers should be trained more, and a reward and punishment system should be established, with squads and teams conducting internal supervision.
Otherwise, how can these soldiers, who are so disorganized, fulfill their responsibility of guarding the capital?
Their frontier soldiers fought bravely and defended the borders to the death, not to create peace so that these soldiers would have nothing to do and take advantage of the situation.
After telling his fourth brother what time the barracks would be repaired, the two of them stood on the high platform and looked out over the south of the city. Wen Rencuo was preoccupied, "Who is the garrison commander of the south city?"
"Brother, it's Jin Zichang, the lieutenant of Piaoyao, deputy to General Zuo Yuanwu," Wen Renju answered without hesitation. "The chief guard of Shanghua City is General Zuo."
"Oh, it turns out to be that kid."
Wenren Cuo had long heard of Zuo Yuanwu's name. He was an outstanding military talent, brave and courageous. At the age of 19, he was able to lead his troops to defeat the Rongdi in the north without any chance of fighting back.
The emperor was extremely fond of him and had lavishly rewarded him several times. Although he was only in his twenties, his rank among the military commanders was second only to his father, the Grand Marshal Wenren, and higher than the General of Chariots and Cavalry.
"He's been incredibly successful these past few years," Wen Renju sighed. "That's not surprising. Imperial families always enjoy playing the game of balancing power."
Among the four great families, the names of the two families of military generals and civil officials are the easiest to change, and it is difficult for them to last as long as the Wei and Huo families.
The Baili family was able to transform from a marginal family into a wealthy and powerful family with the support of the emperor after the Gongye family's self-destruction. In fact, the Wen family's wealth was only built up in the past fifty years through military exploits.
After all, a single person's dominance easily leads to total power, something the emperor couldn't tolerate. The Wen family was both a powerful guarantee of stability and peace in Xijing, and a deadly threat. Naturally, the royal family had to launch another force to counter the aristocratic families and seek a balance.
Although their father still holds the title of Grand General and Grand Marshal, most of the military power is in the hands of the rookie Zuo Yuanwu.
"Brother, there's no need for you to be angry. He appointed that boy as General of Cavalry just to threaten our family." Wen Renju reached out and patted his brother's shoulder. A little impatience will ruin a big plan. Only by being patient can one be safe.
Otherwise, the Wen family will become the Zuo family in the future.
"Zuo Yuanwu was once a member of the prince's faction. When the prince ascends the throne in the future, he will inevitably be supported."
Wenren Ju saw things very clearly. Their father had never clearly taken sides among the princes. Although the Wenren family's neutrality could ensure that they would not give others an opportunity to get involved in disputes, they would inevitably face the situation of being replaced by a newcomer in the future.
"That's why I dislike Donggong and Zuo Yuanwu even more."
Before Wen Rencuo finished speaking, his fourth brother beside him quickly stopped him and said, "Big brother, be careful with your words."
He knew his elder brother would return to the capital with only an empty position, which made him unhappy. However, the situation was clear now. The crown prince's succession to the throne was a foregone conclusion, and Zuo Yuanwu would be the new emperor's right-hand man. If others heard this, the consequences would be disastrous.
"Our family will certainly be suppressed, but if we can maintain a good relationship with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, then His Royal Highness will have no reason to harm himself before taking action against us."
Wenren Cuo has always disliked these complicated social conventions, but his fourth brother looks very smart, and he doesn't know what he is planning.
"Is it that easy? I can't be a flatterer like Zuo Yuanwu."
Wenren Juxin said that his elder brother was too prejudiced against Zuo Yuanwu. Zuo Yuanwu's achievements were also won through real fighting. He couldn't look down on him just because he was born a slave.
"Brother, although General Zuo comes from a humble background, he is well-known for his integrity and selflessness."
Seeing that his fourth brother was still speaking for Zuo Yuanwu, Wen Rencuo felt a surge of anger in his heart.
Wen Renju naturally noticed his elder brother's murderous expression and quickly changed the subject: "But he did take advantage of his status."
"Oh? How do you say that?"
Wen Rencuo felt a little better. He glanced at his brother and indicated that he wanted to hear about Zuo Yuanwu's shameful rise to power.
"Brother, since you don't pay attention to these palace secrets, you might not know this. Isn't there a beauty kept in the Eastern Palace?" Wen Renju leaned close to his elder brother and whispered mysteriously, "She's the jewel in the crown of the Duke of Jing's mansion, Miss Jing Yaojing."
"oh?"
He had barely returned to Shanghua City in the past eight years, but he had heard of the eldest daughter of Duke Jing's mansion. She was the niece of the former Imperial Concubine Jing and the cousin of the late Empress Yue. It wasn't an exaggeration to say she was the most distinguished woman in Xijing besides the princesses.
However, the Jing family suffered misfortune later along with Prince Jin, and the monkeys scatter when the tree falls. Naturally, this eldest lady no longer enjoyed the same dignity as before.
Wen Rencuo remembered that the girl in blue he met in the bookstore that day said she was from the Eastern Palace. Could she be this Madam Jing?
But didn’t her house collapse?
Judging from the way she speaks and the way she dresses, she looks very noble. Why is the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace so good to this cousin?
"Brother, you really don't know." Wen Renju saw that he was confused and quickly explained, "Madam Jing is the Crown Princess for sure."
"she?"
Crown Princess?
Is Si Pei mentally ill? The Jing family is a member of the Jin prince's faction, and they've been almost completely liquidated now, but shouldn't there be some hatred between the two of them?
"I heard that the Crown Prince is deeply in love with Miss Jing." Wen Renju shook his head. "The marriage hasn't taken place because Miss Jing won't agree. I also heard... well, someone else told me this, that she was the one who stabbed the Crown Prince a while ago. But the Crown Prince was so deeply in love with her that he couldn't bear to hurt her, so he suppressed the matter and forbade anyone to mention it."
Stabbed the prince?
Wen Rencuo recalled the scene of the sharp-tongued girl in blue arguing with him, and couldn't help but smile. This girl was much braver than he thought.
"Alas, this Lady Jing is truly unruly and headstrong, preferring handsome men and acting dissolutely. She is also quite arrogant and domineering." Wen Renju vividly described this "troublemaker" and sighed at the end, "The Crown Prince is truly forbearing."
The more Wen Rencuo listened, the more he couldn't help but frown: "Do you know her well?"
He didn't realize how harsh and sour his words were, which scared his fourth brother who was originally chatting about gossip in a relaxed manner.
Wen Renju asked tentatively, "Brother... do you know that Madam Jing?"
"...No." The man denied it in an obvious way, but then he thought that he really didn't know her, and they only met once at Yushan Bookstore that day.
No, he didn't even get a glimpse of her true face, he just had an unpleasant experience with her.
But he still couldn't forget the girl's cunning attitude that made him speechless with her well-reasoned arguments.
Would a person like that be willing to stay by the side of Crown Prince Si Pei?
Although the Jing family was indeed guilty, Wen Rencuo still didn't quite believe it. How could Jing Yao, who was so clear about what he loved and hated, be with the person who had liquidated his own family without any grudges?
I think it must be that Crown Prince Si Pei used some means to force her to stay in the Eastern Palace.
Wenren Cuo became increasingly dissatisfied with the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.
"Why are you talking about her suddenly? Aren't we talking about Zuo Yuanwu?"
The man coughed twice, wondering why the topic had turned to Jing Yao.
Wen Renju guessed that his elder brother was no longer angry, so he continued, "Because Zuo Yuanwu has a close relationship with the lady Jing mentioned earlier."
"Yeah?"
How did they get involved...
"Isn't Zuo Yuanwu born a slave?" Wen Renju raised his eyebrows in a hint. How could Wen Rencuo not understand that Zuo Yuanwu must be a servant from the Jing family.
Wen Renju nodded in agreement. "The renowned General Zuo was the posthumous son of a female slave in the Jing family. After his birth, he was raised in the Jing family's backyard as a house servant. Duke Jing assigned him to the courtyard of Miss Jing, and that lady was essentially raised by General Zuo."
"So the two of them have a close relationship. Even though Zuo Yuan has achieved great martial arts and is no longer the servant he once was, he still obeys his former mistress's orders."
It is precisely because of this relationship between Zuo Yuanwu and Jing Yao that Zuo Yuanwu was able to form an alliance with Si Pei.
"General Zuo is not a man who curries favor with the powerful. What I mean is that he won't take the initiative to choose sides."
Zuo Yuanwu does not care about current affairs in the court and the country. The reason why he went from being the emperor's confidant to becoming the prince's party is largely because his concern for Jing Yao is consistent with that of the prince Si Pei, so he chose to trust Si Pei, and the prince could also trust him.
"But their relationship has been a little strained recently." Wen Renju looked as if he had seen through the mundane world. "I'm guessing Zuo Yuanwu's feelings for Madam Jing aren't just about master and servant."
Wen Rencuo ignored his brother's snickering and had other thoughts in mind.
He became more and more curious about this Ms. Jing.
"Tell my lieutenant to prepare the horses. I will go to the palace later."
Wen Renju was stunned: "Brother, why do you want to enter the palace?"
"Don't you want me to have a good relationship with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?" Wen Rencuo picked up his helmet. "I'm leaving now, aren't I?"
"Brother, what's your reason for going?"
Wenren Ju was puzzled. If he wanted to see the prince, he could naturally meet him at the morning court tomorrow. Why did he have to go suddenly now?
The man curled his lips and smiled: "You don't have to worry about this."
In the East Palace, Jing Yao was bored and flipping through several storybooks at hand, while Si Pei was concentrating on painting next to him.
Jing Yao really didn't want to read the book in front of him anymore. He stood up and walked around behind the young man, sticking his head out: "Xiao Li!"
Unexpectedly, Si Pei was not frightened at all, and even the brush in his hand did not tremble at all.
Jing Yao got in front of him and looked at what he was painting. It was nothing more than the same things - mountains, flowing water, flying cranes, ancient trees, orchids and green bamboos.
“How boring.”
You have been painting since you were a child. Is there anything new?
"Why don't you draw a picture of me?"
Jing Yao turned around in his arms, then turned to Si Pei and put his arms around his shoulders. "What do you think of this idea?"
Seeing the girl in his arms looking at him with sparkling eyes, Si Pei put down his brush and hugged her waist again: "It's a good idea, but I'm afraid I won't be able to endure it and get bored after just a few strokes."
"Nonsense." Jing Yao glanced to the side guiltily. She wasn't that active, was she?
Si Pei wanted to tease her playfully, so he hooked his index finger and lightly brushed the tip of the girl's nose. "When you fall asleep one day, I'll draw you a picture of Sleeping Beauty."
"Little pear!"
The girl pretended to bite his Adam's apple, but before she could bite him, Eunuch Ming's voice suddenly came from outside the door.
The two looked at each other, both somewhat puzzled.
Who is it?
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