Chapter 110 Her mother—wasn't she also a bad person? ...
A detailed plan for "inviting the wolf into the house" has been finalized.
Huan Xun drafted a secret letter overnight and sent it to the northern frontier.
Unlike what he told Xie Cheng on the way, he wrote a few more sentences in the letter.
Those few words were unrelated to their current struggle with the aristocratic families.
However, this would make Yan Yue restless and anxious, ultimately causing him to change his important personnel strategy.
Since the start of the war, Yan Yue has won many victories against the Xiu Tu people.
The actual battle situation is much better than the court knows. Although the Southern Yin people are trying to disrupt the situation from behind, it has not affected the overall situation much.
His spies reported yesterday that Xiao Daozun had secretly amassed troops, preparing to launch a surprise attack on Beiye.
Things don't always go according to plan. Zhao Yunfu wanted to quickly pacify the northern frontier to avoid fighting Nan Yin at the same time, which would put Bei Ye in a difficult position, as it would be attacked from both sides.
From Nan Yin's perspective, however, the current situation presents them with their best opportunity. They have no choice but to take the risk.
What is poison to one is honey to another.
Even if the strength of Beiye is slightly higher than that of Nanyin, it will eventually be overwhelmed by multiple wars.
He must prevent Beiye from getting bogged down in war and allowing Nanyin to succeed.
He had previously predicted that the fighting in the northern frontier would end within three months, which he initially thought was too fast.
At present, it is not fast enough. The war in the northern border must be resolved quickly within a month.
Hou Chong'an died in battle, and the left flank must have a highly capable person to take his place.
Yan Yue certainly had no shortage of men under his command, but Huan Xun had other ideas.
He understood all too well that Yan Yue didn't want Zhao Yunfu to harbor any resentment towards him, which was why he used the method of "self-degradation" to make Zhao Yunfu lower his guard against him as the Grand Commander of the Northern Expedition.
The way Yan and Zhao interacted was not the situation he wanted to see.
In this fierce, bloody, and life-or-death struggle, everyone was suffering terribly. How could these two possibly remain unscathed?
He needed to let Yan Yue know that his student was extremely wary of him, his trusted advisor.
At the same time, he also had to make Zhao Yunfu, who wanted to be the mastermind, understand that he was actually thinking about the whole of Beiye and the Zhao royal family.
Therefore, the general leading the left flank must be Duan Tingxian, a relative of the emperor.
It was theoretically reasonable for Duan Tingxian, who had pacified the Rouran and other tribes, to lead the Xuan Ce Army to defend the left flank.
He suggested to Yan Yue that he go to the left flank. This would do Zhao Yunfu a favor, and at the same time, plant a seed of suspicion in Yan Yue's mind.
This was to make his arrogant adoptive father understand that no matter what he did, the emperor would never trust him.
This will facilitate the implementation of his subsequent plans.
The power struggles in the imperial court are nothing more than a struggle of hearts and minds, and even those with exceptional talent cannot escape them.
After sending the letter, Huan Xun stood before his desk, contemplating the path he had chosen. It was undoubtedly risky, no different from the aristocratic families sending their sons to their rivals' home turf.
But in his grand plan, he had no choice.
Opportunity waits for no one; what's wrong with taking risks?
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As the night passed and dawn approached, Yu Nie had not closed his eyes.
Since waking up, Langxi has been sitting upright on the bed, not speaking, but drinking water and eating.
Her condition caused her and Xu Cai great concern, and the imperial physician came several times, but to no avail.
Xu Caiyuan was also keeping watch nearby, never leaving his side. But after breakfast, someone suddenly came to report that the young lady from the Prince's Mansion had gone to the Martial Guard Camp specifically to look for him.
He initially refused several times out of impatience, but the other party insisted on seeing him. After several attempts to decline, he had no choice but to temporarily hand Langxi over to her and then turn around and leave.
All morning, Yu Nie stayed by Lang Xi's side, trying to persuade her to talk to her.
Langxi, as if she had lost her soul, had empty eyes and remained silent.
Song Ai quietly approached her side and whispered, "Princess, why don't you rest with me in the outer room for a while and let Daoist Langxi have some peace and quiet?"
"Some things take time to figure out. Daoist Langxi needs time to process all of this."
Song Ai's words made sense. After thinking about it for a while, Yu Nie finally got up and went outside, watching Lang Xi's every move through the window.
She looked at the person inside and asked, "Song Juling...don't you have any questions for me?"
As things have developed to this point, the depth of her relationship with Langxi and Ahui can no longer be explained by the word "benefactor".
Her lady-in-waiting was, of course, a clever woman.
Having gone through so much, she didn't believe Song Ai couldn't see through the heresy.
Having spent a long time in the inner palace, Song Ai almost immediately sensed the meaning behind her words.
She replied respectfully, "I am a servant of the princess. I have no right to interfere with what the princess does. I will simply obey whatever the princess commands."
Yu Nie turned to look at the person beside her; she did not easily brush off the question.
She will have to do many dangerous and secretive things in the future, and she must ensure the loyalty of those around her.
She asked, "Why? Besides the fact that Julian is someone who works for me, is there any other reason?"
While master and servant share both honor and disgrace, this reason alone is not enough to completely reassure her. Throughout history, such relationships have been rife with betrayal.
After hearing her words, Song Ai, unusually, met her gaze.
These eyes didn't actually resemble the eyes of someone she had met, but through them, she seemed to see a past that was about to be buried.
After pondering for a while, she said, "If we have to say other reasons, only the words 'repaying a debt of gratitude' can explain it."
"Repay a debt of gratitude?" she asked, puzzled.
Song Ai slowly recounted the past: "More than twenty years ago, I served in the Taiji Hall with Consort Su, who was also a palace maid at the time."
“One day, I was feeling unwell. The beautiful lady was kind-hearted, and since we were close, she offered to cover my shift. But on that very day, the late emperor, in his drunkenness, mistook the beautiful lady for the late empress and slept with her…”
Yu Nie understood that the "Su Meiren" mentioned by Song Ai was Zhao Huayan's biological mother.
Song Ai continued, "This favor was originally caused by the late emperor's drunkenness. Consort Su originally intended to conceal the past, but fate played a trick on her, and she became pregnant. As a result, the late emperor bestowed upon her the title of Consort and gave her a rank."
"In everyone's eyes, she has risen to a high position and become a phoenix, but Consort Su is in great pain and sorrow because of this. She already has someone she loves outside the palace, and she is just waiting for the right age to leave the palace and marry the person she loves."
At this point, Song Ai was filled with remorse: "These beautiful hopes were ruined because she kindly took my shift. It's my fault... I'm the one who let her down, I ruined her life..."
"Afterwards, I asked the nanny to transfer me to her palace so that I could take care of her. When the beauty was pregnant with the princess, her mood gradually improved at first, and she only thought about raising the princess to adulthood."
"Not wanting the princess to be neglected by her father from birth, she did everything she could to please and cater to the late emperor. But the late emperor thought that the absurdity of that night was because she deliberately used her face, which resembled that of the late empress, to seduce him."
"After bestowing a title upon her, we never saw her again."
A look of regret appeared on Song Ai's usually serious and respectful face.
"Although the beauty was saddened by this, she was not depressed. She was overjoyed to welcome the birth of the princess and made many little tiger-head shoes and hats for you to wear."
"We thought things would be fine if things continued this way. But fate is unpredictable... Seven months after your birth, the beauty began coughing up blood frequently and was diagnosed with tuberculosis by the imperial physician. Not long after... she passed away..."
Having said all that, Yu Nie's heart clenched as he listened to these words.
She understood the purpose behind Song Ai's words.
Soon, her words confirmed her thoughts.
"The princess is the beauty's child, and I dare to regard her as my own. Upon hearing of the princess's return, I did everything in my power to be transferred to Hongzheng Pavilion, all to repay the beauty and to make up for the guilt in my heart..."
She said solemnly, "Princess, you need not worry that I have any other thoughts. Whatever you wish to do, please go. I will follow you until my death..."
No wonder the things she did before never got out.
It turns out she kept it a secret on purpose.
Looking at her resolute and determined expression, Yu Nie felt deeply guilty.
She was not the real Zhao Huayan, nor was she the child of her deceased friend. This was a truth she could not reveal to her.
And you must deceive her and enjoy the benefits she brings.
In terms of being bad, isn't she also a bad person?
After pondering for a while, Yu Nie did not look into Song Ai's eyes and said, "Ju Ling is actually a good friend of my mother. Now that Ju Ling has said this, I realize I was overthinking things."
“I have no memory of my mother at all, but now that the governor is here, he should tell me more about my mother. I want to hear it.”
“Alright.” Song Ai nodded vigorously: “Princess, please just ask me whatever you wish to hear.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Nie smiled knowingly and responded with an "Mm".
Just as the two of them finished speaking, Xu Cai, who had gone out to run errands, hurriedly returned from outside.
Upon catching a glimpse of him, Yu Nie was about to ask him if the matter had been settled.
Before she could speak, Xu Cai came up to her, looking anxious: "Qiqi, something has happened to Huan Xun."
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One basin after another of bloody water was carried out.
As Yu Nie stepped into Huan Xun's bedroom, she almost bumped into a maid carrying hot water.
Upon seeing her arrive, everyone bowed in greeting.
Upon seeing her, Xiao Chengyan, who had escorted Huan Xun back, felt his heart, which had been filled with sorrow for many days, instantly brighten. He went to greet her, saying, "Qiqi..."
She quickly greeted her and hurried to the bedside.
Huan Xun lay face down on the couch, his slightly disheveled hair clinging to his handsome profile, and his forehead covered in a layer of cold sweat.
His nightgown was soaked with blood, and long, narrow whip marks were faintly visible.
The clothes covering the wound were removed, revealing the mangled, bloody wound.
Xie Cheng and the others gathered around all looked reluctant to leave.
"What exactly happened?" Yu Nie quickly came to his side, and the moment she saw the wound on his back, her heart felt like it had been twisted.
She bent down, wanting to reach out and touch it, but her fingertips froze in mid-air.
"Because you were to be punished in place of the Governor, His Majesty rewarded you with forty iron lashes, plus a month of solitary confinement," Xie Cheng replied.
"Forty?! How could His Majesty be so ruthless?"
Command error is a serious crime, but the emperor still relies on Yan Yue to fight the war. Logically speaking, even if it was just to shut up those gentry who were making a big deal out of nothing, the punishment wouldn't be so severe.
Xie Cheng seemed to hesitate about how to answer this question.
Lu Jinshi ignored them: "Isn't it all to shut those bastards up? My master has already humbly backed down and agreed to let them enter the battlefield, but they are still relentless. They told His Majesty that the death of eight thousand elite soldiers is a serious crime, and a light punishment will only make it difficult to silence the public."
“My master didn’t want to put His Majesty in a difficult position, so he volunteered to receive forty lashes. If the executioner hadn’t deliberately gone easy on him, who knows what might have happened to him…”
Lu Jinshi was furious, his aura so intense he seemed ready to tear anyone who had harmed Huan Xun to pieces.
Aunt Wu wiped away her tears and gave the Gao and Wang families a thorough dressing-down.
Meeting her worried gaze, Huan Xun weakly curled his lips into a smile.
He said, "Why did you come so suddenly? If I had known you would come, I should have told them to fight less, so that... you wouldn't be happy to see this scene."
"If you're unhappy, you'll feel sad." Someone once told him this.
He spoke haltingly, his breathing unsteady.
She said anxiously, "What's there to be happy or unhappy about? Do you think my feelings are more important than your injury?"
He laughed and said, "Who knows?"
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