"Your Majesty, Young General Gu, His Majesty is waiting for you two inside." The eunuch who led the way whispered, bowed and retreated, disappearing on the bluestone path.
"Thank you." Gu Junwen smiled slightly and looked at the solemn palace in front of him. "Your Majesty, please go first."
Ye Nanyiyi did not refuse. He nodded, his expression unusually serious, and stepped over the threshold. Gu Junwen followed him in with his head lowered.
After clasping her fists and saluting, Gu Junwen stood at the last seat on the right side of the hall, waiting quietly. Looking around silently, she was stunned. Today, everyone in the hall was a minister of honor and a pillar of the country.
The three princes were all dressed in pearl crowns and brocade robes, and looked very handsome. They were standing tremblingly in a row of old ministers. She knew the Minister of Justice Qi and the Minister of War Zhu...
It seemed that something big was about to happen. Gu Junwen quickly lowered his eyelids to avoid the glance of Emperor Mingde and pursed his lips. At this time, it was better to avoid the limelight.
"Host, be proactive and don't be lazy." System 101 reminded in a conscientious voice.
"Tongtong, don't you understand?" Gu Junwen's eyes darkened, and his hands in his sleeves unconsciously clenched. "Emperor Mingde loves me on the surface, but he is very wary of me behind the scenes. The Gu family army has been guarding the northern frontier for many years and has long been pushed to the forefront. I can't step forward at this time, and neither can the Gu family army. Otherwise, I will only end up in a dead end."
"Oh," System 101 searched its database for a long time, still nodding as if it understood something. Its voice suddenly became cheerful, "So, host, is this why you have been pretending to be an indifferent person? Host is amazing!"
"Ahem," Gu Junwen covered his lips and coughed lightly, "That's not the case. I just figured it out recently. If possible, can I take a leave?"
It was still a familiar formula. System 101 sighed heavily: "Host, you must be strong."
"All of you are my most trusted ministers. I have called you here today because something big has happened. Cai Quanfu." As Emperor Mingde's voice sounded, the buzzing sound in the hall was cut off. Eunuch Cai held a vermilion plate and handed the information to the gentlemen.
"Father, your son is willing to take on this mission." The eldest prince Ye Xiulin took the lead and stepped forward, speaking loudly.
"Father, I am willing to go too."
The argument between the eldest prince and the second prince was in full swing, but Gu Junwen could not hear anything. Her eyes were fixed on the words on the paper:
"What do you mean the Thirteen Guards of Youdu rebelled and Tanzhou fell? This is impossible. The Saibei Army is clearly here..." Gu Junwen's mind was in a mess, "Tongtong, are you here?"
"Yes, host. What do you need?" System 101 popped up immediately.
"I want Tanzhou's defense information and the latest battle reports, is that okay?" Gu Junwen dug his fingers into the paper, and his fingertips turned blue.
"This... is fine. Host, please receive the information."
With a ding-dong sound, a large amount of information flooded into Gu Junwen's mind, causing him to stagger.
"Are you okay?" Ye Xiuqiong was quick to help her.
"Thank you." Gu Junwen shook his head, quickly integrating the information in his mind.
Four months ago, Tanzhou was attacked. The invaders called themselves the Thirteen Guards of Nether City. They were very skilled in ghostly movements and were familiar with the defenses of Tanzhou. Taking advantage of the weather change, the cavalry rode into Tanzhou, burning, killing, and looting. After looting everything, they did not follow the custom of slaughtering the city and left, but stayed there instead.
The youngest son of the prefect of Tanzhou lay among the dead for three days before he risked his life to send out the intelligence.
Ironic, right? Gu Junwen often said that emperors who sit on high platforms, such as Mingde Emperors, tend to be more fond of the art of weighing pros and cons in their old age.
It is said that in order to disperse the military power of the garrisons in the northern border and southern regions, Emperor Mingde secretly trained a large number of shadow guards to sneak into the garrisons' residences. It is no exaggeration to say that even the trivial matters of the border soldiers would be sent to the emperor's desk.
The funny thing is that he didn't even know that his country had been lost. That's right, Tanzhou is remote and small in area, and the garrison is insufficient to threaten the central government.
But why are the first and second princes so active? Even if it is to express their views, this gesture is a bit too much.
"Tongtong, mind reading!"
"OK."
Gu Junwen first looked at the eldest prince, whose idea was also simple. He had just lost the support of the Liu family and was temporarily weak, so he urgently needed to win back the emperor's favor in order to make a comeback.
Unfortunately, the eldest prince wanted an opportunity more than the opportunity itself, and it would be of no use if he went.
Looking at the second prince again, Gu Junwen narrowed his eyes subconsciously. This prince was even more dangerous.
Putting aside his abilities and motives, the fact that the governor of Tanzhou was his man was enough for Emperor Mingde to conclude that the second prince could not leave.
The regent was in charge of the affairs of Kyoto and could not leave, the third prince was confined in the palace, and the sixth prince was about to go to Qizhou to take office. Therefore, Ye Nanyi was forced to become the best candidate.
It seems that His Majesty has already made a decision. Gu Junwen withdrew his gaze, his eyes as calm as a still pond.
But Emperor Mingde had already chosen the candidates, so why did he go to so much trouble to summon so many people? Was it just to see the attitudes of the three princes? Or who was he targeting?
"Host, come on, try to go with the hero, it will be more conducive to completing the task." System 101 didn't want to think too much, all it had in its eyes was its task schedule and it was shouting excitedly.
"Stop making noise." Gu Junwen curled her lips slightly. She understood. That's how it was.
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