Chapter 68
In the morning court sessions every day, all the ministers were discussing the war between Dayu and Western Xia. When Western Xia made a comeback this time, they also changed their commander-in-chief, and their marching style was completely different from before. Zhao Mingwei was nowhere to be found. After three consecutive defeats, he adopted a conservative strategy of defending the city, avoided leaving, and sought help from the capital. In the memorial, Zhao Mingwei repeatedly stressed that he was not qualified to be the commander-in-chief and asked the emperor to let General Gu take command again as soon as possible.
The emperor sat on the dragon throne and looked down at his ministers, while Xiao Cheng stood at the head of them. This father and son from the royal family look somewhat similar in appearance and spirit, but now they both look sickly, thin and haggard. The emperor supported his forehead with his hand, his brows furrowed. The voices of his ministers' reports were endless, mixed with Xiao Cheng's muffled coughs from time to time, which gave him a splitting headache.
Xiao Cheng also forced himself to attend court. Shen Huaishi's sword injured his left lung. Unless a miracle doctor is reborn, he will not be able to live a normal life for the rest of his life.
Gu Fuzhou was also forcing himself to attend court. He was standing straight with his eyelashes drooping, and others thought he was meditating with his eyes closed.
"General Gu and Young Master Lin have been married for only a few days, and he is already being sent to the battlefield? He hasn't even had a warm wedding bed yet." The speaker was General Wu, Wu Zhan, who was on good terms with Gu Fuzhou.
The Prime Minister stroked his beard and said, "General Wu is wrong. A country is the foundation of a family. With the country in crisis, is General Gu going to abandon his 300,000-man army for the Western Expedition just because he is greedy for the pleasure of a gentle life?"
Wu Zhan cursed, "What national crisis? Prime Minister Cui is exaggerating. It's just a few bandits from Xixia." Wu Zhan stepped out and knelt, "Your Majesty, give me 10,000 elite soldiers, and I will immediately go to the northwest to support General Zhao. Within three months, I will definitely win a great victory for Dayu!"
The Prime Minister shook his head and said, "You are speaking arrogantly and overestimating your own abilities."
Wu Zhanhuo said: "I don't know my own abilities? If you can do it, go ahead!"
The emperor listened to the two people's argument calmly, and suddenly asked: "Prince, what do you think about this matter?"
Xiao Cheng seemed not to have heard it. His expression remained unchanged, and he was obviously absent-minded.
The emperor snapped, "Prince!"
Xiao Cheng finally came to his senses and said, "I second the motion."
"You second the motion? Whose motion do you second?"
"Of course it's Prime Minister Cui's." Xiao Cheng coughed twice again, "I am not feeling well and I lost my manners in front of the palace. I hope your Majesty will forgive me."
Considering Xiao Cheng's health, the emperor resisted the urge to get angry. He then asked Gu Fuzhou, "Gu Aiqing, what do you think?"
Gu Fuzhou: “…”
After being ignored twice in a row, the emperor could no longer tolerate it and slammed the table and shouted: "Gu Fuzhou!"
Gu Fuzhou opened his eyes, and a trace of confusion flashed across his eyes quickly. When he saw Wu kneeling before the emperor, with an attitude of volunteering, he could probably guess what the emperor was asking him. "General Wu is a general, not a commander. I think he is more suitable to be a vanguard."
Wu Zhan kept winking at Gu Fuzhou, but Gu Fuzhou pretended not to notice. "Besides, the terrain in the northwest is mostly plains and deserts. General Wu is good at water battles, so it's not appropriate to send him to the northwest."
Gu Fuzhou's words were well-reasoned and the emperor could not find fault with them. He had to slow down his voice and said, "Gu Aiqing is right. Wu Zhan is indeed not suitable to lead the Northwest."
The Prime Minister took the opportunity to say, "General Gu has been in the northwest for many years. No one knows how to march and fight in the plains and deserts better than the general. The seal of the commander-in-chief of the expedition to the west must go to General Gu."
The Minister of War echoed, "The general secretly returned to the capital that day to cure the Sky Spider poison. Now that the Sky Spider has been cured, the general has married with great fanfare. The fact that he was in the capital can no longer be concealed. Xixia dared to act so recklessly only after knowing that the general was not in Yongliang. If the general does not go back to stabilize the army's morale, I am afraid that Xixia will become even more aggressive."
Gu Fuzhou frowned, covered his chest and said, "I am willing to lead the troops to fight."
Wu Zhan hurriedly said, "No! Although the Sky Spider has been cured, the successive poisonings and injuries have already damaged the general's body. The doctor said that if the general wants to live a few more years, he must stay in the capital to recuperate."
The doctor Wu Zhan mentioned was Gu Fuzhou’s newly-wed wife. A few days ago, Wu Zhan went to visit the general's mansion. General Gu was not particular about trivial matters and let his newlywed wife drink with him at the same table. It was at that time that the general's wife revealed the general's health condition to him.
Gu Fuzhou said in a deep voice: "In the face of national justice, I am willing to put my own life and death aside."
"How can we do this? The life and death of the general is a matter of national importance. If we force him to return to the northwest at this time, causing his old illness to relapse, wouldn't that be more in line with the wishes of the Xixia bandits!"
The emperor had an unbearable headache. He expected Xiao Cheng to come out and take charge of the situation, but apart from replying to him, Xiao Cheng did not say another word, and no one knew what he was thinking.
How could the prince, whom he had high hopes for, become like this?
"We will discuss the commander-in-chief's matter later. You should first come up with a temporary plan so that Zhao Mingwei has something to do - adjourn the court." The emperor stood up exhausted, his body swaying, and the ministers immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, take care of your health."
After the court was dismissed, Gu Fuzhou and Wu Zhan traveled together. Wu Zhan asked him: "General, why don't you let me go to the northwest?"
Gu Fuzhou said: "You are not suitable for the Northwest battlefield." If you go, you will just be giving your head to the other side, so there is no need to do that.
"But if I don't go, the general will." Wu Zhan joked, "Will the general be willing to abandon his newlywed wife and go to a desolate place like the northwest for several years?"
"Of course I am willing to give it up." Gu Fuzhou said in a resounding voice, "A real man has great ambitions. How can he be confined to a small world because of his children's personal feelings?"
Wu Zhan was immediately filled with respect: "The general is truly a role model for our generation!"
After separating from Wu Zhan, Gu Fuzhou saw a eunuch carrying a vase coming towards him. The vase was half a person's height, and I couldn't see the road ahead while holding it in my hands.
The eunuch who led Gu Fuzhou was afraid that this man would block General Gu's way, so he said, "Xiao Songzi, you have to slow down."
"Little pine seeds?" Gu Fuzhou asked, "But are they the little pine seeds from the Qinzheng Palace?"
Xiao Songzi poked his head out from behind the vase with difficulty, and seeing that it was Gu Fuzhou, he hurriedly said, "In reply to the general, I am working in the Qinzheng Palace."
Gu Fuzhou raised his lips slightly: "I've heard a lot about you."
Xiao Songzi was flattered. How could a eunuch like him deserve such admiration from General Gu? "General, you are joking. I have long admired your great reputation."
"You are too modest." Gu Fuzhou turned to the eunuch who led the way for him, "Let this little Songzi escort this general out of the palace."
The leading eunuch took the vase from Xiaosongzi and left. Gu Fuzhou said: "I heard Madam mention you."
Xiao Songzi said, "Doctor Lin... No, it's the general's wife who used to treat us servants."
Gu Fuzhou nodded slightly and asked, "Your Majesty's headache had improved before, why do you look so bad today?"
Xiao Songzi is worthy of being Xiao Songzi. Without any hesitation, he said, "In reply to the general, the emperor was indeed much better before. But as soon as winter came, his condition suddenly became worse. Medicine and acupuncture are useless. Even Lin Yuanpan is helpless."
Gu Fuzhou returned to the general's mansion. Before he could ask, Yuan Yin said, "Madam should be in the study now."
Gu Fuzhou threw his official hat to Yuan Yin and walked straight towards the study. The door of the study was open. When I pulled aside the windproof curtain, I saw Lin Qingyu, dressed in white, sitting by the window, playing chess alone. He held a chess manual in one hand and with the other hand he was casually turning a black piece over with his fingertips. Although she has a bright face, her temperament is as cold as the moon, as if she is not of this world. Huantong was standing by, quietly adding charcoal to the stove.
Damn it, please let him be imprisoned to death by his children’s love affairs.
None of his cares is about a man's ambitions. He just wants to sleep until he wakes up naturally, and then stay at home and look at beautiful women.
Lin Qingyu was so absorbed in reading the chess manual that he didn't notice anyone coming in until he heard a familiar voice: "Lin Qingyu——"
Lin Qingyu raised his eyes and asked, "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong?"
"You never call me Lin Qingyu."
Gu Fuzhou deliberately asked: "Then how do I usually call you?"
"Qingyu, or Doctor Lin." Lin Qingyu frowned slightly, "Did something happen?"
"Nothing," Gu Fuzhou smiled a little maliciously, "Huan Tong is still here, I thought we shouldn't be too clingy. He hasn't even gotten married yet, he'd be sad to see us showing affection."
Huantong cried out: "I won't do that!"
Lin Qingyu said unhappily: "Don't call me by my full name next time. I'm not used to it."
Gu Fuzhou coughed twice, not wanting to appear too proud: "I'll try my best."
Gu Fuzhou collapsed in front of Lin Qingyu, picked up a white piece and started tossing it and dropping it, and said casually: "Qingyu, your wedding leave is probably about to end."
Lin Qingyu had mentioned to Gu Fuzhou before that the emperor's prescription for treating headaches contained the wings of a golden silkworm. The golden silkworm Gu has different forms in different seasons, and the prescriptions must also change accordingly. Even his father doesn't know the mystery. When the weather gets colder, the previous prescription will be ineffective. If the emperor doesn't want to be tortured by headaches anymore, he can only ask him to go back.
So he was not surprised at all: "Really?"
Soon, Hualu came to call them for dinner. After dinner, Gu Fuzhou went to the training ground to lift iron bars in pain after digesting his food, while Lin Qingyu continued the unfinished game of chess. As the night grew darker, the two returned to the bedroom and went to bed, one on top of the other.
In the middle of the night, Lin Qingyu was awakened by thirst. He opened his eyes and saw light in the room. It was Gu Fuzhou who lit the lamp and sat under it, deep in thought, but no one knew what he was writing.
Lin Qingyu had seen Gu Fuzhou's erratic appearance many times. Occasionally, when he saw him serious, he would remember that this person was as scheming as he was, but most of the time he was too lazy to think about it.
Lin Qingyu sat up. Gu Fuzhou heard the noise and looked towards him: "Did I wake you up?"
"I was wondering how the new Xixia commander used his troops." Gu Fuzhou looked down at the enemy's marching route that he had reconstructed based on his memory and Zhao Mingwei's report. "It's quite interesting."
Lin Qingyu asked: "Why don't you think about it during the day?"
Gu Fuzhou said without hesitation: "Because I want to play during the day."
Lin Qingyu got out of bed, put on his crane cloak, and poured himself a cup of tea: "So, you are worried about the war situation in the northwest?"
"No, I just thought about it." Gu Fuzhou held the pen horizontally, "He can be as strong as he wants, I choose to stay at home and lie down."
Lin Qingyu took two steps back as a precaution and looked at the pen in Gu Fuzhou's hand warily. As long as Gu Fuzhou held a pen while thinking, he was in danger of being splashed with ink.
Gu Fuzhou paused: "What's wrong?"
Lin Qingyu asked: "Do you want to dirty me again?"
Gu Fuzhou was stunned for a moment, and after confirming his feelings, he smiled and said, "It's over, it seems that I miss it a little."
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