Chapter 92
Xu Junyuan was invited into the palace in a hurry, thinking that something earth-shattering had happened. Unexpectedly, there was such a big fuss in Ci'an Palace just because Prince Huai smiled at the beautiful physician who fed him oranges.
Xu Junyuan opened Xiao Li's eyes, looked at her over and over again for a long time, and then looked at Lin Qingyu meaningfully.
The Queen Mother urged, "Master, Li'er has grown up so big, except for crying when he was just born, he has almost no expression since then. Now he can laugh, does it prove that his amnesia is getting better?"
Xu Junyuan hesitated and said, "Not necessarily."
It doesn't necessarily mean it's possible. The Queen Mother couldn't help but have red eyes. She said in a trembling voice: "So, there is still hope for Li'er's illness to be cured?"
"Although the prince's soul has left his body, there is still a trace of his soul left in his body to protect his body from extinction. Since it is a residual soul, it is normal for it to cry and laugh. This does not mean anything."
The Queen Mother was unwilling to give up and said, "But Li'er has never laughed before, why did she suddenly laugh?"
Xu Junyuan asked Aunt Xiujiao: "You just said that the prince smiled at Doctor Lin?"
Madam Xiujiao nodded continuously: "Doctor Lin fed the prince an orange slice, and the prince smiled."
"That's right." Xu Junyuan said with a smile, "The prince can see it. When he saw the beauty feeding him, he was happy and smiled."
Nanny Xiujiao said, "But the prince won't smile when he sees other beauties."
"That's probably because other beauties aren't beautiful enough."
Lin Qingyu said calmly: "I am already married, and it is too frivolous for the Imperial Master to call me a beauty all the time."
Xu Junyuan bowed and said, "I was negligent. I would like to apologize to the general's wife."
After hope came greater disappointment. The Queen Mother gently stroked Xiao Li's face and choked up, "Li'er, please smile at your mother too..."
The Queen Mother was so sincere and affectionate, but Xiao Li refused to even look at her. The young boy lowered his long eyelashes, each of them clearly separated, and quietly played with his fingers.
Even Xu Junyuan was moved by this scene and consoled him, "Time passes and things change. It is unknown whether the prince's soul can return to his body in the future. Since the prince likes the general's wife, you can ask her to come to Ci'an Palace often to accompany the prince. The future is unpredictable, so I hope the queen mother will relax and take care of the phoenix's body."
The Queen Mother was a person who had experienced many ups and downs and had been tempered in the deep palace for many years. Only her son and nephew could make her lose her composure. She calmed herself down, wiped away the tears from her eyes, and said, "Thank you for your help, Imperial Master." She looked out the window at the sky, "It will be sunset in less than half an hour. Since Imperial Master is here, why don't you stay in the palace and accompany the emperor and me to appreciate the lanterns."
Xu Junyuan smiled and replied, "I obey your order."
After nightfall, Xiao Jie, the Queen Mother and many members of the royal family climbed up to the city wall together. The Queen Mother was supported by Xiao Jie and stood at the front. Looking at Xiao Jie's rather unnatural expression and movements, one could tell whether this picture of loving mother and filial son was real or not. Standing behind them were several old princes and princesses, as well as Xiao Li led by Nanny Xiujiao; Lin Qingyu and Xu Junyuan stood at the end. Among so many people, they were the only two who were not royal relatives.
The Imperial Palace Tower is the highest point in the capital and is also the most suitable place to enjoy lanterns. From a bird's eye view, the magnificent scenery of the capital city is all within your sight.
There are fireworks, parading floats, and crowds of people, just like last year on this day.
The moon and the lights are still the same, but the people from last year are missing. Even if you are in the best place to enjoy the lanterns, who can you tell?
Nanny Xiujiao's voice came from not far away: "Your Highness, look quickly. That lantern is made in the shape of a rabbit..."
A few steps away from Lin Qingyu, a young man with only a wisp of soul left was lying on the city wall, his eyes reflecting the same lights of thousands of homes as Lin Qingyu's.
The Queen Mother was not in a good mood to appreciate the lanterns. After watching for less than half an hour, she said, "I am tired. I will take Li'er back to the palace to rest. It is rare for the whole family to be together. Emperor, please talk to the uncles."
Xiao Jie responded with yes. Lin Qingyu took the opportunity to resign, and the empress dowager said, "Okay, then let Doctor Lin take me back to Ci'an Palace." After saying that, she raised her hand.
Lin Qingyu paused, walked forward, and asked the empress dowager to place her hand on the back of her own hand. As the two were about to go downstairs, Xi Rong suddenly stood up, lifted his skirt, knelt down, and said loudly: "I am Xi Rong, the Minister of Ceremonies, and I have come to apologize to the Empress Dowager and Imperial Physician Lin."
As soon as he opened his mouth, the attention of the old prince and the princess was drawn.
Lin Qingyu and the Queen Mother looked at each other. The Queen Mother said angrily, "What are you doing for no reason? Are you deliberately trying to spoil the Emperor and the other princes' enjoyment of the lanterns?"
"No, mother," Xiao Jie said nervously, "Arong is sincerely asking for forgiveness, please just listen to what he has to say first."
The emperor spoke up himself, so the empress dowager naturally couldn't let him down in front of the royal family: "It seems that the emperor knew about your crime in advance. Well, tell me about it."
Xi Rong kowtowed and said, "On that day, Yongliang was lost and the northwest was in danger. No one in the court could take on the position of General of the Western Expedition except General Gu, but General Gu was reluctant to lead the Western Expedition. In desperation, I offered advice to the emperor and Prime Minister Cui, deliberately angering General Wu, just to ignite General Gu's fighting spirit, so that he could regain his strength and show the momentum that severely defeated Xixia that year, and save the people of Yongliang from the dire situation. For the sake of the northwest and Dayu, I had to resort to this bad strategy. I am willing to be punished."
Before the Queen Mother could say anything, Xiao Jie said, "Mother, although Arong was wrong in this matter, he was also thinking about the northwest. Xixia threatened to massacre the city if they couldn't see General Gu. Arong did this because he really had no other choice..."
An old prince said, "I have also heard a little about what happened that day. General Gu was a general appointed by the late emperor himself. When something happened in the northwest, he was able to stay out of it. In my opinion, an imperial edict should have been issued instead of caring about it. The emperor has already given General Gu a lot of face by doing this."
Another prince agreed, "Third brother is right. After all, it's all for Dayu's sake. Even if this eunuch is guilty, his merits and demerits can be offset."
Xi Rong glanced at Lin Qingyu. He saw the beautiful imperial physician looking at him silently, her expression seemingly calm, but he knew that Lin Qingyu... wanted his life.
The Queen Mother's chest rose and fell slightly, and she tried her best to hide her anger. She sneered and said, "Since the two princes have asked for mercy for you, I have no choice but to be lenient with you - drag him away and give him thirty lashes."
Xiao Jie's eyes widened: "Thirty, thirty?"
"Why," the Queen Mother said coldly, "Does the Emperor think it's too much?"
Xi Rong called out "Your Majesty" in a low voice, and Xiao Jie pursed his lips and said nothing more. But everyone could see that he was heartbroken.
Lin Qingyu couldn't help but wonder what kind of interesting expression Xiao Jie would have if Xi Rong died in front of him.
He kind of wanted to see it.
After returning to Ci'an Palace, the Queen Mother asked Nanny Xiujiao to take Xiao Li back to her room to rest, and then dismissed everyone, angrily saying: "What a trick of the villain making the first complaint. I underestimated that eunuch. What I didn't expect was that the Emperor would actually protect him to that extent!"
Lin Qingyu said: "Unfortunately, it is not the right time to move Xi Rong yet."
"Why?"
Lin Qingyu explained: "Before the general recovers the northwest, the capital must not have any accidents. At least we have to wait until the general recaptures Yongliang and stabilizes the situation in the northwest before we can take action."
Since he stayed in the capital, he had to make sure that Xixia had no chance to disrupt the morale of the army, so that the soldiers could fight on the battlefield without any worries.
"I don't understand." The Queen Mother said coldly, "How can killing Xi Rong, a somewhat clever eunuch, cause any changes in the capital? Could it be that the Emperor wants to make things difficult for the throne because of me and him?"
Lin Qingyu said: "If I say that Xi Rong is to the emperor just like the young prince is to you, then you will understand."
The Queen Mother was stunned. Of course she understood that Xiao Li was her life. In order to be reunited with Xiao Li and her son, she would even betray her king and husband. If anyone killed Xiao Li, she would make sure that the murderer's entire clan was buried with him, and then... she would go to the underworld to accompany her Li'er.
"But, how could that be? Even if the two of them have a friendship since childhood, it shouldn't be this bad."
Lin Qingyu told the Queen Mother about Xi Rong's life experience. After hearing this, the Queen Mother's expression became even more fierce, and she said firmly: "If he is really the Emperor's half brother, then he cannot be kept."
"At this moment, everything should be prioritized with the war in the northwest." Lin Qingyu said the same thing, "Everything will be discussed after Yongliang is recovered."
The Queen Mother asked, "Aren't you afraid that he will attack us first?"
Lin Qingyu laughed: "He can't, and he doesn't dare."
If something happened to him in the capital, the 300,000 troops under Gu Fuzhou might not just kill Xixia. Xi Rong was also waiting. After Gu Fuzhou pacified the northwest for him, he would look for an opportunity to bide his time and take back the military power. Given Xi Rong's cautiousness and carefulness, he would never dare to touch him unless he was absolutely sure.
Lin Qingyu stayed in the palace until late at night. When leaving the palace, the lights and the crowds were gone, leaving only the bright moon in the sky, shining with the northwest thousands of miles away.
Northwest, the Guizhou Governor's Office.
Gu Fuzhou stretched out his hand and let Hu Ji take his pulse. Seeing Hu Ji's solemn expression, he couldn't help but sigh: "Is my illness incurable?"
Hu Ji said in embarrassment: "People often suffer from hair loss when they reach middle age, especially men. General, your hair loss is not serious at all. I have lost more hair than you. You are really worrying too much."
"No, I clearly feel that I have lost half of my hair." Gu Fuzhou said in a deep voice, "Doctor Hu, you must find a way to cure me. If the hair keeps falling off like this, I will have to go back to see Qingyu with a bald head."
Hu Ji had no choice but to say, "If you rest more and think less, maybe you will get better."
Gu Fuzhou laughed: "How is it possible in this situation?"
As the two were talking, they heard footsteps outside. There were two people coming, one was Wu Youyuan, the vanguard of the Western Expedition, and the other was Shen Huaishi, the former secret guard of the Tianji Camp.
Wu Youyuan and Shen Huaishi are both skilled in martial arts, one is good at head-on combat, and the other is well versed in the ways of assassins. After Wu Youyuan learned that Shen Huaishi was once a secret guard of the Tianji Camp, he often pestered Shen Huaishi to practice martial arts with him in his spare time. After a month, I didn't win once.
"General, we are back."
Hearing Wu Youyuan's voice, Gu Fuzhou asked without even raising his head, "Are you happy about your tenth consecutive defeat?"
Wu Youyuan was not convinced: "Brother Shen is a few years older than me. When I grow up a few more years, I will definitely be able to surpass him."
Shen Huaishi smiled helplessly and said, "General, there is a letter from home."
Gu Fuzhou stood up suddenly and said, "Give it to me." In front of the three people, he opened the letter and read it carefully.
Hu Ji said: "Judging from the general's expression, Doctor Lin must be doing well in the capital."
"Everything is the same as before in the imperial palace in the capital. He is trying to find a way to solve the problem of insufficient food and salary... It's all official business." Gu Fuzhou turned a page and raised the corner of his mouth. "Oh, the little poisonous insects are growing well and have already given birth to their second nest."
Wu Youyuan asked curiously: "Little poisonous insect? What is that?"
Gu Fuzhou said seriously, "They are the second young lady and the third young master of the general's mansion."
Wu Youyuan was stunned: "When did the general and Doctor Lin have a baby?"
Hu Ji smiled and said, "I think the general is talking about the poisonous insects raised by Doctor Lin."
Wu Youyuan burst into laughter, and Shen Huaishi couldn't help laughing as well. Wu Youyuan asked: "What about the eldest son of the general's mansion?"
"It's not the eldest son, it's the eldest daughter." Gu Fuzhou said, "She was trampled to death by the servants."
The three of them looked at each other, not knowing what expression to put on: "General, please accept my condolences."
"Come to think of it, today is the Lantern Festival." Hu Ji recalled, "The only day of the year in the capital that has no curfew is the Lantern Festival night. It is also the busiest day of the year."
After hearing what Hu Ji said, Gu Fuzhou's mind emerged with the memory of the festive night scene in Beijing: lanterns all over the city, the Jinshui River as brilliant as the Milky Way, a stunning beauty, and... a rabbit-shaped lantern.
Gu Fuzhou smiled to himself. He patted Wu Youyuan on the shoulder and said, "Brothers, work hard. Finish the fight early and go home early."
It took more than half a year for Gu Fuzhou to lead his soldiers to successively recapture several neighboring cities of Yongliang.
In the autumn of the second year of Chuxi, Dayu’s army was ready to attack the last city - Yongliang.
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