Chapter 065 Past Life Extra (2)

In the 21st year of Zhanghe, Zhan Yue was greatly favored by the emperor and was promoted to the post of Left Commander-in-Chief of the Five Military Commandery. However, within a year, the emperor died.

The snow fell fast and thick that year. On New Year's Eve, the height of the snow in Beijing was almost above people's ankles.

Zhan Yue did not stay in Beijing to observe the New Year's Eve. The situation in the northwest was unstable and the Turks showed signs of re-offending, so His Majesty sent him to the northwest to supervise the army.

The Northwest Camp was close to the frontier. In winter, the nights became especially long, and the cold winds made people feel bone-chilled. Zhan Yue had nothing to do at night, so he put on a winter coat and strolled outside the tent.

Although the weather was cold, the night sky in the northwest was extremely beautiful, hanging low in front of the hills, and even the moonlight seemed within reach.

One of the personal soldiers saw the governor standing alone outside the tent, and he quickly handed him a brocade quilt to help him cover himself.

Zhan Yue was slightly stunned, and after a moment he said, "Thank you."

The guard said respectfully several times: "You are too polite, Governor."

He asked bravely: "Today is New Year's Eve, are you missing home, Governor?" Every day at the beginning and end of the year has a different meaning, it symbolizes longing and reunion.

Zhan Yue looked normal. He tied his belt slowly and asked, "Are you married?"

The personal soldier chuckled and said, "Married."

As he spoke, he touched the back of his head and answered with a simple and honest smile: "My wife was pregnant before I left. Counting the days, it's been five months now. I don't know if I can catch up with the birth of the baby when I go back."

Zhan Yue was lowering his head, his belt was not tied yet, and the smile on his face was half hidden by the brocade quilt.

He said calmly, "It's very enviable."

The soldier was stunned for a moment, then he realized that he seemed to have said something wrong.

Although Governor Zhan also married, his wife was unable to bear children. If you count carefully, they have been married for six years. However, it is said that the Governor and his wife are in harmony, and there is not even a concubine in the Governor's Mansion.

The personal guards realized that it seemed inappropriate to talk about the child in front of the governor.

He tried to make up for the loss by saying, "Actually... actually having a child is also very troublesome. If it's a boy, he will definitely be naughty when he is young. We are in the army and away. If we don't take good care of him, he may grow up to be a playboy. It would be better not to have a child. If it's a girl, she will get married and follow her husband and children. Life will be very difficult."

Zhan Yue smiled. He was very perceptive and could guess what the guard meant. He had a calm expression and gently patted the guard's shoulder, saying, "You are blessed."

The guard smiled dryly and was about to say something to comfort the governor, but Zhan Yue walked away. His back was neat and tidy, just like him.

Last night, it snowed in the northwest. Zhan Yue's black boots stepped on the snow, one step deep and one step shallow, and only the rustling sound could be heard.

The personal soldiers seemed to sense something and hurriedly chased after him in a trance, but the governor had already entered the account. In addition to Zhan Yue, the account also included the Anding Marquis who was stationed in the northwest, as well as various deputy generals and military officers.

The voices echoed in the hall, and the guards had no choice but to stand guard outside the tent hand in hand. That night, he didn't remember many things, but the governor's casual words "You are blessed" kept ringing in his ears.

In the blink of an eye, it was October of the first year of Xian'an, and the new emperor had been on the throne for nearly two years.

During these two years, a lot of things happened. When the new emperor first came to power, he was very drastic in his administration, and many of the old ministers who had served during the previous emperor's lifetime were demoted.

The first to bear the brunt of the disaster were the Pei family in Jiangnan.

Pei was the maternal family of Empress Xiao Zhaohui, and was also a cousin of Prince Ning and the Grand Princess. It was foreseeable that Pei would be in trouble when the new emperor ascended the throne, but no one expected that the new emperor would be so impatient.

Prince Ning passed away in February of the first year of the Xian'an reign. It was said that he invited a mediocre doctor to his house and took elixirs by mistake. By the time the imperial physician arrived, Prince Ning had already died of all the medicine.

Because of the Ning Wang incident, the new emperor showed special favor to the Pei family and gave the late old lady Pei the posthumous title of "Wen Zheng Gong".

Throughout the dynasties, only a very small number of famous officials could be conferred the title of Wen Zheng Gong, and this precedent was set by Wei Zheng in the Tang Dynasty.

The last person to receive this honor in this dynasty was during the reign of Emperor Taizong. The Pei family went to the court to express their gratitude, and the new emperor smiled and comforted them.

At this point, the new emperor's reign seemed to have come to an end, and the Pei family was showing signs of regaining glory.

Zhang Xian was a close friend of the governor because the governor had given him a precious jade unicorn when his wife gave birth last year. For this reason, many people thought that Zhang Xian was already a close friend of the governor.

It happened that the Five Military Governor's Office had something going on that day, so his colleagues there urged Zhang to report first.

In fact, Governor Zhan was not a difficult person to get along with. It was just that his eyes had always been unfathomable these days, as if beneath his calm surface, there was a storm surging.

Most people didn't dare to disturb them, so for the sake of the Jade Unicorn, Zhang Xian had no choice but to make this trip.

The sun was about to set that day, the sky was dim and dusk was falling. The doorman went in to report, and Zhang Xian followed the others into the governor's mansion.

In Zhang Xian's memory, the governor was very busy that year. His Majesty was willful in government affairs and always needed someone to solve his worries.

In addition, the Turks did have the intention to commit crimes again, and Governor Zhan was burdened with such a heavy responsibility that he was almost like a spinning top with no end in sight.

He had just fallen asleep an hour before Zhang Xian came to see Governor Zhan.

After Zhang Xian arrived, he was entertained by Zhan Yue's foster brother Liu Qi. Liu Qi had been with the governor the longest, and when he walked outside, he had more face than these personal soldiers.

The two of them greeted each other, and Liu Qi said politely, "My master finally fell asleep. Can you wait for a moment?"

Zhang Xian said hurriedly: "It's okay, I can wait as long as I want. It's more important for the governor to rest first."

While the two were talking, the governor's wife also arrived.

This lady's surname was Feng, and she came from a good family. A few years ago, her father had already been promoted to the position of Grand Academician and concurrently served as Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. When Dou Gelao of Wenhua Palace retired, Feng Gelao would surely be the chief assistant and lead the inner cabinet.

Mr. Zhang had not seen the lady many times before, so he bowed and saluted.

The lady nodded politely and said to Liu Qi, "I have made some soup. When he wakes up, he can drink some."

Liu Qi nodded: "Yes."

The governor's wife was well-maintained and had a gentle voice, sounding like a well-educated girl from an aristocratic family. However, when she spoke to Liu Qi, she seemed to be distant, unlike the usual mistress and servant.

Even when she expressed her concern for Governor Zhan, she was not as close as Zhang Xian thought.

Zhang Xian was about to raise his head to look at his wife again, but he saw a servant from the Governor's Mansion hurriedly bringing in a companion from the palace.

This Huang Banban has been following Your Majesty since early years and is very trusted by Your Majesty. Since he has come, he must have something important to tell you.

Since it was an order from the palace, Liu Qi did not dare to delay any longer, so he had to go into the room and wake up Zhan Yue. Liu Qi said, "My Lord has just woken up, and if you have something to say, go in and tell him."

Huang Banban also thanked him.

When Zhang Xian heard that the governor had woken up, he simply waited at the door of the room, intending to go in after Huang Banban finished speaking.

However, before they could even warm their feet, they heard Huang Banban in the room shouting in panic: "Governor!"

The eunuchs were neither male nor female, and their voices were all sharp and shrill, not to mention the sudden loud voice. The two words "dudu" pierced into the ears of several people with an extremely sharp tone.

Liu Qi and Zhang Xian's hearts beat fast. Liu Qi pushed the door open without hesitation, followed by Zhang Xian, and Feng also followed behind them.

The governor's room was very clean, with the neatness and tidiness that only soldiers could have. Zhang Xian even felt that there was no smell of smoke in the room, let alone the fragrance of women.

He was about to step on the bed when he realized he was stepping on a drop of blood. Zhang Xian was terrified and looked up at the governor.

Zhan Yue was only wearing a plain undershirt, the collar of which was now stained with scarlet blood, which was particularly eye-catching.

Huang Banban held Governor Zhan's shoulder with one hand and said anxiously, "Quick, go get a doctor!"

Liu Qi hurried over in person, and Feng stepped forward and asked anxiously, "What's going on?"

Huang Banban didn't know what to do. He said in horror, "Don't talk about it. I still don't understand. I just said one sentence, and His Majesty is still waiting for a reply."

Zhang Xian asked: "What did you say?"

Huang Banban remained silent. He pressed Governor Zhan's shoulder with some force.

Zhang Xian knew that his question might have touched upon the secrets of the inner court, so he quickly shut up. Feng Shi, who was standing by, just stood there quietly. She calmly reached out her hand and wiped the blood off the governor's mouth.

About a cup of tea later, Liu Qi and the doctor came in hurriedly.

Zhang Xian was cleared out. He stood guard outside the house and heard the doctor's voice coming from the inner room: "The governor has not been sleeping well these past few days. He must have been so angry that the blood in his chest has not come down."

"He can't be stimulated recently and needs a good rest."

The words "anger and fury" and "blood in the heart" floated clearly into Zhang Xian's ears, and he couldn't help but become curious.

Although Commander Zhan was not a talkative person, Zhang Xian had followed him for several years and had never seen him truly angry.

What could have happened that would make him so angry that he couldn't hold back the blood in his chest anymore?

Zhang pricked up his ears first, and sure enough, he heard Huang Banban pulling Liu Qi aside and talking in a low voice.

Huang Banban's voice was low, and the words that reached Zhang Xian's ears were fragmented: "...Look...what can we do...His Majesty and the Queen Mother are waiting."

Liu Qi's voice was also very low: "Who is it?"

"The Grand Princess... the Prince Consort and you are still relatives... it is for this reason that your Majesty sent me to ask the governor."

Zhang Xian was about to continue listening when he saw the door was suddenly pushed open from the inside.

Zhang Xian hurriedly stood up properly.

The lady wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, and when she saw Zhang Xian, she nodded to him with all her strength, but the smile on her lips looked very lonely.

Zhang was puzzled at first, but his wife looked up at the sky. The sunset was so gorgeous today that one's shadow would be very long if one was not careful.

"So that's how it is." The lady breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled calmly, as if she was talking to herself, and left without looking back.

Zhang Xian was particularly surprised.

But because of this interruption, I could no longer hear what Huang Banban and Liu Qi were saying.

A few days later, news of the death of Princess Huan of Jiashan came out. The Duke of Anguo's mansion was suspected of having evil intentions, so his title was stripped and his property was confiscated. The consort Zhan Shaoying was imprisoned and will be executed in the autumn.

Your Majesty showed mercy outside the law and still appointed Zhan Yue as the Left Commander-in-Chief, but Zhan Yue requested to be demoted three levels and fined two years' salary in exchange for remaining in office.

At the same time, this news, combined with the fragmented words from the past few days, finally connected into a complete line in Zhang Xian's mind.

When Huang Banban came to the mansion that day, was he going to tell Governor Zhan that "the Grand Princess has passed away" and ask him to come up with a set of rules as soon as possible?

The Grand Consort and the Governor-General both came from the Duke of Anguo's Mansion. The Grand Consort had been made the Crown Prince, and the Duke of Anguo's Mansion was so bold and presumptuous that it was inevitable that the Governor-General would be implicated.

However, Your Majesty is new to government affairs, and will inevitably have to rely on the governor in the future, so I sent Huang Banban to report the news in advance.

So the governor also shed a sigh of relief because he heard the news?

Zhang Xian's hands and feet gradually became stiff. He recalled his wife's words, "So that's how it is." He felt as if he had just woken up from a dream.

Why is that?

Zhang Xian didn’t dare to think about it.

Over the years, the governor had already become the blade of a sharp knife in his heart. The blade was invincible and should be fearless.

But it turns out that a blade can also bleed in fear?

Zhang Xian looked towards the moonlight. In that northwestern night, the cool and tall figure of Governor Zhan once again floated into his mind.