Chapter Twenty-Three
Cen Mo is the son of Cen Jin, the commander of the Wuzhou army in the northern border of the Jinling Dynasty, and Yang Ying, the female commander of the Wuzhou army.
Cen Jin, due to certain reasons, suffered an accident when he was young and drifted to Wuzhou. He was adopted by a military family and joined the Wuzhou army at the age of thirteen. He performed outstandingly in the army and made many merits.
He was later confirmed to be the thirteenth prince of the current dynasty. The emperor wanted to recall him to the capital and bestow upon him the title of prince and great honors. Once the imperial edict was issued, Cen Jin went to the capital to express his gratitude to the emperor.
Foreword: I am grateful for Your Majesty's benevolent decree, for I have no way to repay it. However, having witnessed the many foreign enemies harassing the border and the hardships faced by the people in their peaceful lives, I wish to dedicate my life to working alongside the soldiers of the North to protect the peace and stability of the North.
I bow again: In this life, I have been born as Cen Jin, which is the will of Heaven. I only wish that in the next life, I may be my father's son again, to serve him and repay his kindness.
The emperor at the time tried to persuade him to stay, but seeing that Cen Jin was determined to return to the northern border, and considering that keeping Cen Jin in the northern border would also bring the Wuzhou army under the control of the royal family.
Finally, after considering various factors, the emperor released Cen Jin and allowed him to return to the northern border, bestowing upon him the title of Prince Zhenbei, to guard the northern border forever!
Yang Ying, whose family died during her childhood due to foreign invasion, was filled with resentment. So she disguised herself as a man and joined the army. She made many outstanding contributions and was promoted by her superiors.
Subsequently, the woman's identity was revealed. Alone with a gun, she took down all the famous soldiers in the army. Her eyes were resolute, and no one could shake her.
The general of Wuzhou Army at the time defied public opinion and appointed Yang Ying as a colonel based on his strength. Yang Ying not only stayed in the army and made great achievements, but also established a women's army called the Qihu Team.
Shortly thereafter, the General of Wuzhou Army submitted a memorial to the court, citing the need for health recuperation, and resigned from his position. The emperor then ordered Cen Jin to succeed him as the General of Wuzhou Army.
Shortly thereafter, a powerful foreign enemy launched an attack, and the Wuzhou army engaged in a year-long battle with them. The Jinling Dynasty won a Pyrrhic victory, and for the next twenty-five years, the northern border of Jinling has remained relatively peaceful without any major wars.
Shortly after the war, Cen Jin and Yang Ying married and had two sons and a daughter.
Cen Mo was the youngest son of Cen Jin and Yang Ying. He was 15 years old at the time, a time when he was full of vigor and vitality.
Half a year ago, His Majesty sent an envoy to invite Cen Mo to the capital. Regardless of His Majesty's reasons for inviting Cen Mo to the capital, the root cause was the emperor's suspicion and the decision to leave a hostage in the capital.
The Prince of Zhenbei could see it too, but he had no choice but to send his son to the capital.
Originally a majestic eagle of the north, it has transformed into a wealthy bird of Nanjing.
"Mumu, why is Emperor Chengjing only now considering keeping a hostage in the capital? Previous emperors never issued any decrees to keep hostages in the capital, did they?" Cat said, indicating that she didn't understand these things.
“Emperor Chengjing had just ascended the throne, and his position was not very stable. If he summoned the son of the Prince of Zhenbei to the capital as a hostage, do you think his political enemies would do something?” Xiao Liunian, understanding the cat’s meaning, explained little by little.
"During the reign of the previous emperor, the northern border of Jinling was relatively peaceful. The number of troops in Wuzhou was reduced by half compared to the wartime level. The previous emperor also sent people to participate in the military affairs in the north, and the Prince of Zhenbei always cooperated well with the arrangements of the court. The emperor and his ministers were relatively harmonious!"
"In the past two years, enemy countries have been stirring up trouble, attempting to invade Jinling's territory again. Although there has been no major war for many years, Cen Jin's military acumen tells him that a crisis is imminent, and it may be more serious than it was more than twenty years ago!"
"So two years ago, the Prince of Zhenbei submitted a memorial to Cen Jin requesting the expansion of the Wuzhou army, and a year ago, the Emperor approved the Prince of Zhenbei's request with his own red ink."
The cat listened in a daze, and finally summarized it into one sentence.
"Cen Jin used his son to secure permission from the court to expand the Wuzhou army. It feels very strange!"
"What a clever cat! It's teachable!"
"Go to sleep!"
Xiao Liunian patted the cat in his arms. After listening to so many boring things, he was exhausted. He should go to sleep.
Xiao Liunian recalled what the cat had just said: "It feels very strange."
Isn't that strange? Using one's own son to exchange for the emperor's temporary trust, expanding the Wuzhou army in order to protect the people's safety when defending against enemy invasion in the future.
Should we admire them? Or should we sigh in resignation?
If a person's suspicions are not completely dispelled, they will only deepen over time, gradually becoming a fabricated reality, let alone for an emperor.
While the cat was sleeping, Xiao Liunian reviewed his memories of the Northern Territory and the Empire, thinking that he would soon go to the Northern Territory and fight on the battlefield once again.
For half the morning, Xiao Liunian spent his time in Chang Le Palace, petting cats and reviewing the day's events.
Originally, according to the rules, the princesses were required to pay their respects to Empress Liu Furan, but Empress Liu Furan disliked this rule and stipulated that they only needed to pay their respects once every ten days.
After paying their respects, the princesses would go together to the girls' school set up for them in the inner palace to begin their daily studies. The school would have a day off every ten days, but today, because Cen Mo had come to the capital, Emperor Chengjing Xiao Jin had specially given the princes and princesses a day off.
Therefore, Xiao Liunian has nothing to do during the day and only needs to attend the banquet in the evening.
For the fluffy thirteen, all she needs to do is eat and sleep—a very ordinary and leisurely life.
Time quickly came to the banquet.
Time: Early afternoon (酉时)
Location: Baifu Hall
Attendees: Imperial relatives, relatives of the emperor and empress, and ministers of the third rank or above in the court.
The time, location, and attendees all demonstrate Emperor Xiao Jin's high regard for the Prince of Zhenbei.
"Mumu! You absolutely, positively shouldn't be dating at this age!!!"
The cat in the space stared intently at Lin Mu, fearing that its host might have an underage romance, which would be a grave sin for it.
"Upon closer inspection, Cen Mo is indeed handsome; no wonder he later became the all-powerful regent!"
"Although I have the body of a child, I have the soul of an adult! It's not unreasonable for me to fall in love, is it?"
Xiao Liunian sat upright in his seat, watching the boring banquet with its clinking of glasses and mutual flattery, and thought it would be more interesting to tease his own system cat.
"Emperor, Empress has arrived!"
Accompanied by the chants of palace attendants, the Emperor and Empress finally arrived hand in hand at the meeting venue.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects! Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Empress!"
"Your son pays respects to Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
"Mumu, power is a wonderful thing. Wherever you go, everyone bows down and ten thousand people submit!"
"It's definitely a good product!"
"My lords, you may rise!" Emperor Xiao Jin, accompanied by Empress Liu Furan, took their seats in the main seat and waved his hand.
Everyone then took their seats one by one.
"Cen Mo!" Xiao Jin gave priority to the main character of today's banquet.
“Your subject is here!” Cen Mo stood up and bowed with his hands clasped.
“No need for formalities. According to seniority, the Prince of Zhenbei is my twelfth imperial uncle. So you are also my younger brother. Just call me elder brother!” Xiao Jin said.
"I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's favor! My father repeatedly instructed me to convey his greetings to Your Majesty before he came!"
"He also told me that His Majesty has always been kind and generous, and that I am still young and impetuous. If I have any needs, I should just ask His Majesty!"
"As for addressing Your Majesty as elder brother, I dare not accept it! My father has repeatedly instructed me not to be disrespectful. If my father finds out that I have addressed Your Majesty as elder brother, he will surely punish me for disrespecting Your Majesty!"
After saying this, Cen Mo bowed deeply.
"Mumu, this Cen Mo is also someone who acts all sorts of things!" The cat licked its paws.
"Living in this life-or-death power struggle, who isn't putting on an act at any time!"
Speaking of which, I have to thank the stand-in function provided by the system at the time, which allowed me to portray myself as a little fool, so that I didn't have to cooperate too much with other people's acting for the time being.
"It's alright. If your father punishes you, I will protect you. You can live freely in the capital. I, your elder brother, will take care of everything!" In everyone's eyes, Xiao Jin was a loving and caring older brother at this moment.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. Please forgive my rudeness!"
"I offer this cup of wine to my imperial brother!"
After the banquet, Emperor Xiao Jin sent his chief steward to escort Cen Mo back to the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.
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