Chapter Four
In the northern part of Yunxiu Kingdom, Vice General Xu Yong was heading excitedly towards the general's camp. Just a few days ago, he had a bitter and resentful expression, as if he were born with useless talents. Now, he was wearing a rare, sunny and cheerful face.
"My lord, guess who's coming to visit us?" Xu Yong shouted loudly at the back of the Marquis of Beiding as soon as he entered the door.
The deputy general, Suo Qian, happened to be standing next to the Marquis of Beiding, discussing matters.
Both of them shuddered involuntarily. Can't a grown man really stop being so jumpy?!
Unlike the Yunzhao Army, the Beida Camp's generals were mostly older and experienced, while the Yunzhao Army consisted mostly of young officers. The Eldest Princess and the Marquis of Beiding were irrefutable proof of this. The two deputy generals accompanying each of them were also of this caliber.
Therefore, a peculiar phenomenon occurred among the soldiers of Yunxiu Kingdom: a group of elders looked at a group of juniors, a group of lords looked at a group of young people, fighting fiercely but with a sense of powerlessness.
While reports of victory were constantly being sent to the imperial court, people on the other side were rolling their eyes from time to time.
In fact, the Beidaying camp had long been sharpening its swords to attack the northern barbarians, but the imperial court was reluctant to send troops.
Ever since hearing that the Eldest Princess had subdued the Western Jin Kingdom and the Hu Kingdom, Xu Yong had been sullen. Seeing him now so energetic and in good spirits, Suo Qian asked curiously, "Who's here? They seem so happy."
Xu Yong laughed loudly and bowed directly to Marquis Beiding, saying, "My lord, the Great Prince has come to see us."
Marquis Beiding's lips curled slightly, but his face showed little emotion as he simply smiled and said, "In that case, we must hurry outside to greet them. Suo Qian, Xu Yong, you two come with me to the camp..."
Before he could finish speaking, a steady voice rang out from outside the tent, followed by approaching footsteps.
“How can we let the Marquis of Beiding go out in person? General, you have military affairs to attend to, and military affairs should be the priority.”
Marquis Beiding hurried toward the tent entrance, but before he could take a step, Prince Mo Qiming had already entered the general's tent. With his handsome eyebrows and friendly smile, he stood up straight and bowed respectfully to Marquis Beiding, saying, "My lord, I am honored to be here on the Emperor's orders to visit the soldiers in the north."
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace!" Marquis Beiding knelt on one knee and bowed. Xu Yong and Suo Qian hurriedly followed suit.
After Mo Qiming finished speaking, he quickly stepped forward, helped the Marquis of Beiding to his feet, and said earnestly, "My lord, please rise. Vice General Xu and Vice General Suo, please rise as well."
Xu Yong and Suo Qian both stood up, their faces beaming with undisguised relief, the unpleasant gloom of the past two days instantly vanished.
Beidaying is practically turning into the Great Northern Wilderness. If someone doesn't come to bring glory to our place soon, some of the officers will be retiring and going back to their hometowns.
Marquis Beiding stood up and immediately glanced at the people around the First Prince. Two guards with swords were in high spirits; a civil official was pale, obviously suffering from the hardships of travel; and there was another one standing by the tent door, his body turned to the side, dressed in ten-patterned brocade, holding a white fan in one hand, on which was painted a begonia flower, a fairy among flowers, delicate and extraordinary.
"Greetings, generals!" Two sword-wielding guards and the haggard-looking civil official bowed to the Marquis of Beiding.
Marquis Beiding nodded, his gaze involuntarily drifting to the civil official who was standing precariously, tall and imposing, yet resembling a reed in the water, swaying in the air.
"This is Minister of Revenue, Lord Li Fenglu." The First Prince gently patted Lord Li's shoulder, but his eyes were fixed on Marquis Beiding.
Marquis Beiding chuckled and said, "So it's Lord Li. You must have suffered a lot on your bumpy journey. Men, quickly take Lord Li to the camp to rest."
Li Fenglu hurriedly bowed deeply and thanked him, saying, "Fenglu is truly useless. If I had even a fraction of your skill, Lord Marquis, a journey of a few days would be no problem at all."
Marquis Beiding laughed heartily and helped Li Fenglu up. "It's alright, Lord Li. We are all people who have worked hard for Yunxiu Kingdom. If I were to manage those financial matters such as land, household registration, taxes, and salaries, it would be no different from a blind man lighting a lamp."
"Thank you, Your Excellency," Li Fenglu said, bowing slightly. After speaking, he was led away by a soldier.
Seeing that Li Fenglu looked weak and listless, with his head and arms hanging limply and his lips slightly blue, and that he could barely walk, Suo Qian hurriedly stepped forward and instructed the soldiers, "Help Lord Li back to his tent and have the cook bring him a bowl of white porridge."
"I'm sorry to trouble you, Deputy General Suo. These past few days, our Minister of Revenue has been vomiting constantly while riding on horseback; he's almost out of his life," Mo Qiming instructed.
Upon hearing this, Xu Yong frowned, thinking, "This Lord Li is a burly man, a seven-foot tall fellow, how come he's so effeminate and pathetic?" He was certain that's what he was thinking, but dared not voice it abruptly, so he asked curiously, "Then why did Lord Li come with the princes?"
The First Prince gave a wry smile. Xu Yong's words sounded normal at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they carried another layer of meaning: the Minister of Revenue had nothing to do in the capital, so he was abandoning his duties to come to the northern military camp. Not only would he be of no help, but in times of crisis, he might even have to rely on others for care—wasn't that just making things worse? Besides, how could Lord Li's status compare to the First Prince's, coming to visit the soldiers on behalf of the Emperor?
In fact, not only Xu Yong, but also the Marquis of Beiding frowned slightly. Xu Yong also noticed and guessed the Marquis's doubts, so he took the opportunity to ask.
“It was the Emperor who did it on purpose,” said Prince Mo Qiming.
Upon hearing this, Marquis Beiding was even more puzzled.
The First Prince looked at the Marquis of Beiding and smiled, “A few days ago, the Emperor listened to the suggestion of the Imperial Uncle and wanted to increase taxes in various regions. Upon hearing this, Lord Li immediately stood up to oppose it, righteously citing a series of reasons such as the hardships of the people. The Marquis, knowing the Imperial Uncle's character, was not one to back down, so he confidently stated a series of reasons such as the need for provisions for the war in the rear. The two of them then started arguing in front of the Emperor and all the civil and military officials.”
"No matter how the officials in court tried to dissuade them, the argument escalated. Unwittingly, some officials spoke recklessly, and then Lord Li said, 'Your brother-in-law is incredibly wealthy; why not lend him your full fortune?' This hit the nail on the head. The brother-in-law's face flushed crimson, and he said to Lord Li in a sinister tone, 'Lord Li, you are so concerned about the country and its people; why not ride to the front lines and fight the enemy?' This immediately struck a nerve with Li Fenglu. His face turned pale, and he kicked the brother-in-law. The two then began fighting in the court. The Emperor, sitting above, was alternating between red and white fury, and angrily ordered his guards to separate them."
Xu Yong and Suo Qian listened, stunned. They often accompanied the Marquis to the imperial court, and had only been there a few times. They had always imagined the court to be incredibly solemn and serious, and while the army was indeed monotonous and disciplined, the soldiers usually interacted casually without so many rules. But after hearing the First Prince's description, the imperial court didn't seem as terrifying as they had imagined.
The Marquis of Beiding looked somewhat serious and said without hesitation, "So, Lord Li was punished by the Emperor."
"Your Excellency is wise; your guess was right." Mo Qiming cupped his hands slightly and smiled. "The matter of increasing taxes will be put aside. The Emperor has fined the Imperial Uncle three months' salary, so Lord Li has come with me to the army, enduring the bumpy ride."
Almost every official in the court knew that the emperor's brother-in-law was greedy for money and stingy with cash, and that Lord Li would vomit as soon as he got on a horse. Li Fenglu would rather get up early before dawn and walk to the morning court than take a carriage; to avoid being late, he was often the first to arrive at the court, and although he did not take a carriage, he was no slower than other officials.
Since Emperor Zhaoming ascended the throne, Yunxiu Kingdom has carried out a series of sweeping reforms. One of them is that young officials must travel on horseback and are not allowed to ride in sedan chairs. Elderly officials who are unable to ride horses may travel by carriage. If they are unable to ride in a carriage, they may submit a memorial to the court explaining their situation. Only after the imperial physician personally verifies their condition can they ride in a sedan chair.
Therefore, regardless of age, those who could ride horses rode them, those who couldn't rode in carriages, and those who were truly unwell had no choice but to ride in sedan chairs. After all, all the officials in the court knew perfectly well that this was a reform of the imperial court; to implement it was to praise it, and to refuse it would be to go against the emperor's will.
Of the officials of Yunxiu Kingdom, only two were elderly, over sixty years old, walking with trembling steps, seemingly about to be blown away by the wind, clearly in poor health, and thus attended the morning court in sedan chairs. The rest rode horses or carriages.
Horse riding isn't inherently difficult; even with poor coordination, one can learn it in a month of practice. However, some people suffer from motion sickness, others from seasickness, and Minister Li Fenglu was a prime example of someone who gets horse sickness. Even a carriage, which also contains the character for horse, was no exception. Minister Li, in his forties, saw seasoned officials still riding horses to court with ease, so how could he dare to petition for a sedan chair?
Therefore, proceed.
Following the example set by their superiors, the wealthy people of Yunxiu Kingdom travel by horse or carriage, rarely by sedan chair.
"So this is the same Lord Li who was rumored to be suffering from horse sickness. Seeing is believing." Marquis Beiding shook his head helplessly, a smile appearing on his lips. Then, he straightened up, a hint of approval in his eyes, and said, "These two are far too frivolous. How could they start a fight in the court? His Majesty is wise. This punishment doesn't seem like a severe one, but it's enough to kill these two. I'm sure they won't dare to fight like this in court again."
"Yes, His Majesty is wise," Mo Qiming said with a smile, glancing around at the Marquis of Beiding and asking, "By the way, where is the Seventh Prince?"
Upon hearing this, Marquis Beiding's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to speak, Suo Qian stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Highness, just now, some northern barbarians launched a surprise attack on a nearby border town. The people were brutally murdered. The Seventh Prince pursued them... and went beyond the pass."
A strange look appeared on Mo Qiming's face, but it vanished in an instant. He sighed, "Without the soldiers guarding this place, the lives of the people on the border would probably be even more difficult."
These words seemed to strike a chord deep within the heart of the Marquis of Beiding. His brows furrowed with boundless grief and sorrow as he lamented, "I only wish to die a hundred times to repay my country. Alas, the people suffer so much."
Xu Yong's fists were already clenched so tightly they were cracking.
Mo Qiming nodded thoughtfully and said softly, "His Majesty is well aware of the soldiers' fervent patriotism."
Marquis Beiding stood with his hands behind his back and laughed, "This humble general understands. Please, Your Highness, convey this message to the Emperor. As long as I hold fast to the northern border, the northern barbarians will not be able to wear their hair loose or their robes fastened on the left."
Mo Qiming: "Rest assured, my lord, I will convey your words to the Emperor."
After speaking, Marquis Beiding nodded to Mo Qiming to express his gratitude, then suddenly walked straight to the entrance of the tent, cupped his hands slightly, and with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, slowly called out to the man holding a white fan, "Marquis Beiding greets the Fourth Prince."
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