Chapter Thirty
"Gongliang Zhong, it will be another half day's journey to the military camp," Shurong said. "You go back first. Just now, a soldier reported that several more groups of Xiang Niangzi have appeared not far away. I will go and wipe them out before returning to the military camp."
Gongliang Zhong tightened the reins, looked into the distance, and said, "Shurong, you go back first and see what the general's orders are. Isn't she in a hurry to return to the capital? At that time, all military affairs will probably be temporarily handed over to you."
Shu Rong asked, puzzled, "Why wasn't Gongliang Zhong handed over to you?"
Gongliang Zhong: "You are, after all, the young marquis."
Shu Rong shook her head. "I don't agree with that. You and I both know that during the battle against the 200,000-strong army of Xijin, the Princess was seriously injured. She held on to her last breath and ordered the Yunzhao army to obey you before she fainted."
Gongliang Zhong's expression was serious, but a slight smile played on his lips. "Shurong, times have changed."
Shu Rong smiled and said, "What's the difference? What Deputy General Gongliang means is that Deputy General Shu can only be given orders during peaceful times, while our Deputy General Gongliang can be like Her Highness the Princess, who is given orders in times of crisis."
Gongliang Zhong shook his head with a wry smile, "Shurong, you know that's not what I meant. Hurry back to the camp, I'll deal with those groups of Xiangniangzi and then return to meet up with you."
Shu Rong: "Alright, let's finish this quickly."
After Gongliang Zhong and his soldiers had run far away, Shu Rong remembered something and shouted loudly at Gongliang Zhong's back, "Gongliang Zhong, I'll make you noodles tonight. Come back and eat them while they're hot."
Gongliang Zhong raised his right hand and waved it in the air.
In the Yunxiu Kingdom's court, the letter of surrender from Dongliang, delivered by the eldest princess with urgent delivery from soldiers, finally brought a slight smile to Emperor Zhaoming's face, who had been at a loss for many days.
"May Heaven bless Yunxiu Kingdom! Congratulations, Your Majesty!" Upon hearing the soldier's report, the civil and military officials all bowed and offered their congratulations.
The First Prince Mo Qiming and the Emperor's brother-in-law stood on either side of the assembled officials. When attending court, both of them would specially change into the imperial robes bestowed by the Emperor. Upon seeing this attire, the civil and military officials all understood the significance of the occasion.
In the court of Yunxiu Kingdom, beneath the dragon robe was a python robe, a garment resembling a dragon, similar to the supreme imperial robe, except it lacked a claw. Only those bestowed by the emperor himself could enjoy this vain honor.
Wearing the python robe was the ultimate aspiration for countless civil and military officials in Yunxiu Kingdom. It not only signified wealth and honor, but more importantly, it meant reaching the highest ranks of the court and becoming someone truly trusted and valued by the emperor. However, since all the princes of Yunxiu Kingdom had worn python robes, the officials didn't pay much attention to the understated light purple velvet embroidered python robe worn by Mo Qiming. They were quite focused on the Imperial Uncle's round gold velvet embroidered python robe, which, although azure, was exceptionally eye-catching.
Just as Mo Qiming was about to step forward, the Imperial Uncle seemed to have figured out what he was going to say and immediately stepped forward, his face beaming with a chrysanthemum-like smile, and said happily, "His Majesty is wise, and Heaven blesses Yunxiu Kingdom. Princess, at such a young age, has made such a great contribution. She is truly deserving of recognition."
Despite being outmaneuvered, Mo Qiming remained calm and composed, showing no sign of anger. His mature and steady face remained serene. Although the Princess had distinguished herself in battle and was greatly admired by the court officials, Mo Qiming, though he had never been on the battlefield, let alone achieved any military merit, was also highly respected by the civil and military officials.
Mo Qiming was the eldest prince. During the late emperor's reign, his mother was bestowed the title of Consort Le. Consort Le always wore a smiling face, but she couldn't hide the slightest bit of melancholy in her heart. She would confide any unhappiness to her son. Although Mo Qiming was the eldest, he was only half a year older than the current emperor, who was the second prince. Perhaps because of his mother, he developed a good listening ear and a gentle, polite temperament from a young age. He also inherited Consort Le's personality, and always had a faint smile on his face.
Logically, Consort Le, a beauty so prone to boredom and restlessness, should have lived longer than the other concubines. Perhaps even Heaven favored this lovely woman, for on a bright sunny afternoon when Mo Qiming was twelve, Consort Le tragically passed away from a serious illness. At the time of her death, her long eyebrows remained as relaxed as when she smiled, and her peaceful sleeping appearance was just as serene. The twelve-year-old eldest prince didn't shed a single tear, though his face was somewhat pale. The late Emperor, however, sat alone in Consort Le's room for a long time that evening.
During the reign of the late emperor, he never established an empress, but only two imperial concubines. One was Consort Yue, who died young, and the other was the mother of the current emperor and the eldest princess. There have always been rumors in the court that if Consort Yue were still alive, the late emperor might have made her empress.
However, such rumors can only survive in the dark and hidden corners, like concubines in the cold palace, and cannot be exposed to the sunlight.
It's easy to imagine that Mo Qiming's temperament was so appealing that not only the civil and military officials but everyone who met him felt a sense of goodwill towards him. Even the emperor treated his elder brother with great respect and courtesy, and whenever there was a grand banquet in the palace, he would grant him a seat and have him sit beside him.
If a good temperament could earn such honor and respect, then a wave of mutual respect would surely sweep through the court. Every minister would be well aware that the King of Chu could starve people simply because he was fond of slender waists; who wouldn't greet him with a smile and befriend him with a good temper? The emperor relied on him, and all the civil and military officials bowed down to him because Mo Qiming possessed profound wisdom, the talent to govern the country and ensure its stability, the ability to recognize talent, and the magnanimity to prioritize the greater good.
While the eldest princess was conquering the country for the emperor on the battlefield, Mo Qiming was devising countless strategies for governing the country in the court. Throughout the court and among the people, there were many praises: the emperor's two right-hand men were, firstly, the eldest princess who galloped across the battlefield, and secondly, Mo Qiming who guided the court. With both civil and military affairs on his side, it was truly a blessing for the Yunxiu Kingdom.
Because the eldest princess had been away on campaigns for many years, the court officials had not seen her since the new emperor ascended the throne. For several years, she had been attacking the Southern Jin, Fengge, Western Jin, Hu Kingdom, and Eastern Liang. She rushed to various battlefields, fighting one after another without any intention of lingering. It seemed that she wanted to vent all the tolerance that Yunxiu Kingdom had accumulated since the founding of the Zhao Dynasty, and she could not tolerate any delay.
After each battle, Yun Zhao's army, without even breaking a sweat, mounted their warhorses, picked up their weapons, and moved on to the next target, launching another fierce attack, with no possibility of returning to the capital.
Therefore, the Yunzhao Army was secretly referred to as the "Piaoji Army" by civil and military officials in the court. The Piaoji Army was all about speed! Quick and decisive battles!
The civil officials, seeing the formidable force of the Yunzhao army, trembled inwardly, thinking they hadn't even been reborn into such a frenzy. The princess was indeed valiant, leading her elite troops with overwhelming force, leaving the surrounding barbarian kingdoms stunned and caught completely off guard. The military officials, however, were filled with fervor, practically ready to rush onto the battlefield and cheer for the princess.
Despite his illustrious military achievements, the civil and military officials were more familiar with Mo Qiming than with him, who they spent every day with. Mo Qiming also possessed a natural air of gentle persuasion that won people's hearts without needing to win them over. Therefore, there was an unspoken undercurrent in the palace.
Mo Qiming glanced at the round, bulging, gold-embroidered, azure python robe beside him, his face warm and gentle, his tone polite, and he bowed slightly, saying, "What the Imperial Uncle says is very true. His Majesty is wise, and the Princess has made great contributions. Once the Marquis of Beiding subdues the northern barbarians and Xiongnu countries, Yunxiu Kingdom will be peaceful and prosperous, the people will live in peace and happiness, the country will be prosperous and the surrounding areas will be convinced."
The entire court of officials murmured and unanimously offered words of praise.
Minister of Revenue Li Fenglu stood behind a man in light purple and azure python robes, glancing sideways at the emperor's brother-in-law. As usual, he cursed inwardly, "With that round face, be careful you don't fall down the stairs by yourself."
Last time, he and the emperor's brother-in-law argued in court in front of the emperor about whether to increase taxes in various places. The emperor was furious and ordered him to accompany Mo Qiming to the northern frontier to comfort the generals and soldiers of the Marquis of Beiding.
This assignment might be a coveted one for other officials, after all, Mo Qiming and Marquis Beiding are both prominent figures in the court.
However, for Li Fenglu, it was almost the death of him. Vomiting as soon as he mounted his horse was already a well-known fact in the court; normally, he would get up before dawn and walk to court. The northern frontier was a remote and uncivilized place, far from the emperor's reach, and if he wanted to leave, he would have to resign from his official post first.
Fortunately, he went with Mo Qiming, and thanks to Mo Qiming's careful care along the way, he managed to stay alive a little longer and make it back to the capital.
However, Li Fenglu felt somewhat calmer when he heard that the emperor's brother-in-law had been fined three months' salary and had been unable to eat for three months, drinking only plain porridge to keep him alive.
Not only Li Fenglu disliked the emperor's brother-in-law, but many important officials in the court, like Li Fenglu, would secretly mock him.
The Emperor's brother-in-law is the current Empress's half-brother. Most women who are chosen as Empresses have very powerful families behind them; however, the Empress Yu, personally selected and appointed by Emperor Zhaoming, does not come from a noble family, but rather from a poor one.
Yu Guojiu's father died early, and his mother, forced by financial difficulties, had to remarry and gave birth to another daughter, who is now Empress Yu. Although Yu Guojiu and Empress Yu are half-siblings, they grew up together and had a very good relationship.
One year, the countryside suffered a drought, followed by a plague, and the brother and sister lost both their parents. Those who survived in the countryside were filled with fear and could barely take care of themselves, so their relatives and friends could not care about the brother and sister and could only turn a blind eye.
From then on, Yu Guojiu, along with his sister who was eight years younger than him, begged their way to temporarily escape the plague-stricken land and arrive in the capital.
To support his younger sister and himself, and lacking any skills, Yu Guojiu could only do all sorts of dirty and tiring jobs, working day and night. The two siblings managed to survive in the capital, relying on each other even when they were starving. At the time, Yu Guojiu was only a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy. Perhaps having suffered greatly from a young age, he was actually about the same age as the current emperor, but he looked like someone of the same generation as the Marquis of Beiding.
To help her brother, Empress Yu secretly entered the palace as a maid when she was around ten years old. The Imperial Uncle Yu had always doted on his younger sister, and was furious to learn she had entered the inner palace. However, he had no power, influence, or wealth to do anything about Mu Chengzhou's affair.
The palace maids of Yunxiu Kingdom had one chance to see their families each year. For the past ten years, Yu Guojiu had been looking forward to that one opportunity each year to see his sister. Each time, Empress Yu would force her brother with many clothes, food, and rare items bestowed by high-ranking officials when they were in a good mood.
Yu Guojiu wrapped all the silver he had saved outside the palace in a tattered cloth and secretly slipped it to his sister, afraid that others would find out. Whenever the two siblings parted, Yu Guojiu would always complain to her, "When we were outside the palace, even if it was hard, we could still rely on each other. Now that we're in the palace, we only see each other once a year. It's not even as good as those days when we were starving."
Perhaps Heaven and Earth cannot bear to see anything too tragic, just as they must restrain anything too joyful, like the story of Consort Yue. There is always a saying that extreme joy leads to sorrow, and that after bitterness comes sweetness.
In a place like the Yeting Palace, it was almost impossible to encounter the emperor. But for some reason, one day Emperor Zhaoming, seemingly in a melancholy mood, wandered into this place by chance and saw Empress Yu, falling in love at first sight. The world is originally a vast expanse of blue water, but by chance, many coincidences and coincidences have stirred up a surging tide.
When Emperor Zhaoming conferred the title of Empress upon her, the court officials discussed it extensively. However, gradually, the civil and military officials discovered that Empress Yu was kind-hearted, humble, and modest, possessing the virtues expected of a concubine, so they said nothing more.
However, the court officials were quite critical of the emperor's brother-in-law.
Empress Yu resembled her father, with delicate features and bright, expressive eyes; the Imperial Uncle also resembled his father, with a plump figure and a radiant face. It was impossible to tell that the two were siblings, nor could one guess the rather heartbreaking early experiences of the Imperial Uncle.
But why do these two siblings both have the surname Yu?
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