Su Qingyu didn't hear clearly what Wenzhu said, but she could see a slight change in Shen Zhixiu's expression.
Shen Zhixiu is a person who always keeps a calm demeanor in public and rarely shows any emotional fluctuations.
If it wasn't a big deal, he wouldn't be like this.
After Wenzhu finished speaking, Shen Zhixiu didn't say anything for a long time. Wenzhu stood by and waited for his instructions.
Shen Zhixiu pondered for a moment and whispered, "Let Jiang Qi guard the West Courtyard. I will go back as soon as the palace banquet is over."
It would be difficult for him to explain to the emperor if he left at this time. Without a proper excuse, it would only arouse suspicion.
After Wen Zhu left, Su Qingyu looked at Shen Zhixiu, "What happened?"
Shen Zhixiu gently held Su Qingyu's hand and said, "I'll tell you in detail after we leave the palace."
Now was not the time to talk about this matter. As soon as he finished speaking, Emperor Xuande walked in with Concubine Xian, Concubine Rong and several princes.
Su Qingyu didn't have time to think about it, and stood up and knelt with everyone else.
After everyone sat down, Song Hongshen brought the Liaodong generals to the palace to accept rewards from the court.
From this moment on, Song Hongshen became the loyal and brave king of the Great Zhou.
Afterwards, everyone took their seats and the banquet began. As the wine glasses flowed, the atmosphere in the hall gradually became lively.
After all, it was a happy event, and everyone from the emperor to the civil officials and military generals were excited.
Prince Shan Li Jingchuan and Princess Yongjia also came today. They both knew to be cautious and wore plain clothes.
After three rounds of drinking, Prince Shan took a glass of wine and walked up to Song Hongshen.
"My nephew has accomplished such great things, and I admire him greatly. If I hadn't been suffering from a cold, I would have ridden with him and swept across Liaodong."
In fact, the Prince of Shan offered this glass of wine for the emperor to see. Today, all the civil and military officials took turns to offer Song Hongshen a glass of wine.
With the support of the Song family and having made such great achievements, Song Hongshen's future is limitless. Even the ladies present looked at him with fervent eyes. This is definitely the perfect son-in-law.
Families that did not have suitable daughters also began to search for nieces and nephews in their minds, just hoping to establish a relationship with the Song family.
Song Hongshen raised the corners of his lips, his expression intriguing. A boy of eighteen or nineteen, his angular profile already showed the weathering of life.
When Li Jingchuan offered the glass of wine, Song Hongshen picked up the glass in his hand and poured the whole glass of wine at Li Jingchuan's feet.
Afterwards, the glass cup in his hand slipped out of his hand and shattered onto the white jade floor.
The clear sound resounded throughout the Hall of Supreme Harmony. For a moment, one could hear a pin drop in the entire hall, and everyone looked at the two in surprise.
Li Jingchuan looked at the broken glass pieces on the ground and the wine stains on the corners of his clothes, confused. Although he was unhappy, he suppressed his anger and asked, "What does this mean, King Zhongyong?"
Song Hongshen's lowered eyes were filled with resentment and nostalgia. If this wasn't the Ganyang Palace, he really wanted to stand up and punch Li Jingchuan.
When Li Jingchuan asked, he stood up and looked at him solemnly.
"Prince Shan, Yunzhou has been dead for less than a month, and his body has not been found. Prince Shan came to congratulate me with a smile, but I feel guilty."
He looked around again, and finally looked at Emperor Xuande and raised his voice.
"During the Battle of Liaodong, Li Yunzhou led over ten trusted generals deep into the Liao capital. Risking his own life, he first captured the Liao king alive, then used him as bait, forcing the Liao to open the city gates."
"Only I can lead the army in a surprise attack, and with the help of internal and external forces, we can destroy the Liao Kingdom. Without Li Yunzhou, the Liaodong Campaign would have lasted who knows how long."
"So when Prince Shan offered me wine, I thought of Yunzhou and the generals who died in Quanyan Valley. This wine should be offered to them."
Having said that, Song Hongshen glanced at Li Jingchuan again, with endless mockery in his eyes.
Song Hongshen was heartbroken every time he thought about how those people had died in the hands of bandits. He had been wondering for the past few days whether this was an accident or the work of the Li family.
Li Jingchuan's face was not in a good mood at the moment. Logically speaking, there was a funeral at home, and he and Princess Yongjia should not have come to such an occasion.
However, this kind of celebration banquet is also the best opportunity to understand the emperor's intentions and secretly pay attention to colleagues.
Maybe it was because he felt guilty, but he actually felt that there was a hint of sarcasm in Song Hongshen's words.
But now that people were mourning his son, Li Jingchuan could only pretend to be sad and wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.
The wine in his hand also spilled at his feet.
He continued to mutter, "My son died in battle at the border town. It is the glory of the Li family. As a father, I am also proud of my son. And the soldiers who died in the battle are all good men of our Great Zhou."
These words of eulogy almost made Song Hongshen laugh.
"Speaking of which, Prince Shan is quite strict in disciplining his son. Those crisscrossing scars on Yunzhou's body were all caused by Prince Shan, right?"
"I just don't know if it was done by Prince Shan alone, or if the entire Li family bullied him because he was born out of wedlock."
Song Hongshen and Li Yunzhou were close friends and as close as brothers.
Li Yunzhou seldom talked about his experiences in the Li family, but Song Hongshen was thoughtful and had guessed some of it.
In the past few years, he has thought of countless ways to help Li Yunzhou escape from the Li family.
But Li Yunzhou chose the most difficult path. After finally making it through, something like this happened again. How could Song Hongshen be willing to accept this?
Emperor Xuande frowned and looked at Li Jingchuan and Princess Yongjia.
"What happened? That child is covered in scars?"
Li Jingchuan quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid Prince Zhongyong has misunderstood. That child has loved martial arts since he was young, often practicing riding and archery alone in secret. That's how he got the scars on his body."
"Every time he gets hurt, the princess feels heartbroken."
"If it weren't for this, there wouldn't be Prince Ning sweeping across Mobei today. It's all because of his strong character, never complaining about hardship or fatigue."
As soon as these words were spoken, all the court officials present nodded in admiration.
Song Hongshen didn't say anything more. Since Li Yunzhou was dead, it was up to the Li family to say these words.
But today he was determined not to let the Li family have an easy time, so he bowed to Emperor Xuande again.
"Your Majesty, I have something important to report."
"speak."
"I believe that the candidate for Northern Frontier's chief commander must not be Li Yunhuai, the third young master of the Li family."
As soon as Song Hongshen finished speaking, Princess Yongjia became unhappy. Even if he had made great contributions, he could not interfere with the military power of the Li family.
"What do you mean, King Zhongyong? The northern border has always been guarded by the Li family."
Song Hongshen sneered when he heard this.
"The Northern Frontier is the most important barrier for the Tartars to advance into the Central Plains. Not just anyone can garrison it. Li Yunhuai, regardless of his military strategy or his archery skills, is not up to the task."
"So what if it has always been guarded by the Li family?"
"Let me ask again, if the Li family is wiped out, will the Li family's dogs lead the troops?"
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