Chapter 328: Sadomasochism (Thirty-three)
Gu Qingcheng led a large group of people to leave, but the first and second princes did not take it too seriously.
They are just a bunch of playboys, and there are women among them. It's totally nonsense!
If Gu Qingcheng was alone, or only brought those young men with her, the eldest prince and the second prince would still be wary.
However, with Huo Wuniang and other little girls, the two of them laughed directly: "This Jiulang, he really wasted his father's painstaking efforts!"
"That's right! How could they go to Xizhou to establish a career? They are clearly going out for an outing and some fun!"
It was Empress Yuan, who originally regarded Concubine Dong as a thorn in her side because of the Ninth Prince's favor.
Afterwards, she stood on the palace wall and saw with her own eyes the sloppy and gaudy “team” leaving the city, and she couldn’t help wanting to laugh:
You can't prop up a wall with mud!
So what if he is your Majesty’s beloved son?
Your Majesty has made painstaking efforts for him, but unfortunately, he is a hopeless person.
He turned a good opportunity to gild himself into a ridiculous tour group.
Such a group of spoiled dandies, let alone going to Xizhou to kill Xirong, would probably be scared to death if they met a horse bandit on the road!
"Mrs. Dong is so pitiful. She went through so much trouble to give birth to a child and raised him through all kinds of hardships, but he still behaves like this!"
For a moment, Empress Yuan even felt a little sympathy for Concubine Dong.
Of course, Empress Yuan hated Concubine Dong for more than ten years, and her so-called "sympathy" was just a casual remark.
However, Empress Yuan did not continue to negotiate.
It’s not that she didn’t want to, but Concubine Dong was so sick that she was on her last breath.
Empress Yuan wanted to use her old trick again and pretended to be sick and asked Concubine Dong to take care of her.
But Concubine Dong couldn't even stand up. Was she going to be supported by her maids and drag her body, which could die at any time, to serve the fat and rosy-faced Empress Yuan? Although Empress Yuan was domineering, she still had a little sense of shame.
"Forget it! Let's spare Dong first!"
Empress Yuan was not afraid of Concubine Dong, but she felt that if she made trouble and Concubine Dong died in front of her, wouldn't it be unlucky? It would be difficult to explain to Emperor Qing.
Indeed, Empress Yuan had the support of the Empress Dowager.
But the Queen Mother is not only her aunt, but also Emperor Qing’s biological mother.
After arriving in the Qing Dynasty and staying in the harem for nearly twenty years, Empress Yuan, no matter how dull she was, had seen some facts clearly.
In some insignificant matters, such as humiliating and torturing Concubine Dong, Empress Dowager Yuan sided with Empress Yuan.
However, once it comes to matters of principle, such as state affairs and the prince, Empress Dowager Yuan still favors her own son the most!
Empress Yuan could torture a woman like Concubine Dong, but she could not really kill her.
Empress Yuan was already nearly forty years old, without favor or children. Her only support was her aunt's unreliable preference.
If I go too far, my aunt will definitely turn hostile for her son.
Haha, I only have one aunt, the Empress Dowager, but the Empress Dowager has several nieces and even great-nieces.
Empress Dowager Yuan only wanted the Empress of the Qing Dynasty to have the surname Yuan. She didn't care which daughter of the Yuan clan she was from! "It took me nearly twenty years to figure this out. This shows that I am not smart!"
Empress Yuan secretly laughed at herself, "I am stupid, but not that stupid!"
"And Dong, she doesn't seem very smart either!"
Favored concubine?
Empress Yuan had no idea what the favorite concubine in history was like.
But she still felt that a true favorite concubine was at least not like Concubine Dong.
“…She’s pitiful too!”
He was so sick that he was on his last breath, and his only son was "exiled".
Maybe Concubine Dong couldn't even see her son for the last time.
Concubine Dong: ...
Yes! I am almost dying! "Cough! Cough cough!"
Concubine Dong coughed procedurally and stuffed the processed handkerchief under the bed, completing her "mission" for today.
She lay comfortably on the bed, thinking casually: "I wonder if my son is having a smooth journey!"
Of course everything went smoothly for Gu Qingcheng.
After leaving the city for a few days, the large army had already traveled more than a hundred miles and left the capital area.
The young men and women in bright clothes and galloping horses were excited for a few days, and then gradually calmed down.
The world outside is just like this—
The official road is marked with deep ruts, and there are mountains or fields on both sides.
Occasionally, a few pedestrians and nearby residents would be seen looking at them with awe or curiosity.
After seeing the same scenery for too long and experiencing the same encounters too many times, you will start to feel tired and bored!
"How far is it?"
"Yeah, so boring!"
"…We are just getting started. There are still 700 to 800 miles to go!"
"You're a bitch, aren't you?"
This group of N generations are spoiled children who live a life of luxury and indulge in pleasure.
The pie that Gu Qingcheng painted was indeed big and fragrant, but it was just a pie after all.
It cannot be seen or touched, but the hardships of the journey are real.
Those days were not like later times, with developed logistics, convenient transportation, and abundant supplies. As long as you had money, you could feel comfortable wherever you went.
Here, you can't buy anything even if you have money.
If you miss the post station or the village, you can only stay in the wilderness and can't even have a meal that you like.
This group of nobles and Nth generations of aristocratic families began to feel annoyed and even wanted to give up.
There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!
Huo Wuniang noticed that the atmosphere was not right and couldn't help feeling a little worried.
She tried to boost morale.
However, this group of N generations are not soldiers, and the training methods mastered by Huo Wuniang are completely useless on them!
Huo Wuniang was so anxious and angry that blisters appeared on her mouth.
Gu Qingcheng, however, was still calm and composed. He stayed in the carriage every day, drinking tea, reading, and writing and drawing casually with a pen.
Huo Wuniang: ...It's true that the eunuchs are anxious when the emperor is not! How can the Ninth Prince be so calm?
After only going one tenth of the way through a journey of a thousand miles, their morale was gone.
What should we do next? Huo Wuniang didn't really care about those N generations. She didn't have high hopes for them, so she couldn't say whether she was disappointed or not.
However, the collapse of these people will affect the morale of the entire team.
Giving up right at the beginning is a bad omen, too unlucky! Huo Wuniang decided that she would find a time to have a good talk with the Ninth Prince.
However, before Huo Wuniang could speak, Gu Qingcheng took action.
In the evening, we were in the wilderness again.
Temporary tents were set up on the roadside and several bonfires were burning.
It’s still a “picnic”, but the N generation no longer has the initial excitement and joy.
"Another huge pot of stew that even the lowest servant in my household wouldn't eat!"
"Yeah! It's tasteless. The meat and vegetables are almost overcooked. The original taste is completely gone."
"And this bean rice, is it for human consumption? My horses won't even eat it!"
“…I want to go home!”
The N generations sat together, first complaining about everything, and then backing off.
Someone shouted, "I want to go home." Even if others didn't say it out loud, they also wanted to go home.
Woohoo, it’s good to be at home for a thousand days, but it’s hard to be out for just one day.
They had to sleep in the open air, eat poorly, sleep poorly, and not be able to bathe regularly.
The N generation feel that they can no longer endure it.
They all grew up in luxury, how could they have ever suffered such hardship?
Just at this moment, Gu Qingcheng walked over slowly.
"Everyone, do you want to make great achievements?"
The Nth generation: ... Tsk! The same old thing again! How can it be so easy to achieve success?
They, they are of noble birth, and it seems that they can live well even without any merit!
Isn’t it just that you can’t bring honor to your family, and can’t give your wife a title and your children good fortune?
Gu Qingcheng saw that the morale was low, but she was not in a hurry. She took out a blueprint from her bosom and said, "Look, there is a double-headed mountain twenty miles away from here."
"There are 20 or 30 bandits gathered on the mountain. They robbed merchants and brought disaster to the people..."
Before Gu Qingcheng finished speaking, some of the Nth generation reacted.
"Jiulang, you want to suppress the bandits?"
This seems good! Eradicating banditry is also a credit.
Although it's a little small, it's better than nothing.
For example, even if they want to give up now, they can’t really return to Beijing in disgrace.
Killing a few bandits would at least earn me some credit, and it wouldn't be a wasted trip! After returning to Beijing, I could give an explanation to my family and other friends! The most important thing is that they were just bandits! To say they were extremely vicious was only for ordinary people.
Facing real officers and soldiers, haha, they are nothing at all! Even these Nth generation are not afraid! "It's not me who wants to suppress the bandits! It's us who want to suppress the bandits!"
Gu Qingcheng did not make big promises, but instead organized people to work together to make them.
The first step is to see some blood, experience combat, and enjoy the joy of victory...
(End of this chapter)
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