After Cheng Wuan obtained Xiao Tingmo's coffin, he left some people to guard the officials and female relatives in the Summer Resort.
They all failed to escape in time after the incident and were captured by the commander of the Imperial Guard, which was considered his surrender.
Cheng Wuan did not keep this half of the guards, but asked them to set off together and ride back to the capital at full speed.
It was only at this time that the commander of the Imperial Guard saw Xiao Jinze's face and was shocked.
Looks like, very similar!
As the commander of the Imperial Guard, he had also seen Emperor Jing's face, and the man in front of him looked almost 80% like him.
The other 20% is because this person is younger and has different eyes.
He had previously thought that the news released by the Cheng family was just a high-sounding excuse for rebellion, and Xiao Jinze was just a pawn they pushed out.
But now that he saw it with his own eyes, he understood that the news was true.
Cheng Wuan didn't know what the guards behind him were thinking. He didn't expect that Xiao Jinze was actually waiting at the city gate and came out to greet him personally.
"I have lived up to your trust and brought the imperial seal back safely."
Xiao Jinze pulled Cheng Wuan up. This was his father-in-law. The elders should kneel before the younger ones, and he didn't want to be looked down upon by Song Sanniang.
"General Cheng, you've been traveling all the way here. Thank you for your hard work."
Cheng Wuan didn't expect that Xiao Jinze would still treat him with the same attitude as before, but he didn't dare to treat him as just a daughter-in-law anymore.
After insisting on completing the ceremony, he informed Xiao Jinze of the entire process of his journey south.
Then he stood aside and waited for his next instructions.
Xiao Jinze patted Cheng Wuan on the shoulder, knowing that the people his father-in-law wanted to see most right now must be Song Sanniang and his mother-in-law.
He asked Cheng Wuan to go back and see his relatives first, as he would be busy later and probably wouldn't be able to see them for a long time.
Cheng Wuan and several veterans under his command initially refused, but finally, under Xiao Jinze's insistence, they could not hide their joy on their faces. They found that their joy was too obvious and they were quite embarrassed.
After receiving the order, they first settled their soldiers, and then returned to their houses excitedly.
When they were in Tongguan before, the barbarians were coming in with great force, and they often worried that they would die one day, and they would think of their old wives who were far away in the capital.
The sons of those veterans were also dumbfounded looking at their backs. They thought their father ran too fast and wondered if he had forgotten something.
They simply couldn't catch up.
After they left, Xiao Jinze's expression changed and the smile on his face immediately disappeared.
Although he was wearing the armor of an ordinary soldier, he still couldn't hide the condescending feeling emanating from him.
The commander of the Royal Guards felt the air around him sink and lowered his head even lower.
Xiao Jinze was playing with the jade seal that symbolized the emperor's authority, with a hint of amusement on his face.
After a long time, he turned his gaze to the commander below.
"I heard that you were the one who collected Xiao Tingmo's remains? You are truly a loyal person."
"Zhou Yinghui raised him for more than ten years. Now that he and Zhou Yinghui are inseparable, he is at least half a member of the Zhou family. Let's bury him in the Zhou family's ancestral tomb."
After saying this, he took a last look at the extremely conspicuous golden nanmu coffin.
They enjoyed all the glory in their lifetime and were able to have a Feng Shui treasure land after their death. It was a great fortune for them.
Xiao Jinze, the former commander of the Imperial Guard, is not trusted for the time being, but now that he has just arrived in the capital, there is a shortage of manpower everywhere, so it is not convenient to replace all of them.
He then asked Zhao to take a dozen of his men into the Imperial Guards to serve as his eyes.
Then he returned to the palace with many attendants behind him.
…
After Emperor Jing took over the Ming Dynasty from the previous emperor, he ascended the throne hastily due to health reasons and his weak foundation without his own team.
He was naturally gentle by nature, but when he became emperor, this former advantage became a disadvantage.
If Emperor Jing had become a leisurely prince, his non-competitive nature would have allowed him to live a better life.
But when he became emperor, softness became weakness.
He had no means to suppress the court officials under his command who had different thoughts, so the power of the aristocratic families gradually grew.
Until Emperor Jing was killed, his power had been almost completely usurped by various high-ranking ministers, and he became a puppet emperor.
The Ming Dynasty was like a precarious high-rise building, infested by a group of termites. It looked bright and beautiful on the outside, but was riddled with holes on the inside.
Due to years of natural disasters and exploitation by various officials, the people are living in dire straits.
Now, this mess fell on Xiao Jinze's shoulders again. After he got the jade seal, he started to handle government affairs without preparing for the coronation ceremony.
Not only is there the imminent drought problem, but there are also those aristocratic families who are ready to make moves.
They had created an information gap before, and before these families could react, they took control of the overall situation with lightning speed.
Now, these aristocratic families have reacted and they are not the type to sit and wait for death.
During the reigns of Emperor Jing and Xiao Tingmo, people were well-fed and many families maintained private armies.
It’s just because half of the troops from the four border cities are surrounding the capital. As long as they dare to act rashly, Xiao Tingmo will immediately have a reason to wipe them out.
However, although they didn't dare to move now, their various small movements still made Xiao Jinze very annoyed.
But he didn't dare to act rashly, as the court still needed these parasites to hold it together for the time being.
Wait until he recovers, then start the settlement.
Song Sanniang saw that Xiao Jinze had held the jade seal for several days but had not taken any action.
She found a time to talk to Xiao Jinze.
This was the first time they had met alone in so many days.
For a moment, the atmosphere was a little weird.
Song Sanniang took a deep breath and stared into Xiao Jinze's eyes.
"Xiao Jinze, what are you still hesitating about! Whether it's the imperial seal that symbolizes the throne, or the token that proves your identity, as well as the imperial edict from Emperor Jing, you have it all. No one can question your identity."
"As long as you raise your arms and become the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty, our Cheng family and the soldiers of Tongguan will clear the obstacles ahead for you without reservation."
Xiao Tingmo looked at Song Sanniang's solemn and serious promise, and he also began to analyze himself.
He doesn't want to take that position now. Is it really just because he is concerned about the aristocratic family or worried about delaying the disaster?
No, what he feared more was the responsibility that would come with ascending the throne. He was worried that he would not be a good emperor.
He used to look down on Xiao Tingmo and thought he was a waste.
But at least he has received orthodox training in state governance, and he is more like his father's original situation, and he is now forced to do something he is not prepared for.
After Song Sanniang finished speaking, she felt that she had spoken a little loudly. After all, Xiao Tingmo was now the future emperor.
Before she could say anything to ease the atmosphere between them, she met Xiao Jinze's fragile eyes.
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