Zhao Shu nodded seriously. She was small, soft, and extremely cute. She didn't look much like other nine-year-old children and hadn't started developing yet.
"Ah Jun wants to be a great general." Her serious expression seemed to tell everyone that this wish was also very serious. The next moment, she sighed heavily.
Emperor Mingde couldn't help but ask, "Why is Ajun sighing?"
Zhao Shu glanced at Emperor Mingde reluctantly, her eyes filled with resentment. Emperor Mingde was taken aback, and then heard Zhao Shu say, "Your Imperial Uncle is too capable. There are so many talented people in the court. Even if you took a hundred turns, you wouldn't get a chance to become a general. Besides, the world is at peace now. How could you possibly become a general?"
"Hahaha..." Emperor Mingde burst into laughter, and even the palace maids and eunuchs guarding the outer gate knew that Emperor Mingde had not laughed so loudly in a long time. They wondered who had made the emperor laugh so heartily. They were truly skilled.
After Emperor Mingde finished laughing, he gently patted Zhao Shu's head and said, "Didn't your father say that the eldest brother is like a father? If your uncle is incompetent, wouldn't your father cry every day?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shu's eyebrows relaxed and she smiled, "Yes, so A-Jun doesn't want to be a general anymore."
Emperor Mingde was even more delighted by her thoughtfulness. "What should we do? Wouldn't this be unfair to our Ajun?"
Zhao Shu shook her head and said firmly, "I'm not wronged at all." Then she suddenly remembered something and tugged at Emperor Mingde's sleeve, "Uncle Emperor, why don't you let A-Jun be chosen as the commander of the imperial guards? That way A-Jun will be a general too, able to command troops."
The Empress Dowager and the Empress were about to speak up to stop it, but they also felt it was not appropriate, since girls should be kept in seclusion.
However, Prince Yong did not think so. She remembered that a few days ago, it was her daughter who led people with wooden sticks to save him.
He immediately spoke up in support of Zhao Shu, "Brother, I think this will work. Hehe, let's see who dares to bully me in the future."
Who was Emperor Mingde? He immediately remembered what Prince Yong was planning, the events of a few days ago, and the current situation in the court. He had been on the throne for many years, but most of the power was still in the hands of powerful families, nobles, and various princes.
It's infuriating to think about it.
Moreover, Zhao Shu also roughly helped him deal with Xie Yun, Wang Kuanqi, and Jiang He.
So what if he raises a spoiled princess? He's the emperor; he can give face to whomever he wants, and see who dares to say a word against him.
"Since it was Your Majesty who wronged A-Jun, Your Majesty will grant A-Jun this favor. You must choose carefully." The Emperor coaxed her as if she were his own daughter, and the affection in his eyes, even if not entirely genuine, was at least 80% real.
The Empress looked at Zhao Shu with a mixture of emotions. Even her son didn't receive such favor from the Emperor. But why should she compete with a princess? She was the Empress, and her son was the Crown Prince. She was already the second most honored woman in the world.
However, the Empress Dowager still felt some resentment towards Emperor Mingde, but a ruler's word is law, and even though she was the Empress Dowager, she would never allow the emperor to take back what he had said.
This time, Zhao Shu's wish came true.
Back at the Lin residence, Lin Xiuxue realized that she hadn't even mentioned the purpose of her visit to Prince Yong's mansion, having been led astray by Zhao Shu time and time again.
She was so angry that she twisted a piece of snow-white silk handkerchief out of shape.
Jiang Jingming rushed back to the Ningguo Marquis's residence, not even bothering to remove the brambles, and went to find his father.
"Father, something must have happened at Prince Yong's residence. Let's go investigate."
He spoke with certainty, and Jiang He thought that since there were people in the Prince's mansion, people like Prince Yong and his daughter would definitely not be able to detect any unusual movements in the mansion. So he ordered someone to go to the Prince's mansion to find the spies that had already been planted there.
It must be said that the Yongwang Mansion was like a winnowing basket, full of holes.
Soon, Jiang He got what he wanted.
Lin Xiuxue's words to Jiang Jingming were simply meant to get Jiang Jingming to investigate and ruin Zhao Shu's reputation. Although Zhao Shu's reputation is now tarnished, it's just that she's willful and capricious.
If an unmarried woman spends her days with bastards, who would want to marry a woman with such a tarnished reputation?
Of course, those poor, down-on-their-luck people who lack the backbone to curry favor with the powerful would ruin Zhao Shu's life.
But this time, Lin Xiuxue will be disappointed. Jiang He no longer dares to provoke Zhao Shu, let alone ruin her reputation. What he is thinking about now is how to make his own people the commanders of the Yongwang Mansion's troops.
Emperor Mingde acted swiftly. The day after Zhao Shu and Prince Yong returned to their residence with a pile of rewards, Wei Tingsi came to their door.
The young man before her had sharp, angular features and a cold, piercing gaze. He had a high nose bridge and a tall, slender figure. Although his skin was fair, he was dressed in military uniform and did not appear weak at all. Instead, he gave off an aura of cold arrogance and domineering presence. Zhao Shu couldn't help but recall how he commanded the three armies and looked down on all the heroes during the later campaign to reduce the power of the feudal lords.
"This humble official greets Your Highness and Princess." Wei Tingsi's tone was neither humble nor arrogant, and there was almost no fault in his words.
Prince Yong was still quite wary of Wei Tingsi, so he forced himself to tell him not to be so polite, and that was the end of it.
Helpless, Zhao Shu had no choice but to take matters into her own hands. "Lord Wei, I'm sure my royal uncle has already told you. We entrust the management of the household guards to you. Ajun and her father are extremely grateful."
Wei Tingsi was slightly taken aback. Princess Jun's reputation for being unruly and domineering was well-known in the capital, but it seemed that this was not the case now.
At this moment, Zhao Shu was dressed in a white magnolia-patterned gauze dress, with a milky white cloak trimmed with pink feathers and moonlight on her body, standing gracefully in front of him.
Although she is only nine years old, she has not yet started to grow taller, and she looks very young with baby fat on her face. Her smile is not stiff and gives people a warm feeling.
"I dare not accept the thanks from Your Highness and Princess. It is my duty. His Majesty has instructed me to guide the Princess in selecting the next commander. I will certainly do my best and not slack off. When will the Princess accompany me to select the next commander?" Wei Tingsi's voice was cold and indifferent. The person opposite him seemed to be an insignificant person, and he was not polite at all, showing no intention of continuing the polite conversation.
This is hardly the way officials in the court should behave. When officials in the court meet, don't they spend half a day exchanging pleasantries and asking questions, and then slowly haggle over things before finally getting down to business?
Zhao Shu smiled, her eyes bright, and asked Prince Yong, "Father, are you and A-Jun going?"
Prince Yong instinctively wanted to refuse; who would want to be associated with Wei Tingsi? This fearsome man, however, thought of his daughter going, and he reluctantly nodded.
The three arrived at the training ground, where eight hundred soldiers were already standing in neat rows. Although there weren't many people, they were all gathered together, making it a fairly large operation, considering that a regiment only had a thousand or so soldiers.
Although there was no reviewing stand in the training ground, the centurions knew that the Guardians were coming to help with the reorganization and to help elect the next commander, so they all sensibly built a temporary platform.
Zhao Shu followed Prince Yong onto the high platform. She longed to look down upon her troops from above, deliver a few grand speeches to boost morale, and indulge in the fantasy of being a great general, but alas, she was too short…
Just as Zhao Shu was thinking about what to say in a bold and eloquent way, Wei Tingsi bluntly criticized her.
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