Crown Prince
The news that the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion had been raided by the emperor quickly reached the ears of the crown prince.
At present, there is no border turmoil in the Great Yue Kingdom, but various factions in the palace have long been stirring up trouble.
The emperor needed the crown prince's power on one hand, but was also wary of it on the other.
The Emperor of Dayue was already fully aware of the blood oath Chen Jinheng had sworn with the Crown Prince.
It was because of Lin Ruoyan's incident that the emperor had an excuse to take action against the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence.
"Your Highness, what should we do now?"
The Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion is our only ally. If even they fall, so be it.
Those vassal kings will surely seize the opportunity to strike, which could threaten the imperial power of Great Yue!
Li Zhiyan stood atop the highest point of the Eastern Palace, gazing towards the Golden Palace, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Immediately send a message to Chen Jinheng; I have important matters to discuss with him tomorrow."
Prepare a horse for me; I wish to go to the palace to see my father, the Emperor.
"Yes, sir! I will do it immediately!"
Because Chen Jinheng led his troops to drive away the border bandits, the Great Yue Kingdom is now peaceful and prosperous, and its people live in peace and contentment.
Inside the Golden Palace, with fewer worries about the borders, the Emperor of Great Yue spent his days indulging in beautiful women. He even threw the memorials submitted by his ministers to the chief eunuch for approval.
"Reporting to the Emperor! His Highness the Crown Prince has come to pay his respects!"
The head eunuch, in his high-pitched voice, reported to the Emperor of Da Yue.
"Oh? The Crown Prince has arrived too! Quick! While the beauties are still here, summon him in!"
Upon receiving the order, the Crown Prince took a deep breath and strode into the main hall.
However, when the crown prince saw his father, who was once diligent in governing the country, now indulging in sensual pleasures, he felt disheartened.
The Crown Prince coughed lightly, clasped his hands in a salute to the Emperor in the center of the hall, and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty!"
Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Dayue turned to look at the chief eunuch beside him and gave him a wink.
A moment later, the beauties were led away by the head eunuch.
The emperor stood up lazily, his expression filled with impatience, and asked coldly,
"Your Highness, what brings you to see me?"
"Your Majesty, I have come specifically regarding the matter of General Chen Jinheng of the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Da Yue frowned even more deeply and said in a deep voice,
"The Marquis of Zhongyong's family has formed cliques and engaged in private activities, which is a serious crime."
If it weren't for the fact that three generations of the Marquis's family had bravely defended the country, things would probably be much more serious than just confiscating their property.
"But the peace and stability of the Great Yue Kingdom today is entirely due to Chen Jinheng's suppression of the bandits."
If the Emperor punishes him, it might cause discontent among the military officers below.
Why don't you bestow him upon me, Father, and he can stay by my side from now on?
Firstly, it can protect the safety of the emperor; secondly, it can prevent him from establishing his own independent military force in the southern border region.
What does Father think of this plan?
Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Da Yue realized that the Crown Prince's words made some sense.
"Chen Jinheng is indeed a capable general. Since the Crown Prince has pleaded for him, I will grant your request!"
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's eyes lit up with joy. "Thank you for your kindness, Father!"
At this moment, in front of the flower hall of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion in Shangjing, several elderly people with white hair and wrinkled faces were sitting around a dining table.
The Marquis and his wife took out their wallets to host a banquet for the families of the Second and Third Masters. Everyone gathered together to discuss their future plans, which also served as a farewell.
"Second brother, third brother, now that His Majesty has issued an imperial edict, even I, the eldest brother, am in dire straits."
This is my elder brother and sister-in-law's savings accumulated over many years. While it may not make you incredibly wealthy, it should be enough to live comfortably for a year!
After saying this, the Marquis handed two purses containing 300 taels of silver each to the Second and Third Masters respectively.
The second old man's eyes darkened, and he quickly pushed the purse back.
"Brother! We can support ourselves. The trip to southern Xinjiang is long and arduous, and we'll need money for many things. You should keep this for yourselves!"
After this parting, I don't know when we will meet again!
Elder brother, please accept my bow. May the three of us brothers be reunited someday!
"We'll definitely have a chance to meet again! Take good care of yourselves!"
Second brother, third brother, and mother are getting old and their health isn't very good. You must take good care of her!
The thing the Marquis found hardest to part with was his elderly mother, who was over seventy years old.
"Don't worry, elder brother. As long as my third brother and I are here, we will never let Mother suffer any injustice!"
"With your assurance, I can rest assured! It's getting late, you should set off as soon as possible!"
After bidding farewell to the Marquis, the second and third patriarchs, supported by their respective family members, left the Marquis's mansion.
As they were about to part, the old lady paused, gave the Marquis a deep look, and gave him some instructions.
"My lord, although I am somewhat confused, I still understand Heng'er's matter."
If Gu Qianluo were still alive, you must help Heng-ge'er win her back.
Do you understand?
Upon hearing this, the Marquis's eyes darkened, and he bowed to the old lady, assuring her...
"Mother, rest assured, if she is still alive, as long as Jinheng likes her, we will treat her like a precious treasure."
Upon hearing this, the old lady smiled faintly, turned around, and left with the second master's family.
The Marquis stood there steadily until the old lady's figure had completely disappeared before he was willing to turn around.
"My lord, please sit for a while! We'll set off again once Jinheng returns."
Lady Hou helped the Marquis to a chair and made him a pot of pre-Qingming Longjing tea.
The Marquis frowned, noticing that one person was still missing in front of the hall, and began to scold.
"At this hour! Where has Jinheng gone?"
"I heard it was His Highness the Crown Prince who summoned him."
"Heh, this crown prince really won't give up!" the Marquis sneered.
"The two of them have shared the same ideals since childhood. Perhaps the Crown Prince wants to catch up with him!"
Chen Jinran carried a large cloth bag and slowly walked in from outside.
From a distance, it looks like he's carrying a large sack.
"Ran-ge'er, is that big bag of yours all filled with books?"
"Oh dear! We're going into exile, not on vacation! Get rid of him!"
"There are houses of gold and beauties in books, Mother, these are my treasures."
"Let him be, he just loves watching these things." The Marquis snorted coldly, looking at Chen Jinran with a doting expression.
"Thank you for your kindness, Father!"
Since joining the army, Chen Jinheng has had a habit of planning ahead.
From the moment he learned that the Marquis's mansion had been raided and the family exiled, he sent a message by carrier pigeon to his brothers in the southern border region to keep in touch.
They even specially asked Han Ying to arrange a car, inn, and other necessities to ensure that the whole family could reach southern Xinjiang smoothly.
After Chen Jinheng had made all the arrangements, just as the family of six was about to set off, the Eastern Palace guards suddenly arrived.
"I wonder what Your Highness has summoned me here for today?"
"Cousin Jinheng, I have some good news to tell you!"
The Crown Prince, his gaze intense, handed Chen Jinheng an imperial edict from the top of the desk.
"This is?"
Chen Jinheng's eyes flashed, and he quickly took the imperial edict to examine it.
"You'll see when you see it."
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