Chapter 126
When Zhou Li heard that there was a melon to eat, he couldn't help but prick up his ears, even though it was his own melon.
The housekeeper lamented, "When you were not at home, the Sixth Prince often sent people to deliver gifts. Even for the New Year's banquet, he personally sent Madam back. He also communicated with Madam frequently, and the two of them kept in touch through correspondence."
"Have you seen it?" Zhou Li suddenly asked.
The housekeeper hurriedly said, "Of course I dare not."
Zhou Li pondered for a moment and asked again, "Where's Hongying?"
The housekeeper said, "Madam went to the mountain to worship Buddha. She was supposed to come back soon, but the mountain is blocked by heavy snow. I'm afraid she won't be able to come back until the snow melts."
It is popular in Beijing to go to the mountains to hang Buddha amulets during the Spring Festival to protect the family's safety.
Zhou Li nodded and said, "It's none of your business. Go and get busy. I'm going to the palace tomorrow. Remember to prepare your things."
The butler agreed. Seeing that the prince didn't care at all, he wanted to say a few more words, but swallowed them back.
Everyone in the mansion knew that the Crown Prince respected and loved his wife very much, but it was almost impossible to say that he liked her, because except for the wedding day, the two of them basically slept in separate rooms. The housekeeper was really afraid that the Crown Prince's wife would not be faithful to her.
Zhou Li had no such worries.
After all, could she cheat on herself? Everything the system controlled was traceable, and it must have been in line with the character's personality.
After entering the study, Zhou Li took off her hair crown comfortably.
"Lvliu, go find someone and ask about the situation at the mansion."
Lvliu came over to help her master undress. She smiled and said, "Are you asking about the Madam or the Sixth Prince?"
Luliu knew the agreement between the Prince and Hongying that he would let her go if she met someone she liked, but the Prince and the Sixth Prince were close friends. If she really let the Prince's wife go, and the affairs of the mansion were exposed, she would be handing the evidence to the Emperor.
Zhou Li smiled and said, "I haven't been back for a long time. Everything feels a lot more unfamiliar to me. Just go and ask around."
"Yes." Lvliu replied.
Zhou Li got on the small couch, lay down and listened to the wind outside the window.
The wind in the capital is not as strong as that in the northern border, and the moon in the northern border looks bigger than that in the capital.
On the first day after returning, Zhou Li unexpectedly suffered from insomnia.
Although he could rest easy and have no worries, and the environment there was much better than that in Northern Xinjiang, Zhou Li preferred Northern Xinjiang.
I wonder if the people in the capital have changed after I haven’t been back for half a year?
Zhou Li sneered in his heart, thinking that they would meet tomorrow.
At the first court meeting after the New Year, the ministers all looked rosy. Zhou Li stood alone in the corner, waiting for the palace gate to open and then go to court with the other ministers.
She was wearing the black court robes of a military officer and looked young. Many people looked at her several times, but no one dared to come over.
Everyone has their own assessment of her, but the saint's intentions towards the Southern Liang Palace are unclear, and no one dares to attract attention at this time. After all, it is not good for civil officials to have any relationship with military generals, and it would be even worse to have any relationship with the Southern Liang Palace.
At the appointed time, the palace gates were opened, and all civil and military officials entered through the middle gate to pay their respects to His Majesty.
The New Year had just passed, and everyone was saying some words to bring good luck. No one was so tactless as to say anything unpleasant. The hall was filled with laughter and conversation. The sage asked, "Is the northern border safe and secure?"
Zhou Li lowered his head and emerged from the ranks, "Your Majesty, we defeated the Khitan and Tatars two years ago, and they have not dared to attack again since then. The northern border is stable, and the people live and work in peace and contentment."
The saint is pleased and gives rewards.
After the morning court session ended, the sage asked Zhou Li and General Wang Mian to discuss matters.
Zhou Li and Wang Mian were very familiar with each other. If there was the King of Southern Liang in the northern border, then there was Wang Mian in the southern border. Zhou Li and Wang Mian went to Beijing together. Wang Mian stroked his beard waiting for the saint to arrive, while Zhou Li sat and played with the teapot.
Hearing footsteps, they both stood up.
"The Saint has arrived!" the eunuch announced.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Zhou Li and Wang Mian saluted.
"Please stand up." The sage said with a smile, "My Qing Kingdom's generals, especially Gong Yifu, you are worthy of being Gong Yi's son. You have the same style as him in his youth! You are the young talent of our Qing Kingdom!"
"Your Majesty is too modest." Zhou Li lowered his head.
The saint patted her shoulder and walked to the upper seat and sat down.
"You are the Qilin of my Qing Kingdom! It doesn't matter if you are a little arrogant!" The sage laughed. "Sit down quickly. I've kept you here because I want to hear your stories about the north. I've mostly read about it on paper, and I haven't been to the north yet."
"What's the current situation with the Tatars and Khitans?"
Zhou Li listened quietly to Wang Mian's report to the Saint, without competing for the credit.
After hearing this, the sage asked, "If we take the initiative this time, how confident are we of annihilating the Tatars?"
Wang Mian looked at Zhou Li. Tatar was closer to the northern border.
After hearing this, Zhou Li clasped his fists and replied, "Three points."
The saint was disappointed: "Didn't you defeat the Tatars this time? Why is your winning rate so low?"
Zhou Li said, "My father and I have discussed this before. The Tatars live on the grasslands. If we want to completely wipe them out, we must prevent them from escaping. Once they escape, they will surely grow back the next year."
"Besides, the Tatars don't have states and families like us. They survive by tribe, and each tribe is on guard against each other and they are natural allies. If they continue to flee north, our soldiers may not be able to adapt to the cold climate."
"If the battle line is prolonged, sufficient food and armaments are necessary. However, the northern border is vast, and food and fodder are difficult to transport. If we follow the Tatars, it will be difficult to find a supply team in the rear."
"Is there no solution?" asked the saint.
"Yes." Zhou Li replied.
"Tell me more." The saint waved his hand.
Zhou Li had a faint smile on his lips.
"The northern border is cold. We can explore ahead of time, set up supply stations, and then, like the Tatars, make our home on horseback until we have driven the Tatars to extinction!"
The palace was filled with blood, but the saint laughed.
"Young people are still full of blood." He passed it over lightly.
After leaving the meeting hall, Wang Mian glanced at Zhou Li and said, "You may be young, but you possess a lot of murderous intent."
Zhou Li clasped his fists and asked, "I wonder if General Wang has any advice?"
Wang Mian said: "It is good to be young and energetic, but enthusiasm does not mean recklessness."
"General Wang, do you think we shouldn't go to war with the Tatars? Then just let them come and plunder every year?" Zhou Li asked.
Wang Mian shook his head. "Once the war breaks out, who knows how many soldiers will die on the battlefield. It's that simple."
Zhou Li said: "Since we are soldiers, we should lead by example. I am not talented, but I am willing to be the vanguard!"
Wang Mian shook his head, "That's such a simple thing."
Zhou Li lowered her head. Wang Mian saw that she was stubborn and left without saying a word.
Zhou Li stood up and narrowed his eyes.
Every year, the Tatars and Khitans regard the northern border as a piece of fat meat. In this case, why not take the initiative to attack? If the other side dares to plunder their people, they can take away their cattle, sheep, and women and kill them all!
Zhou Li was filled with murderous intent. The past six months in the northern border had thoroughly tempered her character.
Gong Yinai stood in the distance and watched. Gong Yifu had grown taller. His face no longer had the childishness it once had, leaving behind a mature and calm expression. The black court robe made his shoulders look broad and his legs long. He stood under a red pillar, and the red palace extending behind him looked like the ferocious blood energy spreading from his body. His court robe was blown ferociously by the wind. Zhou Li turned around and saw Gong Yinai.
A smile appeared on her face. She waved at Gong Yinai and called out happily, "Xiao Liu!"
Gong Yinai was dressed in a crimson robe that trailed on the ground, and he walked with steady steps.
The scarlet cloak looks like a wintersweet blooming in the snow.
She walked closer, and Zhou Li finally saw her appearance clearly. She had lost a lot of weight, her chin was like a cone, and her big eyes were scary black.
When she saw Zhou Li, her pale lips finally broke into a smile.
"I heard you were back."
Zhou Li held her hand and found that her wrist was also surprisingly thin, and could be held in one hand. It seemed that Gong Yinai was not having a good time in the palace.
Zhou Li felt distressed.
"You are sick."
She held Gong Yinai's wrist tightly and watched her thin chin lowered into the fur-rimmed hood as she coughed a few times.
"It's okay. I caught a cold while on New Year's Eve, but I'm feeling much better now."
Gong Yinai observed Gong Yifu.
I felt relieved when I saw the pain in his eyes.
A pale smile appeared on the corners of her lips. "But you seem to be living very well in the Northern Frontier. I thought you would not be able to adapt."
"The scenery in Northern Xinjiang is amazing! You can eat meat and drink to your heart's content! It's far more pleasant than the capital!" Zhou Li introduced excitedly, "You have no idea how huge the snow-capped mountains are. The mushrooms growing at the foot of the mountains are also very delicious. Beef and mutton sprinkled with salt are so fragrant that you can suck out the marrow! And..."
Zhou Li tirelessly told Gong Yinai, who listened with a smile and sent her out of the palace.
As they approached the palace gate, Zhou Li said regretfully, "It's a pity that you didn't come with me, Xiaoliu. Otherwise, you would have liked it too."
Gong Yinai stood at the palace gate and said, "I will go if I have the chance."
Zhou Li was happy again, "Then I'll take you to drink and eat meat!"
"Okay." Gong Yinai said elegantly. Seeing that the carriage of the Nanliang Palace had stopped at the palace gate, she looked at Zhou Li with a smile, "Your family is here to pick you up."
Zhou Li was not in a hurry. She said, "I brought you a lot of things from the northern border. I sent someone to deliver them to your palace before the morning court. I will come to find you when I am done."
Gong Yinai nodded and watched Zhou Li turn around and get on the carriage.
Gong Yifu has a free and easy nature that she doesn't have, which is what Gong Yinai envies.
She coughed twice again and walked back slowly.
The Crown Prince was not released during the Chinese New Year, and the Third Prince had accomplished several things, gradually gaining prestige among the scholars. When she heard that the Crown Prince was going to be deposed, she could not wait any longer.
Gong Yifu looked at the falling snow in the side hall. She couldn't be like these snowflakes that no one swept. They originally fell in the poet's garden and were recited, and fell in the eyes of the painter and were praised, but only fell in this lonely palace and disappeared with the sun. She didn't want to die like this.
Gong Yinai felt deeply humiliated as he was forgotten during the Chinese New Year and almost missed the New Year's Eve dinner.
She was not the crown prince. Even if she was deposed, she was still the saint's favorite son. She could only rely on herself to step out of the deep palace step by step.
After entering his own palace, the old servant placed the brazier at Gong Yinai's feet with heartache to warm her.
"Master, your shoes are wet."
Gong Yinai lifted her feet and realized that the soles of her shoes had been soaked by the melted snow, but she was so cold that she didn't even notice it.
Touching the master's padded coat, the old servant felt heartbroken.
"This Ministry of Internal Affairs is just bullying! We don't even have a good life like we do back home!"
Gong Yinai took off her shoes and sat in front of the brazier to warm herself nonchalantly. The charcoal allocated to her palace this year was not enough, so she had to use it sparingly. She didn't even light the fire wall, and she only lit a brazier to warm herself every day, and her quilt was freezing.
After warming his feet and tucking himself into his dry clothes, Gong Yinai asked, "Did you receive the gift sent by the Prince of Nanliang?"
The old servant said sadly, "Got it."
"The Prince of Nanliang and the master are indeed close friends. They sent two carts of charcoal alone. This will last until the end of spring."
It was a chilly spring day and the charcoal in the palace was already insufficient. The only option was to mix the servants' charcoal with the master's. The smoke was so strong that it choked the master and made him cough. But this time, the charcoal sent by the Prince of Nanliang was all good, allowing the master to sleep peacefully without having to worry about being burned by the charcoal at night.
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