Chapter 286 Rumors, Concubine Jing is forcing her
After Gu Junze returned to the camp, Gu Cheng'an immediately came to greet him, his face full of lingering worry.
"Brother, are you okay?"
"fine."
Gu Junze patted his shoulder. It was the first time that the two brothers were so close.
Deputy General Shi quickly followed, "Prince, the enemy camp's food and grass are indeed fake."
Gu Junze nodded, without saying much, he was the first to lift the heavy curtain of the tent and walked in.
Others followed closely behind.
This time he went to the Pingzhou battlefield not alone, but brought the elite troops from Dongying with him.
Dongying experienced the turmoil of Anyang Hou's rebellion and carried out a thorough purge.
Those who remain now are loyal, reliable and tested men of iron and blood.
The tent was brightly lit, but the atmosphere was somewhat stagnant.
General Wang Wu, the General in Charge of the Northern Expedition, had already been sitting in the main seat, wearing armor and looking solemn, and it was obvious that he had been waiting for a long time.
"I'm back."
Wang Wu's voice was low and no emotion could be heard.
"Um."
Gu Junze responded and walked aside.
Wang Wu glanced at him and went straight to the point.
"Will Zheng State be willing to release the young prince?"
Gu Junze met his gaze calmly, but the answer was not optimistic.
"The prisoners can be released, except Lin Jingchuan."
Wang Wu's brows furrowed instantly, and his fingers tapped the table unconsciously, showing a bit of irritability.
King Yong was urging him to find a way to get the person back.
But the Zheng State refused to give in, so how could he explain himself?
Gu Junze didn't seem to notice his emotions, or didn't seem to care.
He walked straight to the hanging military map and his eyes fell on the intricate lines.
"The Emperor has sent an envoy to Liang."
"We are ordered to stay here and contain Duan Qingye's main force at all costs."
Gu Junze turned around, his eyes slowly sweeping over everyone in the tent, finally landing on Wang Wu, his voice steady and clear.
"General, what do you think the Emperor's intention is?"
Wang Wu pondered for a moment, and his thick eyebrows moved slightly.
"Perhaps they want to use the power of Liang to attack Zheng from behind?"
Pingzhou's general Shouzhong shook his head slightly and expressed a different opinion.
"Liang and I have always had friendly and harmonious relations."
"But they may not be willing to easily get involved in a war that could affect them just for the sake of this friendship."
Gu Junze nodded in agreement.
"good."
"Once Liang joins the war, it will inevitably arouse the vigilance of neighboring countries and disrupt the existing balance."
"They have always been cautious and will not take such risks lightly."
He pointed his slender fingers at the map, drawing the border line between Zheng and Liang.
"Unless there is enough interest to tempt you."
Gu Cheng'an couldn't help but interrupt, "But doesn't the King of Liang owe the Princess his life? Isn't that enough?"
A complex look flashed across Gu Junze's eyes, like emotion, but also like sarcasm.
"Time flies, and things are different now."
"People's hearts are fickle. Who knows how much weight the kindness of the past still holds..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Wang Wu.
"Okay."
Wang Wu spoke with impatience, looking at Gu Junze with a serious look, with a hint of warning in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, you have your own considerations and foresight. How can you and I speculate about that?"
"You and I just have to follow orders, hold the Pingzhou defense line, and contain Duan Qingye."
Upon hearing this, Gu Cheng'an's face immediately showed indignation and his fists clenched slightly.
The eldest brother is obviously very wise and resourceful, but Wang Wu is clearly taking advantage of his seniority and deliberately suppressing him.
But in the end he held back and suppressed his dissatisfaction deep in his heart.
When you live under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.
Wang Wucai is the marshal appointed by the emperor himself, and is the person the emperor truly trusts and relies on.
As for what kind of secret order the emperor will give to Wang Wu, no one knows except Wang Wu himself.
The atmosphere in the tent was subtly tense for a moment.
Gu Junze said nothing more, turned around and walked out of the tent alone.
The night wind, carrying the chill of the frontier, blew towards him, blowing the hem of his ink-black clothes.
He looked up at the rolling mountains in the distance.
"Han'er," he whispered softly, "no matter what the future holds, I will always return to you."
In the capital——
Three days passed in a row.
In Jing'an Residence, Chu Ruohan still did not make any movement.
Every day she just stayed in the house to take care of her pregnancy, or accompanied Doctor Qian to fiddle with the medicinal herbs. Her life was peaceful and uneventful.
On the contrary, Concubine Jing in the palace was getting restless.
In the past few days, an old news has been quietly circulating in the streets and alleys of the capital.
The fact that the Tian family was exterminated was suddenly brought to light.
In the teahouse, the storyteller was spitting loudly as he described the bloody scene of that night in vivid detail.
In the restaurant, a few diners were talking to each other in low voices.
"Have you heard? The matter of the Tian family is not simple."
"It's not just complicated, it's a very complicated matter!"
"There's inside information saying that the Tian family got to know some secret that they shouldn't have known, which led to their murder."
"What secret?"
"Shh—keep your voice down! I heard...it's related to the royal bloodline!"
"Oh my God! Is this true?"
"It's almost certain. They said the Tian family wanted to use this to control that person in the palace, but in the end...tsk tsk, they were silenced."
"Didn't they say the Dali Temple was investigating?"
"Who dares to investigate the truth..."
Rumors grew like weeds, becoming more and more outrageous, and the spearhead was vaguely pointing to the depths of the palace.
Naturally, this news also reached the palace.
Inside the Qianqing Palace, the atmosphere was so heavy that it almost felt like water dripping from the air.
Chu Ruohan stood side by side with Doctor Qian, their heads lowered and their eyes closed.
Sitting high on the throne, the emperor's face was as gloomy as water, his eyes as sharp as an eagle, and he slowly swept over the two people below.
"I'm sure you've heard the rumors in the capital."
The emperor's voice was not loud, but it carried a sense of oppression, as if a storm was about to come.
Chu Ruohan's heart tightened, but she remained expressionless.
"Your Majesty, I have heard a little bit."
Doctor Qian was even more silent, with sweat oozing out of his forehead.
The emperor picked up a secret report on the imperial desk and tapped it lightly.
"I've checked. These rumors first came from Jing'an Residence."
His gaze fell on Chu Ruohan, with scrutiny, and his voice suddenly turned harsh, "What on earth do you two want to do?"
Chu Ruohan's fingertips trembled slightly, and the hands hidden in her sleeves clenched quietly.
Her mind was clear.
Respect the Imperial Concubine.
It was Concubine Jing who was forcing her.
They were forced to take advantage of the situation and stir up the muddy water completely.
Since there is no way to retreat, we can only face the challenge head-on.
Chu Ruohan took a deep breath and slowly knelt down.
"Your Majesty, I have no intention of spreading rumors."
"If this rumor originated from Jing'an Residence, it can only mean that someone did it deliberately to frame someone."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
