June 16th.
On the third day after the court meeting, Zhu Cijiong came to the imperial city to bid farewell to his parents.
Chongzhen was fine, but Empress Zhou was crying so hard that she almost died.
She held Zhu Cijiong's hand and kept giving him instructions.
"Be sure to pay attention to safety. Don't fight to the death when you encounter an enemy. It's better to run away first!"
"Boil the water before drinking it, otherwise you will have diarrhea."
"Liaodong is cold, don't get cold during the season change."
"Don't be reluctant to eat when you get to Liaodong. This is the money I saved for my mother. Take it."
As she spoke, Queen Zhou took a package from the palace maid behind her and handed it to Zhu Cijiong.
The package was heavy, and I don’t know how much gold, silver and treasures it contained.
"Mom," Zhu Cixiong shouted with tears in his eyes, holding the package.
The word "mother" caused Empress Zhou's heart, which had finally calmed down, to be plunged into turmoil again.
She hugged Zhu Cixiong and cried loudly, unwilling to let him leave.
Chongzhen felt a headache from the crying and got up and went outside the hall.
Li Xianzhong, deputy general of the Yongwei Camp, was waiting outside the palace.
Seeing Chongzhen coming, he stepped forward and saluted: "Your Majesty."
"Well," Chongzhen nodded and asked, "Have you arranged everyone?"
"Your Majesty, the two hundred elite cavalrymen of the Yongwei Battalion have been arranged!" Li Xianzhong replied.
"Have you explained what I asked you to say?" Chongzhen asked again.
"I have explained everything!" Li Xianzhong said seriously, "No matter who asks, their identities are the guards of the imperial envoy, not the guards of His Royal Highness Prince Ding."
"Well," Chongzhen looked northeast with his hands behind his back, "Li Xianzhong, the battle in Liaodong is extremely intense. You must be ready to rush to the front at any time."
Li Xianzhong was shocked and clasped his hands together excitedly: "Your Majesty, I am always ready."
"That's good!" Chongzhen patted Li Xianzhong on the shoulder and stood outside the hall waiting slowly.
I don't know how long I waited before the crying in the hall gradually stopped.
Zhu Cijiong came outside the palace to bid farewell to Chongzhen: "Father, take care of yourself. I am leaving now."
"Have a safe trip." Chongzhen said.
Zhu Cixiong seemed to have become accustomed to Chongzhen's indifference. He knelt on the ground, kowtowed to Chongzhen, then stood up and left.
When he walked about ten steps, Chongzhen's voice suddenly came from behind him: "Don't lose face for the royal family when you are on the battlefield."
Zhu Cijiong stopped stiffly, turned around and looked back.
He did not see Chongzhen's face, but only a familiar yet unfamiliar back.
"Your son obeys your order!" Zhu Cijiong kowtowed again with red eyes.
Before he could get up, Wang Chengen walked over from a distance.
He handed the package in his hand to Zhu Cijiong and said, "This is a reward from His Majesty to you, Your Highness."
When Prince Ding took the package, he weighed it and found that it did not contain gold or silver.
In doubt.
Wang Chengen explained: "It's green tangerines."
"Green tangerines?" Zhu Cijiong glanced at the package, then looked up at Chongzhen's back with a confused look on his face.
"Father's move is..."
"I don't understand either. Your Highness, please guess it yourself." Wang Chengen answered truthfully.
"Thank you...father for the reward!" Zhu Cijiong kowtowed again, then stood up and left.
After passing through one palace gate after another, we soon arrived near the Meridian Gate.
The two hundred cavalrymen from the Yongwei Battalion had been waiting for a long time.
They were all elite soldiers personally selected by Li Xianzhong, and they could defeat ten enemies at once.
They knew without Li Xianzhong's reminder that if anything happened to Prince Ding, everyone would be buried with him.
After getting familiar with the personnel, Zhu Cijiong led the imperial envoy team to leave the capital and head for Liaodong.
The group marched very quickly and arrived at Shanhaiguan in just seven days after leaving the capital.
After passing through customs, it took another three days to reach Ningyuan.
Wang Yongji, the governor of Pingliao, had received the news long ago, and he personally led senior generals of the central army to greet them outside the tent.
This serves two purposes.
One is to curry favor with Zhu Cijiong. After all, he is a prince with a special status. If he is impeached by court officials in the future, he can ask him to help plead with Chongzhen.
Secondly, the other party is an imperial envoy delivering an imperial decree, and according to the rules, he should go out to greet him.
Amid the sound of drums and music, a group of senior generals welcomed Zhu Cijiong into the central military tent.
After conveying the imperial edict, Wang Yongji personally moved a stool for Zhu Cijiong and said, "Your Highness Prince Ding, you have worked hard on the journey."
"It's not hard, it's not hard." Zhu Cijiong pushed the stool aside and answered while standing.
Wang Yongji was very satisfied with this small detail. He shouted outside the tent, "Come here, prepare a banquet to welcome His Royal Highness Prince Ding."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Zhu Cijiong again and said, "The military supplies are poor and the dishes are monotonous. I hope Your Highness will not dislike them."
Zhu Cixiong said seriously: "It's enough to eat! You can eat the food, but you don't need to drink. Drinking can easily cause you to make mistakes and lose your head."
After listening to this, the others nodded in agreement.
Only Huang Degong frowned, and the muscles on his face twitched.
He is addicted to alcohol and must drink before every battle, otherwise he will not have the strength.
Zhu Cijiong keenly noticed Huang Degong's expression. He bowed to Huang Degong and said, "Everyone knows that General Huang only has strength after drinking. What I said just now was only directed at me. I hope General Huang doesn't mind."
Swoosh——
Everyone's eyes fell on Huang Degong's face, and then on Zhu Cijiong.
Huang Degong laughed out loud: "Your Highness Prince Ding is really frank in his words. I admire you!"
Wang Yongji also admired Zhu Cijiong, but not because of those words, but because of Zhu Cijiong's keen observation.
The fact that he was able to collect Huang Degong's expression from so many people shows how sharp his observation skills are and how meticulous his mind is.
What Wang Yongji didn't know was that Zhu Cijiong's ability was not innate, but was forced out by his experience.
The once carefree prince was suddenly taken out of the capital one day and traveled thousands of miles to Nanjing.
After arriving in Nanjing, the situation became even more serious.
From court officials and nobles to palace maids and eunuchs, each one is more dangerous than the other.
There were only a few people he could trust.
Children who grow up in such an environment all have unique characteristics.
Amidst the greetings, everyone quickly finished the welcoming banquet.
While drinking tea after dinner, Wang Yongji suddenly asked, "What plans does your Highness Prince Ding have for entering Liao this time?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
