Raise an army
When Gu Yu regained consciousness, it was already the end of February. She was wearing a thin, plain-colored quilt and struggled to get out of bed.
"Miss!" Qiuju exclaimed, putting down the tray in her hand and quickly grabbing an outer cloak to drape over her shoulders.
"While I was ill, I heard you and Chunyue say that there were rumors in the capital that the Emperor had been ill for a long time. Is this true?"
Gu Yu walked to the desk and stood there. She took the inkstone and spread out a piece of letter paper. When Qiu Ju saw this, she quickly poured water for her to grind the ink.
"Yes, Miss has only been ill for a few days, and these crazy rumors are already circulating in Shengjing City." Qiuju smiled gently. "Miss, don't worry, these are just rumors from the streets, don't take them seriously. If the Emperor were truly ill, why hasn't he summoned the Crown Prince back?"
"The time has come, the Crown Prince is coming back..." Gu Yu murmured.
The Crown Prince wants to return to the capital to seize the throne, so he will naturally worry about the Gu family. Neither Gu Jin nor Gu Hanying had ever given him a kind look before.
What would he do? Gu Yu thought that Gu Hanying would definitely be tied down in the north, and he wouldn't have the opportunity to bring his army back.
The Crown Prince's faction had previously been secretly trading arms with the Northern Di. Even though the Northern Di had signed a peace agreement with Da Sheng, as long as he promised them enough benefits, the Northern Di would be tempted.
She wanted to write a letter to her father. It was fine if she was overthinking things, but she was afraid that she would be caught off guard and the border defenses of Dasheng would fall.
Just after finishing writing the letter to Gu Hanying, Qiuju brought over the medicine that had been reheated again. "Miss, drink your medicine. After you drink it, you need to go back to bed and rest."
Qiuju's tone carried an unquestionable seriousness.
Looking at the dark, murky medicine, Gu Yu recalled the medicine she had drunk in a daze over the past few days, and a bitter taste rose on her tongue.
She pinched her nose and swallowed the bitter medicine in one gulp. Her throat felt nauseous, but she didn't say it was bitter or even frown. Qiuju pushed her back onto the bed.
The stove in the room was lit again, and the silver charcoal inside emitted a warm glow, making the whole room cozy and cozy.
Chunyue went to the kitchen to get hot water and made a hot water bottle for her. "Miss, put it in the quilt to warm it up. Take it out when it's warm."
"You... don't do this. I know my body. Now that I'm awake and have the strength to get out of bed, I'm almost fully recovered," Gu Yu said confidently.
Chunyue's eyes reddened. "Miss, please take care of yourself. You've really been through hell this time. Who has a high fever for so long? The young master invited Imperial Physician Zhang from the palace to come and take a look. He said that after such a long fever, the person might have gone crazy."
Qiuju frowned and glared at her, "Chunyue, what discouraging things are you saying..."
Chunyue muttered, "Which of my words wasn't exactly what I said? Young Master hasn't left the manor for days because he's been watching over Miss. He only came out when someone came to invite him."
"Chunyue, give the letter on the desk to Qingfeng and have him deliver it to Father," Gu Yu quickly interrupted their argument.
After Chunyue left, Gu Yu finally had some peace and quiet.
"Qiuju, Chunyue is just bad at talking. There's no need to restrict her in everything. If we really make her never say a good or bad word, it won't be like her," Gu Yu advised.
"And you, you're not much older than her or me, yet you act like an old woman. I should probably start looking into finding a sweet-talking, submissive young man who'd be willing to listen to all your nagging..."
Qiuju quickly expressed her determination, "Miss, Qiuju doesn't want to get married. Qiuju wants to serve you for the rest of her life."
Gu Yu leaned against the soft cushions behind her, staring blankly out the window. What did she have left to say about a lifetime?
"Don't be silly," she laughed.
＊
The Fifth Prince, Jing Zichen, spent his days in his own residence, listening to music and playing with birds, enjoying a very leisurely life.
He would occasionally inquire about his father's condition at the Imperial Hospital, but he never got any definite answers.
He always remembered the words Gu Yu had given him: "Do not think of them, do not do them."
"Little Five, Little Five, I originally didn't have those intentions..."
A kind smile appeared on his fair and round face as he used golden chopsticks to feed a dried worm to the parrot in its cage.
But fate had already prepared everything for him.
His father did not make him a vassal king, but instead sent him to the army camp to fight against the Northern Barbarians. After returning victorious, he practically gained a military merit for free.
In his spare time each day, he would ponder his father's thoughts. After much deliberation, he finally figured it out: his father didn't want this crown prince.
Although he still couldn't understand why his father had chosen him, he had always been playful and mischievous since childhood, and his studies were not as good as his other brothers. His only strength was his ability to interact with people.
Whether it's royalty or commoners, he can build good relationships with anyone he wants.
So when he joined the army, he naturally thrived. Apart from those two stubborn and unyielding members of the Gu family, everyone else was a sworn brother to him, closer than blood brothers.
He teased the parrot named Xiao Wu, and continued, "...but there's nothing I can do, everything has come to me."
“Your Highness, I don’t want to compete with you either, but why is Father Emperor disappointed in you?” He saw that Xiao Wu had eaten the worm, so he took the golden chopstick and teased it.
"Xiao Wu, do you think I should become emperor?" He already had the answer in his heart.
The parrot thought Jing Zichen was going to give it more food, so it pecked at the chopsticks twice, making a clear and rapid "clang! clang! clang!"
Jing Zichen smiled and slowly fed it all the dried insects from the golden bowl, one by one.
"Good, Xiao Wu, you're right."
＊
On the tenth day of the second lunar month, when the spring chill was still in the air, the Crown Prince once again summoned his ministers to discuss matters in the Bianjing Imperial Palace.
“I send a letter of greeting to the Qin’an Palace every two days, but my father has never replied. If my father really announces on his deathbed that he will depose me and pass the throne to my fifth brother, then I, the crown prince, will truly become a laughing stock.”
"My mother has been under house arrest in Kunning Palace for two years now. It's true that neither my mother nor I are favored by the Emperor."
Jing Zikun paced back and forth in the hall, his hands behind his back. Seeing that none of the ministers below him spoke, he felt even more helpless.
"Alright, alright, all of you may leave. Let Gu Jing have some peace and quiet."
After everyone else had left, he invited Shen Changqing, who was waiting in the back hall, out. "Changqing, you said there would be an answer in two months. Has that answer appeared yet?"
"The Marquis of Shouning nodded in agreement. If Your Highness raises an army, he will do his best to provide supplies. There is only one condition: Xu Qiu must be handed over to him for disposal."
Jing Zikun breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, "That's easy."
"My great-grandfather also agreed that if His Highness were to raise an army to return to the capital, the Zhuang family would be willing to provide gold and silver. If the army were to march north, the local gentry or merchants would be encouraged to contribute money as provisions as they marched. The entire army of 100,000 men gathered in Jiangnan could then march north."
"Changqing, we owe you a lot for this matter. Father's illness came on too suddenly, and the military provisions and funds I had prepared were not enough. If this matter is resolved, I will definitely grant you a title. However, the evidence against the Shen family is conclusive, and the case cannot be overturned."
“There’s no need to overturn the verdict.” Shen Changqing calmly shook his head. “The Duke of England has always opposed Your Highness. Your Highness only needs to hand over the Duke of England’s entire family to me for disposal.”
"I heard long ago that you were engaged to the daughter of the Duke of England. Are you still hung up on that lady? But that woman is no good. Before Xu Qiu was even convicted, she was already trying to sever ties with him. I've never heard of such a heartless woman before."
"This is the first time I've encountered her, but I've already suffered a setback with her, so naturally I want to get my revenge. Besides, I have something I'd like to ask her."
Shen Changqing gritted his teeth as he recalled Gu Yu's delicate and easily bullied face.
His flesh and bones, just savoring that name, evoke an itch, a hatred that makes one want to tear him apart.
"If we were to raise an army, what would be the best pretext?"
Crown Prince Jing Zikun could not possibly return under the pretext of rebellion and seizing the throne.
"To eliminate the treacherous faction and cleanse the court of corrupt officials," Shen Changqing said. "The Emperor's messages cannot be transmitted from the palace. It must be the work of the ministers of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Cabinet. You suspect that they are deceiving the Emperor, blocking channels of communication, and intending to control the government. You want to use this as an excuse to return to the capital to support the Emperor, eliminate the treacherous officials, and cleanse the court of corrupt officials."
"Your Highness, please write another letter inquiring about the Emperor's recent situation. If there is still no news, then we can release the message and openly send troops north to aid the Emperor."
"good."
Jing Zikun has been thinking about this for far too long.
From the twenty-first year of the Shengyuan era to the twenty-sixth year, when he had no choice but to move to Bianjing, he had already made a plan in mind.
However, the timing was always bad, or perhaps he still harbored a glimmer of hope, believing that his father was only testing him and not trying to depose him from his position as crown prince.
"Changqing, success or failure hinges on this." He said to Shen Changqing with his hands behind his back, "If we succeed, I will never let you down."
Shen Changqing knew that Emperor Shengyuan had the idea of deposing the crown prince. The crown prince's rebellion might not have been unexpected by Emperor Shengyuan, and he might even want to push the crown prince to take this step.
However, the crown prince's ascension to the throne was his only chance. If the crown prince was deposed or the fifth prince ascended the throne, he would never have another chance to take revenge.
So he had to push the crown prince to take this step forward, even if he knew there was an abyss ahead.
He was going to gamble with fate.
The three major military camps surrounding Shengjing, along with the surrounding garrisons guarding the capital, numbered only 30,000 men. Furthermore, the important border towns were delayed by the Northern Di and could not arrive in time.
Furthermore, the newly appointed commander of Shaanxi Province has already surrendered to the Crown Prince. If Gu Hanying really wants to lead his troops back, he will be stopped. If he takes a detour, it will take him another half a month to travel. A lot can happen in that half a month.
On their northward journey, they can continue to recruit soldiers, bringing their army to more than 100,000. As long as Emperor Shengyuan remains unchanged and does not issue any decrees or reply to any messages, the Crown Prince will have an excuse to send troops.
After waiting for more than twenty days, March, when spring flowers were in full bloom, arrived.
Crown Prince Jing Zikun issued an edict, calling on troops from all over the country to come to the capital to defend the emperor.
Although some senior officials in Bianjing still tried to dissuade him, Jing Zikun could no longer be persuaded. Everything was ready except for the final push, and he couldn't wait any longer.
As a result, all the garrisons under the jurisdiction of Bianjing sent troops, and local gentry contributed money and grain, forming a massive army of 100,000 who marched north to defend the emperor.
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince of Yan in the east also ordered the garrison to send 30,000 elite troops to join the Crown Prince's army.
It should be noted that the Crown Prince of Yan was involved in the treasonous arms dealing and treasonous activities.
If Emperor Shengyuan were to turn his back on them one day, they would be purged in no time. It would be better to continue following this crown prince and gain merit for supporting the emperor.
The army of 130,000 men grew larger as they marched north, eventually approaching 200,000.
Although some of the people who came were just ordinary folks seeking money and grain, their numbers and imposing presence were quite intimidating.
Some prefectures and states along the way feigned resistance for a while before quickly opening their city gates to welcome them. Some even lined the streets to welcome them, while others refused to open their gates, forcing Jing Zikun to resort to force.
However, there were not many casualties.
After traveling north for more than two months, Jing Zikun, riding a tall horse, finally caught a glimpse of Shengjing City, which he had not seen for nearly three years.
On the city wall, Gu Jin led 30,000 troops, ready for battle.
"Your Highness, please go back. Although the Emperor has not yet recovered from his illness, he has not summoned you back to the capital."
Gu Jin stood atop the majestic city tower, his expression as solemn and dignified as ever.
"Ha, Gu Jin, you really don't know what's good for you. Don't you think about it? I have 200,000 troops behind me, while your city's defenses number no more than 30,000. Even if they are all elites, so what?"
Jing Zikun had long harbored resentment towards the Gu family.
The two stones from the latrine were smelly and hard. Even when he was still in Shengjing City, these two people never treated him with respect. In addition, there was the heartless Gu Yu. This family was no good.
"If you don't open the city gates, I can attack the city directly."
Shen Changqing did not see Zhang Congshen's figure and frowned slightly. But even if the three major camps of the capital region came out in full force, what difference would it make? They were no match for their 200,000 troops.
"Your Highness, since you will not retreat, I will not retreat either." He shouted to the soldiers behind Jing Zikun, "The Crown Prince's actions are treason. You are all subjects of my Great Sheng. If you want to join the Crown Prince in raising an army to rebel, I will naturally not show mercy. If you are willing to surrender, please retreat ten miles to the outskirts of the city."
Upon hearing this, some cowards who had only come for money and supplies retreated.
Jing Zichen frowned and shouted, "Anyone who retreats will be treated as a deserter and executed without mercy."
These words deterred many people who were tempted to act.
Seeing that the morale of the troops had stabilized, Jing Zichen immediately ordered, "Attack the city!"
The city of Shengjing was well-prepared with ammunition and provisions. Gu Jin clenched his fists and looked at the tireless soldiers outside the city, feeling a bit irritated.
He was fifteen when he led a southern expedition against the southern barbarians and twenty when he led a northern expedition against the northern barbarians. He had not yet experienced internal strife, so this war could have been avoided.
However, it still happened thanks to the efforts of many people.
The battle to defend the city lasted for three days, during which countless soldiers were killed or wounded. The elderly, women, and children in the city all came out to do logistical work.
During the truce between the two armies, Gu Yu climbed to the watchtower on the city wall and faintly heard the sound of horses' hooves in the distance.
But just as she stepped down from the watchtower, a sharp arrow suddenly grazed her cheek and struck the stone wall behind her.
Gu Yu touched her bleeding cheek and looked in the direction from which the arrow had come—
The man was wearing silver armor, his sinister eyes fixed on her. Seeing that she was injured, he looked at her with a half-smile.
That look seemed to say, "You're finished, Gu Yu. You've lost. You'll die by my hand."
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