Chapter 246 Celebration
Prince Cheng's visit to Concubine De in the cold palace was forgotten without a trace, and no one knew what they talked about except the mother and son. Neither the emperor who was seriously ill in bed nor the queen who actually controlled the harem avoided talking about Concubine De in front of others.
Concubine De still lives in the cold palace. Although her treatment is much better than in previous years, the palace seems to be getting colder and colder. The sound of beating wooden fish is always accompanied by chanting, but it is unknown whether the person chanting can quell the resentment.
During the reign of the Great Zhou Dynasty, no one cared about this weak woman who might be pitiful or hateful. Her reputation as a stunning beauty had been forgotten, and all that remained was endless cold days in the deep palace.
On the other side, the returning troops, which had been stationed outside the capital for more than a month, finally entered the capital to the welcome of all the civil and military officials in the court. It was still Prince Cheng who came out to greet them on behalf of the emperor.
The people in the capital, who had been frightened by a series of palace coups and coups a few days ago, seemed to have forgotten their old fears and went out of their homes to join in the fun.
The cheers resounded throughout the capital, sweeping away all the cold, bloody and brutal atmosphere.
As the military supervisor, Su Fengzhang rode his horse beside He Jun, and all he heard were cheers.
He Jun glanced around and asked in a low voice, "Master Su, do you think it sounds pleasant?"
Su Fengzhang laughed: "Compared to howling and crying, it is naturally more pleasant and melodious."
He Jun said, "If one day we become prisoners, these people won't say a word about our achievements today."
Su Fengzhang sighed and said helplessly, "Prince, even if they were willing to speak, it would be of no use. People's words are scary, but those of low status have less influence. How do you know if they have anything to say in their hearts?"
Because of this, He Jun couldn't help but look at him more and laughed: "Forget it, I can't argue with you anyway."
Then he added, "But there is always some truth in what you say. If I hear it enough, I will really believe your lies."
This made him sound like a cult brainwashing master, and Su Fengzhang smiled without saying anything.
It was naturally impossible for so many people to go to the palace to attend the celebration banquet. After entering the city gate, the prisoners of war who needed to be escorted were escorted, and those who needed to go home went home. Only a handful of people were able to enter the palace.
This time, both He Jun and Su Fengzhang sat in very conspicuous positions. Anyone with a discerning eye knew that most of the credit for this battle went to these two.
When the emperor appeared despite his sick body, the eyes of the civil and military officials below him flickered slightly, and for a moment they were wondering what was wrong with the emperor's body.
What was even more surprising was that the queen, dressed in court robes, holding the ninth prince in her arms, also appeared on the high seat.
Everyone's eyes fell on Prince Cheng, but they saw that his expression remained unchanged and he was calm and composed.
The emperor took in everyone's looks and knew exactly what they were thinking. In fact, if the fifth prince was a son, he would never make the ninth prince the crown prince.
But things have come to this point, and he has no other choice. Even if he knows that the Queen and the Fifth Prince have joined forces, what can he do?
If he killed the queen or the fifth brother, who would help him take care of the Qin family's empire?
Hiding the trace of sadness in his heart, the emperor coughed and forced a smile: "Prince Xi and Lord Su have made an indelible contribution to our victory over the Xianbei this time."
He Jun bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am deeply honored. The victory was the result of the unity of the Great Zhou army. I dare not take any credit for it."
The emperor shook his head and smiled, "Ah Jun, don't underestimate yourself. I will never forget the contributions of General Meng and General Chen, but you and Lord Su should not be denied credit either."
"General Meng died on the battlefield, and I was worried that my Great Zhou would be without any generals. I never expected that you two, at such a young age, would be so well versed in the art of war, repeatedly devising brilliant strategies and defeating the enemy with fewer troops! You are the pillars of my country."
Su Fengzhang and He Jun exchanged glances, feeling a little puzzled. After all, everyone knew that they were all descendants of Prince Cheng. The emperor's praise seemed like he was roasting Prince Cheng on the fire.
The emperor not only praised them, but also rewarded them generously. He Jun was already the Prince of Xi County. Although he was the son of the princess, he was not a member of the royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Naturally, he would not be rashly made a king of a different surname, but the endless stream of rewards he received was shocking.
When it came to Su Fengzhang, the emperor was also very generous, and he gave him a series of titles that dazzled the audience.
Not only the two of them, but many other meritorious soldiers were also rewarded. Compared with the last time, the emperor was quite generous this time.
After reading out the rewards, the emperor, somewhat exhausted, was helped away. The empress, however, sat for a while longer before rising and saying, "My dear ministers, please enjoy your drinks. The crown prince is young, so I will take him back to rest."
After saying that, he actually handed over the place to Prince Cheng.
Su Fengzhang had sharp ears and eyes, and he vaguely heard people whispering, discussing the attitudes of the emperor and empress.
"Your Majesty, if you think so highly of Prince Xi and Lord Su, doesn't that mean you have great trust in Prince Cheng?"
"Your Majesty likes Prince Cheng so much, why did you appoint the Ninth Prince as Crown Prince? Wouldn't it be better to just let Prince Cheng take the throne?"
"Have you heard? There are rumors that Prince Cheng was injured and it will affect his offspring, so His Majesty is acting like this."
"What do you mean by injured? It's because Prince Cheng likes men, and Su Fengzhang is..."
"Hush, are you going to die? Su Fengzhang is not someone you can mess with. He can kill people on horseback and write when he's not. Don't mess with him."
"Hey, the Empress is leaving now, without even trying to win over the generals? Isn't she afraid that Prince Cheng's achievements will overshadow her?"
Su Fengzhang glanced in the direction of the voices and saw only two unfamiliar faces. They were probably promoted after the court's large-scale purge some time ago. They were talking privately in such an occasion, and it was unknown how long they could keep their position.
At this time, Prince Cheng came over with a wine glass and said with a smile: "Ajun, Fengzhang, I toast you a glass."
He Jun drank the glass of wine with a smile and jokingly said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty."
Prince Cheng raised his eyebrows, looked at Su Fengzhang again, and said with a smile: "Madam Su and Miss Su have already returned home. You will be able to see them when you return."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness." Su Fengzhang said with a smile. He was sincerely grateful for this.
Prince Cheng smiled and said, "It's all because of me. This time, although it looks like you've been rewarded, in reality, it's just some vulgar things."
Rewards came like water, but there were very few substantial things, which was completely different from the last time when they were directly promoted several levels.
He Jun smiled and said, "I understand His Majesty's thoughts. I was mentally prepared before coming here. He can't make me a king of a different surname."
Su Fengzhang also said: "Su is also doing well in the Ministry of Revenue. It's a good thing that he doesn't move."
Prince Cheng said, "Don't worry, you won't be wronged for many days."
The meaning revealed in these words makes one's heart beat faster.
The celebration party lasted late into the night and ended only when most people were drunk.
Su Fengzhang also pretended to be drunk, but when he got outside the palace, he sobered up a little. He saw that He Jun's eyes were very clear and there was no sign of drunkenness at all.
The two of them smiled at each other, and He Jun said, "Your Majesty's behavior today is half for the Queen to see."
Su Fengzhang quickly understood that the emperor acted as if he valued them very much, but in fact he was trying to sow discord between Prince Cheng and the Queen. It would be best if he could make them turn against each other.
Obviously, even though his son was torn to pieces, the emperor still couldn't truly understand.
Seeing that he understood, He Jun patted him on the shoulder and said, "Your Majesty has favored me for many years and never hesitated when he wanted to use me. Just listen to what he said and don't take it to heart."
Su Fengzhang laughed when he heard this. Was this guy afraid that he would be fooled? "Your Majesty, do you think I am a fool?"
"Not like that." He Jun smiled and continued, "My father is not like that, my mother is not like that, Empress Yuan is not like that, Concubine Xu is not like that, the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince are not like that, but what about now?"
"That's all I have to say. I'm in a hurry to go home to see my wife, so I'm leaving." After saying this, He Jun rode away on his horse.
Su Fengzhang turned around and saw Su Arong walking towards him quickly. Seeing his excited face, he said repeatedly: "Sir, let's go home!"
Su Fengzhang nodded, and after getting in the car, he asked, "Arong, how is your family these days?"
Su Arong then recounted the events of the past few days in detail without hiding anything, and finally said, "Thanks to the prince's protection, no one was able to capture the madam and Huihui."
Su Fengzhang also felt thrilled. Their feigned surrender was a risky move, but they did not expect that the people in the capital would be so eager to take action. Fortunately, Prince Cheng and Prince Rong were able to control the situation and save face.
"It's also thanks to Huihui." Su Fengzhang knew the interests involved best and said so.
Su Arong also said: "Yes, I was scared silly that day. Huihui is a girl but she is very brave. It's a pity that she is not a boy, otherwise our family would have given birth to another Erlang."
Su Fengzhang couldn't help but sigh. Compared to Su Lanzhang, Su Huihui was indeed much smarter and more clever.
Over there, He Jun rode a fast horse to the He family, anxious to see his wife and grandmother, but he was greeted with a whip before he even entered the door.
If he hadn't been quick enough to grab it, he would have been beaten hard.
In the capital, the only people bold enough to whip him were his wife and Princess Jing.
Princess Hejing was standing at the door, with a big belly and red eyes. When she saw him grab the whip, she cursed, "How dare you fight back!"
He Jun had never seen her look so pitiful, almost crying, and for a moment he forgot to grab the whip.
The next moment, He Jing started beating him up: "I told you to pretend to surrender, to do whatever you want, and to ignore us!"
Princess Hejing's martial arts skills were mediocre to begin with, and now she was pregnant, so her whipping power was weak and just a gesture. He Jun didn't dodge, but instead cried out in pain: "Huan'er, I know I was wrong!"
As he spoke, he hugged Princess Hejing and coaxed her, "Huan'er, I'm sorry. I came late and scared you."
He Jing's hand softened, and the whip fell to the ground. She hugged him and shouted, "You bastard, do you know how worried we were? Grandma was so scared that she fell ill. We thought you were dead..."
The He family would never surrender to the enemy. When they first heard the news, they didn't believe it and were only worried about He Jun's comfort.
Seeing her crying so hard that her eyes were red and swollen and her face was covered with tears, He Jun felt distressed: "I was wrong, I deserve to be beaten, don't cry, if you are not satisfied, beat me again, you can beat me for as long as you like."
Princess Hejing cried, "You said nice things. You promised before we set out not to take risks, not to do anything dangerous, and to protect yourself first. But what happened to you..."
He Jun immediately scolded, "Huan'er, this really isn't my fault. It was all that rotten idea of Su Fengzhang. How dare I make you so worried? It's all his fault. Calm down! I'll help you beat him up tomorrow."
It is just like this: a poor Taoist would rather die than let his friend die.
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