Chapter 52
The escort of carriages and horses started from the imperial city, and was escorted by a mighty force of nearly a thousand people. Such a grand spectacle was unprecedented. The people in the capital city left their family affairs and went out to watch, and there was far more discussion than admiration among them.
The general who was walking in front naturally heard a lot of gossip. He bit his back teeth inconspicuously and spurred his horse to walk faster.
Because the prince was personally seeing them off, the Yue family did not want to be in front of the prince, so they were unable to leave the city to see him off.
Cui Hu walked out of the city gate, looked at the towering huge city wall and turned his head back for the last time. The scorching sunlight enveloped his whole body, dizzying his gaze on the city wall.
The prince saw the team stop from behind, walked out of the shadows and said.
"This time, tens of millions of silver coins are entrusted to General Cui alone. General, you must escort him well and don't let the people of Shuhu, thousands of miles away, down!"
Cui Hu gritted his teeth and sneered, ignoring his expression.
"Prince, why don't you pay more attention to whether this action and this trip will disappoint the people around you?"
Seeing him like this, Xiao Yan frowned and gritted his teeth, looking quite cunning and sinister, but he quickly adjusted his expression and smiled.
"Of course it is! General, please be extremely careful on your journey. The Emperor will reward you when you return."
What he said seemed to have some hidden meaning, but Cui Hu was not in the mood to think carefully about his words at this time. He shouted to set off, and the team that stretched for a hundred feet into the city slowly moved and headed towards the western official road.
The young servant beside the prince saw the team going away, and came forward to explain to the prince respectfully.
"Your Highness, there's no need to be angry with this vulgar man. He's just a warrior doing his job. When he returns to the court, there will be plenty of opportunities to put an end to the Cui family's arrogance!"
Xiao Yan's brows drooped fiercely, and the fierceness in his eyes was clearly revealed.
"He'll come back? Ha... who says he can come back? After all, the situation in a foreign country thousands of miles away is unpredictable. Who knows if Cui Hu will suffer from the climate there and contract some incurable malaria, which could kill him!"
When the young servant heard this, his heart skipped a beat and he quickly looked up at the prince's sinister expression. When he looked up, his eyebrows and eyes were like those in a painting exposed in the sun, as graceful and charming as a woman's.
Xiao Yan quickly shifted his attention to his face. Seeing his red lips tightly pursed, he felt an itch in his heart that he could not ignore.
But he glanced twice and quickly shifted his gaze, saying in a deep voice.
"Lower your head and don't embarrass me in public!"
The young servant's originally relaxed handsome face turned from bright to gloomy, and he became extremely frightened. He lowered his head, fearing that anyone would see his pretty face and talk about His Highness.
The prince climbed onto the carriage and leaned against the soft pillow. The servant immediately followed him respectfully, kneeling in the middle of the brocade carpet, hunching his back, almost bending himself into an old woman.
Xiao Yan glanced at him sideways, and seeing his submissive and respectful look that was almost boring, he suddenly thought of someone.
"Is there any news from the Yao family?"
The young servant hurriedly replied, "Miss Yao was waiting at the Princess's residence a few days ago, but there was no news from the Princess, so Miss Yao returned home. She has been sending letters to ask about your well-being every now and then."
When Xiao Yan thought of the peony-like girl, Nong Yan, his expression finally relaxed a little. He rubbed his brows and recalled the scene of him and Chun Ying laughing and joking together that day. It had been many years since he became the crown prince, and he had not felt so comfortable for a long time.
Chunying is extremely intelligent and has a beautiful appearance. There are few people in the capital who can match her beauty.
When he thought of this, his left hand, which was twirling the ring, paused.
Yes, there is, but that woman is not someone he can dwell on! They belong to different factions, and even if he was interested in him from the beginning, the people around her are too troublesome.
Besides, he is a sickly person who takes three breaths after every step. Just like that sickly person Xiao Heng, he is a person that makes people lose patience.
After the last attack, these two people became much quieter. Even Xiao Heng didn't dare to go out casually and show off. The girl from the Yue family didn't even go out of the house, for fear that there would be more trouble.
These two are quite sensible, but does that mean I have no way to deal with them?
Thinking of this, Xiao Yan let out a breath, raised his finger slightly, and the tea bowl was already in his hand.
"Tell Chunying that the Tianfu Festival is approaching, and the palace should prepare some items for the sacrifice. The Eastern Palace has some sandalwood gifted by the emperor, so tell her to come to the Eastern Palace to get it."
The young servant thought about it and had a point in mind. However, the eldest daughter of the Yao family frequently came and went in the Eastern Palace. I was afraid that word would soon reach the emperor's ears. Then, whether the emperor would be happy or angry was still unknown...
The carriage slowly drove towards the palace. After this day, the Lesser Heat would arrive, and soon it would be the auspicious day for General Cui to arrive and Shu Hu to send back the letter.
During the hottest time of August, a secret letter arrived from the capital, announcing that Shuhu was in conflict with neighboring countries again. The envoys of Dasheng tried to mediate but failed. Shuhu requested three times to escort the guards to participate in the war, but General Cui rejected all his requests and planned to return to the capital in September.
At that time, in the Qinzheng Hall, the emperor sitting on the dragon throne threw the letter on the table, raised his hand and summoned Prince Shou, who was standing opposite the long desk, to his side.
"Look! King Shuhu has tried to persuade us many times with kind words, but our General Cui remains unmoved. He even wrote down in his reply how much gold, silver, and beauties were sent there, as if he was afraid I would punish him for corruption and indulgence!"
Prince Shou took the secret letter, glanced at it briefly, and bowed in reply.
"General Cui is neither humble nor arrogant. Even jewels and women cannot shake his loyalty. This is a blessing for our great government and the people!"
When the old emperor heard him thinking about his loyal ministers, his back and waist ached a little, so he slid down a little from the dragon throne, looking quite lazy, and asked him with his hand between his eyebrows.
"So, you, like Minister Yue, think our dynasty should not get involved in the Shuyi Rebellion?"
Upon hearing this, Prince Shou clenched and closed his palms behind his back, and replied after only two breaths of delay.
"Our dynasty has no desire to be drawn into war. Since we last conquered Goguryeo and recovered our territory, Dasheng has been free of war for nearly twenty years. All the barbarians have followed our dynasty's lead, and as a result, we have not been defeated in the past century."
"Your Majesty, please allow me to speak frankly! Our dynasty is now more in name than reality. The treasury is empty, and people's livelihood is in decline. If we really fight alone against a large number of enemies, even if the heavenly army is undefeated, the long delay will surely arouse suspicion! If the tribes then show signs of disloyalty, wouldn't that be a loss of the greater for the sake of the smaller?"
After he finished his series of advice, he knew very well the temper of his emperor father, so he bowed his head and waited silently for his father to be furious and bring punishment upon him.
The emperor was old and confused, and his favor for foreigners was a glimpse into his mind. In recent years, his temper had become increasingly violent, and he could even drag out and beat the old eunuchs serving him to death for a trivial matter. His cruel heart was frightening to see.
Xiao Heng was well prepared. Anyone who did not do what he wanted would be punished by him, not to mention that he exposed the fact that people's livelihood was in an embarrassing situation today.
But after waiting for a long time, the emperor still showed no signs of being angry. Xiao Heng raised his eyes slightly and looked over, only to see that his father seemed to be attracted by the clusters of peonies outside the window. He stared at the white-petaled double lotus for a long time, still unable to recover and spoke to him.
"Someone told me what you said... but unfortunately I was too young at the time, and even if I understood it, I wouldn't admit it."
As he spoke, his eyes wandered among the flowers for a long time, as if he was looking for the shadow of an old friend. Unfortunately, no matter how long he wandered, the person he wanted to see would never appear before him.
He withdrew his gaze with a sense of loss, and looked up to see his son standing close by.
Among so many sons, the prince's words and deeds are most like him, the youngest son Xiao Huan looks most like him, but the third son is not like him in any way, and seems to be the odd one out among his brothers.
But in fact, the reason was that he had not been close to his third son in these years. Now that he had been with him for a long time, he could see that the stubbornness in Ah Heng was exactly the same as when he was young. It was like looking at his past self.
When the old emperor thought about this similarity, the anger aroused by his words gradually dissipated.
After so many years of being lost in thought, he suddenly came to his senses and realized that there were fewer and fewer people around him, and even fewer who would act without being delicate and feigned in front of him.
He raised his hand and called Prince Shou to his side, then helped him stand up by holding his arm.
The incense in the room grew heavier, but he seemed not to notice the suffocating aroma and spoke slowly.
"The Crown Prince is arrogant and intolerant. You must be careful with every step you take outside! Don't anger your royal brother. You two may be brothers, but there's no father-son relationship in the royal family, let alone brotherhood. Don't hurt yourself. Please, I will judge your case!"
Prince Shou naturally answered yes. He bowed humbly and walked in the hall holding his father's hands.
The old emperor's health has been deteriorating in recent years, and he has to get up and move around after sitting for a short time.
He walked back and forth with the emperor in the spacious room to loosen his leg bones, and replied cautiously and respectfully.
"My son will not cause my father to worry."
He wouldn't worry him, but the same couldn't be said for the Crown Prince. It was said that a while ago, he went to a Qinlou prostitute. The Crown Prince, not feeling shameless, even summoned a young prostitute to accompany him, drinking all night long. When he left the house, he was hugging a prostitute and was caught. He then cut off the head of a passerby with a knife.
Obviously, this matter has not yet been reported to the palace, but even if it were, would the emperor be angry about what the prince has done?
Prince Shou concealed his suspicion without leaving a trace and silently accompanied him around the hall for a few more rounds.
——
In September, the results of the local Mid-Autumn Examination were reported to the court. As expected, Que Ming passed the examination together with Xu Lianzhou, the son of Mr. Xu from Luoyang.
The Xu family has a simple family tradition, and the courtyard is quiet and empty. After the two men finished their work, they rode back on horseback and led the horses to the stable behind the yard.
Both were dusty and tanned from their hasty journey. Xu Lianzhou saw him adding hay and pouring water to the trough with remarkable naturalness and said with a smile, "I thought my family was simple and I was taught to do everything myself. I never expected Brother Lingshuang to be even more diligent, even doing small things like feeding the horses and cleaning the house himself."
Que Ming smiled faintly when he heard this. He was already used to doing this kind of thing, and was even used to people calling him Que Ming from afar.
But now, no one has called him by this name for a long time. When he thinks about it now, it feels like a lifetime ago.
"It's just that my family is poor and no one wants to do it."
After that, he stopped explaining. Xu Lianzhou looked at him in surprise as he walked away calmly. All intellectuals were somewhat proud, and even when someone mentioned their family's poverty, they would show some embarrassment that was difficult to conceal.
He was different. When he mentioned his poverty, he seemed to be at ease and calm, as if no one could do anything to him.
Xu Lianzhou paused for a while, and felt that this disciple who was suddenly accepted by his father must be of great importance, so he rushed to talk to him a few more times.
But a golden plaque was anxiously passed into the mansion from outside the courtyard gate. The two looked at each other, frowned, and hurried to the front yard, only to see that Lord Xu had already opened the letter and was standing at the door with a dazed look.
Seeing him coming, he suddenly said: "General Cui Hu... has passed away."
Que Ming's fast-moving steps stopped in the yard as if struck by lightning. He opened his eyes wide in a daze, and suddenly a rapid buzzing sounded in his ears.
The voice echoed and kept turning in his ears. Que Ming took a deep breath and suddenly seemed to see the man in front of him.
She cried bitterly, but no sound could be heard.
Que Ming could only see the tears rolling down her red eyelashes like boiling water, falling drop by drop into his heart, burning him so much that it hurt.
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