"Your Highness, the doorman said there is a letter for you." The servant outside came in and reported.
"Huh? Who is it?" Gu Jinke asked in surprise.
Aren’t there usually unified ways of communicating for letters like this? Why were we suddenly stopped at the door? Being stopped at the door also means that there has been no previous correspondence.
The servant frowned, a little embarrassed: "It was a hurried person who suddenly threw it into the doorman's hands, and then ran away. The guards didn't react and she disappeared. Originally, we would not present such an unknown thing to His Highness, but there was no name on the letter, only a note saying it was for His Highness. It was a very important letter, so the servants didn't dare to make a decision on their own, so they came to report it."
As he spoke, his voice slowed down, a little worried that he would be blamed.
Gu Jinge was a little confused, but still said, "Where is the letter? Show it to me."
She wanted to see who had written something important to her.
The servant heaved a sigh of relief, and hurriedly took out the letter and handed it to him: "This is it, Your Highness, please read it."
Gu Jinke took it. The letter was not recognizable at all. It was written on ordinary paper and with ordinary ink. The words on it were crooked. Some people even believed it was written by a child of several years old.
Gu Jinke had no choice but to pull out the letter and read it. There were only two short sentences written on it, but after reading it, Gu Jinke frowned tightly.
[The Fifth Princess' injury was false, and she has taken the Five Kings to the border, where chaos is gradually brewing. 】
Gu Jinke read the sentence silently again, then waved away the servant, and asked someone to call Xin Shuang over.
Xin Shuang came hurriedly: "Your Highness, is there anything wrong?"
In the past two days, according to Gu Jinke's request, she has not only been keeping an eye on the fifth princess Gu Jinyun and the fifth prince Tan Xi, but also collecting information on the border. She is very busy.
Gu Jinke didn't say much and handed her the letter: "Take a look, this is a strange message that the concierge received today. Check it with your message."
Xin Shuang was stunned for a moment, then took it respectfully. She read the contents of the letter at a glance, frowned, and opened her mouth in surprise: "Ah!"
The fifth princess pretended to be injured and even took the fifth prince, Tan Xi, to the border?
Moreover, the border is becoming increasingly chaotic. How chaotic is it?
She folded the letter carefully and replied, "There is no way to verify it for now, because our people have tracked down the Fifth Princess Gu Jinyun in Cangyang Prefecture, and it will take about one or two days for the news to be sent back."
She even stood up and was about to move: "I'll go and urge them, and then send people from other directions to confirm it."
No one knew who this person was, but he got news faster than them, as if he was following the Fifth Princess closely.
Gu Jinke nodded and let Xin Shuang go. In fact, she had already believed the news in her heart, but because she was cautious, she wanted to be more certain, so she let Xin Shuang go to verify it.
After all, she had always been skeptical about Gu Jinyun's injuries and the progress of his suppression of bandits, which were too inconsistent with Gu Jinyun's strength.
However, what he didn’t expect was that not long after the confirmation, Gu Jinke got the exact news.
The news sent by her subordinates has actually arrived!
Xin Shuang frowned and hurried back: "Your Highness, the news is true, and the fifth princess may have even returned to the capital."
The news brought back by his subordinates said that Gu Jinyun seemed to have noticed something and suddenly became defensive. Not only did he take them around in circles in the mountains of Cangyang Prefecture, he also secretly used a strategy of escaping from the shell, concealing the truth from the world, and disappeared in Cangyang Prefecture. By the time they realized something was wrong and followed the clues to catch up, they found that they were already one step too late.
Gu Jinyun had already taken her men and Wang Jun to the border, so their news was delivered a day or two in advance.
Xin Shuang felt a little guilty: "Maybe Feng You, who was beside the Fifth Princess, noticed something was wrong."
After all, people of the same kind are more sensitive to the breath of their own kind. Feng You is also an expert in this field, and is also a close friend of the Fifth Princess Gu Jinyun. If she reports what she has discovered to the Fifth Princess, the Fifth Princess will be very convinced.
Gu Jinke still remembered Feng You, and it suddenly dawned on her that the abilities of Feng You and Xun Ji, who was beside Gu Jinke, were not much different, so it was reasonable for her to discover this.
This can also better explain why the fifth princess Gu Jinyun ran to the border for no reason. People who live on the edge of a knife are always more sensitive to danger. If Gu Jinyun had really returned to the capital, she might have seen the fate of the third princess Gu Jinxiu, and she would have been so sad and anxious that she would go to find a place she thought was safe.
She has been running the business for a long time, and it is the best place to go during the autumn and winter when the border area tends to fall into chaos.
She can achieve great things there, and her abilities will be indispensable. As long as she does not return to the capital, people may not be able to explain or figure things out for a while, and things will be delayed. At this time, the greater her achievements, the smaller her faults will naturally be. She considered everything very carefully, even involving her obvious weak spot, Tan Xi.
Gu Jinke knocked on the table, took the previous letter and read it again, then handed it to Xin Shuang.
"Send this letter to the Emperor intact and ask His Majesty to make the decision."
Being so far away, she couldn't do anything. And as the letter said, the border was becoming increasingly chaotic, which made the Queen even more worried.
Xun Ji nodded in agreement, then hurried downstairs with the letter towards the imperial palace. The emperor soon received this ugly and ordinary letter.
The empress didn't say anything on the surface, but she must have believed it in her heart. She quickly summoned the Minister of War, the Vice Minister, the Prime Minister, the Grand Tutor Jiang and other court officials to discuss the matter, and even asked Gu Jinke to participate.
Then he asked Fang Rui, whose injury had not yet fully recovered, to resume his duties: "Send someone to Cangyang Prefecture, and then check the news of the people following the Fifth Prince."
She also needed to carefully confirm the authenticity of the news. However, regardless of whether the matter about the Fifth Princess Gu Jinyun was true or false, the news from the border could not be ignored. It was winter, the time when the barbarians were most hungry and cold, and it was also the most important season for reproducing offspring.
At this time, the barbarians lacked food and men.
After receiving the summons, the group hurried to the palace and held the same view as the Queen.
Prime Minister Gongzhong frowned and said, "Your Majesty, it has been several years. We need to teach the Barbarians a lesson and make them restrain themselves."
In recent years, there have always been minor conflicts on the border, which has instead encouraged the rampant behavior of the barbarians.
After all, if a war really breaks out, it will cost an untold amount of money, food, and manpower.
The empress was somewhat tempted, but also a little hesitant. She naturally wanted to take the initiative and had even prepared money and food for several years for this purpose. This was one of the reasons why she was reluctant to move the third batch of supplies when the earthquake occurred in Qingcheng Prefecture.
But after all, there was an earthquake this year, and it didn't seem like the right time, place, and people. She wanted to wait until Qingcheng Prefecture stabilized before fighting.
But she stroked her chest and frowned slightly. She was old, and if she delayed any longer, her health would deteriorate. If she didn't get the fight, she was worried that when she was ready to fight again, she would not have the heart or energy.
There is no emperor who does not want to leave his name in history books.
Prime Minister Gongzhong seemed to see through her hesitation and bowed: "Your Majesty, if you don't make a decision, you will suffer the consequences!"
Master Jiang thought for a moment and took a step forward: "Your Majesty, I second the motion."
Before the Queen did something foolish, one of their common goals was this: since this year is more chaotic than previous years, it would be better to just fight directly. If it drags on, the barbarians may become more rampant. This is also a kind of invisible indulgence. In the long run, it will not only wear down morale, but also chill the hearts of soldiers and civilians on the border.
Moreover, if what happened to the fifth princess was true, she had left the capital without permission and went to the frontier, which was a crime in itself, so she could just stay at the border.
People who didn't know the inside story of the Fifth Princess leaving the capital thought so.
At this time, Gu Jinke also took a step forward, cupped his hands, and looked more earnest: "Mother Queen, if the fifth princess really has arrived at the border, now the border should be full of generals, it's a good time!"
She counted them one by one: "The one currently guarding the border is Xu Yeliang, the Duke of Zhenguo, General Qi from the Fifth Princess's father's family, and the Fifth Princess... They are all brave and good generals, and they are in their prime. We have been preparing for war for so long. If we don't fight now, when will we fight?"
If it is delayed any further, the Queen's health will not allow for large-scale warfare. And when Gu Jinke succeeds to the throne, he is also worried that there will be a lack of talented soldiers in the army, and it will take time to train them up slowly. Ministers in the court always have concerns of one kind or another, so the war cannot be fought at all.
No matter what this time, we must first reduce the opponent's arrogance. Even if we cannot win a complete victory, we can still train new generals by fighting to support the war, and slowly replace the original generals in the army. This can not only change the blood in the army, but also train a group of new military generals, slowly break the shackles of the excessive power of the Five Princesses in the army, and reshuffle the cards.
Moreover, the Fifth Princess Gu Jinyun is feeling guilty, so this is the best time to let her fight. In order to achieve success, she will definitely fight the hardest. As long as there is one person to lead the way, the others will naturally follow suit and fight for their own achievements.
Moreover, the eldest prince's wife, Duke of Zhenguo Xu Yeliang, was also at the border at the time, which was an even better opportunity. He could let her fight bravely, so that the eldest prince and the queen would not be afraid of her danger on the battlefield and would not try every means to keep her.
Speaking of it, the reason why the eldest prince and the queen were behind the Duke of Zhenguo Xu Yeliang's return to the capital that year was because the border was still stable at that time, the fifth princess was eager to try, and the queen also had other concerns, so they were able to succeed.
These words were hard to say, but everyone knew what was going on. The queen clenched her fist and slammed it on the imperial desk, her eyes flashing fiercely: "Okay!"
She instructed everyone: "Make preparations first. Prepare your winter clothes, food, and weapons. Once the news is confirmed, start the action immediately."
Gu Jinke smiled slightly, as did several other officials. They all saluted and said loudly, "Yes!"
Several people came out together, bowed to each other, and then Gu Jinke took the initiative to follow the Minister of War: "Master Qiao, I will go with you to the Ministry of Works to take a look at the weapons."
Qiao She was in charge of making a list and counting the military equipment, so he had to go to the Ministry of Works. The Military Equipment Bureau under the Ministry of Works was mainly responsible for supervising the manufacture of military equipment.
Qiao She's mouth twitched, he took a step back, and said cautiously, "Yes, Your Highness."
She didn’t forget Josh’s warning.
The two men went to the Ministry of Works separately from the others, while Prime Minister Gongzhong walked slowly behind with his hands behind his back, occasionally looking up in the direction of Gu Jinke, looking a little thoughtful.
Master Jiang also slowed down his pace, walked beside her and asked, "What is the Prime Minister thinking about?"
Prime Minister Gongzhong glanced at her expression, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes softened a little, and his smile became more sincere: "I was thinking about Your Highness."
From Master Jiang's expression and attitude, she could naturally tell that Master Jiang had buried the previous humiliation deep in his heart and did not indulge in hatred. Moreover, he clearly distinguished between the Empress and Gu Jinke, and did not vent his anger on others. He was indeed a just and open-minded person.
She also wanted to say a few more words: "From what His Highness said today, I feel that His Highness seems to be more eager than us and wants to fight this battle more."
Gu Jinke's expression was too serious, and he took the initiative to persuade the empress, so Prime Minister Gongzhong also felt something vaguely.
Master Jiang nodded, but this was a good thing for them: "A princess who is ambitious and capable is better than one who wastes her talent and chooses to keep the status quo."
Hearing Master Jiang's words, Gong Zhong couldn't help but laugh: "You are right."
Da Jin has been established for many years. Every year, the Empress and the others repair dams, save military expenses, and train talents in a stable manner. Isn't this a preparation to accumulate more foundations and then take Da Jin to a higher level? But the Queen and they are getting old, and the future Jin Dynasty urgently needs a capable leader who dares to break all this and forge ahead.
Gong Zhong smiled for a while, then showed worry on his face: "If this is the case, I am worried that Your Highness will ask for permission to go to the border in person."
Master Jiang's eyebrows moved.
The common people may not feel anything about what is happening in the court, but the ministers all know what is going on. Naturally, some of them do not want to fight, but the court has obviously made a decision, and it is useless to refute, so they can only cooperate.
Qiao Xi now has the support of the Minister of War, so he is more informed. He also guessed it based on Qiao She's movements. He thought about Gu Jinke's character, which he knew, and stood in front of the window for a long time. Then he slowly realized and came to the same guess as Gong Zhong: "Your Highness wants to fight this battle, and if he wants to win, he may have to go to the border in person."
So he stopped Qiao She on his way back to his room at night.
Qiao She's expression tightened, and he couldn't help but feel disgusted: "What do you want to do now?"
Qiao Xi smiled and said, "Do you still remember Qiao Chen who took refuge with me before?"
Qiao She's expression was stern: "What do you want to say?"
At that time, Qiao Chen was being hunted everywhere. Because she was implicated in some incident, she rarely remembered her eldest son who was far away in Qingcheng Prefecture, so she let Qiao Chen take refuge there. Now that the matter here is over, why is Qiao Xi bringing up these old accounts?
She warned, "Josh, we are now in the same boat, don't mess around."
Qiao Xi smiled gently, "Mother, you are overthinking. I know that mother has been in the military for many years. She should have some friendships with the generals on the frontiers, and she should also have some business of her own. I want these businesses."
Qiao She's face suddenly changed, and murderous intent flashed in his eyes: "Qiao Xi!"
Qiao Xi remained calm, as if he hadn't seen the murderous intent in his own mother's eyes. The smile on his face became gentler. "Don't worry, I don't want everything. I just want some people who are familiar with border affairs, and the news about Mr. Qiao Chen, to help me with some small things."
"I know we are in the same boat. Mother, please don't overturn the boat. Otherwise, even if nothing is wrong, it will become a problem."
He lowered his head and played with his fingers, speaking in a leisurely tone.
Qiao She was angry but dared not say anything. In her eyes, Qiao Xi was just a lunatic. She was never afraid of capsizing the boat, but of Qiao Xi, because he obviously didn't care.
Qiao She believed that he had not done anything criminal, he was just better at judging the situation and being more cautious than others, wanting to be a good-natured person who could please everyone so as to have a smooth career in the government.
Therefore, she married the son of the then Minister of War and abandoned her husband. After General Chen's affairs were thoroughly investigated by Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess, she was asked by other officials to send Chen's son to Qingcheng Mansion to avoid inspection in the capital. Unexpectedly, these trivial matters fell into Qiao Xi's hands.
One or two small things might only result in her being fined or demoted, but if there were too many, given Josh's careless attitude, these small things would become the last straw that broke the camel's back. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and said, "Okay!"
Qiao Xi smiled with satisfaction, bowed and left.
He also knew Qiao She. She was a very timid and slippery person. She would never do anything that would truly threaten her official position, but she had done a lot of things that skirted the rules. She was a real veteran in the officialdom, so Qiao Xi dared to control her.
He glanced at the sky and saw that some snow was already slowly falling. It was the first snow in the capital, and it was gentle, beautiful and sprawling.
Qiao Xi reached out his hand to receive the snow. The cool temperature of the first snow slowly covered his palm, but soon turned into water marks. Only some snow particles fell on his cuffs without melting. Qiao Xi leaned in to take a closer look. It was crystal clear and very beautiful. A sincere smile appeared on his face. "It's my first time to see snow. I wonder if Your Highness has also seen this first snow? If so, we can enjoy it together."
He quietly admired the snow scene for a while. Seeing that the snow on the ground was slowly covering the ground with a thin layer, he went down the stairs and tried to step on it, leaving one or two rows of footprints. In the empty courtyard, there was his low murmur.
"Since you want to go to the frontier, how can you not have a team familiar with the frontier? I've prepared it for you."
The author has something to say:
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2022-06-2023:58:11~2022-06-2200:01:03~
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: 1 bottle of Taoyao;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
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