In the Dashun Palace, Emperor Tianwu did not have a good year. Apart from attending court, he locked himself in the Zhaohe Hall and did not see anyone.
The palace maids who served tea in Zhaohe Hall were having a headache, as they didn't know what kind of tea the emperor liked. From New Year's Eve to now, they had changed eighteen types in total, but Tianwu had never taken a second sip of any of them.
Zhang Yuan trotted in from outside, with a chill on his body. He tentatively said to Tianwu, "The Queen and the concubines are outside the palace asking for an audience. They want to invite the Emperor to the Zilin Pavilion to listen to an opera."
Tianwu frowned: "Listen to the opera? I don't have the mood to listen to the opera. It's freezing."
Zhang Yuan discussed with him in a good-tempered manner: "The stage is set up in the main hall, it won't be cold."
Tianwu glared at him and yelled, "Is that something that happens inside or outside?" He slapped his chest hard while saying, "It's cold here, it's cold here, do you understand?" As he spoke, he showed grievance on his face, and said awkwardly, "Such a big palace, I have lived in it since I was a child, why do I feel more and more heartbroken? What's the point of marrying so many wives? In the end, I can't even get a close friend."
When Zhang Yuan heard this, he was like, "Oh! The emperor was depressed again. It seemed that the queen's thoughts would be in vain again." So he quickly told a little eunuch beside him to report to the queen. He took two steps forward and began to persuade her earnestly: "Your Majesty, please don't be like this. I know what you are thinking. Although Concubine Yun was not with you, she was playing the pipa in Yuehan Palace. Half of the palace could hear it on New Year's Eve. It can be regarded as accompanying the emperor to celebrate the New Year."
"Playing the pipa? Humph!" Tianwu snorted coldly, and then said self-deprecatingly: "That's fine, at least I can hear some sound this year, otherwise there was no sound in previous years. Hey, Xiaoyuanzi, you said Pianpian is clearly in the palace, but why do I always feel that she is not there at all?"
Zhang Yuan shuddered, but he was firm in his words, sticking to one rule: "Where else can she go if she's not in the palace? Do you think this is the backyard of a commoner's house? You can just leave as you please?"
Tianwu thought about it and agreed, so he waved his hand, sighed, and turned the page.
Zhang Yuan let out a long sigh, silently praying in his heart, "Mrs. Yun Fei, please come back soon. If this matter is exposed, the emperor will burn down the entire harem. This is still a small matter. If she sneaks out like you, it will be a big deal! I hope that the climate and soil in the East Territory are not suitable for people. Mrs. Yun Fei, please come back quickly after a few days of not being able to adapt to the climate and soil!"
Unfortunately, things don't always go as one wishes. The East Border of Dashun is not that cold. There was only a little snow on New Year's Eve, and it never snowed again. Concubine Yun was very accustomed to the local climate. She ate all the delicious food in the city, from restaurants to roadside stalls, and even secretly went to a brothel once, just to taste the fruit wine that was said to be so magical. As a result, nothing happened at that time. After returning, she got drunk for two days, which made Xuan Tianhua so angry that he ignored her for two days after she woke up.
Concubine Yun was free and easy, but Xuan Tianhua's life was not so easy. Not only was the general's mansion full of former Bu Cong's men, but the military camp was also like this. Bu Cong's former subordinates were extremely loyal to him. Although they did not run away with him, they collectively expressed their disapproval of the new commander with silence and non-cooperation. Even if this person was Xuan Tianhua, it did not bring much effect to subdue these soldiers.
However, Xuan Tianhua was not in a hurry. He just went to the camp every day, called everyone together, formed a circle with the general as the center, and held a meeting for them. Anyway, the East Territory was not in chaos now, and there were not many military affairs. Once the meeting started, it would last the whole day, from morning to night, without exception.
Later on, some generals were annoyed and started to be late or even didn't come at all. Unexpectedly, Xuan Tianhua was waiting for them to make mistakes!
The deputy general of the East Boundary, Long Nuo, was the first person to test the law. When Xuan Tianhua waited for him for three hours and no one showed up, the first thing he said was: "Bu Cong's crime is rebellion, and his entire clan should be executed. Do you want to rebel too?"
The second sentence is: "This king doesn't like to lose his temper, but that doesn't mean he won't lose his temper; this king doesn't want to kill people, but that doesn't mean he won't kill people."
The third sentence is: "Although you are Bu Cong's old subordinates, you are still my Dashun soldiers. I am not here to subdue you, but to replace Bu Cong as the commander-in-chief of the three armies. Long Nuo disobeyed me, which is the same as rebellion. Come - arrest Long Duo, execute him, and punish all nine generations of his clan!"
With just three sentences, Nalongduo was finally convicted of the heinous crime of exterminating his entire clan. The soldiers of the three armies realized their situation and realized that Xuan Tianhua represented the Dashun court. Their confrontation with him was actually a confrontation with the Dashun court. Bu Cong was already a heinous criminal. If they continued to defend him, what difference would that make to him being a rebellion?
Long Duo's execution made people no longer dare to look down on Xuan Tianhua, nor did they dare to bully him against their conscience based on the folk rumors that the Seventh Prince was kind, elegant and gentle. They finally understood that no matter how kind he was, he was still a prince, and no matter how elegant he was, he was still surnamed Xuan.
Xuan Tianhua's thunderous might made Concubine Yun applaud. If she hadn't been stopped by the guards who had become familiar with her, she would have rushed into the crowd to applaud. Even so, she still yelled at the top of her lungs: "Well done! He deserves it! You guys are just bullying him because he's easy to talk to. You're all cowards!"
That night, Concubine Yun asked the chef of the General's Mansion to prepare a table full of delicious dishes and a few jars of good wine in the name of calming Xuan Tianhua down. When Xuan Tianhua returned to the mansion after the meeting, she dragged him directly to the dining room, washed his hands personally, and then made him sit at the table.
Xuan Tianhua sat on the chair, looking at the table of dishes, feeling so bitter! It was all meat, not a single green spot, how could he eat it?
He discussed with her, "Mom, can I ask someone to make two vegetarian dishes? It's not good to eat too greasy food on weekdays."
Concubine Yun glared at him, "What do you mean by ordinary days? Today is not an ordinary day. You just executed Long what? Oh, Long Nuo, you executed him and killed all nine members of the Long family. It's such a big deal, shouldn't I calm you down?"
Xuan Tianhua stroked his forehead, "I'm not afraid, so why should I calm down?" He picked up the chopsticks and put a piece of fish in Yun Fei's bowl, patiently removing the two thin wings on it, "Eat it. If mother wants to eat good food, just ask the cook to make it. There's really no need to find such an excuse. The East Territory is not like the North Territory which is in the midst of a war, nor is it like the North Territory where there is no grass growing. The climate here is suitable, the crops are growing well, and the people are living a prosperous life. It's not a problem to provide mother with good food."
Concubine Yun was finishing the fish seriously. Seeing that she enjoyed it, Xuan Tianhua took another piece of fish with chopsticks and put it in another bowl, slowly picking out the bones for her. Then Concubine Yun said, "Last time, the princess of Zong Sui wanted to harm Ah Heng, didn't she ask Zong Sui for a lot of gold? I estimate that the compensation should be delivered to the capital soon."
Xuan Tianhua nodded, "It should be here before the New Year." Speaking of Zong Sui, his brows unconsciously frowned, and he said to himself, "At this time, I am afraid that Zong Sui and Qian Zhou will join forces. Therefore, this son of Dongdaemun must come to guard it in person to eliminate the worries of Ming'er and others."
Concubine Yun ate with gusto and said with satisfaction: "Yes, brothers should help each other. You should help your ninth brother, otherwise I have raised you in vain all these years."
Xuan Tianhua was speechless, "Mother, can you please speak properly? It sounds like you raised me just to find a helper for your ninth brother."
Yun Fei waved her hand, "Oh, that's not what I meant. On the contrary, if something happens to you and that guy dares to ignore you, I will break his legs."
Xuan Tianhua smiled bitterly. He really couldn't do anything about Yun Fei's temper. But it was just as she said. No matter which one of them got into trouble, the other would try his best to save him even if it cost him his life. If he didn't try his best, Yun Fei would break their legs first. No matter if they were biological or adopted, there would be no difference in treatment.
Of course, this is also one of the reasons why Xuan Tianhua has treated Concubine Yun like his biological mother for so many years. It is difficult to find such a foster mother in the world.
"Don't worry!" Concubine Yun patted Xuan Tianhua's shoulders with her greasy hands. "With you guarding the East Gate, I can't be more relieved. Even if Zong Sui wants to do something weird, they can't even step into the East Gate."
Xuan Tianhua also smiled and said, "Yes, if we want to bypass Dashun and directly enter Qianzhou, the army will have to travel for at least a year. By that time, Ah Heng will have already sat on the throne of Qianzhou, right?"
At this point, he subconsciously felt a sense of longing. Concubine Yun waved her hand in front of his eyes, "Hey, come back to your senses." Then she said slyly, "What do you think? When Ah Heng becomes the king of Qianzhou in the future, will we be able to go to Qianzhou to play as freely as if we were in our own kitchen?"
Xuan Tianhua looked at her with amusement and told Concubine Yun a fact that made her heartbroken: "You can't even leave the palace as freely as you can enter and leave your own kitchen."
Concubine Yun continued to eat meat with a bitter laugh, muttering, "I have raised you in vain. None of you speak for me. You run out every day, leaving me alone in the palace. I am so bored. I finally got a daughter-in-law who suits my taste, but she is even busier than you two. I have a miserable life, a miserable life!"
The mother and son were sighing in the room when someone knocked on the closed dining room door. A servant outside said, "Your Highness." He paused and added, "Brother Tian." Then he continued, "Just now, two children were sneaking around the entrance of the general's mansion. I saw them on patrol and was about to chase them away, but one of them said he was looking for the Seventh Prince."
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