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"How wonderful it would be if I were a dozen years younger."
After the honeymoon, Qingyang continued to work in the Secretariat, while Zhang Su was transferred to the Imperial Guard, where he held the rank of Left Imperial Guard Captain, a third-rank official, second only to the chief and deputy commanders above him.
There are only 3,000 guards guarding the imperial city. The left and right captains of the guards are responsible for the two shifts of guard duty during the day and at night respectively. The commander of any of the four major capital camps commands more than 5,000 soldiers. Therefore, after Zhang Su's transfer, he has fewer soldiers under his command. However, any military officer of the Imperial Guard is the emperor's confidant. If there is a war in the future, the emperor is more likely to send a military officer of the Imperial Guard as the chief general.
Zhang Su did not care about the transfer of his official position. No matter where he served, he was loyal to the emperor and served the country. However, the opening and closing of the palace gates in the imperial city had strict timetables. Since he was the princess's consort, if he still served in the Beijing camp outside the city, his early departure and late return would easily conflict with the opening and closing of the imperial city gates. Therefore, it was more appropriate to transfer him to the Imperial Guard.
Fan Zhong warmly welcomed Zhang Su's arrival.
Although he, a rough man, seldom got together with Zhang Su, who came from a family of Confucian generals, and it was difficult for them to have a common topic in casual conversation, Fan Zhong was not like Deng Chong and his son who envied Zhang Jie and his son because of his own ugliness and lack of education. On the contrary, Fan Zhong admired the three Zhang Su brothers very much and wished that his own son could learn a thing or two from the Zhang family.
In addition, Fan Zhong also had a selfish motive.
He was also a founding hero, but compared to those founding generals and border commanders who were already over sixty or approaching sixty, Fan Zhong was only forty-three and still had much to offer. The emperor trusted him, appointing him as the commander of the Imperial Guard for nearly twenty years. Fan Zhong was sincerely grateful and dedicated to his duties as commander. However, Fan Zhong envied the border generals who were constantly making achievements. He also wanted to achieve a few more military feats while he was still young!
As long as the emperor is around, Fan Zhong will not take the initiative to ask to be sent out. He would rather have no military achievements for the rest of his life than to personally guard Emperor Xingwu. But people cannot just focus on the present. As the emperor grows older, Fan Zhong is also looking for the next commander of the Imperial Guard for the Crown Princess. Of course, it is up to the Crown Princess to trust whom she trusts, and his recommendation may not count. But if the person chosen by the Crown Princess cannot make him feel at ease, Fan Zhong will be uneasy even if he is sent out.
The ministers privately speculated that his eldest son Huaizhong might take over his position. Fan Zhong never dared to have such a dream. His son's loyalty was no problem, but these official positions could not be inherited like titles. What virtue and ability did the Fan family have?
Zhang Su is a very good person. He is both civil and military, and he is loyal enough to the Crown Princess. Once the Crown Princess succeeds to the throne, Fan Zhong can rest assured and ask for an assignment outside the capital.
Therefore, Fan Zhong looked at Zhang Su more affectionately than his own son, and personally instructed Zhang Su on how to be a good...Left Guard Captain.
Emperor Xingwu often lived in Qianyuan Palace and rarely went anywhere else except for taking a walk in the Imperial Garden, but he knew everything the court officials did, not to mention the Imperial Guards who were right under his nose.
A few days later, after discussing a political matter with his daughter, Emperor Xingwu casually mentioned Fan Zhong's thoughts and said with a smile, "Although he hasn't told me, I know he has long wanted to be sent out. Look, he's already cultivating Zhang Su. What about Lin'er? Do you dare to use Fan Zhong as a frontier general?"
Qingyang: "I dare to use him, but he definitely won't have a chance. I can't leave a young and strong general unused in favor of an old general in his seventies or eighties."
Emperor Xingwu: “…”
Fan Zhong is only forty-three, and it will take another thirty or forty years for him to reach seventy or eighty years old. What the daughter meant was that her father could live for another thirty or forty years, and Fan Zhong could still serve as the commander of the Imperial Guard for another thirty or forty years.
Emperor Xingwu was amused by his daughter again and laughed, remembering that he used to joke about his lifespan, which would make his daughter cry every time. Now his daughter had grown up and stopped crying. She directly and forcefully arranged for her father to live for a few more decades.
After laughing enough, Emperor Xingwu picked up the tea bowl, his shoulders still shaking as he drank the tea.
At this moment, he heard his daughter say, "Even if Fan Zhong is old, I will not let Zhang Su be the commander of the Imperial Guard. There are more suitable candidates than him."
Emperor Xingwu looked at the tea in front of him, smiled, and said nonchalantly, "Use whoever you like, Lin'er. I trust your judgment."
After "teasing" Fan Zhong, Qingyang took his leave.
Emperor Xingwu watched his daughter leave, then after the footsteps disappeared, he leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes and hummed a little tune for a while.
.
On the morning of May 17, heavy rain suddenly hit the capital city, which had been cloudy for more than a day. By dusk, the rain had weakened, but it was still drizzling.
Qingyang specially arranged two palace maids to hold an umbrella in one hand and help Yan Xizheng and Dai Lun out of the palace in the other hand to prevent the two old ministers from slipping and falling.
The two ministers thanked the Crown Princess, and one of them walked out with a palace maid.
At this time, Xie Yucai came over with an umbrella to shelter the Crown Princess from the rain.
Officials all wore thin-soled black cloth boots in the summer, and Qingyang did the same when he was on duty. It had rained all day today, and a layer of rainwater had accumulated on the stone steps of the palace. Although it was not deep, Qingyang and his servant had not even taken a few steps out of the Secretariat when the toes of their boots were soaked.
Xie Yu looked at the wet marks on the Crown Princess's boots and thought of the year when the little princess just entered the court at the age of fifteen.
Once, during a heavy rain, he deliberately hid a pair of the little princess's clogs in his arms. Once he was far away from the Ministry of Personnel and was sure he wouldn't run into officials again, he took them out and asked the little princess to change into them. He thought that even if her feet got wet, it would be more comfortable than soaking in soggy shoes. In the end, the little princess didn't use them, probably because she wanted to share the hardships with the officials.
The Crown Princess in office did not need to be pampered, so Jie Yu did not act on her own anymore.
However, in such heavy rain, didn’t the prince consort think of coming to the Secretariat to pick up the Crown Princess?
Forget it, it’s better not to come. The Crown Princess won’t be happy. After all, which minister would need his family to run to the door of the office to pick him up when it rains?
Qingyang walked faster than usual because she felt uncomfortable wearing wet shoes. She was still preoccupied with other things and didn't think about the twists and turns that Jie Yu was thinking about.
Until he passed through a palace gate leading to the East Palace, he turned around and ran into Zhang Su standing under the palace wall holding a green silk umbrella.
At that moment, Qingyang forgot about state affairs, and Zhang Su also saw the Crown Princess's bright eyes and upturned lips.
He took two steps forward and bowed slightly, "I am here to take Your Highness back to the palace."
Qingyang naturally stepped under his umbrella, and Jie Yu also tactfully kept his distance.
The umbrella was so narrow that to protect Zhang Su's other side from the rain, Qingyang came over and took his arm. Seeing that Zhang Su's boots were also wet, completely soaked, Qingyang asked, "Did you come over right away?"
The ministers were supposed to leave their posts at the same time, but today Qingyang was delayed by about two quarters of an hour.
Zhang Su agreed.
Qingyang pinched his arm and said, "Next time, just go back directly. You don't have to soak your feet for so long just to wait for me."
Zhang Su: "Shall I carry Your Highness back to the palace?"
Qingyang deliberately waded through the water: "My feet are already wet, and carrying me won't make them feel any better."
Zhang Su took out a towel the size of two handkerchiefs and a pair of white silk socks from his bosom and said, "I will help dry your Highness first."
Qingyang: “…”
It was not far from Jiuhua Palace, and Qingyang stopped bothering him and herself. She was no longer a little princess of three or four years old and did not need such meticulous care.
But she liked Zhang Su's heart.
After returning to Jiuhua Palace, hot water had been prepared in the west room of the main hall, so the Crown Princess could take a bath directly.
Zhang Su, holding an umbrella, walked the Crown Princess to the main hall and prepared to leave. He also had to go to the west side hall to clean himself up.
Qingyang continued to hold his arm, and after Fuliu took Zhang Su's umbrella, Qingyang told the four palace maids to leave with a normal expression.
It's just trivial matters like wiping the body and washing the hair, Zhang Su can serve very well.
.
As the rain ended, the capital city suddenly welcomed this year's scorching heat.
At the end of May, Emperor Xingwu once again traveled to the Western Garden with a group of courtiers to escape the summer heat. Missing from the familiar faces in his entourage was only Princess Yongkang, who hadn't yet completed her full year of confinement. In reality, it had been over half a year, and Emperor Xingwu's anger with his eldest daughter had long since subsided. He even secretly praised her after noticing she hadn't shown any jealousy or anger towards her younger sister, who had been crowned the Crown Princess. However, praise is praise, and punishment is punishment; the two shouldn't be confused.
After resting for two days, Emperor Xingwu called a group of old ministers to his presence and told them that he was going to climb Feiying Peak the next morning and asked who was interested in accompanying him to stretch his muscles.
It is necessary to ask. Many of them are in their sixties. Those who think they are in good health can accompany the emperor. But people like Xie Xunwen will be out of breath after using a cane or running a few steps. Emperor Xingwu cannot force them to climb mountains.
These important officials all knew that Emperor Xingwu really cared about them and that he was forcing them instead of asking them. Yan Xizheng was the first one to smile bitterly and wave his hand. Nine years ago, he climbed Feiying Peak with sheer perseverance, but this year, he couldn't do it with perseverance either.
Dai Lun, Nie Ao and Xie Xunwen all expressed their helplessness.
Emperor Xingwu did not laugh at them. He sighed and said, "I just want to go up and take a look. Maybe I will be unable to climb halfway."
If you can’t climb up this year, it will become increasingly difficult in the future.
Prince Yong's eyes were red, and he deliberately made a joke: "Don't even mention Feiying Peak. If I make you angry a few times, you can chase me and climb all the mountains in the Western Garden."
Emperor Xingwu laughed out loud, Yang Zhimin broke down with a "puff" sound, and Lü Zan's eyes became a little sore from laughing so much.
After making appointments with important ministers, Emperor Xingwu also selected four of his sons and daughters, two sons-in-law who were his royal consorts, and a group of sons of noble families to accompany him.
Everything was arranged, and Emperor Xingwu told Concubine Li about his plan to climb the mountain before going to bed at night.
Concubine Li's slight sleepiness was scared away, and she hugged the old emperor beside her: "You haven't climbed Feiying Peak in a few years. There's nothing to see on the mountain except trees. Would you like to accompany me to swim in the lake when you have time?"
Emperor Xingwu patted her shoulder and snorted, "I spend most of my time sitting in the palace. The more I sit, the more I waste time. I need to move more."
Concubine Li knew that she could not dissuade him, so she could only repeatedly tell him to climb the mountain slowly and not to rush up in one breath like he did when he was young.
Emperor Xingwu: "Don't worry, Lin'er is with me. She can take care of me better than you can."
Concubine Li was worried and leaned all over Emperor Xingwu.
Emperor Xingwu looked at her still beautiful face and her still long, black, smooth hair and said with regret, "It would be so much better if I were a dozen years younger."
When he was in his forties and in the prime of his life, Concubine Li was afraid of him and avoided him because of some hidden dangers in the harem that did not exist. It was not until he was old and the Imperial Concubine Gui probably no longer looked down on him that Concubine Li dared to take the initiative to stick to him.
"If you had treated me like this more than ten years ago, I would have woken up laughing in my dreams."
Concubine Li lowered her head and said nothing, letting her tears slide down and wet a piece of Emperor Xingwu's clothes on his chest.
【Author’s words】
Not this time, but Father is definitely going to leave, everyone be prepared [poor]
100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow!
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