Chapter 543 The Domineering Marshal! (Second Update)
Princess Ning'an was very popular among the people. Her act of putting righteousness before family spread all the way from the border to the capital, and the people praised her loyalty to the emperor and her patriotism.
In addition, she has a son who has lost both legs, so this praise is mixed with a lot of pity.
Therefore, when the conversation in the Imperial Study was broadcast, it garnered widespread praise from the people. Of course, the praise was directed at Princess Ning'an, who was considered to have truly deserved the title of Princess Protector of the Nation.
Tang Yueshan heard the news at the military camp.
His injuries had healed, but he still needed daily rehabilitation. Bored with rehabilitation at home, he came to the military camp to train with the soldiers.
The Tiger Mountain Camp is no longer the same camp as before. After reorganization, the Gu family army is no longer at the Tiger Mountain Camp. They went to the nearby Wolf Mountain Camp, and the soldiers of the Wolf Mountain Camp were transferred here.
The archers from Tang Yueshan were also there.
Five hundred of them were soldiers who had returned from fighting on the frontier.
They were trapped in Ye City along with the imperial guards, but Tang Yueshan used a clever tactic to lure them away from the city.
On the way, they were pursued by the Chen army, and it was Gu Jiao who single-handedly stopped the Chen army's pursuit.
If saving lives is a doctor's duty, then risking one's life for soldiers is not something she should do.
However, she still did it without hesitation.
They hadn't forgotten how she risked her life for them, how she poured her heart and soul into treating them, and even how she gave them her last chance to go into the city.
When the soldiers suddenly heard that she was to be conferred the title of princess, they were quite happy for her.
Then they heard that Princess Ning'an was to be granted the title of Protector of the Nation Princess, and the soldiers were... a little confused.
But it's still acceptable. After all, she's a princess of the royal family, and the emperor and empress dowager will dote on her. The soldiers can just watch.
However, someone asked out of curiosity, "How did she protect the country?"
One of the soldiers then relayed the news he had heard.
Then the archers of Tang Yueshan got anxious.
An archer said, "When did she collude with Young Master Gu to rescue the old Marquis? It was clearly Doctor Gu and Young Master Gu who rescued him! They encountered the Grand Marshal on the way and joined forces with him to deal with the Imperial Son-in-Law. Afterwards, Doctor Gu and Young Master Gu took the seriously injured old Marquis to Yuegu City, while the Grand Marshal went to Ye City! To save us!"
The soldier analyzed for him, "The old Marquis was imprisoned in the Prefect's Mansion back then. The Prefect's Mansion was heavily guarded and full of experts. If Princess Ning'an hadn't held back the Prince Consort and diverted their attention, would that doctor and Young Master Gu you mentioned have been able to succeed!"
The archer retorted angrily, "Why can't we succeed! You don't know how amazing Doctor Gu is! She single-handedly... scared away five thousand Chen cavalry!"
The soldier waved his hand dismissively: "You're just bragging! You think the Chen cavalry are made of paper!"
The archer was furious: "You've never been there, how do you know I'm just bragging!"
The soldier chuckled and said, "Is there any need to go? Just think about it and you'll know it's impossible. Even if that Doctor Gu you're talking about has extraordinary abilities, he's not as exaggerated as you say, is he?"
Actually, everyone only had some doubts about whether Princess Ning'an was qualified to be named the Protector of the Nation Princess, and had no right to comment. But now that the conflict has arisen, it has suddenly aroused everyone's competitive spirit.
The two sides started arguing, and the argument escalated into a fight.
At first, it was just two people fighting, but as the fight went on, it became two rows of people fighting.
One row consists of archers who have been to the border, and the other row consists of soldiers who have just come from the Wolf Mountain camp.
The commotion was so great that it alerted Tang Yueshan, who then learned of Princess Ning'an's investiture.
Tang Yueshan is the Grand Marshal. Standing at his current height, his perspective on issues is naturally quite different from that of the soldiers below him.
He knew very well why things would lose their original form once they reached the capital; that was the nature of officialdom.
Whether Princess Ning'an actually performed those merits is not important; she is the emperor and empress dowager's darling, so people will rush to flatter her.
Isn't this exactly what civil officials excel at? They can talk their way out of every battle and act as if they know more about every single one than the soldiers on the battlefield.
Compared to a mere female healer, the sacrifice and national integrity of a princess are clearly more convincing.
But then again, Tang Yueshan wouldn't have believed Gu Jiao's reckless spirit if he hadn't experienced it firsthand.
How could anyone push themselves to that level?
He fought a bloody battle on the city wall all night by himself, just to keep the Zhao Kingdom's banners from falling and to protect the border city from falling!
This one incident alone made Tang Yueshan's chest pound with emotion whenever he thought about it.
This is not to say that the other soldiers had no merit, or who had greater merit and who had less merit; every soldier was outstanding.
However, the claims made about Princess Ning'an's achievements are indeed somewhat exaggerated.
Tang Yueshan wasn't even that surprised that Gu Changqing had destroyed the stronghold of the remnants of the previous dynasty.
Never mind, he's an old general, this kind of thing is commonplace for him.
The credit of those below is meant to be taken by those above.
Besides, Gu Jiao isn't anyone to him, and he doesn't acknowledge her as a lackey.
He wasn't angry.
not give a damn about.
He certainly wouldn't stand up for her.
In the afternoon, Tang Yueshan received a summons from the emperor, ordering him to enter the palace immediately.
Tang Yueshan speculated that the emperor was concerned about the investiture of Princess Ning'an. As the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces and a key figure in the recent border campaign, he believed that if the emperor were to petition on behalf of Princess Ning'an, the title of Protector of the Nation Princess would be more legitimate.
However, the emperor also ordered him to bring his Tang family bow, and he couldn't figure out what the emperor was planning for the time being.
He followed the eunuch to the palace and learned that the emperor had not summoned him in the imperial study, but rather in a meadow near the imperial garden.
Princess Ning'an was also there.
"Your Majesty, Princess Ning'an." He carried the Tang family bow on his back and bowed respectfully.
Tables and chairs were set up on the grassland. The emperor and Princess Ning'an were already seated. The emperor pointed to a chair next to him and said to Tang Yueshan, "Minister Tang, please sit down as well."
Tang Yueshan sat down, completely bewildered.
About five zhang ahead, Eunuch Wei and several guards set up ten targets.
Does His Majesty perhaps wish to see him shoot arrows?
"How is Minister Tang's injury?" the emperor asked kindly.
Tang Yueshan belatedly realized that the emperor had addressed him as "my dear minister" that day.
This is truly an overwhelming honor.
Just a few months ago, he was a thorn in the emperor's side.
He respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, I am fine. Thank you for your concern."
So what exactly does the emperor want to do?
Just then, Eunuch Wei came over with small, quick steps. He greeted Tang Yueshan with a smile, saying, "Lord Tang has arrived."
"Eunuch Wei," Tang Yueshan greeted him with a cupped-hand salute.
Eunuch Wei smiled and turned to the Emperor and Princess Ning'an, saying, "Your Majesty, Princess, the target is set up."
"Bring me a bow and arrows," the emperor said.
"Yes." Eunuch Wei walked to the side, took a heavy bow from the guard, and personally handed it to Princess Ning'an.
Tang Yueshan raised an eyebrow.
Without a word, Princess Ning'an grabbed the large bow, and the guard immediately handed her the quiver. She drew an arrow, nocked it, aimed, and shot it out with a whoosh!
Hit the bullseye!
Tang Yueshan was surprised.
"Princess, your archery skills are excellent!" Eunuch Wei praised with a smile.
The emperor looked at Princess Ning'an with affection: "You haven't lost your archery skills; in fact, you've improved a bit."
Tang Yueshan remembered that Princess Ning'an had learned archery in her early years, and she had learned it with him. Otherwise, why would Empress Dowager Zhuang have considered marrying Princess Ning'an to him back then?
It was his father who babbled.
He went to tell the Empress Dowager that he and Princess Ning'an seemed to be in love.
To be honest, he didn't really have those kinds of feelings for Princess Ning'an.
He prefers mature and gentle women, not naive young girls like Ning An.
Wait a minute, the emperor suddenly summoned him here, and then suddenly watched Princess Ning'an shoot arrows. Could it be... that he wants to marry Princess Ning'an to him again?
He doesn't want just any married woman!
The emperor smiled and asked, "Minister Tang, what do you think of Ning'an's archery skills?"
For an average person, shooting like that would be pretty good.
Tang Yueshan meant to say that, but what came out of his mouth was: "Rotten!"
The emperor was taken aback.
Princess Ning'an was also slightly taken aback.
Clearly, no one expected Tang Yueshan to suddenly become so sharp-tongued.
Tang Yueshan himself broke out in a cold sweat. What had he said? Had he been arguing with Gu Chengfeng in the hospital room for so long that he had lost his sense of propriety?
"Is it... really bad?" Princess Ning'an asked awkwardly.
For a woman, this distance is actually quite good for hitting the edge of the bullseye.
Unexpectedly, Tang Yueshan, in a fit of anger, unleashed all the pent-up frustration he'd been holding back: "Don't you know how rotten you are?! Even a blind man could shoot better than you! It's a good thing you don't have to go to war, otherwise you'd have shot your own people dead before the enemy even died! And you call yourself the Princess Protector of the Nation?! Do you even deserve that title?! Have you ever killed an enemy or shed blood? Have you ever saved lives or cured a plague? Just because you have the title of princess doesn't mean you can claim all the credit!"
Pah!
It's nothing!
Little Breeze: 666~
(End of this chapter)
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