Chapter 352 The Emperor's Personal Expedition
"Yi'er, you are so intelligent." Pei Siyan laughed.
The peony beside his ear was beautiful yet elegant, radiating dazzling brilliance. He had a jade-like face and red lips, and his smile was as bright as the moon, a natural charm.
Dou Wenyi stared at him, somewhat mesmerized. "Really?"
Pei Siyan supported her waist and said slowly, "The battle in Fuzhou is fierce, and pirates are on the move. The He family army is too busy to spare any resources. There is only Zhang Chengxian's army near Quanzhou, which is currently facing off against Xie Guidu in the Chengxi area. Xie Guidu has taken advantage of the terrain and won the first battle. Zhang Chengxian is not good at naval warfare. If he attacks several times without making any progress, it will only demoralize his troops."
"Xie Guidu also found someone who knew Pei Yunche to impersonate Prince Duan."
"There are many people affected by the disaster. The longer the war drags on, the more innocent people will die. Moreover, Xie Guidu is a reborn person who has caused a lot of trouble. If we don't put this fire in time, it will only make things worse for the Great Zhou."
"Moreover, there is no suitable person in the court at the moment who can both lead troops into battle and deter local powerful clans."
"This time, I'll kill him!" Pei Siyan's eyes were filled with intense hatred.
Xie Guidu deserves to be torn to pieces!
Dou Wenyi's heart skipped a beat, she was very surprised, "Your Majesty, have you decided to personally lead the expedition? But the court is in chaos, who will stay behind to guard the capital?"
Pei Siyan's expression was cold and solemn. "Yi'er, you are my empress, and it is most suitable for you to guard this place. You will handle all the affairs of the court, but in case of any major emergency, you will be required to make the decision."
"I?"
“You have always been my lucky star, and even more so the lucky star of the Great Zhou. You have been working hard to turn the tide and save the people from the ravages of war. I believe in your choice.”
"It's a pity I can't celebrate your birthday with you this time. I'll make it up to you next time I come back," Pei Siyan said with great regret.
Dou Wenyi never looked forward to her birthday before.
Because Madam Gu suffered a severe hemorrhage during childbirth, she must have had mixed feelings when she saw her baby in swaddling clothes.
In her memory, her mother rarely smiled at her, let alone held her. Perhaps from the moment she was born, she felt like a burden. Her mother never cared for her, treating her like a stranger and leaving her to fend for herself.
Every birthday, he would remind Madam Gu of the suffering she had endured in those two years, the coldness and perfunctory attitude emanating from Madam Gu, which led her to want to escape the Dou family and her almost obsessive obsession with love.
Later, being labeled a jinx gave her even more justification to express her hatred towards her.
Pei Siyan sensed her distress and felt a tightness in his chest. "What's wrong? Time is of the essence. There's really no other way this time..."
Dou Wenyi raised her hand to cover his mouth. "Sanlang, you've misunderstood. State affairs are of utmost importance, how could I not understand? Actually, I never looked forward to my birthday before. I even celebrated my coming-of-age ceremony at Yuqing Temple. I didn't care. You know I'm not close to my mother, so... Now, it's only because of you that I have something to look forward to."
Pei Siyan knew what it felt like to be hurt by the people closest to him, such as the Duke of Wen's mansion.
That was excruciating pain, a pain that pierced the very soul.
Dou Mingxiu, the elder brother, was a fool, while their father, Dou Bochang, only cared about his own career. His only source of comfort was his mother, the old lady Dou.
Dou Wenyi's journey has been incredibly difficult; she has faced just as many obstacles as he has.
Pei Siyan remained silent for a long time, wishing he could take her place and wishing he could have met her a few years earlier. His weariness of the Dou family spread deep into his heart.
"Sanlang, you've been so good to me. Every day I spend with you is filled with joy. When you return victorious, just give me a proper birthday celebration."
Dou Wenyi touched her lower abdomen and smiled mischievously, "You'd better come back soon, don't keep me waiting too long. The little guy will grow up day by day, and he will miss his daddy too."
"Okay, I promise you, I'll be back in two months at the latest."
——
After Pei Siyan left, Kunning Palace became much quieter.
The Imperial City Guard quickly discovered that an inconspicuous palace maid had secretly added the gift box to the one sent by Dou Mingxiu before delivering it to Kunning Palace. The maid didn't get any information and then committed suicide by poisoning herself.
Because if someone else had been chosen, Dou Wenyi might not have even looked at the gift and would have disposed of it directly.
But Dou Mingxiu was her brother, so she could at least open it.
Once the album is opened, given Dou Wenyi's cautious nature, she will naturally trace the origins of Xie Guidu's arrangements, all to ensure that the painting will definitely be presented to her.
Dou Wenyi heard it, but still couldn't understand what Xie Guidu was trying to do with this.
Was he trying to intimidate her?
Or was he trying to warn her that he wanted to drag her down with him?
I still want to tell her about her fate in her past life.
However, his purpose was no longer important, since the outcome between the two of them had already been decided long ago.
Dou Wenyi ordered the Imperial City Guard to continue the search and provided them with several more secrets about Xie Guidu. Following these leads, they successfully uncovered several assassins and destroyed two of Xie Guidu's secret contact points.
As the sun grew increasingly scorching, Dou Wenyi practiced the Eight Pieces of Brocade with the female officials every day, and the imperial physicians checked her pulse daily. As a result, her health and complexion were even better than before.
She was used to meeting with several important officials after lunch. With Vice Minister Du Hao in charge, the officials were all doing their jobs, and the affairs of the court were orderly and there were no major changes. However, she would inquire about the war situation every day.
The disaster situation in Chanzhou has been brought under initial control, and after careful investigation, it has been confirmed that the dikes were dug by human hands.
Upon learning of this news, the court officials were in an uproar and hurled various insults at Xie Guidu.
Dou Wenyi felt that the common people should know the truth about this matter, so she ordered someone to write a proclamation. However, several were submitted to the Hanlin Academy, but Dou Wenyi felt that they were all lacking in talent.
She suddenly remembered that the Great Zhou Dynasty would produce a great talent whose name would be remembered for eternity.
"Lord Du, there is a talented scholar named Luo from Yuzhou Prefecture who went to the capital to take the imperial examination last year. Academician Yu of the Longtu Pavilion recommended him. He is very learned, so why not ask him to write this proclamation?"
"But that Luo Qian?"
"Exactly."
Du Hao nodded, a hint of approval in his eyes, "It's worth a try."
He had also noticed Luo Qian. Although the young man was talented, he was not well-known.
Soon, Luo Qian's manifesto appeared out of nowhere, its brilliant writing shocking the entire literary world of the Great Zhou Dynasty. In it, he vehemently denounced Xie Guidu for "harboring evil intentions," "being disloyal and unfilial," and "destroying dikes and flooding fields" to fool the people, listing several charges against him.
The proclamation spread swiftly throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty, greatly boosting morale.
Two months later.
On this day, a military report, delivered with utmost urgency, was sent to the palace…
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