The Emperor's heart is unfathomable
The ministers only left after the Chengde Emperor's figure had completely disappeared from the hall.
At the entrance of the main hall, a group of timid officials saw Xie Chi but did not approach him and cast hesitant glances at him. Xie Chi sighed and hurried out without thinking too much. The coachman drove the carriage smoothly back to the Prince Duan's residence.
Xie Chi stepped through the gate and walked towards Xie Heshan's courtyard. His face was gloomy, and he hadn't even had a chance to speak yet.
Xie Heshan said that he already knew about this matter. He received the news last night when the emperor summoned the Grand Commandant and the Minister of War to the palace, and immediately arranged for the secret guards of the Prince's Mansion to investigate the situation.
Xie Chi was not surprised at all that his father already knew about the situation at the front. The Prince Duan's mansion had deep roots and many informants everywhere.
"Our people have already entered the territory of Liangzhou."
"Any new news?" Xie Chi was a little impatient. Counting the days, it would take at least five or six days for the battle report to travel from Liangzhou to the capital. Several days had passed now, and he wondered how Zhuo'er was doing.
"I just received news that Anfeng Town has been held, but Luo Zhenhai and his 10,000 soldiers are now surrounded by the barbarian coalition. Fortunately, the 50,000 soldiers that the imperial court has transferred from Youzhou to Liangzhou for reinforcements are arriving soon..."
"What about Zhuo'er?"
"Zhuo'er should be alright, he just lost contact with the army. As a deputy general, if Zhuo'er had been captured, the enemy would have spread the news and threatened the Wei army to retreat. They wouldn't have been able to keep quiet like this. However, the two armies are still in a stalemate, which means he hasn't fallen into enemy hands!"
After listening to Xie Heshan's analysis, Xie Chi breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the imperial court intended to suppress it, news of the escalating war in the northern frontier still spread throughout the capital.
This somber news directly dampened the festive spirits of the people during the New Year. Because conscription had just been carried out, every household in the capital had at least one person fighting on the battlefield. The news of the tense situation at the front caused countless people great anxiety.
"An urgent report came from the northern border the day before yesterday: the allied forces of the barbarians and the Western Jurchens have launched a large-scale invasion, and have already captured several towns." Yinxing's face was a little red from the cold wind, and she told Fu Zhiqiao the news she had heard outside.
"General Xie, he, he..."
"What's wrong with him?" Fu Zhiqiao sensed something was wrong.
Yinxing gritted her teeth, her face grave: "It's rumored outside that General Xie is being pursued by enemy troops and his fate is currently unknown."
Xie Zhuo's fate remains unknown.
Fu Zhi Qiao felt a wave of dizziness and almost lost her balance. She sat down, holding onto the table, her throat feeling like it was being choked: "Is the news accurate?"
Yinxing quickly helped her up, only to find that her palms were covered in sweat.
Yinxing said softly, "It's said that the news came from the palace..." Yinxing knew that she was feeling bad, and for a moment she didn't know what to say to comfort her.
"Go and call Sheng An here!" Fu Zhi Qiao breathed a sigh of relief and gently patted Yin Xing's hand to reassure her.
Sheng An was a secret guard in the Prince's mansion, so he naturally knew more information than the average person. He didn't reveal too much about the front lines to Fu Zhi Qiao, only saying that the young master was safe and sound, and that she should take care of herself and not worry too much, and just wait for news at home.
Since Sheng An had said so, Fu Zhi Qiao could only believe that she had no other way to find out this inside information except through Sheng An.
For the next two days, Fu Zhi Qiao didn't leave the house; she was planning the opening of Fu Yun Ge. Ever since hearing the news that Xie Zhuo's fate was unknown on the battlefield, she had been restless and could only try to distract herself by doing things.
But just two days later, the winds in the capital changed.
Anfeng Town was besieged, and the battle at the front was critical. The imperial court had already transferred troops from Youzhou to support Liangzhou. For some reason, this news spread among the people and became that Xie Zhuo, the heir of Prince Duan's mansion, had acted recklessly and fallen into the enemy's trap, which led to the siege of Anfeng Town.
Xie Zhuo is known for his extremely composed and steady approach; he would never make a wrong decision out of greed for credit. But now he has disappeared without a trace, his fate unknown...
Fu Zhiqiao was extremely upset, but reason told her not to panic. Not being able to contact them didn't mean something had happened to them. Dawei didn't have advanced communication facilities, so it was normal for news to be delayed.
She subconsciously touched the Buddhist prayer beads on her hand. These prayer beads were given to her by Master Dongjue when she was in Yuzhou. Whenever she felt upset, touching these prayer beads would calm her down a lot.
However, Xie Zhuo's fate is currently unknown, and rumors unfavorable to him are spreading everywhere. Fu Zhi Qiao cannot calm down and wait for news, so she decides to go to Yong'an Temple to pray for him.
For things beyond human control, we can only pray for divine intervention.
*
Inside Yuzhuxuan.
"What? Zhuo'er's fate is unknown?" Zuo Murui was frantic with worry, her hands trembling violently. She felt a chill envelop her entire body. If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have let Xie Zhuo choose the path of a military general. Now he's missing on the battlefield, his fate unknown...
"Calm down. Your father has already sent people to investigate. Zhuo'er is safe now!"
Even with Xie Chi's repeated reassurances, Zuo Murui was still so worried that she couldn't eat or sleep. She called out to the door, "Someone, prepare the carriage!"
She was going to Yong'an Temple to pray for Xie Zhuo and the other soldiers of the Great Wei.
Inside the main hall of Yong'an Temple, Zuo Murui and Xie Huaiwei knelt before the Buddha statue: "Amitabha! Amitabha! Please, Buddha, bless my son and the soldiers to return in triumph soon, especially my son Xie Zhuo. Please, Buddha, bless him with peace and health!"
She muttered incantations, took the incense sticks handed to her by a monk, respectfully placed them in the incense burner, and then kowtowed three times.
After offering incense in the main hall, Zuo Murui and Xie Huaiwei knelt in the Buddhist hall prepared for them to chant sutras and pray for blessings.
The two were very sincere and knelt before the Buddha for a full hour. When they stood up, Xie Huaiwei's legs were so sore and numb that she felt as if she had lost all feeling. She rested for a long time before she recovered. It was hard work, but she was willing to endure any hardship to pray for her brother.
News of the escalating conflict in northern Xinjiang has led to a surge of people coming to Yong'an Temple to pray for their sons on the battlefield. Many of these are elderly women.
Upon entering the main hall, the sounds of chanting Buddhist scriptures and striking elm wood brought a sense of peace.
After bowing and kowtowing three times with utmost sincerity, and offering incense, one should then hang a prayer ribbon.
"Amitabha Buddha, are you here to pray for blessings?" A young monk put his hands together and said, "Please come this way!"
After receiving a blessing ribbon from the monk, Fu Zhiqiao wrote on it: "Thank you, Zhuo, for your safe return."
After she finished writing, she went out to hang up the prayer ribbon. When she turned the corner, she heard people talking about Xie Zhuo.
"I heard that the reason for this defeat was one of General Luo's lieutenants. He acted impulsively, wanting to press his advantage, but ended up falling into the enemy's trap."
"Shh! Keep your voice down. Do you know who this deputy general is? He's the heir of Prince Duan's mansion!"
"So what? It was his greed for credit that led to our defeat, why can't people say that!"
The man trying to persuade them looked around and said, "Who is he? He's a member of the royal family! He's not someone we commoners can talk to!"
"The brother-in-law of Erzhuzi, who lives next door to me, works as a steward in the household of a high-ranking official. I heard that some officials have already joined together to prepare a memorial to His Majesty to impeach the young master."
"Really? Is the imperial court about to change hands?"
"Serves him right! It's all because of his youthful arrogance that so many soldiers sacrificed their lives in vain..."
Fu Zhiqiao couldn't listen anymore.
"How do you know it was his fault? Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Which general dares to guarantee that he will never lose a battle in his life? The deputy general you mentioned who suffered a defeat was the heir of Prince Duan. He risked his life on the battlefield to protect the territory and the people. And you, you who are protected, are gossiping about them behind their backs and blaming them for their defeat. Have you lost your conscience?"
The words of criticism made the group blush and walk away with their heads down. Fu Zhi Qiao snorted and wanted to continue hanging the prayer ribbons, but when she turned around, she saw Zuo Murui. After a moment of surprise, she bowed to Zuo Murui.
Zuo Murui also noticed Fu Zhiqiao; with her looks, she would attract attention wherever she went.
She had heard Fu Zhi Qiao's words defending Xie Zhuo. She turned her head and looked Fu Zhi Qiao up and down. When her eyes fell on the blessing ribbon in Fu Zhi Qiao's hand, which had Xie Zhuo's name written on it, she nodded politely and said nothing more.
However, it was Granny Zhang behind her who smiled at Fu Zhi Qiao.
Xie Huaiwei also smiled at Fu Zhiqiao. She stared at Fu Zhiqiao with bright eyes. She knew that her brother and mother had quarreled because of a woman. Could it be that this beautiful woman in front of her was the reason for her brother and mother's quarrel?
Xie Huaiwei's gossipy heart was about to burst out, and even after turning aside, she kept turning back to look at Fu Zhiqiao.
After returning from Yong'an Temple, Fu Zhiqiao went to inspect the shops at Taibai Tower as usual. He found that the diners in the restaurant were discussing the war with the barbarian coalition. Some of them blamed Xie Zhuo, and some even suspected that Xie Zhuo had long been colluding with the barbarian Xijue and deliberately suffered defeat.
The rumors spread so convincingly that the fire quickly spread from Xie Zhuo to the Prince Duan's residence.
The people stopped discussing the war in the northern frontier; their attention was now entirely focused on whether the royal family intended to rebel and usurp the throne.
Some say that Xie Zhuo's poor performance on the battlefield was due to the instigation of Prince Duan, who deliberately hindered our army and created opportunities for the enemy. Others say that Prince Duan had ulterior motives and had long since reached a cooperation agreement with barbarian states. Once the barbarian coalition caused trouble in the northern border region, Prince Duan would use the power of the barbarians to ascend the throne.
Immediately, calls for impeachment, accountability, and punishment for Prince Duan arose.
Rumors were rampant among the people, and officials, both civil and military, dared not offer reckless advice before the situation became clear.
Colluding with foreign enemies is a serious crime, enough to demote Prince Duan from a member of the royal family to a commoner.
Although Prince Duan Xie Chi is now a leisurely prince, the old prince Xie Heshan was ruthless in his youth, and no one dared to directly offend him.
The rumors about Xie Zhuo being greedy for merit and reckless in the army are of course false. The memorial clearly states that Xie Zhuo not only did not cause trouble, but also made great contributions by helping Tian Sheng break through the encirclement and deliver the message.
Why didn't the imperial court step in to stop these rumors?
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