Chu Qianchen was just a woman who stayed at the back house of Prince Chen's Mansion. Apart from irritating her mother the Queen Mother and the Crown Princess with words, she couldn't cause any trouble.
Gu Nanjin made a gesture to the young eunuch dressed as a servant beside him. The young eunuch immediately understood and quickly prepared a teapot, teacups and tea, and served tea to the three masters.
Gu Jue could tell what Gu Nanjin was thinking at a glance and found it interesting. He glanced at Chu Qianchen with a soft smile in his eyes.
Gu Nanjin didn't know, but Gu Jue knew it best in his heart. He had never told Chu Qianchen what to do, but this girl always seemed to know exactly what the Prince Chen's Mansion wanted, and she could see through the bottom line of the Emperor and the Crown Prince, and at the same time she was just right.
This girl, obviously has claws, but she has such a delicate and soft face that others foolishly ignore her.
Well, it's better to be ignored than to be guarded against.
The corners of Gu Jue's lips curved up into an elegant arc.
The folding fan in his hand stopped, and he looked at Gu Nanjin calmly and asked, "What does the prince want?"
Gu Jue clearly threw the question back to Gu Nanjin.
After he finished speaking, the pavilion fell into silence.
The street outside the pavilion was still bustling with people coming and going.
Inside and outside the pavilion, it seems like two different worlds.
The fragrant flower tea had been served, but no one drank it or tasted it. It was just left on the stone table.
"..." Gu Nanjin's eyes became even darker, his heart as clear as a mirror.
He understood that it was meaningless to ask further, as it would only repeat the previous deadlock, and he was once again blocked by the Ninth Prince with a light-hearted edict of repentance.
The Ninth Prince's meaning was very clear. He would not let this matter pass easily. He had to come up with his own bargaining chips first before discussing other matters.
Gu Nanjin felt a throbbing pain in his temple and thought solemnly.
In fact, from the time he left the palace to here, he had thought about it over and over again, whether it was the best possibility or the worst outcome, and thought of the best conditions he could offer...
"Uncle Jiu," Gu Nanjin said after careful consideration, "The Xuanjia Army has been back in Beijing for a long time. Why not let them use the Fengtai Camp as their base? What do you think, Uncle Jiu?"
Most of the imperial guards stationed in the capital were stationed in three camps: Fengtai Camp, Xishan Camp and Lucheng Camp. Gu Nanjin's willingness to give up Fengtai Camp was a great sincerity, enough to shock the court. This was also unprecedented in the history of Da Qi.
Gu Nanjin stared at Gu Jue with burning eyes.
Chu Qianchen's index finger gently moved the water in the large celadon bowl. A goldfish fluttered in the water, happily swinging its large apricot-leaf-like tail, splashing a few drops of water...
"Hehe." Chu Qianchen chuckled, not knowing what he was laughing at.
Gu Nanjin: “…”
Gu Nanjin's heart skipped a beat for unknown reason, and he had a bad feeling.
"Your Highness, how many people are there in the Xuanjia Camp now?" Chu Qianchen turned around and asked Gu Jue with a smile. He looked very well behaved, as if he was curious, but also seemed to be asking casually.
Gu Jue said, "There are 30,000 people accompanying me back to Beijing this time."
Chu Qianchen frowned his beautiful willow-shaped eyebrows and said worriedly, "Only 30,000? Fengtai Camp is very big, right? Such a large military camp can only accommodate 30,000 people, so it must be very empty. Not good, not good."
Gu Nanjin: “…”
Gu Nanjin had long guessed that Gu Jue would most likely not agree so readily, and he was waiting for Gu Jue to express his opinion before there would be room for further discussion.
Gu Nanjin looked back and forth between Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen.
They definitely didn't have the chance to discuss just now, and they didn't even make eye contact, but Gu Jue let Chu Qianchen talk here. What's more, she didn't seem to be negotiating seriously, as if she was just talking casually, which made Gu Nanjin more and more unsure of Gu Jue's attitude.
Gu Nanjin felt his forehead hurt even more. His mood at the moment was as chaotic as those two goldfish rushing around in the water.
He clenched his fists a little tighter in his sleeves, forced a smile, and replied, "The Fengtai Camp is indeed too big..."
Gu Nanjin's throat tightened, and he could only agree to let Gu Jue bring back more soldiers from the north.
He spoke politely in a high-sounding manner: "Father also said that Uncle Jiu has made great contributions to the country, and we also need to rely on Uncle Jiu to protect the capital."
What he meant was that this was also agreed by the emperor.
According to the ancestral system of the Great Qi Dynasty, princes were not allowed to maintain private soldiers.
The 30,000 Black Armored Troops that Gu Jue brought back to the capital were when he was eighteen years old. They defeated the 100,000-strong army of the Red Di, recaptured three cities for the Great Qi, and killed the Red Di commander, making great contributions to the Great Qi.
The late emperor even went to the Taimiao to offer sacrifices to his ancestors, conferred the title of Prince Chen on Gu Jue, and specially granted him these 30,000 private soldiers, just these 30,000.
Although the Northern Army still obeys Gu Jue, they nominally belong to the imperial court and take orders from the tiger talisman in Gu Jue's hand, rather than being Gu Jue's soldiers.
Just because of the emperor's momentary impulsiveness in March, the tiger talisman of the Northern Army is still in Gu Jue's hands.
Gu Nanjin felt complicated, thinking that his father was making mistakes at every step.
Gu Nanjin carefully observed the changes in Gu Jue's expression and said, "With another 30,000 people, I think the Fengtai camp will be much more lively."
His words were tantamount to making another big concession, and he promised on behalf of the emperor to grant Gu Jue another 30,000 private soldiers.
Originally, Gu Nanjin had no intention of offering 30,000 yuan directly. He wanted to wait for Gu Jue to speak first before bargaining. However, he was interrupted by Chu Qianchen, who put him on the defensive with just a few words, forcing him to hand over his trump card.
Chu Qianchen still smiled gently, his obsidian eyes sparkling.
She understood that the emperor was really afraid this time. He was afraid that Gu Jue would order the Black Armor Army to force the emperor to abdicate; he was afraid that the imperial guards stationed in Beijing would not be able to stop the 30,000 Black Armor Army; he was also afraid that the generals would defect to Gu Jue...
Their Great Qi Emperor has always been suspicious and fickle, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, and strong on the outside but weak on the inside.
It has been like this in both past and present lives.
It would have been fine if Chu Qianchen didn’t smile, but when she smiled, Gu Nanjin felt a pang in his heart.
He was now really afraid of his little Aunt Jiu, who looked innocent, but when she spoke she would always say something shocking.
Gu Nanjin offered Chu Qianchen a cup of tea with a smile on his face, trying to block her mouth: "Aunt Jiu, try this lotus tea, it's fresh and fragrant. If you like it, I will ask the Crown Princess to send some to Prince Chen's Mansion."
Gu Nanjin felt somewhat regretful that he did not bring the Crown Princess out this time. If the Crown Princess was here, he could ask her to deal with the Ninth Aunt and tell a few jokes to smooth things over.
He is a man and a junior, so there are some things he is not comfortable saying to Chu Qianchen as it would make him seem frivolous.
It was too late to regret now. Gu Nanjin just wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. He couldn't wait to ask Gu Jue, "What do you think, Uncle Jiu?"
Chu Qianchen took the tea with a smile, and naturally interrupted, "What about the Jinyiwei?"
"..." Gu Nanjin's face froze.
He also knew that this incident was initially caused by the Jinyiwei blocking the carriage of Duke Mu's Mansion early in the morning. It was just because a mere general flag was careless and it was originally just a small matter, but because his father took advantage of it and wanted to teach the Ninth Prince a lesson, he ended up losing the big picture and got to this point.
Gu Nanjin also resented the Jinyiwei in his heart. He could imagine how arrogant the Jinyiwei were in their daily behavior. They were so frivolous and rude towards the Mu Guogong Mansion. To put it bluntly, the Jinyiwei just relied on the favor of his father.
He could only smile and say, "Don't worry, Aunt Jiu. When I return, I will punish that Ding Zongqi severely, remove him from his post, and forbid him from taking a job again for the rest of his life."
Chu Qianchen tilted his face, frowned again, and looked at Gu Jue with some "helplessness", "Will the Jinyiwei retaliate against me in the future?"
"If I'm stopped by the Royal Guards again while walking on the street..."
"Oh, I'm really a little scared."
Her small face was filled with worry and she looked troubled.
Gu Jue felt that the little girl was just like her black cat that had stolen the goldfish from the pond, taking advantage of the situation and still acting ungrateful.
An inexplicable urge surged in his heart, and he wanted to rub her head again, so he looked at Gu Nanjin next to him and found him annoying, and his eyes became three points colder.
"That's true." Gu Jue agreed seriously.
Gu Nanjin's scalp was numb, and he heard Gu Jue continue: "The Jinyiwei should have three deputy commanders. As far as I know, there are only two in office now."
How could Gu Nanjin not understand what Gu Jue meant? What Gu Jue meant by this sentence was to place people in the Jinyiwei.
Since the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty, the Jinyiwei has been the emperor's close ministers, directly under the emperor and only obeying the emperor. They are an invincible sword in the emperor's hand.
If Gu Jue were to insert someone into the Jinyiwei, my father would lose all his dignity...
Gu Nanjin didn't dare to say that the emperor would agree, and a look of embarrassment appeared on his face.
Gu Jue was not in a hurry at all. He even took out a few boxes of snacks he had bought along the way. "Are you hungry?"
The lotus root cake, which had been bought less than half an hour ago, was still a little hot. After the snack box was opened, an enticing sweet aroma wafted over. Chu Qianchen was not hungry at first, but when he smelled the fragrance, he suddenly felt starving.
She took one piece for herself and gave one piece to Gu Jue.
The action was simple, but he had a calmness and composure, as if he had it all planned out.
The pavilion became quiet again. The noise from the street seemed near yet far away, and could no longer reach Gu Nanjin's ears.
Gu Nanjin stared at the two of them in a daze, thinking over and over again about what had just happened, chewing on every word that Chu Qianchen and Gu Jue had said, thinking that Chu Qianchen's several interruptions just now were all just right.
He really couldn't figure out which ones were ordered in advance by the Prince of Chen, and which ones were the result of Chu Qianchen's impromptu performance. Her series of well-timed pressures were like roasting him on the fire.
If he doesn't agree, then the conditions he set out earlier will fall through.
Gu Nanjin's eyes darkened.
One wrong step leads to all wrong.
Once the Black Armor Army is at the gates of the city, it might be the turn of the ministers to persuade the emperor to issue an edict of repentance. Worse still, they will have to agree to the conditions proposed by the Ninth Prince, and the situation will only get worse...
Gu Nanjin's emotions were in turmoil as he quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind.
When Chu Qianchen swallowed the last bite of lotus root cake, he heard Gu Nanjin said dejectedly: "Ninth uncle, I promise you. Today I will order someone to send the transfer order to Prince Chen's Mansion, and the candidate will be decided by the ninth uncle."
He suddenly changed his words and called himself "Gu", which meant that he agreed to Gu Jue as the crown prince.
Gu Nanjin could imagine how angry his father would be when he learned the news. He was afraid that the four treasures of the study that had just been replaced in the imperial study would have to be smashed again.
Chu Qianchen slowly drank the lotus tea to get rid of the aftertaste in his mouth, thinking that this prince was indeed as tactful as he was in his previous life.
What a pity…
It was a pity, but Chu Qianchen didn't regret having tricked the prince. He even felt a sense of accomplishment. He turned around and said to Gu Jue, "The lotus tea is good."
Gu Jue also took two sips, and the corners of his lips curved again, "It's OK."
Gu Nanjin: “…”
This "still okay" probably means that the matter ends here.
Gu Nanjin calmed down and asked anxiously, "Uncle Jiu, what about the Xuanjia Camp?"
Since Gu Jue accepted his offer, it's time for Xuanjia Battalion to recruit soldiers, right? Gu Jue put down the teacup and said calmly, "Xuanjia Battalion has been idle for a few months since coming to the capital. It's time to train and stretch our muscles."
Gu Nanjin: “…”
Gu Nanjin finally breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart started to rise again, hanging in the air.
The meaning of Gu Jue's words was very clear. This time, the Black Armor Army would withdraw, but if the emperor changed his mind again, it would be hard to say whether the "training" would change.
No matter how upset he was, Gu Nanjin still showed grace on the outside. He stood up gracefully and bowed to Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen, "Uncle Jiu, Aunt Jiu, I won't bother you any more. I'll take my leave now."
Gu Nanjin was so overwhelmed that he had no one to talk to about his grievances. He sighed countless times in his heart. Others only saw him as the crown prince, second only to the emperor and respected by everyone else, but few knew how hard it was for him to be a crown prince.
When he returns to the palace, his father will surely be furious and will vent his anger on him, even suspecting that he is siding with the Ninth Uncle.
After walking out of the pavilion, Gu Nanjin couldn't help but stop and looked back at Gu Jue in the pavilion. A strange light flashed across his eyes.
Sometimes, even he couldn't help but wonder, if his grandfather had passed the throne to Gu Jue, would his life now be simpler and much better? His weakness was only a momentary thing, and he returned to normal the next moment.
Then he got into the carriage with the help of the eunuch.
A line of carriages and horses sped away along Ba Ting Street.
Neither Gu Jue nor Chu Qianchen cared at all about the prince's departure.
Gu Jue wanted to ask Chu Qianchen if he wanted to go shopping again, but he saw Chu Qianchen staring at him with his eyes wide open, his clear pupils sparkling, with the words written in them -
Is she very powerful? Chu Qianchen pursed his lips and smiled, thinking that he was very powerful now.
In her previous life, when the prince was alive, she was too weak, so much so that the prince was still thinking about her and worrying about her when he was dying.
In this life, she is different.
She would not let the prince worry about her anymore.
Therefore, the prince must be well.
Gu Jue rubbed her head as he wished, and his heart softened as she smiled.
This girl, even when she's arguing with people, she's "going all out"! "Is it fun?" Gu Jue asked.
Chu Qianchen nodded vigorously: "Fun!"
Gu Jue said: "That's good."
Chu Qianchen smiled even more happily. The prince was praising her, right? That's right, he was praising her! Chu Qianchen was in such a good mood that she almost flew up.
She didn't want to go back to the palace yet, so she looked outside the pavilion and saw that the monkey showman hadn't left yet, so she suggested, "Your Majesty, let's go watch the monkey show."
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something, glanced at the bowl of goldfish on the stone table, and solemnly warned: "Be careful with 'your' goldfish!"
Meaning, if he lets the monkey take away his goldfish, don't blame her cat.
Gu Jue was stunned for a moment, and then was amused by her.
It was only half a day, and he seemed to have laughed more times than he had in the past few years combined.
This girl always makes him laugh.
"Let's go and watch the monkey show!" Gu Jue picked up the large celadon bowl in one hand, took Chu Qianchen's hand with the other, and walked towards the monkey trainer outside the pavilion.
The two of them strolled and played along the way until they returned to the palace before dark.
At this time, the emperor's edict and a blank transfer order had been delivered to Prince Chen's Mansion one incense stick ago, and the person who received the edict on behalf of Gu Jue was Cheng Linhua.
This matter quickly spread among the various prefectures in the capital.
This capital city is neither small nor big.
The Jinyiwei made such a big fuss that all the powerful and wealthy people in the capital saw it. Later, the fact that Prince Chen ordered Yunzhan to go to Xuanjia Camp made everyone panic-stricken, fearing that Prince Chen would really lead his army to force the palace, and that Da Qi would be ushered in a bloody storm.
Fortunately, the prince came forward.
But in just one afternoon, the wind and rain changed suddenly several times.
The Embroidered Uniform Guards obeyed the prince's orders and retreated from Prince Chen's Palace in disgrace. Later, a new imperial edict and a transfer order were delivered to Prince Chen's Palace.
For a moment, one stone caused a thousand waves.
It has only been a few months since Prince Chen returned to Beijing from the north, and he has fought against the emperor several times. Except for the matter of marriage, Prince Chen won every time.
The emperor had almost lost everything in the repeated games with the Prince of Chen.
This time the emperor made a big concession.
Everyone was discussing this in private.
Some people accused the King of Chen of being audacious and reckless, and of having his own army and power.
Some people speculated that the Prince of Chen was really ill before, and was cured by the wedding, and the emperor just made things worse; others thought that the Prince of Chen's "serious illness" and even the fact that he married a concubine's daughter was just to lower the emperor's vigilance and encroach on him step by step.
Even Uhagalou and his group at the posthouse were discussing this matter.
"...Now the Black Armor Camp has ceased its activities. Three days later, 30,000 Black Armor soldiers will be stationed at the Fengtai Camp." Tama reported the information he had obtained one by one.
Because the Crown Prince left in a hurry, they felt that something big might have happened in the court, so they went to investigate. They didn't expect that Prince Chen and the Emperor of Da Qi had been engaged in another game of chess in just half a day.
The other followers brought by Uhagalou were also in the room, and the atmosphere was slightly tense.
One of the young men in blue speculated, "Your Highness, could it be that Prince Chen pretended to be sick before so that the Emperor of Da Qi would underestimate the enemy?"
The others looked at each other and thought it was possible.
"No." Jialou gently stroked the Buddhist beads in his hand and said calmly but confidently, "You guys are underestimating Gu Jue too much."
Prince Gu Jue would not do such a petty thing.
Jialou not only recalled his last conversation with Gu Jue, in which Gu Jue said to him: "Then I will go against the will of heaven."
"Go against the will of heaven." Jialuo recited these four words almost silently.
Gu Jue was indeed doing as he said.
Jialuo looked up at the dim sky outside the window. The fiery clouds in the western sky were as red as blood, as if a large blood-red hole was torn in the night sky.
Duo Mo stroked his beard and asked curiously, "If the Emperor of Da Qi remained silent, would Prince Chen really force the emperor to abdicate?"
Jialuo lit the candle himself. The soft candlelight enveloped his snow-white monk's robe, which seemed to be glowing, making his temperament even more elegant.
His eyes were deep and calm, without a trace of ripples, and he said decisively: "The Emperor of Da Qi would not dare."
"Prince Chen knows the Emperor of Da Qi too well!"
The Emperor of Da Qi did not dare.
The Emperor of Da Qi didn’t know what Gu Jue’s trump card was.
Given the suspicious nature of the Emperor of Da Qi, he must have thought that since Gu Jue dared to take action, he must have a hidden card.
He was afraid of losing his throne.
After all, there are many cases of killing brothers to seize the throne in the thousands of years of history of the Central Plains. Prince Gu Jue has been the nightmare of the Emperor of Da Qi over the years, and he can't wait to get rid of him.
Gu Jue is the person that Emperor Da Qi hates the most, and also the person he fears the most. This has been deeply engraved in his bones for many years.
It's too late to write 10,000 words. The second update will be a little later, at 14:00 (end of this chapter)