"Your Majesty, we previously felt that General Lu and General Qin were too inexperienced, but this was truly for the sake of the border war. The Eastern Court forces are coming with great force, and the two of them are too young to be suitable choices!"
The Earl of Chang'an knelt on the ground, but his back was very straight. He did not think that there was anything wrong with their previous collective targeting of Lu Baichuan and Qin Jian.
The emperor and the others remained silent, and the Earl of Chang'an, unperturbed, continued, "However, with the bandits rampant this time, all the generals in the court have their own duties, leaving only General Lu temporarily free. We can let General Lu give it a try. If he can successfully quell the bandits, General Lu will have proven himself."
"What is General Lu's opinion?"
The following sentence was said to Lu Baichuan, and it carries a strong implication.
He just wanted to stir up Lu Baichuan's competitive spirit. Wasn't he previously looked down upon and suspected by the people in the court?
This is an opportunity to prove oneself, and smart people won't let it pass.
Lu Baichuan glanced at him, his eyes devoid of emotion, but he finally made a move.
He stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Earl of Chang'an is right. I am willing to go and suppress the bandits, but I would like Qin Jian to come with me."
These words were exactly what the Earl of Chang'an wanted to hear. He had originally thought that it would be good enough if he could get rid of Lu Baichuan, but he didn't expect that the Earl would also take Qin Jian with him. It was as if even the heavens were helping him.
The others looked down on Lu Baichuan even more, thinking that he was really useless, always needing help with such small things, and that he posed no threat to them.
I don't know how the emperor was fooled by him before, making them think that this person was so powerful. Now it seems that he was just a paper tiger.
It's no wonder they think that way, mainly because Lu Baichuan's performance during this period has been really poor. He's been suspended from his post and hasn't made any moves at home, showing that he has absolutely no ability.
If it weren't for the emperor's favor, wouldn't the Lu family be nothing but a bunch of good-for-nothings?
No, there's an exception: Jiang Jiuniang!
They still haven't forgotten the things Jiang Jiuniang sold for exorbitant prices. They had offended her badly before, and it was hard to say anything, but now was the perfect opportunity.
As a result, many people stood up to speak for Lu Baichuan, saying that it was normal for him to be young and lack confidence, and that he should be allowed to take whoever he wanted, so that the two young men could gain some experience.
As Mr. Kang listened to the people in the court speaking, he almost sneered. Anyone who didn't know better would think that the court in Beiyan had always been so harmonious and beautiful, or that these people were all on good terms with Lu Baichuan.
I don't know which dogs were biting people in the court a while ago, they were so shameless!
Normally, he would have stood up and started yelling, but this time he acted like he was deaf, standing there dozing off the whole time.
Whatever, he wouldn't stoop to the level of these dogs.
With these court officials all speaking up for him, the emperor had no choice but to reluctantly agree. To prevent them from turning around and accusing him, he emphasized, "These are the people you chose yourselves. Don't blame me for any problems that arise later."
His sarcastic remarks made everyone feel quite embarrassed. Recently, the emperor either remained silent or made sarcastic remarks about them, and everyone in the court was on edge, not knowing how to ease the tension between the emperor and his ministers.
They haven't made any mistakes yet, so the emperor is giving them face for now and not making things too difficult for them. But once they make a mistake, there's nothing more to say; they'll just have to wait to die.
Therefore, easing tensions between the emperor and his ministers was of utmost urgency. Upon hearing this, they hurriedly flattered him, spouting flowery words, but the emperor ignored them.
The matter of suppressing the bandits was of utmost urgency, and the emperor did not give Lu Baichuan and Qin Jian much time, ordering them to set off with their men that very night.
The Earl of Chang'an stood on the city wall, watching the group of people leave the capital, a smile appearing on his lips.
Everything was proceeding according to his plan. Lu Baichuan and Qin Jian were bound to die during the bandit suppression, and the rest of the Lu family would naturally have no reason to exist.
Sun felt that it was dangerous for her two sons to be suddenly sent to suppress bandits. She was worried when she thought of the bandits they had encountered on their way to escape famine. Although she knew that her two sons were capable, they were still mortals and could get hurt. So she wanted to go to the temple outside the city to pray for peace.
The women in the family were all present and had nothing to do, so they decided to go out together the next day.
This was the first time the Lu family had gone to the temple to offer incense since they had settled down. Madam Sun took it very seriously and personally prepared everything they needed the day before, so they would leave the city early the next morning.
Lanying Temple is located halfway up the mountain, which is quite a distance away. We have to leave before dawn. Sun told everyone to go to bed early so as not to miss the appointed time.
Jiang Jiuniang thought so too, and went to bed early. In the middle of the night, she was suddenly woken up by her maid. The maid looked flustered and said, "Madam, someone from the palace has come and said that the Empress has started labor. The Emperor is worried and asks you to go to the palace to help keep an eye on things."
Jiang Jiuniang opened her eyes groggily, feeling that something was not real.
The Queen's due date should still be about half a month away, because she has been taking good care of herself and there is no reason for her to go into labor prematurely.
It seems that someone did this on purpose.
Jiang Jiuniang narrowed her eyes. If something had to happen at this time, if she had to be sent away, then there would definitely be danger on the way.
She got up and tidied herself up, then went to find Lotus in the middle of the night, gave her a few instructions, and then hurriedly entered the palace with the people from the palace.
In the dead of night, the palace was still brightly lit, and the palace servants were all rushing about, busy preparing for the Empress's delivery.
"This way, Madam."
The palace maid leading the way was also in a hurry. People should be mindful of their manners when walking in the palace, but now she couldn't care less about that. She lifted up her skirt to make herself walk faster.
"You probably won't be able to give birth anytime soon. Tell me in detail what's going on."
This palace maid served the Empress and Jiang Jiuniang had seen her several times; she trusted her quite a bit.
Upon hearing this, the palace maid honestly replied, "After dinner, Her Majesty went for a walk in the garden as usual. There were small stones on the path, and Her Majesty accidentally twisted her ankle, which is why she went into labor."
The palace maids felt very guilty as they said this. They were all watching from the side, yet they hadn't cleared the small stones from the road beforehand, which caused the Empress to have a premature birth.
Has this ever happened before?
The palace maid shook her head: "Your Highness is six months pregnant, and we have been very careful. We have swept that road several times a day. We really didn't expect that there would still be a small stone that was missed."
It's not usually there, but it happened today, so it must have been intentional.
As for why it started happening at night and why he only came to see her late at night, it must be because the emperor felt that he was setting up a scheme recently and could not be too open about his relationship with her, so he had been holding back.
Who could have imagined that the Empress's condition was not optimistic and that she had not been able to give birth, which is why she was summoned to the palace in the middle of the night.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com