Chapter 114 Appoint Lu Tingt Wan, did you hear
The Jiang family had to bear the humiliation of Jiang Qing's life and death in Shanhaiguan. Li Tingfeng retired after his illness and ostensibly handed over the power to Queen Mother Jiang, but the real power of the six ministries was in the hands of Cheng Xianzhi, and the power to draft documents was issued by the Minister of the Central Secretariat. Li Tingfeng was calculating, and the Gongsun and Cheng families were not always reliable.
He wanted to suppress the Queen Mother's edge, and at the same time, he wanted the remaining Jiang family to be able to restrain the dominance of Cheng Xianzhi and Gongsun Yin.
Cheng Xianzhi had been an official for many years. Even though he was favored and valued by the emperor and was the imperial tutor, he was well versed in the principles of power.
Li Tingfeng's life span was no more than a month. Cheng Xianzhi dragged himself to the city wall, the wind and snow blowing through his purple official robe. His eyes were solemn but firm as he recalled seven years ago, when he was appointed to an official position in Hanzhang Palace. Before him lay the prosperous capital, while beneath him lay a tangled web of officialdom.
Seven years later, Kyoto is still Kyoto, but I am no longer the student I used to be.
He turned sideways and looked towards the direction of Jinhua Palace. The snow in Kyoto had stopped for half a month. The sun was shining brightly and the snow had melted.
The fighting competition is approaching, and Lu Tingwan attends on behalf of Jinhua Palace. She holds an invitation from Xie Zhao of the Third Battalion of the Imperial Guards, and there is also an invitation from Cheng Xianzhi under the dressing table.
She put both invitations into the box, took out a jade token given by the Queen Mother, packed it up, and left the palace.
Drums beat, banners hung high outside the barracks fluttered in the north wind, and the cheers of the soldiers on the parade grounds were stirring. Strong soldiers shed their armor, their bare backs gleaming bronze in the sun after the snow melted, their muscles knotted like the roots of an old tree.
The air was filled with the scorching heat of pine resin and sweat. Half a bag of liquor was poured into the charcoal basin. On the stage for selecting generals, Cheng Xianzhi shot a gilded command arrow, which was nailed to the bronze drum. With a command, the competition began with the shouts of the contestants and soldiers.
The first round was a contest of cold weapons, which Xie Zhao was not good at. The opponent he drew was a young general from a branch of the Gongsun family. Although he was a rookie, he was a master of cold weapons and caught Xie Zhao off guard.
Han Zhou stood beside Cheng Xianzhi, his eyes narrowed, "Sir, Gongsun Jie's cold weapon skills are comparable to a captive Deadpool."
"Have you thought of anything, Han Zhou?" Cheng Xianzhi slowly picked up the teacup and watched the battle, but his peripheral vision was filled with a hint of goose yellow.
Seeing that Xie Zhao was lagging behind by a large margin, Lu Tingwan was really worried for him. He leaned on the railing and looked at the stadium. The sunlight fell behind him, and cheers from outside the stadium rose one after another.
"This speed and reaction are comparable to the skill that broke through the forest outside the city that night."
Cheng Xianzhi's voice was deep, the air was condensed to the extreme, and then he sighed heavily, as if he had made up his mind.
"Sir, you also want to fight for military power in the northwest." He raised a smile, "You can't sit still anymore."
"What do you wish, my Lord?"
A voice from outside the stadium interrupted their conversation, "Xie Zhao, Xie Zhao, come on!"
The spectators nearby cast their eyes towards Lu Tingwan's position and saw her waving flags and cheering, which was quite interesting. However, the discussions reached Cheng Xianzhi's ears.
"This is Lu, the head of Jinhua Palace and the wife of Minister Cheng. Why is she cheering Xie Zhao up?"
"This man is quite remarkable. When Gong Yan was assassinated, I heard that he blocked the fatal knife for the Queen Mother and nearly lost his life. Now he is a favorite of the Queen Mother."
"The Lu family was previously executed, and it was Minister Cheng who saved their lives in front of the emperor. They are no ordinary people."
"What does this have to do with Xie Zhao?"
"Xie Zhao was the leader of the Qingyao Mountain bandits in his early years. This is somewhat related to Lu Zhanggong. I heard the brothers in the third battalion mention that if it weren't for Lu Zhanggong, they would have been buried in Qingyao Mountain long ago."
"I also heard that Palace Master Lu and Minister Cheng have no love for each other."
"Don't you know? When the Lu family was beheaded, Xie Zhao fought against a hundred people and hijacked the execution ground, all for Palace Master Lu."
"If you ask me, the things inside are hard to make sense of. It's a mess."
“…”
The fist hidden under the table scraped with a sound, and a pair of clear eyes turned red. He tried hard to suppress the anger in his heart. Han Zhou saw the situation and tried to persuade him: "We are all rough people. We don't think about what we say. Please don't take it to heart."
"Lu Tingwan!" Cheng Xianzhi raised his head and his gaze fell on the figure outside the field, "Come here!"
The few people who were discussing just now heard a startled sound and moved away timidly, and Lu Tingwan's entire figure was exposed in the field of vision.
She was so focused on the competition that she couldn't hear Cheng Xianzhi's voice at all. After Xie Zhao finished the first round of competition, the warm sun shone on his muscular body. He wiped the sweat off his face and waved to Lu Tingwan outside the field, preparing for the next fight. Lu Tingwan also waved to him.
Cheng Xianzhi strained his patience and called out again, "Lu Tingwan!"
When the cheers from the stadium subsided, she turned around, smiled brightly, and walked towards the gloomy Cheng Xianzhi, asking heartlessly, "What's wrong?"
Han Zhou bowed, "I'll go see how the preparations for the next competition are going."
Lu Tingwan couldn't wait for him to speak, and she was thirsty, so she poured herself a cup of tea and asked, "You called me?"
"I heard that you came with the empress dowager's jade token." Cheng Xianzhi stared at her small face that was red from the sun, her lips moist.
"Yeah, what's wrong?" Lu Tingwanrun heard what he said and noticed that he was in a bad mood, so he asked in a daze.
Cheng Xianzhi laughed angrily. He didn't need the post he handed in. He took the Queen Mother's token and did not stand outside the venue to act as the Queen Mother's eyes. Instead, he focused on Xie Zhao's competition.
"Sit down!"
Lu Tingwan leaned close to him and whispered, "Xie Zhao lost the cold weapon competition. He must win the next two competitions to have a chance of taking first place."
"It's not a bad thing that Xie Zhao is facing Gongsun Jie this round," Cheng Xianzhi said, looking away from the field. "Compared to the other participants, Xie Zhao isn't particularly outstanding, whether in terms of background or ability."
Lu Tingwan was somewhat unhappy when he heard this. Apart from not having a powerful family, Xie Zhao was not as bad as he said. Cheng Xianzhi's implication was what others could see about Xie Zhao, not the edge that Xie Zhao himself hid.
"Others don't know about him, so naturally they are unprepared for him. This makes him a perfect match for Gongsun Jie. In the subsequent archery and close combat, Xie Zhao will definitely win."
"I heard from the Empress Dowager that the Emperor wants you to be his tutor?" Lu Tingwan relaxed a little after hearing that, and then talked to him about important matters again.
She leaned closer and whispered in his ear, "Concubine Rong has been having trouble recovering from childbirth. I feel like there's something fishy going on."
Heat rolled around his ears. Cheng Xianzhi frowned and squeezed the teacup with his fingertips.
Cheng Xianzhi said, "Empress Dowager Jiang has been patient for a long time. She had already decided on the candidate for crown prince among the clan members. As soon as Concubine Rong gave birth, the emperor appointed him crown prince. Now that her plan has failed, she has to take action."
After Lu Tingwan finished speaking, she moved away. As her breath receded, Cheng Xianzhi's fingertips loosened and he replied calmly, "No matter what you know, don't act on your own. This is not your business."
She didn't want to get involved in it. Her original purpose of entering the palace was to find evidence that Queen Mother Jiang abandoned the Lu family, leading to the execution of the entire family. She didn't believe that the Jiang family was not involved in the pile of evidence that implicated the Lu family. She believed that no matter how meticulous their plan was, it would be impossible for them to leave no traces.
But she has not found any clues for such a long time. She cannot sit and wait for death. She cannot leave Kyoto until she finds evidence.
Seeing that she didn't respond, Cheng Xianzhi glanced back and scolded, "Lu Tingwan, did you hear that?"
"Ah? Oh, yeah." She responded perfunctorily.
The second round of competition was shirtless and unarmed, with close combat. Xie Zhao had a superior physique and was well-trained, so after several rounds of competition, he easily won the second round.
The third round was archery. Gongsun Jie was good at cold weapons. Although he was an excellent archer, he was not as skilled as Xie Zhao in using them. Gongsun Jie hit the bull's eye all the time and thought he had won. Xie Zhao fired three arrows at once, and the feathers of the arrows passed through each of them. When the last arrow passed through the target, everyone present was shocked.
Xie Zhao won the first place without a doubt.
Li Tingfeng's condition has improved in the past few days, but it is just a sign of a last burst of vitality, and the imperial physician dare not say more.
Li Tingfeng looked up with his crown solemn, his face pale beneath the pearl curtain. He held up his dragon body and looked down at the officials. The majesty of the emperor was still there, but his voice was weak.
"The Kyoto Fighting Tournament is over. Since the death of the previous emperor, our dynasty has not held such a competition for many years. Who is the winner this time?" Li Tingfeng thought for a moment, "is it from the Imperial Guards?"
Cheng Xianzhi lined up the court ranks and said, "Your Majesty, it is Xie Zhao, the captain of the third battalion of the Imperial Guards."
"Xie Zhao, is Xie Zhao here?"
"Summon Captain Xie to see you!" Eunuch Qian shouted outside the hall.
Xie Zhao was dressed in a solemn manner, stepping into the morning sun, his aura of a military commander emanating from him. "Your humble servant Xie Zhao pays respects to Your Majesty."
"Well done, Xie Zhao! One man can hold the fort against ten thousand. You are truly a man of steel and integrity from Dalan," Li Tingfeng said, reciting the name. "The Northwest Fortress is in dire need of men right now. Are you willing to go?"
Xie Zhao bowed deeply and said, "To protect the mountains and rivers of Dalan, I am willing to go."
Queen Mother Jiang's voice drifted out, "Xie Zhao has been in the capital for less than a year and has achieved nothing. The incident he caused for the Lu family is still fresh in our memory. Your Majesty, is this move too hasty?"
"Dalan is full of new talents and is recruiting talented individuals, but there aren't many available. The Northwest Fortress..." Li Tingfeng coughed a few times and paused for a moment before speaking, "Achievements? There are many opportunities for success. Without opportunities, how can there be achievements? Xie Zhao was able to stand out in the fighting competition. He has his own abilities. I am willing to entrust this important task to him."
"Perhaps the Queen Mother and the ministers, do you have any other better candidates? Tell me about it." Li Tingfeng was different today than before. The emperor's majesty could not be trampled upon or despised by anyone.
The ministers looked at each other in dismay, not daring to speak. No one responded. In the empty hall, Li Tingfeng sneered, "Jiang Qingsheng is indeed capable of doing the job, but it's a pity."
Queen Mother Jiang gripped the armrest tightly, and her armor fell off. Lu Tingwan saw it all. The situation was tense, and Li Tingfeng was bound to make this happen. However, if he angered the Queen Mother and the court officials, Xie Zhao would be the first to bear the brunt.
"What about the others? Lord Cheng, are there any other outstanding individuals in this competition?"
Cheng Xianzhi said calmly, "The Minister of War, Gongsun Jie, is a rare talent, skilled in the use of cold weapons. If I remember correctly, he also spent several years in the northwest. The Minister of the Central Secretariat should also know about this."
Gongsun Yin tugged at his beard, "Your Majesty, this is indeed true."
Li Tingfeng: "Then what do you think of asking him to go on a diplomatic mission to the northwest?"
"Gongsun Jie has some knowledge of the Northwest Fortress and deserves experience. Your Majesty values him, so I will never hesitate to sacrifice my life for him. This old minister has no objection."
"Then promote Xie Zhao to General of the Cavalry and appoint him as the Northwest Commander-in-Chief, and Gongsun Jie as his deputy commander. The two of them will jointly guard the Northwest Fortress."
"If there is nothing else, leave the court!"
Li Tingfeng did not let Xie Zhao go alone, but asked Gongsun Jie to go together. The purpose can be imagined, to hinder each other.
Cheng Xianzhi's eyes darkened, as if he saw through her.
It is understandable that the king wants to check and balance, and his status as the imperial tutor is enough for him to act as regent.
But whether Gongsun Jie can reach the northwest is another matter.
Xie Zhao was appointed to go, and Lu Tingwan had to take out the sunset bow she had prepared earlier to see him off. She sent the empress dowager back to Jinhua Palace, and returned to the front court while the empress dowager was resting. Cheng Xianzhi was still in a meeting, and she waited for a while but did not see Xie Zhao.
Before Xie Zhao went to the northwest, he was still under the command of the imperial guards.
"Xie Zhao," Lu Tingwan called him, "Congratulations."
He sent his men on patrol and could only speak to her briefly.
"I should be the one thanking you." The sword was tucked into his waist, making a sound as it scraped against armor.
Lu Tingwan: "Did you say when you'll leave?"
Xie Zhao: "The strong wind and snow are not suitable for marching. It should be after this year."
Lu Tingwan: "That's fine, but..."
"But what?"
A trace of worry flashed across Lu Tingwan's mind, fearing that the night would be too long and might lead to more trouble.
The two of them faced the wind under the palace wall, with feelings of close friendship lingering in their hearts. Gongsun Xue took advantage of the good weather and went into the palace to visit Concubine Rong.
I happened to see two people talking under the palace wall, "Luzhu, are those Lu Tingwan and Xie Zhao?"
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