31 Military Power (Part Two)
"From now on, he'll be powerless and helpless, completely at our mercy."
The Crown Prince, who had been under house arrest for two years, was suddenly summoned to the palace. Inside the Western Suburbs Palace, the officials served the Crown Prince with an orderly manner as he changed clothes and washed up. Everyone looked calm, as if they did not realize that this was such a joyous occasion.
Shi Ye stretched out his arms, letting the servants dress him.
It was late at night, and the moon was bright and the stars were few outside the window. The chirping of insects came one after another, and perhaps because of the cold weather, it sounded particularly mournful.
"Your Highness, that's enough."
"Um."
With everything prepared, Shi Ye followed the palace servants out of the temporary palace and boarded the carriage to the palace.
The imperial guards followed the carriage, each with a straight back and a sharp posture, like a long spear.
Among the guards, Chai Shun, dressed in guard uniform, discreetly blended in, his purpose being to protect the Crown Prince.
Sure enough, not long after leaving the palace, dozens of men in black suddenly appeared.
The guards reacted quickly, and before the messenger could even react, they had already surrounded the carriage.
Chai Shun then leaped into the carriage and shielded Shi Ye firmly beneath him.
"Swish, swish..."
The sound of an arrow piercing the air could be heard.
Chai Shun pinned the man to the bottom of the carriage, then turned around and deflected the arrows that had been shot into the carriage.
"Your Highness, rest assured, we are all elites of the Black Flag Army, and we will definitely escort you safely into the palace."
Shi Ye's voice was calm and steady, "I trust the people he sent."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Before long, it seemed that the arrows had been fired.
Chai Shun stood up, lifted the carriage curtain, and shouted to the guards outside: "Split into two groups, one to stop people, the other to continue on their way."
"yes."
Soon, the carriage wheels started moving.
Chai Shun bent down to help the Crown Prince up, then sat cautiously beside him.
"What time did the general enter the palace?" the crown prince asked.
"You Shi (5-7 PM)".
Shi Ye frowned. "The wedding wasn't finished?"
"No."
"This is absolutely outrageous!"
Shi Ye didn't expect that they couldn't even wait a day.
Chai Shun pursed his lips and didn't reply.
Before long, the carriage entered the city, and a patrol came up to inquire, wanting to escort the crown prince to the palace.
Chai Shun shook his head at Shi Ye and said, "The general instructed me to personally escort you into the palace. No one else, no matter who they are, can be trusted."
The prince nodded. "Who is it?" he asked loudly.
A voice came from outside the carriage, "Your subject Zhang Ke greets Your Highness."
"Your voice sounds quite young, you must be under thirty."
"Your Highness, I am twenty-four years old this year."
"Kill him," Shi Ye coldly ordered from across the carriage. "Zhang Ke is over forty; that's a lie."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the sounds of fighting erupted outside the carriage.
Chai Shun kept his eyes down and his mind focused, thinking to himself that the Crown Prince had been under house arrest in the western suburbs for two years, yet he still remembered the age of the mere patrol battalion commander; he was truly remarkable.
"Your Highness, the thieves have been executed," someone reported from outside the carriage.
"Full speed ahead, no stopping!" Shi Ye ordered.
"Yes, Your Highness."
As dawn was breaking, the prince's carriage entered the imperial city.
As Shi Ye took his first step into the palace, the first rays of the setting sun shone down from the east. In the bright light, he could see the glazed tiles on the palace roof and the blood-red palace walls around him. These vivid colors burned his eyes.
Chai Shun lagged behind, standing beside him, his hand gripping the long sword at his waist.
“General, according to the rules, you must remove your weapon,” a eunuch reminded him.
When Shi Ye turned around, the first thing he saw was not Chai Shun's sword, but the bloodstains on his armor.
“Give him the sword,” Shi Ye said. “After you take me to the Imperial Study, I will send someone to take you to the Imperial Hospital for treatment.”
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Soon, Shi Ye arrived at the Imperial Study, guided by the chief eunuch.
He hadn't been here for two whole years, and apart from being a bit old, everything was the same as it had been two years ago.
After being notified, he went inside.
All the prominent figures in the court were present. He knelt down to pay his respects, and Emperor Jingkang leaned forward, looking intently at him, and asked, "Does the Crown Prince know his mistake?"
Admit your mistake?
Shi Ye sneered inwardly.
After two years apart, the first thing that came to mind when they met was whether he was docile enough.
"Your subject knows his mistake."
"Good, good, it's good that you know you're wrong. Get up." Emperor Jingkang said with satisfaction. "Since you know you're wrong, you don't need to go back to the western suburbs. Move back to the East Palace."
"Thank you, Father Emperor."
"Furthermore, the reason I summoned you here today is to hear your views on the Northern Frontier."
Two years ago, Shi Ye was placed under house arrest in the eastern suburbs because he opposed the peace talks between Daliang and Shatuo.
"I wonder which aspect Father Emperor would like to hear about?"
"How should the Black Flag Army's military power be handled?"
Shi Ye glanced at Xiao Pingchuan not far away and asked with feigned confusion, "Isn't military power always in General Xiao's hands?"
“Jin’an has been working hard for many years, it’s time to let him relax.”
Shi Ye pondered, "Then what does Father mean?"
"You shall temporarily assume command of the army," Emperor Jingkang said impatiently.
Shi Ye suddenly looked up, and their eyes met. At that moment, the faint connection between father and son began to feel more substantial.
"Your son..."
Before Shi Ye could finish speaking, Pei Ruhai interrupted him, saying, "Your Majesty, the northern border is harsh and remote. You've entrusted His Highness with military power; you can't very well send the Crown Prince to the northern border personally, can you? What about the court then...?"
"What do you mean, my dear minister?" Emperor Jingkang asked.
"I haven't decided yet."
Pei Ruhai peeked out briefly and then withdrew.
Silence returned to the main hall.
The morning sunlight gradually streamed in through the window lattices, slowly dispelling the gloom and oppression in the hall.
“Father, why not divide military power in two?” Shi Ye said. “Separate the power to command troops from the power to deploy troops. I will only have the power to deploy troops, while the power to command troops will be decided by Father.”
The Crown Prince's words were like a stone thrown into a stagnant pool, causing Marquis Anping and the others to widen their eyes.
Only Xiao Pingchuan stood there with his head down, like an outsider, his expression unreadable.
“Your Majesty, I believe what His Highness the Crown Prince said is absolutely right,” said Marquis Anping. “We can find someone nearby who can command troops, so that no matter how far away, the Black Flag Army will be under Your Majesty’s control.”
"Ahem." Emperor Jingkang coughed lightly twice. "Then let's give it to the governor of Liangzhou."
In just a few words, the Black Flag Army's military power was completely divided up.
"Do any of you ministers have any further objections?"
"Father, I have heard that the Black Flag Army is short of food. If it is to be merged into the Liangzhou army, then Lord Lei should first ensure that the army has enough food," Shi Ye said. "Moreover, the Black Flag Army was trained by General Xiao. Now that the commander has been suddenly changed, I am worried that there will be unrest in the army."
He was talking about very real problems.
Emperor Jingkang listened attentively, "And what do you think?"
"The matter of merging the armies can be put on hold for now, so that both sides can have a buffer period."
"How should we ease the pressure?"
The crown prince did not reply, but turned to Xiao Pingchuan and asked, "What does General Xiao think?"
Xiao Pingchuan looked back at him and said slowly, "The Black Flag Army has been stationed at the Shule River for years and has never had a break. This time, let the Liangzhou army go to the Shule River to familiarize themselves with the border affairs, and let my brothers rest for a while."
"I will also write a letter to them, asking for their cooperation. What does Your Highness think?"
"What about patrols?"
"Those who patrol and guard the border will not retreat, but will continue to guard the border as usual."
Shi Ye nodded. Others might not know, but he was very clear that the Shatuo had been restless for the past two years, and their ambition to move south had always remained.
If the Black Flag Army withdraws completely, the Shatuo will definitely take the opportunity to invade the border. Once they cross the river, the Liangzhou army will be absolutely unable to stop them.
“The usual border defense won’t work,” Marquis Anping said. “If we’re going to change the garrison, we have to do it thoroughly. Lei Sheng has been on the battlefield before, and I believe he’s no worse than General Xiao.”
"no......"
Shi Ye wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Emperor Jingkang.
"We'll discuss this later. Everyone, go back. The Crown Prince, stay behind," Emperor Jingkang said. "Jin'an, go back too. Spend some time with your new bride. I'll find you a job after some time."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Xiao Pingchuan said. "This subject takes his leave."
"We take our leave."
Xiao Pingchuan walked out of the imperial study with his head held high and chest out. Outside the main hall, Pei Ruhai and the others had not gone far.
He ignored them without looking at them and walked straight outside.
"Hmph, this Xiao Pingchuan, even though he has no power, still acts arrogantly towards everyone," Marquis Anping said coldly.
“No wonder, he’s from a migrant background, he can’t even read many characters.” Someone echoed him.
“Please watch your words,” Pei Ruhai said. “He’s a relative of mine now.”
Pei Ruhai spoke these words in a calm tone, making it impossible to tell whether he was happy or unhappy.
"How is Feng Sanhe doing?" he continued to ask.
"He's still lying in bed, he probably won't be able to get up anytime soon," someone replied. "They really went all out. Luckily, General Feng is in good health; if it were us, we would have died on the spot."
These words caused widespread panic among those around them.
"What's there to be afraid of? He has a title but no real power. So what if we kick him while he's down?"
“That’s true. In the past, we gave him some leeway because of the Black Flag Army’s reputation. Now that he has no power or influence, he’ll be at our mercy.”
"I've disliked him for a long time."
......
On the other side, Xiao Pingchuan left the palace, where Chai Shun and others met him at the palace gate. The two then rode in a carriage and discreetly made their way to the General's Mansion.
"After I left yesterday, did anyone cause trouble?" Xiao Pingchuan asked.
Chai Shun shook his head. "After you left, Madam presided over the entire wedding banquet by herself and saw the guests off. There were no troubles during that time, so it went relatively smoothly."
"Tell me in detail what she did and said..."
"Madam, she..."
After Chai Shun finished explaining carefully, he added, "General, to be honest, Madam is truly capable. If our General's Mansion could have such a matriarch, we would have nothing to worry about."
"Do you think someone as capable as her would be content to be confined to the inner quarters?" Xiao Pingchuan asked.
"What does the general mean?"
"She did not want to be the mistress of the general's mansion."
Chai Shun was somewhat surprised, "But she married according to the imperial decree, and you two have already completed your wedding ceremony."
"So what?" Xiao Pingchuan lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the strangers coming and going. "She just finds it troublesome to disobey the imperial decree."
"Then... can we still call her 'Madam' from now on?"
Xiao Pingchuan paused for a moment, then said, "Go ahead and shout. If you're going to put on an act, you have to go all the way." His voice was calm, and it was impossible to tell whether he was unhappy or not.
Chai Shun glanced at him and said, "Yes."
All he could hear was the rumbling of wheels, a soft, rustling sound, and occasionally a gust of wind would drift in through the window, circle around him, and then blow away into the distance.
Upon returning to the general's mansion, Xu Youcai greeted him.
"Where is Madam?" Xiao Pingchuan asked as he walked toward the main courtyard.
Xu Youcai: "You're still not up? You went to bed quite late last night. Madam really made our General's Mansion proud yesterday, let me tell you..."
Chai Shun kept giving him meaningful glances, signaling him to shut up.
Xu Youcai was confused: "Huh?"
Xiao Pingchuan said, "You two don't need to follow me. Go and tighten the guards inside and outside the mansion. I don't want anything to happen while we're in the capital."
"Yes, General."
Chai Shun quickly pulled Xu Youcai away.
Xiao Pingchuan slowed his pace as he entered the main courtyard.
The main courtyard faces south and has two bedrooms. One master bedroom was used as the bridal chamber, and the other was used as a study. There are two wing rooms on each side, and Xiao Pingchuan cleaned up the west wing to use as his own bedroom.
The master bedroom door is currently closed.
He hesitated for a moment, then decided to go back to the west wing to change out of his wedding clothes.
To his surprise, after taking only two steps, the door to the master bedroom was pushed open, and Shen Suqin, wearing a red nightgown, stood by the door, looking at him sleepily.
Perhaps she had regained her senses for a while, because it took her quite some time to recognize the person and say, "You're back?"
Xiao Pingchuan hummed in agreement.
Shen Suqin walked down the steps, barefoot, her fair and rounded toes touching the bluestone slabs. She walked step by step to Xiao Pingchuan and asked him, "Was it all right?"
Xiao Pingchuan lowered his gaze. "It went fairly smoothly."
In his line of sight, Shen Suqin's pale feet rushed in, and his gaze fell heavily on the insteps of Shen Suqin's feet, momentarily forgetting to look away.
"That's good. Has the general not eaten anything since last night? Please change your clothes first, and I'll tell the servants to cook you something to eat."
"Thank you for your trouble."
After saying that, the two were about to part ways.
No one brought up the argument from that day; it was as if it didn't exist if it wasn't mentioned.
Xiao Pingchuan took two steps slowly, then stopped and said to Shen Suqin, "It's cold. Remember to wear shoes next time you come out."
Shen Suqin's smooth toes curled up slightly.
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