After returning from the villa, Qin's mood was obviously much better. Unfortunately, her good mood only lasted for more than two months, and then she became anxious and irritable again. The reason was that her youngest son had said that he and King Jing would not stay in the northwest for more than half a year and would definitely return within half a year.
Now that the six-month deadline has expired, not only has Xiao Jingyan not returned, he has also lost contact with his family.
Qin either frequently sent people to look outside the gate or went to various temples to worship Buddha. She no longer distinguished between the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month. In any case, she had visited all the temples around Kyoto.
Seeing his old wife almost collapsed, General Xiao thought for a long time, changed into official uniform and went to the palace to request an audience with the emperor.
"Your Majesty, General Xiao is requesting an audience outside the palace." The eunuch Chen He walked up to the emperor who was looking down at the memorial and whispered.
After pondering for a moment, the emperor sighed, closed the memorial in his hand, and nodded to signal Chen Hexuan Xiaohu to enter the imperial study.
"Your servant Xiao Hu pays homage to His Majesty."
"Qingming Xiao, please stand up. Chen He, you will stand guard outside and do not allow anyone to approach."
"I obey your order."
"My dear Lord Xiao, you've come here to ask about your son's absence from the northwest!"
"Your Majesty is wise. I am worried that if I don't hear from my son, my wife may become insane. I have no other choice but to ask Your Majesty for help."
"My dear Xiao, you are quite straightforward. In this case, I will not hide it from you. The reason why King Jing went to the northwest to suppress bandits is secondary. He actually went to do another thing for me. Now he has encountered some troubles and cannot get away for the time being, so his return date will be postponed for a while.
I will send more people to support them. I believe that King Jing and your son will return triumphantly soon. "The emperor used these words to comfort Xiao Hu and himself. He hoped that his brother could return safely, not only because he had to rely on the evidence in his hands to bring down the Han family, but also because in a place like the palace where family affection was indifferent, their brotherhood of fighting for each other was too precious.
According to the secret report just received, everything went smoothly when King Jing first arrived in the northwest. While suppressing bandits, he secretly investigated the Han family's stockpiling of food and fodder and purchase of war horses.
Just when things were starting to unravel and evidence was gathering, someone on King Jing's side tipped off Duke Qing's son. The Han family initially planned to steal the evidence and drive King Jing back to Kyoto. King Jing wouldn't let them manipulate him, and from that point on, the two sides engaged in a fierce battle, back and forth.
King Jing wanted to quickly obtain evidence so that he could take down the Han family, or at least the Duke of Qing's Mansion. The Han family had been operating for many years, so how could they easily admit defeat? They were currently in a stalemate phase. King Jing was trapped in a small county town, and it was not easy for him to return to Kyoto. The Han family currently only dared to stand in the dark and use some shameful means. It was just unknown how long this stalemate would last.
"I am willing to welcome King Jing back to the capital."
"I believe that Mr. Xiao has the ability, but I want to wait a little longer. Go back and tell Madam Zun that I guarantee that Xiao Silang's life is safe and he will definitely return safely."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. With your words, my wife will feel at ease. I'll take my leave." Xiao Hu left the imperial study and walked towards the palace gate without stopping. He kept thinking about the emperor's words in his mind. It seemed that Prince Jing was in trouble now, and all the people who went with him were trapped somewhere and could not return to Kyoto.
What could possibly have caused the Emperor to send his own brother? And who was the opponent who dared to become the Prince's enemy? It seemed that things were not as easy and simple as the Emperor described. What had happened?
General Xiao's face was calm, but his heart was surging. On the one hand, he was worried about the safety of his youngest son, and on the other hand, he had to think of what to say and how to comfort his old wife when he returned.
After returning home, General Xiao went directly to the upper room. Chunye quietly pointed to the Buddhist temple. The lady now spent most of the day here. The old lady who loved pleasure in the past could now kneel in the Buddhist temple for a whole morning or afternoon.
"Go tell your wife that there is news about the Fourth Master."
"Master, is there any news about Brother Yan?" Before Chunye could go in to report, Qin had already walked out of the Buddhist hall quickly. Compared with the previous few days, she looked much thinner.
"If you promise me from now on to eat well, rest well, and not stay in the Buddhist temple for more than an hour every day, I will tell you about Xiao Si."
"You're not kidding me, are you? You really have news about Brother Yan, right?"
"I just went to the palace to see the emperor. I got the news from him. Do you think it could be false?"
"Then please tell me quickly!" Qin asked anxiously.
"I can only tell you one thing first. He is safe now. If you want to know anything else, go back to Ninghe Hall to take some supplements and take a rest. I will tell you the rest of the news after I change my clothes."
"Okay, I'll go back right away." Qin left after she finished speaking, leaving General Xiao and Chun Ye behind.
"Oh! If I get lost one day, she won't be so anxious!" The abandoned General Xiao imitated a resentful woman in the boudoir, looking at his old wife's back with a sense of loss.
"The old lady must care about you the most, but the Fourth Master is away from home now, so the old lady is more worried about him." Chun Ye tried her best to explain for her master.
"How many years have you been serving the lady?" General Xiao asked.
"Ever since Sister Chunlan got married, I have been working in Ninghe Hall and have been serving the old lady personally for two years."
"No wonder." No wonder you would say such a thing. It seems that you have only been in Ninghetang for a short time and you can't even figure out who your master cares about the most.
Thinking of his beloved, General Xiao naturally thought of his granddaughter Ping An, the apple of his eye. Recently, he has been concentrating on comforting his wife and has not been with his two granddaughters for a long time. No, he must comfort his wife and coax the babies, so as not to make them alienated from him.
General Xiao changed his clothes and returned to Ninghe Hall. Qin had already finished washing up and had made tea and prepared some soft snacks for her husband.
"The Emperor knows that you are worried about Xiao Si, so he asked me to tell you not to worry. Xiao Si is doing well now, and the Emperor promises that he will return safely."
"When will Brother Yan come back?"
"The emperor said that the suppression of the bandits has been completed. Prince Jing is now collecting antiques and paintings for the palace. I believe he will be back soon."
"Amitabha, may the Bodhisattva bless me. Brother Yan is obviously a blessed man and will definitely return safely." With the emperor's promise, Qin finally felt relieved.
"Why doesn't Brother Yan write to his family?" Qin asked again, remembering that her son hadn't sent any letters home for a long time.
This was really hard to fool, and General Xiao racked his brains to think about how to answer his wife's question.
"Think about it, they're collecting antiques, calligraphy, and paintings for the Emperor. Those are all priceless items, so they have to be kept secret. Besides, Xiao Si is the most knowledgeable about these things. I'm afraid he's so busy with the tasks assigned by the Emperor every day that he naturally doesn't have the leisure to write letters."
"Is that true?" His son was highly valued, and he might be promoted when he came back. Brother Yan was young and promising, and his future seemed bright! The more Qin thought about it, the brighter her heart became, and a long-lost smile appeared on her face.
General Xiao, not a good liar, felt like he had told a lifetime of lies all at once. His guilt towards his wife and his worry about his youngest son only made him feel worse the more he spoke. Yet, he had to keep a calm and composed expression, which was truly difficult.
"Just wait quietly at home until your son returns home with honor and wins greater glory for you! I have something else to do and need to go out for a while. Go to the inner room and have a good rest. Remember not to let your mind wander from now on."
"Go and get busy. I won't let my thoughts wander anymore."
After comforting his wife, General Xiao felt exhausted, physically and mentally, feeling much more exhausted than fighting on the battlefield. Perhaps he really should clean his armor and sword. Judging from the Emperor's intentions today, he would definitely send someone to the northwest to meet Prince Jing. Of the generals currently in Beijing, he and General Yuan were the most suitable to lead the troops, and of the two, he was undoubtedly the most suitable.
First, he had been stationed in the northern border for many years and had some understanding of the northwest. Second, he had a legitimate reason to do so. After all, there were members of the Xiao family in King Jing's entourage, so it was easy to find an excuse. Now it all depended on whether the emperor trusted him and had confidence in him.
"Tell the gatekeeper that if the eldest and second masters come back, let them go to my study."
"Yes." General Xiao's entourage slipped away.
General Xiao sat alone in the large, empty study, thinking about his worries. After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Jingkang's voice rang out from outside the door: "Father, we are back."
"Come in."
Brothers Xiao Jingkang and Xiao Jingtai walked into their father's study together.
"Father, I heard that you went to the palace to meet the emperor today." Xiao Jingtai asked straight to the point.
"Yes! That's why I came to you guys."
The two brothers looked at each other, neither of them understood what their father meant.
"The emperor told me..." General Xiao briefly described the process of entering the palace to meet the emperor and his own speculation on the subsequent development of the matter.
"Are you saying that the emperor intends to send someone to the northwest, and this candidate should be chosen between you and Uncle Yuan?" Xiao Jingkang was shocked by the news.
"Father, if the emperor asks you to go to the northwest, your son is willing to go in your place." In a dozen days, it would be his father's 65th birthday. Xiao Jingtai couldn't bear to see his father go on a long journey at such an old age, so he decided to go in his father's place.
"Have you been to the northwest? Have you led troops to the battlefield? Your father is not yet unable to ride a horse or lift a gun, so it's not your turn to rush to the front." There was no room for a subject to bargain with the emperor's decree, but he was still moved by his son's filial piety.
"It's all the fault of the fourth brother. Why did he go to the northwest for no reason? He never has a peaceful life. He doesn't do what he should do, and he is everywhere doing what he shouldn't do." Not only did he not get married, but he also delayed the marriages of his nephews. He and his wife are still waiting to have a grandchild!
"Don't worry, I'll let him get married when he comes back. I'm still looking forward to having a great-grandson!
Xiao Jingkang and Xiao Jingtai nodded together. Yes! Yes! I have wanted to be a grandfather for a long time!
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