Chapter 70 Joining the Army
Over the next five days, the imperial court deliberated repeatedly on the Luchuan expedition. This discussion was not limited to the memorial submitted by Liu Qiu, a lecturer at the Hanlin Academy, who argued against the Luchuan expedition. His message, similar to He Wenyuan's, opposed the massive conscription of troops, believing it would be a waste of resources and labor, and supported the promotion of education through farming and warfare. Furthermore, Liu Qiu petitioned the emperor to strengthen defenses along the northwestern border, demonstrating his awareness of the growing power of the Oirat Mongols.
However, Zhu Qizhen had already made up his mind and naturally did not take Liu Qiu's memorial to heart. He only informed all officials of the arrangements for officials and generals for the first day, and added an additional item: Princess Shunde would accompany him to supervise the army.
Although Yang Shiqi and Yang Pu had known this for a long time, when they heard Zhu Qizhen say that this had come true and saw Wang Zhen next to him smiling as if he had won a victory, they still felt a sense of powerlessness in their hearts.
Now is the time to go to war, and as the chief minister and the second minister, they naturally cannot use old age as an excuse to ask for retirement. A cabinet that cannot limit the power of the Imperial Household Department will inevitably be criticized by other officials.
In other words, the cabinet is now caught between a rock and a hard place.
The cabinet was worried, and the people in the harem were also not at ease, especially Zhu Youtong and Zhu Qiyu.
Previously, Zhu Yuhuan had only been accompanying the army to suppress the civil unrest, and everyone knew that these refugees wouldn't cause any trouble, so there was no need to worry too much. But now that Zhu Yuhuan was going to Luchuan, the foreign enemy's combat effectiveness was clearly much higher than that of the refugees, so how could they not worry?
Seeing Zhu Youtong standing up and sitting down, Zhu Qiyu couldn't help but speak, "Second sister, no matter how anxious you are, it's useless. The emperor's order is hard to disobey. Besides, eldest sister must have known about it a long time ago. Since she doesn't object, there's no point in us saying anything."
Zhu Youtong understood this very well. She sat back down at the table, a hint of anxiety still etched in her eyes. "That's a battlefield. If the Luchuan people weren't so powerful, why would Yunnan beg the capital to send troops? What if something happens to my sister?"
Zhu Qiyu consoled her, saying, "Your Majesty will certainly not let you personally fight the enemy. You will definitely be stationed in the central army with Minister Wang and the others. With guards and heavy troops protecting you, nothing will happen."
Zhu Youtong frowned and said, "After all, it's a battlefield. And I heard that the climate there is completely different from that in the capital. If my sister can't acclimate..."
Except for my fifth uncle, almost all of my father, uncles, and aunts of the previous generation died young. Although they have all grown up in this generation, no one can tell what happened to their health. What if something happens to my sister?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She wished she could rush to the Qianqing Palace and beat Zhu Qizhen up.
Why did this incompetent guy have to become the emperor? If Xiaoyu were the emperor, he would never let his sister go to a dangerous place like Yunnan!
Zhu Qiyu noticed that Zhu Youtong was in a bad mood, so he decisively changed the subject and asked, "Why don't you see the Queen Mother?"
"Mother went to wait for my sister in the palace..." Zhu Youtong muttered, "I don't know what mother is thinking. Can't she use her status as the empress dowager to suppress it?"
Zhu Qiyu heard this sentence clearly and whispered: "Second sister, this is what His Majesty wants..."
As long as it is the emperor's will, no one can directly resist. Even if the resistance is successful for a while, it will only lead to more violent retaliation afterwards.
Unless he could overthrow the emperor and take control of everything himself...
As for the rest, Zhu Qiyu didn't have the courage to think about it further.
I guess the Queen Mother is also very worried about my elder sister's safety.
As Zhu Qiyu thought, Hu Shanxiang was indeed concerned about Zhu Yuhuan's safety. She was rarely able to sit still and took people to Zhu Yuhuan's palace.
Huai'en was not surprised to see Hu Shanxiang in person. He just greeted Hu Shanxiang and went into Zhu Yuhuan's study.
Hu Shanxiang knew that Zhu Yuhuan had her own ambitions, but going to the battlefield was not a trivial matter. No matter what happened in the capital, Hu Shanxiang would not worry about it.
Swords and spears are silent on the battlefield. What should she do if Zhu Yuhuan makes a mistake?
Even if the idea of sending Zhu Yuhuan came from Zhu Qizhen, as long as the decree was not officially issued, Hu Shanxiang would intervene by virtue of her status as Empress Dowager Cihui.
But the only thing Hu Shanxiang cared about was her daughter's true thoughts.
In fact, Hu Shanxiang was not unaware that her daughter was now able to get involved in important affairs of the court. She probably knew everything about this matter. If she was really unwilling, she would have come to her to ask for permission long ago.
The current situation only proves that Zhu Yuhuan had such an idea.
Hu Shanxiang sat at the tea table in the study, silent.
Zhu Yuhuan's room has always been simply decorated, from childhood to adulthood, making it impossible to tell what her preferences are.
In addition to the bookcase, there are sword racks, bows and arrows, and a short sword that Zhu Di once rewarded. There is also a painting painted by Zhu Zhanji hanging on the wall.
Hu Shanxiang looked around and her eyes finally fell on the partition screen. There were no flowers, birds, fish or insects on the screen, just some curves outlined with a few strokes, which looked a bit weird.
Although Hu Shanxiang didn't know where the picture was, she somehow knew in her mind that it was a map.
She had seen such a screen when she met Zhu Di.
Hu Shanxiang couldn't help but walk to the screen and stretch out her hand to trace the curves.
Seeing this, Huai En said, "The pattern on this screen was painted by His Highness himself. I don't know what it means. His Highness often looks at this screen when he has nothing to do."
Hearing Huai En's words, Hu Shanxiang's heart sank, and she completely understood her daughter's thoughts.
Zhu Di's descendants still have martial blood flowing in their bodies, and his daughter is no exception.
There was not much Hu Shanxiang could do, the most important thing was to support her.
Hu Shanxiang couldn't help but sigh and said to Huai En, "No need to tell her I was here."
Huai En was slightly stunned, and immediately understood what Hu Shanxiang meant.
She no longer had any thoughts of persuasion.
Just as Huai En was about to say yes, someone poked his head in from outside the door. It was Zhu Yuhuan.
Looking at her like this, she doesn't look like she is already in her twenties, but more like a child.
Zhu Yuhuan looked at the two of them with a smile and said, "Mom is really here with me. Alas, I wanted to show it to Mom first, but ended up letting others see it first." After that, she walked out from behind the door, holding the helmet in her arms, standing straight.
The cold and hard scales sparkled in the sunlight, making Zhu Yuhuan's smile seem a little dazzling and even colder.
Hu Shanxiang was startled, her eyes widened slightly, and she asked, "Where did this come from?"
Zhu Yuhuan handed the Ming helmet in his hand to Hu Shanxiang and said, "It's just a relic of the emperor." After she said that, she bowed slightly, and her meaning was self-evident.
Hu Shanxiang felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She took the helmet with all her strength, put it on her daughter's head, and sighed softly, "You..."
Zhu Yuhuan raised his head, his tone full of wantonness and arrogance, "Join the army!"
She was wearing a Ming Dynasty helmet and armor, and her original figure was almost invisible. All that could be seen was that she was a general.
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