Chapter 32: Little Thoughts
Zhu Yuhuan didn't expect Shi Heng to arrive so quickly. He said to him, "After reading the letter sent by Master, I thought it would take you a few days to reach Jizhen. I didn't expect you to arrive so soon."
Shi Heng said sternly, "After all, we have to welcome His Highness. I dare not delay."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled slightly and said, "Except for me, everyone else in the team needs to rest. It's just right that you all have come all the way here, exhausted. You might as well rest for a few days in Jizhen."
Shi Heng immediately responded, "Yes."
Shi Heng had originally sought this job from Liu Yongcheng in order to prevent the Princess Shunde from being forgetful and forgetting him, the centurion who had once instructed the sand table in the military camp.
Although my uncle was promoted by His Majesty, it was ultimately due to Princess Shunde's whim. Moreover, Princess Shunde was a student of Liu Yongcheng, who had just won a victory. So, there was some connection between them.
The most important thing is that this princess can not only leave the palace, but even leave the capital. This is undoubtedly the instruction of His Majesty. It can be seen that Princess Shunde has at least a certain weight in the eyes of the emperor, so it will definitely not be wrong to climb up by relying on Princess Shunde.
Seeing him standing there in a serious manner, Zhu Yuhuan laughed and said, "Don't be so reserved. I saw you were calm and composed in front of the Earl in the barracks that day, and you were even more knowledgeable when you talked about the march. Why are you so stiff today?"
Shi Heng knew that it would take a long time for a low-ranking military officer like him from outside the capital to make a name for himself, so he wanted to get close to Princess Shunde.
It has been almost three years since I came to patrol the border, but I never expected that Princess Shunde would remember an unknown person like me.
Seeing him rubbing his hands awkwardly, Zhu Yuhuan stopped talking about the border patrol and simply said, "If you don't have the ability, why would the master send you here?"
What she meant was that she also recognized Shi Heng's strength.
Shi Heng followed her words and said, "Your Highness is right."
Zhu Yuhuan nodded slightly at him and said, "Let's go inside and talk."
After entering the house, Zhu Yuhuan asked Huai En to call the accompanying officials and explained the number and composition of the entire team. Then he said to Shi Heng: "The next arrangements are up to you."
When Shi Heng saw that Zhu Yuhuan wanted to listen to his opinions instead of making the decision himself or letting it go, he knew that this was an opportunity for him to show his ability.
Shi Heng immediately gave a brief account of his plans for the route and personnel allocation. Only after he finished did he look at Zhu Yuhuan and humbly say, "Your Highness, please advise me."
Zhu Yuhuan didn't mince words and said, "Just go north from Xifengkou. Going around Xifengkou is not only time-consuming, but the road is also not as smooth as going through Xifengkou. It's better to go directly through the canyon."
"This..." Shi Heng hesitated and said, "It's just a waste of time. After all, His Highness is going there in person..."
His Majesty the Emperor did not allow the princess to follow the army through Xifengkou, so how could he dare to let the princess suffer this hardship?
Zhu Yuhuan smiled faintly upon hearing this. "Nothing. Father, as the emperor, led the Shenjiying's various firearms and was able to cross Xifengkou and raid the Wuliangha. Why should I be afraid? Besides the soldiers brought by Captain Shi, there are also the Jinyiwei who followed me north. Needless to say, we are safe. If you are afraid of hardship, how can you still make this journey north?"
The accompanying officials also echoed: "Your Highness is extremely resolute, Captain Shi has nothing to worry about."
Along the way, everyone got to know Zhu Yuhuan better, and they understood more clearly why His Majesty chose Princess Shunde to represent the royal family.
Zhu Yuhuan arranged all matters within the fleet in an orderly manner, taking care of every detail.
Only then did they understand what it meant that "anyone who says women are inferior to men is actually wrong."
Zhu Yuhuan then looked at Shi Heng, as if he already had a grasp of everything, and asked, "Captain Shi has been at the border for a long time. I'm sure he's often gathered intelligence on important checkpoints. On the way here, he must have already confirmed that the journey was safe, right?"
When Shi Heng came, he came through Xifengkou, so he naturally knew that the area near Xifengkou was indeed safe. However, for the princess, safety was the most important thing.
After being exposed by Zhu Yuhuan, and seeing that the officials had no objections, Shi Heng said nothing more and followed Zhu Yuhuan's words, "Since the princess said so, I will make the arrangements."
Zhu Yuhuan nodded slightly and said, "That's very good. Captain Shi's soldiers should rest here for a few days, and then we will set out north."
"yes."
After three days of rest in Jizhen, the caravan continued its journey north. Ever since Zhu Zhanji's border patrol, the Wuliangha had not dared to continue southward, and had instead paid tribute to the emperor. Therefore, Xifengkou was relatively safe, though one could still vaguely see traces of the Tatars' previous destruction and capture.
Although it was safe, Shi Heng remained vigilant and often sent people to survey the surrounding situation to avoid any clues.
After seven or eight days, the group finally arrived at Kuanhewei. Liu Yongcheng personally welcomed them, and Zhu Yuhuan was able to see his master whom he had not seen for more than a year.
After all, it was a formal occasion and there were other officials present, so it was not convenient for the master and disciple to reminisce directly. They could only meet privately after the formal occasion was over.
After Liu Yongcheng finished telling the story of how he rushed hundreds of miles to provide assistance, he saw Zhu Yuhuan's eyes shining and couldn't help laughing.
Zhu Yuhuan sighed, "Master is worthy of being a general who once fought under my great-grandfather. I felt the urgency just by listening to him, but Master was able to make a calm judgment, lead the troops to attack, and win the victory with one strike."
Liu Yongcheng smiled and said, "If Emperor Taizong were still alive, Your Highness would have followed him to the battlefield a few times, and this kind of scene wouldn't be a big deal." He said this with some emotion, "Although Your Highness has never led troops into battle, you've been able to travel peacefully, and your officials are all sincerely convinced of Your Highness's loyalty. This shows that Your Highness has become much more composed."
There was no one else around at the moment, and those guarding the door were all their own people, so the teacher and student felt much more at ease talking to each other, without having to be as cautious as they were in the capital.
Zhu Yuhuan felt a little embarrassed when he was praised by his master, and coughed lightly.
After Liu Yongcheng finished praising him, he said seriously, "But next time, Your Highness, please don't take any risks. If Shi Heng hadn't confirmed the situation in the Xifengkou area in advance, and if you rashly led a large group of people and goods through Xifengkou, what if something unexpected happened..."
Zhu Yuhuan accepted the lecture obediently, then said, "It is also thanks to the calm and reliable Captain Shi you sent to meet us that we were able to arrive at Kuanhewei safely."
Hearing her mention Shi Heng, Liu Yongcheng then asked, "Shi Heng is indeed a fierce general. Although he is young, he is not inexperienced in leading troops in battle and is considered to be quite talented... Does Your Highness have any appreciation for Captain Shi?"
Zhu Yuhuan didn't expect Liu Yongcheng to ask this, so he told him everything that happened when he was patrolling the border and staying in Zunhua.
Liu Yongcheng pondered for a moment after hearing this and said, "It seems that Shi Heng is deliberately trying to borrow the princess's influence."
Seeing him like this, Zhu Yuhuan knew that Liu Yongcheng was probably re-evaluating him because of Shi Heng's situation, so he said, "As long as he has real talent and has made contributions to the country, what's wrong with borrowing my influence?"
Liu Yongcheng was slightly stunned. Seeing Zhu Yuhuan so calm, he couldn't help but say, "Your Highness is truly broad-minded."
Zhu Yuhuan shook his head and said, "There are many people like me in the palace who are looking for me."
Although Liu Yongcheng was a eunuch, he was used to acting as a foreign minister. He forgot that with Princess Shunde's influence, there were probably just as many people in the palace who wanted to curry favor with her as there were outside the palace.
Judging from Zhu Yuhuan's tone, it seemed that something like this had already happened. Liu Yongcheng tentatively asked, "But did anyone in the palace say something they shouldn't have said...?"
After all, the princess is still young, and she may not be as comfortable with these things as she seems, and she may find it difficult to accept them.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Yuhuan had already spoken: "Master, if this kind of person can be used well, he might be a sharp sword."
Liu Yongcheng was stunned and immediately understood the implication of Zhu Yuhuan's words, with mixed feelings in his heart.
Your Highness truly has an extraordinary character, completely different from ordinary people.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com