At this moment, there were not many people like Shangguan Yangyu who could be as calm and clear as he could accurately find the most crucial point in this complicated world.
Chao Xiaoshu's house was located on the second street of the Spring Breeze Pavilion in the Eastern City.
He held the child and sat beside his father, whispering to him. He dipped the tip of his chopsticks into the wine and brought it to the child's mouth. Before the child could lick it out of curiosity, Linzi snatched it away and glared at him.
Today was Old Chao's birthday. There was no big banquet at the Chao Mansion. Only those close to him were invited. The brothers of the Fish-dragon Gang had taken leave from their respective yamen and came early with gifts.
Thinking of the new Emperor's ascension to the throne and the turbulence in Chang 'an City, the Chao mansion must be hosting a banquet because his elder brother had something to say. After everyone kowtowed to Old Master Chao, they quietly waited for his instructions. Unexpectedly, Chao Xiaoshu did not say anything superfluous during the banquet. It was a picture of a peaceful family.
At this moment, the steward of the Chao Mansion hurried in and whispered a few words. The people at the banquet were slightly surprised, but Chao Xiaoshu did not react. He said indifferently, "What gifts did Her Highness give?"
The steward took out the gift list and reported it carefully, not daring to make any mistakes.
Most of the gifts that Li Yu sent to the Chao Mansion were given to Old Chao. There was a boxwood cane, a Longevity Mountain stone, a lake crab from the Great Lake, Nine-river double distilled rice from Hebei County, cosmetics and silk from Chenjinji Cosmetics Store for Madam Chao, and the rest were toys for the child.
Hearing the steward's voice, Chao Xiaoshu raised his eyebrows. He did not expect Her Highness to give such simple gifts. After a moment of silence, he said, "Continue eating and drinking."
So the brothers continued eating and drinking.
After the banquet, Old Chao went to the back garden to watch the opera. Madam Chao Xiaoshu took the child to rest. All the stewards and servants were asked to leave the Flower Hall. Only the brothers of the Fish-dragon Gang were left.
Chao Xiaoshu gently swirled the teacup in his hand and said, "You guys are no longer the Jianghu men you used to be. You have to keep a low profile, especially Chen VII. You don't have to worry about the Bodyguard's schedule these days. Even if Xu Chongshan suspects you, you don't have to worry about it. Qi IV, tell the brothers in the gang to keep quiet."
He hadn't been in charge of the affairs of The Fish Dragons for a long time, but his words were still like an imperial edict to The Fish Dragons. On the surface, Chang Siwei and the others had already left The Fish Dragons and were working in the imperial court, but they would never object to his arrangements. They wouldn't even ask about it.
The only person who would ask was Chen Qi, because he was the brains of The Fish Dragons.
"What about Fifth Brother's side?" Chen VII looked at the silent middle-aged man sitting on the right side and said, "Your Highness's response is very appropriate. We can only accept it. But Fifth Brother is now in charge of the Valiant Cavalry Battalion. The Palace certainly can't let him continue to be silent. We need him to give a clear attitude."
Chao Xiaoshu put down his teacup and said, "Many of our brothers are now serving in the imperial court. Since we are officials, of course we have to share the burden of the imperial court. According to the old law of the Tang Empire, we should do what we have to do."
There was silence in the Flower Hall. Although everyone admitted that what Chao Xiaoshu said was right, it was not the past. There were many things that they still didn't understand.
Chen VII looked at his brothers and frowned slightly. He said, "I understand what everyone is worried about, but I think there is no need to worry. There can't be a problem with the edict, because it can be too easily exposed. When His Majesty passed away, there were at least tens of thousands of people in Helan City who could testify. "
Liu Wu remained silent. He was now the highest official and the most important position. Only now did he look at Chao Xiaoshu and asked with a serious expression, "Big Brother, did His Majesty tell you who the throne would be passed on to?"
Chao Xiaoshu shook his head. He thought of the real big brother of The Fish Dragons and his former friend. Now that he couldn't see him anymore, he couldn't help but feel tired.
"During this time, don't do anything," he said.
Qi IV had a headache and asked, "Are we just going to wait like this?"
Chao Xiaoshu said, "What we have to do is wait."
"Wait for what?"
"Wait for Her Majesty and Master Huang Yang to return to Chang 'an."
"What if they don't come back?"
"That means there is a problem."
…
…
The horses' hooves were flying, and the soaked turf was kicked up into pieces.
More than ten Tang cavalrymen rode into the Northern Military Camp. Both the cavalrymen and the horses looked very tired. Their bodies were covered with rainwater and mud, and they looked very embarrassed.
After checking the documents, the captain of the Northern Military Camp welcomed the cavalrymen into the camp as fast as he could. Then he summoned the soldiers to prepare hot water and food for the guests.
The leader of the Tang cavalrymen said, "I want to see the General. We can talk about other things later."
The captain was shocked. He thought that in such a short time, they must be very tired and painful to come to the Northern Military Camp from the Gushan Commandery. They didn't even rest and wanted to see the General. What had happened?
The young general from the Gushan Commandery was Hua Shanyue.
This man had a strong family background and the full support of the Princess. At a young age, he became the military supervisor of the three states. The troops under his command were stationed in the Gushan Commandery. Both his status and strength were not to be underestimated. He proposed to see the General as soon as possible, and the Northern Military Camp couldn't find any reason to refuse.
In the General's Mansion, General Xu Chi looked at the gloomy sky outside the window and kept silent for a long time. Then he turned around and looked at Hua Shanyue, saying, "You left before the rain stopped?"
Hua Shanyue replied respectfully, "Yes, uncle."
Xu Chi said, "Young people are always so impatient. You should know that war is a big deal. You must be careful. As the military supervisor of the three states, you left the camp alone, which is against the military rules. If you had an accident on the road, how would you explain it to the imperial court, not to mention how sad your parents would be?"
Hua Shanyue suppressed his exhaustion and said, "It was urgent, so I came in a hurry."
General Xu Chi had always been low-key and calm. Even when he heard the words "urgent", his expression didn't change. After another long silence, he said slowly, "Do you know that I didn't want to see you?"
Hua Shanyue knew that the General had already guessed his intention. He smiled and said, "But you chose to see me in the end, which means you are willing to listen to what I have to say."
Xu Chi said, "I know what you are about to say is what Her Highness … or His Majesty wants to say to me. But I still suggest that you don't say it."
Hua Shanyue was slightly startled and asked, "Why?"
Xu Chi said, "Because it would be disrespectful, and I … don't want to tie you up myself."
Hua Shanyue said, "If you still think it's disrespectful after listening to what I have to say, I won't complain even if you cut off my head, let alone tie me up."
Xu Chi quietly looked into his eyes and said, "The provisions that the Northern Military Camp sent to Helan City left the city the moment the rain stopped. Do you think what you have to say is still meaningful?"
Hua Shanyue said sincerely, "The General has misunderstood His Majesty and Her Highness. No one has ever thought of cutting off the food supply of Helan City, and no one would be shameless enough to play tricks on the Tang soldiers. His Highness's request to the General is actually very simple. He just hopes that you can slow down your subsequent actions. "
Xu Chi slowly raised his eyebrows and asked in a cold voice, "Why slow down?"
Hua Shanyue did not flinch and said, "Uncle, you have always been known for your calmness. That's why the former Emperor trusted you with the Northern Military Camp. Now that the new Emperor has ascended the throne, Chang 'an is not peaceful. The later Her Majesty returns to Chang' an, the more stable the Tang Empire will be. If so, why can't you slow down?"
Xu Chi said in a low voice, "His Majesty is still in Helan City. Do you want me to ignore him?"
Hua Shanyue said, "His Majesty will return to Chang 'an one day, but Chang' an can't afford a turmoil."
"What a naive statement." Xu Chi said expressionlessly, "If that's all, it will be hard for Her Highness to convince me. On the contrary, I will start to doubt Her Highness' intention."
Hua Shanyue said, "The edict was announced in front of all the civil and military officials in the imperial court. If there was a problem, I believe that someone in Chang 'an would have secretly informed you. But until now, no one, including the Empress's party, has secretly informed you. So your suspicion is meaningless."
There was a sudden commotion in front of the General's Mansion. Hua Shanyue said, "The military situation is urgent. Uncle, deal with it first. We will continue to talk about this later."
After a while, Xu Chi finished dealing with the military situation and returned to the room. He looked at Hua Shanyue, who was standing by the bookshelf reading a book but was actually lost in thought. He said, "There is some movement in the Golden Tribe Royal Court."
Hua Shanyue did not expect the general to inform him of the urgent military situation. He frowned and said, "I rushed here from the Gushan Commandery and changed horses four times on the way. I know better than anyone how dangerous the road is after the rain. The Wilderness must be even more difficult. The carriages can barely pass through, but how can a large number of cavalries move? The grassland cavalries are relatively light and have an advantage over the Tang cavalry in this kind of weather. In this case, uncle, you should be more cautious. "
"All in all, you just want to persuade me to move slower to help Helan City."
General Xu Chi stared into his eyes and said, "Don't use the possibility of an ambush from the Golden Tribe Royal Court to influence my judgment. Because my cavalries will never be ambushed. Her Highness is a smart man. She knows that I will only listen to His Majesty and act according to the law of the Tang Empire. If you want to persuade me, you must have other means. "
Hua Shanyue took out a few files tightly wrapped in oilcloth and gently put them on the table.
"According to Her Highness's original intention, it would be best if you could persuade me without these files. Because once these files are spread, it will be a great stain to the reputation of the Tang Empire and the former emperor."
Xu Chi's expression became serious when he heard his serious words. He walked to the desk and slowly opened the files. As he read, his eyes became colder and colder.
…
…
(The Tang Empire is not safe. Of course, I have no Christmas Eve. There is another chapter at work.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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