During this period of time, Changgeng's life had been too smooth. First, he had perfectly resolved the matter in Jiangbei and achieved all the set goals. Then, he had Gu Yun to accompany him on the way back. Other than the time when they were young in Yanhui, Daliang had always been in a state of war. Gu Yun rarely had the chance to stay by his side for such a long time. Along the way, it gave people the illusion that they would grow old until the end of autumn and the beginning of winter.
Changgeng was once extremely uneasy and cautious of everything around him. Even the slightest clue could alarm him. At that time, although he was tense all day long, he was indeed meticulous and rarely made mistakes. However, at this time, he was trapped in the land of warmth and tenderness for many days. After Gu Yun's words, he suddenly realized that he had forgotten himself.
Chang Geng steadied his mind and silently recalled for a moment the scene of Li Feng summoning him to the palace. He sensed a bit of a different meaning. The present Emperor was sullenly stifled in a room full of the smell of medicine. The heavy palace room and the silent palace servants all seemed so lethargic. The entire room was suffused with the bitter smell of someone on the verge of death. Li Feng was in the prime of his life and was not truly old and weary of the mortal world. So, what kind of feeling would he have in his heart?
Some people would feel disheartened and take the initiative to give in when they felt that they were powerless. However, Li Feng was definitely not that kind of person. If he gave in so easily, he would not have rushed out angrily during the Beidaying mutiny, nor would he have mounted the red-headed kite when the soldiers were at the city gates.
Gu Yun was indeed reminding him. Changgeng quivered and a little cold sweat seeped out from the back of his neck. The excited and restless heart on his face calmed down.
Gu Yun knew that Changgeng had heard her. This person was too smart. Sometimes, one sentence was enough. There was no need to say more. She reached out and touched Changgeng's head.
Changgeng grabbed his hand and pulled it down. Gu Yun calmly waited for him to reflect on himself. She thought that she would at least get him to say something like, "What would I do without you?" Unexpectedly, Changgeng held him for a while. Not only did he not reflect on himself, but he also made trouble for no reason, "It's all your fault. You made me dizzy."
Gu Yun: "…"
It hadn't even been half a day since he arrived in the capital, but he was already playing the roles of "lecher" and "troublemaker". He was really busy.
His Royal Highness Yan Wang was so shy and introverted when he was young. Why was he becoming more and more shameless as he grew up?
Gu Yun shook off Changgeng, who was becoming more and more unfriendly with him. He casually picked up the wine jug hanging by the side. Changgeng jumped up in a well-trained manner and reached out to snatch it, "You're not allowed to drink cold wine on such a cold day!"
Gu Yun raised his hand and threw the wine jug from his left hand to his right hand. He caught it lightly. His empty left hand just happened to grab Changgeng, who had bumped into his arms. He quickly pinched his chin and kissed him. Without waiting for Changgeng to react and retaliate, he turned around and put on his coat. He smiled and said, "I'm going to Beidaying. You can sleep by yourself tonight. Before you sleep, recite scriptures twice so that you don't get dizzy again."
Changgeng: "…"
What about what he promised on the way here?
The dignified Marquis of Stability actually went back on his word!
Although Gu Yun was teasing him, he really had something to do. He should have stayed in Beidaying directly, but because he was really worried about Changgeng, he returned to the marquis's residence first and waited for him to come back for a meal. Now that he had a rough idea of the situation in the palace, he left home without stopping to rush to Beidaying. Beidaying was not only the commander of the capital's external defense, but it was also the transit station for emergency military information from various places to the capital. Bei Man's envoy came suddenly, so Gu Yun felt uneasy. It could be said that after worrying about his family's affairs, he began to worry about the country's affairs.
It was already late autumn in the capital. As soon as he stepped out of the door, he couldn't hold back the smell of midwinter, and the gloominess hit him in the face. The small cold wind in the night had taken shape. When Gu Yun went out, he still wore his many years of habit — only an unlined garment.
However, on this day, Gu Yun had already mounted his horse. Before he stepped out, he suddenly felt that the wind inside the pass was a little bone-piercing. He sighed inwardly and turned back. He hung the cold wine pot in the stable and asked Huo Dan to get him a cloak to wear before he hurriedly left.
During this period of time, although Gu Yun was tormented by the rebellious people in Jiangbei and the rebellious people in the capital who forced him to abdicate, his contact with Cai Bin in Beijiang was not cut off. If Jiangnan was already in the miserable state of "the remnant people weeping in the dust," he didn't need to think carefully to know the situation in Beijiang.
The blood feud between the barbarians and the Central Plains might really have to wait for a long hundred years to pass and for these two or three generations to all die before it could be slightly alleviated.
Gu Yun's front foot had just stepped into Beidaying. He sat down and didn't even have time to drink his water when Cai Bin's letter arrived.
The explanation in the letter was very simple, but there was a lot of information in the few words. The two armies had been in confrontation for so long that each side had scouts and spies. Their spies in the enemy's ranks reported that in the spring, Calais Yinghou seemed to have fallen seriously ill. Since then, he hadn't shown his face.
What was even stranger was that his eldest son was nowhere to be seen all day in the name of filial piety. Calais' second son temporarily took over his duties.
Calais had three sons, all of whom were born of the same woman. Imitating the Han system, the eldest son was the heir apparent. When their father was seriously ill, it wasn't unusual for the sons to compete with each other to show filial piety. However, the heir apparent was filial to the point that he didn't care about proper business and let his younger brother do it for him. Was this appropriate?
According to this description, the story of the barbarians seemed to be on the verge of being revealed. The talented second son was unwilling to rely on his brother just because he was born a few years later. He used some method to put Calais and the heir apparent under house arrest and usurped the throne and power.
The current commander of Beidaying said, "Grand Marshal, other than the thirteen conditions, the eighteen tribes also agreed to send Calais' youngest son over as a hostage. This will set our minds at ease for the next step of the peace talks. Just now, General Cai sent news that the young barbarian's carriage is preparing to enter the pass. He has submitted a document to the capital and is waiting for the imperial court's approval. I was just about to send someone to deliver it to the Marquis' mansion when you came over."
As he said this, he handed another memorial to Gu Yun.
Bei Man's matter involved the military affairs of the border. Before it was delivered to the Grand Council, it could first be reviewed by the commander-in-chief who held the Xuan Tie and the Tiger Tally. The memorial handed over by the barbarians was indeed very sincere. It described in detail who the Third Prince and his entourage were.
The Third Prince was only fifteen years old. It was said that he was a weak and sickly child. He was accompanied by one envoy and translator, ten young male and female slaves, and twelve imperial bodyguards. Everyone's surname and name were written clearly. Even the slaves' ages and positions were clearly stated. It was strictly following Daliang's customs clearance procedures. Gu Yun read it three times from beginning to end, but she didn't see anything that was out of line.
Shen Yi crossed her arms and said, "It seems to be true. The ambitious Second Prince imprisoned his father and elder brother. He also wanted to kill his younger brother and throw him as a hostage so that he could dominate the eighteen tribes."
"What are the benefits of dominating the eighteen tribes?" Gu Yun threw the memorial aside. He sat by the stove in the tent for a long time, but he still couldn't warm up. At this time, intentionally or unintentionally, he still put his hands close to the heat source and gently rubbed them. "If we lose this time, the barbarians won't have the power to fight back in the future. Every year, they don't eat or drink outside the border. They have to pay tribute to the little purple gold they dig. They can't even protect the Goddess and the Wolf King's daughter."
The feud between the barbarians and the Han people of the Central Plains wasn't just a day or two. As early as a few dynasties ago, the nomadic tribes in the north had the custom of going south to take advantage of the bad weather. The north had the fierceness of all its citizens, while the south had the backbone of many famous generals. The two sides had been in a stalemate between plundering and fighting back in the south. For a hundred years, no one had really conquered the other, until Daliang took the lead in developing steam technology.
Today's people could only glimpse the scene of those years from historical records. That was the golden age of the long-armed barbarians. The fertile Central Plains was like a giant beast that had awakened. Layers of fire engines and steel armor sprung up like bamboo shoots after the rain. Light fur coats, heavy armor, giant kites, flying eagles … Steam was like a tide. Iron puppets ran rampant in the capital, and the range of long and short cannons changed almost every day.
In the beginning, Daliang, who opened sea transportation and developed fire engines and steel armor, was despised by the uncivilized barbarians as a "southerner who focused on extravagance and heterodoxy." The Wolf King of the north was too trusting of his minions. He arrogantly missed the opportunity and failed to ride on the thick cloud of purple gold. Later, he was defeated by the Central Plains people and had no power to rise again for decades. The purple gold in his territory was forced to pay tribute to the Central Plains people. Even though he tried hard to catch up, he didn't have his own steel armor technology. Until now, he had to rely on the support of the westerners for his equipment.
The Eighteen Tribes couldn't ignore this kind of bloody lesson. They couldn't watch Daliang's factories flourish and the ban on the Commandment Law being lifted. It was about to set off the second peak of the development of fire engines and steel armor. If Daliang was allowed to survive the winter and slowly recover, perhaps the northern barbarians would really have no room for survival.
"I'm not sure what kind of person the Second Prince is," Gu Yun said. "But I know Calais Yinghou. That old man would rather die than wait for death. Not to mention that he just sent us a son, even if he sent us a father, we still have to hold back. Go and get my seal."
That night, more than ten fire beacons were sent from Beidaying. The level was the same as when the westerners attacked Dagu Harbor. All the courier stations from the northwest to the capital increased their military strength as if they were facing a great enemy. The Lingshu Temple sent a group of people to the Northern Defense Army's station to inspect the fire engines and steel armor, ready to fight at any time.
Daliang entered winter with the coming rain. Soon, it would enter a new year, but the imperial court was very calm.
Yan Wang held the Grand Council and was almost the center of the whirlpool. His return made the entire imperial court secretly pay attention to him. But Yan Wang surprised everyone.
Unlike Fang Qin, he didn't start the follow-up reform as soon as he came back. Instead, he "cooked a small fish".
After King Yan returned to the capital, he was no longer as busy as he used to be. First, he stayed at home for half a month before he quietly appeared in the Grand Council. He did not say anything during the court meetings. It was as if he had returned to being the invisible person he was before the war. Usually, he would handle some daily affairs in the Grand Council. He would write summaries when he needed to write summaries, send them to the palace when he needed to send them to the palace. He would do his job carefully and strictly so that no one would gossip about him. He was not slacking off. Other than that, he would not have to worry about anything else.
In any case, based on the number and quality of the memorials Li Feng received in the palace, it didn't matter if Yan Wang came back or not.
Previously, Yan Wang didn't appear among the people in the Grand Council who held candlelight until late at night. He came in during the day and left in the evening. He left the imperial court on time and rested on time. He didn't see anyone if he didn't have to. He even built a small garden in the suburbs of the capital. When Gu Yun was Beidaying and didn't go home, he strolled over to plant flowers and play with birds. In less than half a month, he trained the pestilence myna from the Shen family to be as sweet as honey and praised everyone it saw … But its tail was bald. He had the servants make a shuttlecock out of its feathers and sent it to the crown prince to play with.
Li Feng's legs were almost able to walk. Every day after he finished reading the memorials, he could walk around the room a few times with the help of the eunuchs. One day, he happened to remember and went to the crown prince's study. The crown prince was very obedient and never slacked off when he was studying. Li Feng didn't disturb him and stood at the back door for a while with the help of the eunuchs. However, his gaze was attracted by a small decoration on the crown prince's desk.
He saw that it wasn't an ordinary clay embryo. It was a metal frame with thin steam coming out of its tail. On the metal rails on both sides of the frame, there was an exquisite little carriage. The body of the carriage was a western clock. It was running back and forth on the rails. In the middle of the carriage was a small flower pot. The pot was still empty, and he could see the special air holes at the bottom. It was probably because the crown prince hadn't decided what to plant.
Li Feng slowly walked over and picked it up to take a closer look. The crown prince was shocked and hurriedly stood up to greet him. He secretly glanced at his father, fearing that he would be scolded for "wasting one's time on playthings."
Li Feng was probably in a good mood and didn't see any anger. He only asked: "The Imperial Household Department is increasing revenue and reducing expenditure. In the past few years, didn't they not allow them to buy these luxurious toys? Where did it come from?"
The crown prince didn't dare to breathe loudly. He carefully replied: "Replying to Fuhuang, this was not bought by the Imperial Household Department. It was given to me by Fourth Imperial Uncle."
Li Feng slightly frowned: "I haven't seen Ah Min for a long time. Is he busy with these things?"
The chamberlain stepped forward and replied: "Your Majesty, didn't His Royal Highness Yan Wang ask you for a garden last time? Recently, he wasn't busy with official business, so he set up a greenhouse in the garden and cultivated many rare flowers and plants. He also studied many pots with Ge Lingshu. Now that it's almost the New Year, every family is willing to put up flowers. Your Highness's fresh bonsai is hard to find even with money. You see, this little carriage has water in it. It will water itself at a fixed time every day. If the light is good, it will run a few laps and there will be little rainbows where the water droplets pass. "
The Crown Prince said in a low voice, "Royal Uncle said that he only bought ordinary grass and flower seeds. One copper coin for a handful. He bought them from the countryside and put them in a pot to cut their shape. It's just right to fool the cultured rich people."
Li Feng: "Nonsense, outrageous! Last time, I told him to help the crown prince more. Did I tell him to teach the crown prince how to play with flowers and birds to fool people? "
As soon as he put down his face, the crown prince was scared and stood quietly on the side.
Li Feng put down the pot heavily and asked with a straight face: "I told you to learn the ways of governing a country from Yan Wang. What did he teach you? Tell me."
The crown prince quickly glanced at him. His heart was scared, but he didn't dare to be negligent. He softly replied: "Replying … replying to Imperial Father, Fourth Imperial Uncle taught me that governing a country doesn't require one to work day and night and exhaust one's mind. The most important thing is to make the best use of everything and people. Laws and systems are the foundation of a ruler's governance. As long as a perfect system and laws are established, civil and military officials can perform their duties, and the national treasury can be stable, uh …"
Li Feng's expression eased a little. Hearing his son's words, he couldn't help but ask: "What?"
The crown prince braced himself and said: "… Once and for all, I can laze around and eat the imperial food."
Li Feng: "…"
The crown prince tightly pursed his lips, afraid that his father would fly into a rage after hearing these outrageous and rebellious words. However, after waiting for a long time, the expected scolding and punishment didn't fall on his head. He fearfully raised his head and glanced at Li Feng, only to see that the emperor, who always meant what he said, had a calm expression. After thinking for a long time, he sighed and said: "He is right. Ah Min sees things more clearly than I do."
The crown prince looked at him in confusion. He felt that his father was in a good mood today.
There were some ignorant idiots in the imperial court who thought that Yan Wang was silent because of Yang Ronggui's rebellion. Because he had lost the Emperor's heart, he didn't dare to make any moves. They felt at ease and boldly submitted memorials to accuse Yan Wang, listing several crimes. It was rare for Long 'an Emperor to show his face in the imperial court. His intention to protect Yan Wang was obvious in his words.
Not only that, the next day, the stingy emperor made an exception and allowed the Ministry of Internal Affairs to spend a large amount of money. He bought a bunch of new and exquisite metal bonsai plants from Yan Wang's garden and sent them to the various palaces. It could be said that Li Feng used his own money to give special treatment to his younger brother.
The Fengshui of the Grand Council was hard to understand.
Fang Qin and the others had been writing and editing the impeachment memorials that they had prepared. Even until the New Year, they had not had the chance to send them to their superiors. Fang Qin could not help but wonder — could it be that there were really people in this world who left without any ambition after receiving an order in the face of danger?
These peaceful days lasted until the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, when Bei Man arrived in the capital as a hostage.
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