Shangguan Qing turned and left as well, but before he left, he sent a message to Gao Guan, "Take it easy!"
Gao Guan nodded, understanding what he meant. What did it mean to take it easy? It meant not letting him investigate!
Qing Zhu's words were not a joke. It was an imperial order, and the surrounding celestial soldiers and generals would really kill them. Moreover, they had already met Qing Zhu and given him an explanation. They could also answer to the people behind them. There was no reason for them to stay any longer. Thus, the crying sounds disappeared, and the group of concubines got up and left one after another.
The more knowledgeable celestial generals shook their heads. They all understood that the power struggle outside had extended into the palace, but many were still wondering what the Empress' house arrest meant.
"Xiahou Chengyu is under house arrest, and the Heavenly Consort is temporarily in charge of the harem?"
Ying Jiuguang, who was still painting in the study, finally stopped and looked up.
Zuo 'er nodded. "Yes, the news should be correct."
Ying Jiuguang asked again, "Is there any movement from the guards?"
Zuo 'er shook her head. "From all the news, there is no movement from the guards."
Ying Jiuguang couldn't help but feel some anticipation in his heart. However, he didn't dare to be sure that Master Qing was just trying to make everyone lower their guard. This was also a possibility, so he didn't dare to be careless. He said in a low voice, "Let the inspectors pay close attention to the movements of the various armies and report to me at any time!"
He wasn't afraid of Qing Zhu's guards. The guards would have to pay a heavy price to take him down, and Qing Zhu wouldn't be able to afford that loss. Once Qing Zhu's men suffered heavy losses, it would be the turn of the four armies to attack the heavenly palace. His only worry now was that the morale of the troops would be unstable and there would be a mutiny. He wasn't afraid of external threats, but internal ones.
Zuo 'er replied, "Don't worry, Your Highness. It has already been arranged. The inspectors will report the movements of the various armies every minute."
Ying Jiuguang put his brush down on the paper again. "Of the four entrances to this stellar region, two are in Cheng Taize's territory, one is in Tengfei's territory, and one is in Linghu Douchong's territory. Linghu Douchong has just been appointed, so I'm not too worried, but I'm still worried about Cheng Taize and Tengfei."
Zuo'er asked tentatively, "Didn't His Highness already send someone to probe? The two of them are quite resolute, and there are no unusual movements of their troops. "
Ying Jiuguang shook his head. "It's precisely because they're too determined that there's no room for discussion that this Prince is a little worried. Could it be that they're really not tempted at all? No matter what, it's best to be careful at this time. This king would rather not trust a single one of them. The four star field entrances must be closely monitored. Without this king's permission, no one is allowed to enter. We must hold on until the southern, western, and northern armies arrive. Only when a large number of people are gathered together will Lord Qing not dare to act rashly! "
"Yes!" Zuo'er immediately took out the Star Bell and made arrangements.
In Marshal Chou Lu's residence, the generals had gathered together and were reporting on the movements of their armies. Cheng Taize listened attentively, occasionally nodding his head.
After finishing his report, Cheng Taize's eyes shone brightly as he looked at the crowd and said, "Everyone, we have received His Highness' great kindness and cannot slack off. All of you must immediately return to your respective divisions and assume command, strictly controlling any actions that disturb the army's morale!"
"Yes!" The generals cupped their fists and accepted the order.
Cheng Taize waved his hand, and the generals immediately took their leave.
At this time, a general among the dozen or so people watching from the side approached and earnestly said, "Marshal Cheng, you also understand the situation. His Highness has urged us again and again, so please tell your subordinates to speed up the march!"
This person was called Han Ben, and he was one of Ying Jiuguang's trusted subordinates from the various divisions to form an inspection team. He was also the person in charge of the First Earthly Branch.
Cheng Taize solemnly nodded and said, "Of course." Then he strode out of the hall.
Han Ben waved his hand, and the ten people in his entourage followed behind Cheng Taize.
Cheng Taize stopped at the entrance of the inner courtyard and turned around. "Han Ben, what is the meaning of following this marshal so closely?"
Han Ben cupped his fists and said, "Marshal Cheng, please understand at this time."
Cheng Taize turned around with his hands behind his back and narrowed his eyes. "So this is His Highness's idea? Could it be that His Highness doesn't trust this marshal?"
"No, no!" Han Ben waved his hand and said, "Marshal Cheng, to put it bluntly, the situation is very unusual. If Marshal behaves strangely, it will be easy for others to make irresponsible remarks. We are doing this to be responsible for Marshal. We can see everything clearly. If someone says anything, we can prove Marshal's innocence. At this time, it is not worthwhile to let these vile people worry about it. Marshal, don't you think so?"
"Humph! Do you want to watch this marshal go to the toilet?" Cheng Taize coldly snorted, but he did not refuse to let these people follow him.
Han Ben bitterly smiled and shook his head. This was truly an errand that would offend people, but he had no choice but to call his subordinates to follow him.
As for the generals who had left the conference hall, before they could leave the marshal's residence, they were stopped by the steward of the marshal's residence, Xie Sheng, who was waiting under an old tree.
Xie Sheng beckoned to them from under the tree, and a group of generals walked over to greet him.
After exchanging some pleasantries, Xie Sheng looked left and right before extending a hand toward the moon gate behind him. "Marshal has asked this old servant to prepare some tea in the courtyard to entertain everyone. Please come in!"
The generals looked at each other in dismay. The marshal had just ordered them to set off immediately, and now he was preparing tea. What was the meaning of this?
Everyone quickly realized something, exchanged glances with each other, and quickly followed Xie Sheng inside.
When Cheng Taize's group arrived at the entrance of a courtyard, a beautiful woman quickly came out to greet them. She coquettishly half knelt down and saluted. "Marshal."
"Good!" Cheng Taize smiled as he reached out to caress her face. He then grabbed her arm and lifted her up. Soon after, he wrapped his arm around her thigh and pulled her into his embrace. Smacking his lips, he pressed his lips against the beautiful woman's ample chest.
Seeing that there were outsiders, the woman hurriedly covered her chest and shyly said, "Your Highness, there's someone …"
Cheng Taize turned around and immediately said angrily, "What are you all doing? Could it be that you want to view this marshal's bedroom as well? "
"No, no, no!" Han Ben repeatedly waved his hands, looking embarrassed. He then cupped his hands and said, "Marshal, aren't you going to head to the army's assembly point to assume command? Shouldn't we talk about the bedroom after this important matter is over? "
"Nonsense. Who knows how long it'll be before I can taste the taste of flesh. This marshal has always visited Ashiyama before setting off to battle!" Cheng Taize threw down these words and coldly snorted. He then carried the beautiful woman and headed straight for the inner courtyard.
"…" Han Ben stretched out his hand, truly speechless.
In the end, he had no choice but to call for his men to continue following. They followed all the way to the sleeping quarters before stopping. They watched helplessly as Cheng Taize carried the woman into the room. With a wave of his hand, he ordered his men to surround the room.
After entering the room and seeing that there were no outsiders, the woman also took the initiative. She wrapped her arms around Cheng Taize's neck and shyly called out, "Your Highness …"
Unexpectedly, the anxious expression on Cheng Taize's face instantly disappeared. He put her down and whispered a few words into her ear.
The woman was stunned and looked at him in bewilderment.
Cheng Taize glared at her angrily. The woman immediately nodded and quickly took off her clothes. Then, she climbed onto the bed and started rolling around. She let out a sound similar to two people rolling around. There was also the sound of moaning.
Cheng Taize tilted his head and listened carefully. Then, he quickly walked over to a cabinet and gently pushed it open, revealing a hole with a flight of steps. He quickly walked in.
"Ah … ah … ah …"
Not long after, all sorts of sounds related to the matter between men and women could be heard from inside the room. The sound of flesh hitting flesh was very clear. The three people guarding the door looked at each other with strange expressions. Han Ben, who was in the middle, didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He reached out a finger to pick his ear and realized that this matter had blown up. They had actually done something like this outside Marshal Cheng's room. He gave a meaningful look to his left and right, warning them not to speak of this matter carelessly after they left.
The generals who were drinking tea around a long table in the courtyard looked outside from time to time. They discovered that they were being watched by a group of people wearing black masks. They couldn't figure out the strength of these people. Meanwhile, Xie Sheng was smiling at them from the side.
Not long after, Cheng Taize's figure quickly appeared outside the door and walked in with large strides.
The generals stood up and were about to greet him when Cheng Taize put a finger to his lips, indicating for them to be silent. This action caused them to look at each other in understanding.
Cheng Taize walked to the head of the table and said to the people around him, "I'm sure that everyone has already guessed my intentions by having Xie Sheng stop everyone here. As soon as you leave the room, there will be inspectors following you. I can only make this short. Everyone, take a look at this." He took out a jade archive and tossed it around for everyone to see.
The contents of the jade archive were none other than the writ of conferment written by Lord Qing.
The generals who read through it were all pleasantly surprised. It turned out that His Highness had already made his move. Everyone's earlier push and shove had only been a feigned rejection.
The writ finally returned to Cheng Taize's hands. Cheng Taize solemnly said, "This writ of conferment has actually been in this Prince's hands for almost a month now!"
Everyone was taken aback. A month ago, there was no trace of this happening. The morale of the army was not in such a state either. This meant that Lord Qing had already known that this was going to happen a month ago. Could it be that this mess was all part of Lord Qing's plan?
Looking at everyone's reactions, Cheng Taize continued, "After I received this jade archive, I did not agree to it. Because I knew that the chances of success were slim, I was unwilling to put my brothers in danger. It was only recently that I realized that His Imperial Majesty had long since planned all of this. It was only then that I realized that the time was ripe! All of you have followed me for so many years, and I hope that you will all rise to greater heights in glory, splendor, and riches. I'm sure that all of you understand why I did not dare to agree to your earlier support. It's not that I don't trust my brothers, but who can guarantee that none of you are secretly colluding with Ying Jiuguang? This matter is no small matter. It concerns everyone's lives. How can we act recklessly? "
Everyone exchanged glances. They had no idea if any of them were secretly colluding with Ying Jiuguang, so they did not understand why Cheng Taize dared to bring it up now. Could it be that he had already found someone he was secretly colluding with?
Cheng Taize understood everyone's doubts. "Now that I'm willing to make this clear, I want to let everyone know that I don't care if there are any spies working for Ying Jiuguang among you. Even if there are, how much could Ying Jiuguang possibly give you? As long as this matter succeeds, not only will everyone be rewarded according to their contributions, I am willing to split the wealth I obtained from Ying Jiuguang's hands equally with all of you. No matter how much Ying Jiuguang rewards you, there's no way he would give you that much! "
PS: Yes, yes. Requesting for a monthly insurance pass!
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