Peace was not a very important matter, and the Holy Emperor was rarely enraged, much less use the twelve Holy Emperor tokens.
This could only mean one thing: the incident at Xueyang Palace had offended the Holy Emperor's greatest taboo, and it was far more serious than many people had imagined.
… …
In the distant Qixi Protectorate headquarters … The mood was gloomy and solemn.
With the incident at the capital, the Qixi Protectorate headquarters was no longer in the festive mood of fighting for merit and being rewarded by the Imperial Court. In the gloomy hall, the Hu generals had their heads lowered, fear and unease on their faces.
"Has everything been taken care of?"
A deep and domineering voice came from the main hall. Fomonlința sat upright and still, his face as gloomy as water. Compared to the unease of his generals, Fomonlința was much calmer, displaying the demeanor of a Great General.
"Everything has been taken care of. I've already sent a messenger pigeon to inform Qifuli to return as quickly as possible. At the same time, I don't want to attract anyone's attention. In addition, the letter has been carefully written so that it won't arouse any suspicion. It won't make anyone think of this hall. "
To Fomonlința's left, a seemingly rather intelligent Hu general said.
As one of the parties involved in the incident at Xueyang Palace, Fomonlința had reacted as soon as he received the news. Of all the people present, no one was more concerned about this matter than Fomonlința. After all, Fomonlința was truly loyal to the Fourth Prince, and he had even sent a letter that concerned his life and future prospects.
"Milord, but the Fourth Prince …"
Several Hu generals in the hall looked hesitantly at Fomonlința.
"Relax!"
Fomonlința waved his hand, his expression calm and composed, exuding a soothing and convincing strength.
"The Fourth Prince isn't that stupid. No matter when or what the conditions are, he definitely won't summon me. If he doesn't expose me, he might still be able to make a comeback in the future. But if he does, the severity of this matter will be completely different. "
"But the rumors in the capital have already implicated Milord, and the Holy Emperor is enraged. He has already personally asked about this matter and sent several tokens. We are all worried that this matter will be disadvantageous to Milord. "
The generals looked at Fomonlința worriedly.
Fomonlința's eyelids twitched, and his expression changed slightly. The leak of the Fourth Prince's identity was secondary. The Holy Emperor's fury was the most unsettling thing. Although Fomonlința appeared calm, it was impossible to say that this matter had no effect on him. However, it only took a moment for Fomonlința to return to normal.
"There's no need for all of you to worry. I have my own plans for this matter. I am an old subject of the Western Regions, one of the earliest Hu Great Generals, and I have also made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty. No matter how the Holy Emperor is enraged, as long as there is no conclusive evidence, His Majesty will not be able to use these groundless rumors to punish me. No matter how this matter develops, I will always be Qixi's Protector-General. No one can shake my position. "
As Fomonlința spoke, a storm of energy exploded from his body, and his dignified eyes began to shine with a dazzling light. In his many years of experience in the Tang Dynasty, the Xueyang Palace incident was not the only problem he had encountered. Although he was not as shrewd as the Han and was not as well-versed in the intricacies of the Imperial Court, Fomonlința had long ago come to understand a certain principle. As long as he was still Qixi Protector-General, as long as he still wielded a large number of soldiers and could still block the armies of Ouzan and the Western Turkic Khaganate for the empire, the Holy Emperor would not easily remove him from the position of Protector-General.
This was also why he, as a Hu, had been able to stand tall in the Han Imperial Court of the Tang Dynasty for so many years.
Fomonlința's confident words immediately eased the tension in the hall.
"Reporting!"
"The capital's Borcheru has sent a letter. Milord, please take a look!"
While everyone was speaking, a Hu scout suddenly rushed in and got down on one knee. Buzz! Fomonlința's pupils constricted as if he had been pricked by a needle. 'Borcheru' was not an ordinary Hu name, or at least not an ordinary one. In Fomonlința's mind, only one person would use this name.
"Let me see!"
Fomonlința remained seated at the head of the hall, but with a wave of his finger, the letter flew out of the Hu scout's hand and landed in Fomonlința's hand.
"Haha, good! With this letter, I will be able to sit as still as a mountain in Xueyang Palace. No one will be able to do anything to me! "
Fomonlința scanned the letter and then heartily laughed, his vigorous laughter causing the ceiling of the hall to tremble. As he laughed, Fomonlința quickly passed the letter to all his subordinates.
"Wonderful!"
"With the Fourth Prince's letter, Milord can truly rest easy."
"Milord is truly safe this time!"
… …
After reading this letter, the worried Hu generals were instantly invigorated, and the mood in the Qixi Protectorate also relaxed.
Borcheru, in Turkic, represented the supreme and future red sun. This was the Turkic name Fomonlința had chosen for the Fourth Prince. The Fourth Prince revered the bravery of the Turks, so he had specially requested that Fomonlința choose this name for himself. In the entire Tang Dynasty, there were probably only a handful of people who knew of this Turkic name.
Fomonlința just so happened to be one of them.
The Hu generals in the hall were all his trusted subordinates, so they naturally knew of this matter.
The Fourth Prince's letter was very simple, telling Fomonlința not to worry. Everything had been taken care of and nothing would implicate him.
"Erinelou, help me draft a memorial to the Holy Emperor. Say that I, Fomonlința, have done nothing wrong and that my conscience is clear!"
The last sentence was the final word, and the entire hall immediately regained its tranquility.
… …
"How is Fomonlința's reaction?"
Several hundred li from the Qixi Protectorate headquarters, in Wushang, under a large scholar tree, Wang Chong was watching the maids and servants dispatched by the great clans plant and water the flowers. Qixi had originally been a barren, barren, and lifeless land, but now, it was slowly becoming more and more lively.
"The Qixi Protectorate headquarters is calm. It's like nothing has happened."
Li Siye stood behind Wang Chong like a mountain as he sternly said.
"Fomonlința's reaction is rather fast. Despite such a major incident, he's not the slightest bit panicked. It seems like he has nothing to fear. If my guess is right, the Fourth Prince should have told him that everything had been taken care of and that there's no need to worry. "
Wang Chong chuckled. Everything was just as it had been all those years ago. Fomonlința had weathered many storms, and his greatest flaw in the Xueyang Palace incident had been that pledge of fealty. Now that the Fourth Prince had taken care of that pledge of fealty, Fomonlința had nothing to worry about, so he naturally had nothing to fear.
"But if he really thinks this way, then he's far too childish."
As Wang Chong spoke, he extended his right hand and lightly pinched a scholar tree leaf that had drifted down in the wind.
"This matter won't end so easily."
"Fomonlința probably still doesn't know of Young Master's existence, but I'm afraid that he won't be able to hide this matter for much longer."
Li Siye worriedly said.
"Haha, there's no need to worry about such things now. We'll talk about it when the time comes."
Wang Chong casually said. He was now thinking about that imprisoned Fourth Prince. Although he felt a little regretful, Wang Chong did not regret dragging him down with him. Of all the princes, the Fourth Prince was an anomaly. Although he was of noble birth and a scion of the imperial household, this prince's preferences were completely different.
This prince had been fond of the Turks since he was a child, doing his utmost to imitate the Turks in every aspect. Wang Chong had heard many rumors about him that were later confirmed. These included that he liked to wear Turk clothing when no one was around, that he would set up a Turk tent in the Xueyang Palace on his birthday, that he would imitate the Turks' eating style, that he liked to use knives to cut meat, and that he would recruit Hu maids.
However, these were just minor details. The Fourth Prince loved the Turks, so much so that before he died, he would summon a group of trusted aides and subordinates to ride on horses and imitate the Hu people's funerals. They would surround him and howl incessantly, like wolves and foxes. Thus, today, the Fourth Prince had thought of roping in the Hu Great Generals on the border and promising them great benefits to help him seize the throne. In Wang Chong's view, this was completely normal.
But what Wang Chong found the most intolerable was that besides Geshu Han, An Sishun, and Fomonlința, the Fourth Prince had also thought of roping in the sinner of the Tang dynasty, An Zaluoshan. And according to the information that Wang Chong learned later, unlike the other Great Generals, the Fourth Prince had privately given An Zaluoshan a large amount of aid.
An Zaluoshan's rapid rise in power could not escape the Fourth Prince's involvement.
This was something that Wang Chong could not tolerate.
Wang Chong actually wanted to use this chance to drag An Zaluoshan down with him, but his current rank was simply too low, so not many people would care. Moreover, An Zaluoshan's hands and feet had been extremely clean. Even the matter of him colluding with the Fourth Prince had been revealed many years later.
On the other side, Li Siye had no idea what Wang Chong was thinking. Upon hearing Wang Chong's words, he nodded. No matter what the result was, Fomonlința had to be removed first. With him around, he and Wang Chong would find it very difficult to do anything. The two of them had reached a complete consensus on this point.
"When does Marquis plan to have them move against the capital? Scholar Lu has already sent letters urging us on several occasions. "
Li Siye asked. Although Wushang was very far from the capital, with The Eagle acting as mediator, the two sides had an endless stream of letters.
"It's about time."
This time, Wang Chong had a solemn look in his eyes. Although he appeared to be admiring the flowers and the moon, he had actually been paying close attention to this matter. He would quickly receive news of the slightest disturbance in the capital.
"The fastest pigeon between Wushang and the capital will take two days. Let Fomonlința be happy for a few days. Tell Scholar Lu to immediately begin the operation on the day he receives the letter. "
"Yes."
Li Siye lowered his head and quickly left.
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