mtl008 Chapter 119: The Zong Yan Clan is a general
Chapter 119: The Zong Yan Clan is a general
In fact, he had heard this name many times, but had never taken it seriously to heart. Today, he suddenly became curious about what this General Pingxi looked like.
"Your Majesty, you have been staring at this memorial for the entire night, but is there anything wrong with it?" The old eunuch standing next to him bowed and said.
"Haha..." The old emperor pointed to the memorial on the table and said, "Do you know who this memorial is from?"
"How could I know..." the old eunuch smiled respectfully and humbly.
"This is a memorial from General Zong Yanli of Pingxi." The old emperor sighed deeply, leaned against the pillow and said quietly, "It is also the only memorial that pleads for the Qin family."
The old eunuch looked a little surprised when he heard this, but he was sensible and didn't say anything.
The emperor continued, "Zong Yanli spoke passionately, blaming me for ignoring the Qin family's contributions in defending the country against foreign enemies. Do you think Zong Yanli's memorial at this time is related to the prince's party?"
The old eunuch's face changed drastically, he knelt down and trembled, saying: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. How dare I make such a reckless comment..."
"However, I heard that Ning Chi, the son of the eldest lady of the Qin family, was once a personal soldier under the command of the General Pingxi." The old eunuch did not say much, pretending to mention the matter as if nothing had happened.
"Ning Chi?" The old emperor thought for a moment, raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Son of Marquis Lin'an?"
The old emperor seemed to have thought of something, and he squinted his eyes and laughed, saying, "Qin's nephew did not go to work for his uncle, but went to work for Zong Yanli. It seems that my General Pingxi is very extraordinary."
The old emperor stared at the memorial on the table with a deep gaze. It seemed that this memorial pleading for the Qin family became even more precious.
"Besides Zong Yanli, I remember that there are other people from the Zong Yan clan at the border?" The old emperor looked at the old eunuch and asked.
"Yes, all the members of the Zong Yan family were generals. Except for the General Pingxi, his father Zong Yan Hongjing and his uncles all guarded the border areas of the Wu Kingdom to resist foreign enemies." The old eunuch's tone was full of admiration when he spoke of this.
"The whole family are generals..." The old emperor's eyes trembled slightly. Not only are they generals, but they are all stationed at the border and have participated in countless wars, big and small. There is more than just Zong Yanli in the Zong Yan family.
The old emperor raised his voice and asked the old eunuch to get all the military reports from recent years.
Under the night wind and candlelight, the old emperor wearing a heavy dragon robe and fur coat listened to the old eunuch reading military reports one by one. In almost every one of those ancient military reports, there was the shadow of Zong Yanshi. Even if the military reports mostly wrote about the Chen family army and the Qin family army, there was always one or two sentences mentioning Zong Yanshi.
The aging emperor seemed to have gradually outlined the humble military family of "Zong Yanshi" from the military reports one after another.
At this moment, he was extremely amazed. It turned out that in the Wu Kingdom, under his rule, there was such a loyal, brave and fearless family called Zong Yan.
"He Chang, do you think I am getting old?" The old emperor looked at the pile of military reports, then turned back to read Zong Yanli's memorial pleading for the Qin family. All that was left in his heart was sadness and grief.
"Your Majesty is as old as the heaven, and now he is as heroic as ever!" He Chang bowed hurriedly.
"Haha..." The old emperor couldn't help laughing when he heard this: "You old thing, now both you and I are useless old fellows."
"I have been thinking about the Crown Prince's affairs and the Qin family's crimes these days. Is it because of my negligence as a king? If I raise my son like this, can I not employ people well?" The old emperor seemed a little bitter. He smiled and picked up Zong Yanli's memorial on the table and said, "But now I understand."
This memorial was the best answer. The old emperor smiled as if he had let go of the shackles in his heart and said, "The Qin family's crimes are unforgivable. Considering the Qin family's contributions to the country, their official positions will be stripped, their property will be confiscated, and they will be expelled from the capital. For ten years, the descendants of the Qin family will not be allowed to serve as officials in the court."
The old emperor pointed his aged finger at the table and said, "Anyone who has colluded with the deposed crown prince will be investigated and made to answer to the world before being executed."
He Chang was extremely shocked. He bowed his head to the ground and said respectfully, "Your Majesty is wise!"
You have to know how furious the emperor was when the prince's affair involved the Qin family. He imprisoned all the members of the Qin family almost overnight. It looked like he was going to purge the court.
However, He Chang never expected that at such a critical juncture when everyone was in danger, this memorial sent from the border would completely change the emperor's decision.
General Pingxi, Zong Yanli.
He Chang carefully helped the old emperor to sleep. He went out of the palace and looked at the inky night. He finally felt deeply the crisis of the change in Wu State.
The next day, He Chang announced the emperor's will at the morning court, which immediately caused a shock in the court and the country. Naturally, some people tried every means to find out the reason why the emperor changed his mind.
"Zong Yanli?" King Xuan was also extremely shocked when he heard the news. He hastily put down the teacup in his hand and said, "Is this true? Zong Yanli personally wrote a letter to intercede for the Qin family, and father actually listened to it?"
"It's absolutely true!" said the aide who came to deliver the message from Prince Xuan's palace with great determination.
He Ruiming had a complicated expression on his face, and he said with gloomy eyes: "The Chen family was destroyed, and the Qin family was also expelled from the capital. Now half of the military power of Wu State has been divided into the hands of Zong Yan family."
He Ruiming really didn't expect that when he first saw Zong Yan family in Shouxi County, it was just a small military household. Although he had some intention of winning them over, he didn't necessarily want Zong Yan family. What he wanted more was the support of Qin family and Chen family.
However, the Chen family had already colluded with Prince Shou and he was unable to persuade them. After arriving in Beijing, he tried several times to make friends with the Qin family, but the Qin family was also an old fox and would not say it clearly.
If the Crown Prince had not been involved in the incident where he was deposed, He Ruiming would not have known that the Crown Prince had such a deep friendship with the Qin family, and he would have thought that the Crown Prince had the same goal as him!
"Your Highness, do you want to make friends with the Zong Yan family?" the aide asked in a low voice.
"The matter between the deposed crown prince and the Qin family has just started. How dare I make friends with the Zong Yan family at this critical moment?" He Ruiming glared at the aide and said, "Let's not talk about the Zong Yan family for now. The crown prince's matter must be related to that bitch Gao Jiayue."
"Even the queen has been deprived of her power and confined to her house. She is really capable." He Ruiming's eyes were full of hostility. He also heard that the emperor often summoned the little prince to his lap recently and looked very fond of him.
He Ruiming has done so much, but he has seen Prince Shou die and the Crown Prince fall. Now he is the only one in Wu State who has the hope of becoming the crown prince.
How could He Ruiming not be anxious when Gao Jiayue suddenly showed up?
In the Imperial Concubine's Palace, Gao Jiayue also learned about the Qin family.
"The general is so righteous..." When Gao Jiayue heard Zong Yanli pleading for the Qin family, her eyes were filled with excitement.
"Go and invite Eunuch He to have a cup of tea." After a brief excitement, she took a deep breath, lowered her eyes and gave an instruction to the red paper, then turned around and took out a small box from the secret compartment under her bed.
She had treasured the exquisite little box for many years. Gao Jiayue stroked the box gently, her lips slightly curved and her eyes full of tenderness.
He Chang now has great respect for Concubine Gao. Even the queen has been imprisoned, and this huge harem has long become Concubine Gao's world.
Not to mention that Concubine Gao also had a little prince who was very much loved by the emperor. When He Chang arrived, he saw Gao Jiayue sitting in the inner hall. He immediately bowed very respectfully and said, "This old servant greets the Concubine. May the Queen be blessed with good health."
"I got some good tea, and I thought Eunuch He would like it, so I asked you to come. Thank you for making the trip." Gao Jiayue raised her hand slightly, and Hong Jian beside her came forward holding the tea.
"Oh, Your Majesty is so thoughtful." He Chang knew it was a good thing at a glance, and he thanked her even more respectfully.
"I heard that the emperor didn't sleep well last night?" Gao Jiayue narrowed her eyes, then changed her tone and said with a slightly worried look, "I've been worried about this all day, Eunuch He, please be careful to take care of the emperor."
He Chang knew that Concubine Gao definitely didn't ask him to come just to give him something good. Hearing this, he realized that Gao Jiayue wanted to find out why the emperor didn't sleep well last night.
He Chang bowed his body and said worriedly, "I think the Imperial Concubine has already known about the report submitted by General Pingxi. The Emperor has been reading the military reports concerning General Pingxi these days. I think he thinks highly of this general."
Gao Jiayue's heart trembled, she suppressed the joy in her eyes, curved her lips and said, "But Zong Yanli, General Zong Yan?"
She said with a nostalgic look: "When I entered the Kingdom of Wu to marry, I was protected by General Zong Yan. It has been many years..."
He Chang nodded in agreement, and then asked some questions about the emperor's situation. Gao Jiayue then let He Chang leave.
Just as He Chang stepped back and turned to leave, he caught a glimpse of Hong Jian coming in with a small box in her hands. She seemed not to have expected He Chang to be here, and in fright her hand slipped and the box fell to the ground, and the contents of the box fell out.
He Chang saw with his own eyes that it was a half piece of iron armor covering the face.
"Hong Jian!" Gao Jiayue's face changed slightly, and there was indescribable nervousness and anger in her eyes. The look she gave him was even more heartbreaking.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me." Hong Jian quickly reached out and held the half piece of armor covering her face in her arms, then turned sideways to avoid He Chang's gaze.
"..."
After He Chang left the Imperial Concubine's palace, he kept thinking about the half-mask. It was impossible for a woman like Imperial Concubine Gao to use such a mask, not to mention that it was not complete, but only half...
He Chang had his doubts in his heart. On his way back, he heard the palace maids talking in the corridor of the palace. They said that the General Pingxi was brave and fearless. Such a heroic figure would naturally be admired by the girls, and it was normal for them to talk about him a little. However, He Chang heard the words "his face is covered with iron armor, like the face of Yama's ghost".
Almost instantly, He Chang's mind suddenly became clear, and he felt a sudden chill on his back.
Covered in iron armor, Zong Yanli!
He Chang almost lost his grip on the tea box in his hand as he turned back in shock to look in the direction of the Imperial Concubine's palace. He had known that Imperial Concubine Gao was capable, but he had never expected that she had already paved the way for her own son.