After the rebirth, the queen took the Meiqiang tragedy script

At noon, in the council hall of the Gu residence, a torrential downpour was falling outside.

Gu Shihai's mansion was renovated two years ago. Its overall layout and arrangement are different from other mansions in the capital, with the addition of many facilities similar to those in the military. This council hall is one of them. In the center of the hall is a sand table about one or two feet long and wide, showing the topography of the entire city, extending all the way to the surrounding neighboring countries.

Behind the sand table was a large desk, with two stacks of documents piled on one side. Behind the desk was a large, exquisitely carved rosewood chair, facing north, exuding an air of dominance. Gu Shihai did not sit in that chair; he paced back and forth in front of the desk, head bowed and hands clasped behind his back, his brow furrowed and face grim.

The Gu family's steward, accompanied by several servants, stood to one side of the hall, heads bowed, not daring to utter a sound.

"Hasn't the person arrived yet?" Gu Shihai's voice revealed displeasure.

"I'm afraid the sudden rain caused the delay. This old servant will go and urge them again," the steward said, bowing and turning to leave.

As he reached the door, he saw a group of four people walking briskly through the rain outside. The man in the middle was tall and wore a raincoat, which made him appear even more robust.

The butler's eyes flashed with fear the moment he saw him, but it was only for a fleeting moment. He immediately put on a smile and went to greet him: "Lord Ye has arrived. The master is already waiting."

The other person didn't reply, but simply nodded to him, then quickly walked to the door, quickly took off his straw hat and raincoat and threw them to the servant leading the way, before leading the two people behind him inside.

The door creaked shut behind them.

"Have you heard anything from Chen Yuansi these past two days?" Gu Shihai asked bluntly.

The man in the lead, named Ye Bei, paused for a moment, then lowered his head and said, "Reporting to my lord, after the incident with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, all our men were withdrawn. To prevent exposure, I have had all the spies in the capital temporarily go into hiding. We haven't been in contact with the Chen family for about ten days either."

"The current General Xu Youxing of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is just a front. Have you figured out who their real leader is?"

"...Not yet."

Gu Shihai immediately frowned, slammed his hand on the table, and angrily said, "Our hometown has been raided and we don't even know who did it. What are you guys doing here?"

Although he was nearly fifty years old, with some gray in his temples and a smaller stature than Ye Bei, he had a commanding presence when he got angry. The burly man was so scolded by him that he bent over and lowered his head, trembling like a child who had made a mistake and was being scolded.

Seeing the other person's expression, Gu Shihai knew that scolding him would be useless. He could only glare at him with disappointment, then turn to look at the desk behind him, pick up the incense burner next to the desk, raise it high, and smash it hard on the ground.

The three people in front of him knelt down, their faces pale.

"Please calm down, my lord. Although we suffered losses, we also destroyed several of their contact points. They also suffered considerable losses. What does the Chen family want to investigate? I will send people to investigate immediately."

Whether it was because he vented his anger on the gilded incense burner or because he was persuaded by his subordinates' sincere attitude, Gu Shihai's tone became more peaceful. He said, "This morning at court, Chen Yuansi suddenly went against his usual behavior and colluded with His Majesty to elevate Lu Yanchen to the position of Grand General of the First Rank. It's really damn strange! Something must have happened between him and His Majesty that I don't know about during the past few days of court recess. Otherwise, given Chen Yuansi's petty and narrow-minded nature, he would never have let Lu Yanchen go."

Gu Shihai shook his head and thought to himself, "His Majesty is acting strangely today. Since he has already learned the truth about Qing County from Lu Yanchen, he must also know that Su Lin is arbitrarily levying exorbitant taxes in Yingzhou. Yet he turns a blind eye and allows Su Lin to appoint his own people..."

As he spoke, a puzzled expression appeared on his face. "Does Your Excellency intend to investigate the relationship between His Majesty and the Chen family?" Ye Bei immediately asked.

"What's the point of investigating! Even if you could find out, Lu Yanchen's promotion is already a done deal. As for what agreement His Majesty and Chen Yuansi reached, you don't need to investigate. It will come to light soon enough."

He paused, then instructed, "Your most important task right now is to keep a close eye on the palace and ensure the Empress's safe delivery."

Ye Bei clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."

"By the way, has everything settled down in Haiwang yet?"

"A letter arrived from Yizhou yesterday. The young master has settled in at the villa, and his leg has almost recovered. He still has some difficulty riding a horse, but walking and jumping are no longer a problem. The villa is secluded, and Ye Qi is with him. You can rest assured, sir, that his safety is not a problem."

Gu Shihai nodded and said, "Tell Ye Qi not to come back yet, but to stay in Yizhou for a while longer."

"Yes."

Gu Shihai seemed to be in a better mood. He solemnly instructed Ye Bei, "Although we lost the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it's just a defeat. We must not lose the eyes and ears of the capital and the army. This net must be rewoven, and we are willing to pay any price for it. Do you understand?"

A resolute glint flashed in Ye Bei's eyes as he clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Understood!"
-
On the 24th day of the second month of the fourth year of Suihe, Lu Yanchen was appointed General Who Guards the West and set off for the Western Rong territory.

The Western Rong forces split into three routes to confront the Western Army, and battles frequently broke out at the border between Yingzhou and the Western Rong, thus the full-scale outbreak of the Pingxi War.

On June 15th, Lu Yanchen led the vanguard of the Western Army in a surprise attack on the Western Rong's Langxi Ancient Road camp, inflicting a major defeat on the Western Rong's main force, capturing over two thousand elite cavalrymen, and seizing over three thousand warhorses. The Western Rong's vanguard retreated completely, defending their main city, Suliang City. When the news reached Shengjing, Ye Qinghuai was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night. The lights in the Qinxian Hall of Jingshou Palace were on all night, and officials from the Cabinet and the Ministry of War frequently came and went throughout the night.

On the fifth day of the seventh month, the Western Rong leader Midang sent an envoy to Shengjing to sue for peace.

A month later, the two sides made peace, with the Western Rong ceding 300,000 hectares of land. The area south of the Langxi Ancient Road was designated as Dajing Land, including Shuimogou.

In the same month, the Great Jing built a city against the mountain beside Shuimogou and named it Ningyuan. The Ministry of Works sent a large number of craftsmen to Ningyuan City to establish mines in Shuimogou and at the same time widened the main road from Ningyuan City to Fengyang County.

On the 18th of August, news spread throughout the palace that the Empress had given birth to a prince.

In early September, the civil war in the Northern Di ended, and the second prince, Lodi, overcame the obstacles of the old faction and finally ascended the throne. Eagle Guards sent word from the Northern Di that Lodi was reorganizing his army and intended to march south again.

On September 18th, Ye Qinghuai held a full-moon banquet for the prince, named him Ye Changde, and made him the crown prince.

In late September, the cabinet received an urgent report from Yizhou that the eldest prince of the Northern Di, Yile, had fled to Yizhou seeking refuge with the Jing Emperor. Enclosed in the report was a handwritten letter from Yile, claiming that the new Northern Di king, Luodi, had ascended the throne illegitimately and was plotting a rebellion. He stated that he possessed an edict from the late Northern Di king and implored Emperor Jing, Ye Qinghuai, to help him reclaim the throne. (End of Chapter)