Work overtime

Chapter 780

Jiang Yuebai summoned his son Li Chengji to the Cining Palace for a talk.

She asked straight to the point, "How are you going to deal with the eldest prince?"

Li Chengji hesitated for a moment and replied, "He is quite courageous and ambitious. Perhaps he can be used."

Jiang Yuebai took a sip of tea, "What if you can't control him? He still hasn't given up on killing you when he comes back this time. Don't be soft on your enemies."

Li Chengji smiled and picked up the teacup, taking a sip. "How come?"

After putting down the teacup, he said confidently, "I plan to make him the loyal prince and send him to Australia as my mother mentioned. It can be considered as exile, but it can also be considered as sending him on his way and giving him a chance to expand his territory. No matter what, he is my father's first child. I cannot kill him."

Jiang Yuebai gave his son an approving look, "Not bad. That's a good idea."

When the two boys met again, they looked very different. Their status was even more so.

Li Chengji, wearing a golden dragon robe, sat high above, while Li Chengye, wearing a beige brocade robe, knelt below.

He had no chance to take out the scroll and stab with the dagger hidden in it, because everything he brought was taken away as a gift to the emperor. He was not given the opportunity to show the scroll at all, but was taken to visit the Imperial Garden and have lunch together at noon.

The poison he had hidden in his secret pocket was also gone.

Li Chengye didn't know what happened.

When lunch was over, Li Chengji announced that he would confer the title of Li Zhongwang on his elder brother, and give him ten large ships, six cannons, and a number of firearms. He was ordered to sail east to find a place called Australia, and then conquer that land with cannons and confer him the title of Australiawang.

Everything is ready, and we will set off for Tianjin Port immediately.

After saying this, Li Chengye was knocked unconscious. It turned out that the tea he drank had a drug called Ecstasy in it. He would not wake up until three days later. By then, he was already on the vast ocean, tied up and placed in a room until he arrived at the Australian continent.

Li Chengji already had his own confidants. He ordered six personal guards to accompany his brother to prevent Li Chengye from counterattacking the Ming Dynasty with artillery and gunpowder equipment.

Li Chengji knew that his brother would kill the six guards as soon as he was free in Australia, so he prepared a letter for the eldest prince.

He told him what he might encounter when he arrived in Australia, such as being made into human meat soup by the indigenous people. These guards could protect his safety, and they would absolutely obey him after arriving in Australia. He hoped that his eldest brother could successfully become the king of Australia and expand the territory. When the time comes, he must send someone back to the Ming Dynasty to announce the good news, and he will definitely bring a merchant ship to congratulate him with courtesy.

He knew that after reading this letter, his eldest brother would most likely cut off all ties with the Ming Dynasty and never have any contact with them again until his death, but what did that matter?

Li Chengji also prepared ten young and beautiful concubines on the ship. He thought that even if the eldest brother did not contact him, he would be lonely and lonely in a foreign country, and the young and passionate eldest brother would definitely not be able to refuse the company of beautiful women. So even if the eldest brother was unwilling to come back to contact him, his descendants would definitely come back to trace their roots.

This is enough.

Li Chengji named his third brother the King of Qin and his fourth brother the King of Liao.

The third prince, the fourth prince, and the second princess quickly built a mansion outside the palace. The three of them lived not far from each other and often ate together.

The third prince loved to be in a lively place, so he directly called his uncle Jiang Bingliang to live with him. Jiang Yuebai was worried that the introverted and quiet second princess would be too lonely and become a complete homebody, so he arranged for his sister Jiang Jinshu to live with the second princess as a companion.

The third prince wanted nothing more than to follow Master Han to the sea and start a journey around the world. His mother told him that the earth is round. Going east, there are Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.
Going west, you will reach a magical continent called Europe, and you will also see a magical continent called Africa. He really wants to see both.

In June of the eighth year of Taixing, at the strong request of the third prince, the emperor brother finally agreed to let Han Ziqian take the third prince on the fourth sea voyage expedition.

In April, Bater sent an envoy to ask for the second princess' hand in marriage. Jiang Yuebai brought up the original agreement between Bater and Li Beichen.

In May, Bater invited the Queen Mother and the Second Princess to inspect the grassland together.

In fact, how could Jiang Yuebai not know about the great achievements made by Bater? He was a child personally trained by Li Beichen, who spent love and effort to teach him carefully.

Three towns were built around the three temples on the grassland. In each town, Han and Mongolian people lived in a mixed way, the market was prosperous, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment.

Jiang Yuebai first went to the Anbei Protectorate headquarters to pay homage to Anbei King Li Beihong and his Queen Jiang Xue.

Standing in front of Li Beihong's tombstone, she bent down and gently stroked the name on it, wiping off the dust.

His youthful and handsome face appeared in her mind, as well as his arrogant and contemptuous words when he disregarded etiquette and wanted to take her away.

Who could have imagined that he would eventually become a resolute and courageous general who guarded the northern frontier and sacrificed his life for his country.

In front of the tombstone, Jiang Yuebai poured three bowls of wine. He raised one bowl to toast him, Li Beichen, the years they had fought side by side, and the soldiers who died for their country and were buried here forever without being able to return to their homeland.

The wine was poured in front of the tombstone and quickly soaked into the soil. It was as if Li Beihong heard her thoughts and drank the bowl of wine with her.

Jiang Yuebai heard about Shen Shixi's story from Chen Ning, and felt a little sad. But considering her status as Batu's wife, she didn't go to pay respects in the end. She just sat on the high slope, looking into the distance, and wished in her heart that she could rest in peace on this vast grassland, free and unfettered.

After leaving Anbei Protectorate, we went to the residence of Commander Bater.

Bater is nineteen this year, and has grown into a sturdy and tall Mongolian man, with a rectangular face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, a red complexion, bright eyes, and speaks with full energy and laughs heartily and freely. If you look closely, you can see what he looked like when he was a child.

The second princess was still as quiet as before, and would look at Bater calmly and generously, without too much shyness.

The three people rode out on horseback. Jiang Yuebai rode her tamed BMW Xiu'er, the second princess rode a horse by herself, and Bater rode one alone.

She suddenly turned around and asked the two children, "Do you dare to compete?"

"Let's compete!" the little princess responded decisively.

Battelle's eyes instantly turned into two moons.

The three of them were running freely on the grassland, chasing each other.

When they stopped, Bater devoutly took the second princess's hand, looked into her eyes and said, "Respected Princess Ruining, will you marry me?"

The second princess just stared at him without saying anything, neither agreeing nor objecting.

Bater continued passionately, "You can send someone to inquire. I, Bater, have not looked for any woman in all these years. I just want to protect the promise we made when we were young and wait for you to come find me when you grow up. My heart will always belong to you, Your Highness."

"But you are the Khan, you still have your responsibilities and your tribe. Even if you could reject other women in the past, you may marry other women in the future for the balance and unity between tribes. There is no way you can only have me for your whole life." The second princess asked calmly.

Bater smiled and said, "Don't worry, I can show you. Even if I have other women in the future, you will still be my only wife."

The Second Princess shook her head, "As long as you are in this position, you will be forced to do things against your will. I don't want to be one of the women in your harem and compete with other women. Can you give up being the Khan for me and return to the capital or Suzhou?" Bater's smile froze, and after a few seconds of silence, he said, "If I have to make a choice, I'm sorry, I can only choose to stay on the grassland. My father told me that life is not only about love, but also about responsibilities. The people here live a better life because of me. I'm sorry, Your Highness. I can have only you, but I can never leave here in my life."

And then she smiled and said, "Even if you can't marry me, if one day you get tired of life in the capital, come to the grassland. Here the sky is high and the land is vast, and there is a whole grassland for you to gallop. I will wait for you on the grassland, and my heart will not change."

"How long will you wait?"

"Wait. Until you promise me." Bater laughed heartily.

The second princess smiled faintly and looked into Bater's eyes. "Why not set a deadline of ten years? If you are really willing to wait for me for ten years and not accept any other woman, I will marry you and come to the grassland."

Bartel readily agreed, "Then it's a deal."

"It's a deal." The second princess looked very serious.

The applause from both of them was very crisp, and Bater also shook the second eldest princess' hand.

Jiang Yuebai looked at the two young people with sadness as they made a ten-year agreement.

She didn't stop.

Perhaps the second princess inherited her indifferent and insecure side in her genes.

The second eldest princess seemed to have refused to believe that there was anything eternal since she was very young, and refused to believe that there was someone who would wait for her and treat her wholeheartedly, even though she had a happy childhood and had loving parents. This seemed to be her nature engraved in her bones.

Jiang Yuebai looked at her second daughter distressedly. She saw that she longed for love but rejected it, and hoped to be with someone for the rest of her life but was unwilling to give her true heart easily.

On the way back to the capital from the grassland, Jiang Yuebai asked his second daughter, "Do you not like him or do you have a lover?"

Jiang Yuebai has been paying attention to Bater and closely following his movements over the years. This is a national affair as well as a family affair.

There were indeed many girls on the grassland who admired Bater and expressed their love to him, but he rejected them all on the grounds that he was engaged to the eldest princess of the Ming Dynasty.

The second daughter shook her head and said, "Don't ask me, mother. Let's wait and see in ten years."

Her tears suddenly flowed down.

Jiang Yuebai held the second princess in his arms and did not ask any questions.

But she still asked, "Are you sure you won't regret it?"

I couldn't help but become a parent that my children hate.

The second princess shook her head, and a young and handsome face appeared in her mind. But...
She thought of what Bater had said just now. Her father had also said that to her. Born in the royal family, one does not live for oneself. Although the love of being willing to betray the world for one person is moving and moving, the person who said such a thing was either not born in the royal family or was a king who lost his country.

The people's fortunes and misfortunes depend on one person day and night, so there is no way for him to be willful.

She bit her lip.

Jiang Yuebai patted her daughter's hand and said, "If my mother is not mistaken, the person you like is not Bater."

The second princess didn't say anything. A young and handsome face appeared in her mind and her cheeks turned red instantly.

"Hua'er, do you want to avenge your sister?"

The second eldest princess asked in a trembling voice, "Mother, what do you mean? Could it be that Bater is the real murderer who killed my sister?"

Jiang Yuebai's face was heavy, "Yes. He is the real murderer."

"Why?" Even though she didn't want to marry Bater, she refused to believe that Bater was such a person.

"Bateer's medicine came from his aunt, Concubine An. His aunt had always wanted to poison your father through him, but your father loved Bater very much at the time and often visited him, so she never did it. After he lost his mother Concubine Yi and Concubine Qi, he was fostered by Concubine Xia. Your father rarely visited him because of you. He felt resentful and found a eunuch in the name of Concubine Xie to give the medicine to the eldest prince. The eldest prince never found a chance to poison until the Laba Festival of that year."

Jiang Yuebai choked up and could hardly speak.

"Mother." The second princess held her mother's hand with tears in her eyes. "Mother, I also have a secret to tell you."

Jiang Yuebai's eyes were blurred with tears, and he asked suspiciously, "What secret?"

The second eldest princess sobbed and spoke incoherently, "My mother... I saw him that day, he put something in the bowl. But I was busy playing at the time and didn't tell my brother. Then I watched my sister vomit blood."

She couldn't say the next words. She had always felt guilty and annoyed about this matter, and always felt that if she had shouted at that time, her sister would not have died.

Jiang Yuebai held the Second Princess in his arms and patted her back lovingly, "No, Hua'er, it's not your fault. You are not wrong. Not at all."

"But I could have saved my sister." The second princess sobbed, her tears like beads that had broken off the string, soaking Jiang Yuebai's shoulders.

"You were still young at that time. You had no idea that the eldest prince, who played with you every day, would want to poison you." Jiang Yuebai comforted softly.

The second eldest princess leaned on her mother's shoulder, crying and shaking all over. The secret that had been weighing on her heart for years was finally spoken out, as if a mountain had been pushed down.

Jiang Yuebai hugged her daughter and understood why she had been silent for so many years. It turned out that she had taken all the responsibilities on herself. Her heart was getting more and more painful.

However, in order to keep her promise to the emperor and for the benefit of the country, she neither killed the eldest prince nor killed Bater to avenge her eldest daughter.

She hated her so-called sense of responsibility.

After stopping crying, the Second Princess calmly returned to the original topic, "Mother, when my sister was in trouble, Bater had already left the palace and returned to the grassland. How did you know that Bater gave the poison to the eldest prince?"

Jiang Yuebai sighed, "Because I accidentally chatted with He Fei a few days ago, and we talked about her mother. She said that her mother was poisoned to death by the poison in the food. The poison took effect very quickly, and the symptoms were the same as your sister's at that time.

This involves a rare herb that grows on the Tianshan Mountains. Because the herb is extremely precious and emits a faint fragrance similar to milk, only Mongolian nobles can prepare this poison. The queen mother asked Jiang Xian, and his medical records from that year recorded the characteristics of vomitus. Among them, there was the smell of milk.

At that time, the Queen Mother thought that your sister drank milk before eating Laba porridge. A few days ago, I asked the wet nurse who was responsible for taking care of you at that time, and she didn't feed you milk at that time. Your second brother also said that he smelled a faint milky fragrance in the Laba porridge at that time, and thought it was a new recipe at that time.

In addition, Bater gave the poison to the eldest prince. Regardless of success or failure, the eldest prince will definitely not be able to take the throne, because Concubine Xie is the eldest prince's adoptive mother and will inevitably be implicated. And Concubine Xie has a seventh prince, which will arouse your father's suspicion. Concubine Xie's father and brother are mortal enemies of the Tatars and have killed countless Tatars.

If your father had killed Concubine Xie's family in a rage, then he could have avenged his clan and weakened the Ming army by making them lose their powerful commander. But he didn't expect the eldest prince to wait until the end of the war before poisoning them. I'm afraid he didn't expect your father not to kill the Xie family."