lady, please calm down

In early April, the Tiance Mansion led the allied forces with aid to fight against the rebellion and left Cai to the north. When they passed through Tokyo City, they joined Yang Dalang's troops, and a total of more than 80,000 people continued to march to Nanjing.

During the march, the differences in the quality of the various armies soon became apparent.

Even though the Huaibei Army reduced its daily march distance from eighty miles to sixty miles, the soldiers of Anfeng and Lin'an still complained endlessly and often fell behind.

They had no choice but to let Zhang Shuye and Luo Ruji lead the rear team to gather the stragglers along the way.

As a result, Chen Chu's Chinese army had arrived in Nanjing in mid-May, and the rear army had just arrived in Bazhou, 200 miles away.

As early as mid-April, the 30,000 Xixia troops who had been recruited to assist in the war were stationed at Jingdong Wangjingyi.

On the night of entering the city, Chen Chu invited Li Ke, who had been staying in Nanjing, to meet him.

"With your career, do you miss home?"

The two of them walked straight from the streets of Nanxian Pavilion to the Xuanyang Gate of the Imperial City.

"Going back to my lord, it would be a lie to say that I miss home, but compared to the gentle countryside at home, I still prefer the cold and cold wind in the north."

While talking, the two of them walked to Xuanyang Gate.

Ordinarily, it was already dusk at this moment, and outsiders were not allowed to easily enter the imperial city again, but Zhou Zongfa, the deputy of the Seventeenth Regiment who was guarding here today, seemed to have been notified in advance and was deliberately not locked.

Even when the fighting situation outside Tokyo was at its most stalemate, the two Huaibei regiments stationed in Nanjing were not mobilized south, which shows that Chen Chu valued this place.

"salute!"

Zhou Zongfa gave a low shout, and the soldiers guarding the city saluted in unison.

Chen Chu returned the gift, shouted "Have a rest", and then led Li Ke through the long and dark doorway and entered the imperial city.

Today, the queen and the prince returned to the palace. The palace was a little busy. From time to time, maids and eunuchs carrying lanterns came and went in the square of the front hall inside Xuanyang Gate.

Occasionally, some people in the palace saw Chen Chu wearing a python robe, but they were not surprised. After bowing, they went about their own business.

Li Ke led Chen Chu through the Qianbu Corridor on the right side of the square in front of the palace, stopped in front of a dark palace, and whispered: "My boss, this is Laining Palace. If my boss wants to use the office space of Tiance Mansion, It is best to place it close to the center. ”

Chen Chu looked at it carefully and nodded.

Laining Palace is located in the outer city of the imperial city, echoing the east and west offices of the three provinces and six ministries. It is only separated from the Da'an Palace where hundreds of officials go to court by the Yingtian Gate. It is probably in the same position as the Manchu and Qing military aircraft in later generations.

Placing the Tiance Mansion here not only allows the officials of the Tiance Mansion to avoid the tedious process of entering the palace, but can also monitor officials and court bureaus at any time to speed up the efficiency of official document delivery.

Chen Chu was very satisfied with coming to Ning Palace, and then he brought up another matter, "How is the Xixia Army doing?"

"The head coach of the Xixia Army this time is Li Renyou, the younger brother of Emperor Li Renxiao. He is just as young as a junior."

"How is your military appearance?"

"Military appearance. At the end of last month, my subordinates went with Han Chang to Wangjing Post to reward the troops. They saw that half of the sergeants in the camp were old and weak, and even the young and strong did not look like veterans. More importantly, the entire military camp was lifeless. It was really unsettling. Like the heroes from the northwest who have brought harm to the Qi Zhou Dynasty for more than a hundred years."

After picking up the brief report, Li Ke added his own analysis, "Think about it, after the First World War in Tokyo, our army pursued thousands of miles straight into the hinterland of Xixia and came to Xingqing Mansion, which completely defeated their morale."

There is some basis for this. A small country like Xixia, with a population of less than three million, lost more than 100,000 young men in the First World War. Not only did it deplete its national defense strength, but its production capacity also suffered a devastating blow.

It was under the huge pressure of the Qi army that Li Renxiao was forced to have no choice but to recruit 30,000 men from the few remaining men in the country to come to Nanjing to help in the war.

In the northwest, with old foxes like Zheng Guogong and Deputy Privy Councilor Fan Gongzhi sitting in charge, Xixia will be exhausted in a few years.
Just like this time, when Fan Gongzhi wrote a letter at the beginning of the year, he explained why it was necessary to force the Xixia army to arrive in Nanjing before mid-April. Xixia has been sinicized for more than a hundred years, and has long since changed from nomadic living chasing water and grass to farming and animal husbandry. Their main food crops It's wheat and millet.

Wheat ripens in May and millet ripens in August. Due to the massive loss of labor in the First World War in Tokyo, the redeployment of 30,000 men will surely become even more stretched.

You see, you don't have enough labor force when harvesting crops in Xixia. We just have people from Qi State's Northwest Army. Is it reasonable to help you harvest?

As for who owns the food after the harvest, that’s another matter.

While the two were talking, they had already reached the Yingtianmen heading to the inner city. Seeing this, Li Ke whispered: "I'll leave first."

Going further inside is the harem, and Li Ke's status as a foreign minister is inappropriate.

Chen Chu nodded and continued walking inside. The eunuch guarding the palace gate turned a blind eye to this.

Along the side of Da'an Hall, Chen Chu passed through Xuanming Gate, and the chief eunuch Xu Dehai, who had received the news, quickly came out holding a lantern.

This Xu Dehai was also Huang Doudou's cadre. In the second year of Xuanqing, the Huaibei Army entered Nanjing, and the former was transferred to serve.

Seeing that the King of Chu wanted to enter the harem, Xu Dehai very wisely ordered an accompanying Xiaohuangmen to clear the way in front and drive away irrelevant people, so that the King of Chu would not be seen by too many people when he entered the harem at night.

Chen Chu didn't care, and just said: "Where is the Queen?"

"Your Majesty, your Majesty is in Zhaoming Palace."

"Lead the way."

"Yes."

Zhaoming Palace has been living here since Emperor Jin fell seriously ill and fell into a coma.

Prince Wanyan'an suffered a lot of grievances in Huaibei and has been staying in Zhaoming Palace since returning to the palace today.

At the end of the unitary hour, it’s time to hold the lamp.

The palace people lit one tallow candle after another, and the bedroom was brightly lit, but they saw the young prince lying in front of his father's bed with tears in his eyes.

Chai Yuanyi, who was also here, saw this and stepped forward to comfort him: "It's getting late. Your Highness should go back to the East Palace to rest."

Wanyan An wiped away her tears and said stubbornly, "I'm not sleepy, I want to talk to my father."

Chai Yuanyi sighed, caressed Wanyan'an's head, and said softly: "Now that your father is unable to govern, the great responsibilities of the country rest on your shoulders, so you must not be willful."

Perhaps Chai Yuanyi's gentle movements had an effect. Wanyan An, who had lacked maternal love since childhood, was a little dissatisfied with the former when they were in Huaibei. He turned sideways and hugged Chai Yuanyi's waist, sobbing and saying: "Mother, Queen , if my father is in charge, how dare you kid me in Huaibei! When I grow up and reorganize Dajin, I will send my troops south to kill Chen Ji! And Chen Rao, I can’t let her go!”

Xu Shi returned to his own territory, and Wanyan An felt that he was doing well again.

Upon hearing this, Chai Yuanyi subconsciously glanced at Bai Lu who was standing beside him.

Bai Lu's eyes were drooping, without any emotion. After Grandma Pu Xian was killed with a stick, Bai Lu was the new grandmother and female official of the East Palace whom Chai Yuanyi had found for Wanyan An.

Not listening to the Queen's response, Wanyan'an couldn't help but raise her head and look at Chai Yuanyi and said: "Empress, you must help me!"

"Um"

Chai Yuanyi responded vaguely.

At this time, a young man from the Huangmen entered the dormitory quietly and said something in Bai Lu's ear. Then Bai Lu nodded, indicating that he knew. Then, Bai Lu and Chai Yuanyi looked at each other. The latter knew that Bai Lu had something to report, so he broke away from Wanyan An and walked over.

"Eunuch Xu asked someone to send a message that the prince is coming to the empress."

When Chai Yuanyi heard this, she unexpectedly showed a look of expectation. She had been depressed and miserable for many years, and the few happy days she had were those days when she and the King of Chu were a romantic couple.

It is catharsis from body to soul, from the inside out.

However, Chai Yuanyi was able to survive in the Kingdom of Jin because she was a person who knew how to advance and retreat. After getting in touch with Cai Hua once, she knew that the female family members of the royal family were not easy to mess with.

Therefore, I was very frank and honest when I was in Huaibei.

This time, when the King of Chu came north, he was accompanied by his family members. It was Chen Jinyu whom Chai Yuanyi didn't know much about. However, the latter was accompanied by many civil servants and family members of Tiance Mansion in the rear army. It was said that they had just passed Bazhou and would still have three or four days to arrive. Nanjing.

With expectations in her heart, Chai Yuanyi couldn't help but become a little more anxious. She turned to Wanyan'an and said, "Your Highness, it's time to go back to the palace and rest."

"Mother, I would like to stay in Zhaoming Palace tonight to accompany my father."

"Your Highness! Have you forgotten what I told you just now?"

Chai Yuanyi showed a stern expression. Wanyan'an really respected and loved this nominal queen mother. Seeing this, she had to reluctantly leave Wanyan'an's hospital bed.

Before leaving with Bai Lu, he did not forget to salute Chai Yuanyi and said respectfully: "I will go back to the palace, and I will take care of my father after I am busy with my mother."

As soon as Wanyan An left, Chai Yuanyi quickly straightened her appearance in the mirror.

Not long after, Chen Chu, led by Xu Dehai, entered the Zhaoming Palace. He first glanced at Wanyan Dan, and then looked at Chai Yuanyi.

"I have met the King of Chu." Chai Yuanyi bowed like a willow in the wind.

Behind him, Xu Dehai quietly retreated and closed the palace door behind him.

Then he stood outside the palace gate in person and said to the people in the palace on the left and right: "Please step back for now. Our family will take care of this place personally."

"Yes~"

After everyone responded, with a slight footsteps, it became quiet outside.

"Having been traveling for days and being tired from traveling and traveling, does the prince need a bath?"

Chai Yuanyi walked up to Chen Chu with light steps, squatted down slowly, helped Chen Chu untie the jade belt around his waist, and raised his face and said.

His posture and demeanor were completely that of a conquered man, ready to be conquered.

Coupled with her luxurious phoenix crown and harem, the contrast is so huge that it is really hard to bear.

But Chen Chu chuckled, reached out and grabbed Chai Yuanyi's hands to untie his belt, and said: "My dear, I have something to discuss with you."

Seeing Chen Chu's clear eyes, Chai Yuanyi instantly calmed down her slut-like expression. After slowly standing up, she already had an awe-inspiring and inviolable look, "What's the matter, King Chu?"

"This Northern Expedition is ultimately a matter of the Jin Dynasty. If the name is not correct, the words will not be correct. The foreign minister wants to ask your Majesty to personally conquer it!"

"."

Chai Yuanyi subconsciously turned her head to look at Wanyan Dan who was on the hospital bed. After thinking for a moment, she said, "With Your Majesty's current condition, it may be difficult for him to make the trip."

The purpose of the imperial commander's personal expedition was to boost morale, but with Wanyan Quan's current appearance, let alone boosting morale, even raising the front line would only disturb the morale of the army.

There is really no need.

But Chen Chu said: "The previous emperor was not good, but the new emperor is young and brave. If he goes to the front line, his morale will be greatly boosted!"

"."

Chai Yuanyi looked at Chen Chu in astonishment, "the former emperor or the new emperor?"
Wanyan Dan is not dead yet.
After the mother-concubine incident, Chai Yuanyi had already completely formed a political alliance with Chen Chu, but the latter took the lead, and she was a supporting role responsible for cooperation.

After a brief moment of astonishment, Chai Yuanyi looked at Wanyan Dan and whispered, "What is King Chu preparing for?"

Chen Chu walked slowly to the bedside, looked down at Wanyan Dan, and said, "Your Majesty, you have been in the palace for a long time. How to deal with a person without poisoning and leaving no trauma? You should have more experience than me, right?"

Having said this, Chai Yuanyi completely let go of her psychological burden. She took a few steps forward and stood side by side with Chen Chu. She also looked at Wanyan Quan. After pondering for a few breaths, she said, "No poison is needed and no trauma will be left. If a healthy person still has it, It’s a bit difficult, but it’s not difficult for a chronically ill person.”

"Oh? I'd like to hear the details." Chen Chu said with a smile.

Chai Yuanyi responded with a dignified smile, but said: "A person who has been ill for a long time has insufficient lung energy. All you need to do is press a soft and heavy object on the person's chest. Within two quarters of an hour, he will suffocate and die."

"This method is good!"

While the two were talking, they saw that Wanyan Dan, who had been on the hospital bed for two years, suddenly began to breathe rapidly, and his chest rose and fell much more frequently than before.

Even the fingers lying flat on his side moved slightly.

Perhaps it was the fear that had been hidden in her heart for many years. Chai Yuanyi couldn't help but turn pale when she saw this. She took a few steps back and subconsciously said, "Did he hear it?"

Wanyan Dan has been lying in a vegetative state for two years. Chen Chu has indeed heard that there are very few vegetative people who can retain some consciousness even though they cannot move.

Out of curiosity, Chen Chu even stepped forward and squeezed Wanyan Qua's hand. He felt a little regretful for a moment. If he had known this earlier, he would have asked Taoist Priest Wugen to lead his medical team to study Wan Yan Qua. Wanyan Dan can also make some contributions to the development of Huaibei Medical.

But Chai Yuanyi was frightened. If Wanyan Dan had been conscious in the past two years, wouldn't Wanyan Dan know everything about the peace between himself and Chen Chu in the dormitory and in front of his bed?
But Chen Chu sat on the edge of the dragon's bed, and even reached out and caressed Wanyanquan's violently rising and falling chest a few times, as if to help him calm down.

The people of King Chu are quite strange.

Then I heard him say: "Your Majesty, now that things have happened, I will not talk about avenging the people of the Central Plains when Ding Wei was in trouble. In short, you, your prince, and the empress, I We will take care of it for you, so you can go with peace of mind."

After saying that, Chen Chu turned to look at Chai Yuanyi with a gentle smile on his face, "What are you afraid of, your majesty? Your majesty is also suffering while lying here. You are helping him escape. Please send your majesty on his way."

The next day, the end of Yin Shi.

At the darkest hour before dawn, the big bell outside Renzheng Gate was suddenly rung. Immediately afterwards, the bells of Sheng'an Temple, Chongxiao Temple and other royal temples rang loudly at the same time.

Zhang Hao, who was left behind in Nanjing, and Han Chang, the prime minister of Xingshangshu Province, and other important ministers woke up from their sleep and immediately reacted to the emperor's great move!

At the end of the day, the sky was bright, the palace door opened, and the exact news came out immediately. On May 13th, the second year of Shengyuan in the Jin calendar, the emperor died in the Zhaoming Palace.

The Jin Emperor made great achievements, and all the ministers in Nanjing were mentally prepared. After all, the latter had been in bed for two years.

But as luck would have it, King Chu had just entered the city yesterday, and Emperor Jin died that night.

There are unbelievable unofficial records in later generations. It is said that the King of Chu entered the palace at night and killed the Jin Emperor in Zhaoming Hall. (End of this chapter)