lady, please calm down

In late August, people on both sides of the Huai River and inside and outside the Yangtze River were all in jubilation as the news that the Han army had captured the enemy's capital for the first time in hundreds of years continued to ferment.

There were countless people who crossed the river to the north, including those who were preparing to return to their hometown to worship their ancestors, those who were scholars from the south of the Yangtze River going to Huaibei for exchanges, those who were rushing to Tokyo to welcome their abducted relatives, and those who simply wanted to travel in Huaibei.

The Jiangning area on the south bank of the Yangtze River became a trading area due to the Shaoxing Peace Agreement and was nominally jointly managed by the two countries, but in fact it had already fallen under the actual control of Qi.

Naturally, the green light is given to all kinds of people heading north.

As the place where King Jin started his career, Caizhou and Tongshan have become the first two stops for business travelers heading north.

On August 24, the student representatives of the Liuhuai Academy, who were the most influential among the people heading north, were personally received by the princess. During the meeting, the princess expressed her appreciation for the students' involvement in the grassroots and hoped that the students from both places would continue to contribute to the people-to-people exchanges between Qi and Zhou.

The next day, accompanied by student representatives from both the male and female schools of Lanxiang Academy, the students of Liuhuai Academy set off again to Tongshan for investigation.

Mei Yao, a master of music who also made great contributions to the exchanges between the two countries, was awarded the "Women's Award" by Ding Jiao, the first female official of Da Qi and the head of the Huaibei Women's Department, and was hired as a teacher of the music department of Lanxiang School.

Caizhou suddenly became the busiest frontier of communication between Qi and Zhou. Every day, people from Zhou wandered around the workshop area outside the city and the villages farther away, trying to find the reason for Huaibei's prosperity.

Every night, people from Qi and Zhou could be seen in the city’s taverns discussing the difficulties that would arise if Zhou copied the Huaibei model.

In the warm atmosphere, countless people are also waiting for the arrival of the twelfth lunar month. Tokyo presents prisoners.

In mid-autumn in Huaibei, the sky is high, the clouds are light, and the wind is clear and the air is refreshing.

But in Huanglongfu, thousands of miles away, the autumn is much harsher than in the Central Plains, as if the severe winter has arrived early.

August 26th, at 10:00 p.m., Tiance Mansion, Ganquanfang.

Luo Ruoji, who was responsible for coordinating the Zhou army and the Tiance Mansion, and Wu Gong, the commander-in-chief of the Zhou army, sat on the right side of Chen Chu. Wu Gong had a very unhappy expression on his face.

Seeing Chen Jingyan still talking to Luo Ruji about the scenery outside the Great Wall, Wu Gong finally couldn't help but stand up and said to Chen Chu: "Prince Jin! Are you really not going to care about the matter of seizing the camp? Today, Olewen and the Nara tribe entered the city without permission and seized our barracks. If the two of them are not punished, it will become a big problem in the future!"

Today, Olewen, deputy commander of the Hezha Army, and the Nara tribe, which has the most intact manpower among the ten Jurchen tribes, joined forces to drive the Wugong tribe out of the military camp in Kaiyangfang west of the outer city.

Wu Gong had not received any order to leave the camp, so he refused to give up the barracks.

As a result, the two sides clashed for a while, and Wu Gong's troops suffered seven deaths and more than a hundred injuries. If his superior Luo Ruoji had not arrived in the first time and persuaded Wu Gong to give up the barracks, a bigger conflict might have occurred.

Chen Chu, who was sitting at the head, took a sip of tea, but Chen Jingyan made an embarrassed expression and advised: "Sir Wu, this matter is not as simple as an ordinary fight between soldiers. It is related to national friendship and needs to be handled carefully and properly!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Gong couldn't help but get angry. As the commander of an army, he could be greedy and domineering, but he couldn't be timid in front of his subordinates!
Now, his subordinates who were driven out of the city are still guarding the bodies of their comrades, waiting for the Marshal to seek justice for them.

Knowing that civil officials were difficult to deal with, Wu Gong, with a look of grief and indignation, said to Chen Chu: "Prince Jin! My men are still outside the city in the cold wind! Please, Prince Jin, seek justice for my dead and injured brothers!"

Luo Ruoji accompanied Wu Gong here, naturally, for this matter. To be honest, he certainly wanted Chen Chu to severely punish Olewen, but after observing for a while, he thought that the King of Jin had just captured Huanglongfu and did not want to create a rift with the Jin army, so he wanted to keep things peaceful.

To Luo Ruji, there was no principle that he could not break. Guessing the intention of his superiors and not embarrassing his new master was the underlying logic of all his actions. He frowned and said to Wu Gong, "General Wu, isn't what Lord Chen said clear enough? Now that Wanyan Liang has been captured, the Kingdom of Jin is an ally of Qi and Zhou. Can the friendship between the three kingdoms be ruined because of a few soldiers?"

Wu Gong saw that Chen Jingyan did not help him, and even his superior official in the same dynasty had the same attitude. He felt even more sad. He knelt on one knee in front of Chen Chu and said in a sad voice: "Your Majesty, although Qi and Zhou each serve their own masters, two months ago, my Zhou brothers and Qi brothers fought side by side in the Daling River! We are all Han people. Your Majesty, are you going to watch us suffer such a great humiliation!"

In the teacup, the green hair sank and floated. Chen Chu had been watching with interest for a long time. It was not until he heard Wu Gong say this that he raised his eyes and looked over. "Okay, I will help you with this matter. I hope you will always remember what I said today. We have fought side by side in the Daling River."

Luo Ruji, who was impressed by the situation, realized that he had guessed the King of Jin's intention wrongly, and hurriedly said respectfully: "Your Majesty's love for your subordinates makes this humble official admire you very much!"

Chen Jingyan also hurriedly stood up and pretended to persuade him: "This matter is of great importance. Peace is hard-won. Please ask the King of Chu to come!"

Chen Chu waved his hand, but looked at Wu Gong and said, "General Wu, it's easy to punish the soldiers who seized the camp, but do you know why they are suddenly so arrogant?"

"."

Wu Gong opened his mouth but no sound came out. However, under Chen Chu's intense gaze, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "It's all because of that little emperor!"

This is true!

Since the army entered Huanglongfu in early July, the relationship between the Jin army and the Han army took a sharp turn for the worse.

One of the reasons was the damage caused by Xiao Xin, Wu Kui and others to Huanglongfu, Weizhou and other places.

At that time, the purpose was to completely destroy Wanyan Liang's rear base. Perhaps it was a bit serious to say that they wiped out the entire area, but at least three thousand Jin nobles were killed if not five thousand.

Most of the Jin Dynasty's nobles came from the military, and had close blood ties with the Jin Dynasty's garrisons.

After several years of hunting in the south, Hezha's personal army returned to Beijing, only to find that his relatives had been killed and his property had been confiscated, which made him very angry.

He even shouted slogans asking Chen Chu to hand over Xiao Xin.

Chen Chu pretended to give in and ordered Xiao Xin, Wu Kui and Tie Dan to temporarily withdraw from Huanglongfu to avoid provoking the Jin army.

But this further fueled the arrogance of the Jin army.

Wanyan Anxu realized that the army's morale could be used, so he hurriedly issued an imperial decree to pardon the ten remaining military captives who followed Wanyan Liang in the rebellion and put them under the command of the leader of the Nara tribe.

Like Hezha's personal army, the ten remaining troops also hated Xiao Xin to the core.

At this moment, Wanyan An relied on the emotional consensus of "killing the thief Xin" and instantly had 7,000 capable warriors in his hands.

Perhaps he felt that returning to his hometown gave him some leverage to challenge Chen Chu, so at the beginning of this month, Chen Chu's proposal to "escort Wanyan Hushe, Wanyan Liang and other traitors to Tokyo for trial" was decisively rejected by Wanyan An.

Two months ago, Wanyan An was kicked by his eldest son on the bank of the Daling River. He would not be a human being if he did not avenge this.
But this time he rejected Chen Chu not just out of pride.

Wanyan An naturally wanted to tear apart the bones and skin of traitors like Wanyan Liang and Wanyan Hushe, but after experiencing many setbacks, he finally grew a lot.

Although Wanyan Hushe had helped Wanyan Liang, the Jin Dynasty was now in danger. Hushe had the talent to govern the country and was very prestigious. After Wanyan An entered the city, he had visited Wanyan Hushe privately. After a sincere communication, Wanyan An planned to pardon Hushe and let him help him stabilize the situation quickly.

Wanyan Liang must be executed, but he must not be handed over to the Han people to be taken to Tokyo for the humiliation of public trial!
After all, he was once the military marshal of the Jin Dynasty and an important official of the royal family.

Wanyan Liang could die, but he would die at the hands of Wanyan An.

I thought Chen Chu would not agree to this easily, but unexpectedly, he agreed after hesitating for two days.

After having the upper hand in two consecutive battles with Chen Chu, Wanyan An's heart, which had finally calmed down a little, became a little proud again.

It was probably for this reason that today, with his tacit consent, Olewen led the Nara tribe to rob Wu Gong's barracks.

The Nara tribe was originally stationed outside the city. After entering the city to garrison, if Wanyan An had an emergency, he could reach the imperial city within a quarter of an hour.

However, the young emperor was not completely confused. At least he did not dare to let Olewen rob the Huaibei military barracks in Guangyangfang south of the imperial city and Shihefang northeast of the imperial city.

At the end of the Xu hour, after Luo Ruji and Wu Gong left, Chen Chu and Chen Jingyan left the mansion and walked towards the imperial city.

After nightfall, Huanglongfu becomes even colder and its night scene is far less lively than that of Caizhou.

After walking forward for more than a hundred steps in silence, Chen Jingyan suddenly said, "After the battle at Dalinghe, some of the Wulewen and Nalajiashu died, and some were injured. These two troublemakers are probably the only ones left."

"Well, the commander of the Hezha Army, Sepuli, has an ambiguous attitude. After the young emperor entered the city, he issued several decrees directly to Olewen. It seems that Sepuli does not trust him."

After that, Chen Chu continued, "There are thousands of miles of fertile land outside the Great Wall, which is of great use to the country and the people! It's not that I don't want to keep it, but if all the unstable factors cannot be eliminated, my army will not be able to withdraw, and the people who migrate here in the future will not be able to farm in peace."

"Yuan Zhang, you don't need to explain! Since ancient times, a general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers, not to mention that he has never been on the same page with you. Now the plan is very good. Since they have taken the initiative to jump out, we don't have to bother to identify them. We can just catch them all before we leave."

"Ah."

"Yuan Zhang, after he dies in the chaos, there will be no need for the Great Jin to appoint a new ruler."

When Chen Jingyan said this, he looked at Chen Chu eagerly. The latter nodded and said, "The five capitals of Jin will be directly incorporated into the territory of Da Qi and changed to five routes."

Chen Jingyan was very satisfied with Chen Chu's answer, and even almost said, "Still call it Da Qi? We should think about the name of a new country." Then he thought that this matter was not urgent, so he smiled and asked, "What if the little emperor is unwilling to take the initiative to attack?" Chen Chu looked at the palace gate that was just a stone's throw away and said, "I came to visit him at night just to strengthen his determination to take action."

At midnight, in the Taihe Palace in the imperial city.

Although it was late at night, Wanyan An was wearing court robes and sitting upright on the throne, as if waiting for something.

His expression showed nervousness and excitement at the same time.

It was not until he heard the sound of drums representing the hour of Hai in the palace that Wanyan An, who had been holding his temper, suddenly relaxed and let out a long sigh.

Regarding the seizure of the camp today, he expected that Chen Chu would come to the palace to question him face to face.

Although he had rehearsed countless times in his mind what words he would use when facing Chen Chu, the majesty that Chen Chu had accumulated over the years still made Wanyan An feel a fear that he was too embarrassed to speak of.

Unexpectedly, Chen Chu didn't come at 11:00 p.m. and the palace was locked at 11:00 p.m. If he didn't come now, he wouldn't be able to come today.

As for why he didn't come, was it because he had some concerns? Or was it because he had other plans? Or was it because after returning to Huanglong Mansion, Chen Chu no longer dared to be as domineering as before?

Wanyan An was more willing to believe the last guess, and even felt a little proud of holding great power.

But the next moment, a eunuch hurried in, looked around, and saw that only Wanyan An was in the hall, so he whispered: "Your Majesty, the Grand Marshal has entered the palace."

Wanyan An, who had just relaxed, immediately tensed up again. After taking a few deep breaths, he said, "Please come in."

But the eunuch looked constipated, and then he took a few more steps forward, and stopped less than ten steps away from Wanyan An, and then whispered in a voice that only Wanyan An could hear: "Your Majesty, after the Grand Marshal entered the palace, he went to the North Garden."

Beiyuan is the most elegant garden in the imperial city. Not only does it cover a vast area, but it also contains only one palace.

That is Jingming Palace where the Queen Mother lived.
Wanyan An had been hearing certain rumors for more than a day or two, but he had never believed them before. However, he never expected that Chen Chu would dare to break into his mother's bedroom so blatantly at night. He became furious and immediately stood up and strode out of the hall.

The Taihe Hall and the Beiyuan were separated by only a wall. Wanyan An hurried all the way, passed through pavilions and terraces, and suddenly appeared outside the Jingming Palace.

The palace maids at the palace gate obviously did not expect the emperor to visit suddenly, so they hurriedly blocked the gate and tried to delay him.

When Wanyan An saw this, he didn't understand what was going on. He was so angry that he wanted to hit the maid, but because he didn't have a horsewhip with him, he kicked the maid to the ground.

This time, no one dared to stop him.

It was not until he rushed to the outside of his mother's bedroom that he was blocked by a cold-faced man with a broadsword on his back.

Two months ago, Wanyan An was kicked by his eldest son, so he was a little afraid of the people around Chen Chu, so he didn't dare to force his way in again. He just stood outside the palace and shouted angrily: "Mother! Please come to see me!"

But inside the bedroom, the candlelight flickered, as if someone was dressing in panic, and there seemed to be a few nervous whispers.

After dozens of breaths had passed, there was a creaking sound and the palace door opened.

However, the person who walked out of the hall was not Chai Yuanyi, but Chen Chu. After a while, Chai Yuanyi, whose hair was now loose, hurriedly followed out.

She looked at Wanyan An evasively, but Chen Chu looked at Wanyan An calmly for a few breaths.

"Why are you here!?"

Wanyan An almost squeezed out these words from between his teeth, but Chen Chu said calmly: "Today, Olewen seized Wu Gong's barracks and caused a murder case. The Queen Mother has the responsibility of supervising the country and listening to the government. I am responsible for the military affairs of the four countries, so I have to discuss with the Queen Mother how to deal with it."

"Wulwen was following my orders. Wugong disobeyed my orders. Killing several of his subordinates is already a light punishment!"

Olewen deliberately created friction, naturally under the instructions of Wanyan An, but since Wanyan An planned to do so, he had already thought of a set of excuses.

But the scene before him made him forget all his plans. He was so angry that he admitted that it was his idea.

At the same time, there is also a hint of provocation. I did it, and now that I have arrived in Huanglong Mansion, what can you do to me!

Chen Chu didn't seem to expect him to answer like this. He looked at him carefully, as if he wanted to get to know him again. Then he said, "Since it is arranged by Your Majesty, then it's fine. I will appease Commander Wu after I return."

After saying that, he casually bowed to Wanyan An and walked towards the palace gate with the man with the broadsword.

Wanyan An didn't expect that Chen Chu would actually give in on his own initiative. Since entering Huanglong Mansion, whenever Chen Chu and he had different opinions, he mostly gave priority to Wanyan An's opinions.

After discovering the adultery tonight and Chen Chu's repeated concessions, Wanyan An could not help but feel a mixture of anger and confidence. He said to Chen Chu from behind, "General Chen! You are an outsider after all. Do not come to bother my mother again without my permission!"

Chen Chu stopped when he heard the voice, turned around to look at Wanyan An, suddenly smiled and bowed, saying: "Then your majesty will also have to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the country, don't rely on the queen mother for everything."

After more than ten breaths, Chen Chu walked away.

Wanyan An looked around at the silent maids and eunuchs in front of the palace, and shouted in a suppressed voice: "Get out!"

After all the palace servants left in panic, Wanyan An looked at Chai Yuanyi intently and started to curse: "Slut! I treated you like my mother, but you did such a shameless thing! You Han women, you talk about loyalty, but you do shameless things. You should have died for your father! Haha, no wonder you forced me to worship him as my father-in-law."

"."

Even though Chai Yuanyi hated the Jin Dynasty very much, he still had some real feelings for Wanyan An. Otherwise, he would not have come up with the "Shangfu" incident in the first place, trying to find a glimmer of hope for Wanyan An in the turbulent situation.

It is precisely because of this that Chai Yuanyi feels a little lost at this moment.

Chai Yuanyi suddenly sobbed, and with three parts of true feelings and seven parts of acting, she looked particularly sad. She said sadly: "When your majesty was eight years old, the late emperor was already ill in bed and unable to manage affairs. At that time, Wanyan Liang was in chaos at home, and there were powerful enemies around us. If I, a woman, did not compromise, how could I protect my mother and me? How could I last until your majesty returned to the capital and took power again?"

Wanyan An cursed so harshly just now because he was so angry. In fact, the Jin people did not care about women's chastity or anything like that. However, Wanyan An had a deformed feeling for Chai Yuanyi that went beyond admiration, so he was so angry.

Seeing Chai Yuanyi crying so sadly and speaking so earnestly, he couldn't help but soften his heart.

Unexpectedly, the next moment, Chai Yuanyi suddenly said sadly: "Your Majesty has grown up now. You no longer need me to compromise and protect you. I will follow the late emperor."

As he was speaking, Chai Yuanyi stumbled towards the wellhead, as if to throw herself into it. Wanyan An was startled, and hurried forward a few steps, grabbed Chai Yuanyi, and said, "Mother, please calm down, mother, please calm down. I was so angry just now that I wrongly blamed you. I know that you did all this for me."

Chai Yuanyi collapsed to the ground and sobbed, "If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, I will get him drunk in Jingming Palace someday and hand him over to Your Majesty for punishment!"

"!"

Wanyan An's heart suddenly shook.

He had really thought about this matter, and even felt panic at one point that his deepest thoughts had been seen through by his mother.

He even sent Olewen to station in Huanglongfu City to see if there was any opportunity.

However, Wanyan An had grown up after all. Although it seemed easy to capture Chen Chu alive if Chai Yuanyi cooperated with him, he no longer trusted Chai Yuanyi 100% at this moment, and ultimately did not reveal what he was thinking to Chai Yuanyi.

At the hour of Hai, Wanyan An walked back to Taihe Palace.

On the way, he sent Xu Dehai, who had been following him, to another place. When only the eunuch who had secretly informed him tonight was left behind, he asked, "What's your name?"

"Your Majesty, I am Zhang Sande, and the nobles all call me Xiao Dezi."

"Haha, Xiao Dezi, you performed well tonight."

"It's what a slave should do."

"Well, you serve me well, and I will grant you a lifetime of wealth and honor in the future."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty"

"Stop bowing and stand up. In the next few days, you will keep an eye on Jingming Palace. If Marshal Chen enters the harem again, report it to me quietly."

"I obey your command!" (End of this chapter)