lady, please calm down

At the end of the Si hour, Dongjiaba Village, Xiangfu County, west of Beijing.

Since ancient times, farmers have had few idle months, but at this moment, the courtyard wall of villager Dong Ronggui's house was crowded with people.

Xiangfu County is the core grain-producing area of ​​the Central Plains Agricultural Reclamation near the capital, and Dongjiaba Village was the direct fuse that promoted the farmland reform in Kaifeng Prefecture.

Unlike the Luliuwei Farmland Reclamation which was dedicated to serving Huaibei, the imperial court took half of the profits when the Zhongyuan Farmland Reclamation was first established to help the Qi State's finances which were on the verge of collapse at the time. This was called public-private partnership.

Now that the new dynasty is about to come, Chen Chu intends to nationalize the Central Plains agricultural reclamation.

As the founder of Central Plains Agricultural Reclamation, Cai Huan was somewhat reluctant to leave, so she rushed to Dongjiaba on a whim this morning to take a look.

The villagers of Dongjiaba naturally recognized her. In the autumn of the eleventh year of Fuchang, Li Yiren, a wealthy man in Xiangfu, instigated the rogue Pi San to snatch land deeds from the people. They were caught by Empress Cai, who not only killed Pi San on the spot, but also beat Li Yiren's nephew, Li Jixuan, a student of the Imperial College, so severely that he died of his injuries after being carried back by the Li family.

Afterwards, after several days of fermentation, it finally led to the Xuande Gate Incident that shocked the world.

Since then, the name "Yao Fei" has become famous throughout the country.

But no matter how the outside world describes this woman, the people of Dongjiaba always believe that Empress Cai is a good person who punishes evil and promotes good with thunder-like means!

Cai Huan had the rare opportunity to have close contact with farmers. At first, she wanted to imitate the cat and act approachable, but after a while, she lost her patience.

Especially the village official named Zheng who was temporarily summoned for questioning. This young Zheng graduated from Tokyo Imperial College and had just taken office at the beginning of the year. He was also the head of five villages near Dongjiaba.

Perhaps because he was young, Xiao Zheng, who was less than 20 years old, did not dare to raise his head when standing in front of Cai Huan. Occasionally, when he glanced at her while answering a question, he would blush for a long time.

At first, Cai Hua asked some questions about "harvest, pig and sheep stocks, and actual grain tax payable". Xiao Zheng was able to answer them haltingly by reciting from the script. However, when Cai Hua asked some governance issues that were in line with the actual situation, Xiao Zheng lowered his head and stammered, unable to speak.

Cai Hua couldn't help but get angry and said, "Let's not talk about your professional level. You are now in charge of the livelihood of thousands of people in five villages. Why are you so timid? How can you deal with the people if you don't have a bit of sass?"

Cai Huan understood the mentality of the people too well. They were never lacking in cunning and wisdom. It was not uncommon for managers to be bullied by the villagers if they were too soft-hearted.

Dong Shengfu, who was accompanying Xiao Zheng, seemed to get along well with her and took the initiative to help her out, saying, "My queen, in recent years, thanks to the good governance of the prince, my ancestors have lived here for nine generations, and we have never heard of a day where people did not go hungry all year round! Now, with the prince's new seeds and the guidance of the Agricultural Research Institute, after paying the grain tax, our family's granary can be filled to the brim."

Speaking of this, the taciturn Dong Ronggui also had a common topic and quickly said, "Yes, yes, yes, I am fifty-two years old this year. Since I can remember, I have never seen the granary full, except in the past few years! Hehe, it is all thanks to the prince and princess."

Mao'er had a high reputation among the people, and Dong Ronggui habitually brought the princess along when praising the King of Chu.

But Cai Huan, who was listening with great interest, gradually grew cold on her face. Damn it, the land reform in Kaifeng was done by me, what does it have to do with cats!

At the beginning, because of the beating to death of the Taixue student Li Jixuan, the scholars in Tokyo were furious. If it wasn't for Xiao Gou, if it was anyone else, they would probably have used her to take the blame to calm the anger of the scholars.

Now, with just one sentence "thanks to the prince and princess", Cai Huan's contribution has been wiped out.

Dong Shengfu was much smarter than Dong Ronggui. Seeing that Empress Cai's face looked strange, he could not help but kick Dong Ronggui secretly.

Dong Ronggui seemed to realize that he had said something wrong after being reminded, and quickly tried to make amends, "Empress Cai is also a kind person. No matter how outsiders scold Empress Cai, we Xiangfu people all remember her kindness!"

Cai Hua couldn't help but narrow her eyes and asked, "How do outsiders scold me?"

"Uh"

"But it doesn't matter."

"Uh"

"Say!"

"Don't worry, Madam. Some people say that you are a thousand-year-old snake demon from the 800-li Tongbai Mountain, who cultivated into a human being and came here specifically to confuse the King of Chu and disrupt the government. I don't believe it, and none of us believe it, right?"

After Dong Ronggui finished speaking, he quickly turned around and asked the villagers behind him for confirmation, but everyone lowered their heads and no one dared to speak.

Even the clever Dong Shengfu didn't dare to say a word.

Cai Hua's full chest rose and fell rapidly for a while, but eventually calmed down. She finally loosened her hand on the whip at her waist. Her face turned slightly red with anger, and she said to Dong Ronggui, "Old man, if you can't talk, just keep quiet! If I had my old temper, I would have whipped you!"

When Empress Cai got angry, everyone around her fell silent.

Well, Empress Cai, who wanted to take a people-friendly approach, failed in her first attempt.

It's not fun to go deep into the people.
At this moment, a horse neighing was heard outside the yard. Brother Zhang San, who was in charge of the escort, turned around and saw that it was his younger brother Silang.

In the eleventh year of Fuchang, it was Zhang San and Zhang Si who followed Cai Huan to Dongjiaba, and it was Zhang Si who killed Pi San personally.

Some villagers still remembered Zhang Silang and couldn't help but greet him: "Hey, Brother Zhang Si, long time no see!"

"Fourth brother, all is well."

But Zhang Silang ignored everyone. Instead, he rudely made his way through the crowd, walked straight to Cai Huan, and whispered something.

The Zhang brothers are the sons of Zhang Bo, an old servant of the Cai family. The two brothers have done many shady things for the Cai family and Cai Huan, but Zhang Sanlang has never seen the expression of Mrs. Cai San at this moment.

Her face turned pale in an instant, and her body swayed for a moment. Fortunately, Ru'er supported her, and then she blurted out, "Is the news true?"

Zhang Silang nodded slightly and said, "The city is in chaos."

Hearing this, Cai Huan took a deep breath and felt her body to prevent herself from falling due to weak legs. After making sure that she could still walk, she immediately walked towards Xiao Hei outside the yard.

At Zhang Sanlang's call, the accompanying guards walked out of the Dong family courtyard in unison, mounted their horses, and followed Cai Huan into the city.

The group came suddenly and left even more suddenly, leaving the villagers in the yard looking at each other in bewilderment.

Finally, Dong Shengfu stamped his feet and said, "Hey! Brother Gui, why are you talking so much? Look, when Lady Cai came, she didn't even drink a sip of water before she died!"

Feeling the unhappy looks from the villagers from all directions, Dong Ronggui said aggrievedly: "It was Empress Cai who asked me to say it. I didn't want to say it, but she insisted that I say it, and she got angry after I said it."

Cai Huan abandoned her sedan chair and rode on a horse. She didn't care about courtesy and ran wildly on the official road, scaring the travelers into panic.

On the way, Zhang San found an opportunity and walked side by side with his brother. Zhang Silang knew his brother's doubts and whispered, "The news from the city just now is that the prince was assassinated in Daxiangguo Temple and was seriously injured!"

"!" Zhang Silang looked at the figure in front of him in astonishment, and said in horror: "Something big is going to happen!"

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the group had reached ten miles west of Beijing, but Cai Huan on horseback suddenly pulled up the reins, turned the horse's head, and headed south.

Zhang Silang in the back was confused. If Madam Cai San didn't hurry back home now, where would she go?
But Zhang San reacted immediately, thinking that Sanniang was still thoughtful despite the chaos, so he reminded his brother: "Three miles south is the camp of Commander Zhou!"

After pacifying Liaodong, the army remained near Tokyo and was divided into two major camps, east and west.

The Western Camp was twelve miles southwest of Tokyo and was commanded by Zhou Liang.

The East Camp was twenty miles northeast of Tokyo and was headed by Peng Er.

It’s only three miles away and you’ll arrive in a moment.

Seeing the man rushing towards the camp gate, the soldiers outside the camp shouted warnings while drawing their bows and arrows and were on full alert.

Even though Cai Huan was extremely anxious, she was very familiar with the military discipline of the Huaibei Army and did not rush in. She only said to the soldier who came up to ask about her purpose: "I am the prince's concubine Cai. I have an extremely urgent military information. Please report it to Governor Zhou immediately. I want to see him!"

The expression was clear and concise. When the soldier saw that the man claimed to be a relative of the prince, he did not dare to neglect him and hurried into the camp to report.

After a while, Zhou Liang personally rode out to greet them. Seeing that it was indeed Cai Huan, he felt confused and uneasy.

"Let's talk about it after we enter the camp."

In short, Cai Huan and Zhou Liang drove straight to the central military tent.

"Sister-in-law, please take a seat."

Cai Huan had a special status, so Zhou Liang politely asked Cai Huan to sit in his commander's seat, but Cai Huan was too busy being polite to bother with that. She just stood there and said, "Brother Zhou, quickly gather all the generals!"

"." Even if you are the concubine of the King of Chu, you cannot interfere in military affairs!
"The King of Chu was stabbed in the city just now and was seriously injured!" As soon as this sentence came out, Zhou Liang's eyes suddenly widened and stared at Cai Huan. Cai Huan was a little bit of a germaphobe, but at this moment she was sweating all over, and because of the dust raised by her journey, her sweat stained her smooth forehead, and several gray sweat marks were clearly visible.

It's very different from her previous image.

Zhou Liang immediately believed it and shouted, "Come here, gather the whole army!"

This means we are leading our troops into the city.

Unexpectedly, Cai Hua immediately said, "Wait a minute!"

After stopping the soldiers from leaving the tent, Cai Huan said to Zhou Liang, "Brother Zhou, there are still Liaodong Army, Xixia Army, Huainan Army, and Lin'an Army outside the city! If they know that the prince is seriously injured, I wonder if they will make any unusual moves! With Liu Baishun in the city, the troops outside the city need to pay more attention!"

Zhou Liang immediately understood what Cai Huan meant. Liu Baishun was born in Luliuwei, so there was no problem on his side, but the troops outside the city needed Zhou Liang's soldiers from the western camp to suppress and guard them.

Soon, Qin Shengwu, Wu Kui, Geng Baoxi, Liu Maodan, Qin Dachuan and other middle-level generals of the Huaibei Army rushed to the central army tent.

At the same time, the news from the city also reached the West Camp.

All the generals had close interactions with Chen Chu. Baoxi and Maodan were Chen Chu's personal soldiers. After learning the news that the King of Chu had been assassinated, they became so anxious that their faces turned red and they insisted on leading their troops into the city.

Now they still don't know who did it, but the anger in their hearts needs to be vented.

Zhou Liang, who had just wanted to enter the city as soon as possible, only now realized how wise it was for Cai Huan to stop him. How many assassins were there? Who was the mastermind behind the scenes? Was there an insider in the city?

No one has control over the situation. If we let everyone enter the city, and if they are provoked by someone, there's no telling where these angry soldiers will lead their knives!
Fortunately, Zhou Liang and Cai Huan worked together to calm everyone down and gradually stabilized their emotions.

Afterwards, Cai Huan proposed to bring a group of people into the city to guard the palace to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the situation.

This proposal is quite interesting. The Chu Palace has always had guards from the eldest son's troops, and now another force will be dispatched to protect the palace.

Could it be that Madam Cai San no longer trusts even the eldest son Yao?
If the eldest son cannot be trusted, then they are even less trustworthy. After all, everyone knows that in terms of deep feelings and loyalty to the King of Chu, no one in the entire Huaibei Army can compare to Yao Changzi.

The eldest son's honest character is not the only reason. More importantly, he has no desires and no ambitions.

Cai Huan immediately explained: "It's not that I don't trust my eldest son, but he has a kind personality. The situation in the city is unclear now, and I'm worried that someone will plot against him! I need to find a smarter general to assist him."

"I go!"

"The general will go where he wishes!"

"You all stay here, I'm going!"

Wu Kui, the most senior among the middle-level generals, stood out from the crowd. Bao Xi was so anxious that tears came to his eyes, but with Wu Kui in front of him, he couldn't snatch it anymore.

But Cai Hua bowed to Zhou Liang, and regardless of offending him, she said directly: "Brother Zhou, please mobilize General Qin Shengwu's troops to follow me into the city!"

Wu Kui, who wanted to see what happened to Chu Ge'er, was about to speak, but was glared at by Zhou Liang, "Okay! Qin Shengwu leads his troops into the city to defend the palace! After entering the city, if the princess is fine, you will obey her; if she is, you will obey Queen Cai!"

According to the initial information received, the prince and princess went to Daxiangguo Temple together. There is no definite news yet whether the latter was injured.

But the premise of Zhou Liang's words is that Chu Ge'er can no longer command Qin Shengwu personally.

With this order, everyone suddenly reacted. Madam Cai San's move was probably a worst-case scenario. She transferred Qin Shengwu to guard the palace just because Qin Shengwu was the uncle of the palace's eldest son!
She not only focused on the present, but also took precautions against possible subsequent struggles for the throne.

After thinking this through, Wu Kui naturally stopped fighting for it.

Qin Shengwu, whose eyes had already turned red, immediately clasped his fists and went out of the tent to gather his troops.

After a while, Qin Shengwu's troops gathered together. When Cai Huan hurried out of the tent, Zhou Liang suddenly called her.

"What else?" asked Cai Huan, who was anxious to return home.

Zhou Liang looked around at the generals in the tent, and suddenly clasped his fists and said solemnly: "With me here, Madam, you don't need to worry about the affairs outside the city. But if Chu Ge'er can't manage the affairs in the city, please Madam, make the decision for the princess and Ji'er. We all agree with this!"

"it is good!"

Cai Huan nodded and strode away.

At noon, Cai Huan entered the city first, but still did not return home directly.

Instead, they found the Dongjing Xiangjun Camp in the west of the city. Liu Baishun, the commander of the Ten Towns Xiangjun, had naturally received the news that the King of Chu had been assassinated. When the two met, they asked in unison: "How is the prince?"

After asking carefully, Liu Baishun learned that Cai Huan had come from outside the city. Cai Huan also learned that Liu Baishun had just gone to the palace to visit her in person but did not see her.

As the matter was urgent, Cai Hua said directly, "Qin Shengwu's troops have been ordered to enter the city to protect the palace. After they enter the city, please issue an order to immediately close Tokyo's 13 land and water gates and impose a nighttime curfew for one day."

Ever since Cai Huan heard that Chen Chu had been assassinated, whether she was facing Zhou Liang and others or Liu Baishun, she would either call them brother or big brother, or call them by their courtesy names like she was doing now.

Liu Baishun's courtesy name "Suizhi" was chosen by Chen Chu himself, and he also addressed Zhou Liang as his brother, following Chen Chu's name.

On the surface, she was giving orders all the way, but in fact, she could not mobilize the troops by herself, so she used this method to emphasize that she was Chen Chu's family.

But closing the city and imposing a curfew are not trivial matters after all. Tokyo has a population of one million, and the amount of meat, grain, oil, eggs that need to be transported into the city every day and the amount of night-blooming garbage that needs to be transported out of the city is an astronomical figure.

Liu Baishun hesitated because he did not receive any orders.

Cai Hua said, "Closing the city can prevent the escaped assassins from escaping, and secondly, it can prevent the troops outside the city from taking the opportunity to enter the city and cause chaos! I will find a way to make up the military order for you later!"

The last sentence is probably a kind of consolation.

If Chen Chu is unable to manage affairs, the Privy Council and the entire Huaibei faction will be leaderless.

Fan Gongzhi, who held the honorary title of Deputy Privy Councilor, was far away in the northwest.

The only person who could possibly take charge of the situation on behalf of Chen Chu was Yang Zhen, who was thousands of miles away in Liaodong.

There is no place to ask for military orders.
Actually, Chen Jingyan, who is still the Chief Secretary of Tiance Palace, can barely mobilize the troops.

However, I don’t know if he did not issue any orders involving the military in order to avoid causing misunderstandings from others at this sensitive moment.

This naturally made the situation in Tokyo a little chaotic.

But Cai Hua was a little more relaxed because of this.

She transferred Qin Shengwu into the city to guard against more than just assassins.
After finishing all these, Cai Huan finally rushed to her home on Suimian Street.

Inside the palace gatehouse, upon learning that Cai Huan had returned, the coachman Wang En rushed out of the gatehouse, wiped away the tears on his face, and said, "Madam is finally back, Master Chen, Master Cai"

Because of his status as a disabled veteran of the Huaibei Army, Wang En was particularly respected in the palace. Even the princess usually smiled at him and called him Uncle Wang.

But when Cai Huan saw him crying, she immediately became furious and said, "Why are you crying? Even though the prince is fine, you've cried him to death! Wash your face and stand outside the mansion. If anyone comes to visit, tell them that the prince is fine and will be fine after a few days of rest!"

Wang En, who was usually as stubborn as a donkey, was stunned by Cai Hua's scolding. He responded with a grunt, quickly washed his face as instructed, and went outside the mansion to deal with people who came to inquire about the news.

Cai Huan walked all the way into the second courtyard and learned that Chen Jingyan's brothers, father, Zhang Chunxiao, Du Zhaoqing and other court officials were all waiting in the hall, so she turned in.

The expressions of the people in the hall were solemn. They were all stunned when they saw Cai Huan suddenly coming here.

Cai Yuan noticed his daughter's abnormal complexion and the gray and black sweat marks on her forehead, and he couldn't help but stand up and walk over.

At this moment, all the ministers were present, and there were some things that Cai Yuan was not in a position to say directly. He was thinking about how to give his daughter a hint so that she would not worry too much.

But when Cai Huan saw her father coming forward, she hurriedly took a few steps forward and then stood in front of her father.

Regardless of the presence of many uncles and aunts, Cai Hua just looked up at her father and said, "Dad, someone is bullying the puppy. You must help me find out who is behind this. I will tear him into pieces and kill his entire family!"

Lady Cai San, who had been calm and decisive all along, and kept giving orders, suddenly flattened her lips and started crying after saying these murderous words. (End of this chapter)