lady, please calm down

On the 23rd, early in the morning, the eldest son personally led people to escort the reward silver to the Jinghu Army camp west of Beijing.

As if to prevent the officers from embezzling the money, Chen Yingjun, who came with his eldest son, also supervised the entire process of distributing the reward money.

"In order to avoid the inconvenience of exchanging and using the bills after the soldiers return south, the prince specially prepared cash."

This is how Chen Yingjun explained it to Wu Gong, but when the generals saw the silver, they couldn't help but secretly thought: The King of Chu is really "deliberate".

However, in nearly a hundred large elm boxes, there were neatly stacked round silver cakes the size of a palm, with the outline of Liaodong embossed on the front and the words "Northern Expedition Commemorative Medal" in large letters at the bottom.

On the back are a few lines from "Qin Feng. Wu Yi" - "I share the same robe with you, and I share the same hatred with you. I share the same water with you, and I work with you."

Comrades who share the same suffering are called comrades in arms.

It was not until the evening that the rewards for the entire army were distributed. Chen Yingjun declined the invitation of Sun Wei, Wu Gong and other senior generals to stay for dinner, saying, "I am busy with worldly affairs. Commander Wu and the generals will return to the south tomorrow, so I will not come to see them off. I wish you all a bright future and a safe journey!"

It would be easy if everything went smoothly, but given the current situation, it would be difficult to have a bright future after returning to the south.

The senior officers in the Jinghu Army were all worried.

But the lower-level soldiers were in ecstasy.

On a small hill east of the camp, Xie Tianlu and his subordinates sat facing east, gazing at the city of Tokyo in the setting sun.

The setting sun of late spring shines on the towering city walls, creating a layer of golden glow that is bright yet not dazzling.

Xie Tianlu played with the rather heavy medal in his hand and looked at the city wall for a long time without speaking.

His subordinate Cao Laoliu, however, looked at his medallion in the sunset with a smile on his face, and said, "It's been a few years, and I finally saw such a large piece of silver. This time when I go back, I will buy some cloth for my wife and maid to make new clothes, so that my wife won't nag me anymore."

After the Zhou Kingdom moved south, it was considered good if the already low military pay could be paid half. As the financial situation deteriorated in the past two years, even half the pay could not be guaranteed.

It was beyond everyone's expectation that they could get such a heavy silver cake this time.

Cao Laoliu's words caused his comrades to laugh happily. Someone took a bite of the silver cake, looked at the tooth marks on it carefully, and said jokingly, "If you ask me, the prince in the city is really nice. Didn't the newspaper say that the assassination of him a few days ago was done by a senior official in our court? Yet he is still willing to give us real money?"

Hearing that this person's tone was slightly disrespectful to the King of Chu, Zhu De'en could not help but frown and said, "Pusan, you should have a conscience! For more than a year, what we eat, drink and use are the same as those of the Huaibei Army, right?"

"., naturally the same."

"Has the reward promised by the King of Chu been paid to us in real terms?" Zhu De'en asked again.

"Of course I did, Old Zhu, but that's not what I meant."

The man was asked questions one after another, and he explained with an embarrassed expression, and then said: "But no matter how good the King of Chu is, he is not our boss. Judging from the current situation, although the King of Chu has not made things difficult for us, he will definitely go to war with the Great Zhou in the future."

"Ha! If that day comes, let the superiors fight the Chu King's army by themselves. Anyway, I will not fight with my brothers in Huaibei."

Zhu De'en blurted out the words, and all his comrades turned their heads and looked over at the same time.
You just need to think about this secretly, it would be inappropriate to say it out loud.

If known by superiors or the court, this sentence alone could result in the execution of the traitor!

Zhu De'en also realized that what he said just now would bring him trouble, but he didn't want to admit his mistake in front of everyone, so he blushed and whispered in defense, "Who asked those officials in the court to provoke the King of Chu innocently? Not to mention that he is a prince, even if it was us, we would not be able to swallow this breath if we were assassinated for no reason."

No one dared to respond to his words. In the end, Xie Tianlu, who had been looking at the city wall, glared at Zhu De'en first, then turned around and looked at the brothers around him, and whispered: "No one is allowed to tell others about what Zhu said just now, otherwise, don't blame me for not thinking of our comrades-in-arms!"

Seeing that Ying Zheng personally came to his rescue, Zhu De'en couldn't help but look at Li Tianlu with gratitude.

However, the excited conversation brought about by the commemorative medals ended there.

Dozens of men were silent for a long time, but Cao Laoliu took the initiative to sit next to Li Tianlu and asked in a low voice: "Boss, has my sister-in-law not replied yet?"

A barely perceptible trace of helplessness flashed across Xie Tianlu's rough face. He shook his head without answering. However, the matter between him and Zhong Yi had been certified by the King of Chu. Even the King of Chu, Kang Shitou, Zhao Heng and others had given him gifts in advance.

However, after Zhong Yi recognized his brother Zhong Yan, he never appeared again.

Xie Tianlu made inquiries from many sources and found out that Zhong Yan had already returned to Jiangnan. He also found out that my brother-in-law who always ignored me was actually the son of Zhong Che, the left Cao Sishi of the Zhou Sansi Yamen. Then Zhong Yi was a real lady from a noble family!
After knowing Zhong Yi's identity, Xie Tianlu once thought that she was unwilling to live with a rough man like him, but recalling the vows they made, Xie Tianlu still wrote several letters in succession, wanting to know Zhong Yi's true thoughts.

It’s a pity that the letters I sent out fell into the sea and there was no response at all.

Cao Laoliu also knew about these things and couldn't help but comfort her: "Maybe sister-in-law hasn't settled down yet."

Xie Tianlu smiled bitterly and said, "Don't call me sister-in-law. She is a lady from a wealthy family. How could she let a rough man like me be her son-in-law?"

"." Cao Laoliu wanted to say something, but opened his mouth and no sound came out. Finally, he let out a long sigh.

The next day, Mao Shi.

With the early morning breeze and the waning moon, the Jinghu Army broke camp and returned south.

It was still early, and apart from the early vendors selling vegetables into the city, there were not many people on the official road.

After more than a year of marching, some people in the court acted unwisely, which resulted in them not only being unable to enjoy the farewell of the people and officials, but instead being like rats crossing the street, and having to quietly set off before dawn.

The generals had mixed feelings.

Unexpectedly, when the vanguard army reached Shili Pavilion in the south of the city, they saw senior generals such as Zhou Liang and Peng Er already waiting there.

Wu Gong, who was in the central army, received the news and hurriedly led his generals to the front.

When the two sides first met, they felt a little bit at a loss as to where to start.

In the end, it was Peng Er who personally poured wine for everyone and said, "The prince said that this matter has nothing to do with you. He is injured and cannot see you off in person, so he sent us to see you off!"

Sun Wei, the commander under Wu Gong, picked up the wine bowl and wanted to say something, but he didn't say it. He simply tilted his head back and poured the bowl of wine into his mouth.

But someone behind Zhou Liang said, "Last year, Old Sun, you were shot by an arrow under the city of Ningjiang Prefecture. Taoist Wugen specifically told you not to drink alcohol for a year. He was not afraid that you would drink yourself to death!"

Even though he was cursing someone to death, everyone could tell that the other person was joking and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Sun Wei took the wine jar from the table, poured himself a bowl, and said to the young general behind Zhou Liang: "Baoxi, in Ningjiang Prefecture, your troops were the first to break through the city and win the first place. I may not be as good as you in fighting, but when it comes to drinking, three of you are no match for me! Come, drink with me!"

Upon hearing this, Geng Baoxi walked to the front, picked up a bowl of wine, clinked glasses with Sun Wei, and drank it all in one gulp.

Last year at the city of Ningjiang, it was these two groups of people who cooperated to capture the city. They can say that they are comrades fighting side by side and there is no problem with that.

After they drank the bowl of wine, they smiled at each other again. Then, Bao Xi put down the bowl and said, "Brother Sun, you need to listen to others' advice in the future. When you go back, you should quit drinking for a while. Your health is important! You are going a thousand miles away. Take care, Brother Sun!"

We are thousands of miles away from each other, and I don’t know what the situation will be like when we meet again.

In the atmosphere of farewell, Bao Xi's heartfelt words made people think of the unpredictable future, and all the generals of the Jinghu Army fell silent.

Zhou Liang laughed when he saw this and said, "General Wu, have a bowl with me! You old man, you still owe me a drink, but in order to avoid it, you asked to return south early! You are really stingy."

"Hahaha, come on! I'll have three bowls with you! Don't worry, I'll pay you back for this feast in this lifetime!"

Outside the Shili Pavilion, the front-line troops saw the generals of the two armies drinking wine before their farewell, and they couldn't help but think of their Huaibei brothers who had fought side by side for a year.

Zhu De'en subconsciously glanced at Li Tianlu. When he was in Liaodong, the battalion commander was very close to the Huaibei Army's commander Kang, Zhao Heng and others.

However, at the end of last year, because Captain Kang tried to persuade Xie Tianlu to stay in Huaibei to serve, the two had some unpleasantness and had not seen each other for several months. While he was thinking, he suddenly saw two knights galloping quickly on the side of the official road.

Cao Laoliu had sharp eyes. He took a look in the morning light and said in surprise, "Hey! Isn't that Brother Heng and Captain Kang?"

Several people subconsciously looked at Li Tianlu. Seeing that the former was standing in the team without any expression, Cao Laoliu could not help but get anxious and shouted to Kang Shitou who was looking around: "Captain Kang, we are here, and the battalion commander is here too!"

Upon hearing this, Kang Shitou immediately dismounted from his horse and strode towards this side.

Perhaps because of the unpleasant conversation at the end of the year, Xie Tianlu was still putting on a cool face.

After all, they were on the march, so even Kang Shitou couldn't just barge into the ranks. But after seeing Xie Tianlu, he stopped thirty steps away, waved and shouted, "Brother Xie, there's news from my sister-in-law! Last night, I received a letter from home saying that a female textile worker named Zhong came to my house and asked me to tell you, brother, don't forget the agreement you two made!"

After the Jinghu Army left the capital on March 24, all officials in the Qi court postponed almost all matters and focused on preparing for the new king's ascension to the throne.

Chen Jingyan looked through all the classics and made sure that the procession and ceremonial guards that would be used in the grand ceremony would conform to the etiquette system. With the assistance of Cai Yuan, Du Zhaoqing and others, Chen Chu, the person involved, was given some free time under the pretext of "recuperating".

At first, Chen Chu enjoyed this rare leisure time very much, but the closer it got to April 12, the more nervous he became.

After entering April, Chen Chu started to speak less and less. Sometimes he would sit alone in the study for a whole day. Even Yu Nong, who was the most popular with him, could not make him happy.

April 11th, the day before the grand ceremony.

Starting tomorrow, the family will move into the imperial city. Under the guidance of Huang Doudou, Mao'er and Cai Huan will check out the imperial city's harem in advance.

In this matter, Jiarou, who grew up in the palace, is the most suitable person to be the guide, but she is pregnant and is not suitable for hard work.

On the way home, Cai Huan, who was riding in the same car with Maoer, talked about this matter, and there was a hint of sourness in her words.

Mao Er couldn't help but laugh and said, "Sister Cai is not that old. Instead of being jealous of others, why not work harder yourself?"

Cai Huan shook her head in fear because of the difficult birth she had when giving birth to Ying'er. "I'm not going to do it again! It almost cost me my life last time. There are equal parts bitterness and sweetness in this life. Just like that, it was so comfortable that it made my soul leave my body, but giving birth to a child will torment me half my life. It is true that the more pleasure there is in the beginning, the more suffering there will be in the end."

"." As sisters for many years, Mao'er immediately understood what she meant by happiness, but fortunately, there were only the two of them in the car, so Mao'er couldn't help but smile and said, "My Imperial Concubine, how can you be so outspoken."

Cai Hua raised her eyebrows playfully and leaned towards Mao'er in a lewd manner, "The Imperial Concubine also needs a man! Could it be that the Empress will not need an official anymore in the future?"

"You're so unruly." Mao'er gently pushed Cai Huan and asked her to sit down.

Cai Huan refused to get up and continued to stay in Mao'er's arms. The two of them laughed and joked for a while. Mao'er suddenly said, "Sister Cai, have you noticed that there is something wrong with the master these days?"

After hearing this, Cai Huan stood up and sat down, saying without hesitation: "Of course, if he is a heartless person, then it would be fine."

"Sister Cai, what did you say?"

"You have watched him act over the years. When he was at Tongshan Luliu Market, all he thought about was how to make everyone live a good life."

"Sir, this is the case! When he first became a horse driver, he set a great ambition!"

Mao'er's face was full of pride. Cai Hua glanced at the arrogant Mao'er and said, "It is already a thousand difficulties and dangers for the people of a village, a county, and a prefecture to live a good life. How many things has he experienced and how many obstacles has he killed along the way? But it is too difficult to make a country a paradise. After tomorrow, how can he not be afraid of the heavy burden on his shoulders?"

"Afraid?" Mao'er felt that this word did not suit the official.

"Yes, I'm afraid I won't be able to be a good emperor. In the past, we only had external enemies in Huaibei, but now the plate is too big, and it is inevitable that there are good and bad people inside. From now on, if there are officials who oppress the people everywhere, he will be blamed."

There are already signs of this kind of thing happening, such as Ayu's cousin in the early years, and Pan Xiong and others who have just been imprisoned.

When it comes to government affairs, Mao Er admits that he is not as good as Cai Huan, so he takes the initiative to ask: "In your opinion, Sister Cai, what method can ensure the stability of the country and the happiness of the people?"

"There is no way. Since ancient times, when a new dynasty is established, there will usually be a period of vigor and vitality. Historical books attribute this to wise rulers and good ministers, but this is not the case."

"Oh? Sister Cai, tell me in detail."

"After the chaos, the population dropped sharply, but it was only because resources could cover social contradictions. To put it bluntly, there were fewer people and more land, and everyone focused their energy on restoring production. When the population grew to a certain level and resources became scarce, the big families would inevitably reach out to the people again."

Cat, who heard this for the first time, couldn't help but say, "But the master has been reducing the power of the big families over the years."

"Are you stupid? You can never completely eliminate all the big clans. When the old ones are gone, new ones will appear, just like the Huaibei clan today."

Cai Hua said calmly, but Mao Er couldn't help but feel frightened and subconsciously asked, "What should I do then?"

I thought Cai Huan knew so much and would have some great ideas, but unexpectedly, she spread her hands and said lazily: "If I had a way, I would have become the emperor long ago! In my opinion, why bother with so many things and worry all day long? It's better to be a tyrant who doesn't care about anything and live happily for the rest of my life. I don't care about the floods after my death. Anyway, I have been called a demon concubine, and it won't matter if a few more people scold me, as long as I eat one less meal, hehe."

"No! I don't want to be a tyrant!"

Mao Er was very unhappy and complained: "Sister Cai shouldn't make fun of such things."

Two quarters past three in the evening.

After returning home, even though Mao'er was worried about her husband, she still took Cai Huan to visit Jiarou first.

There will be a big ceremony tomorrow, and they will have to stand for at least one or two hours. Mao'er is worried that Jiarou and Yunong, who are pregnant, won't be able to hold on, so she specially brings them some pregnancy-stabilizing pills.

Jiarou, who looked much more haggard recently due to the assassination attempt, thanked him politely but did not eat it on the spot.

After Mao'er and Cai Hua left, Cai Hua said sarcastically, "You see, your kindness has been taken for granted, right? You delivered medicine to someone, and she was worried that you might harm the baby in her belly. Maybe she would abandon you as soon as you left the house."

But the cat was not angry. Instead, she smiled softly and said frankly, "It's her business whether she eats it or not, but my intention must be conveyed."

Compared to Jiarou, Yunong is much cuter.

When she learned that her sister had personally brought her the pregnancy-preserving medicine, she swallowed it right away with some warm water.

These three sisters from Tongshan are closer!

The three of them talked for a while, and even Yunong, who used to be indifferent to everything, noticed Chen Chu's abnormality and suggested: "Sister, the young master has been talking less recently, and I feel sorry for him. Let's go together to make him happy."

"Everyone says you are careless, but aren't you observing the prince very carefully?"

Cai Hua poked Yunong's forehead with her finger, then stood up and said, "Okay, let's go and see what he's doing."

The three men acted as they said, but when they left Xiyuan and asked someone "Where is the prince?" they found out that Chen Chu had left the house in the afternoon and had not returned yet.

Since the 19th of last month, Chen Chu has stayed in the mansion for nearly a month without going out. Why did he go out without saying hello today?
After all, the assassination happened not long ago, and Mao'er was a little worried, so he sent people to the prime minister's residence, Chen's family and other places to inquire. However, unexpectedly, he couldn't find anyone in the few places in Tokyo City where Chen Chu might have gone.

As it was getting dark, Mao'er and Cai Hua began to get anxious.

Yunong's imagination was full of imagination, and he guessed, "Could it be that the young master didn't dare to be the emperor and ran away in fear?"

Cai Huan glanced at Yunong unhappily, but the latter was still worried about his own guess and said to himself: "The young master has fought for so many years and so many people have died. If he doesn't become the emperor, wouldn't those people have died in vain?"

Hearing this, Cai Hua suddenly had an idea and blurted out, "Where were the soldiers who died in the battle of Tokyo buried?"

Mao'er had personally participated in this matter and immediately replied: "Most of the fallen soldiers were taken back to Huaibei for burial, but..."

Mao'er and Cai Hua looked at each other and said almost at the same time: "Old Bai!"

Well, the cenotaph of Bai Yutang, nicknamed White Rat, is in the east of the city. (End of this chapter)