Jiuxi

Chapter 704 Chapter 702 [Needle in the Sea]

When Qing Yu Huaijin returned to the palace, it was already dusk.

Her steps were a little unsteady, and she ignored the servants' greetings and went straight back to Jinyuan where she lived.

Standing alone in front of the window, with a gloomy expression.

On the way back home, she had roughly figured out the emperor's intention.

Essentially, letting her marry the fourth prince Hai Ge had nothing to do with the emperor's so-called love for him. Instead, the emperor was intentionally sending a signal that he would not kill all of the Qing Yu family, and would still use gentle means to solve the problem of Qing Yugong's achievements being too great, thereby cooling down the situation within the Jing Dynasty and avoiding more intense conflicts and civil unrest.

As for her own happiness and wishes, they are undoubtedly unimportant.

Qing Yu Huaijin would not be so naive as to think that the emperor really treated her as his own daughter, but the care he had shown her over the past decade or so was always genuine. Now that this warmth had been directly punctured, it finally wiped out the few remaining fantasies in her heart.

When the title of Dajing Military God was given to Qing Yugong by the court and the public, the current situation was already determined.

For Emperor Jing, even if the country could only maintain its existing territory in the future, he was still a wise ruler with great talent and strategy in expanding territory, and his achievements could not be overlooked in later history books.

However, if Qing Yugong's momentum is not suppressed, and he continues to lead troops and gain merit, and continues to hold a large amount of military power, this will pose a fatal threat to the status of the Alihe family.

Qing Yu Huaijin felt as if she was trapped in an invisible net. She struggled in every way she could not break free, and her breathing became increasingly difficult.

Hearing footsteps, Qing Yu Huaijin turned his head and saw Qing Yugong walking in.

The middle-aged man had a complicated expression, one of pity and guilt.

Qing Yu Huaijin stepped forward and saluted, "Father."

Qing Yugong held her wrist and said, "Please sit down. Today we can have a chat as father and daughter."

"Yes, Father."

Qing Yu Huaijin did not call a maid, but personally poured tea for Qing Yu before sitting down opposite him.

Qing Yugong said slowly: "The emperor summoned you today, I guess he wants to arrange a marriage for you?"

Qingyu Huaijin was startled.

She went straight back to Jinyuan because she hadn't figured out how to communicate with her father. This marriage seemed unavoidable and it affected Qing Yu's future situation. Her personal happiness really didn't matter. She was just feeling confused for the moment and needed to calm down.

Unexpectedly, my father had already guessed it.

She had no choice but to tell him what the emperor had said in the royal hunting ground.

Qing Yugong was silent for a moment, his deep gaze fell on Qing Yu Huaijin's face, and he said gently: "Huaijin, you have always had the shadow of Nanqi Lu Chen in your heart, right?"

"Father, I...I didn't."

Qing Yu Huaijin looked flustered and quickly denied it.

As if to convince her father, she added, "Father, Lu Chen is Da Jing's most difficult enemy right now. Countless warriors have died directly or indirectly at his hands. In addition, I was once captured by him. With so much hatred accumulated, how could I be interested in him?"

Qing Yugong said: "I didn't say you were interested in him, I just said that his shadow existed in your heart."

Qing Yu Huaijin said hastily: "Even if there is a shadow, it is a shadow of hatred. I just want to take his life one day."

Qing Yugong smiled and sighed softly.

Qing Yu Huaijin just felt very awkward and her heart became more and more uneasy, because at this moment even she herself could not confirm how real the so-called shadow of hatred was.

Qing Yugong said slowly, "I can actually understand your feelings. Although Southern Qi's Lu Chen is an enemy, this young man is indeed a leader among the young people of the time. Looking at the course of his rise, although he was supported and cared for by the late Southern Qi emperor and Xiao Wangzhi, the root cause lies in his own ability and character. From a hostile standpoint, everyone hopes to see such a young man die a violent death. If you put aside this standpoint, you have to admit that he is a great man."

Qingyu Huaijin remained silent.

She admitted this. After witnessing Lu Chen's actions with her own eyes, she couldn't help but have an indescribable feeling when she used this standard to look at the princes and dignitaries around her.

They are no match for Lu Chen at all.

Of course, emotional matters cannot be simply judged by good or bad. There are also many ordinary people in this world who are content with being ordinary and yet can enjoy happiness.

But Qing Yu Huaijin is not an ordinary person. Her pride needs no elaboration. She will naturally compare those who admire her with Lu Chen.

To put it another way, she hopes that her partner is stronger than Lu Chen and can defeat that guy. Maybe this is unreasonable, but it is also human nature.

"If Lu Chen is used as the standard for choosing a son-in-law, the minimum requirement is that he cannot be worse than him. This is indeed a very difficult thing to do. No wonder you are so resistant to marriage. Even the prince finds it difficult to accept it."

Qing Yugong's attitude remained calm, and he said slowly: "But you have to understand that most of the time things in the world are not as we wish, especially when we are born in a mansion like ours, and many times we can't go against the current." Qing Yuhuaijin's eyes were dim.

My father's words naturally came from the bottom of his heart.

Both of them wisely stopped talking about Lu Chen. Even if Qing Yu Huaijin was really interested in him, there was no possibility of this happening unless Qing Yugong moved his family to Nantou.

Qing Yu Huaijin had a bitter smile on his face and said softly, "Father, I understand."

Qing Yugong sighed and said, "Your Majesty, this is a further test. If you marry into the royal family, on the one hand, it can appease the people's hearts that have been floating recently, and on the other hand, it will also be beneficial to Your Majesty's subsequent actions."

Qing Yu Huaijin bowed his head and said, "Yes, if my daughter becomes the princess, the Qing Yu family will be royal relatives, and my father will no longer be able to command more than 100,000 troops like before. He must gradually hand over the military power in his hands, and Your Majesty can suppress my father with justification. And because of the existence of my daughter, Your Majesty will not kill the Qing Yu family, and will leave a way out for them to enjoy wealth and glory without threatening the stability of the imperial power."

"You've made a lot of progress in the past two years."

Qing Yu praised respectfully, and then said: "Of course, we can choose not to accept it."

Qing Yu Huaijin suddenly raised his head, his face full of shock.

Qing Yugong said leisurely: "If we don't want your majesty to get what he wants, the Qing Yu clan can only rebel. I have thought about this path."

Qing Yu Huaijin murmured, "Father, you...how could you..."

She hesitated to speak, Qing Yugong smiled and said, "You mean, I have been a loyal minister of Dajing for more than 20 years, how could I have such thoughts? Huai Jin, people will change, your majesty is like this, how can I be an exception? Looking back to the past, when your majesty first ascended the throne, he trusted me very much, and we rode in the same car and sat at the same table. He appointed me as the Marshal of the Southern Court and handed over the power of the army to me. What about now? Maybe your majesty did not expect that I could make so many contributions. When he felt threatened, it was natural for him to change his attitude towards me."

"As a subject, loyalty to the emperor is the right path. This is what Zhao Siwen and others often say, but I don't really follow it. I have considered it over and over again over the past six months, and finally I can only reluctantly admit that if I lead the Qingyu family to rebel, it will be a dead end with no chance of survival."

"Your Majesty has been on guard against me. The Dingbai Army is keeping an eye on the Xiashan Army, and the Changsheng Army is keeping an eye on the Fangcheng Army. As for the capital city, Your Majesty has an absolute advantage. Including the personal soldiers of the palace and the warriors scattered in the city, I can mobilize less than two thousand people. I think this is all within Your Majesty's calculations."

"Your Majesty cherishes his life very much and will not take risks lightly. So even if I can exchange my life for others, in the end it will only benefit those princes and Sa Gai and others, and the Qingyu clan will definitely be divided up and swept away by them. Your Majesty calculated that I would not be willing to use the lives of the Qingyu clan as a bet, and knew that I would not take the path of destroying myself together, so he used this method to force me to submit, and your marriage is the most important chess piece he dropped."

Qing Yugong slowly leaned back in his chair, a look of melancholy appearing on his face.

Qing Yu Huaijin stared at his father's weathered face and felt a pain in his heart.

The father in her memory was tall and mighty, with an imposing demeanor. He was the god of war passed down by the people of Dajing. He had never had the expression he had now.

When the queen wanted to betroth her to the crown prince Nalan, she ran to the border in anger. Her father did not mind. On the contrary, he reported to the emperor directly for her and helped her to cancel the marriage.

Looking back now, she feels that she was really willful and can increasingly appreciate the love her father had for her.

Thinking of this, Qing Yu Huai Jin took a deep breath, raised his head and said, "Father, the situation is pressing and the road ahead is bumpy. How can I endanger the foundation of the Qing Yu family because of my personal thoughts? I am willing to marry into the royal family and will no longer resist the marriage."

Qing Yugong nodded slightly and said with a guilty look, "I'm sorry I wronged you."

Qing Yu Huaijin shook his head and said, "I'm not wronged. I'm sorry to have caused my father to worry."

"The crown prince has just passed away, and the heir has not yet been appointed. The emperor will not be in a hurry to let you get married for the time being. Most likely you have to wait until the situation in the southern border stabilizes."

Qing Yugong slowly stood up and said gently, "If the emperor summons you next time, or if the fourth prince intends to invite you, please try not to refuse for your father's sake."

"Yes, Father."

Qing Yu Huaijin stood up to see him off.

Qing Yugong came to the inner study alone, where a middle-aged man had been waiting for a long time.

"My Lord, why don't you tell the princess the truth?"

This man's name is Pu Sanguang. He has no position in the palace, but he is Qing Yugong's true confidant.

Qing Yugong sat on the armchair and said calmly, "Although Huai Jin is smart, she is still inexperienced and will inevitably reveal flaws. Let her suffer a little for now. It won't affect the overall situation."

Pu San Guang said no more.

Qing Yugong said slowly, "Just now Huai Jin said that the emperor intends to marry her to the fourth prince. This shows that our previous guess was correct. The death of the crown prince is closely related to the third prince Wu Yan. It seems that Your Majesty has underestimated the fourth prince after all. This young man is not simple."

Pu Sanguang leaned in closer and said, "Do you want to muddy the waters further?"

"No need."

Qing Yugong shook his head and tapped the table with his hand. After a moment, he said, "Since His Majesty is determined to take action against the Qing Yu family, we should temporarily follow his wishes and wait patiently for the turning point to appear."

Pu Sanguang said respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty."

(End of this chapter)