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Chapter 546 Rumors (I)

The Rouran cavalry came out in full force, as ferocious as wolves and tigers.

The border troops won a small victory and then a big defeat, followed by a series of defeats. General Fan was quite capable and did not collapse because of the defeat. He actively gathered his soldiers to defend the city, and with the tall and solid walls of Sizhou behind him, he barely managed to hold on to Sizhou.

Among them, there were also some unexpected military exploits. For example, the Nanyang Army, which was delivering food to Sizhou, resisted the Rouran cavalry in the initial encounter, and the commander Yu Chong even killed a Rouran general, boosting morale and making great contributions.

Unfortunately, tens of thousands of Rouran cavalrymen attacked Sizhou, causing heavy casualties and low morale among the border troops. No matter how powerful the Nanyang army was, it only had 4,000 elite soldiers and was unable to turn the tide, so it could only retreat with the border troops.

In the subsequent battle to defend the city, the Nanyang Army performed brilliantly and made many military achievements.

The Rouran cavalry split into two, half surrounded Sizhou, and the other half plundered everywhere. Several small counties outside Sizhou were affected, and the tragic scene of slaughter and burning was repeated. Just like Pengcheng that day. Young and strong men and women were abducted one after another, and the specific number was impossible to count.

The contents of the war report were shocking, and the court officials began to feel uneasy. Some people even began to spread rumors that they should have accepted the marriage proposal from the Rouran Khan and given Princess Baohua more dowry. This would have been much better than devoting all the national strength to the war and causing countless casualties among the people.

If the fighting continues like this and the border troops are defeated, the entire north will be trampled upon by the Rouran cavalry, the country will be lost, and the country will be in ruins. Whose fault is this?

Princess Baohua was unwilling to marry far away for the sake of the country's safety, and there was also the ambitious Princess Nanyang who insisted on not marrying...

These rumors spread from the court to the outside of the palace, and then quietly entered the palace. It seemed that there were one or more invisible hands pushing them in secret, and within a few days, they reached everyone's ears.

"absurd!"

Inside the Zhaohe Palace, the young Emperor Taihe's face was livid, and he flew into a rage: "I insisted on not accepting the marriage, and it was also the result of discussions among the civil and military officials in the court. How can you blame my elder sister? What does it have to do with my cousin Shaohua?"

"Someone must be stirring up trouble in secret, intending to disrupt the palace and the court, making people feel uneasy."

The Zhongshu Sheren standing by immediately bowed their hands and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down!"

"I beg Your Majesty to take the dragon's health into consideration and not be so impatient and angry."

"Rumors are nothing but a small matter. I will immediately have someone conduct a thorough investigation inside and outside the palace to find out who is the person who spread rumors and caused trouble."

Emperor Taihe looked at Zheng Chen, whose eyes flashed with coldness, and nodded: "Okay, I will leave this matter to you. I will give you five days to find the person who caused the trouble."

Zheng Chen bowed and accepted the order.

Last year, Zheng Chen was "ill" and stayed in the Anguo Mansion for more than half a month. Since then, Zheng Sheren has become more calm in his words and deeds.

Wang Jin was a step slower and couldn't help but regret it.

At this moment, Eunuch Ge came in quietly and reported in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Princess Baohua is outside asking for an audience."

It's easy to imagine that this rumor has already reached Princess Baohua's ears.

Emperor Taihe sighed: "Please ask the eldest sister to come in."

Several Zhongshu Sheren bowed and left tactfully. As they left, they met Princess Baohua, whose eyes were slightly red and her face was haggard.

Princess Baohua was in a state of confusion and had no intention of chatting with the others. She nodded slightly and entered the Showa Palace. Jiang Yi nudged Li Boyuan with his arm and said, "Your Highness is in a bad mood. Please ask cousin Wanhua to come to the palace and comfort and enlighten her."

Last December, Li Boyuan and Jiang Wanhua got married. The young couple was in love with each other. When Jiang Wanhua was in the palace, she lived with Princess Baohua, and they had a deep sisterly relationship. When encountering such a thing, it was time to go to the palace to comfort her.

Li Boyuan nodded in agreement, then turned to remind Zheng Chen: "You should also send a message to your fiancée, asking Miss Fan to come to the palace to accompany the princess."

The Zheng family and the Fan family have already been engaged, and coincidentally, the wedding date is in April, the same as Princess Nanyang's.

Zheng Chen nodded slightly: "I will take care of this matter."

Wang Jin frowned and whispered, "These rumors are very unfavorable to Princess Baohua, and also involve Princess Nanyang. At this time, the border army is fighting fiercely, and the court officials need to work together. The person who spread the rumors behind the scenes has ulterior motives and is plotting something big. Zheng Sheren must find this person out."

Zheng Chen pulled the corner of his mouth and said with a double meaning: "Wang Sheren is indeed a loyal minister. He is loyal to the emperor and Princess Baohua, and he is also so concerned about Princess Nanyang."

Wang Jin replied calmly, "Princess Nanyang presented a large amount of military rations and sent the Nanyang Army to deliver the rations, which actually meant sending 4,000 Nanyang Army to support the border troops. This time, the Nanyang Army made great contributions to the border troops. Such a loyal princess should not be slandered. As a secretary of the Central Secretariat, how can I stand by and watch."

The sarcasm on Zheng Chen's face became more and more obvious: "The wedding date of Princess Nanyang and Earl Changning is in April. It's a pity that Wang Sheren's deep affection and friendship will be wasted."

Wang Jin's expression remained unchanged: "Mr. Zheng is about to marry the daughter of the Fan family, which will be a great marriage. He still has the time to care about me. I am really touched."

The sarcasm is clearly visible.

Seeing that the two were about to confront each other again, Li Boyuan coughed and said, "Time is urgent, everyone should go about their business!"

The Princess of Nanyang is getting married. What qualifications and necessity do you two unrelated outsiders have to be jealous of each other?
Zheng Chen sneered at Wang Jin and walked away.

Wang Jin's eyes darkened and he stared at Zheng Chen's back, wondering what he was thinking.

……

"Don't cry, elder sister."

In the Zhaohe Palace, Emperor Taihe gently comforted the tearful Princess Baohua: "When I decided to drive away the Rouran envoy, I expected that there would be a war at the border. The current war situation is much better than I expected."

"The Rouran are ambitious and covet our Daliang. What does this have to do with my elder sister? You don't have to pay attention to those groundless rumors outside."

Princess Baohua cried, "The border troops suffered heavy casualties, and many innocent civilians were killed. Those who were taken away became slaves of the Rouran, and their lives were worse than death. All these sins were caused by me. Everyone blamed me behind my back, and I blamed myself in my heart."

Empress Dowager Zheng believed in Buddhism, and Princess Baohua was raised by her grandmother since she was a child, so she naturally believed in Buddhism. She felt that all these killings were caused by her unwillingness to marry into the imperial court, and she felt full of guilt.

Emperor Taihe coaxed Princess Baohua for a long time before she stopped crying.

After Princess Baohua left, Queen Mother Li, who had been "resting" in Ning'an Palace for two months, came.

Queen Mother Li didn't know who was gossiping, so she said, "If I had known it would be like this, I would have agreed to the marriage. Even if it could have appeased the Rouran and delayed the military action for a few years, Daliang would have had a few more years of peace."