Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 393: Seizing the throne! Pang De guards Tongguan!
"My Zhen family is going to soar to the sky this time!"

"Lord Wen's daughter is pregnant with the heir to the throne, and my Zhen's children are also pregnant with the heir to the throne. It is still unknown who will be the queen!"

"I hope it's a prince."

"Didn't you hear the conversation between the doctor and Concubine Zhen just now? Concubine Zhen likes to eat sour food recently. As the saying goes, sour boys and spicy girls, she must be pregnant with a prince!"

The elders of the tribe discussed with each other, all with smiles on their faces.

At this time, the elder of the fourth house asked: "Master, now that Concubine Zhen is pregnant, how can we return to Yecheng?"

Zhen Mi returned home this time to pay tribute to her mother, so she couldn't stay too long and had to go back after a while.

But now she is pregnant, and long journeys might affect the fetus. It would be a big trouble if it causes the baby to be miscarried.

"How can I go back now?"

As soon as this was said, the five clan elders objected, "Wuji County is a long way from Yecheng, and the road is blocked by heavy snow, which is very dangerous."

"This dragon heir is the key to the prosperity of our Zhen family. There must be no mistakes. We must wait until the child is born before letting Concubine Zhen return to Yecheng!"

The elder of the third clan frowned and said, "But this is against the rules."

The Fifth Clan leader waved his hand and said, "What's against the rules? The dragon heir is the most important!"

The two of them were arguing and neither of them would give in.

Seeing this, Zhen Yi said, "Let your Majesty decide on this matter. I will leave for Yecheng in three days."

"Before that, let my sister recuperate at home."

Whether Zhen Mi returns to Yecheng is not something they can decide; it depends on the emperor's intention.

After all, it is against the rules for concubines to stay outside the palace for a long time.

However, from his point of view, he would rather Zhen Mi go back after Wuji gave birth to the child, because this is the safest way.

"What if Your Majesty does not allow it?"

At this moment, a sudden voice sounded, and everyone looked in the direction where the voice came from.

The person who spoke was the elder of the second branch of the clan.

He looked at Zhen Yi and said slowly, "This dragon heir is what my Zhen family has waited for four whole years. It can be said that this dragon heir is related to the future of my Zhen family."

"If Your Majesty orders Concubine Zhen to return to Yecheng to give birth, there is a possibility of miscarriage on the way. We cannot afford such a risk."

"Can the master of the house guarantee that nothing will happen?"

Zhen Yi was stumped by the words of the second-branch elder. He was speechless for a moment and could only remain silent.

The second clan elder continued, "There is another problem. Concubine Lu got pregnant with the heir earlier than Concubine Zhen, so her due date is also earlier."

"What if Concubine Lu gives birth to a prince first? What if Concubine Zhen gives birth to a princess? Then the position of empress and crown prince will be taken away."

"We have to prepare in advance."

After hearing the Second Branch Elder's profound words, the elders from other branches fell into deep thought.

Zhen Yi seemed to have thought of something, and looked at the Second Branch Elder with a shocked look. He stood up and pointed at him and said, "You, are you trying to replace the Dragon Heir?!"

The elders of the tribe were shocked when they heard this.

He looked at the elder of the second branch with horror.

Isn't the subtext of the Second Branch Elder's words that if Zhen Mi gave birth to a princess, she would be secretly replaced?

"When did I ever say that?!"

The second clan elder's face also changed, and he was so scared that he quickly explained: "This is a heinous crime that will exterminate all nine clans. Even if you give me ten guts, I wouldn't dare to do this!"

"I mean we can take advantage of this opportunity to seize the position of Queen!"

Hearing that the elder of the second branch did not have such an idea, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and felt relieved.

If he really had such a bold idea, there would be no need for the emperor to punish him, the Zhen family would clean up their own house.

Because no one dares to gamble with the lives of the entire family.

If Zhen Mi had not given birth to a prince, their Zhen family would at most not be able to become the number one family in the world, but it would still be a foregone conclusion that they would be among the top in the future.

But if they dared to replace the dragon heir, once it was discovered, it would be a great crime that would lead to the extermination of all nine generations of their clan. Why would they take such a big risk to do such a thing?
Besides, Zhen Mi is surrounded by many maids from the palace, and there are also the Tiger Guards outside the city.

Who dares to mess around?

Zhen Yi was also relieved a little, and then asked: "How can you take advantage of this opportunity to seize the position of queen?"

The second clan elder wiped the sweat from his forehead, glared at Zhen Yi unhappily, and then said: "The emperor once promised me the throne of the Zhen family, and now it is time to fulfill it."

"I, Zhen, have contributed so much to the court and have made great contributions. Now that Concubine Zhen is pregnant with the heir, she should be made queen."

"So my idea is to use this opportunity to ask Your Majesty to confirm the candidate for the Queen."

"As long as Concubine Zhen is made queen, it doesn't matter whether the baby she gives birth to is a prince or not. At least the position of crown prince will not fall to someone else."

Since ancient times, there has been a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. The queen's son has a natural advantage in etiquette and law and is qualified to inherit the throne.

As long as Zhen Mi becomes the queen before Lu Lingqi, no matter when the prince is born, he will be made the crown prince!
"Your Majesty will not establish a queen so early."

Zhen Yi shook his head and frowned, saying, "We all know the reason. If Your Majesty makes my sister the queen now, it will definitely cause dissatisfaction from Lu Fengxian."

"Lü Fengxian is the chief military commander in the court. Your Majesty still needs him to fight against the rebels, so why would you want to chill his feelings?"

Of course he understood the logic of the Second Branch Elder's words, but he did not think that the Emperor would establish the Queen at this time.

"You think too highly of that reckless man."

The elder of the Second House sneered at the words and said, "Lü Bu is indeed brave, but aren't there many brave generals in the court?"

"Let alone Zhao Yun, even Huang Zhong who destroyed the Wuhuan was not much worse than Lu Bu. Lu Bu was just the one who surrendered to Your Majesty earlier and was therefore the most valued."

"But my Zhen family is different. My Zhen family has amassed countless wealth for the imperial court. For such a long time, most of the expenses of the imperial court's expeditions and armed forces were paid by my Zhen family."

"Besides my Zhen family, which other family can do this?"

"Your Majesty, without Lu Bu, you can still use other generals to fight the enemy, but without me, Zhen, to mobilize money and food, I'm afraid you won't even be able to fight a war!"

The tone of the Second Branch Elder was filled with pride.

This is not exaggeration. Zhen's business is now spread across all states, like a huge net that continuously gathers the world's wealth to Jizhou.

It can be said that without the money, food and supplies provided by the Zhen family, the imperial court would not have been able to fight such a long war, and the army would have become more and more elite.

Arming and maintaining an army costs money!
"so--"

The second-house elder changed the subject and said in high spirits, "It is time to let His Majesty know the importance of our Zhen family."

"Now it is winter, the court needs to provide relief to the people. Haven't we prepared a batch of money and grain to deliver?"

"It might as well delay it for a while."

The words of the Second Branch elder had made it very clear. He intended to let the emperor understand the attitude and importance of their Zhen family by doing work without putting in any effort.

Thus, Zhen Mi was appointed as the queen to appease them!
Hearing the second elder's bold idea, the people in the hall had different expressions, but they were somewhat tempted. This method seemed... feasible.

If she doesn't get the position of queen now, it will be difficult to compete for it when Lu Lingqi gives birth to a prince first. Now is a good opportunity to compete for the position of queen.

"Master, make a decision."

The elder of the second branch looked at Zhen Yi, waiting for his answer.

Everyone also turned their eyes to him.

The hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Zhen Yi put his hands together and looked at the snowflakes falling outside the hall. After a long while, he slowly said, "I will return to Yecheng tomorrow."

The second clan elder smiled upon hearing this.

If you don't object, that means you agree.

The other elders were also cheered up.

The day of his Zhen family's rise to prominence is coming!
……

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Sizhou, Chang'an.

Ma Chao has not slept well in recent days, and the reason is the news coming from the front line and Yongzhou.

Liu Bei led 50,000 troops to attack Yongzhou, cutting off his grain transportation route.

Although the food and fodder he had stored in Chang'an was enough for his army to survive the winter, it was still a bad thing.

In addition, the attack on Tongguan was also very fierce.

According to the message from the commander of Tongguan, the Han army launched continuous attacks on Tongguan and frequently launched surprise attacks, which made the Han army panic.

Fighting in winter is not an easy task. The Han army generally wears warm woolen clothes, and it is very difficult for the soldiers to defend the city.

If it weren't for the geographical advantage of Tongguan, they would have been defeated long ago and would not have been able to hold on.

"What a bunch of trash!"

After reading the intelligence, Ma Chao became more and more angry. He could not help but curse: "We are already at a disadvantage in guarding Tongguan. If we fight head-on, won't we be defeated?"

"Why not just pack up and go back to Liang Province, and hand Chang'an over to Lu Bu!"

He was really angry with the commander of Tongguan.

Tongguan is a strategic pass known as "one man guarding the pass, ten thousand men cannot break through". Let alone 30,000 people guarding it, even 30,000 pigs can defend it!
As a result, the defending general told him that it was difficult to defend and the Han army was too brave, so he asked him for help. This was simply ridiculous!

Why are there so many losers under his command?

Seeing Ma Chao getting angry, the generals in the tent didn't dare to say anything. No one wanted to offend him at this time.

Only Pang De's eyes moved slightly after hearing this, and he took the initiative to step forward and said: "General, I am willing to lead the troops to rush to Tongguan for assistance!"

"Ling Ming?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao looked at Pang De, somewhat surprised.

Pang De usually follows orders and seldom asks to do anything on his own initiative, but now he offers to go to Tongguan for assistance.

Feeling Ma Chao's doubtful gaze, Pang De said solemnly: "Tongguan is the gateway to Chang'an. It is extremely important. We must not make any mistakes."

"That villain Lu Bu is too brave. If he really breaks through Tongguan, the consequences will be disastrous. General, please let me lead the troops to help!"

Seeing Pang De kneeling on one knee to beg for orders in front of him, Ma Chao frowned and remained silent, feeling a little hesitant.

It’s not that he didn’t believe in Pang De’s ability, but because he originally planned to send Pang De to Yongzhou to repel Liu Bei and reopen the grain route.

After thinking for a while, Ma Chao finally nodded and said, "Well, I will feel relieved if you go to guard Tongguan."

"But remember to be cautious and don't listen to the trickery of that villain Lu Bu."

This is another reason why Ma Chao was reluctant to send Pang De over. He was worried that Pang De would know the truth.

Pang De saw Ma Chao's concerns and immediately said confidently: "General, please rest assured. The thief Lu Bu is full of tricks. I will not believe anything he says."

"With me guarding Tongguan, not a single enemy troop can get in!"

Ma Chao smiled in relief after hearing this, stood up, took his sword from the wall, handed it to Pang De, and said, "Then I'll leave this important task to you, Lingming."

"Don't let me down!"

Pang De took the sword with both hands and said in a loud voice: "I will definitely fulfill my mission!"

After saying this, he turned around and strode away.

After walking out of the tent, Pang De looked down at the sharp blade in his hand, then glanced at the tent behind him, his eyes becoming more profound.

……

In Chang'an City, the General's Mansion.

In a courtyard deep inside the mansion, there were more than a dozen fully armed Xiliang soldiers patrolling around.

The person imprisoned in this courtyard was Ma Teng.

He has been under house arrest here since he came here with Cui Lin last time. All the soldiers in the general's mansion are Ma Chao's confidants, and now he can't even leave the yard.

At first he would yell and curse in the yard and try to incite the Xiliang soldiers outside to rebel, but he ultimately failed.

Today, the Xiliang Army is no longer under his control.

The cold wind was howling outside, but there was not even a fire in the room. Ma Teng huddled in bed wrapped in a quilt, his old face turning blue with cold.

"This... damn... little beast..."

Ma Teng's teeth were chattering from the cold, and his heart was filled with anger and hatred towards Ma Chao.

Now Ma Chao had left him here to fend for himself and had never visited him once. The soldiers outside had no communication with him other than bringing him meals at a fixed time every day, and they didn't even say a word to him.

It was so cold and there was not even a fire in the house. If the quilt hadn't been quite thick, he would have probably given up.

Exhaling a puff of white mist, Ma Teng looked outside the house through the gap in the window. In the deep night, he could vaguely see soldiers patrolling back and forth.

At this moment, a cold wind blew and blew out the candle on the table, and the room suddenly fell into darkness.

Ma Teng got up wrapped in a quilt and went to light the candle again. At this moment, he found an extra token on the table, with a small note underneath.

"This is……"

Ma Teng's face changed and he reached out to pick up the note.

After taking a look at the content above, his surprise suddenly turned into ecstasy, and he almost couldn't help shouting out loud!
Fortunately, he finally suppressed his excitement, read the note carefully again, burned it with a candle, and then lay back down on the bed.

"Ling Ming, I was right about you!"

"You damned little bastard! Once I'm out of this predicament, I'm going to kill you with my own hands to vent my hatred!"

Ma Teng gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with anger.

The day when he will escape from this predicament is not far away!
(End of this chapter)