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When the letter personally sent by Fu was delivered to the military camp outside the city, Su Ning was checking the summary of Minglitang's secret reports for the month with Zhao Pu.

The post was very simple, without any gold or silver foil stamping or complicated polite language.

There were only a few lines of neat small regular script, signed "Fu Shi of the Prince of Jin's Mansion".

“The Princess Consort of Jin invites Your Highness to her residence for a family dinner.” Zhao Pu presented the invitation. “If Your Highness does not wish to attend, I can inform you that I am busy with military affairs.”

Suning took the post, read it once, and said nothing.

The Fu family.

He knew the name.

Fu Yanqing's daughter first married Li Shouzhen's son. After Li Shouzhen's defeat, she single-handedly supported her declining family and managed to keep her younger brother alive.

After Guo Wei entered Kaifeng, he personally acted as matchmaker and betrothed her to Guo Rong, who had just lost his wife and son.

Second-marriage woman.

This status is already difficult for ordinary people, let alone for a royal family.

However, in the two years since Fu entered the Prince of Jin's residence, there has never been any controversy surrounding her.

She lived a secluded life, managing the household affairs meticulously. Occasionally, when she accompanied Guo Rong to palace banquets, she would always stand quietly to the side, never uttering a word.

After Guo Rong married her, his temper became much milder.

This was what many people in Bianliang were talking about in private.

“Go ahead.” Su Ning put down the invitation. “We can’t refuse to give face to our elder brother.”

Zhao Pu nodded and didn't try to persuade him further.

He knew what Su Ning was thinking.

The King of Jin and the King of Qin stood side by side.

On the surface, they appear to be brothers and brothers, but secretly, countless eyes are watching them, scrutinizing every meeting, every word, and every glance.

This banquet was no ordinary meal.

Three days later, at dusk.

Su Ning changed into an ordinary dark brocade robe, without any ceremonial guards, and only brought Zhao Pu and two personal guards, and arrived at the Prince of Jin's residence by carriage.

The mansion gates were wide open, and Guo Rong personally stood at the entrance to greet them.

He was dressed in a plain black robe, with only a plain silk sash tied around his waist. He wore no jade ornaments and carried no sword.

Upon seeing Suning's car in the distance, I walked down the steps.

"Third brother."

"Big brother."

The two brothers stood facing each other, each bowing with their hands clasped in greeting.

The manners were impeccable, neither too close nor too distant.

Guo Rong stepped aside to lead the way, saying, "Your sister-in-law has prepared some food and drinks inside. It's all home-style cooking, so please don't be offended."

"Brother, what are you saying?" Su Ning said. "I'm sorry to bother you."

The two entered the mansion side by side.

Passing through the second gate and around the screen wall, you arrive at the main hall of the Prince of Jin's residence.

The table was already set in the hall. It wasn't the kind of royal banquet with a table full of delicacies, but rather a few delicate seasonal dishes, a pot of warm yellow wine, and four sets of bowls and chopsticks.

Fu stood in front of the hall to greet them.

She was wearing a light purple casual dress, her hair was simply styled in a bun, and she only had a white jade hairpin in it.

Upon seeing Su Ning enter, he bowed slightly in greeting.

"His Royal Highness King Qin."

"Sister-in-law," Su Ning returned the greeting, neither humble nor arrogant.

Fu raised her head, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment.

That was an observation, and also a judgment.

Su Ning noticed the gaze but did not look away.

Their eyes met, then they looked away.

"Have a seat," Guo Rong said. "We're all family, don't be shy."

The three of them took their seats.

Fu personally took the wine pot and poured a cup of wine for Guo Rong and Su Ning respectively.

"Your Highness spends most of the year in the military camp and rarely comes to the residence." Her voice was not loud, but it had a calming quality. "I have prepared a few dishes today. If they are not to your liking, I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

"Sister-in-law, you're too kind." Su Ning raised her wine glass. "We're used to eating communal meals in the military camp, so everything is good here."

Fu smiled slightly and did not reply.

She sat back down next to Guo Rong, quietly setting out the dishes and pouring the wine, as if she were just an observer.

Guo Rong spoke first.

"I heard that the National Defense Forces have expanded by two more regiments?"

"Yes," Su Ning said. "The three thousand new recruits from Hebei have completed their basic training and will be assigned to their respective regiments next month."

Are there enough military supervisors?

"The second batch of military supervisors has just graduated, so this is a good opportunity to fill the gap."

"What about rations and pay?"

"The profits from Chengxin Trading Company are enough to last until the end of the year. Next spring, another batch of silk will be shipped out of the pass from the Yangzhou branch, taking the trade route of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and the profits will double."

Guo Rong nodded, picked up his wine glass, and took a sip.

"Your business dealings are even more meticulous than those of the Privy Council's accountants."

"Brother, you flatter me." Su Ning also raised his glass. "It's just a small-scale operation, enough to feed tens of thousands of people."

Fu listened quietly from the side, then suddenly spoke.

"I've heard that Your Highness's Chengxin Trading Company even has branches in the Khitan region?"

Su Ning looked up at her.

Fu's gaze was calm, and his question was equally calm, as if it were just a casual inquiry.

“There are a few,” Su Ning said. “They deal in furs and medicinal herbs; it’s a small business.”

"The Khitans are fierce. Will Your Highness's men be safe there?"

"With a local wealthy businessman leading the way, things are relatively safe."

Fu nodded and asked no further questions.

Guo Rong glanced at his wife but said nothing.

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

Guo Rong put down his chopsticks and suddenly asked, "Third brother, how old are you this year?"

"eighteen."

“Eighteen…” Guo Rong repeated the number, paused for a moment, “At your age, my elder brother has already been fighting on the battlefield for three years.”

Suning remained silent.

“My father took me under his wing and taught me to read, practice martial arts, and command troops. In those years, I didn’t have to think about anything else. I just followed my father and did whatever he told me to do.”

Guo Rong's voice was flat, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

"Later, when my father ascended the throne, he bestowed upon me the title of Prince of Jin."

"That's when I started thinking about it."

He picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

“Think about what I should and shouldn’t do. Think about what my father thinks, and what you think. Think about what will happen to my old subordinates who have followed me, and what those who are watching me are plotting.”

"Thinking too much makes you tired."

Fu gently pressed his hand down.

Guo Rong looked down at the hand, his expression softening.

"I invited you here today, my brother, for no other reason than to tell you that no matter what those people outside say or how they try to sow discord, we brothers will always be brothers." He looked up at Su Ning and said, "I just want to tell you that no matter what they say or how they try to stir things up, we brothers will always be brothers."

Su Ning met his gaze and remained silent for a moment.

“I know,” he said.

Guo Rong smiled.

There was something indescribable about that smile...

Relief, exhaustion, and perhaps a little bit of relief.

"Let's eat." He picked up his chopsticks again. "The food's getting cold."

Fu poured wine for the two of them again.

After several rounds of drinks, the night deepened.

Suning got up to take his leave.

Guo Rong and Madam Fu escorted them to the gate of the mansion.

“Third brother,” Guo Rong called out to him from the steps, “come often when you have free time in the future.”

Su Ning turned around and glanced at him.

In the darkness, the elder brother's face was half-hidden in the light and shadow of the lanterns hanging at the gate of the mansion, making it impossible to see his expression.

"it is good."

He turned and got into the car.

The carriage drove away from the Prince of Jin's residence and disappeared into the deep night of Bianliang.

Zhao Pu turned on a small lamp in the car and continued to organize the secret reports he had on hand by the light.

"Your Highness, the Princess Consort of Jin asked about those Khitan branches today."

"Ah."

"Should we remind them to be more careful in the future?"

Suning leaned against the car wall, watching the street scene rushing past the car window.

"No need. She's just curious."

Zhao Pu did not ask any further questions.

The carriage continued on its way.

Contacting the Khitans was a major plan for Su Ning, because the Great Zhou was short of horses, and the horse resources were all in the hands of the Khitans and Tanguts.

Therefore, Su Ning wanted to stage a power struggle with Guo Rong, at least to make the Khitans believe so, so that he could gain their support.

After all, the Khitans did not want the Great Zhou to be a unified entity; they wished it would become chaotic and war-torn again.

In the distance, the lights of the military camp outside the city twinkled and appeared and disappeared in the night.

Suning closed his eyes.

He recalled the scrutinizing look Fu had given him that day, and the fleeting weariness in Guo Rong's eyes when he spoke those words.

Are you tired, brother?

They must be tired.

The position of prince is coveted by countless people.

His old subordinates, who had followed him for over a decade, hoped he would advance further; those who waited to see him contend with the King of Qin plotted day and night; and those courtiers, unable to fathom the emperor's intentions, constantly pondered his every move.

He couldn't help but be exhausted and in great pain, after all, his wife and children had been slaughtered by Liu Chengyou, which was the most profound price he had paid.

But Guo Rong still invited everyone to this family dinner.

Suning opened her eyes.

The carriage had arrived at the gate of the military camp.

After getting off the vehicle, he nodded to the soldiers on night duty, then crossed the parade ground and entered his small duty room.

There were still unread secret reports piled up on the table.

He sat down and picked up a confidential report.

It was sent from the Khitan, saying that Emperor Yelü Jing of Liao fell from his horse and injured his leg during the autumn hunt this year, and several princes in the royal court are starting to make moves again.

After reading it, I put it down and picked up another one.

It was sent from Jinling City of the Southern Tang Dynasty, saying that Emperor Li Jing has recently become increasingly obsessed with poetry and has not attended court for half a month. The court officials have split into several factions and are arguing endlessly.

He quickly picked up the third one.

It was sent from Chengdu in Western Shu, saying that Meng Chang had recently expanded the palace gardens, spending a huge sum of money, which caused many people in Shu to complain.

As night deepened, the number of confidential reports on the table dwindled.

Suning has never shown any signs of recovery.

Zhao Pu came in to refill the tea once, then quietly left.

The night outside the window is very deep.

Su Ning suddenly remembered the glass of wine that Fu had drunk.

It wasn't the wine itself, but the way she poured it...

With a steady wrist and focused gaze, he poured just the right amount, filling the cup to about seven-tenths full.

That kind of composure comes from someone who has weathered storms.

How old was she when Li Shouzhen was defeated?
Eighteen? Nineteen? A newlywed woman, who has only recently married into her husband's family, faces a desperate situation: her husband's family has fallen, her own family is thousands of miles away, and the whole city is full of enemies.

She survived, and she also protected her younger brother so he could survive.

Such a person, tonight, simply sits quietly to the side, serving food and pouring wine, occasionally asking a few unimportant questions.

After Guo Rong married Fu, his temper became much milder.

He recalled the private gossip circulating in Bianliang.

mild.

Perhaps not mild.

Perhaps it's just...

Someone shielded Guo Rong from some things, allowing him to finally stop "thinking" about things at home.

Su Ning put down the secret report in his hand and gently blew out the lamp on the table.

I sat alone in the darkness for a while.

Outside the window, the night wind swept across the military camp's parade ground, carrying the faint sound of bugles.

The warmth of that cup of wine in the Prince of Jin's mansion still lingered on my lips and teeth.

That's not alcohol.

It was a silent message delivered to him by his elder brother.

No matter what those people outside say or how they try to stir things up.

We brothers will always be brothers.

……

In December of the fourth year of Guangshun, the winter in Bianliang was exceptionally cold.

Wang Yin went to the capital.

This veteran official, who served four dynasties, was appointed as the military governor of Fengguo Army and Tianxiong Army for supporting Guo Wei's ascension to the throne at the end of the Later Han Dynasty. He later rose through the ranks to become the commander of the Imperial Guard, the governor of Yedu, and the co-prime minister.

In terms of official rank, he was second only to Wang Jun among the military generals of the Great Zhou Dynasty; in terms of seniority, he was even older than Wang Jun.

But he is smarter than Wang Jun.

Wang Jun was arrogant and domineering, so he restrained himself.

Wang Jun would point his finger at the prime minister and berate him in court, but he never did.

Wang Junqiang requested the dismissal of Li Gu and Fan Zhi, but he only secretly encouraged the movement and never personally intervened.

So even though Wang Jun was demoted, he remained in office.

He is still alive, still an official, and still commands two elite forces: the Fengguo Army and the Tianxiong Army.

But he knew that his time was running out.

He understood when Wang Jun was demoted to Shangzhou.

Guo Wei cherishes the past, but he cherishes the country even more.

Whoever blocks the path to power must leave.

Wang Jun is gone, who's next?
He. No surprises.

It's only a matter of time.

Wang Yin knew in his heart that this trip to the capital to pay homage to the emperor was fraught with danger.

But he still came.

Not coming would be disobeying the imperial decree.

The crime of disobeying an imperial decree is the greatest, and even one's relatives cannot be protected.

He was betting that Guo Wei still held onto that last bit of old affection.

After all, he had been following Guo Wei since the year the uprising began.

We drank together, fought enemies together, and crawled out of piles of corpses together.

Is this old friendship enough to save his life?

December 12th, early morning.

Zide Hall.

Wang Yin, dressed in his official robes according to his rank, entered the palace to pay homage with the officials.

Guo Wei sat upright on the throne, his face calm.

Court ceremonies were conducted as usual, audiences were presented as usual, and everything was as usual.

Until the court session ended.

The officials filed out of the Zide Hall.

Wang Yin followed in the queue, walking step by step towards the outside of the hall.

He had just stepped across the threshold of the palace gate...

"Take it."

The voice coming from behind wasn't loud, but it was piercingly clear.

Wang Yin froze.

Before Wang Yin could turn around, seven or eight imperial guards rushed out from both sides and pressed down on his shoulders.

With his knees bent and his body slumping, Wang Yin was forced to kneel on the cold stone steps in front of the palace.

"Your Majesty..." Wang Yin cried out hoarsely, desperately trying to look up at the figure on the throne one last time.

But the throne is empty.

Guo Wei had already moved to the rear hall.

Wang Yin knelt there, staring at the empty throne, his lips moving but no sound coming out.

A high-pitched eunuch's voice came from beside him, reading aloud a pre-prepared imperial edict:
"...Wang Yin served four emperors without ever thinking of repaying their kindness. Instead, he secretly formed cliques and plotted rebellion. Considering his past merits, we cannot bear to execute him. Instead, we strip him of all his official positions and exile him to Dengzhou. He shall leave the capital immediately and shall not linger."

To plot something sinister.

Four words determined his entire life.

Wang Yin lowered his head and listened as the imperial edict was read out word by word.

He did not argue.

He knew that arguing would be pointless.

When Guo Wei decides to kill someone, he never gives them a chance to argue.

Seven days later, outside Bianliang city, beside the post road.

Wang Yin sat in the prison cart, gazing at the city walls of Bianliang gradually shrinking in the distance.

He had visited this city countless times.

To pay homage to the emperor, to report on one's duties, to celebrate achievements, and to attend banquets.

Every time they come, they are surrounded by a large entourage, with carriages and horses everywhere.

This time, however, he was accompanied only by two imperial guards and a dilapidated prison cart that was drafty on all sides.

The cold wind rushed into the prison van, scraping against our faces like knives.

Wang Yin wrapped his thin prison clothes tighter around himself and suddenly thought of Wang Jun.

Was this how Wang Jun left the city the year he was demoted?
He was secretly relieved at the time, thinking that he was smarter than Wang Jun, had hidden himself better, and had escaped this calamity.

It turns out I couldn't avoid it after all.

It was just a year late.

The prison cart rumbled forward, while the bare tree branches on both sides of the post road rushed past.

Wang Yin leaned against the wooden bars of the prison cart, his eyes closed.

He recalled the year he joined the army, when he and Guo Wei charged into the enemy ranks side by side, their bodies covered in blood.

After the battle, the two sat amidst the pile of corpses, drinking. Guo Wei patted him on the shoulder and said, "Good brother, follow me, and I'll guarantee you a lifetime of wealth and honor."

A lifetime of wealth and honor.

He believed it.

I really believed it.

The prison van lurched as it drove over a slope.

Wang Yin opened his eyes and found that in front of him was the last post station outside Bianliang City.

Once we pass this post station, we will truly be leaving the capital.

"Stop!" the escorting soldiers suddenly shouted.

Wang Yin was taken aback.

Several people dressed in plain clothes walked out of the post station. The leader was a young man with a thin face and calm eyes.

He recognized that face.

King Su Ning of Qin.

Wang Yin watched the young man walk step by step toward the prison van, and suddenly felt a chill in his heart.

They're not here to see me off.

On the day Wang Jun left the city, no one saw him off.

On the day he left the city, someone came.

It was the King of Qin who arrived.

The King of Qin's arrival is not a farewell.

“Your Highness…” Wang Yin began in a hoarse voice.

Su Ning stood outside the prison van, not approaching.

Behind him followed a young man in a blue robe, carrying a wine pot and two wine cups.

Zhao Pu stepped forward, filled two glasses with wine, and then withdrew.

Su Ning picked up a cup and, through the wooden bars of the prison cart, offered it to Wang Yin.

"Farewell, old general."

Wang Yin looked at the glass of wine and trembled all over.

"Your Highness..." Wang Yin's voice broke in the cold wind, "This old minister...this old minister is innocent..."

Suning did not respond.

He simply stood there quietly, holding that glass of wine.

Looking at that young face and those calm eyes, Wang Yin suddenly understood everything.

It's not Guo Wei.

It was the King of Qin.

The National Defense Army wanted to swallow up the Fengguo Army and the Tianxiong Army...

He had been waiting for this day from the very beginning.

Wait until Wang Jun falls, wait until Wang Yin falls, wait until these two most elite imperial guards fall into his hands.

Wang Yin closed his eyes.

He did not accept the glass of wine.

"Your Highness," Wang Yin hissed, "this old minister only has one question to ask..."

"Does Your Majesty still remember the wine we drank together outside Yedu that year?"

Suning remained silent for a moment.

"remember."

Wang Yin opened his eyes, and a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in his cloudy eyes.

"Then Your Majesty..."

"But Father is the Emperor."

Su Ning's voice was soft, yet it pierced Wang Yin's heart like an ice pick.

"Your Majesty, you cannot only remember wine and romance. For the sake of the people of Great Zhou, someone must make a sacrifice."

"Your Highness, His Majesty's health is deteriorating. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself next?"

"I hope the old general can live a little longer and see how I do it?"

Wang Yin's hand fell limply.

He still didn't take the glass of wine.

Su Ning placed the wine glass on the edge of the prison cart and turned to leave.

Zhao Pu followed behind him.

The cold wind howled along the post road, stirring up withered leaves and dust.

Wang Yin watched the departing young figure, then suddenly burst into laughter.

Laughter echoed across the empty post road, shrill and piercing.

The escorting soldiers looked at each other, unsure whether they should step forward and urge them on.

Wang Yin finished laughing, lowered his head, and stared at the glass of wine on the edge of the prison cart.

The wine was clear, reflecting the gray sky.

He picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"Let's go," Wang Yin said in a hoarse voice.

The prison cart continued forward, rumbling past the post station and disappearing at the end of the post road.

Su Ning stopped by the post road and looked back.

“Your Highness,” Zhao Pu said softly, “the person has gone far away.”

Suning did not respond.

Standing there, gazing at the empty post road.

Of those people who drank together outside Yedu City back then, Wang Jun is gone, and Wang Yin is gone too.

How many are still alive?

Suning doesn't know.

All that is known is that the order to reorganize the National Defense Forces has already been issued.

Three thousand key members of the National Defense Army split into two groups and headed to the garrisons of the Fengguo Army and the Tianxiong Army.

The list of military supervisors was drafted overnight, and they will depart first thing tomorrow morning.

From this day forward, the two most elite imperial guards of the Great Zhou will no longer be Wang Yin's private army, nor anyone else's private army.

They are soldiers of the Great Zhou.

They were his soldiers from Suning.

No! It's the Great Zhou National Defense Army.

"Back to the city," Su Ning said.

He turned around and boarded the carriage he had come from.

The wheels rolled along the post road, heading towards Bianliang City.

Behind them, at the end of the post road, the wind and snow began to rise.

Wang Yin's prison cart is no longer in sight.

In Bianliang, Guo Wei sat in his study, staring at a secret report that had just arrived, remaining silent for a long time.

The secret report was very short:

"Wang Yin has been dealt with according to regulations, having traveled thirty li outside the city. His relatives are to be moved to Dengzhou immediately."

Guo Wei folded up the secret report and set it aside.

He looked out the window at the gray sky and suddenly remembered the scene of drinking with Wang Yin outside Yedu City that year.

At that time, they were all in their early thirties, with plenty of energy to spare, so they could only fight the enemy, drink alcohol, and desperately climb the ladder of power.

They agreed then that they would share their wealth and prosperity together in the future.

Now he is rich and powerful, sitting on the dragon throne.

Wang Yin left, Wang Jun left, and one by one, those people who had drunk together left.

Guo Wei closed his eyes.

The cold wind howled outside the window.

I suddenly remembered what the King of Qin said when he wrote his letter last night:

“Your Majesty is benevolent, I know. But there are some things that cannot be done with benevolence.”

Mercy is not an option.

Yes! Mercy is not an option.

Guo Wei opened his eyes and picked up the memorial on his desk again.

They are all military affairs, all national affairs, all matters that cannot be handled with mercy.

He went down to the comments one by one, without looking out the window again.

Military camp outside the city.

When Su Ning returned to the duty room, Zhao Pu had already spread out a thick stack of documents.

"Your Highness, the reorganization plan for the Fengguo Army requires your personal selection of the supervisors."

Su Ning sat down and picked up the list.

The 120 names are all students from the third and fourth sessions of the study companion camp, who have trained in various regiments of the National Defense Force for at least two years.

He looked at them one by one, nodding in approval.

"This is fine."

"This one is fine too."

"Let's give him another year of experience, and then we'll talk about it next time."

Zhao Pu quickly took notes.

As darkness fell outside the window, candles were lit one by one in the duty room.

From the distant parade ground, Sun Wu's cursing could be faintly heard; the new recruits were still undergoing night training.

Suning did not look up.

He still had a thick stack of names in his hand.

Wang Yin is dead.

The Fengguo Army and Tianxiong Army belong to Suning.

The National Defense Forces increased from 6,000 to 15,000.

The most elite imperial guards of the Great Zhou Dynasty were all captured.

Suning continued to review the list, make annotations, and add notes.

The candlelight flickered, illuminating his young profile.

He had no expression.

Just quietly do what you're supposed to do.

...(End of this chapter)