Do You Know?: Rule the World

Chapter 87: Punishing Concubine Rong and Sending Troops to Xixia

In the main courtyard of the Zhao Mansion, the morning light shines through the carved window lattices, casting a golden glow all over the ground.

Hualan was wearing a dark blue brocade dress with twined branch patterns today, her hair was tied up high in a bun, and her brows were relaxed.

Compared to the youthful and delicate beauty of a new bride in the past, she now has a bit more solemnity and composure that is unique to the wife of the main wife.

Hearing the sound of footsteps outside, Hua Lan immediately straightened her clothes.

"I pay my respects to the Madam." Shulan bowed politely after entering the room.

Seeing her rosy face, shy eyes, and faint red marks on her neck, Hualan couldn't help but smile.

"Get up, Sister Shulan."

Shulan thanked her softly, took the cup of tea that had been prepared long ago from Caizan, and presented it to Hualan.

"Please have some tea, madam."

Hualan took the teacup with a smile and took a sip.

From now on, Shulan is the legitimate concubine of the mansion, recognized by the eldest lady.

Then, another maid brought a mahogany tray, on which were neatly placed several valuable gold and jade jewelry.

Shulan was a little surprised when she saw this and was about to refuse.

Hua Lan held her soft hand and whispered, "Sister, please don't be so reserved. From now on, I hope we sisters will be united and live up to Grandmother's arrangements."

"Well... I will definitely abide by my duties and share the same aspirations as my sister." Shulan's voice was soft and contained a hint of gratitude.

Such a well-behaved and soft look.

Hualan couldn't help but reach out to tidy up the loose hair on her temples. With a satisfied smile in her eyes, she secretly felt that it was a great idea for her grandmother to choose Shulan as a concubine for the official.

The Imperial Palace, Anfu Hall, this is the bedroom of Concubine Rong.

At this time, Zhao Zhen was standing in front of a bronze mirror, being helped to change his clothes by Concubine Rong.

Empress Rong is only in her early thirties this year. She has her hair tied up in a bun and wears a crimson-purple palace dress that sets off her skin to its whiteness.

"The emperor's complexion has been getting better and better these days." Rong Fei spoke softly with a smile on her face.

Zhao Zhen nodded slightly, a barely perceptible coldness flashing across his eyes. He asked casually, "I heard that Princess Yan has been visiting your palace quite often lately. Three times in the last month alone."

Upon hearing this, Rong Fei, who was straightening Zhao Zhen's collar, stopped immediately and looked obviously flustered.

But she quickly came to her senses.

"She only came into the palace to chat with me to relieve my boredom. Your Majesty, please remember that my younger sister Feiyan will be coming of age next year."

"I am discussing with her which son in the capital is suitable."

"If you can arrange her marriage sooner, I will have a big thing at ease."

Zhao Zhen gazed down at Concubine Rong with a sharp gaze and said calmly, "Is that so? It seems I was overthinking it."

"Then do you have a family you like? If it's suitable, I can arrange a marriage for your sister."

Rong Fei looked up at Zhao Zhen, her heart trembling. She pursed her lips and smiled, "I think Qi Heng, the only son of Duke Qi, has a gentle appearance and a humble demeanor. He is a perfect match, but Feiyan just doesn't like him."

"That day at the Jinming Pond Polo Match, this girl's eyes couldn't stop staring at that Lord Zhao whom the Emperor often mentioned to me. She still can't get over it."

"It's a pity that things don't go as planned. Lord Zhao is already married. I just hope Feiyan can change her mind and look at other men more often."

Zhao Zhen frowned slightly and walked to sit on the soft couch beside him. Prince Yan could see what Rong Fei was thinking.

How could this official, who ascended the throne at the age of thirteen and experienced the ups and downs of the court for decades, not see it?

After a moment, Zhao Zhen suddenly spoke, his eyes becoming more fierce.

"Fei Luan, I remember that when you entered the palace, you were only seventeen years old, right?"

Rong Fei's heart skipped a beat when she heard this. She forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty has a very good memory. When I entered the palace, it was indeed..."

Before she could finish, Zhao Zhen interrupted her, "You knew your limits back then."

These words exploded in Rong Fei's ears like a thunderclap, and her face turned pale instantly.

She immediately knelt on the ground and said, "Sir, I know that I come from a humble background."

"Those ladies from the noble families are respectful to me on the surface, but in reality, they often mock me and my family, both openly and covertly."

"Right now, only Princess Yan is willing to sincerely chat with me."

"I forgot myself for a moment and allowed her to come a few more times."

"Over the years, I have always been conscientious in fulfilling my duties. I was just chatting with Princess Yan about family matters. I hope the emperor will understand!"

Zhao Zhen looked down at her with an unfathomable gaze.

After a long while, he slowly spoke, "Your thoughts cannot be hidden from me."

"I pity you for having lost the royal heir several times, and I am especially kind to you and the Rong family."

"If you truly abide by your duties, you shouldn't be associating with Princess Yan."

"I have already made plans for the affairs of the previous dynasty. Your Rong family will definitely have a foothold in the future."

"That's all I have to say. If you insist on doing this, don't blame me for disregarding our years of friendship."

After leaving these words, Zhao Zhen turned away.

Rong Fei was still kneeling on the ground, with an inexplicable fear in her heart.

Princess Yan has only increased her frequency of visiting the palace in the past two months, yet this has caused the emperor to be so wary.

It seems that every move of the former dynasty and the harem has not escaped his eyes.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor has gone far away." The personal maid stepped forward cautiously and helped Concubine Rong up.

Concubine Rong stood up in fear, constantly thinking about the deep meaning of Zhao Zhen's words today.

Could it be that he was determined to make Prince Yong the crown prince? This shouldn't be the case!

If he was interested in Prince Yong, he should have issued an imperial edict to the whole country long ago to stabilize the political situation.

Why do you have to criticize me so harshly today? This concerns the life and property of the entire Rong family. Should I believe the emperor or the Princess of Yan?

Rong Fei raised her hand and frowned, feeling extremely upset.

After a long silence, she finally said, "If Princess Yan comes again, tell her that I'm not feeling well."

The palace maid beside her responded respectfully.

-

Time flies, years pass by like a shuttle,

In the blink of an eye, it was already the fourth year of Jiayou. The north wind, bringing with it a biting chill, was howling louder and louder day by day.

In the six months since Shulan came into the mansion, Zhao Han has treated her equally.

He would stay in Hualan's main courtyard on the first and fifteenth day of every month, and would often go to Shulan's Jingguan Courtyard for a short rest on weekdays.

Just last night, an urgent letter of military intelligence from 800 miles away suddenly arrived, leaving Zhao Zhen unable to sleep all night.

Today is the grand court meeting. Before dawn, all civil and military officials have already lined up neatly in the Chuigong Hall.

Last year, Western Xia did not receive a satisfactory amount of annual gifts from the Great Zhou.

This July, there has been no rain in Lingzhou and Xingqing Prefecture for months, and the land is barren for thousands of miles. Only 30% of the grain has been harvested.

It is the middle of winter and the weather is extremely cold. Nearly a thousand cattle and sheep have frozen to death so far.

As early as several days ago, several veteran officials including Han Zhang and Zhang Fu had predicted this.

Under such natural and man-made disasters, Western Xia would certainly send its troops south again, demanding an increase in annual gifts and plundering the people living on the border to fill the void in its treasury.

As expected, the border military report arrived so quickly!

The Western Xia assembled a large army in Fuzhou, which was an important transportation hub. If they wanted to penetrate deep into the heart of the Great Zhou, this would be an obstacle they could not avoid.

Zhang Fu, holding a jade tablet, stepped out of the ranks with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, his voice as loud as a bell, without waiting for the civil officials to speak.

"Sir, I, this old minister, invite you to fight!"

"If we send envoys with the annual gift to negotiate peace this year, I believe that the Great Zhou will lose all its reputation!"

As he spoke, he knelt directly in the center of the hall and kowtowed heavily, "This old minister is willing to personally lead the imperial guards to the northwest!"

Gu Yankai glanced at Zhao Han inconspicuously, then spoke immediately afterwards.

"I second the motion! I am willing to be the pioneer for the Duke of England!"

Liu Xingzhi, the Minister of Works, had always advocated peace, but today, contrary to his usual attitude, he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I also think we should fight!"

"This is a rare opportunity. It also allows us to test whether Lord Zhao was speaking nonsense."

After hearing this, Zhao Zhen's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible displeasure.

Under his wide sleeves, he unconsciously clenched his fists.

Yu Yan, the Deputy Minister of the Cabinet, frowned and said, "Your Majesty, this is indeed a God-given opportunity. However, war is a matter of great importance to a country. It is a matter of life and death, a matter of survival and destruction."

"If the emperor decides to send troops, to ensure safety, I believe it is necessary to send troops to verify the border grain reserves, coordinate the deployment of troops from all directions, and ensure that the national treasury has enough money to support the army for at least three months."

"We must also send more elite troops to the Liao border and repair the fortresses to force the Liao Kingdom to not act rashly."

"My dear minister, what you said is absolutely right. This battle must be won quickly to prevent the Liao Kingdom from taking advantage of the opportunity." Zhao Zhen stroked his beard and looked at Yu Yan.

After exchanging glances with Liu Xingzhi, Pang Bin, the doctor of the Ministry of Revenue, stepped out and set his sights on Zhao Han.

"Why hasn't Lord Zhao said a word? Could it be that now that the matter has come to an end, he is afraid?"

"You pledged your life in front of us to train a cavalry force to rival the Western Xia."

When Sheng Hong, who was standing not far away, heard this, his heart suddenly rose to his throat.

The day he had been looking forward to and fearing finally arrived!

If the Cavalry Battalion can really fight against Western Xia, Zhao Han will definitely be promoted, and he can also benefit from his son-in-law's fame.

If we can’t win, it’s over, all over!

Zhao Han looked calm, holding a tablet in his hand and walking steadily.

Under the gaze of all the officials, he slowly stepped out of the ranks and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the troops to fight against the Western Xia!"