bestfiction Chapter 136 Entering the Palace to Meet the Saint
Chapter 136 Entering the Palace to Meet the Saint
"Your Majesty is still young, how can she get old?" Hong Jian found her majesty's worries a little funny, so she walked forward, squatted down and combed her hair.
"I have already raised two children..." Gao Jiayue raised her hand slightly, looked at the white and soft wrist, pursed her lips slightly and smiled: "This time when General Zong Yan returns to the capital, he will definitely be valued by the emperor."
"I've finally waited for this day." How could Gao Jiayue not be happy?
Ever since Zong Yanli secretly sent a letter mentioning the collusion between King Xuan and the Kingdom of Qing, Gao Jiayue secretly sent people to investigate, but there was no news at first.
It was not until Zong Yanli annihilated the enemy in one fell swoop, captured Yuan Heng alive, and defeated the Qing army.
Use absolute strength to tell King Xuan that any of his means will be useless.
Gao Jiayue then found some clues and secretly sent people to contact Wei Songhe of the Wei family, and joined forces with him to capture the prefect of Changfeng County. In such a short time, they integrated the only evidence available and presented it to the emperor.
This is why the emperor urgently summoned Zong Yanli back to the capital.
Kyoto, Wu State.
After Zong Yanli entered the official road, she saw the post officer coming to greet her. She looked at the familiar main city with admiration in her eyes. At that time, Kyoto was not yet considered grand and prosperous.
The previous emperor, Emperor Yanli, pacified the four kingdoms and expanded the territory of Wu State until the new king ascended the throne, changed the country's name and rebuilt the capital.
Kyoto at that time was unprecedentedly prosperous and lively.
Zong Yanli took a short rest at the inn on the official road, washed his warhorse, tidied his armor, and swept off the dust on his body. After eating and drinking, he waited for Kyoto to arrive. The city gate was wide open and Zong Yanli mounted his warhorse and followed into the city.
This emergency summons was not carried out through the main channels, and naturally there was no publicity to attract the attention of the people.
He just found the nearest road and headed straight for the palace gate.
In fact, Zong Yanli did not have a deep impression of Kyoto. She had been leading troops outside for many years and rarely had the opportunity to enter Kyoto. Now, looking at the road ahead, she felt unfamiliar. It was not until she reached the palace gate that Zong Yanli recovered some memories of her previous life.
"Greetings to the General of Pingxi, the Jiedushi." In front of the palace gate stood an old eunuch in eunuch's robe. It was none other than He Chang, the old eunuch who served the emperor.
Zong Yanli sat high on his warhorse and looked down. He Chang was, after all, an old eunuch who had served the emperor for many years and had seen all kinds of big scenes and big figures.
But today, I finally got to meet this famous General Pingxi, and I couldn't help but feel my heart beating wildly.
Zong Yanli, who was sitting upright on the warhorse, was wearing black military armor and a helmet that covered her face completely, leaving only a pair of dark eyes exposed. She had a black long sword on her waist. Although she had done nothing, the murderous aura that came towards her made people feel timid.
There are military generals in the court, but how can they compare to Zong Yanli, who has the iron-blooded ferocity and fierceness to fight on the battlefield?
He Chang was shocked and bowed to lead the way for Zong Yanli.
The emperor personally appointed him to come and receive him, which shows how much he values him.
"Thank you." Zong Yanli nodded in response.
When she walked in from the palace gate, all of Zong Yanli's personal soldiers stayed outside the palace, and she was the only one who entered the palace.
This attracted the attention of countless people. At the same time, the eunuch who was running to the imperial concubine's palace was anxiously passing a message to Gao Jiayue: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty——!"
"General Pingxi has entered the palace and is on his way to meet the emperor." The young eunuch said excitedly.
"Really?!" Gao Jiayue stood up in a flash, hurriedly raised her hand to touch her cheek, lowered her head to look at her dress and called out, "Hongjian, help me dress and change my clothes."
While Gao Jiayue was busy, Zong Yanli had already arrived at the Zhaoming Palace. Inside the palace, Emperor Wu was sitting on a high throne. He got up from his sickbed, put on a dragon robe, and with his white hair lowered, he looked towards the palace door.
Then he saw the wide open palace gate. Zong Yanli stepped into the palace against the light. The figure in military armor looked so tall at this moment.
Even the old emperor opened his eyes wide unconsciously, staring at Zong Yanli who was striding towards him. At this moment, he vaguely saw behind Zong Yanli, countless swords and shadows, and the battlefield full of dangers.
"Your Majesty, I, Zong Yanli, pay my respects to His Majesty." Zong Yanli stood in front of the hall, raised his hand, bowed, knelt down, and bowed in a deep voice.
The old emperor squinted at Zong Yanli. He Chang looked at the emperor, then at Zong Yanli who was kneeling below him, and could not help but whisper a reminder: "General, you must not wear a face covering when you meet the emperor. It is disrespectful to the emperor."
Zong Yanli pretended to be ignorant of the palace rules, and as if he had just realized something after hearing these words, he reached out to take off his helmet and visor, leaned forward and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me."
The old emperor, who was sitting on the high throne, was also stunned when he saw Zong Yanli's face. He couldn't help but lean forward and said with admiration: "I knew that General Zong Yan was still young, but I never thought that the general would be so handsome."
"Okay, okay..." The old emperor coughed twice, waved at Zong Yanli and said, "General, come forward."
"I dare not act rashly." Zong Yanli bowed and said.
"It's okay." The old emperor looked at Zong Yanli, dismissed the outsiders, and only left He Chang to serve him.
"General, do you know why I urgently summoned you to the palace this time?" The old emperor asked after Zong Yanli took his seat.
"I don't know." Zong Yanli lowered his head and straightened his back, looking like a military general who was fully concerned about the war situation.
The old emperor found it funny after asking this question. Zong Yanli had never even been to the imperial city from beginning to end. How could he know what was going on in the palace? He immediately changed his words and said, "The general has been in the battlefield for a long time and fought for the country. I admire the general very much."
Zong Yanli quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "It is my honor to be able to share the worries of His Majesty!"
The old emperor couldn't help but smile when he saw this, and he coughed a few times as his mood fluctuated. Although he wanted to have a good chat with Zong Yanli, he knew very well that his body couldn't bear it.
So I didn't waste any more words and asked directly: "General, do you still remember my son, King Xuan?"
"You should remember that when my father was trapped, the troops were stationed outside Shouxi County to recuperate." Zong Yanli smiled a little when he heard King Xuan's words and said, "It's a pity that when His Highness King Xuan left Shouxi County, I was in the midst of a war and was unable to see him off in person."
"Hehe..." After hearing this, the old emperor understood that Prince Xuan and Zong Yanli did not have much contact with each other and were just casual acquaintances.
"The battle of Qing Kingdom came suddenly, and the army guarding Yuanshi Pass was completely wiped out. I am very sad." The old emperor clenched his fists slightly and said, "General, you were able to defeat the enemy and capture the enemy general alive in such a dangerous battle."
"I admire the general's bravery." The old emperor said this with admiration in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, thank you for the praise. This battle is not the result of my efforts alone." Zong Yanli quickly bowed his head and responded.
"Hahaha! I know that the general has many brave generals under his command." The old emperor looked up and smiled, but because he laughed too quickly, he couldn't help coughing while holding the dragon table. Seeing this, He Chang beside him hurriedly came forward, wanting to calm the emperor down.
The old emperor raised his hand to stop him. After calming down, he said helplessly, "General, you have also seen that my health is getting worse day by day. Now I am already old..."
Zong Yanli frowned in worry. The old emperor closed his eyes and continued, "I heard that the general captured an enemy spy during the war with Qing Kingdom?"
Zong Yanli quickly straightened his face and said, "Yes, I have secretly escorted the person to the capital according to the emperor's order."
"Yes." The old emperor lowered his eyes and asked, "Has the general been interrogated?"
"I interrogated a man." Zong Yanli said bluntly: "The spy kept his mouth shut and refused to confess. I had to torture him to make him speak."
Zong Yanli took out a handwritten letter from his bosom and said seriously, "This is the confession of the spy. I chopped it off in anger. The other spies also confessed to this. Your Majesty can ask someone to question them in detail."
The old emperor asked He Chang to take it and stared at the letter for a few seconds. There was not much difference in the contents. They all mentioned the fundamental reason for the fall of Yuanshi Pass. It was because someone colluded with the enemy and committed treason, which led to the defeat of our army.
Zong Yanli had already mentioned this matter in the military newspaper, but there was no evidence at the time and no one was caught, and she had no time to pay attention to it due to the tense war.
Now that this handwritten letter has been presented to the old emperor, he has finally completely confirmed that the charge of treason against the prefect of Changfeng County is absolutely true.
Does that also mean that the person behind the Changfeng County Magistrate...
Is that true too?
When the old emperor thought of this, he felt a surge of anger rushing to his forehead. He was so angry that his eyes went dark. He covered his chest and breathed a little quickly, trying hard to endure the pain in his heart.
"Your Majesty? Your Majesty, what's wrong with you!?" He Chang was frightened when he saw this and was about to call the imperial physician, but was stopped by the old emperor.
"Why are you panicking? I'm not going to die yet." The old emperor almost gritted his teeth, endured the discomfort all over his body, raised his eyes again and looked at Zong Yanli and said, "General, have you married and had children?"
"Not yet." Zong Yanli looked resolute and solemn, and said with great determination: "My family and country are not settled yet, and I have no intention of getting married."
"What an unsettled family and country." The old emperor looked at Zong Yanli, and the more he looked, the more satisfied he felt. He tapped his fingers on the table, and after pondering for a long time, he slowly raised his eyes to Zong Yanli and smiled, "I have many children, but none of them has the ambition of a general."
"I am no longer able to raise my young son. I wonder if the general can assist him on my behalf?" The old emperor finally stated his purpose.
"Your Majesty..." Zong Yanli looked frightened, frowned slightly and said with some confusion: "Your Majesty has entrusted me with my utmost efforts, but I don't know which prince Your Majesty wants me to assist?"
Now that the crown prince has not been appointed, it is normal for Zong Yanli to have such doubts.
The old emperor thought for a while and said, "There are four princes in the capital now. Prince Xuan is the eldest and no longer needs to be taught by others." The old emperor's words were almost saying that it was impossible for him to hand over the throne to Prince Xuan. He Chang, who was listening nearby, couldn't help but feel nervous.
The emperor then continued, "Although Prince Ping grew up under my lap, he is extremely lazy and spends his days idling around and pursuing prostitutes." He is probably the only prince in Wu State who has no real power. It can even be said that he has little sense of existence, and the emperor has never had the intention to support him.