Sui Heng returned to the camp satisfied and called Shi Fang to the front, ordering, “Later, go outside the camp to pick up three nannies for Gu. You arrange the place for them to stay too.”
Shi Fang was greatly surprised.
Unexpectedly, in just one night, His Highness managed to find three nannies in one go and come back.
“Where did Your Highness find them?” He exclaimed involuntarily.
There are no common people living near the base. Ordinary people have to carefully select and put in a lot of effort when looking for a nanny. What kind of magic has His Highness used in the middle of the night?
Sui Heng said, “Tell you to pick them up, just pick them up. Don’t talk nonsense.”
Shi Fang dared not speak any more and immediately went outside the camp to wait.
On the way back to his tent, he happened to meet Xu Qiao. Xu Qiao glanced back and asked, “Your Highness has gone to the other side again?”
Sui Heng said solemnly, “What the other side? Gu went to find a nanny for Gu’s son.”
“Oh.”
Xu Qiao nodded and said, “The people from His Highness Rongyu’s?”
Sui Heng couldn’t help but glance at him.
“Why are you always hanging out in the middle of the night and not sleeping?”
Xu Qiao chuckled. “Isn’t it because the subordinate is getting old and can’t fall asleep when it’s time? The subordinate is not as energetic and a young hero like Your Highness.”
Sui Heng walked forward with his hands behind his back for a while, then suddenly remembered something and stopped. He asked Xu Qiao, “If your relationship with your father is average, but you are going to marry your sweetheart, will you inform your father?”
Xu Qiao froze.
Then his expression tightened, and he said, “Your Highness and His Majesty has conflict?”
“……”
Sui Heng’s face darkened. “Gu was just giving an example. You answer Gu first.”
After careful consideration, Xu Qiao said, “Definitely inform.”
“Why?”
“Does this still need to be asked? Since ancient times, marriage has always been based on parents’ orders and matchmaking. Even if one’s relationship with their parents is no longer good or if there are any conflicts, there is absolutely no reason to not inform parents of their major marriage contract. On a larger scale, it is not in line with etiquette and laws and will be criticized by the world. Neighbors are gonna point it out, to a lesser extent, marrying without telling them is an unfilial act, a complete disregard for parents. If parents are open-minded, it is fine. If they are not open-minded, their future days will be chaotic.”
Sui Heng frowned.
Xu Qiao looked at his face and cautiously probed, “Your Highness shouldn’t really have any conflict with His Majesty, right?”
The more Xu Qiao thought about it, the more he felt that it was possible.
After all, His Majesty was furious last night and called His Highness to the tent to reprimand him. With His Highness’s dog-like temper, it is very likely that he will say a few words of great rebellion.
Sui Heng shook his head.
“It’s not Gu, it’s him.”
“His Highness Rongyu?”
“En.”
Sui Heng folded his arms and said thoughtfully, “Today we talked about our marriage. He said that he could make decisions about his marriage without going through Emperor Jiang. Gu finds it a bit strange. It’s stranger now when Gu hears what you said.”
Xu Qiao thought for a moment and said, “The general heard that Emperor Jiang favored his eldest son, King Chu. Could it be because of this?”
“Even so, for such a big event as getting married, he has no reason to cross Emperor Jiang. There must be some unknown reason in between.”
Sui Heng paced in the darkness with confusion.
When he first heard this sentence, he actually felt a bit heartbroken. He had long heard of the rumor that Emperor Jiang favored King Chu. Although he had never seen what kind of person King Chu was, he did not believe that there was a better person than him in the world.
He couldn’t even imagine how much injustice and suffering he had endured from childhood to adulthood in the palace of the Jiang capital, and just how much aggression and bitterness he had suffered in order to treat his father, Emperor Jiang, so indifferently that he didn’t even want to tell him about getting married. And that mysterious Demon Empress as well.
If Emperor Jiang really dotes on the Demon Empress, as rumored, why did the Demon Empress set himself on fire when he made him his Empress despite the opposition of the courtiers? And why would Emperor Jiang favor King Chu over the Crown Prince born to the Demon Empress?
Sui Heng’s intuition was that there must be hidden secrets that the world did not know.
There is also Qingque Terrace.
He is the Crown Prince of Jiang, and his status is so prestigious. Why did he wander to a place like Qingque Terrace? For a whole three years, and no one knows.
Sui Heng suddenly thought of someone.
Zheng Xian, who died in the inn in the Sui capital.
What exactly is the Crown Prince of Jiang’s secret that Zheng Xian is going to talk about? According to Zheng Xian, when the Crown Prince of Jiang was eleven years old, he was once abducted by assassins and only returned three years later.
This time happens to coincide with his time spent wandering on the Qingque Terrace.
Could it be that the assassins who took the Crown Prince were from the Qi capital, Qingque Terrace? The King of Qi, no matter how promiscuous he is, wouldn’t dare go so far as to kidnap the Crown Prince of Jiang to satisfy his own selfish desires.
Why would Emperor Jiang, who favored King Chu, choose to empty the Crown Prince’s position for three years with a lie instead of appointing King Chu as the Crown Prince?
In the past few years, he has hidden himself behind the scenes, preferring to let people around the world speculate, spread rumors, and slander him rather than showcase any talent in public. What kind of trauma can force him to this point?
Although Sui Heng was calmly analyzing, his eyes were filled with uncontrollable murderous intent.
He wants to know everything about him, but he was also afraid to know.
He was afraid that after knowing those truths, he would change his mind, not want peace negotiations, and not want any worldly righteousness anymore. He would uncontrollably want to use the most violent means to destroy the Jiang capital, the Jiang Empire, and make all those who had bullied him pay the heaviest price.
“Your Highness?”
Xu Qiao suddenly saw Sui Heng’s dark and murderous eyes and was startled.
“It’s nothing.”
Sui Heng glanced at him, regained his composure, and said, “You go get busy. Gu will go to see Emperor Father with the Left Prime Minister and report back on today’s meeting.”
After Xu Qiao repeatedly confirmed that he was fine, he bowed and left.
**
Chen Qi was dressed neatly early in the morning and waited at the central army tent.
Although Sui Heng has not yet announced the list of peace negotiation envoys, he believes that there is currently no more suitable candidate in the Sui Empire than him. He held important positions in the Sui Empire and was familiar with the situation in Jiangnan. During the peace negotiations, he was able to achieve twice the result with half the effort and strive for more benefits for the Sui Empire.
The peace negotiations involved the intercommunication between the north and the south and the general situation of the world, which was a great opportunity to make a mark. If he performs well, he can take it one step further and even dominate the long vacant position of the right prime minister. Even if he hates Jiang Yun, Chen Qi was willing to endure and wait for a better opportunity in the future.
His childhood experience told him that there is nothing more tangible and reliable than power in this world.
Other Advisors and Generals also arrived one after another.
The Lu brothers took the initiative to come and greet Chen Qi, saying, “Today, the candidate for the peace negotiation is probably none other than Secretary Chen. My brothers and I are willing to do our best to assist Brother Chen in completing this peace negotiations.”
Chen Qi does not like the Lu brothers and has always regarded them as potential enemies, but Chen Qi is very sophisticated and will not show such emotion on his face.
He smiled slightly and politely bowed back, saying, “Brother Lu, this peace negotiation is of great significance. It all depends on His Highness’s plans. As subjects, we are just following instructions.”
As the words fell, Xu Qiao walked in.
Xu Qiao greeted the crowd with a friendly smile and said, “His Highness went to see His Majesty with the Left Prime Minister, and asked me to announce the candidate for the peace envoys on his behalf.”
Xu Qiao is an old man from the Qinglang Battalion, with a gentle temper and good relationships with all the generals. The crowd then said, “General Xu, you can just speak up. We are all waiting.”
Xu Qiao took out the roster from his pocket and first announced the list of accompanying generals and strategists. He said, “His Highness said the Left Prime Minister will serve as the chief envoy for this peace negotiation.”
The Left Prime Minister, Jimo Qingyu, was a prominent figure in Confucianism at the time, with high prestige and qualifications. He happens to be in the military now, making him the best candidate for the chief envoy.
People were more concerned about the two deputy envoy candidates.
As everyone knows, this is a great opportunity to make contributions.
Xu Qiao continued, “The deputy envoys are the two Military Advisors, Lu Jishi and Lu Anmin.”
The crowd did not hide their surprise.
In everyone’s hearts, these two deputy envoy candidates should have a place for Chen Qi no matter what.
Chen Qi sat at the head of the advisor, his face turning pale as if he had been whipped in public. The Lu brothers did not conceal their surprise and asked Xu Qiao, “His Highness really appointed our two brothers as deputy envoys?”
Xue Qiao nodded.
Lu Anmin smiled and said, “General, please convey to His Highness that our two brothers will definitely do our best to assist the Left Prime Minister and complete this peace negotiation.”
Xu Qiao said to Chen Qi again, “His Highness said that Secretary Chen had just caught a cold recently and should not rush around and work hard. He asked Secretary Chen to have a good rest first.”
Lu Jishi also came to care about Chen Qi’s physical condition and said, “It was still His Highness who’s more attentive. It was our brothers who neglected this matter before. Brother Chen is familiar with the situation in Jiangnan. If you have any good suggestions, please let us know.”
Chen Qi clenched his fists tightly in his sleeves, and after a while, he stood up and regained his normal expression. He smiled and said, “I understand. Since it was His Highness’s intention, I will comply.”
Xu Qiao actually didn’t quite understand why Sui Heng suddenly changed his mind.
But Sui Heng has always been decisive in military matters, and in making this decision, he must have had deeper considerations.
Chen Qi returned to the tent and found it difficult to maintain his composure. He went crazy and brushed all the objects on the table to the ground, staring at the table with a gloomy expression and his veins bulging on the back of his hand.
The musician silently followed behind, watching him go crazy.
After he gasped for breath, leaned back in his chair, sat back on the table, did he walked forward, whispering, “Daren.”
“Jiang Rongyu.”
Chen Qi gritted his teeth and called out the name.
“It’s probably you, it’s probably you.”
Chen Qi felt unprecedented fear in his heart.
Even when he was at his lowest point in the Chen capital, he didn’t feel so panicked. Jiang Yun’s presence made him feel, for the first time, that he had encountered an insurmountable obstacle like a high mountain.
Because of Jiang Yun, Chen Qi felt that there was a trust gap between him and the new ruler, Sui Heng. This is terrifying and fatal for the relationship between the monarch and an official. Once Sui Heng no longer trusted him, his future career in the Sui Empire would come to an end. Now that Sui Heng had a plethora of talented people under his command, and there were also the Lu brothers, who were full of sharpness and were eyeing each other, and there was a need for peace negotiations in the south and north of the Yangtze River. To some extent, he had lost his most important value to Sui Heng.
Before today’s incident, Sui Heng did not show any obvious distrust towards him.
Until today.
Sui Heng wouldn’t do this for no reason. It must be Jiang Yun who stirred up discord in front of Sui Heng and said something that led to Sui Heng suddenly abandoning him.
At such an important juncture in the peace negotiations between Jiangnan and Jiangbei, he would rather choose the Lu brothers, who were not familiar with the situation in Jiangnan, than him.
The musician advised in a low voice, “Daren always says that a little impatience makes a big difference. Perhaps His Highness was just worried about Daren’s health. It’s taken Daren a long time to get to where you are now. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to show your loyalty in the future. Why bother with this momentary gain or loss?”
“What do you know?”
Chen Qi’s eyes filled with cynicism.
“This is not a momentary gain or loss, it is a signal! This is Jiang Rongyu declaring war against me! Demonstrating against me! This hypocrite, relying on his appearance, has bewitched His Highness and the world. What kind-hearted and benevolent His Highness Rongyu? He really thinks that everyone will believe his lies. I must seize his stain and expose his hypocritical face to the world.”
“Stains, he must have stains.”
Chen Qi’s gaze was like an eagle, pondering. Suddenly he thought of someone.
Zheng Xian.
That Zheng Xian, who claimed to hold the secret of the Crown Prince of Jiang’s background, would expose a scandal that could shock the world. Although Zheng Xian is dead, but he is a cautious person. If he dared to go to Sui capital alone, could he leave evidence elsewhere?
Chen Qi suddenly looked up and instructed the musician, “I want you to go to a place immediately.”
King Chu, Jiang Lang still kneeled outside the residence of Emperor Jiang, crying bitterly.
Emperor Jiang sat behind a chessboard with a cold expression, playing chess by himself. Liu Gong stood aside, feeling puzzled as to how His Majesty intended to deal with King Chu.
After Emperor Jiang dropped a white piece, he suddenly ordered, “Let him in.”
Liu Gong bowed and answered yes.
Jiang Lang quickly entered and kneeled at the feet of Emperor Jiang, calling out to his Emperor Father.
Emperor Jiang raised his hand, pinched his chin, and asked, “The crime of colluding with the enemy, is it true?”
Jiang Lang trembled fiercely, as the gaze of Emperor Jiang was as cold as ice, with no trace of warmth flowing. Although Jiang Lang was favored, he instinctively feared Emperor Jiang.
Since childhood, he has been afraid of this cold and unpredictable Emperor Father of his.
Even when his Emperor Father treated him well, rewarded him with something, and indulged him in various arrogant things, his eyes were always cold, as if he could strangle him in the next moment.
But he still enjoyed all the convenience and vanity brought about by this perverted indulgence, especially when he was receiving rewards, while Jiang Yun was punished to kneel on the side and recite, copy books, or accept other harsher punishments.
Emperor Father had publicly hit Jiang Yun, but he never hit him.
The seemingly docile and obedient younger brother took away the Crown Prince’s position that should have belonged to him. Only the favor of the emperor allowed him to experience the pleasure of stepping on that younger brother of his.
Jiang Lang trembled and shook his head.
“No, no, Erchen did not. All of this was Jiang Yun framing Erchen!”
“Erchen is the Prince of Jiang, the eldest son of Emperor Father. How could Erchen possibly collude with the enemy outside?”
“Emperor Father, you cannot blindly believe Jiang Yun’s words. He appears obedient, but in fact, he never takes Emperor Father seriously. He relies on himself as the Crown Prince, monopolizes military power, and does whatever he wants at Muyun Pass. He disregards the king’s orders and imprisons Erchen, not only hating Erchen but also not taking Emperor Father seriously!”
Emperor Jiang relaxed his hand and picked up a black piece again, landing it on the chessboard. He asked, “What do you want Zhen to do?”
Jiang Lang was so overjoyed that he kneeled down and took a few steps before exclaiming excitedly, “Peace negotiations. This time, Emperor Father must not let Jiang Yun go! He doesn’t want peace negotiations at all, but to unite with the Crown Prince of Sui and engage in rebellion!”
“Doesn’t Emperor Father think it’s strange? Although Jiang Yun had the ability to defend the pass, but he deliberately abandoned it and came up with a way to confront the Sui army in chess formations instead. There must be some tricks involved!”
Emperor Jiang left another piece. “So who do you think Zhen should send?”
“Erchen! Erchen is willing to represent the Jiang Empire and negotiate peace with the Sui army!”
