Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 821 Yang Ling'er's Difficulties
When spring comes and flowers bloom, the mist and rain are intertwined. The spring in the south of the Yangtze River is like a pipa half-covered in its embrace, shy and reserved, yet graceful, just like a breathtaking ink painting.

Su Chen was wearing a straw raincoat and riding a horse at full speed on the road. The sound of horse hooves set off a beautiful scene with the drizzling rain.

Behind him, a group of people followed closely, all of them were traveling lightly, with determined looks, and they were galloping at lightning speed, heading straight for the distant and prosperous capital of the Wu State.

Because he had already made up his mind to march north to conquer the Song Dynasty, he had to discuss in depth with Yang Ling'er, Han Xizai and other pillars of the court before this action to ensure that there would be no mistakes. A military expedition must have a pretext in order to get the help of heaven; a stable supply in the rear will ensure that the army has no worries. The importance of a national war is self-evident, as a single move affects the entire body.

Even though Su Chen was extremely powerful in Wu State and even had the hope of becoming the crown prince, he knew that in the face of national affairs, personal power had to give way to national interests. He had to be of one mind and voice with the court in order to rally the nation's strength and face the national crisis together.

So, while Su Chen was riding his horse at full speed, he was also thinking about how to make careful arrangements with Yang Ling'er, Han Xizai and others, to ensure the secrecy of the strategy and to win the support of the government and the public, so that the Northern Expedition would be justified and worry-free. In this impending storm, every step must be taken with caution and no mistakes can be made.

Su Chen's gaze penetrated the layers of rain, and his heart was filled with unknown ambitions.

His figure appeared particularly tall and straight in the hazy rain and fog, like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, vowing to carve out a ray of light of his own in this chaotic world.

The wind and drizzle gently brushed against the raincoat, and the raindrops fell like pearls and jade. Su Chen and his entourage didn't care about it at all, and just rode their horses as fast as they could. It took them two days to reach the destination after a distance of several hundred miles.

Arriving outside the palace, Su Chen stopped his horse, dismounted, took out the gold medal that symbolized his status, and held it in his hand. When the guards guarding the palace saw it, they immediately respectfully entered the palace to report.

Although Su Chen was granted the privilege of entering the palace directly without the need for an imperial summons, he chose not to exercise it. He knew that if he disrespected the imperial power in this way, it would not only have a negative impact on the world, but also make him fall into the stigma of a powerful official, and be regarded as no different from those powerful officials in history such as Dong Zhuo and Yuwen Hu.

Therefore, Su Chen insisted on observing the etiquette and rules between the monarch and his subjects and was unwilling to violate them in the slightest.

He wanted to lead by example and set a positive example. In this way, even if he took the throne in the future, he would be able to do so legitimately and would not be stigmatized.

"Prince Pingnan, the king summons you to the palace!"

Su Chen nodded and asked the guards to wait outside the palace gate. He took off his sword, put on casual clothes, and walked into the palace.

Entering the palace, Su Chen met Yang Ling'er. Yang Ling'er, who was nearly 20 years old, had shed her youthfulness and fully blossomed with mature charm.

She is tall, like a tall green bamboo in spring, with bright eyes and white teeth, and a fascinating light in her gaze. She is so charming and lovely that people feel pity for her.

She was wearing an elegant long dress, the texture and color of which showed her noble status.

Having been in a high position for a long time, Yang Linger's every move naturally reveals a noble temperament, which seems natural and inviolable.

Looking at Yang Ling'er in front of him, Su Chen couldn't help but sigh: At this moment, she had heroic spirit between her brows and determination in her eyes. Both her appearance and temperament had a bit of the style of Empress Wu Zetian.

Fortunately, Yang Ling'er's ambition is not that big, otherwise, she might really monopolize power and become a true empress.

"Brother Su Chen, you are here."

"Well, come over and talk about sending troops."

Su Chen looked at how Yang Ling'er grew up. Yanran had become a beautiful lady and was old enough to start a family. He was a little dazed and felt that time passed so quickly. The little girl had grown into a big girl.

Su Chen knew very well that he could not wait any longer, because as Yang Ling'er grew up, her marriage was put on the agenda. Some ministers in the court had already proposed to arrange a marriage for Yang Ling'er, and among them, Lu Chaoqun was the most active, wanting Lu Zheng to marry Yang Ling'er. If this succeeded, power could be transferred smoothly, and the Lu family would become the biggest beneficiary of the Wu State.

There were also ministers of Qian Yue who recommended the descendants of Yue's royal family, hoping to achieve a true marriage between Wu and Yue. In this way, the Qian family of Yue might take over the inheritance rights of Wu.

This involves the issue of power transfer. After all, Yang Ling'er is a woman and cannot be in power forever. Even if she is determined to be like Wu Zetian, she will eventually grow old and have to pass on the throne decades later. Then her husband, son and family will definitely benefit. Not all ministers want Su Chen to take over Wu, even though he conquered and expanded Wu. However, the court involves the actual interests of all parties, and the situation is turbulent and full of danger.

If it were not Su Chen who took over the power of Wu, it is conceivable that other superiors would inevitably take action against Su Chen in the future, fearing him as a "powerful minister". At that time, Wu would inevitably fall into internal strife.

Su Chen must go to the battlefield as soon as possible and cannot wait any longer. He needs to use the power and achievements of destroying the Song Dynasty to make Yang Linger choose to abdicate. He will then officially ascend the throne as emperor in the north and truly establish a country.

And now, the king of Wu is still called the Lord of the State, a king but not an emperor!

Yang Linger nodded, knowing that Su Chen had been planning the Northern Expedition to the Song Kingdom for the past three years. The Wu Kingdom had established a Military Affairs Council, and several important officials were also constantly following the plan and pushing forward.

"I will summon the Minister of Military Affairs to the palace to discuss matters!" Yang Linger was very decisive. She sent the eunuch out of the palace and immediately summoned the Minister of Military Affairs to the palace to discuss with Su Chen the details of the Northern Expedition.

Su Chen looked at Yang Ling'er, who looked somewhat helpless, and asked with concern: "Has anything bothered you recently?"

"Well, it's the Lu family's proposal. They submitted several memorials in a row, all of which were for marriage proposals. They also used some local celebrities in the Wu Kingdom, those virtuous and respected people, to come to the palace to propose marriage. I am really annoyed by it."

Yang Linger was complaining a little. She knew exactly what Lu Chaoqun and his son were planning, so she was very unhappy.

"Well, this Lu family is really restless!"

Su Chen was also very clear that Lu Chaoqun and his son were harboring evil intentions and were ready to make moves. In recent years, they had begun to recruit soldiers in Jingchu, and there was a tendency for them to become separatist kings, with their own troops and no power to be transferred.

Last year, they even detained 3,000 war horses that merchants had purchased from Tibet. This was a typical provocation.

Once Lu Chaoqun gains power and Lu Zheng marries Yang Linger, it is conceivable that the person the Lu family will deal with will definitely be Su Chen.

"Besides the Lu family, are there any other families?"

"Of course, there are seven or eight candidates, including descendants of Qian Yue, wealthy families in Jiangzuo, powerful people in Li Tang, and children of aristocratic families. They are all for the power of Wu!"

Yang Ling'er knew very well that these people wanted to marry her, then get their hands on power, and finally depose her and enthrone the emperor so that they could change the dynasty.

There were many political regimes in the south before, but they have all been destroyed by the Wu Kingdom. Whoever inherits the imperial power of the Wu Kingdom will directly become the founding monarch.

Of course, Su Chen's existence is the difficulty before them. Many people temporarily choose not to confront Su Chen head-on, but to gain power in a roundabout way and take the convenient path of Yang Ling'er.

Seeing that Su Chen was also frowning, Yang Linger couldn't help but said playfully, "How about, Brother Su Chen, you marry me too?"

Su Chen was surprised: "Ah?"

Yang Linger joked: "Anyway, I'm not your biological sister. I was adopted by Uncle Su and was going to be your child bride..."

Su Chen was a little overwhelmed, because he had never had this idea before, and he had never had any improper thoughts about Ling'er between men and women. He treated her as his own sister.

Therefore, due to preconceived ideas, Su Chen always treated her as his sister. He was a little uncomfortable with the sudden involvement in matters of love between men and women.

"This... I, have never thought about it before..." Su Chen suddenly became a little incoherent.

Yang Linger was afraid that he would be embarrassed, so she stopped talking and said with a smile: "It's just a joke. I won't embarrass Brother Su Chen, and I will never embarrass you!"