After the rebirth, the queen took the Meiqiang tragedy script

Lu Yanchen did not refuse this time. He still knelt on the ground, performed a fist-clasping salute commonly used in the army, and said, "Your humble servant is willing to go."

He answered with absolute certainty, and there was even a hint of excitement in his voice.

Ye Qinghuai looked at him helplessly and said, "Others are trying their best to squeeze into Shengjing to become officials, but you are doing the opposite, always thinking about going to those bitter and cold places far away from the capital."

Lu Yanchen lowered his clenched fists, straightened his body, looked into Ye Qinghuai's eyes, and said, "Your Majesty, I have been with the army on this northern expedition and have changed several camps. I have been in the central army composed mainly of the Jingji Guards, camped with the Zhongzhou Army, and fought with the vanguard camp composed of the Yunzhou Army. From what I have seen, the combat power of the Jingji Guards is completely incomparable to that of the state army. If Lord Gu really had the intention of being disloyal, he would never bet everything on the Jingji Guards. The real threat to Your Majesty is the state army that Lord Gu can mobilize. And the position of the Jingji Guards only affects the speed at which the nine gates of the capital are opened."

He looked at Ye Qinghuai with sparkling eyes, paused, and then said, "As your majesty said, most of the officials in the capital guards are from aristocratic families, and the relationships among them are intricate, mixed with family interests and personal grudges. I think that with your majesty's ability, you must have a way to entangle and restrain them."

"Must there be some trick?" Ye Qinghuai murmured with a wry smile, "Can I take this as a compliment from you, sir?"

Lu Yanchen didn't expect Ye Qinghuai to ask this question. He couldn't help but smile and said, "Although I am far away in the north, I can see from the news from the capital and your majesty's letters that your majesty's methods of handling government affairs and personnel have become more mature and stable recently. I am very pleased to have been your majesty's teacher for three years."

Hearing the word "Teacher", a look of nostalgia appeared on Ye Qinghuai's face, and her expression softened.

"After the Chengtian Gate Rebellion, you resigned from your position as Imperial Preceptor and returned to the position of Grand Secretary of the Taiqing Pavilion. I asked for Gu's opinion at the court. Do you know what he said?"

Lu Yanchen looked at Ye Qinghuai, waiting for her next words.

Ye Qinghuai smiled and said, "He said that it is a pity for our dynasty that a brave man like you is not used to kill enemies on the battlefield, but is kept in Taiqing Pavilion to write poems."

She sighed softly and added, "Although I have always had different political views with Lord Gu, we agree on this matter. Compared to the treacherous officialdom in the capital, killing enemies and making meritorious contributions on the battlefield is more suitable for you, sir." She raised her head, looked at Lu Yanchen, and added, "Perhaps, this is also what you want to do."

"But letting you stay in the capital is my own selfish desire, and has nothing to do with the current situation. I just want you to be by my side."

Lu Yanchen suddenly raised his eyes and looked at Ye Qinghuai.

His expression was still cold, but it seemed to come alive suddenly.

He stared at Ye Qinghuai without blinking, his eyes were soft yet hot, and in his eyes he suppressed long-planned expectations and cautious cowardice.

It's like a clam opening its shell, revealing its sincere and hidden true self.

Ye Qinghuai's heart trembled when he looked at her like that. She couldn't tell whether it was panic or palpitation.

An indescribable ambiguity quickly spread between the two people during their brief glance.

From past lives to present lives, Ye Qinghuai has reminded herself countless times that there is an unbridgeable gap between her and Lu Yanchen.

They are teacher and student, monarch and subject with an eight-year age difference. They were enemies and foes who fought against each other in their previous lives. Even Ye Qinghuai's identity as a woman is a secret that must never be made public.

But now, Ye Qinghuai felt that Lu Yanchen seemed to be about to cross that chasm and come towards her.

She glanced away suddenly, a little flustered, and explained: "Master is not in the capital, I don't know who to discuss things with."

As soon as she spoke, Lu Yanchen withdrew his gaze. His dark eyes darkened again, returning to their calm state.

"Your Majesty, if you are unsure about something, you can write to me. If it is urgent, you can also consult with the King. But in my opinion, Your Majesty just needs to trust yourself more."

The two of them were silent for a while, and the ambiguous atmosphere finally disappeared. "I promise your majesty that the Western Army led by me, whether it was originally the Yunzhou Army or the Jingji Guard, will only obey your majesty's orders. If your majesty is in trouble, I will rush to help you from a thousand miles away." Lu Yanchen said.

Ye Qinghuai showed a worried look on his face and said, "Since Lord Gu has not used his own disciple and insisted on letting you lead this Western Army, I believe that the Western Rong will not be an easy bone to chew."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will act carefully."

At this point, it seems that this is the only way. What remains is the deployment of details such as personnel and finance.

Ye Qing thought for a moment and said, "Sir, please tell me about the situation in the army."

The two hadn't seen each other for a long time, and they talked about everything from military management to court reform, and the conversation lasted until the sun was high.

When they had finished chatting and stopped talking, Li Baoquan asked tentatively while refilling the tea: "Your Majesty, lunch is ready in the imperial kitchen. Do you want it served?"

Ye Qinghuai looked at the sky outside the window and said, "Serve the meal."

After Li Baoquan responded and left, she turned back and said to Lu Yanchen, "Sir, let's have lunch together before leaving."

Seeing that Lu Yanchen had no objection, Ye Qinghuai said, "Sir, have some tea. We'll go over after they have prepared the meal."

Lu Yanchen did not touch his teacup. He lowered his eyes to Ye Qinghuai and said, "During the Wanshou Festival, I prepared a birthday gift for Your Majesty. I was afraid it would be lost on the way back to Beijing, so I thought of delivering it to Your Majesty in person."

After saying that, he took out a bound booklet and a folded piece of paper from his arms, held them up with both hands, and presented them to Ye Qinghuai very solemnly.

When Lu Yanchen was the emperor's teacher, he would send Ye Qinghuai birthday gifts every year, which were often some rare books or writings.

Now that he has resigned from the position of imperial tutor and is not in the capital during the Emperor's birthday celebration, Ye Qinghuai thinks that he will not receive any gifts from him this year.

Seeing this belated gift, Ye Qinghuai could not hide her surprise. She put down her teacup, turned to Lu Yanchen, and said, "Sir, you are so thoughtful."

The little emperor showed the unique joy of a child when receiving a gift. This was the gift she had been looking forward to the most in previous years.

Ye Qinghuai took the seemingly inconspicuous gift from him. The folded paper revealed the ink painting on the corners, which immediately aroused Ye Qinghuai's interest.

  Is it a painting?

Ye Qinghuai shook off the piece of paper.

The smile on the emperor's lips gradually disappeared, and the curiosity in his eyes turned into surprise and solemnity.

It was a map of the North that was two arms wide, stretching from Rao Mountain in the north of Zhongzhou in the south to the Northern Di King's Court in the north. Not only were the well-known cities and post roads marked on it, but even the villages and paths in the mountains were drawn, with annotations on where there were risks of falling rocks, how the water level rose and fell, and where there were foreign tribes.

This is a military map.

No wonder Lu Yanchen had to deliver it personally. What would happen if it fell into the hands of the enemy?

"Your Majesty, the current map of our dynasty was made during the Longde period. This time, I followed the army to the north and found that the roads and villages in many places had changed, so I collected some information along the way and re-drew this map. As for the booklet..." Lu Yanchen paused, and said, "Your Majesty once said in the letter that he was fascinated by Yunzhou, but it was a pity that he could not go there. So I recorded some of Yunzhou's cultural features as a gift to Your Majesty." (End of this chapter)