Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 830: Thoughtful and thorough
In the capital,

The Hall of Nourishing Heart,
Emperor Wu was sitting on the dragon couch in the warm room, flipping through memorials in his hands, while his feet were soaked in a pinewood barrel. There was steam rising from it, with a little bit of herbs in it. After watching for a while, Emperor Wu looked very satisfied and breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's comfortable. Hot water is good. I haven't felt so comfortable in a long time."

Dai Quan stood aside, holding the brocade cloth in his hand, and said with a smile;
"Your Majesty has been working hard for a long time, and you have just recovered from a minor illness. This is... Pah! This old slave deserves a beating for his mouth."

Perhaps he felt that he had said something wrong, so Dai Quan quickly knelt down and slapped his face a few times.

"Well, you little dog slave, you keep saying things that are unpleasant to the ear. I know you have just recovered from a long illness and are feeling refreshed. I don't know if there are any urgent matters in the court after a few days of rest."

Emperor Wu put down the memorial in his hand. In the past few days, the memorials submitted by the court officials were nothing more than trivial matters. There was no major event. The cabinet was strange.
The censors in the court seemed to have been silenced. No one knew whether they were really silent or had found out something. No one knew what was happening with the Jia family either.

"Your Majesty, the capital is peaceful now. The Taiping Cult has disappeared without a trace. All families and mansions are at peace. The Ningguo Mansion is said to be burying Jia Jing tomorrow. The team going to the capital to offer sacrifices has already arrived at the Beijing Posthouse. Prince Zhongshun has also made arrangements for the Honglu Temple. As for the Anhu Camp, I have also sent someone to read out the transfer order, asking Marquis Luo Yun to take over all matters in the camp, and we are just waiting for you to go there."

Apart from military affairs, any movement in the capital and the court, any disturbance, would not escape the eyes and ears of the Imperial City Bureau, so Dai Quan had to report the capital's secrets every day and examine them carefully, for fear of omissions.

"Well, that's good. But didn't the Jia family say that the body would be kept for seven days? Why are they in such a hurry?"

Emperor Wu took a deep breath. The Ministry of Internal Affairs had recently transported a batch of high-quality pine wood from somewhere, and made a lot of things and sent them to the harem, especially this foot-washing basin. The scent of pine wood was refreshing.

"Your Majesty, you may not know that the Jia family originally set the date at seven days, but I heard that the Ningguo Mansion had already decided on a candidate for the title, and most of the friends and relatives who came here had arrived. The old lady of the Rongguo Mansion wanted to express her gratitude to God and let it go so that the two mansions would have more peace."

Dai Quan did not exaggerate. In fact, he was also wondering, one day more or one day less, wouldn't it be the same? The inner story should be like this. He just didn't expect that the funeral was opened early and the funeral affairs were settled because of insufficient money. As for Jia Rong, he had been released long ago, and Jia Zhen had also chosen the land of Lingnan, and serving his sentence with labor could be considered as atonement.

Emperor Wu had known about this matter for a long time.
"The old lady is sensible. I thought she would go to the palace to ask to see the old concubine, but who would have thought that she had the iron will of the Shi family. Well, when the situation in the capital is settled, we will summon Jia Yuanchun and confer the title of imperial concubine on her. What is the title?"

After a slight pause, I thought of those people in the harem, the Xiao family, the Wei family, the Feng family, now they have all entered the palace. Unfortunately, I can only wait. The four princes and eight dukes are still my top priority. After warning them, I need to appease them. In this case,
"The title means virtuous. I hope she is virtuous and virtuous. When she sends it out,"

Suddenly I thought of what Luo Yunhou said. I still need to go to Yanchun Tower to take a look. Things will have to be delayed for a while.
"It will be decided after I return from Yanchun Tower. Once it is drafted, it will be put aside and can be used at any time."

Seeing that His Majesty had decided on the candidate for the Imperial Concubine in just a few words, and that it was neither Concubine Zhou in the palace nor those talented women, but was actually the eldest daughter of the Jia family, this was a great joyous event, but Ningguo Mansion was left in this situation.
I think it is because of the wisdom of the old lady that she has such a blessing.
"This old servant has received the order. It is a blessing for Rongguo Mansion. If the old lady knew, I don't know how happy she would be."

"Well, come and wipe your feet."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Emperor Wu was probably happy, and after soaking his feet, he lifted them up. Dai Quan knelt on the ground, wiped them carefully with a brocade cloth, and praised them;
"Your Majesty's feet, after being soaked, are really inviting. From now on, I will prepare more footbath basins for Your Majesty to use. Don't let him be wronged."

"You old man, why do you prepare so many? Just use this one. I like it. When it loses its flavor, you can change it to make the Jia family and the nobles happy. I already know what the princes are thinking when they come to Beijing. Although Prince Zhongshun is in the front, I am worried about how he is doing."

As he was talking, he put on his shoes and socks, and indeed he felt much more comfortable. While he was feeling emotional, he was also worried that something had gone wrong with Prince Zhongshun.
At this moment, Eunuch Yun, who was waiting outside, quietly entered the inner room, knelt down,
"Your Majesty, a letter has arrived from the Imperial City Department."

Dai Quan turned around and saw his godson kneeling there, holding a piece of paper in his hand. It was not a sealed letter, so he explained in a low voice;
"Your Majesty, the letter is unsealed. It is a matter of the capital."

"Oh, get up and tell me, what's going on?"

Emperor Wu stood up, stepped on the ground, his feet still felt a little sore, so he returned to his desk and sat down, looking up and asked.

Xiao Yunzi quickly stood up and replied standing behind the screen;
"Your Majesty, after noon, at the South City Gate, the five princes led their troops to escort the convoy to the post station. After a short rest, they led the convoy and prepared to enter the city directly. However, at the city gate, they were stopped by the troops led by Fu Yuancheng, the co-governor of the South City Military Department, and Han Ling, the city gate guard. The two armies confronted each other for a long time."

Afraid of saying something wrong, Xiao Yunzi opened the letter and roughly explained it.
When he heard about these terrible things, Emperor Wu, who was originally in a cheerful mood, felt a little depressed and asked;
"You are so bold, how dare you be so rampant? How did you deal with it in the end?"

"Your Majesty, later it was Marquis Luo Yun who arrived. It seemed that he was going to the Anhu camp. When he encountered this incident, he blocked the way and almost came to blows. Finally, the princes of each palace, according to the regulations, led 200 guards to escort the convoy into the capital, and the rest returned to the posthouse to rest."

After Xiao Yunzi finished speaking, he swallowed his saliva and said carefully;

"During the period, it was also said that Marquis Luo Yun asked for 10,000 taels of silver from each of the five princes on the spot. Marquis Luo Yun took the money to the bank to exchange for silver and distributed it to the soldiers at the city gate."

Dai Quan smiled slightly when he heard this. This was indeed the style of Luo Yunhou. For example, in the entire capital, no, in the entire Dawu, there was only Luo Yunhou.
Emperor Wu also had a smile on his face. Marquis Luo Yun was concerned about the imperial court, and thanks to him leaving the palace, he wanted to go to the camp to take a look. As for the so-called silver, he would give it to him if he was rewarded.

"It's harmless to give a little silver. Now that you are here, you must follow the rules. The Honglu Temple should be prepared. Prince Zhongshun should keep an eye on them, especially those in the posthouse, the West Palace and the East Palace. You must pay attention to them."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand."

Dai Quan responded and asked Xiao Yunzi to go out and arrange for manpower. Some minor matters required new personnel to be assigned.
That is the time of this moment.

Inside Changle Palace,
The bells rang again.
The retired emperor Zhou Shengzhuo was wearing a Taoist robe and a Taoist hair crown on his head. His beard and eyebrows were loose. If you didn't look closely, you would really not be able to recognize him.

A person sits alone on a cushion with his eyes closed and his hands placed on his crossed knees, as if he is meditating and breathing.

When the bell rings,
outside the door,

Eunuch Xia, accompanied by a group of young eunuchs, came in one after another, kneeling on the ground.
"Wulian Tianzun, does the Changsheng Emperor have any instructions?"

The emperor opened his eyes and looked down, only to see Xia Shouzhong in a Taoist robe, and the young eunuch behind him was dressed the same way. He immediately felt much better and asked;

"Prepare vegetarian meals later and stew more soup. Also, where have the motorcades from the various palaces arrived yet?"

Seemingly asking casually, Xia Shouzhong raised his hand slightly, knowing that the emperor was still concerned about this matter and had already sent people to guard the posthouse and the city gate. The incident at the South City Gate had already been reported to the palace.
"Replying to the Emperor Changsheng, I have always remembered this matter. The motorcades of the various royal palaces arrived at the posthouse in the early morning. After noon, they probably had a meal and rested well. Not long ago, they agreed to enter the capital and went to the Honglu Temple to rest. Only the guards they brought with them returned to the posthouse."

Xia Shouzhong did not explain the reason, but just notified all the princes' palaces to enter the city first. After all, it involved the Five Cities Military Department and Marquis Luo Yun, and Lord He was also arranged by the retired emperor. Many things could not be explained clearly.

"Well, it's good that they are here. It's useless to bring soldiers with you or not. Besides, can they just come in whenever they want?"

The retired emperor slowly opened his eyes with a gleam in his eyes. It was not known whether it was due to the recuperation during this period that had made his body better and the loss of energy and blood had been replenished. He no longer had the sickly aura he had not long ago.

"What the Changsheng Emperor said is absolutely right. It's all because the princes of the various palaces are young and don't know the seriousness of the situation. When they led the convoy to the city gate, they were stopped. After much persuasion, they were finally persuaded to come back."

Xia Shouzhong knelt down and smiled, speaking very carefully.

The emperor smiled slightly with a hint of amusement. Those guys, don’t look at their youth. As the saying goes, youth is hot-tempered. Who can believe that they can go back just by persuading them?

"Who persuaded them to go back? I'm afraid it's not easy to persuade them."

Ask softly,
Xia Shouzhong shuddered and quickly told the inside story;

"Replying to the Emperor Changsheng, it was Fu Yuancheng who led the soldiers and persuaded Luo Yunhou at the gate. Only 200 guards from the palace were allowed to enter the city. The prince of Zheng Palace also gave 50,000 taels of silver to Luo Yunhou, who distributed it to the soldiers guarding the city gate."

When he heard that it was Marquis Luo Yun, the emperor had a blank expression on his face, and his heart was calm. If it was someone else, it would be really difficult to solve. If Marquis Luo Yun was there, no one could benefit from him. The last point was that the silver was taken away by bandits.
"Just come in. It's nothing more than spending some money. But Luo Yunhou has learned the bandit's tactics. He knows how to say, 'I built this road and I planted this tree. If you want to pass by, you have to leave money to buy your way through.'"

"Replying to the Emperor Changsheng, maybe Marquis Luo Yun is short of silver. It's bitterly cold outside the Great Wall, and the court has sent so many refugees there. It's the beginning of spring, and there's a shortage of food. No amount of silver is enough to fill the gap. Even if he took the silver, he didn't take even a few taels. He divided it all up, which makes him feel bad." Xia Shouzhong talked to himself, keeping an eye on the emperor's every move. Hearing the explanation, the emperor smiled. It was really like this. Who wouldn't be angry if the silver flew away? But he was also a smart man. He knew that the silver was hot, so he divided it on the spot.
"Alright, since it's divided, there's no need to worry about it. Wait for the people from the West Palace family and the South Palace family to arrive, and let them enter the palace to show me."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will obey your order."

After the singing, Changle Palace became quiet again.
Let’s talk about Anhu camp.

Zhang Jinyu led his personal soldiers and rode at full speed. They arrived at the camp in two incense sticks of time. When they took a closer look, they were a little surprised. It was not a camp at all, but just a small city. However, if they thought about it, hundreds of thousands of troops would be stationed and trained here. If the place was too small, it would not be enough.

As soon as he arrived at the gate, the captain on duty stopped him.

"Who is this? Do you have a warrant?"

Zhang Jinyu raised his hand, and the team behind him stopped immediately. Looking at the soldiers on duty, all of them were in bright clothes and armor, and were in high spirits, one could not help but admire them. He didn't know if Wang Ziteng was capable of leading the army in a battle, but he was really good at training soldiers. Compared with the troops of various tribes in the Central Plains and the Beijing camp, he could be regarded as "elite".

Of course, it is far inferior to the border troops, but the military discipline is much better.

Zhang Jinyu didn't waste any words. It was getting late. After finishing his work, he really had to go to the Honglu Temple to take a look. He took off his badge and threw it over.

"Have all the generals in the camp read the decree from the palace?"

The captain took the badge and checked it carefully. He found out that it was Luo Yunhou. Hearing the question, he knelt on one knee.
"My Lord, the order from the palace has been read out in the camp. All the generals are training their troops and are ready to be dispatched by your Lord at any time."

"That's good. Blow the horn and assemble."

"Yes, it is the Marquis."

The captain replied tremblingly, returned the badge, and quickly shouted inside;

"Blow the horn, assemble!"

Then, a sad horn sounded over the entire camp.

"Ohh Ohh ohh!"

moment,

The sound of drums began.

Regardless of whether they were resting or training in the camp, all the troops would gather at the parade ground immediately upon hearing the news. If there was not enough space, they would gather in front of the camp gate.

In the nearby tent,

Many generals had confused looks on their faces, wearing armor, and were at a loss. Some were still sleepy, with sleepy eyelids, and were confused and unaware of the situation.

Only the commander of the Central Guard, Ma Cheng, and the Xuanwei General, Ling Yuantao, who had been training in the parade ground, changed their expressions and immediately gave orders.

"Assemble and stand by, target the training ground, run over there."

In an instant, several troops were ready, wearing armor and holding swords, and arrived at the parade ground first. On the parade ground, Zhang Jinyu had already walked up with his personal soldiers, and had someone insert a stick of incense in the big tripod on the stage and calculate the time.

"They say the Beijing garrison is the elite. If they are mules or horses, just take them out for a walk."

"My Lord, isn't this too sudden?"

Ning Bian was a little worried. Although his troops had already gathered and were on standby, many problems would inevitably arise without any notification. At that time, it was unclear whether the Marquis would be able to take care of it.

"What we need is a sudden attack. According to what the palace said, there might be an oversight in the south. If that happens, I will lead the army south. If they are all my soldiers, then we won't fight. No one can win."

Zhang Jinyu was extremely surprised to see the fastest horsemen had already arrived at the training ground. This speed was rare even outside the Great Wall, but it was still acceptable.

"When these two armies have arrived, bring along their leading generals. I would like to meet them."

"Yes, Lord Marquis."

At this time, when the two groups of troops entered the training ground,
The rest of the barracks and the generals were cursing and moving quickly.
"Damn it, who dares to blow the horn and beat the drum? It disturbed my sleep. If I catch him, I will beat him up. Where are my shoes?"

In a military tent, General Changning Han Zhiwei was angrily cursing, with only his personal soldiers serving him. When he finally put on his armor and came out, he saw General Liu'an He Yongyi shouting at him not far away. The chaotic soldiers were running all over the camp.
Then he looked at his side. There was no soldier or general, and it was in chaos. Not even a captain could be seen. He felt his heart pounding, thinking that something might have happened, so he ran over quickly.
"Brother He, what's going on? Who's beating the drum over there in the parade ground?"

At this time, the sound of drums beating above the Anhu camp continued, and no one knew who was so unruly.

He Yongyi told his deputy to gather the troops quickly. Seeing Brother Han's confused look, he looked back and saw the camp in a mess. He was startled and quickly replied;

"Brother Han, why haven't you assembled your troops yet? The captain of the camp has spread the word that Marquis Luo Yun has come to the Anhu camp and asked us to gather all the troops. If we are delayed, he will not be easily fooled."

"What? The killer is here."

Han Zhiwei jumped three feet high. It would be easy to talk to anyone, except Luo Yunhou. He was very strict in disciplining the army and would not give face to anyone. If he fell into his hands, Han Zhiwei ran back and shouted;

"Hurry up, everyone. If anyone is slow, I'll chop him to pieces."

At this time,
In the eastern tent,
Several commanders of the main camp, General Duan Wenyuan of Dingxi, General Yin Renchang of Dingnan, and General Hu Shoucheng of Dingbei, also received the news and looked unhappy.
"Brother Wenyuan, Brother Renchang, it seems that you are here with bad intentions. I wonder how Brother Yang is doing now?"

"What else can I do? I have to solve the problem myself. I can beat the drums to gather the generals, but the military order and the decree from the palace have been read out. Marquis Luo Yun is in charge of all the troops in the Beijing camp. If we fall into his hands, we will suffer the consequences."

Duan Wenyuan's face turned pale. He put on his helmet, picked up his weapon, and prepared to leave the tent. The remaining two nodded silently.

"Who would have thought that a trip to the Music Bureau would lead to such a thing? I don't know what's wrong with Yang Shixiong to dare to provoke that evil star. Now that he has offended him in the camp, I wonder what Luo Yunhou will do?"

Yin Renchang sighed, misfortunes never come alone.

Only Hu Shoucheng stuttered.
"Brothers, that shouldn't be the case. Marquis Luo Yun has just arrived. Even if he wants to establish his authority, he will stop at a certain point. How can he use military law? That would be too disheartening."

"What do you know? The military will naturally deal with it according to military law. Today, everyone should be careful and get out quickly."

After saying that, the three of them filed out, and the army gathered in front of the tent. Each of them led their troops to roll their eyes, count the number of soldiers, check the weapons and armor, and then led the troops into the parade ground to wait for orders.

(End of this chapter)