My Chinese ancestors

Chapter 685: Rebellion

The dragonfly fluttered its wings and its long tail touched the lotus pond, creating ripples and causing the nearby lotus leaves on the water to sway slightly.

Yanjing Imperial Palace, courtyard.

It is now June of the eighth year of Yuanxing, and the sound of cicadas can be heard faintly in the woods in the distance.

Another early summer is coming.

The wind blew through the eaves, bringing with it the sound of bells.

The furnishings in the harem bedroom have not changed much. Fang Xuejun sits in the bedroom and gently strokes the strings of the zither. In the two years that Su Chen has been away, she has sat firmly in the harem and tried her best to maintain the Crown Prince Su Chen's right to speak in the court.

He also learned to cooperate with ministers such as Li Bai and Di Renjie, trying his best to manage the northern base, and also taught his only son Su Chen well.

After facing these things alone, she finally understood how difficult it had been for her husband to come this far. Looking back at her past, Fang Xuejun, who rushed to the battlefield with a sword in hand, seemed insignificant.

"Could the prince come down from court to pay his respects?"

Fang Xuejun walked slowly and gently, and whispered to the two strong and fat palace maids beside her. These two women were actually her senior and junior sisters from the same school. They had followed her in the palace for many years and often appeared as palace maids.

They had already married palace guards, but after getting married and having children, their physiques became stronger and stronger.

One of the two sword-carrying maids accompanying the queen replied softly, "Reporting to the queen, the prince has left the court, but is in the front courtyard seeking advice from Prime Minister Di."

From time to time, patrolling guards walked back and forth on the corridor. Compared with the soldiers in the imperial city, these guards were tall and strong, and they were all soldiers who had retired from the army in good health.

Even if a master-level martial arts expert broke in, he would probably not end up well if he encountered these retired soldiers who had fought in hundreds of battles.

However, not everyone can enter the imperial palace easily. The only person in the world who can do it is the boxing master in the south. Unfortunately, he disappeared after returning from Japan.

Fang Xuejun walked along the corridor with two palace maids to the library in the courtyard. Occasionally, she glanced at the pavilion by the pond not far away. Looking at the bright early summer sunshine, she seemed to be daydreaming.

It’s been two years…Hasn’t my husband finished the war yet?
The two palace maids behind her pretended not to see anything. After all, this was not the first or second time that the Queen had been in such a trance.

The two men escorted the queen around the corner. Before they entered the main hall of the front courtyard, they faintly heard the conversation between Su Chen and Di Renjie, who seemed to be discussing something.

Fang Xuejun walked to the door, and the continuous conversation inside became clear.

"The south is full of water bodies. When summer comes, there will be abundant rain and the rivers will swell. The king should make plans early. The prince should keep this in mind."

Then the hoarse voice of a boy who was going through voice change was heard.

"The Crown Prince's Grand Tutor also mentioned this matter. A few days ago, I thought about going to the south in person. My father has recruited soldiers from Yuezhou and Wuzhou, but there has been no news in the south for two years. I went there in person to inspect the waters and prevent floods; secondly, it can comfort the families of the soldiers in the two places and let them know that the court is not indifferent."

"That being said, I'm afraid it's not appropriate for the Crown Prince to leave Yanjing."

"It's no problem. In the past two years, I have been to Luyang in the Central Plains three times. It only takes half a month to travel to Wu and Yue."

Although Fang Xuejun was a woman and didn't care much about politics, she could tell that her son had quite a few insights into the governance of the world.

Ever since my husband led the Western Expedition Army away, the court has focused all its efforts on governing the people's livelihood in various states.

Over the past year, more efforts have been focused on the surrender of the Western Regions, repairing the cities destroyed by the Western barbarians, and treating the Western civilians injured in the war. The court even took out money to collect livestock from all over the country to compensate the herdsmen there.

It was not until the Yelan Kingdom recovered and sent troops to support the Western Expedition that the prince turned his attention to the south.

Through the carved lattice window, Di Renjie, wearing court robes and a long crown, was sitting on the side of the hall, looking at the ten-year-old boy sitting on the first seat with a smile on his face.

Su Chen was dressed neatly, sitting in the seat of honor and talking freely like an adult. His demeanor was completely different from the one he had in front of Su Chen two years ago.

When the matter was almost settled, Su Chen escorted Di Renjie outside. After the other party left, his tense expression suddenly relaxed, his shoulders slumped, and he yawned tiredly.

"Go pay respects to the Queen Mother, then return to the East Palace to catch up on some sleep..."

Just as Su Chen was about to leave after greeting his attendants, he heard light footsteps behind him and was startled by a voice saying "Prince!"

He quickly turned around and saw his mother Fang Xuejun standing behind him with a smile. She reached out and pulled Su Chen in front of her, pinching her son's face with both hands.

"…I've grown taller again."

After Su Chen left the court, he changed into a green robe and wore a crown. His eyes were sharp. Now his mother was rubbing his face. He changed from the little adult just now to a child in an instant, and the words he said were unclear.

"Mother... stop rubbing..."

Fang Xuejun helped him straighten a wrinkled collar and said, "Okay, you don't have to go to the back garden to pay respects to your mother. Go back to the East Palace and have a good sleep later."

Su Chen, who was already slightly taller than his mother's shoulders, raised his chin and smiled brightly.

"My mother really understands me, wooah~~" He stretched lazily, "I have to get up before dawn every day... I really want to go back to Rongzhou and have a good time in the Ding'an Su Mansion for a few days."

"That's going to have to wait until your father comes back." Fang Xuejun pulled his cloth again, "… I just heard that you are going to the south in person? Do you need me to go with you?!"

"It's good to have Commander Li with me!" The young man expressed his thoughts: "What Di Qing said is not much different from what the prince's tutor said. They are both extremely intelligent people, and they must have some signs. I am young and my words are not taken seriously, so I should listen to them.

It was my idea to go to the south myself. Wu and Yue have been annexed for more than four years. There are still some nobles left there, but they don't often receive the grace of the court. I'm afraid the common people will be deceived by those with ulterior motives... By the way, does your mother have any news about the Western Expedition Army? There has been no news from there for a long time."

The young man spoke sincerely, expressing what was on his mind, and then looked at his mother's face with great satisfaction.

The woman touched his head and said, "There is no news yet, but your father brought so many soldiers with him, so I don't think it will be too difficult."

"As for the Crown Prince's wish to go to the south in person, that's fine, but before you go, you have to go back to Ding'an City to see your eldest mother. I heard that she is in poor health and is bedridden."

"Grandmother is sick?" Su Chen's face was stunned for a moment. He said a few more words to his mother and turned to leave. Halfway through the journey, he suddenly accelerated and ran away.

"I will go down and prepare first. In two days, I will return to Ding'an City."

Fang Xuejun did not say anything to stop him. She knew that Su Chen valued the relatives in the Su family very much, especially his grandfather and grandmother. Every year when they returned to Ding'an, Xiao Xi would take them around to play and buy them whatever they wanted.

The old woman not only doted on the young prince, but also explained some easy-to-understand principles to him every time she did something.

Su Chen had great respect for this great mother.

In mid-June, Su Chen entrusted the palace affairs to Di Renjie, and took Xun Yu and Li Bai to Ding'an City.

The long dragon-like team passed through Longyang and arrived at Yunzhen County in Rongzhou. The governor Tang Huaiyuan and Yunzhen Marquis Wu Huizhi came to greet them.

Crown Prince Su Chen sent a message, asking the Marquis of Wu and Governor Tang to bring a few guards to accompany the emperor and provide protection.

After receiving the order, Wu Huizhi and Tang Huaiyuan were not angry at being driven around by the young man. Instead, they were overjoyed and followed behind with their guards, their backs straight.

This is a way to control people.

……

On June 21st, the prince's troop entered Ding'an City. Compared with the wealth and luxury of Yanjing, this place, as the birthplace of the dragon, seemed simple and quiet.

A large amount of farmland was reclaimed around the village, and the city was slightly expanded in two years. Inside and outside the city gates, there were endless merchants and travelers in different costumes and speaking various dialects.

When the crown prince arrived, the complicated city gates had already been cleared, and bustling figures crowded on both sides of the city gates, looking at the long dragon entering the city.

In the team, in the slightly swaying carriage, the curtain was slightly lifted, and Su Chen looked at the familiar streets. The flags of wine shops and tea shops were waving in the streets, and pedestrians and people were stopping on both sides of the streets to watch, or whispering with their heads down.

Far away from the long street, the buildings located in the first row in the north of the city have been rebuilt and expanded several times. The former marquis's mansion has become quite royal in size, but no one dares to complain.

The two characters "Su Mansion" on the door were written by the current emperor himself, then had someone carve them and hung them up by himself.

Soon, the imperial carriage stopped outside the Su Mansion. The eldest uncle and the second uncle had been waiting with their families for a long time.

When Su Chen arrived at the Su Mansion, his demeanor was slightly different from that in the palace. It was probably because Su Chen had taught him that when at home one should not let the outside authority fall on one's family members.

As soon as he got off the carriage, the young man saluted Su Yong and Su Lie first, and his eyes swept around, his tone inevitably a little anxious: "Uncle, second uncle, how is my grandmother?"

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!" Su Yong and Su Lie bowed one after another. When asked about Xiao Xi, their faces darkened and they immediately invited Su Chen into the mansion.

Naturally, the whole city knew about the news that the Crown Prince of Daxia had entered Ansu Mansion, and many people even ran from the south and west of the city to watch the excitement.

Beigong Shu, who was about sixteen or seventeen years old, was also moving among the crowd. He whistled in a dissolute manner and, together with a few playboys, molested decent women. He was chased across several streets by the yamen runners who were there to maintain order.

"The prince's troops are so impressive." Beigong Shu leaned against a tree trunk, breathing heavily, and said with a smile to his exhausted companions beside him.

A few ruffians and hooligans surrounded him with grins on their faces.

"Doesn't your family have a history with the Su family? Jiang Shu, if you become successful in the future, don't forget us!"

"Haha, why not!"

While Beigong Shu was speaking, someone suddenly came with a sword. Before he could react, the man had pushed away the sword and pressed it on his neck.

"Come with me."

……

On a restaurant in Ding'an City, Li Ru, dressed in a dark robe and black-patterned shoes, stroked his beard and looked towards the north of the city. He slowly raised the wine glass in his hand to his lips and took a sip.

Rebellion by order...

He sighed, "It's fucking awesome."

In less than a quarter of an hour, the person he wanted was brought into the private room.

(End of this chapter)