Chapter 829: Meeting
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Gulp-
Her stomach growled.
Su Xiaoxiao hummed. “I think… I’m hungry.”
Wei Ting took a deep look at her stomach. Could this child also be a little devil..
Impossible. She must be a soft and cute little girl.
Wei Ting got out of the carriage and went nearby to buy her a box of osmanthus cake. Just as he was about to sit back in the carriage, another carriage drove over.
“General Wei, please wait!”
Wei Ting frowned slightly and turned around. He saw Eunuch Quan get out of the carriage with a smile and cup his hands at him. “Greetings, General Wei.”
As he spoke, he looked at the osmanthus cake in Wei Ting’s hand and then at the carriage. He smiled and asked. “Madam Wei is also in the carriage. right?”
Wei Ting asked calmly, “What’s the matter?”
Eunuch Quan smiled and said, “His Majesty has summoned General Wei and
Madam Wei to the palace.”
In the Imperial Study, Xiao Duye, who had rested for the entire night and had barely recovered some energy, reported the battle situation at the border to Emperor Jing Xuan.
Although Emperor Jing Xuan was in the capital, battle reports came from the border from time to time. What Xiao Duye said was basically the same as in the battle reports. At least, Xiao Duye did not lie when he attacked first in Northern Yan and in several important battles.
There was no sadness or joy on Emperor Jing Xuan’s expression. This confounded Xiao Duye. He had spent a Herculean effort to establish battle achievements and almost lost his life. Why didn’t his father look as happy as when he conquered the southwest?
Could it be that the credit for defeating Northern Yan was not as much as calming the internal strife?
It couldn’t be…
The internal strife was a small mess, but Northern Yan was an enemy country.
Xiao Duye was puzzled.
Emperor Jing Xuan said, “Did you really order the attack on Northern Yan?”
Xiao Duye cupped his hands and bowed. He said solemnly, “Northern Yan was extremely arrogant. It actually let Tuoba Lie lead a 100,000-strong army into Broken North Pa.s.s, invade our border, and seize our city. If I don’t take revenge, I’m not a gentleman. Moreover, I’m a prince of the Great Zhou. I naturally have to protect the rivers and mountains of the Great Zhou and the people of the Great Zhou!”
Emperor Jing Xuan continued, “Why didn’t you use Leng Kui?”
He had used Leng Kui. Didn’t he go to the battlefield to kill enemies well?
Xiao Duye quickly realized that his father was referring to not needing Leng Kui to be the commander-in-chief of the three armies.
Was his father… questioning him or asking?
Xiao Duye could not figure out what Emperor Jing Xuan meant for a moment, so he could only say truthfully, “Father, when Leng Kui was the commander-in-chief, he repeatedly failed. Not only did he let Tuoba Lie attack Broken North Pa.s.s, but he also lost the border city. The morale of the soldiers fell greatly, so I elected Qin Canglan as the commander-in-chief.”
Emperor Jing Xuan said, “What’s going on with Leng Zhao and Leng Jue?”
Xiao Duye said, “Leng Jue fled at the last minute, causing the soldiers to die tragically. Jing Yi was captured, so it would be difficult to energize the army if we didn’t kill him! As for Leng Zhao, he was seriously injured when fighting Tuoba Lie. He was delirious and ran out to drown in the well.”
When Leng Zhao died, he was sleeping in the tent. He only heard the news the next morning.
Everyone said that he had drowned himself and could not find evidence of any other possibilities, so it was decided.
Emperor Jing Xuan calmly picked up a memorial. ‘Why did I hear that there’s something strange about this?”
“There’s something strange…” General Xiao Duye told the truth. “When he ran out, he said a lot of nonsense. He said… that he was the one who leaked the whereabouts of Wei Xu and his sons back then, causing them to be ambushed by the Northern Yan army. Moreover, in this battle against the Northern Yan, he also revealed Wei Ting’s battle plan to Helian Ye, causing Wei Ting to be ambushed. The word is that… he committed suicide to avoid punishment.”
“Enough.” Emperor Jing Xuan put down the memorial.
Xiao Duye fell silent.
Eunuch Quan came over and reported that Wei Ting and Su Xiaoxiao had arrived.
Emperor Jing Xuan asked Xiao Duye to return to the residence to rest and summoned Wei Ting and Su Xiaoxiao into the Imperial Study.
It had only been two months since they last met, but Emperor Jing Xuan had changed a little. His eyes were puffy and his complexion looked rosy, but he was actually a little weak.
It was said that recently, Emperor Jing Xuan had become more and more obsessed with the art of immortality. He took the pills sent by the Imperial Preceptor every day and two concubines in the harem were pregnant. This made Emperor Jing Xuan believe that he had returned to his youth.
“I heard that you were injured. Are you feeling better?” Emperor Jing Xuan said. Wei Ting bowed and said, “I’m fine. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.”
Emperor Jing Xuan smiled. “You did a good job with Helian Ye. I heard that the two of you even went to the battlefield and subdued some troops at the border. It’s said that those troops are very brave and don’t look like ordinary scattered soldiers.”
Su Xiaoxiao glanced at him.
It was impossible for this emperor not to be afraid of the Wei family for a day.
When they were dealing with King Nanyang, he had clearly pretended to be generous and returned the Commander’s Seal to Wei Ting. Now, he was pursuing the matter of them incorporating the troops.
Wei Ting said calmly, “His Highness Liang was surrounded by Northern Yan, and General Leng gave up Jia County and ignored His Highness’s life and death. I and Madam had no choice but to gather some people at the border. Speaking of which, it’s strange. Many of those people were clearly soldiers of our Imperial Court. They had gone to the battlefield and killed enemies, but they were expelled from the military camp for no reason. They didn’t even have compensation. I think there’s something wrong with this matter. Your Majesty, please order a thorough investigation!”
These words were telling Emperor Jing Xuan that if he did not incorporate the troops, his son would have died long ago.
Also, he said that they were brave, but weren’t the veterans of the Imperial Court brave? It was the Leng family who turned them into scattered soldiers. Why didn’t he settle the Leng family first?
Emperor Jing Xuan was speechless.
He glanced at the two of them and said calmly, “Alright, I didn’t ask the two of you to denounce you. You’ve contributed to killing the enemy. If I treat you badly, won’t I disappoint the soldiers and commoners at the border? Tell me, what do you want?”
Wei Ting said, “It’s my duty to serve Your Majesty. I won’t take credit.”
Emperor Jing Xuan looked at Su Xiaoxiao. “What about you?”
Su Xiaoxiao said, “Oh, I don’t take credit.”
Emperor Jing Xuan relaxed.
He did not want to give the two of them any rewards, but at the same time, he looked forward to what they wanted. This was because only by asking for it would they seem arrogant.
“But Your Majesty.” Su Xiaoxiao took out a list. “Please reimburse the soldiers’ salary. I was the one who paid for the Leng family’s lack of provisions and silver. As the ruler of a country, you won’t owe me a debt, right?”
Emperor Jing Xuan was speechless.
Su Xiaoxiao left the Imperial Study first. Wei Ting stayed. Emperor Jing Xuan still had something to ask Wei Ting. Coincidentally, he had something to discuss with Emperor Jing Xuan.
Not long after Su Xiaoxiao came out, she b.u.mped into Princess Hui An.
Princess Hui An was wearing a light yellow palace robe with a tender pink cloak over it. She was as beautiful as a peach blossom. She picked up her skirt and walked over quickly. “Little sidekick!”
Su Xiaoxiao smiled and bowed. “Princess Hui An.”
Princess Hui An looked at her anxiously. “I heard that you went to war.. Were you injured?”