bookcurios Chapter 139 Unfilial Descendants
Chapter 139 Unfilial Descendants
The newly appointed Lord Xiaomei was also in the imperial study, and beside her was Lord Pei, the deputy director of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who was dressed in black.
This winter is cold, and the entire northern border is in dire straits.
Fortunately, Songsaka Mountain stopped the foreign cavalry and gave Daliang a chance to catch its breath.
Several princes sat in the hall, including the lame Fourth Prince.
But everyone still secretly regarded the third prince as the leader.
The third prince did live up to everyone's expectations and immediately asked to go to Longxi to assist in border defense.
Lady Xiaomei and Pei Yan looked at each other in the air, with a hint of disdain in their eyes.
They were the youngest and least experienced among those present. Pei Yan was better, as he was born to obey the emperor, but Mei Zhanhui was a real coward.
I had a lot to say, but after receiving a few looks from the senior officials, I realized that all of this was tacitly approved by His Majesty.
His Majesty has acquiesced to the third prince as the crown prince, and nothing can happen to the crown prince, so going to Longxi is the best opportunity to gain merit and win the hearts of the people.
It not only reflects the Third Prince's love for his people, but also allows him to gain some merit in a relatively safe area.
"Forgive me for being blunt, but the situation is not yet so critical that His Royal Highness the Third Prince needs to accompany the army to boost the people's morale. What matters is how the local officials handle the situation. The army camp with tens of thousands of people on the roster is actually less than half full. This must be the work of more than one or two colleagues."
The person who was speaking was wearing a purple robe and a black jade belt. He bowed his hands, which was a complete bow.
The person who spoke was Wang Ge Lao of the cabinet. He was born into the Wang family of Taiyuan and now settled in the capital. He was born into a truly powerful and aristocratic family. In his early years, in order to avoid suspicion, he almost severed ties with the Wang family of Taiyuan. His determination was the reason why the emperor had always been willing to use him.
The emperor did not speak. The third prince was still kneeling on the ground. The atmosphere in the air was stagnant for a moment. Then an old man who looked similar to Lord Wang stood up tremblingly and supported the third prince to lead the army in person.
"The princes have reached the age where they need some experience, which will be a good thing for the country and the family."
The man who said this was named Yan, and he was also a cabinet minister. He was the one who taught the princes in their early years. If the third prince moved into the East Palace in the future, he could also be considered the prince's tutor.
Therefore, there are some words that only he can say.
Moreover, Lord Yan was one of the only two people from poor families in the cabinet. In order to suppress the aristocratic families, the emperor had often given Lord Yan face in public in recent years. Now, when he heard Lord Yan's words, he did not refute them.
No one can stop the Third Prince from showing off his achievements, so he can let several princes do it together. With the support of the princes' maternal families behind them, the matter of rewarding people for their achievements in the court will be much easier.
Why wouldn’t officials do it?
So when Zhao Fangyu woke up, she learned that her cheap husband was going to the battlefield.
It is still the most dangerous place, Zhiqu.
The emperor wanted him to take back his original territory, Liangqu Pass.
The 30,000-man army, three months' worth of food, and cotton-padded clothes were first given to the two princes, and only then was it his turn.
Time was not enough to begin with. They were given three months' worth of food, but two-thirds of it was withheld. Zhou Qinghe himself kept an eye on several officials at the Ministry of Revenue, and finally used some evidence to force them to tell the truth.
"Your Highness also knows that we cannot provide so much food and fodder in a short time. Several princes have to lead the army in person. If everyone takes all the food and fodder with them, it will be difficult to deal with if something happens around the capital!"
"I know that the Second Prince is anxious, but there is nothing we can do. The food will not run away. What belongs to the Second Prince is what belongs to the Second Prince. If the Second Prince is really anxious, he can also look for merchants with large quantities of rice and grain, spend some money to prepare more food for the journey, and then the Second Prince and I can feel more at ease."
Zhou Qinghe sneered, grabbed the official's collar and dragged him to the door. The bright sun was shining outside, and the white snow was blinding.
"Payment of silver? Why, the Ministry of Revenue can't provide money and grain now?"
"If you can't give it now, how can I know you will be able to give it in a few days? If the soldiers die of starvation, will it be yours or mine?"
"I gave you face!"
The Second Prince had originally picked up the memorial and was planning to smack his lackey a few times, but he was afraid that he would be given a handle and then Zhiqu would send someone who was useless.
The people of Zhiqu are innocent, and the local officials are corrupt, even daring to take their share of military pay. How can the people possibly live a good life? If they encounter foreigners, they will probably end up being treated like sheep.
The second prince retracted his strength and threw the official, who had become limp as a ball and refused to let go, to the ground like trash. He looked around with a wolf-like look, full of murderous intent.
"You should all know that I am not a good person. I am good-tempered enough to wait for you for a day."
"I just hope that your ancestors will be as calm and peaceful as I am when they see the sun."
After he finished speaking, everyone in the room was shocked.
Someone had already shouted to the Second Prince to wait, but the Second Prince did not leave. Instead, he squatted down, pulled up the official on the ground, and threw him onto the armchair, where he sat crookedly.
The second prince was less than twenty years old, tall, and had a carefree look that gave even the most innocent a headache.
Especially those who had suffered from his power before, have already silently lowered their heads, hoping to save their ancestors from disaster.
The second prince's hands were very strong, he was carrying a living person as if he were a chicken.
The hand pulled the official's cheek and shook it. The force was so strong that the official's head had to move along with it. It was unclear whether he was grimacing in pain or regret.
"You'd better pray that your family's ancestral tomb is buried deep. Is your mother still alive? I'll go check on your grandfather."
"He has a great grandson like you, a pillar of the country. Your ancestral graves should be filled with smoke. There are so many talented people in the court, both civil and military. You are one of them, you are quite capable."
"I'll have a good chat with your grandfather."
Zhou Qinghe spoke the last four words word by word, his eyes passing over everyone, and everyone couldn't help but feel a chill on their backs, as if their ancestors were standing behind them and watching them!
How could someone be so shameless as to speak so openly about something as immoral as digging up people's ancestral graves?
How disgraceful!
"Your Highness, this is unreasonable!"
The second prince stood up and clapped his hands, as if he was covered in something dirty.
"What are you afraid of? Can't you write memorials? If you have the guts to kill me, why don't you go fight?"
For a moment, there was complete silence. Someone murmured, "It's disrespectful." When he looked up, he saw the Second Prince staring at him.
"I will give you fifteen days. If you don't see my food and fodder after fifteen days, everyone here, pack up and go home and kneel in the ancestral hall."
Xuanbi followed the Second Prince out, wondering what the Second Prince would do if he encountered unfilial descendants using this trick.
"What if someone is willing to withhold your Highness's food and fodder even at the risk of being beaten to death by his ancestors after his death?"
The second prince went to the Zhao family without even turning back: "I'm looking for his grandfather, his father is not dead."
It's fine if the grandson is an unfilial son, but it doesn't make sense that his own father and uncles are also unfilial. The ancestral graves are all connected, and it's possible that the one dug up may be someone else's of the same clan. Who dares to bet on this?
It's pitch dark, and what if it's your own parents who are suffering? How great an injustice would that be?