Chapter 96

Once they heard the name of the Northern General, there was an uproar in the courtroom.

After all, Qi Yue has a special status in the whole Great Yan Empire. Many officials have suggested to Emperor Hongming many times to weaken Qi Yue's military power because Qi Yue has high merit and has an absolute say in the northern border. If there is a rebellion, the whole Great Yan can not resist his Northern army.

Wei Lin looked at the Minister of Rites, who mentioned the identity of the governor of Xiangzhou, and thought flashed in his eyes.

His Highness was targeted for assassination a few days ago. If he was not mistaken, the one who fought with His Highness at that time was General Qi Yue. Qi Yue should be working for the Third Prince, and the Minister of Rites is also under the command of the Third Prince. How can it be so specific to imply that the governor of Xiangzhou is using Qi Yue's power to commit corruption?

The Minister of Rites seems to be full of worries and appears to be thinking about how to solve the matter of Xiangzhou, but in reality, he has been closely watching the expression of the Grand Prince and his reaction to this matter.

He deliberately mentioned this matter in the courtroom today because he received a sign from Yang Hui. The information in Yang Hui's letter was very brief, only noting that the Third Prince suspected that General Qi Yue and the Grand Prince had long been in contact and asked him to test it. The governor of Xiangzhou has been acting exceptionally boldly since his daughter's engagement to Qi Yue a year ago. It just so happens that there is a flood in Xiangzhou, which is why the Minister of Rites mentioned this.

The news that Qi Yue returned from the Capital empty-handed naturally aroused the suspicions of the Third Prince. If the Minister of Rites knew that Qi Yue was the assassin that day, he would, of course, have explained to Yang Hui properly. But Yang Hui's letter tried to be brief and did not mention Qi Yue's visit to the Capital to assassinate the Grand Prince.

"What does the Minister of Rites mean by this? Is it because the Governor of Xiangzhou is related to General Qi Yue by marriage that he should be allowed to bully the people?" The Grand Prince's clear and crisp voice rang out.

But everyone noticed that the voice was different from usual, with a hint of indescribable gloom.

Qing Yun's hand hidden in his sleeve robe has been clenched into a fist. If a certain man was there, he would have been beaten up immediately.

Oh, he did not know that Qi Yue had a marriage matter. If not for the Mongolian people eyeing the northern border, this man would have returned to the Capital to get married, wouldn't he?

"Your Highness should know what kind of status General Qi Yue has in Great Yan, and General Qi is very satisfied with this marriage, so..." the Minister of Rites said. The people in the courtroom immediately felt the Great Prince's unconcealed anger and are terrified.

The power in the hands of this General Qi is too big that even the Grand Prince can not tolerate it?

Perceiving the Grand Prince's anger, the Minister of Rites secretly said in his heart: The Grand Prince, under my inciting words, even unusually moved to anger. This is enough to show that the Grand Prince has long been dissatisfied with Northern General Qi Yue. The Third Prince is just overly worried.

In fact, this marriage was decided on a whim a year ago by Emperor Hongming. Qi Yue has not returned to the court for more than a year, and he does not know about this marriage, so how can he be "very satisfied" according to the Minister of Rites.

If Qing Yun thought about it carefully, he would know that the words of the Minister of Rites are mostly made up. But even if he was smart, as long as his heart was moved, he could be blinded in certain matters. He was naturally furious when he heard the words of the Minister of Rites.

In his mind, he thought of a hundred and eighty ways to take that man apart. Qing Yun even thought that if that man was really loyal to the Third Prince in this life, and at the same time had a happy relationship, then he would simply leave after completing his mission in this life.

A sort of sullen anger spread in the courtroom. The ministers struggled, and the Minister of Rites snapped his mouth shut and did not dare to say more. Even Wei Lin, who knows a lot about the Grand Prince, had doubts in his heart. The Grand Prince has usually refrained from showing his emotions, so how could his feelings be so exposed this time?

But after all, Qing Yun is Qing Yun, he quickly suppressed the anger in his heart and focused on the flood once again. He lowered his eyes, took a sip of tea, and asked, "I wonder what the ministers think about the Xiangzhou matter?"

"This...Xiangzhou matter is complicated and has to be considered in detail."

"Yes, yes, yes, one must not act recklessly when it comes to General Qi Yue."

"Oh? In this case, perhaps even if my orders reach Xiangzhou, they will not be of any use." Qing Yun lifted his head and swept past the ministers with difficult faces, "You all have mostly retreated in the face of General Qi, but the people of Xiangzhou are living in dire circumstances at this time. I'm afraid they can't even feed their stomachs, so perhaps it is necessary for this Prince to personally go to Xiangzhou to control the flooding."

As soon as Qing Yun's voice fell, there was immediately a sound of dissuasion.

"Your Highness, think twice! Xiangzhou is hot and humid and is prone to diseases. Moreover, the situation is not good at this time of flooding, so it is not advisable to go there!" The first one to speak out was Wei Lin.

In front of all the officials, his words actually have not finished. In the past few days, the Third Prince has moved a lot outside, slowly spreading the news that he has been established as the Crown Prince and that the First Prince in power now is plotting to usurp the throne.

Nowadays, the eldest Prince should never leave the Capital. It would be bad if the Third Prince were to exploit the situation or if he were to be assassinated on the road.

Other officials also spoke up: "The Grand Prince is weak and really shouldn't leave the capital."

"We all know that the Grand Prince is concerned about the people of Xiangzhou, but if you want to deal with the governor of Xiangzhou, you can send an official to go there. You must not risk yourself."

In the two months that Qing Yun has been in power, most of the officials in the court, except those who are loyal to the Third Prince, are convinced by him and regard him as a wise ruler. They also know that he is physically weak, so they naturally take care of him. They were afraid that he would fall even if he walked on flat ground, so how could they agree to his going to Xiangzhou?

Some even came close to saying, "Take care of your dragon body". [T/N: emperor's body]

The Minister of Rites was also shocked by the decision of the Grand Prince. He looked at the Grand Prince's eyes burning with anger, thinking that the Third Prince is really wrong this time. The Grand Prince's appearance is not like collusion with General Qi. He is obviously highly disgusted!

However, the Grand Prince is still willing to personally go to Xiangzhou to deal with the flooding despite his sick body, which does slightly shake the Minister of Rites' heart. He bowed his head to hide his emotions and thought that although the First Prince is good, the Third Prince is no worse. The First Prince's departure from the Capital has just given the Third Prince a chance.

But thinking about this, the Minister of Rites was unprecedentedly a bit uncomfortable in his heart. The Eldest Prince was eager to rid of the floods for the people, but the Third Prince ended up taking advantage of this opening...

Is it really a...win?

Wei Lin is also extremely puzzled by the decision of the Eldest Prince, but after looking at the Eldest Prince's resolute eyes, there is slowly a thought emerging in his mind. Although the Grand Prince controls the entire Capital, he does not have much presence in the whole country in the early years. In contrast, the Third Prince has been constantly sent by Emperor Hongming to deal with errands around the country, and his reputation has gradually been established.

Now, the Third Prince is planning to form his own power at the local level, which is extremely unfavorable to the First Prince. And if this opportunity of Xiangzhou flood operation is well grasped, it can compete with the Third Prince at the local level.

Ignoring the rest of the ministers' discouragement, Qing Yun said in a deep voice: "Thank you for your concern, but my mind has been decided. The disaster is serious and should not be delayed. I will leave immediately and leave the matters in the Capital to Court Elder Wei to handle."

After withdrawing from the court, Qing Yun walked towards his chambers with great strides.

The flooding in Xiangzhou, in the original direction of this world, was the source of the whole Great Yan's attack on the Great Prince Yan Sa.

Because Yan Sa, who has just ascended to the throne, did not focus on disaster relief when he encountered such a situation but instead was bent on hunting down the third prince. For this reason, he did not hesitate to gather troops and fight with the Northern army in the hands of Qi Yue.

Under Yan Sa's neglect, the Xiangzhou flooding became more severe. Eventually, the entire southern part of the country was suffering from unhealthy conditions. The people were completely enraged by Yan Sa's move to seize the throne without regard for the people's lives and raised an uprising.

The Third Prince Yan Lan seized this opportunity. He gave the task of leading the troops to Qi Yue and ran to the south for disaster relief. Not only did he win the gratitude of the southern people, but he also won the highest praise.

The people and officials who are dissatisfied with Yan Sa completely turned towards the Third Prince. Therefore, even though Yan Sa has been designated, he was overthrown from the throne and died an extremely ugly death. The people also scorned him after his death.

Qing Yun intends to completely reverse the wrong done by Yan Sa. Although he focused on training the Imperial Guard after coming to this world, he did not intend to fight a war.

Because in such a peaceful and prosperous time, a war for whatever purpose would be met with resistance from the people. But he still intends to make a trip to Xiangzhou, regardless of whether the Xiangzhou governor has a damn in-law relationship with that man!

As for whether Yan Lan will take the opportunity to return to the Capital?

Qing Yun smiled with interest. He was hiding a big gift that has not yet been given to Emperor Hongming. If Emperor Hongming knew what a vicious look his favorite woman and son had in his later years, perhaps Yan Lan returning to the court with the imperial decree to establish the Crown Prince would immediately be abolished by Emperor Hongming.

This is why Qing Yun has bothered to keep Emperor Hongming alive. As long as Emperor Hongming is around, the Crown Prince can be established or abolished. The decree in Yan Lan's hand will never count for anything.

Qing Yun proceeded to the south. He traveled lightly and did not bring many people. Even Chen Bing was left behind.

While leaving, Qing Yun looked back at the Capital and explained to the reluctant Chen Bing: "Father is probably bored recently. So, Chen Bing, you should send the Imperial Physician who treated my mother and the Grand Palace Maid beside Concubine Shu to relieve Father's boredom."

Chen Bing hurriedly responded.

As soon as Wei Lin, who came to see him off, heard Qing Yun's words, he immediately had an idea in his mind. He knew that since Grand Prince had left the Capital so simply, he must have made all the preparations.

The carriage swayed forward. Qing Yun pointed to a direction and sat inside the carriage with his eyes closed in contemplation. Qi Yue and the Third Prince had previously rushed to the Capital from the north, and the men and horses they brought were stationed north of the Capital.

But last time when Qi Yue came to the Capital to assassinate him, he saw the signal smoke rise in the sky. The Third Prince probably met the Second Prince whom he designed to lure in. After this incident, Qi Yue will certainly move his people again, and this transfer might be to the south of the Capital, which happens to be on Qing Yun's way.

Qi Yue did not know that the youth who always haunted his mind was about to come. His face was grave as he pondered the current situation.

The First Prince is firmly entrenched in the Capital, while the Third Prince has also begun to continue to spread his identity as the Crown Prince, pulling in local forces. The Third Prince's intention was to borrow the support of local officials to fight directly to the Capital.

But when Qi Yue brought three teams of the Northern army, he did not want to cause a widespread war. After all, he initially thought that this was just a simple service to the Emperor and did not expect the Prince to have such a plan.

No, it should be said that the young man called Xiangfeng has an exquisite mind. Surprisingly, within just two months, he refreshed the Capital and reversed the impression of the Grand Prince in the hearts of the people of the Capital, making the originally disadvantaged in the battle for the throne suppress the Third Prince.

Thinking of this, Qi Yue once again took out the fan and unfolded it to scrutinize the poem mentioned on it.

These days, he often has such actions. He has even familiarized the poem on the fan into an ode, and his admiration for the fan's owner has grown.

Qi Yue has never seen such a person, both scheming and powerful, that he admired. He stood up and held the fan to rehearse the moves of the young man when they fought that day. However, although the actions were familiar to him, Qi Yue felt that he could not even get half of the youth's style.

With a deep sigh, Qi Yue thought again. He admired the young man, but what about him? What is his attitude towards himself?

Now the two of them are on opposite sides. He has to support the Third Prince to ascend the throne because of the Emperor's order, while the youth is obviously loyal to the Eldest Prince. I wonder if he put the words I left behind into his heart?

The First Prince has always had a bad reputation. Qi Yue knows that Yan Sa often does not hesitate to pinpoint the weaknesses of some ministers, to force these ministers to work for him.

So what is the reason why this young man called Xiang Feng is attached to the Grand Prince? He is now advising the Grand Prince, and the image of the Grand Prince is probably transformed by his schemes. If the Grand Prince ascends to the throne in the future, how will he treat the young man, his great meritorious subject?

Will he be afraid that Xiang Feng will threaten his throne and turn on him?

The more he thought about it, the more worried he felt, and Qi Yue even left the matter of the Third Prince to the back of his mind. Qi Yue knew that the Third Prince was already suspicious of him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have recruited his forces in a big way. But faced with such a situation, Qi Yue did not worry about what would happen if he supported the Third Prince to ascend the throne but instead began to worry about the youth mindlessly.

At first, when he noticed his concern for the youth, Qi Yue was puzzled. After all, he has lived for more than 30 years, and no one has ever been worthy of his attention. Even to Emperor Hongming, it was only out of a sense of gratitude.

But even if he couldn't think of the reason, Qi Yue didn't dwell on it too much. He accepted this emotion as natural as water. In this whole world, who should he be concerned about if he does not care about the youth?

Qi Yue certainly could not imagine how soft his gaze was at this moment.

"General! The Third Prince..." The military commander walked in. As soon as he saw the smile that could be described as gentle on the face of the Great General of the North, who was known to be iron-blooded and ruthless, he felt something hot in his eyes.

Looking at the General's hand, unsurprisingly, he saw the folding fan again, and the corners of the military division's mouth twitched. Since returning from the Capital that day, the General often reveals some strange expressions, sometimes worried, sometimes giggling, and sometimes like this look of tenderness.

This behavior is simply like a young girl in love. At first, the military commander was worried that his General had a strange disease, but slowly he also understood.

After all, there are many brothers in the army who have partnered up for life, and the military commander has a slight understanding of these things.

At first, the military commander did not expect the General to fall in love at first sight with the young man in white that day. However, thinking about it, it is reasonable. After all, that person is attractive. Although his words were few in the discussion at the Qing Yang House, they were straight to the point. The more surprising thing to the military commander was that the man could fight the General to a draw!

It is no wonder that the General could not help himself at first sight.

But the two are on opposite sides, so there may be some trouble. However, the people in the Northern army are very convinced of Qi Yue, and the military commander is no exception. In his opinion, it is not much trouble for the General to snatch the person over when he becomes enlightened.

He is just a member of the Grand Prince's side and not the Grand Prince himself, so what is there to be afraid of?