nucmednet Chapter 952: The Wasteful Prince vs. the First Female Official 1
Chapter 952: The Wasteful Prince vs. the First Female Official 1
Xuan Yanjing packed up his things and returned to the palace early the next morning. In the next few days, he had to take care of the military camp affairs and deal with some matters in the Prince's Palace.
Therefore, he probably won't have much time to see Lingyao after returning to the palace this time, and even the idea of asking Xiao Fuzi to deliver a message to her will probably have to be put on hold.
Xuan Yanjing held Lingyao in his arms in front of the carriage for almost a quarter of an hour until Xiao Fuzi came forward to remind him and let go.
Xuan Yanjing let go of Lingyao and took out a jade pendant from his waist. He had wanted to give it to her when he left the palace this time, but he had never found a suitable opportunity.
Now he took off the jade pendant and tied it around Lingyao's waist.
"This is the jade pendant my mother left for me. She said that everyone in the Helian family has this jade pendant. In times of crisis, it can be used to mobilize the Helian family's secret guards and military power."
Xuan Yanjing tied the jade pendant around Lingyao's waist and tied a knot.
Then he continued, "Although the Helian family is also participating in this expedition, they have been in the army for so many years and have their own power. If anyone causes trouble for you while I'm away, you can take this jade pendant to the Helian family, understand?"
Although Lingyao is the leader of Chunye Pavilion, no matter how powerful Chunye Pavilion is, it is just a civil organization. Moreover, because of Lingyao's recent big moves, it has probably attracted the attention of many people.
It's okay for ordinary businessmen, at most they can create obstacles for Lingyao in terms of supply and sales, but some unruly mountain bandits are not so easy to get rid of.
They are desperate criminals who will do anything for money.
Xuan Yanjing was afraid that Lingyao would encounter trouble when he was away. He knew she was powerful, but many times, some people's tricks were hard to guard against.
With the Helian family protecting him, he could feel a little more at ease.
What's more, it's only natural for Lingyao to hold this jade pendant.
She will be his wife in the future, and naturally half a member of the Helian family.
Lingyao glanced at the jade pendant around her waist, but did not take it off, allowing Xuan Yanjing to hang it on.
Although she didn't think she would seek help from the Helian family, she didn't need the Helian family's protection.
After delivering the jade pendant, Xuan Yanjing got into the car, lifted the curtain from inside the car, looked out, and waved goodbye to Lingyao who was standing not far away.
Lingyao originally didn't want to wave her hand to destroy her cool and arrogant personality, but when she thought about his good performance last night, she was "forced" to raise her hand and wave to Xuan Yanjing.
When Xuan Yanjing saw Lingyao waving, he became even more excited and almost leaned half of his body out of the window, but was dissuaded by Xiao Fuzi, who was watching from the side and was trembling with fear.
"Your Highness, please be careful not to fall. What if you twist your waist? Your Highness, you are about to go to war."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yanjing looked at Lingyao's figure getting farther and farther away, then he retracted his head and returned to the car.
The smile on his face when he waved just now suddenly fell in the car, from sunny to cloudy.
He didn't want to leave her at all, and even less did he want to go to the northwest, a place so far away from her.
But he also knew that he had to bear everything that came with his identity, and that he should work hard for her.
Three days later.
The sun climbed to the middle of the sky, like a shiny bronze mirror, spreading golden light on the long bluestone street.
The copper bells on the eaves rang softly in the wind, and the pomegranate flowers on the roadside were in full bloom, red like a cluster of small flames, reflecting the silver armor of the young general.
Xuan Yanjing held the reins of the white horse, and a corner of his black cloak was lifted by the wind, revealing the newly forged Ming Guang armor underneath. The cloud patterns on the armor plates emitted a soft light in the sunlight.
This Crown Prince, who was going on his first expedition, was only seventeen or eighteen years old. His eyebrows and eyes still had a hint of youthfulness, but his jawline was already taut.
Riding a horse side by side with him was Xuan Qingxu, who was also wearing black and gold armor.
People were bidding farewell standing on the high city walls.
There were tens of thousands of soldiers’ close relatives, as well as civilians from the city who came to watch.
Xuan Yanjing was riding a horse at the foot of the city. The distance was too far, and even if he tried his best, he could hardly see the people standing on the city wall.
But he knew she must be among them.
Thinking of this, Xuan Yanjing's lips curled up almost imperceptibly, and then he straightened his back and gently squeezed the horse's belly. The white horse stepped over the bluestone slabs, the crisp sound of its hooves mixed with the fragrance of flowers on the wind and the soft sound of armor as it headed into the depths of the sunlight.
Helian Ke and Ling Yao came down from the city wall. They did not come together by appointment, but Helian Ke saw Ling Yao for the first time when he climbed up the city wall.
Helian Ke's father was also going to the battle this time. He was afraid that he had come too far and would not be able to see his father first, so he brought people here very early. However, he never expected that someone had arrived earlier than him, and he knew this person.
He naturally knew that Wen Lingyao was here to see her cousin off.
He already knew what happened between Lord Wen and his cousin the Crown Prince.
I don't know and it's unlikely.
He had run into them twice before when he went out. Compared to their reserved behavior inside the palace, they were more casual outside the palace, and both of them were wearing casual clothes. Although the prince cousin was wearing a hat, she still recognized him at a glance.
Or maybe he thought that the only person standing next to Lord Wen would be his cousin, the Crown Prince, although Helian Ke himself didn't know why he had such an idea.
When Helian Ke discovered the intimacy and ambiguity between the two, he was naturally disappointed, but apart from the disappointment, he also felt a little relieved.
He had wondered for a long time why his cousin the prince suddenly became distant from him, and whether he had done something wrong.
He didn't have many friends to begin with, and he liked his cousin, the prince, very much. Although many people said that the prince was all show and no substance, he didn't think so.
Now everything has been explained. His cousin the Crown Prince did not alienate him because he had done anything wrong. This made Helian Ke feel relieved.
As for Lord Wen, he did admire her, but now that she had chosen her cousin the Crown Prince, he would not be jealous, but would only bless her. After all, he was the one who joined later in this relationship, and the fact that she liked her cousin the Crown Prince also made him feel at ease.
The sound of horse hooves was crisp. They ran from sunrise to sunset before the group of people finally stopped.
Xuan Yanjing and Xuan Qingxu called for a stop at the same time. They looked at each other, then quickly turned their heads away and shifted their gaze.
Soon Helian Chang came out and announced that they would set up camp and rest.
As Xuan Yanjing's uncle, Helian Chang naturally favors him more. This time, he finally has the chance to march and fight with Xuan Yanjing. He wants to teach Xuan Yanjing all his skills just like teaching his own son.
After all, his own son Helian Ke had suffered a serious illness in his early years, and his body was weak afterwards. Let alone marching and fighting, he just hoped that he would be healthy.
So as soon as they settled down to rest, Helian Ke brought Xuan Yanjing to the tent to teach him military tactics and discuss tactics.
He originally thought that Xuan Yanjing was young and it was his first time to march, so he was probably immature in this aspect. But after several discussions, although Xuan Yanjing still lacked in some practical combat aspects, it was obvious that he was by no means a fool prince.
He even knew all the military strategies in military books by heart.
Helian Chang finally left Xuan Yanjing's tent with satisfaction.
On Xuan Qingxu's side, he also chose Gongsun You, a relative of the Gongsun family who had served in the army, as his subordinate in this march.
After marching for half a month, the army finally arrived in the northwest and contacted local officers.
The local officer was just a small general, and was naturally nothing in front of a general like Helian Chang and the prince and the emperor.
He handed over his military power without saying much, but there were still some problems with the handover of military power among this group of local people.
That is to whom the military power should be handed over.
The military power of the Helian family is managed by Helian Chang, and the tens of thousands of elite soldiers going on this expedition are jointly commanded by Xuan Yanjing and Xuan Qingxu.
And this military power initially fell into the hands of Helian Chang.
After all, the generals in the northwest were more familiar with Helian Chang, and Helian Chang had also been to the northwest to quell the war and was more prestigious in the army.
However, Xuan Qingxu's party soon protested.
As a deputy commander, Helian Chang naturally could not take over the military power, which should be managed by the commander-in-chief.
And there are two commanders here. The emperor, who holds the military power in the northwest, has never issued an imperial decree to allow two commanders. There is only one military token, and whoever gets the token can command the three armies.
So is this military token for Xuan Yanjing or Xuan Qingxu?
Xuan Qingxu believed that Xuan Yangjing already had the support of Helian Chang, so the military command in the northwest should naturally be managed by Xuan Qingxu to balance the military power of the two commanders.
Xuan Yanjing sneered and kicked over the negotiation table.
"Going to the battlefield to seek misery? Is that all you, Xuan Qingxu, are capable of? This is a border battlefield, and whoever is stronger has the right to speak. If you, Xuan Qingxu, want to seek misery, you can go home and find your mother, no, find Concubine Wen."
Xuan Qingxu's face darkened, and he sneered, "Is that so? You, Xuan Yanjing, are just relying on the Helian family and your mother. What's the point of talking about me?"
"Since everyone has their differences, I have a solution. During the recent war in the northwest, the barbarians attacked Xiacheng and Liaocheng. Now, most of these two cities have been conquered..."
"An army with two commanders will never reach a consensus, which will only delay the battle. Therefore, I propose that from today on, the army be split in two. You and I will each lead a force to counterattack Xiacheng and Liaocheng. Whoever recaptures the city first will gain complete control of the army. The loser will step down as deputy commander and obey orders. How do you do it?"