Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5164 Princess Teach Her Son
There were intrigues and conflicts of interest in the court, and not everyone was happy to see Fang Jun's great victory. Some were happy, while others were worried, about the news of the Anxi Army's successive victories.

However, in the streets and markets, the news of the Anxi Army's successive victories caused joy and jubilation.

Although the Tang Dynasty had suffered few defeats in foreign wars since its founding, except for the humiliation of being forced to sign the "Weishui Alliance" by Jie Li Khan when his troops arrived at the Wei River, and the whole country was almost immune to "victory", both the court reports and merchants traveling on the Silk Road spared no effort to publicize the importance of this battle, so that the people also realized the difference of this battle.

As the saying goes, "There can't be two tigers on one mountain." In a confrontation between two contemporary superpowers, whoever loses will not only have its development momentum curbed, but will also be more likely to cede territory and pay compensation, lose sovereignty and humiliate the country. How could the Tang Dynasty, with its strong martial spirit, allow itself to be defeated?
As the news of the Anxi Army's successive victories came, people in the market were naturally smiling, and Fang Junzhi's reputation reached its peak.

The victory in such a "battle of national destiny" is more important than all of Fang Jun's previous victories.

……

In the mansion of Duke Liang, Princess Gaoyang was holding a rattan stick and scolding her two sons with a frown. Fang Shu and Fang You were one year older. The former was stocky and chubby, while the latter was taller and slender with lively eyes, and was very naughty all day long.

Because he accidentally broke the glass when he was poking the bird's nest under the eaves with a pole, he was caught and punished by the family...

The cane hit the brothers gently and they cried out loudly, which made Princess Gaoyang so angry that she hit them a few more times.

On the side, Xiao Shu'er, who was holding Fang Jing, was extremely anxious and kept trying to dissuade them.

"Your Highness, please don't be angry. Boys are always lively and playful. Just scold them a few times. Why do you have to beat them with a cane? If your mother sees this, she will definitely complain."

When the two children saw someone pleading for them, they wiped their tears and looked at Xiao Shuer pitifully.

Xiao Shuer's heart almost melted when she saw the brothers' eyes asking for help. She hurried forward and protected the two children behind her.

She had always dreamed of having a son, but before Fang Jun went to war, she "fought hard" in her boudoir for several days, but ultimately failed to grow jade in Lantian, which was quite a pity...

Fang Jing in her mother's arms babbled and struggled out of her mother's arms. She leaned half of her body out and stretched out her little hands to touch the faces of her two brothers. Fang Shu and Fang You then moved forward, straightened their backs and stretched their necks so that their sister could feel more comfortable with the touch.

Seeing Xiao Shu'er blocking her way, Princess Gaoyang angrily swung the cane and said, "Every time you protect me, I will always be so protective of you. Loving mothers often spoil their children!"

Xiao Shu'er smiled and apologized, "It's not like he made a big mistake. You can just give him a few words of advice. Dalang and Erlang are very smart. They will definitely remember the lesson and never make the same mistake again."

Princess Gaoyang was helpless and threw the cane aside, still angry: "It will be too late to teach you a lesson after you have made a big mistake!"

Xiao Shu'er pulled Fang Jing's little hand back, winked at Fang Shu and Fang You, and said with a smile: "Children are all kind-hearted. They won't kill or burn anything. What's the big deal if they make a few small mistakes? Compared with other noble children, they are already very good! Besides, they are still young and don't understand many things. It is inevitable that they will make mistakes. When they grow up and understand more, they will definitely not make the same mistakes again."

In her opinion, boys should always be more lively. If they are well-behaved and obedient at a young age, what will they achieve when they grow up?
Besides, as long as you don’t bully men or women, kill people or set fires in the future, what’s the harm in making some small mistakes?

People like them have the confidence to make mistakes...

Seeing the two children kowtow and then run away arm in arm, Princess Gaoyang snorted and threw away the cane. She turned around and sat on a chair to drink a sip of tea, complaining: "You are too soft-tempered. If I were you, you should not raise Jing'er. What if she turns out to be a spoiled and unruly girl who can't get married? You will be worried to death!"

Xiao Shu'er disagreed and curled her lips: "How can our daughter not get married? No matter how unruly and willful she is, there are countless families seeking to marry her!"

He walked to Princess Gaoyang and pushed Fang Jing over to her: "But if you want to raise her, then you can do it. I don't care about her."

Princess Gaoyang quickly put down the teacup, took Fang Jing in a panic, and said angrily: "There are people who favor sons over daughters in the world, but there are few people as extreme as you! What if you can't give birth to a son in the future? Let's see what you will do!"

It is also strange that Xiao Shu'er, who has always been gentle, elegant and virtuous, lacks patience when facing her own daughter. She treats her daughter with disgust as if she had just picked her up. However, she dotes on Fang Shu and Fang You and does not hide her preference for boys over girls.

Suddenly, there was a sound of hurried footsteps outside the door, and a maid walked in quickly. As soon as she entered the hall, she said in a hurry: "Your Highness, Madam, I was just shopping in the East Market and heard rumors in the market that Erlang had won a series of victories in the Western Regions, and the battle report has been delivered to the palace."

"Did he really win?"

Princess Gaoyang was overjoyed, and breathed a sigh of relief. She patted her chest with her hand and said, "Since my husband left for the war, I have been worried. After all, we are outnumbered by the enemy, and they are a powerful country that can compete with the Tang Dynasty. What if the war goes badly?"

She didn't really care about the outcome of this battle, but she was worried that if the battle didn't go well, with Fang Jun's character he would definitely lead the charge, and in the battlefield swords and knives are ruthless, so if something went wrong, what would happen then?

Xiao Shu'er also said happily: "My dear, you are indeed a man of great talent, both in literature and in martial arts, unrivaled in the world! Since even the common people have heard the news, I think the letter from home will arrive soon."

Sure enough, before he finished speaking, a servant came in quickly, holding a few family letters in his hands...

……

Back house.

Fang Xuanling sat in the study, unfolding the family letter and reading it carefully. Lu sat beside him and asked curiously, "I heard that Erlang won a great victory in the Western Regions. Is that true?"

Fang Xuanling nodded.

Mrs. Lu heaved a sigh of relief and asked, "Did Erlang say in the letter when he would return?"

Fang Xuanling shook his head and said, "Although we have conquered Kesan City and the victory is certain, the Persian prince A Luohan has led his troops to Chang'an...but Erlang is ambitious and wants to pursue them for thousands of miles and chase them north. On the one hand, he wants to annihilate these elite Arab troops in the wild, and on the other hand, he can also take advantage of the situation to march to Damascus and deter the Arab court."

He paused, then sighed, "Erlang is indeed a great man, a man of foresight. In history, 'sealing the Wolf's Lair and engraving the Stone at Yanran' were already the limits of martial arts, but he managed to do it twice by himself, surpassing all those famous generals in ancient times."

If the Anxi army had really reached the city of Damascus, it would naturally be comparable to the unparalleled feat of "sealing the wolf at Juxu", worthy of being recorded in history, and even hundreds or thousands of years later, it would be enough for future generations to praise.

Mrs. Lu was surprised: "Will Erlang lead the charge? The Western Regions are thousands of miles away from Damascus. Not only are the battles dangerous, but the roads are also bumpy. If there is any mistake, it will be troublesome!"

She didn't care about any extraordinary achievements or being recorded in history. She just wanted her son to come back safe and sound, without any illness or disaster, and enjoy a rich and prosperous life...

Fang Xuanling said, "How is that possible? He is the commander-in-chief of the war in the Western Regions. Naturally, he has to stay in the rear and coordinate the overall situation. If even he has to lead the troops, then there is no point in fighting this battle. Your son is very smart, you don't have to worry about him."

Unexpectedly, these words immediately aroused Lu's dissatisfaction.

"I don't have to worry? How can I not worry? There is no one in this family who is worry-free! Just now, the princess used a cane to beat her two grandchildren, making them cry like ghosts and howl like wolves. How cruel! If it weren't for Shu'er's persuasion and stopping, the two grandchildren would have their butts bruised tonight and wouldn't be able to sleep lying down! Shu'er is the same. It's understandable that she wants a son, but a daughter is not her own flesh and blood? Seeing how perfunctory she is to Jing'er, I'm angry!"

She was dissatisfied with the attitude of Princess Gaoyang and Xiao Shu'er towards the children, but after all, she was the mother-in-law, so she couldn't intervene too much. She felt depressed and unhappy.

Fang Xuanling was used to his wife's chattering, so he didn't pay much attention to it. Instead, he held the letter in his hands, thinking about something and was a little distracted...

Seeing this, Mrs. Lu became more dissatisfied: "He's your own grandson, and he gets beaten and scolded for no reason, and you don't care?"

Fang Xuanling came to his senses and said helplessly: "It's the mother who disciplines the children, how can I do that? Besides, they are all boys, and a few spankings won't hurt them, so it's a good thing to discipline them. Otherwise, they will become lawless and become like their father, a playboy with a bad temper. It will be too late to discipline them."

This immediately touched the Lu family's sore spot. They raised their eyebrows and looked furious: "What do you mean by this? What's wrong with Erlang? If it weren't for Erlang, how could our family be so prosperous today? You think you have made contributions to the country, but if it weren't for Erlang, how many of those nobles and aristocratic families would care about you, a retired prime minister?"

Fang Xuanling was a little indignant: "But you can't deny that Erlang has been doing evil and getting into trouble every day in those years, right?"

"What's wrong with getting into trouble? The dictionary you love so much every day was compiled by Erlang with his manpower, money, effort and ideas!"

Fang Xuanling: "..."

He realized that he had made a mistake and shouldn't have slandered her precious son in front of his old wife, so he quickly changed the subject.

"Do you think that Erlang's successive victories and his pursuit of the enemy is a good thing?"

Mrs. Lu was stunned. As expected, her attention was diverted. She asked hurriedly, "What do you mean? Isn't it good to win the battle?"

"Winning a battle is naturally a good thing, but such a big victory...is not always a good thing."

Seeing that Lu was confused, Fang Xuanling patiently explained: "The Anxi Army is one of the strongest armies in the world. This time, they have defeated the enemy and won consecutive victories. Their combat power is obviously superior to that of the Sixteen Guards. The Anxi Army is composed of Erlang's old subordinates. They are obedient to him and follow his orders. In addition, after this war, countless food and fodder have gathered in the Western Regions... If this war continues, the Anxi Army will inevitably expand. Do you think the court will be suspicious of it?"