Adoption brings disaster

This general is from the Northern Army, and he's a military commander. He treated His Highness the Seventh Prince with the same respect as he would a future monarch, and he was also very respectful to me as well.

General Lu was standing with his hands hanging down. When he saw us coming, he quickly saluted and said, "Greetings to His Highness Qianqiu, and to His Highness the Seventh Prince."

This is the first time I have seen someone put me in front of His Highness the Seventh Prince. According to etiquette, I should be put in front because I am exercising power on behalf of the Emperor. In front of His Highness the Seventh Prince, I not only have the imperial power but also the paternal power. No matter what, His Highness the Seventh Prince cannot surpass me.

But no minister would compete with his own prince for this title, either because they didn't care or because they didn't dare.

Although I don't care about these false reputations, I also know that people's words are scary. If Chongguang is dissatisfied and there is a villain instigating me, my life will definitely not be as easy as it is now.

So I was a little scared and looked down at the Seventh Prince. It seemed that there was nothing unusual, so I felt relieved.

I saw that Chongguang didn't shout or speak, so I didn't know what he was thinking. But it must be bad to let General Lu kneel like this. If others saw it, they would definitely think that Chongguang and General Lu were estranged.

I also bravely helped General Lu to his feet. Seeing that Chongguang still showed no sign of surprise, I smiled and said, "General Lu is very busy with official duties. How did you find time to come to Qianqiu Pavilion today?"

"I've been patrolling the palace for the past two days, and today I happened to be near here. It's been a while since I've paid my respects to Your Highnesses, and I'm feeling anxious. So, I've hurried over to pay my respects. I hope Your Highnesses will forgive me."

"General Lu is very busy with official duties. You don't need to worry about such a small matter as paying your respects."

The Seventh Prince still didn't say anything, and I couldn't make the situation too awkward, so I could only invite General Lu to have tea and chat with him about some meaningless gossip.

"Your Highnesses are truly diligent, getting up so early. Unlike my two rebellious sons, they won't get up until the sun shines on their butts."

After General Lu finished complimenting Chongguang and me, he didn't forget to criticize Liushui, saying, "I've heard that Liushui, the Lord of Baidai Pavilion, sleeps until noon every day, but he's not even half as diligent as His Highness Qianqiu. His Highness Qianqiu is up so early and so energetic, not even looking tired at all. I imagine his martial arts attainments are extraordinary, he truly is a hero born young."

What General Lu said was no different from directly kicking me off. I'm not an ignorant person. I was yawning because I was extremely sleepy.

He was drowsy again, unable to open his eyes for a moment, and said weakly, "It's the Seventh Prince who's working hard. I'm just accompanying him. In fact, I'm already very tired. Chongguang, please chat with General Lu for a while, I won't be accompanying you."

After I finished speaking, I stood up and was about to leave, but His Highness the Seventh Prince stopped me and said, "If you have anything to say, just tell me directly. Qianqiu is not an outsider."

I didn't understand what Chongguang was trying to do. I was confused for a moment, and asked myself in my head, "What are you doing?"

"If you don't say it directly, there will always be people who will look down on you and humiliate you."

Chongguang's behavior naturally greatly honors me, but it also makes it easy for others to look down on me. I was about to say something about the Seventh Prince, but General Lu's next words shocked me so much that I didn't have time to care about these trivial matters.

General Lu was also an old fox. He pretended not to hear such direct words. He took a sip of tea and said, "Besides coming to pay my respects to the two Your Highnesses, I also came to ask for your leave. The Emperor has sent me to suppress the bandits, and I will be leaving the capital soon."

I was also extremely shocked. Regardless of my status, I blurted out, "How is that possible? General Lu, you are in charge of the defense of the palace. If you leave, what will happen to this huge palace?"

General Lu looked normal, but there was still a hint of bitterness in his eyes. He said, "The Minister of War will temporarily take over the position of General."

If I remember correctly, the Assistant Minister of War was good at reciting poems and composing couplets, but he had never been to the battlefield and had not even read a few military books. How could such a person be in charge of the defense of the palace walls?

However, Chongguang didn't care much. He looked outside and said casually, "Father asked you to go and suppress the bandits, so just go and suppress the bandits."

This made General Lu a little anxious. He said, "Your Highness, the prince is not in the palace. We, the generals, all follow your lead. Now those pedants have bullied us to this extent. Are you just going to let them bully us?"

Seeing General Lu getting anxious, Chongguang looked at him with disdain before saying, "If you want to destroy him, you must first drive him crazy."

"What does this mean, Your Highness?"

The Seventh Prince didn't explain, but I understood what he meant and said, "General Lu, let me ask you, is it important to defend the palace walls?"

"Of course it's important. In terms of importance, guarding the center is comparable to the prince's guarding of the border."

"Then do you think that a Minister of War who can't even read military books can fulfill the important task of guarding the palace walls?"

"Of course not."

"Then why did His Majesty ask you to suppress the bandits? Haven't you ever thought about the reason?"

General Lu understood somewhat, but not completely. I smiled and continued, "The soldiers who have retired from the Northern Territory have caused quite a bit of trouble in the capital these days. Those civil officials will certainly not miss this opportunity and will spare no effort to discredit the Northern Territory Army."

General Lu naturally knew about the troubles caused by the soldiers from the northern border, and he felt very disappointed with them.

After hearing what I said, they knew that the civil servants were also involved, and they were so angry that they were fuming.

Thinking of the difficulties he had been going through recently, he was furious and cursed, "Damn it! No wonder His Majesty has been so indifferent to me lately. It turns out it's these villains behind my back."

"You've protected the palace for many years, so His Majesty naturally loves and trusts you. However, public opinion is a serious concern, and His Majesty cannot remain silent. Sending you to suppress the bandits this time serves two purposes. First, your new military achievements will naturally silence those censors. Second, it will let these scholars know that war is not as simple as they think, and it can also be considered a way to suppress these civil servants."

"I see." General Lu, who was originally a little worried, became very proud after hearing this. He became more imposing and spoke even louder.

General Lu's elation didn't last long before he became disheartened and said, "These retired soldiers are causing trouble and ruining the reputation of our Northern Frontier Army. It's really infuriating."

"These soldiers are well-trained, disciplined, and capable of fighting for a hundred men. If we can assign them suitable tasks, the reputation of the Northern Army will improve in no time."

"Qianqiu, do you have any good ideas?" asked the Seventh Prince. General Lu also stared at me, wanting to see what good ideas I had.

"It's just some ideas, not a good solution. When the time is right, you will know."

"If Your Highness really has any good ideas that would be useful to me, I am at your service."

"There is one thing you need to do."

After hearing this, General Lu pricked up his ears and listened carefully, afraid that he would miss anything I said.

"Your Majesty has sent you to suppress the bandits, so you must do it well. Not only must you suppress them, but you must also suppress them beautifully and quickly."

General Lu thought I wanted him to do something, but he didn't expect it to be such a thing, and he was a little disappointed.

I was amused when I saw this, and then said, "You are also a member of the Northern Army. The reputation you earn can also enhance the reputation of the Northern Army. Don't underestimate this matter. If you do it well enough, you may even be able to change the people's opinion in one go."

........................

Just as we were discussing the bandit suppression, the steward came running over and said, "Your Highnesses, the Emperor has arrived. Tell them to go and greet him."

When General Lu heard that the emperor was coming, he was so frightened that he walked around in circles in the room, mumbling, "What should I do? Where can I hide? Qianqiu, find a place for me to hide quickly."

I looked at the burly and bearded General Lu, and was as anxious as a child. I also understood in my heart why these military generals could not defeat those civil officials.

With this kind of mental quality, it would be strange if I could win the fight. Just like me before, I did all kinds of work well, but when I saw the leader, I was like a mouse seeing a cat.

How can I gain the trust and respect of my leader if I always act timidly?

I understood this logic, so I said, "Do you think His Majesty doesn't know you're in Qianqiu Pavilion? Instead of hiding and making His Majesty suspicious, it would be better to go out and greet him openly. That way, His Majesty will know we're upright. Besides, we haven't done anything wrong, so why are you feeling guilty?"

"Yes, I just came in to pay my respects to the two princes. What am I afraid of?"

After saying this, he turned back into the dignified and reliable General Lu of the past, following behind Chongguang and me to welcome the emperor.

"General Lu is here too." The emperor didn't look surprised to see General Lu behind us, and continued talking as usual.

"General Lu will be leaving the capital soon to suppress bandits, and he came to pay his respects to me and His Highness the Seventh Prince."

My direct words left everyone at a loss for words. His Majesty laughed dryly a few times before saying, "General Lu also served in the Northern Frontier Army for several years when he was young. Since the King of Zhenbei is not in the capital, he should come and pay his respects to Chongguang more often."

After saying that, he strode into the pavilion.

Arriving at the pavilion, we took our seats. His Majesty said, "General Lu is very busy guarding the palace on weekdays. I don't think he has ever tasted the roast chicken from Qianqiu Pavilion. This roast chicken is so delicious that even the immortals in Zhaixing Tower can't stop tasting it. Since we have nothing to do today, you can try it before leaving."

Your Majesty's gesture was a great favor to a minister, and General Lu was so moved that he almost cried. I smiled and said, "General Lu is a loyal minister. Just now he was worried about the Northern Border soldiers in the capital, and now your Majesty has given him a meal and he is so moved that he is almost crying."

His Majesty was a little displeased by me bringing things out in the open. He glanced at me and asked, "What did you talk about?"

"It's nothing, but the soldiers in the Northern Territory are mostly well-trained and disciplined, and they are capable of fighting one against a hundred. They are rare talents."

These words made His Majesty's face even darker, but there was no more displeasure in his eyes. General Lu shrank his neck and dared not speak, but just blinked at me pitifully. If he could speak now, he would definitely hug my thighs and cry and beg me to stop.

The Seventh Prince was also very nervous, but he could sense that I had not angered His Majesty, so he didn't say anything, but was ready to rush out to save me at any time.

I had a plan in mind. Even if it truly angered His Majesty, I had to speak up. So, I plucked up the courage to say, "It's just that these people have been in the army for so long and don't know the rules of etiquette. Making a living in the capital is a bit out of place for them, so they've caused so much trouble. If we could arrange some suitable tasks for them, they would definitely contribute to the long-term foundation of the Northern Shang Kingdom."

"Qianqiu is right, but it's hard to find the right thing. These military ruffians are unruly and always stir up trouble. There are as many as forty or fifty memorials involving them every day." The emperor said, also having a headache about this matter.

"All under heaven belongs to the king, and all the people in the world are the king's subjects. These soldiers are your majesty's subjects, and the people in the capital are also your majesty's subjects. Your majesty has a difficult job, as they are all flesh and blood." I said with understanding.

"It would be great if everyone could be like Qianqiu. No one understands my difficulties. The civil officials think I am biased towards these soldiers, and the military officials think I am not doing justice to these soldiers who defend our country. It is really too difficult to do this."

"Your Majesty, all thunder and rain are military grace. I, and the entire Northern Territory Army, absolutely do not feel that Your Majesty has wronged the soldiers. I hope Your Majesty will understand."

The emperor helped General Lu, who was lying trembling on the ground, to his feet and said gently, "I know your loyalty, and those words I said were not directed at you."

"Your Majesty is in trouble, and I feel bad too."

General Lu looked at me in horror, his eyes full of pleading, asking me to stop talking.

"Qianqiu has always been considerate, I know that."

General Lu finally managed to sit down, and when he saw me kneeling down, he said, "Your Majesty, I want to share your worries."

I could sense General Lu's despair, but I still said, "I beg Your Majesty to allow me to gather these retired Northern Border soldiers and find them suitable jobs."

The emperor's eyes were a little cold, and the Seventh Prince quickly said, "Qianqiu didn't mean that."

The Emperor interrupted the Seventh Prince and said, "Guang'er has been very diligent recently and has been studying in the pavilion. I heard that Qianqiu wanted to go out of the palace to play, but Guang'er refused to let him."

The Seventh Prince didn't know what the Emperor meant, so he could only tell the truth: "Qianqiu has been in poor health, and the Emperor was afraid that Qianqiu would catch a cold if she left the palace, so he didn't let her leave."

"Qianqiu is clever, but my foolish son can't come up with a good idea to deploy these soldiers. Chongguang, you must learn from Qianqiu." The emperor said, "Since Qianqiu is willing to share the burden, then I agree. Guang'er, learn from Qianqiu and don't play around all day."

"Your Majesty is biased. I have finally found a way to make a fortune, why do you want the Seventh Prince to have a share?" I said pretending to be angry.

When the emperor heard this, the coldness on his face disappeared and he laughed heartily, "Okay, okay, I'll be partial to you, okay? I won't let Guang'er follow me, okay?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty." I said happily, holding the emperor's arm.

General Lu standing next to him was stunned, not knowing how things had developed to this point. However, since the emperor had approved of this matter, they would just do it step by step. As for the result, they would have to wait and see after they had done it.

To find out how I will deal with this group of ruffians, please stay tuned for the next chapter.