Ping Zhao Lu

At two o'clock in the morning, the dawn began to break. Sunlight streamed through the window lattices, illuminating every furnishing with a gleaming light. Xu Zhouye slowly opened his eyes, his gaze a little dazed, but soon regained clarity.

He moved his body slightly and immediately felt a strong sense of soreness and weakness, especially in his waist and a certain part of his lower body, which was extremely sore and painful. He couldn't help but think of the scene of Meng Lang last night.

Xu Zhouye's cheeks suddenly flushed, and a hint of shyness and embarrassment surged in his heart.

To hide his inner discomfort, he gently patted his cheek, trying to sober himself up and stop thinking about it. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his thoughts, then slowly sat up and whispered to the palace attendant outside the tent, "What time is it?"

Su Ming quickly replied, "Your Highness, it's two quarters past midnight, and the concubines from the palaces haven't arrived yet."

Xu Zhouye hummed, "It's still early."

He had originally thought he would wake up later today, but he didn't expect to wake up so early. Now that he was awake, he couldn't fall asleep again.

He sat quietly on the bed, his thoughts drifting away.

In his previous life, when the six imperial concubines came to pay their respects to him, Concubine Li joined others in mocking him for being infertile. At that time, he did not take it seriously.

Concubine Li, believing him to be weak and vulnerable, repeatedly spoke rudely, but it was Chu Yunxiao who finally came back from court to rescue him. This resentment filled Concubine Li, and Rong Yu'an exploited her, tampering with his clothing, causing a rash all over his body and disfiguring his face. Had it not been for the timely intervention of the imperial physician, his face would have been completely destroyed.

After the incident was exposed, Concubine Li was ordered to be executed by Chu Yunxiao. However, the instigator, Rong Yu'an, was rewarded with many rewards for his meritorious service in informing on Concubine Li. Even the Empress Dowager admired him and persuaded the Emperor to make an exception and promote him from the rank of Fourth Rank Attendant to the rank of Fourth Rank Good Lord.

Now, Rong Yu'an has been sent to guard the late emperor's mausoleum, and Concubine Li no longer has an instigator who fanned the flames...

Thinking of this, Xu Zhouye raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and a fleeting coldness flashed in his eyes.

"Your Highness, you may as well rest for a while longer. After all, it is the concubines who come to pay their respects. It is okay for Your Highness to come a little later. His Majesty also said that if Your Highness has not yet gotten up, you can be excused from the morning inspection." Su Ming said calmly.

Qing He nodded in agreement, "If Your Highness doesn't want to see me, then don't see me. This will give you some peace of mind."

"What's coming will eventually come." Xu Zhouye looked calm. He put on his shoes and socks and stood up to let the palace servants change his clothes for him. "Some people still need to meet."

Qinghe was confused and turned to look at Su Ming.

Su Ming gave her a reassuring look, then stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, there's one more thing. His Majesty has instructed me to tell you that Young General Xu will depart for the northern border tomorrow to conquer the Rouran. His Majesty has instructed that if Your Highness wishes to see Young General Xu today, he can be summoned to the palace."

Xu Zhouye was slightly stunned. In the end, his elder brother could not escape the fate of leading troops to war.

However, at this time in the previous life, it was the Minister of War Sun Youwei and the Concubine Xian's brother, General Guide Lin Zhuoran, who led the troops to fight. After several months of fighting, the battle was still not over. Lin Zhuoran was seriously injured, so he sent his eldest brother to support him.

It was also at that time that my eldest brother, under the guidance of Minister Sun and relying on his own talents, defeated the Rouran in one fell swoop and became famous.

But now, it wasn't Lin Zhuoran who went, but his own brother...

Xu Zhouye's face was solemn, his brows were tightly furrowed, and his lips were slightly pursed. He asked in a low and serious voice, "Did you only send my brother?"

Su Ming replied respectfully, "Your Highness, we have the Minister of War to assist you."

Hearing this, Xu Zhouye was stunned, and a sense of unease arose in his heart.

Going to war with the Rouran was no small matter. If no one mentioned it, Chu Yunxiao would certainly not easily let his elder brother, whose wings were not yet fully grown, lead the troops to fight against the Rouran.

Although the eldest brother won the battle against Wuman and accumulated some experience, the enemy he faced this time was Rouran, which was completely different from Wuman.

The Rouran are located in the north, with a cold and dry climate, complex and varied terrain, and very different combat methods. My eldest brother has never been exposed to the combat environment in the north and knows nothing about the conditions there, which undoubtedly increases the risk and uncertainty of the war.

Furthermore, the elder brother in the previous life came to support them later, and he had the experience gained from Lin Zhuoran's battle to draw on, but now...

"Your Highness, what's wrong with you?" Qinghe asked worriedly.

"Your Highness, are you worried about General Xu?" Su Ming hesitated. "This matter was recommended by General Fu. Does Your Highness find it inappropriate?"

Xu Zhouye's pupils suddenly shrank, "General Fu?"

Yes, it was Fu Chuoren who called Chu Yunxiao to the imperial study.

It’s really not a good thing.

The fact that she was so eager to send his elder brother away must have been prompted by Empress Dowager Jiang, who wanted to take action against the Xu family. As long as anything happened to the Xu family, she, the queen, would be implicated. Naturally, Chu Yunxiao also lost a force supporting him.

Queen Mother Jiang's plan is really a good one.

"Your Highness, is this General Fu the father-in-law of General Wei?" Qinghe asked in a low voice.

When Xu Zhouye heard this, he immediately understood what she meant and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Even Qinghe could see it, not to mention Chu Yunxiao.

At this time, Su Ming also spoke up: "If Your Highness is worried, please summon General Xu to the palace after the morning inspection."

Xu Zhouye's mind stirred. He had already planned to use his memories from his past life to help his elder brother solve his problems. So, he turned to look at Su Ming and asked, "Are you familiar with the way to Xuanzheng Hall?"

Su Ming replied respectfully, "Yes."

Xu Zhouye nodded with satisfaction and continued, "That's perfect. When my brother leaves court, you will bring him to Fengluan Palace."

Su Ming quickly responded, "Yes."

Time passed quickly. After one stick of incense had passed, the concubines from various palaces came to the outside of Fengluan Palace one after another, waiting quietly for the palace servants to open the door.

During this time, many concubines were quietly discussing Xu Zhouye. They had witnessed the Empress's power the previous day when they paid their respects to the Empress Dowager. Even the Empress Dowager was so enraged that she changed the morning and evening prayer times. They would have to think twice before making any move in front of the Empress this time.

Lipin was unconcerned and said in a deep voice, "What are you afraid of? She's just a male queen. When she's no longer useful, dethroning her is inevitable."

When everyone heard this, their faces changed.

How dare she be so outspoken, saying what everyone was thinking.

However, such words could be discussed in private, but to say them publicly is enough to compensate for several lives.

"It seems that Sister Lipin didn't get slapped enough." Xie Yushu smiled contemptuously, with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Lipin's face suddenly froze, and she subconsciously raised her hand to gently stroke the cheek that had been hit yesterday. After returning to the palace yesterday, the redness and swelling became more and more visible. If it hadn't been wiped with ointment in time, how could it have recovered so quickly today?

Concubine Li felt a surge of resentment in her heart and gritted her teeth and said, "I don't believe that my sister has never thought about this." She stared at Xie Yushu, trying to find a flaw in her face.

Xian Fei snorted coldly, seemingly disagreeing with what Lipin said. She raised her head slightly, glanced at Xie Yushu, and said slowly, "Such a vile thought would certainly be disdained by the Imperial Concubine. You are deeply favored by the Emperor, and he will grant everything you ask for. Why would you care about these things?"

Xie Yushu gently waved her pear fan, a look of disdain on her face, and said in a deep voice, "You two are singing the same tune. Are you trying to accuse me of harboring evil intentions and vainly plotting to become Empress?"

The virtuous concubine's expression did not change. Just as she was about to retort, the gate of Fengluan Palace slowly opened.