allonlinenovel Chapter 186 Lin Wan'er's Entrustment
Chapter 186 Lin Wan'er's Entrustment
Standing in the middle of a group of high-ranking officials in red robes, Gu Chang'an couldn't help but sigh softly, even though he was prepared.
His Ah Li is truly outstanding; she has already surpassed the veteran officials since just entering the court.
Shen Li took a breath, stepped forward, and said to the person above, "Your Majesty, I accept your decree and will certainly live up to your trust."
Upon seeing that it was indeed her, the officials present couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment. Sending a newly appointed scholar to quell a rebellion and provide disaster relief, and a woman at that, did the court have no one else to rely on?
"Show me the same ability you had when you quelled the rebellion in Cangzhou last time. Don't let me down," Emperor Cheng instructed, clearly not entirely at ease with him.
He considered finding an experienced senior minister to accompany Shen Li, but worried that their differing opinions might cause trouble, so he decided to take a gamble and go all in.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will do my utmost." Shen Li replied with a cupped hand, his voice not loud but full of confidence.
Thinking that Cangzhou had dismantled the rebellion of tens of thousands of troops without losing a single soldier and captured the rebel leader alive, the civil officials who had been somewhat unconvinced earlier all shut their mouths.
It seems... no one in the court has more experience than her...
The only group that was both surprised and saddened was the Hanlin Academy. From the white-bearded man to Zhao Wencai, they were all reluctant. After all, Shen Li was doing well in the Hanlin Academy, so why did she suddenly go to the Censorate?
They had grown quite fond of Shen Li over the past few months, especially Dean Ge, who was heartbroken, as he had always groomed Shen Li as his future successor.
Although she couldn't take over the next position, the future was still hers. After all, in his opinion, Shen Li, as a woman, was bound to have an unsuccessful career, so it was better for her to focus on her studies at the Hanlin Academy.
Moreover, Shen Li's scholarship is excellent, no less than that of her father and the former genius Gu Chang'an. In as little as ten or twenty years, Shen Li will surely become the youngest Dean of the Hanlin Academy.
It would have been so much better to remain a pure and upright official for life. How did I end up getting involved in the imperial court? It's so dangerous there.
Shen Zizai's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that the burden would fall on his daughter's shoulders in the end. Although he knew his daughter was capable, as a father, he couldn't help but worry.
He didn't have so many concerns. He looked up and went straight to Emperor Cheng. It would be too unfair not to discuss this matter with him.
Emperor Cheng knew he was stubborn, so he reassured him with a look, and then addressed the men who had stepped forward: "This time, the suppression of the rebellion must be based on the principle of granting amnesty. As long as they lay down their weapons, they will be pardoned. You must not go on a killing spree and incite public anger. You must remember this."
"Disaster relief and epidemic control are of paramount importance. We must do our utmost to address these issues. We need to provide medicine and food, and it is most important to reassure the people."
"Yes." The voices of the group overlapped.
"My dear ministers, now muster your troops and set off. I await your victorious return." Emperor Cheng waved his hand.
Li Rui and the others bowed one last time and left the palace together, carrying the imperial edict and tokens to the three major camps outside the city to lead the troops.
"General Lin, His Majesty has granted me permission to select soldiers, but I am not very familiar with this matter. Could you please give me some pointers on the way?" Shen Li said as she stepped out of the carriage.
Lin Wan'er had just touched the reins when she heard this and knew it was an excuse Shen Li had made up, but she still said seriously, "I'm happy to help."
So the two got into a carriage, with their maids and guards on either side, and the carriages headed out of the city.
Lin Wan'er relaxed after getting into the carriage, took off her silver helmet and placed it aside, sitting there without speaking.
Shen Li was about to speak when she noticed her unfriendly expression and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Knowing you as I do, you shouldn't be someone who doesn't want to go, right?"
"I submitted a memorial requesting permission to go, but the court's emphasis on civil officials over military ones is truly infuriating." Lin Wan'er rarely showed any dissatisfaction.
Shen Li laughed after hearing this: "You're just feeling resentful because I, a mere sixth-rank censor, can mobilize troops on my own, while you, the deputy general, are of similar rank to the deputy censor-in-chief but have to obey orders."
"You know I'm not doing this for myself, but because the court's current restrictions on military generals are leading to a decline in talent, and neighboring countries are eyeing us covetously. Right now, we have a few old military families supporting us, but what will happen when these people are gone in the future?"
As Lin Wan'er spoke, she sighed, "Do we really have to pay reparations to various places like in my previous life, turning from a great nation into a small, isolated country?"
“That makes sense. A powerful civil official is not necessarily safer than a military general who holds considerable power.” Shen Li looked at her and reassured her, “Don’t worry, if we can take power from men, we can take power from civil officials. It’s only a matter of time.”
Hearing her say that, Lin Wan'er felt much more confident. She was good at leading troops into battle, but she was never very confident about matters of the court.
"It's fortunate that you're here." She looked at Shen Li and said sincerely, "If I had come back alone, there are many things I really wouldn't know how to do."
“There are many things I can’t accomplish without you.” Shen Li said, smiling as she leaned closer to her: “For example, the Crown Prince still needs to use a wheelchair.”
Lin Wan'er hadn't seen Li Heng in a long time, and now that she thought about it, she almost burst out laughing. Her usually cool and aloof eyes were now filled with a gloating light: "He deserved it. If he hadn't been lucky, he would be buried by now."
"I have to say, she's incredibly lucky to be alive." Shen Li also expressed her regret.
Ultimately, the two reached a consensus: they could not dwell on past regrets and failures; as long as they joined forces, they would have plenty of opportunities to take down Li Heng.
"Be careful. Even if you're very capable, don't do things yourself too often. You need to learn how to use troops," Lin Wan'er instructed before getting out of the car.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. You be careful too." Shen Li looked at her and said, "I look forward to the day we meet up."
Lin Wan'er nodded: "Let's go, I'll show you the elite of the three major camps. I'll transfer a thousand Shenji Camp soldiers to you, and you'd better choose the cavalry from the Three Thousand Camp for the other two thousand."
"I'll listen to you." Shen Li got out of the car with her.
Shen Li directly asked the deputy general of the Three Thousand Battalion for Ma Zheng and two thousand men, since it was someone she knew and was comfortable using.
"My lord." Ma Zheng was also very excited to see Shen Li. He had sent someone to deliver congratulatory gifts when Shen Li passed the imperial examination, but he himself could not leave the military camp.
Upon returning from the battlefield, Ma Zheng, who had been a centurion, was promoted to commander of a thousand. Hearing Shen Li's intentions, he became even more excited: "This time, I've brought only my own men, all elites, to ensure you'll find them easy to use."
"That's good. Prepare the troops and set off." Shen Li ordered.
The commander of the Shenji Battalion was named Chen Su. Upon seeing Shen Li, he said, "Sir, General Lin instructed me to obey your orders. Please give me your instructions."
Shen Li looked him up and down and found that he was a fairly energetic young man, so she nodded and encouraged him.
The journey from Kyoto to Xuzhou was not far, only five days by fast horse. The prefectures and counties along the way had provisions, so I only carried two days' worth of dry food and water with me and didn't need to prepare much.
Shen Li was still wearing her official robes, but she had removed her crown and replaced her headband with a new one. She was accompanied by two maids, Lianqiao and Shaoyao.