Tianliangyuan

Chapter 127 We Must Be One Step Ahead

After Xu Zhaozhao explained it this way, the two of them understood.

"Thank you, Second Sister."

Xu Zhaozhao smiled and waved her hand, saying it wasn't a big deal, and that she would rather her family be at peace than have a few pieces of jewelry.

After all, her mother was in charge of the household, and if everyone in the family was less calculating, everyone could live in peace.

Twenty li outside the capital.

"Young General, we'll be arriving in the capital soon. Since His Majesty has summoned you back, are you staying?"

Xie Zheng scoffed: "You want to ask yourself that, don't you?"

Xu Junfeng chuckled: "I don't mind. If I go back to Jizhou, I can bring my family."

Jizhou is relatively safe due to its geographical environment and climate. After all, Xie Zheng and his men were stationed in Jizhou at a pass more than 50 miles away from the city, not actually stationed in the city.

However, since the general's mansion was located within Jizhou City, the general often resided there and did not sleep in the military camp every day.

Many generals, and even soldiers, had families in Jizhou City.

Ultimately, it was because since the founding of the Daxing Kingdom, the passes outside Jizhou City had never been breached by the Xiongnu.

The strength of Daxing's army is not just talk.

Moreover, Emperor Yong'an valued both civil and military affairs. Currently, the court has three generations of military generals—old, middle-aged, and new—each with exceptionally talented generals, and one could easily point to several of them.

This is the source of Daxing's strength!

"I actually still want to go back to Jizhou. You might not believe it, but we're about the same age, but you have so many military achievements that even three of me couldn't catch up with you. If I go back to Jizhou, I'll have more opportunities to earn military merits in the future, and in a few years, I'll be able to catch up with you!"

Xie Zheng chuckled: "So you think you're the only one who can make a name for yourself in the next few years? Even if I'm in the capital, I can still make a name for myself!"

Xu Junfeng looked incredulous: "Anyone can brag!"

"Hmph, we'll see if you don't believe me!"

"We'll see! Just because I call you Young General, you think you're something special! Humph! When you marry my sister, you'll still have to call me brother!"

Xie Zheng's lips froze; that really hurt!

This bastard, how could he be my own brother-in-law!

Seeing that Xie Zheng remained silent, Xu Junfeng smiled smugly, turned his horse around, and returned to his original position.

Xie Zheng glanced back at him. What kind of person was this? It was really hard to imagine that such a reckless person was actually a twin of a gentleman like Xu Junting!

Regardless, with the capital city so close at hand, they quickened their pace, after all, they were about to see their long-lost relatives.

After Xu Junfeng returned, he freshened up and went to find Xie Zheng first. Then the two of them went to the palace to meet the emperor.

Half an hour later, an imperial edict was issued from the Secretariat: Xie Zheng was appointed as a Lieutenant General of the Imperial Guard, a fifth-rank official, mainly responsible for guarding the palace. Xu Junfeng was appointed as a sixth-rank Colonel, still working under Xie Zheng.

With the imperial decree issued, the matter of the emperor retaining the two men in office was a foregone conclusion, and the position of Lieutenant General, which had been contested by several military officers, was finally settled.

In fact, some people had guessed the Emperor's intentions as early as when he issued the decree to summon Xie Zheng back. However, at that time, there were some personnel changes in the Twelve Guards, so no one could guarantee that their guesses were accurate.

Now it's all settled, no one needs to argue anymore.

Xie Zheng was appointed as a Lieutenant General, but considering that he had just returned to the capital, the Emperor granted him special permission to rest for ten days to reunite with his family before resuming his duties.

Xu Junfeng is the same.

The Marquis's mansion is now preparing for the wedding of Xu Junfeng and Princess Anhe, and the entire mansion is filled with joy.

After receiving the letter from the servant, Jiang Wenhe's eyes flickered slightly, and he hesitated.

After a long while, he sighed helplessly and ordered someone to prepare a carriage to leave the mansion.

Since marrying into the Prince Zhong's household, Jiang Ning has managed to bring some benefits to the Prince through her own abilities. Therefore, although Jiang Ning is only a concubine, her status in the Prince's household is now quite respectable. While she cannot directly sit on equal footing with the Princess Consort, it is now virtually impossible for Zhao Yue to punish her at will.

Fortunately, Zhao Yue never intended to harass her concubines in this regard.

Zhao Yue, who comes from the Zhao family, has many ways to punish people, and they are often unseen by others.

After Jiang Wenhe entered the Prince Zhong's mansion, he was invited to the courtyard where Madam Jiang lived.

"Your place is fine, so why did you call me here in such a hurry?"

Jiang Ning did not live here when he first entered the manor. He was only moved here after he made a good suggestion to the Prince of Zhong.

Do you know Cui Hu?

Jiang Wenhe frowned: "Former Imperial Guard Commander Cui Hu?"

"That's him."

Jiang Wenhe frowned even more deeply: "This man is ambitious and eager for quick success, so his dismissal this time was to be expected."

Jiang Ning shook his head: "Cui Hu comes from the Cui family and has the backing of a powerful clan. His temporary demotion is nothing. It's easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow."

Jiang Wenhe asked, puzzled, "You want me to win over this Cui Hu?"

“Brother, our Jiang family are civil officials, so it’s not appropriate for us to have too frequent contact with military generals, but we can’t completely cut off contact either, can we?”

Jiang Wenhe remained silent.

The family affairs were all decided by the grandfather and father. The grandfather disliked military generals, always feeling that they were crude, impulsive, and lacked common sense.

Therefore, influenced by this concept, everyone in the Jiang family disliked military generals and disdained associating with them.

Therefore, when Jiang Ning suggested that he try to win over Cui Hu, Jiang Wenhe's first reaction was one of resistance.

Jiang Ning, oblivious to her brother's displeasure, continued, "Cui Hu's demotion is only temporary, and he still has elders in the family serving as officials in the court. Sooner or later, he will return to the Imperial Guard. Brother, although Cui Hu is a military general, he is no ordinary one. He is a man of both literary and military talent; otherwise, he wouldn't have developed such an arrogant nature!"

Jiang Wenhe thought about it and realized that it made sense.

It was precisely because Cui Hu came from a prestigious family and was skilled in both literature and martial arts that he felt superior to others.

This is precisely why he was envied by his colleagues.

“Cui Hu is still in the capital, so we have more opportunities to get to know each other. Moreover, a prominent family like the Cui family primarily focuses on its children studying literature. Currently, five members of the Cui family hold positions of the fifth rank or higher in the Six Ministries of the court!”

Is that clear enough?

Jiang Wenhe instantly understood: "Alright, I will take care of it immediately. Is the Prince aware of this matter?"

"The prince has many advisors around him, and they may not be willing to let the Cui family get a share of the pie. If we get in touch with them first, it will eventually be an asset to us."

After Jiang Ning finished speaking, she placed her right hand on her abdomen, her eyes shining.

Jiang Wen was suddenly startled: "You're pregnant?"

Jiang Ning smiled and said, "Don't make a fuss!"