Chapter 213 Choosing a Son-in-Law

The Emperor's words were so clear that Yue Fei had long understood. He quickly pulled his foolish son away from his seat and bowed in the pavilion. "Your Majesty, this boy is crude and ignorant. He is not worthy of the princess."

Hearing this, Tian Shizhong and Yang Yizhong remained expressionless, as if they had long understood, but Zhang Xian was obviously stunned, and then he realized. Yang Zaixing and Guo Jin were still somewhat at a loss at this time, no better than Yue Yun's reaction... It can only be said that in specific fields, there are still some differences between people.

"It doesn't matter." Zhao Jiu seemed to have expected this response, and directly picked up an apricot and replied. "Not to mention that this dynasty has long had precedents of royal families marrying meritorious officials, even if there are some concerns, you don't need to care, because after the Shaoxing affair, I made up my mind to re-establish some rules. Marrying a princess will not hinder his proper promotion in the future."

Yue Fei felt a little relieved, but still had some worries: "There will inevitably be discussions outside..."

"If discussions were useful, the Jin people would have been gone long ago, and I should have been struck by lightning long ago." Zhao Jiu stroked the red apricot with one hand, still casually. "On the contrary, Yue Qing, you are pushing back and forth like this, could it be that you think my reputation is not good and you don't want to have any connection with me?"

Yue Fei was stunned, and this time it was his turn not to react for a while.

"The country has lost half of its territory, and the people south of the Yangtze River only regard me as an excessive exploitative ruler. After the Shaoxing affair, I offended many scholar-officials, and my reputation in the capital is not very good. There is also a faint name of a tyrant..." Zhao Jiu said with a relaxed expression. "In such a situation, if I don't seize you marshals and hold onto military power, I'm afraid I won't even be able to hold onto the throne. That's why I quickly begged to establish a marriage relationship with you and Grand Commandant Han."

Yue Fei knew that the Emperor was joking, but this kind of joke was not something he could bear, and he could only bow awkwardly: "I have no such intention. If Your Majesty really takes a fancy to this boy, I can only accept this great favor."

"These words sound like you're still unwilling." Zhao Jiu continued to smile. "Could it be that you really think my daughter is worried about getting married?"

"Your Majesty." Yue Fei really couldn't listen anymore, and could only raise his head and earnestly advise. "These words should really not be said again... Saying them now, I certainly know that Your Majesty is joking, but if a muddle-headed fool hears them and really thinks that Your Majesty is in trouble and that we can bully the royal family, they might have evil intentions... Three men make a tiger, Zeng Shen killed someone, rumors should still be stopped a little."

Zhao Jiu nodded with a smile. Only then did Zhang Xian and others realize that the Emperor was joking.

Jokes are jokes, but things still have to be settled, so after Zhao Jiu nodded, he opened his mouth and asked again: "Foyou and Shenyou are both eight years old this year, and one must be chosen. Only an eight-year-old daughter, really is a yellow-haired girl, there's nothing to see when brought out, you, as a father, just blindly choose one!"

Even so, how could Yue Fei blindly choose?

Or rather, although both princesses were eight years old, there was still a difference in age. How could he skip the eldest princess to choose the second princess? And of course, the closer the age, the better.

Therefore, he immediately pressed Yue Yun's head down and bowed: "Thank you for Your Majesty's kindness, I wish to ask for the favor of the Eldest Princess Foyou for my son..."

Zhao Jiu nodded repeatedly and asked Feng Yi, Official Feng the Second, to take Yue Yun to see the two Empresses Dowager and the two Imperial Concubines, saying that he would let the Empresses Dowager make the decision, but in reality everyone knew that this marriage had been settled... Were the two reclusive Empresses Dowager crazy to interfere in such a matter?

Since the marriage was settled, everyone knew that it would probably be seven or eight years before the princess was old enough to really talk about marriage. In addition, with the Emperor present, only Tian Shizhong stood up and casually cupped his fist at Yue Fei to congratulate him. Immediately, the Emperor didn't say much about this matter, but took the opportunity of Yue Fei's advice to casually say a few words about the rumors in the capital.

"I deliberately relaxed some restrictions for the Jingdong battle situation. Now that the battle is going so smoothly, it is indeed time to restrain them a bit." Zhao Jiu said frankly. "However, the pacification of Jingdong has already diluted the previous rumors, so there is no need to worry too much... the Di Bao (official gazette) is still somewhat useful... Moreover, I have other preparations."

This matter was not something that military officials should say much about, but he was forced to open his mouth, and since the Emperor responded, Yue Fei bowed and said yes, and didn't mention it anymore.

But at this moment, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards Right Army, Tian Shizhong, seeing that it was about to get down to business, didn't hesitate. He seized the opportunity to stand up and salute: "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

"Speak." Zhao Jiu finally took a bite of the apricot in his hand. It had to be said that this big red apricot was sweet and less sour, with a full juice, really delicious, but this kind of apricot was very suitable for soaking in wine, but not good for making dried apricots. He was afraid that he would have to quickly harvest and sell them before autumn really arrived, otherwise he would have to take the apricot kernels.

"I impeach Yue Fei, the commander of the Imperial Guards Front Army, for acting out of selfishness and using friendly forces as a means to an end. In the battle of Zichuan-Longshui, just because my troops were foreign troops, he sent my troops to the forefront, causing my troops to fight the longest and suffer the most casualties..." Tian Shizhong's words were calm, the same as in his memorial. There were not many excessive or intense words. Apart from some accusations that were unavoidable in the process of impeachment, it was actually somewhat factual.

"I have read your memorial. Your troops did suffer the heaviest casualties, and the position in that battle was also in the forefront." Zhao Jiu nodded slightly, threw the apricot pit, and directly looked at Yue Fei. "Yue Qing, what do you say? He is impeaching you face to face in front of me, you must give an explanation."

Yue Fei was silent for a moment, and could only bow again: "The Imperial Guards Right Army led by Deputy Commander Tian did suffer the heaviest casualties and had the most credit in this battle, but my actions that day were, first, as a Jiedushi (military governor) in battle, I had the proper responsibility to dispatch the Imperial Guards Right Army and other troops; second, I believed that General Tian's troops had the strongest infantry combat strength and should be at the forefront of the entire army, so I sent them to the first position of the oblique formation, but it was not out of selfishness."

Zhao Jiu nodded and looked at Tian Shizhong again: "Did you hear that?"

"Yes."

"What do you have to say?"

"Nothing to say." Tian Shizhong replied respectfully.

"That's good. There should be less sectarianism in the army. For example, in this battle, the two Jiedushi had their own divisions of labor. The Imperial Guards Right Army was supposed to go east, and the Imperial Guards Front Army was supposed to go west. Your troops just happened to be left in the middle and were dispatched, which is also a common occurrence."

"Yes." Tian Shizhong heard the words "each had their own divisions of labor" and knew that he had achieved his goal of using his credit to offset his father-in-law's strategic misjudgment. He immediately felt relieved.

"Then sit down." Zhao Jiu showed a smile again.

Yue and Tian both sat down, but the next moment, the Emperor's smiling words made them each feel awe-struck again.

"However, I have also thought about it, things must never be done like this in the future. After all, I established the Imperial Guards to make the entire army unified, like an arm and finger, and there should no longer be discussions of 'his troops' and 'my troops'." At this point, Zhao Jiu sighed with a slight smile. "Only each troop has its own origins, and I have not led troops myself, how would I not know? For example, the Imperial Guards Rear Army is all old West Army veterans; the Imperial Guards Front Army is mostly old troops from the Tokyo Garrison; the Imperial Guards Right Army is based on the old troops of Zhong Shidao from Taiyuan, and then Zhang Boying developed it from Huaidong; and the Imperial Guards Left Army is basically based on Han Shizhong's confidants brought back from Hebei, and recruited from Huaixi himself; as for Zhang Rong's side and Li Yanxian's place, they started from scratch and established their own foundations in the local area, one is based on the Liangshan Marsh bandits, and the other is based on the righteous army from the Shanluo area... These troops have intertwined roots and only recognize their own marshals. Even I can't easily allocate or dismantle them, otherwise there will be mutinies."

At this point, Yue and Tian, who had just sat down, stood up again and stood respectfully.

And this time, Zhao Jiu did not let them sit down again, but just sat there and watched the two of them stand up and continued to speak slowly: "But the words still have to be said... As Pengju said just now, if some muddle-headed fools hear my jokes, they will have different intentions. This is what I worried about… Because I can’t guarantee other things, but I still have some vision for the generals of each army. Such as Han Shizhong, such as you Yue Fei, such as Li Yanxian, such as Zhang Boying, such as Qu Duan, such as Zhang Rong, such as Wu Jie, although their personalities are completely different, one is that they are all loyal, and the other is that I want you to sell your lives to fight, but they can all fight and are all considered famous generals of the time. So, just having you people, I will make many emperors of the past and present envious."

Yue Fei and Tian Shizhong, who represented Zhang Jun, looked at each other. In the end, Yue Fei cupped his fist: "We are ashamed."

"No need to be ashamed." Zhao Jiu turned his head to look at the sparkling fish pond on the side and sighed. "I am sincerely grateful to you people... Yue Qing, Tian Qing!"

"I am here." Yue Fei's heart was solemn, and he immediately took a half step forward.

"I am here." Tian Shizhong, who was extremely politically sensitive, also felt a sudden shock in his heart. He roughly anticipated some things, but he also took a half step forward and stood respectfully next to Yue Fei in the pavilion.

"Although they are all famous generals of the time, do you know that some of these marshals are even higher than others?" Zhao Jiu picked up another red apricot. Then he asked seriously. "Just like Cao Cao and Liu Bei discussing heroes over wine, Cao Cao and Liu Bei are three points higher than Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, Liu Yan, and Sun Quan, these heroes of the late Han Dynasty."

Tian Shizhong had already stopped talking, and Yue Fei didn't intend to answer this question. Yang Yizhong didn't say a word as always, only Zhang Xian, Yang Zaixing, and Guo Jin, who were standing in front of the pavilion, were obviously interested... Three Kingdoms, so popular!

Guan Yunchang (Guan Yu) killed Yan Liang on a white horse, but unfortunately, the white horse was changed to Shaoxing.

Zhao Jiu waited for a long time. Seeing that neither Yue Fei nor Tian Shizhong were willing to speak, he understood in his heart, but smiled slightly, then restrained his smile and simply held the red apricot, looked at the fish pond, and spoke seriously: "I think, among the marshals of the world, Han Shizhong first had the merit of supporting me, and then had several rescues of the Emperor. He broke Wushu on the Huai River, defended Talan in Changshe, and shot Lou Shi in Yao Mountain, all of which were ahead of the world. And his qualifications are also the head of the West Army. I think he is the number one marshal of the current time, an unparalleled person in the world. I often rely on him as my courage... Do you think that's right?"

"The Prince of Yan'an is undoubtedly the best." Yue Fei quickly cupped his fist in response.

Tian Shizhong further confirmed his guess in his heart and also quickly bowed in agreement.

Zhao Jiu nodded and then said seriously:

"Besides Han Shizhong, there is one person who destroyed his family for the country and was repeatedly neglected by the imperial court, but repeatedly saved the overall situation from danger. He rose from Shanzhou, from nothing, across the inside and outside of the Yellow River, and connected the east and west of the Xiaoguan Pass, not giving an inch. At the most dangerous time, the Great Song was not divided into east and west, and the Jin people were not merged into east and west. This is all his credit... This person is in Shanzhou. The sky cannot move him if it falls, and the earth cannot move him if it sinks. He can be said to have worked hard and made great contributions, is that right?" Zhao Jiu continued to ask seriously.

Yue Fei sighed and responded in the pavilion: "I often think that the merits of Jiedushi Li cannot be measured by how much he has captured or recovered. Your Majesty gave him a flag of 'Pillar of the Midstream', which is really appropriate."

Tian Shizhong still bowed, but gradually became nervous.

Zhao Jiu nodded and then said: "There is also one person who was born in Hebei, but has fought north and south, drifting around for seven or eight years, more than two hundred battles, whether winning or losing, but the idea of resisting the Jin and marching north has never been diminished by half. Moreover, this person governs the army strictly, with discipline the best in the world; he is pure and upright, and his private morality is the best among the marshals... I often regard him as a comrade! Yue Qing, now that things have come to this, there is no need to mention your merits and hard work, and more importantly, your virtue and ability can no longer be questioned by anyone. I think that you are also enough to leap above all the marshals and be on par with Han and Li, how about that?"

"I am ashamed! How can I be on par with Han and Li?" Yue Fei rarely showed a hint of excitement.

"Tian Qing?" Zhao Jiu was not in a hurry to communicate with Yue Fei, but directly looked at Tian Shizhong.

"I also think so." Tian Shizhong, who had just impeached Yue Fei face to face, was now obviously prepared and blurted out without hesitation.

Zhao Jiu nodded and became slightly serious: "I have something to say to you."

"Yes."

"Now that Jingdong has been pacified, the Imperial Guards Right Army should abandon Xuzhou and other garrison lands and move north to the vicinity of Qingzhou, which is better. You, whether you or Zhang Qing, must have expected this... The Privy Council must have also had some announcements."

"I have indeed heard something and expected it."

"And once the Imperial Guards Right Army moves north, facing the Jin army in Hebei, it will cooperate more with the Imperial Guards Left Army and the Imperial Guards Navy. This is inevitable. I think you should have expected it long ago."

"I and Commander Zhang and others in the Imperial Guards Right Army have indeed guessed it."

"There is also the matter of the Dengzhou seaships. I have long told Zhang Boying that seaships and river ships are completely different. I want to form a separate Imperial Guard Navy in the Denglai area... The size of the organization is not large, and there may not be a special commander, but it must act separately. In terms of sequence, it is parallel to the Navy, the Right Army, and the Front Army."

"Yes, Commander has clearly told me this long ago."

"That's good." Zhao Jiu paused slightly and became more serious. "I have already written a private letter to Zhang Qing, and you can tell him again in person when you go back... Of course, he is still the marshal of the Imperial Guards Right Army, a Jiedushi, but in the future, when the Imperial Guards Front Army and the Right Army meet in battle, let him not compete with Yue Qing for priority. Everything is based on Yue Qing!"

At this point, Zhao Jiu paused slightly before continuing: "I am thinking of his deep qualifications and do not want to specifically issue an official document to lose his face, but I must make it clear to him in the letter and here. You must convey it clearly and without error... This is what I mean... If he feels dissatisfied, he must personally come to me to speak, do you understand?"

"Understood!" Tian Shizhong had guessed that there would be such a statement, so when things came to a head, he actually felt somewhat relieved.

And Zhao Jiu looked at Yue Fei again: "Pengju, I know your mind and aspirations. Adding a few more towns of Jiedushi will not be of much significance to you. Let the Privy Council take a look at it... And the reason why I must call you over today to talk face to face is to have another conversation with you."

"Yes!" Even Yue Fei, who had a deep personality, could not help but have some excitement in addition to being extremely serious at this time.

"Li Yanxian is in the middle and cannot be shaken, and to the west of Li Yanxian's jurisdiction, naturally Han Shizhong will take overall control, and to the east of Li Yanxian, from today onwards, without clear instructions or documents from the central government, you will take overall control of the matters of impromptu decisions..." Zhao Jiu said slowly. "I will have clear instructions for Zhang Rong, Zhang Jun, Wang De, and Li Qiong, let them take you as the lead when encountering battles. I have also chosen your old subordinate Li Bao as the first commander of the Imperial Guard Navy... From today onwards, my eastern side will be entrusted to you, Yue Pengju!"

This was officially handing over the impromptu command of the lower reaches of the Yellow River to Yue Fei, or in other words, except for Han Shizhong and Li Yanxian, in the absence of a clear imperial decree or Privy Council order, Yue Fei had the de facto power to temporarily command all other marshals.

"I will die a thousand times for my duty!" Yue Fei bowed in response.

Zhao Jiu nodded, returned to his previous smile, and then turned to look at Yang Yizhong. Yang Yizhong understood and looked at the Ban Zhi (imperial guards) behind him. One of the Ban Zhi immediately came out, holding a folded flag.

"This is for Han Liangchen (Han Shizhong), I am also confused, I actually just remembered, but it is a pity that I did not give it to him in person." Zhao Jiu said with a relaxed smile. "But it does not hurt to give Yue Qing a look."

As the Emperor spoke, the flag was opened on the spot by several Ban Zhi. It was a large streamer embroidered with the words 'Unparalleled in the World', with the same shape as Li Yanxian's 'Pillar of the Midstream'... Yue Fei, who was slightly curious, was temporarily speechless. Although he had never cared about these things, and today he had received a great prize, he could not help but feel a little envious at this time.

Soon, the flag was put away and placed in a wooden box, sealed with an imperial edict... Obviously, this was meant to be sent to Han Shizhong.

However, soon, as if he had glimpsed Yue Fei's thoughts, Zhao Guan Jia (Emperor) waved again: "There are two other things for Yue Qing."

Yue Fei quickly looked over and saw that one person came up first.

"This is Zhang Zigai, Zhang Boying's most accomplished nephew. He has also been in the Forbidden Palace for a year. Today, he is sent to your army as a general." Zhao Jiu quickly revealed the answer, and it was obvious that he still wanted to add weight to Yue Fei in front of Zhang Jun, who had the deepest qualifications.

At this, Yue Fei instantly understood, and Zhang Zigai also bowed deeply to his new commander in Tian Shizhong's complex gaze, and then stood on the spot behind the other party, standing side by side with Yang Zaixing and Guo Jin, who had been watching the play for a long time.

"The second item..."

Seeing another flag being held over by the Ban Zhi and sent to Zhang Zigai's hand, Yue Tian Zhang and others were all curious in addition to being so sure of what was happening, but Zhao Guan Jia suddenly laughed, preparing to be mysterious. "I originally wanted to let Yue Qing go back and open it later, but as the saying goes, a good man should be named outside the Donghua Gate. Some things are taken out for people to see. I like this boy Yue Yun very much. Qing, don't wait, today, go back from the main entrance of Xuande Tower with this big streamer... Only this once, no excuses, Zhengfu (Yang Yizhong's zi), do it, be sure to let Yue Qing indulge and be proud once."

After speaking, without waiting for Yue Fei to say anything more, Zhao Jiu simply waved his hand to send people away.

Thus, not to mention how Yue Fei was urged by Yang Yizhong to get on his horse outside the Yiyou Gate, set up a guard of honor, and then stared blankly at the big streamer that was opened behind him... A quarter of an hour later, inside the palace, the Chongwen Academy was also in an uproar, and the officials of the six ministries, nine temples, five directorates, and one platform all went out to see.

Even Zhao Ding, Zhang Jun, Liu Ji, Chen Gui and others could not sit still for a while, and went out of the Chongwen Academy to see, and then they were all stunned.

It turned out that Yue Pengju was wearing brocade clothes and riding a horse in the middle, with hundreds of imperial guards on the left and right, setting up the guard of honor of a prince, and directly parading through the inner palace... That was all... The most eye-catching thing was the big streamer behind this commander of the Imperial Guards Front Army. The streamer was about the same shape as Li Yanxian's. The key was that the streamer was written from top to bottom with four imperial characters, which were 'Jing Zhong Bao Guo' (Serve the country with utmost loyalty)!

Such a magnificent guard of honor and eye-catching flag passed straight through in front of the main gate of the Chongwen Academy, and then turned left in front, turning out of the Xuande Tower, which was rarely opened, and then began to play music and sound gongs.

Then, to the stunned gaze of more Tokyo people, scholars, officials, they continued to ride their horses through the gate and sing their names in the imperial street.

Like the others in the ministry, Prime Minister Zhao Ding watched for a long time. It was not until the sound of the gongs completely disappeared that he stroked his beard and sighed: "From today onwards, there are also good men riding horses in front of the Xuande Tower! The Emperor's means of enlisting these marshals is truly unprecedented!"

Chief of the Privy Council Zhang Jun shook his head beside him: "In this way, there is no need to worry too much about the rumors in Jingdong, it is always a good thing!"

Deputy Prime Minister Liu Ji originally wanted to echo, but after all, he remembered that he only shook hands and made peace on Fangcheng Mountain, and he could not help but feel a little sour in his heart, but he simply turned back to the ministry to work first.

ps: Thank you to the 119th cute boss, Qinglin!

By the way, continue to offer a new book "The World of the Late Han Dynasty", set as the son of Lu Boshe...