Plan to cut off the nine states

Sun Yalu glanced at the words on the paper, surprised and happy. Without thinking too much, he immediately stood up and hurried to see Princess Huanyan.

Princess Huanyan was dictating a letter, and Feng Ji Niang was writing on the side. After hearing the report, Princess Huanyan said to Feng Ji Niang: "Let's do this first. There is no rush to send this letter. You stay."

"Yes." Feng Ji Niang left the desk and stood aside.

Sun Yalu didn't know what to say, so she simply handed over the military report she had just received with both hands without saying a word.

Princess Huanyan noticed something unusual, took the military report and read it quickly, looked up at Sun Yalu, surprised, and then read it again, "He Rong's people were defeated in Qinzhou-who defeated them?"

Sun Yalu shook his head, "There is no definite news yet, but there is a Jizhou army in northern Qin, Lord Yin Fuyin..."

Princess Huanyan raised her hand, "Let's talk about it when there is solid evidence."

"The defeat of He Rong's people is a good thing for the court, right?" Sun Yalu was cautious, but couldn't suppress the excitement in his heart.

Feng Ji Niang, who was standing aside, was also very happy, but she dared not say a word.

Only Princess Huanyan was indifferent. After thinking for a moment, she reported back to Sun Yalu, "Please ask Mr. Sun to send people to continue to inquire about the news, especially to find out whether there are any remnants of He Rong who have retreated to the border? Is the new Chanyu and his mother dead or alive?"

Sun Yalu took the order and left.

Feng Ji Niang immediately said: "It has only been a year since He Rong entered the border. First, they were defeated in Jingzhou, and now they are in Qinzhou. It is estimated that they will never recover. There is one less disaster in the Central Plains, which is a cause for celebration."

"Too early." Princess Huanyan whispered.

"How can it be early? The court has been deeply humiliated by He Rong... The princess said it was early, so it was early." Feng Ji Niang stopped in time and did not dare to continue questioning.

Princess Huanyan was not angry, nor did she refute, "Let's go to see His Majesty."

Emperor Zhang Shiyu was drinking with the queen.

The queen was the younger sister of the strong-armed Chanyu. When she first married to the Central Plains, she was quite domineering. Zhang Shiyu avoided her as much as possible. However, since the strong-armed Chanyu died in Jingzhou, the queen cried bitterly and quickly changed her temper. She was gentle, amiable, and considerate. She was actually favored by the emperor and stayed with him day and night.

Zhang Shiyu had been used to being lazy since he was a child. Even after becoming the emperor, he did not change his old habits. He half-lying on the couch, asked the queen to feed him wine. The queen deliberately mis-aimed, causing the emperor to shake his head, and the two laughed constantly.

Several palace maids served beside him, and they dared not even blink. The queen only changed her temper with the emperor, and was still very harsh to others.

Hearing that Princess Huanyan wanted to see him, Zhang Shiyu immediately sat up, pushed the queen's arm away, and the wine in the cup spilled on him, but he didn't care, "Quickly remove the banquet."

"It's her again, why is your majesty afraid of the princess?" The queen was already proficient in the Central Plains dialect.

"It's not fear, it's... it's respect, Queen... you also step down."

"I'm the Queen, can't I stay with His Majesty?"

"Yes, yes." Having said that, Zhang Shiyu still pushed the Queen away, watched her and several palace maids leave from the back door with wine and food, and then ordered someone to invite Princess Huanyan in.

Princess Huanyan smelled the wine as soon as she entered the palace, and when she saw the emperor's blushing cheeks, she immediately understood what was going on, so she advised: "Your Majesty, you must be careful. If you must drink in the daytime, you should stay away from the main hall. This is a place for the monarch and his ministers to discuss matters, and you must not blaspheme."

"Yes, the princess is right. I was thirsty at noon and drank a small cup."

Princess Huanyan didn't pursue it any further, and stepped forward and said: "Qinzhou just received news that the He Rong people were defeated."

"Again?" Zhang Shiyu was extremely surprised.

"It may be even worse than the defeat in Jingzhou."

Zhang Shiyu was stunned for a while, "The court has lost a big backer."

"He Rong is not reliable."

Zhang Shiyu smiled and curled his lips, "Let's lose, there is nothing we can do, right? We are now protected by King Liang."

"King Liang won Jizhou by chance, and he has no real strength. He is no match for King Jin in Bingzhou."

"That's true, what should we do? King Liang is your fiancé..."

"He is not my fiancé." Princess Huanyan said immediately.

"Hehe, if you say he is not, then he is not. What does the princess need me to do?"

Princess Huanyan sighed softly, "The situation in the world will change dramatically again, and the court may take the opportunity to rise."

Zhang Shiyu nodded repeatedly, "Yes, the court has another chance." After saying that, he looked confused and didn't know where the opportunity was.

Princess Huanyan had to say: "Your Majesty needs to win over He Rong."

"You just said that He Rong is unreliable." Zhang Shiyu was a little surprised.

"The powerful He Rong people are unreliable, but the weak He Rong cavalry is just right for the court. Your Majesty, please comfort the survivors outside the Great Wall in the name of the Queen, recruit soldiers and horses, and let the He Rong cavalry become the army of the court."

"This is simple, I will tell the Queen later. Will this move anger King Liang?"

"King Liang is busy with his own affairs, so don't worry about him."

"Okay, I'll listen to the princess. I'll discuss it with the Queen and then ask the princess to come over."

Princess Huanyan took her leave and left with Feng Ju Niang.

Zhang Shiyu breathed a sigh of relief. When he was a child, he was very comfortable playing with Princess Huanyan. Now every time they meet, he feels a little more pressure.

The Queen didn't leave, but hid behind the door. At this time, she came out and murmured, "He Rong people lost again?"

"Huanyan won't lie. Anyway, it has nothing to do with the Queen. Your brother died in Jingzhou."

Tears welled up in the queen's eyes immediately, and Zhang Shiyu hurriedly said, "I'm not good at speaking. Anyway, we lost. The Tiancheng court has declined like this, but I still have to live my life as usual. Don't take it to heart, just get used to it. Think about it this way: although the world is big, it has nothing to do with me. When it's not chaotic, it's not my turn to be the emperor. When it's chaotic, I'm just a title."

The queen wiped away her tears and forced a smile, "Not everyone can think as open-mindedly as your majesty."

"Did you hear what Huanyan said just now?"

"Yes."

"Then..."

"She wants to recruit He Rong's cavalry, so she makes her own decision. I'm the same as your majesty, but I'm just a title, and she didn't discuss it with me. What are you measuring?"

"She is being polite. She is probably making plans at this moment."

The queen's face darkened. "Your Majesty, just put up with this?"

"What are you putting up with?"

"Princess Huanyan is your biological mother?"

"Haha, what are you talking about? We are not of the same age. She is my aunt."

"And she is not my biological aunt."

"Uh...there is a gap."

"If that's the case, why is Your Majesty afraid of her?"

"Afraid of her? How could that be? This is not called fear. I have said that this is...this is respect. Huanyan is very capable. The court depends on her alone. It's a pity that she is not a man..."

"If she were a man, would Your Majesty still be able to sit here?"

Zhang Shiyu smiled awkwardly.

The queen came forward and sat beside the emperor. "She asked Your Majesty to stay in the hall more during the day. She was dissatisfied with Your Majesty for just a few glasses of wine. In the frontier, everyone can drink in the morning and there is nothing wrong with it."

"The rules in the Central Plains are different..."

"The rules in the Central Plains are to let the 'aunt' make the decision?"

Zhang Shiyu sighed, "What can I do?"

"Why can't I do it?"

"Hmm?"

The queen approached the emperor and whispered, "Although He Rongren was defeated, it was because my brother was assassinated and the current Shanyu is just a child, not the fault of the cavalry outside the frontier. That's why Princess Huanyan wants to win her over and use her. If she can use it, why can't Your Majesty use it?"

Zhang Shiyu was stunned, "Huanyan is recruiting soldiers for the court..."

The queen shook her head, "She is recruiting soldiers for her family. Now all the civil and military officials listen to her orders. If she changes the throne, who dares to oppose it? Who can be loyal to Your Majesty?"

Zhang Shiyu bowed his head and said nothing. He had been worried for a long time, but he just didn't want to think about it.

"Instead of letting Princess Huanyan benefit, why don't we take it ourselves?"

"Take it ourselves?" Zhang Shiyu was shocked.

"Your Majesty, follow me to the frontier. I am the sister of the Strong Arm Chanyu. You are the Emperor Tiancheng. You can win a lot of support. If you call for a hundred responses, the Herong cavalry will obey your Majesty's will. If your Majesty is willing to stay, just be an emperor outside the frontier with peace of mind. If you miss the Central Plains, then march south."

"Hehe, Herong's people have been defeated twice. I'm afraid there are not many people left. They dare not enter the frontier again?"

"Didn't Princess Huanyan say that? The situation in the world will change dramatically again. My brother has already pacified most of the country. Once he dies, chaos will return to all places. Your Majesty, as the Emperor Tiancheng, leads troops to the frontier, but you can't get any support?"

Zhang Shiyu was silent.

"How long can a small Yuyang protect Your Majesty? No matter how capable Huanyan is, isn't the court declining day by day? If there is no opportunity, there is no need to force it, just live one day at a time. Now the opportunity is right in front of you, Your Majesty is not tempted at all?"

"Let me think about it."

"Princess Huanyan can see the benefits of Herong's cavalry."

Zhang Shiyu hummed, hesitating between muddling through and being ambitious.

On the other side, Princess Huanyan has drafted many letters, ready to be taken to the frontier by envoys. She doesn't know who will live and who will die, so she also wrote a few letters without a letterhead.

Sun Yalu received some more news, especially the news of the Jizhou army. "Sure enough, Lord Yin is still here. He led his troops to defeat He Rongren. But we don't know what happened to General Yang's army."

Feng Ji Niang couldn't help but interrupt and said, "This is a great thing. A Jizhou army came back from Qinzhou, and the princess recruited a cavalry from the frontier. The strength of the court has increased greatly."

Princess Huanyan remained calm, "Lord Yin is separated from the court by Bingzhou. The situation outside the frontier is unclear. It is difficult to predict whether and how many soldiers can be recruited. Tomorrow I will send an envoy out of the cold, and then send someone to pick up Lord Yin. I have to send someone to Bingzhou to appease King Liang."

Among the three things, appeasing King Liang is the most difficult. Sun Yalu bowed and said, "Princess, please allow me to go to Bingzhou to persuade King Liang to rest assured and never let him harass the court."

"Thank you, Mr. Sun."

The next morning, three groups of envoys set off at the same time, and the letters written to He Rongren were stamped with the queen's seal to gain trust.

There was more and more news coming from Qinzhou. Princess Huanyan was busy all day. When she heard that the emperor was suffering from a minor illness, she didn't care too much and just complained that the emperor was too lazy.

It was not until the third day that someone tipped off that the emperor and the empress had not appeared for several days, which seemed a little strange.

Emperor Tiancheng and the empress were missing.

After interrogating them, Princess Huanyan understood where the two had gone. She couldn't help but smile to Feng Ju Niang and said, "Your Majesty is finally willing to do something on his own." Then she sighed, "But he was led astray - is the court really hopeless?"