Fan Xudong grew increasingly angry as he spoke, slamming his palm on the armrest.
"Hmph, on the eve of a great battle, they won't let me go to the front lines. Don't you think he's out of his mind? If he's crazy, then how did my elder brother, who went to fight for Yun Guo, become a pawn in the Emperor's hands? If my elder brother hadn't stepped in, who knows how long this war would have dragged on! Sister-in-law, tell me, isn't that infuriating!"
It all comes down to being too accomplished and overshadowing the Emperor!
In the end, the Emperor still feared Fan Zehao!
Fan Zehao took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, "The Emperor used the excuse of my godfather needing to recuperate to remove him from his general position, promoting Jiang Zancheng's son, Jiang Ke, to be the commander of the Xiong and Bao divisions, with Fan Xudong and Zhang Heng as deputy generals."
Hearing such shocking news, she nearly fell from her chair, utterly stunned. "How could this happen! Does godfather know about this?"
He nodded reluctantly. "The imperial decree has already been delivered to godfather's mansion!"
This change was too drastic. Godfather had guarded the border for many years, only to end up like this.
For Yun Guo, he ended up without children, and now he was completely demoted, leaving him no face at all.
Before she could recover, Fan Zehao dropped another bombshell.
"Because of godfather's situation, the Prime Minister interceded for General Fang, speaking a few words of justice, but this angered the Emperor, and he was also dismissed!"
"Then are there no ministers who will speak up for the Prime Minister?"
Fan Zehao's disdainful face contorted into a sarcastic smile. "Ministers would rather burrow into the ground. Who would dare to speak the truth? Isn't it true that loyal advice is often unpleasant to hear since ancient times?"
Having been here for two days, the capital had changed so rapidly it caught everyone off guard.
"Those who won the war receive no rewards and are even reprimanded, while Huangfu Xu, who was beaten to a pulp, is not blamed at all. Where is the justice in that?" Fan Xudong spread his hands, complaining indignantly.
"Elder Brother, forget about you, a prince. Even I, a second-rank general, have no place to exert myself! It's just an empty title."
Fan Xudong uttered these words of discontent and left.
Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi exchanged a glance and chose to remain silent.
Evening. The night was deep and quiet.
The royal mansion's study.
Fan Zehao was studying a map of the capital and its surroundings. Zhao Jiaqi, having woken from a nap, found no one by her side. She put on her clothes and asked Sixi, who was on night duty, only to learn he had gone to the study.
The door creaked open from the outside, and a slender figure entered.
Looking at the hanging map, Zhao Jiaqi immediately understood what her husband was planning!
"Have you decided?" she asked him, her voice hoarse.
Fan Zehao nodded slightly. "Judging from the Emperor's continuous dismissal of two important ministers and loyal officials today, the Emperor is beginning to prepare to deal with me, but he feels the time is not yet right!"
He placed his hand on the military camp outside the inner city. "Because he's not sure if Jiang Ke can successfully bring the Xiong and Bao divisions under his command. Once he's sure the two divisions will obey him, your Emperor will turn his attention to me next!"
Zhao Jiaqi listened to his analysis, and a chill ran down her spine.
"The Prime Minister's son is the prefect of the inner city. The Prime Minister's wife's sister is related by marriage to our family. Fang Jingchen is my godfather. He dismissed such a sensitive person without batting an eye. Isn't this an open declaration that he intends to deal with me?"
"He won't even spare our children and elders, and he's prepared to use family to coerce me into submission. Dream on!"
"You are now a commander without troops. What will you do if he decides to attack you?"
One had to admit, her husband was like a sword scabbard without a sword at the moment.
"I have no troops, and he has no generals. Let's see whose command the soldiers in the fiefdom will obey then!"
Fan Zehao flicked his eyebrows at her, a hint of mischief in his eyes.
Zhao Jiaqi's small and large brains worked overtime. After a moment of thought, she understood her husband's meaning and said, "You're planning to intercept Jiang Ke halfway?"
He nodded at first, then shook his head. "It's more than just this one move!"
"Jiang Zancheng has always been guarding the southern border. The southern fiefdom belongs to Huangfu Qiuping. Let him detain Jiang Zancheng, and I'll directly remove his arms!"
The method wasn't unworkable, just a bit crude.
"Will Huangfu Qiuping listen to you? What if it backfires and the losses outweigh the gains!"
Fan Zehao gave her a reassuring look. "My main strategy isn't here. Whether this route is blocked or not isn't important. What's important is Huangfu Qiuping's attitude!"
Seeing her husband's confident demeanor, Zhao Jiaqi said no more.
February 2nd.
The Emperor's wedding. The capital was bustling with excitement.
Zhao Jiaqi personally witnessed the grand wedding of the Emperor and Empress. The Empress's sedan chair was carried by sixteen people. She found it eye-opening, as it wasn't the eighteen-bearer sedan chair people spoke of.
However, the wedding was indeed grand. The streets and alleys were packed with people, decorated with red silk everywhere, making it very festive.
Zhao Jiaqi and Pingting did not join the throng. Instead, they took the children to the palace early, waiting for the banquet to begin.
On the occasion of Yun Guo's Emperor's wedding, envoys from various countries gathered in the capital.
In the palace, Jin Guo's Crown Prince Changsun Qinghua, accompanied by the Crown Princess, was strolling. They happened to encounter Zhao Jiaqi and Pingting, who were playing with their children.
Judging by their attire, these two held considerable rank in the palace.
At this moment, Jing Zhen, the maid by the Crown Princess's side, stepped forward and said, "She in the deep purple first-rank noblewoman's attire is the Zhen Guo Princess Consort. The young girl beside her is the young princess, and the other is Princess Pingting, who is also the Zhen Guo Princess Consort's sister-in-law. They are related by marriage!"
Changsun Qinghua had heard tales of the Zhen Guo Princess Consort so many times he could recite them backward.
He had also listened with great interest to the romantic stories of the Zhen Guo Prince and Princess Consort.
Indeed, meeting was better than seeking!
He and the Crown Princess walked over.
The Crown Princess, Du Chun, took the initiative to greet them, her words laced with a strong hint of sarcasm. "I've heard that the Zhen Guo Princess Consort has a knack for taming her husband, having subdued the Prince completely. This skill is truly remarkable. I initially thought the Princess Consort must be exceptionally beautiful, but seeing you today, you're merely ordinary! No wonder others gave you the nickname 'Ogress.' How do you feel about being called that?"
Zhao Jiaqi turned around, looking at the speaker. She searched her memory and confirmed she didn't recognize these two.
However, despite their decent appearances, their words reeked of sourness.
Zhao Jiaqi crossed her arms and asked with a forced smile, "Are you here to seek a sense of superiority from me?"
She scanned Du Chun from head to toe with piercing eyes, her lips slightly parted. "You look human, yet you speak like an animal. Who let you off your leash to go around biting people!"
"But if an animal bites me, I can't bite back. After all, I can't stoop to the level of an animal!"