216: The front official

Chapter 214: Requesting Official Positions at the Front

Hearing Zheng Yi say this, the expressions of the few people present all changed.

Dongyun Jie and Dongyun Yu shrank their heads, not daring to look at the others.

As for Consort Zhen, she froze for a moment, and then her face blushed with shyness.

"Your Majesty, what, what do you mean by this? Are you making fun of this concubine?"

"The three of us, mother and daughters, serve Your Majesty together. This concubine doesn't care, but Dongyun Jie and Dongyun Yu..."

"No, no, no..."

Zheng Yi said, "Beloved Consort, you are overthinking. What We mean is that no matter what these two children do in the future or what kind of people they become, they are Our sons and also your family."

"We will not give up on them."

The three women immediately said, "This concubine thanks Your Majesty..."

Meanwhile, Su Xi's gaze at the side was somewhat strange.

What did this big sister mean by what she said?

Mother and daughters serving Your Majesty together?

Could it be... she and the two pretty sisters who gave birth today are... in a mother-daughter relationship?

Thinking of this, she finally realized. No wonder when she first saw the three women, she felt that their brows and eyes were extremely similar.

She never expected...

This, how could this be...

Su Xi's worldview began to change, and her mind started to become chaotic.

"Your Majesty~"

Consort Zhen said softly, "Since this concubine, Dongyun Jie, and Dongyun Yu have entered the imperial family, we have long accepted our fate. The three of us are both mother and daughters, and also sisters."

"As for their children, they can just call me aunt."

"Fate?"

Zheng Yi smiled and said, "It is best if you can think this way. We like all three of you very much, and We do not want to give up any single one of you."

"Time flows away like this, day and night without stopping."

"Since one lives in this world, one should naturally enjoy life. Minor vexations can simply be cast behind one's mind."

Although Li Lizhen, Dongyun Jie, and Dongyun Yu were in a mother-daughter relationship, Li Lizhen had been adopted by the imperial family since childhood, and her identity belonged to the Shadow Guard.

Under constant brainwashing, she had long regarded Zheng Yi as the sky in her heart.

As for Dongyun Jie and Dongyun Yu, the two women were no better off; they had been brainwashed since childhood to be loyal to the royal family and loyal to Your Majesty.

Ethics and the like had long been suppressed by the ideology of loyalty to the monarch in their hearts.

If it were any ordinary mother and daughter, persuading them would not have been easy at all.

"I wonder if Your Majesty has already thought of good names for Dongyun Jie and Dongyun Yu's children?"

Consort Zhen said, "The two little fellows look so much alike, almost identical to what Dongyun Jie and Dongyun Yu looked like when they were little."

Speaking of this, Zheng Yi said solemnly, "Dongyun Jie, Dongyun Yu, and Consort Zhen."

"The three of you should know that Dongyun Jie and Dongyun Yu are both Cultivators, and We are also a Cultivator."

"Among the children we give birth to, there is also a great probability of possessing a Spiritual Root. Therefore, We are unwilling to let them get entangled in the struggle for the imperial throne."

"We only hope that the two of them can live safely and securely, and subsequently step onto the Dao of cultivation."

"Therefore, We want to name them with 'Ping'an'. I wonder what the three Beloved Consorts think?"

"Ping'an?"

"Zheng Chengping, Zheng Chengan."

The three women murmured, "Although the names are ordinary, they also contain Your Majesty's thoughtful intentions."

"This concubine also hopes our children will be safe and sound, and live a long life."

"Then let's use these two names."

"Zheng Chengping, Zheng Chengan..."

"This concubine thanks Your Majesty for bestowing the names!"

The three women were very satisfied with the names of the two children. After some more comforting, Zheng Yi had Consort Zhen find an empty room for Su Xi to stay in.

"The Palace of Twin Lotuses has the most concubines and is very lively. During this period of time, Su Xi should live in the Palace of Twin Lotuses."

Zheng Yi instructed, "You all should take some time to communicate well with Su Xi and take her around the palace more."

Li Lizhen glanced at Su Xi and said understandingly, "As Your Majesty commands."

Under Consort Zhen's instruction, a side room was quickly arranged, and Su Xi also settled down securely.

When Li Lizhen returned to her bedchamber, a pair of large hands immediately embraced her into his arms.

"Ah..."

She let out a cry of surprise and instinctively reached to pull out the hairpin from her beautiful hair to resist, but she quickly reacted.

"Your Majesty?!"

"Beloved Consort's figure is agile; it seems you haven't exercised less on ordinary days."

Zheng Yi picked her up, walking toward the bed while smiling and saying.

Consort Zhen blushed and said, "Your Majesty, Dongyun Jie and Dongyun Yu are still next door~"

"What is there to fear? They just finished giving birth, and have long been resting tonight."

"The children are looked after by wet nurses, it doesn't matter~"

"Your Majesty~"

Consort Zhen's eyes were alluring like silk, and she suddenly hugged Zheng Yi's neck, saying, "This concubine also wants to bear a child for you~"

"Bear a child?"

Zheng Yi smiled and said, "No problem!"

"It's just that I don't know if the child born will call Dongyun Jie and Dongyun Yu older sister, or..."

"Your Majesty~!"

"Hahaha..."

After a night of romance, Zheng Yi did not take any protective measures, but instead allowed her to fuse with Li Lizhen.

The Pure Yin Qi and Pure Yang Qi within the Yin Yang Treasure Mirror were not transferred either; whether she could become pregnant entirely depended on her own fortune.

However, in Zheng Yi's view, without the aid of Pure Yin Qi and Pure Yang Qi, ordinary women would find it very difficult to conceive.

On the second day, Zheng Yi summoned Liu Chengen, the Cabinet, and others to ask about the war in the south.

"Reporting to Your Majesty."

Li Changfeng said, "Currently, the war in the south is still deadlocked. Our imperial court's army and the rebel forces of the various southern prefectures are still engaging in a chaotic battle within the region of Xu Province, with each side suffering wins and losses."

"However, due to the existence of અમારી... due to the existence of the New Army, our imperial court's army still occupies the proactive advantage on the battlefield."

"Where is the Great General?"

Zheng Yi asked with surprise. According to his deduction, dispatching the New Army to deal with these rebels should have swept through the south like autumn leaves scattering withered grass. He hadn't expected that after more than half a year, the many rebel forces in the south had still not been pacified?

Li Changfeng said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, multiple Cultivators and a large number of Martial Artists have suspectedly appeared among the southern rebels."

"They often hide among the rebel forces, launching sneak attacks and executing decapitation tactics. Over thirty officers of various ranks have already been killed."

"Even Great General Xu has suffered two assassinations, but all of them were suppressed by the Great General."

"Cultivators..."

Zheng Yi murmured. It seemed that these Cultivators were the variables in the war against the southern rebels.

Only Cultivators could use various methods to resist the artillery of the New Army.

But... that's impossible!

No matter how many Cultivators there were, at most there were only a dozen or so.

But the artillery New Army numbered a full two hundred thousand!

Unless... among the southern rebels, there existed something that Xu Mujun dreaded.

Or... other reasons?

"Chengen."

"this servant is here."

"Are there any personal letters from Great General Xu?"

"Yes!"

Very quickly, Liu Chengen brought up five envelopes on a wooden tray, respectfully handing them to Zheng Yi.

These five envelopes were all sealed with sealing wax and obviously had not been opened by anyone.

Taking out one of the envelopes with the oldest date—the time was the ninth year of zhengyong, October.

At that time, it was right after Xu Mu's army trampled over Yuanhe Mountain.

The content was also very simple, merely briefly explaining the process of the battle of Yuanhe Mountain and the detailed plan for heading to Xu Province to suppress the southern rebels.

The second, third, and fourth envelopes had very simple contents as well, only occasionally inquiring about the situation of Xu Qingluan.

Until the fifth envelope, things changed.

Cultivators.

In the Xu Province rebels, Cultivators had indeed appeared.

Acting in secret, they used Spells to destroy the grain, forage, and heavy equipment of the army, and burned countless military pay and grain provisions, causing the army to hesitate and halt, able only to maintain a passive defense.

Even though they had the advantage of firearms, facing the coming-without-shadows and going-without-traces Cultivators, they were utterly helpless.

"Cultivators... To deal with Cultivators, one can only utilize Cultivators."

"However, the only Cultivators in Our hands that can be mobilized are Xuanjizi and Chen Liancang."

"Compared to the Cultivators of the Tuoba Family in the south, as well as other Cultivators hidden among the rebels, they are still far inferior!"

Zheng Yi shook his head and said, "What on earth is Xu Mujun hesitating about?"

"With the two hundred thousand New Army as the mainstay and other armies as supplements, they could simply horizontally push across Xu Province, Jiang Province, and other places, destroy places like Tianlong Temple and the Tuoba Family, attack what they must rescue, how come..."

Zheng Yi had been considering this in his heart, wondering what on earth Xu Mujun was up to.

"Your Majesty!"

Li Changfeng suddenly said, "This subject has another matter to report."

"Beloved Subject, please speak?"

"Great General Xu previously submitted multiple handwritten memorials to the Cabinet, hoping Your Majesty would bestow rewards upon the members of the Xu clan..."

"Hmm?"

Zheng Yi asked with surprise, "Bestow rewards on the members of the Xu clan, why?"

"Seeking credit."

Li Changfeng said, "Most of the members of the Xu clan followed the Great General on campaigns and indeed established quite a bit of merit. However, discussing merits and bestowing rewards is done after a major battle. The Great General's action inevitably has a sense of overstepping his bounds."

"After discussing the matter, we subjects felt it was extremely tricky, and specially suppressed it, wishing to ask Your Majesty to make a decision."

"What else is there?"

Lu Xiangqing said, "Your Majesty, aside from the members of the Xu clan, the Great General also wishes to ask the imperial court to confer a peerage upon his newly born little grandson..."

"Little grandson?"

Zheng Yi quickly recalled something: "Zhong Chun gave birth?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Liu Chengen said in a low voice, "Miss Zhong Chun already gave birth to a Young Master in February of last year. Your Majesty was in seclusion at that time, so this servant did not make an announcement."

"Upon learning of this, Great General Xu was extremely excited, and personally wrote a family letter transmitted back to the Xu Mansion, naming his grandson 'Xu Jingzhong'. Now he is already one year and three-plus months old."

"One year and three-plus months old?"

Zheng Yi nodded and said, "It seems that We were negligent."

"Begging for official positions for the members of the Xu clan, begging for a peerage for his own grandson—did he also beg for quite a bit of gold and silver jewelry, farmland deeds, and beauties?"

The few people hesitated for a moment, and successively said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty is brilliant like a divine machine. This matter... we have all suppressed it. How does Your Majesty decide?"

Zheng Xuanyue said even further, "Your Majesty! Xu Mujun relies on his great achievements and actually uses military affairs while commanding armies abroad to coerce the imperial court into securing private gains for his clan members and descendants. This matter... must absolutely not be allowed!"

"This subject believes that Great General Xu can be recalled, and someone else chosen as a general to preside over the matter of suppressing the southern rebels!"

"What do the rest of the beloved subjects think?"

Lu Xiangqing cupped his hands and said, "This subject... seconds what Lord Zheng said."

"Great General Xu has performed arduous and high achievements, but this is precisely the day of the final decisive battle between Our Great Yu Dynasty and the rebel forces. For the Great General to choose to coerce the imperial court at this time is somewhat too... lacking in a broader perspective!"

Zheng Yi looked toward Wang Anshi and asked, "Beloved Subject Wang, do you have any other views?"

Wang Anshi turned sideways respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, Great General Xu's action definitely has its profound meaning."

"But no matter what, the primary task is to suppress the southern rebels."

"In this humble subject's view, changing generals on the eve of battle is a major taboo in military strategy. The imperial court can agree to his demands and quietly wait for him to exterminate the rebels."

"After the great army returns to the court, we can then discuss merits and bestow rewards..."