Outside the central hall of Jiedu Mansion, Shi Shouxin led the inner palace guards to be on duty.

Zhu Xiu stretched his neck and looked into the hall, but could not see anything. He only heard faint angry shouts.

"What's going on?" Zhu Xiu asked softly.

Shi Shouxin glanced around and moved his lips imperceptibly: "Your Majesty seems to be scolding Li Jun."

Zhu Xiu pouted, Li Yun really deserved to be scolded.

If you don't give him a good scolding and let him know how powerful he is, he won't think deeply about it.

Luzhou was in dilapidated state after being beaten, and everything was in dire need. Li Jun actually thought of holding a grand welcoming ceremony and forcing the people to deliberately put on a scene of warmly welcoming the Holy Emperor. It was simply ridiculous.

In other words, Li Jun relied on his status as a veteran hero. If it had been anyone else, he would have been dealt with by military law.

After all, the butcher's knife that killed the 72 generals of the Dongxiang Army in Gaoping County is still there. Fan Aineng and He Hui were not Conglong heroes. They made big mistakes and were beheaded anyway. No one would doubt that His Majesty the Emperor would not care about the identity of the veteran hero.

Dare to kill.

Shi Shouxin stood upright with a sword in hand, his posture was like a strong pine tree, and suddenly whispered: "The outcome of the Battle of Bagongyuan was already anticipated by County Duke Zhu?"

Zhu Xiu chuckled and said, "Why do you ask?"

Shi Shouxin didn't look sideways and whispered: "Before setting off from Kaifeng, you told me to stay close to His Majesty at all times! The meaning of your words clearly refers to the Battle of Bagongyuan. You had already guessed this.

The battle was so dangerous that Your Majesty personally charged into the battle risking stones?"

Zhu Xiu said with a smile: "Marquis Shi Yu is over-reputed! I just said it casually, how could there be so many mysterious predictions? As the Marquis of Yu, the direct capital of the inner palace, you should be the close guard for His Majesty, right?"

Shi Shouxin frowned slightly and glanced sideways at Zhu Xiu.

Zhu Xiu grinned sincerely, but Shi Shouxin noticed something cunning in his eyes.

On that day during the great battle at Bagongyuan, he was the first to lead the imperial troops to follow Chai Rong in the charge.

In the end, the battle ended, and only a dozen or so cavalrymen in the inner palace survived.

Without his personal protection regardless of life and death, Chai Rong would not have been able to charge directly to the yellow flag of Liu Chongzhong's army.

After the war, Chai Rong summoned him privately and praised him highly.

Shi Shouxin knew that after this battle, he had completely won the emperor's trust. As long as he didn't make big mistakes in the future, he would be able to rise to prominence soon!

In just half a year, he went from being an unknown soldier in the inner palace to becoming a general of the Imperial Guard of the Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty. It can be said that he rose to the sky in one step!

Shi Shouxin also understood that if Zhu Xiu had not recommended Li Chongjin and promoted him to the post of Yu Hou of the Inner Palace, he would have never had a chance to get close to the emperor.

If Zhu Xiu had not warned him in advance, when Chai Rong suddenly charged on the battlefield of Bagongyuan despite being blocked, he might not have reacted in time and would not have been able to provide personal protection to the emperor.

In that case, His Majesty the Emperor would not necessarily be in danger. After all, Zhao Kuangyin was not far behind him at the time, as well as Zhang Yongde, Gao Huaide and other generals. However, he also lost a good opportunity to gain Chai Rong's trust.

The more Shi Shouxin thought about it, the more he felt that Zhu Xiu had long expected the difficulty and danger of the Bagongyuan battle.

But Zhu Xiu refused to admit it, and looked like an old god was there, which made Shi Shouxin think that this guy was unfathomable.

"Mr. Zhu County..."

"Shh! Stop talking! People are coming out!"

Just when Shi Shouxin was about to ask something in a low voice, Zhu Xiu's face turned solemn, and she quickly lowered her eyelids and stood in silence.

A red-faced Li Jun walked out of the hall dejectedly, looking like he had been scolded a lot.

Li Jun glanced at Zhu Xiu and Shi Shouxin and walked quickly past them.

Zhu Xiu smiled at Shi Shouxin and said, "Can I come in to see His Majesty?"

Shi Shouxin turned sideways and invited: "Mr. Zhu County invites you!"

Zhu Xiu thanked him and walked into the middle hall unhurriedly.

Shi Shouxin stared at his back and murmured in a low voice: "He is really a strange person..."

In the hall, Chai Rong was sitting at the main seat drinking tea, with residual anger on his face.

"The eldest lady gave birth to a prince, and Bagong Yuan defeated the enemy army. It is a double happiness. Your Majesty should be happy. Why should you be angry?"

Zhu Xiu bowed and smiled.

Chai Rong put down the tea cup with a smile on his face: "You are quite well informed."

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "I am in charge of the Wude Department, and I have secret reports from the inner court. Of course I have a copy here!"

Chai Rong smiled and said: "Don't make any noise about this matter for the time being. The war is not over yet, and I don't want to be distracted."

When Zhu Xiu heard that the secret passage was bad, Chai Rong said this, clearly intending to continue marching towards Taiyuan.

Eyes rolling, Zhu Xiu said: "It is a blessing for the whole country that the eldest lady has given birth to a son and has an heir. According to the etiquette, Your Majesty should canonize the queen as soon as possible, give the little prince a name, and announce it to the world, so that the whole world can celebrate!"

Chai Rong said: "I have already ordered the Ministry of Rites to prepare the edict for the canonization of the queen. The prince's name has also been decided and is just waiting to be announced."

Zhu Xiu probed: "Don't your Majesty want to rush back to Kaifeng to see the eldest lady and the young prince?"

Chai Rong hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "It's better to finish the military and national affairs in front of us. It's not too late to see you again!"

Zhu Xiu was speechless and smiled bitterly in his heart. It seemed that Chai Rong was determined to attack Taiyuan.

Chai Rong suddenly frowned and said: "The inner court secret report said that the eldest lady had difficulty in giving birth, suffered severe blood loss, and was weak after giving birth. She should be fine, right?"

Zhu Xiu considered his words and said: "Giving birth is a hurdle for women. Some can pass it smoothly, while others are difficult and tortured. The eldest lady has your majesty's protection and heaven's protection. She will be fine. Please don't worry, your majesty.

!”

Chai Rong nodded and did not ask further.

The secret report from the inner court only said that Fu Jinzhan had many difficulties in giving birth and lost too much blood. Fortunately, after a lot of trouble, he finally gave birth to the prince successfully.

It is normal for women to be weak after childbirth. Fu Jinzhan has been practicing martial arts since he was a child and has always been in good health. Except for the serious injury caused by a blood loss in Cangzhou that year, he had no other serious injuries.

Chai Rong didn't think much about it. He just sent an order back to Kaifeng and ordered the doctors from the Imperial Medical Office to take care of him. He also asked Fu Jinzhan to take good care of him.

Zhu Xiu sighed in his heart. Unless he had to, of course he would not dare to report the inner court secret report truthfully.

But according to the letters he received from his family and the secret reports from the Police Department, Fu Jinzhan's situation was not optimistic.

The hurdle of giving birth may be fatal to her.

It seemed like nothing serious at the moment, but once the foundation of her vitality was damaged, her body would probably be overwhelmed.

Zhu Xiu didn't dare to talk nonsense about this kind of thing. He just wrote a letter back to Kaifeng and asked Feng Qingchan and Fu Jinhuan to come to the palace to take care of him.

"Is the one in your family giving birth soon?" Chai Rong asked with a smile.

Zhu Xiu rubbed his hands and said, "The doctor said it should be next month."

"Haha~ you and I have children, it's really fate!" Chai Rong was also quite happy.

Zhu Xiu was also happy from ear to ear, but felt a little nervous. After all, it is not easy for women to have children these days.

If possible, he wanted to rush back to Kaifeng as soon as possible to be with Shi Lingyan.

Zhu Xiu rubbed his hands and said tentatively: "Your Majesty, Bagongyuan defeated the Northern Han soldiers. Liu Chong and Yelu's enemy Lu fled in panic. Our army has achieved a great victory.

After this battle, the vitality of the Northern Han Dynasty was severely damaged, and it will no longer pose a threat to our country in a short period of time. It is better to return to the country and allow Luzhou to rest and recuperate."

Chai Rong teased: "What, you kid is in a hurry to go back to Kaifeng to pick up the baby? I'm not in a hurry, why are you in a hurry?"

Zhu Xiu said sheepishly: "I have little experience in becoming a father for the first time, and the female Juan in the family has no experience in this area. I can't be with you, and I feel uneasy!"

Lingyan's father, Shi Laojieshuai, wanted to ask him to accompany him on the expedition this time, but he gave up the idea because he was worried about his daughter giving birth.

Your Majesty also knows the temperament of Commander Shi Laojie. If there is an accident during childbirth and I am not around to take care of him, I will be scolded to death by him after I return..."

Chai Rong waved his hand, "Okay, your mother-in-law and mother-in-law have said so much. Aren't you just trying to persuade me to withdraw my troops and return to the court in a roundabout way? If you want to say it directly, why bother beating around the bush?"

"Your Majesty is wise! He has a sharp eye!" Zhu Xiu hurriedly handed over a flattery and said with cupped hands: "Your Majesty clearly knows that our army's food and grass are not in good condition and it is difficult to transport them from Kaifeng. Now calculated, it is only enough for one month.

It is still difficult to supply Luzhou and Zezhou, and it will be difficult to distribute surplus grain to support the army.

There are not enough civilians recruited from Mengzhou, Huaizhou, Puzhou and other places. More people can only be recruited from Caozhou, Yanzhou and other places in Shandong. The journey is long and a lot of money and food are consumed along the way.

If this continues, it will probably delay this year’s spring planting in Henan, Hezhong, Shandong and other places, which will be detrimental to the country!”

Chai Rong stood up, walked around with his hands behind his hands, pondered for a while, and then said: "Why don't I know what you said?

This personal expedition was carried out in a hurry, and the army was poorly prepared.

However, under such a disadvantage, we were able to defeat the enemy's coalition forces in one fell swoop at Bagongyuan, which greatly increased the military prestige of our dynasty. Liu Chong, Yelu and others fled like rats. I really don't want to miss this opportunity to annihilate the Northern Han Dynasty in one fell swoop!

"

Chai Rong's eyes were shining brightly, and the achievement of destroying the country was extremely attractive to an ambitious emperor like him.

Zhu Xiu smiled bitterly and said: "The Northern Han Dynasty was defeated but still had the strength to fight. Taiyuan City is tall and dangerous and cannot be broken overnight.

In addition, the Khitans are watching with eager eyes. Once our army moves north, the Khitans will never sit idly by and watch.

I boldly advise you that under such circumstances, it is definitely not the time to completely destroy the Northern Han Dynasty!

On the contrary, if we fall into a bitter battle under Taiyuan City, our army will suffer heavy losses and our logistics will be insufficient, it will give the Khitans and Liu Chong a chance to turn defeat into victory!"

】

Chai Rong frowned and paced silently, with a hint of sullenness evident on his face.
To be continued...