Unfortunately, the next day was June 15th, which was the day required for court meetings. Not only were the spring nights short, but the summer nights were also short.
Of course, even if Qin Liang doesn't go, there doesn't seem to be any problem. But the anti-rebellion army has just returned to Luoyang. At this time, it would be beneficial if Qin Liang could show up in public.
Today is another sunny day. When Qin Liang came to Tai Chi Hall, a ray of sunlight had already passed through the doors and windows of the hall, illuminating the spacious and bright east hall. Morning should be the most comfortable time of the whole day, as the heat has dissipated.
It is the coolest time of night.
The air was still a little moist, and the tiny water droplets in the mist danced in the light, giving the hall a hazy feeling, reminding Qin Liang of the incense lingering last night.
Of course, it could also be an illusion. Qin Liang went to bed too late and got up too early. At this time, he was still in a daze, and everything he saw looked foggy.
Familiar court furnishings, familiar people, and even the enthusiasm and compliments of colleagues are all expected. The only expectation is probably to hear the voice of Queen Mother Guo through the curtain after a while.
Many people gathered around to greet and greet each other. "We sincerely welcome General Wei back to the court." "Congratulations to General Qin on his victory in the war." "General Wei knows soldiers and is good at fighting. He is truly the best among our generation." "General Qin is well..."
"Very good, very good. Ji Le is here well." Qin Liang cupped his hands while looking at others and nodded in greeting.
When he was walking north, he saw Wang Guang and Linghuyu, and stopped to talk to them briefly. Wang Guang, the general of Kueiwei, represented the general's mansion, and Linghuyu was the leading general. These two people were at court.
The people in the hall are the ones with real power, Gao Rou and the other three princes are not that important.
Amidst the noise, Qin Liang approached the two men and whispered to each other, and said deliberately: "When I was in Jizhou, I met Lao Jing (a close relative of the Wang family). Lao Jing said that the atmosphere in Luoyang was depressing, and I think the feeling in the court was pretty good.
"
Linghu said with a foolish smile: "This moment, that moment."
Wang Guang also nodded and smiled, and said in a deep voice: "No matter what your thoughts are, you have to endure them now."
Qin Liang looked back at the crowd in the hall, offered his hands to the two of them again, and walked to the front.
At this time, many people were talking, and the scene was a bit scattered. Qin Liang's mind was also groggy, but everything was just an appearance. He could feel that the truly chaotic things had regained balance and stability at this moment, at least for now.
.
The eunuch's voice came from the door at the back of the east hall: "Your Majesty, Your Highness has arrived!"
People soon stopped talking, returned to their seats, and then bowed as usual.
After a while, I finally heard the familiar and sweet voice of Queen Mother Guo again, "General Wei put down the rebellion and won the victory. I am very relieved."
Qin Liang bowed to his superior and only thought about the words to respond at the last minute. He really didn't bother to prepare before going to court this time.
He responded casually: "It is true that Guanqiu Jian, the governor of Youzhou, committed rebellion. I obeyed your majesty and his highness's edict and used a fake yellow ax to fight the rebels on behalf of the emperor. Guanqiu Jian was defeated and was captured and returned to Luoyang for questioning. The military disaster in the northeast
It has calmed down, your Majesty can rest easy!"
Cao Fang, who was sitting on the throne, did not respond for a long time. Qin Liang could not raise his head to observe, not knowing what his expression was.
After Qin Liang finished speaking, he realized that what he said seemed a bit excessive. After all, what the emperor expected was that Guanqiu Jian would win. But the words had already been spoken, and he didn't bother to care so much. Anyway, from the literal meaning
, there’s nothing wrong with it!
However, Cao Fang may have just mistakenly thought that Qin Liang was still listening before he finished speaking. For such a huge victory, Qin Liang's statement just now was indeed too simple.
At this time, the voice of Queen Mother Guo said: "General Wei's hard work and meritorious service are truly worthy of the imperial court."
Qin Liang bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Highness." After saying that, he returned to his seat.
There were vague discussions around, and a voice vaguely said: "General Wei is modest and doesn't want to be in the limelight."
In this scene, no matter how Qin Liang behaves, everyone will probably be able to find a reason for him. Just like Ji Kang sometimes took Wu Shi Powder and caught lice with his bare arms in the sun, the world would think that he was
express some profound philosophy.
Qin Liang didn't say anything anymore, and all his energy was spent on controlling his yawning. After all, he was not Ji Kang, and he generally would not behave erratically.
After finally getting through the meeting, Qin Liang was not going to go to Shangshu Province today and planned to go home directly.
But as soon as he arrived at the square in the courtyard of the Taiji Hall, he was stopped again by Huang Yan, the supervisor of the Huangmen. Qin Liang was not familiar with this eunuch, not as close as he was with Zhang Huan, but he also knew that Huang Yan was a member of the Empress Dowager Guo.
Huang Yan bowed and said, "General Wei will stay here. His Highness will summon the general in the east office."
Qin Liang said to Fu Gu: "Lan Shi has also worked hard. Please go back first. You don't have to go to General Wei's house for the next two days."
Fu Gu said, "I'll take my leave first."
Qin Liang and Huang Yan walked toward the east together and came to a bright house. Huang Yan stopped following and said, "Your Highness is inside, General Wei, please."
None of the trusted eunuchs went in. It was obvious that there was no one else in the room, so Qin Liang immediately relaxed. He slowly took off his shoes, put them outside the door, and then walked in wearing linen socks.
He entered the door very casually, but unexpectedly, he suddenly discovered that besides Queen Mother Guo, there was another person behind the curtain.
Since there were outsiders present, Qin Liang had no choice but to step forward and bow to him: "I have been ordered to see your highness." Then he turned slightly and bowed to the figure.
The curtain was translucent, more transparent than the curtain in the east hall, not to mention that Qin Liang was summoned alone and was closer to the curtain. Qin Liang could tell at a glance that the young girl next to Queen Mother Guo was not an ordinary person.
She was wearing a loose silkworm dress with a blue base and pure gold jewelry on her temples. The bright red ribbon and gold jewelry did not give her a festive temperament. Perhaps because the clothes were mainly old-fashioned dark cyan.
Mainly, the larger gold jewelry also has a sense of stability, which makes such a young girl lack vitality.
The girl's skin was very fair, except for her lips which were very red. Such a gorgeous and lifeless temperament made Qin Liang feel a little weird, and he was so aroused that he woke up from his drowsiness.
Queen Mother Guo's voice said: "This is the Queen."
Qin Liang suddenly realized. He had just guessed that if the young nobleman in the palace was almost equal to the Queen Mother Guo, he should be the queen. As expected.
With the introduction from Queen Mother Guo, Qin Liang glanced behind the curtain as if nothing had happened. As one of the powerful ministers, he generally maintained etiquette and gave the royal family enough respect, but he did not have to be as cautious as ordinary ministers. Occasionally
There's nothing wrong with being bold, as long as it's not too much.
This glance happened to meet the gaze cast by the queen. Her eyes were very bright, and the emotions she showed were very clear, but a bit complicated. Seeing her look, Qin Liang had an illusion that this girl had never smiled.
However, that kind of resentment is different from Princess Jinxiang, and is actually more profound than Princess Jinxiang's depression.
At this time, Qin Liang could roughly see that the queen actually had a well-proportioned figure and bright facial features. In particular, her skin was very good, and she had a kind of cleanness that was not stained by smoke and dust.
Blocked by semi-transparent curtains, the queen's face was even more hazy and mysterious. Under the light of the morning sun, her jade-white and shiny skin seemed to have an extra layer of halo in the haze.
Qin Liang calmly avoided looking and said politely: "Chen Liang pays homage to Her Highness the Queen. I wish Her Highness good health."
The queen's voice said: "General Wei, no courtesy. I have heard of you a long time ago, but I just saw you today."
Her timbre is very different from that of Queen Mother Guo, it is quite clear and pleasant.
Qin Liang knew that the queen had written a letter to Zhen Yan, the governor of Changshan County, and then Zhen Yan had Guan Qiucheng killed! If not for Zhen Yan's decisive stance, the Battle of Julu might have been more troublesome, and the Bingzhou, Tianyu and Yu tribes were extremely involved. It may not be possible to leave Taihang in time.
War is often the result of many aspects and steps. Local changes may also affect the final result. Therefore, no factor can be ignored.
Qin Liang suddenly became more fond of the queen, and coupled with the feeling the queen gave him, he also felt some inexplicable sympathy and pity. Qin Liang immediately hinted: "Old General Zhen is in Changshan County, which belongs to Jizhou. I met many people in Youzhou, but I was unable to meet General Zhen, which is a pity."
The queen said softly: "I haven't seen my grandfather in several years. In the palace, only my mother is the closest to me."
The voice of Queen Mother Guo said: "Guanqiu Jian is brave and brave, and he is assisted by barbaric Hu soldiers. There are more soldiers and horses than Zhongming. Before I got the good news, I was very worried about you. Zhongming finally lived up to his expectations. I am really lucky."
The queen was also looking at Qin Liang, with some curiosity in her bright and discerning eyes, "It's surprising to see General Qin being so elegant and easy-going. He is so good at conquering and fighting."
The Battle of Julu was short but quite stressful. Qin Liang was always uneasy before the victory was decided. But now that he had won, he didn't want to talk about the hardships of the process.
Qin Liang then said calmly: "The war is not particularly complicated. At least the enemy and the friend are clear."
The Queen turned her head and whispered to Queen Mother Guo: "General Wei's words are very interesting."
Queen Mother Guo looked at Qin Liang and asked, "Zhongming has made great contributions. What kind of reward do you want?"
Qin Liang cupped his hands and said: "I just did my duty and did not dare to take credit. It is my greatest honor to make His Highness happy."
Queen Mother Guo smiled when she heard this. She then stopped smiling, shook her head slightly and said, "If Guanqiu Jian succeeds, I really can't guess what will happen. There is nothing more serious than that."
Qin Liang thought for a while and said: "Those soldiers who followed me and fought bloody battles, please ask the court to reward them based on their merits."
Queen Mother Guo made a meaningful "hmm" sound.
Qin Liang couldn't accurately guess what Empress Dowager Guo meant, so he directly expressed an idea he had before, "The most important thing is ranking. No matter what rewards I get, it can't change the essence."
When the queen heard this, she cast bright eyes again.
Queen Mother Guo said: "I understand."
Although Her Royal Highness the Empress Dowager summoned Qin Liang in the courtyard of Taiji Palace, it was considered fair and square; after all, the harem and the foreign ministers had special status, and the frequency of meetings could not be too high or the time could not be too long.
So Qin Liang wanted to seize the opportunity to express an accurate attitude to the other party. Before leaving, he reminded him more bluntly: "Her Royal Highness the Queen has also been kind to me, and I will never forget it."