12dz Chapter 349 Another Imperial Expedition
Chapter 349 Another Imperial Expedition
"Your Majesty! An urgent message from the northwest border, eight hundred li away! It's from General Feng Yang..."
Eunuch Xu bowed respectfully and presented a memorial to the emperor.
Emperor Beizun indifferently raised his head, slipped the memorial between his long, slender fingers, casually glanced at it, and then a faint smile appeared on his face. He closed the memorial, slowly rose, and strode to the sand table beside him. His deep, sharp eyes swept over a certain area of the sand table, then his eyes flashed brightly. He threw the memorial into the sand table and ordered Eunuch Xu—
"Go to the Prime Minister's residence immediately and convey my decree, ordering the two prime ministers to come to the palace right away."
"Yes, Your Majesty! By the way, Your Majesty, the Eldest Princess is on her way to the Imperial Study..."
"Let her in!"
After uttering these words, Emperor Beizun abruptly turned around.
……
Just as Di Yuanyun entered the Imperial Study, she saw Di Beizun come out, a rare smile on his handsome face. She raised an eyebrow in surprise, "It's rare to see you in such a mood? Has some news come from the border? Or has Sikong Jin written you another love letter?"
Di Beizun glanced at her, and the softening on his face faded slightly. He put his hands behind his back, stepped out of the imperial study, came to the steps, and looked up at the blue sky outside.
"Why aren't you at your residence with your husband? What are you doing here looking for me?"
Emperor Beizun said calmly.
Di Yuanyun pursed her lips and smiled softly, a rare sight of happiness radiating from her brows. "I'm not here to bother you this time. Prince Ling and I have already planned to get married at the end of the year. My elder sister has come to ask you for the imperial decree to grant us marriage. Also, you promised me before that you would prepare a dowry for me when I get married. My request is that it cannot be inferior to what you will give to Sikong Jin later. Your Majesty, can you fulfill this request?"
"Alright, you're almost thirty. It's already quite good that I've found such an excellent consort for you. Actually, I was worried that you would be at a disadvantage if you were to marry Prince Ling."
Di Beizun glanced at Di Yuanyun and said calmly.
The most esteemed princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty is nearly thirty years old. For a long time now, Emperor Bei, her younger brother, has been quite concerned about finding her a suitable husband. He secretly investigated for a long time before selecting a few men he thought were good enough for the princess to try getting to know. In short, it was a blind date!
Sometimes, you can't help but marvel at the wonder of fate. It's common knowledge that the eldest princess has exceptionally high standards and doesn't find anyone appealing! But the moment she met Prince Ling, she was attracted by his gentle and refined demeanor. Prince Ling also admired Di Yuanyun's noble and elegant temperament. After a few months of getting to know each other, the two fell deeply in love.
Only then did the eldest princess truly understand the depth of the Northern Emperor's longing for someone.
"That's true. Prince Ling is more precious and important to me than anything else."
Di Yuanyun uttered these words with amusement, then looked at Di Beizun. Sure enough, she saw his expression darken slightly. He glanced at her coldly, too lazy to argue with her, and said in a deep voice, "Feng Yang has already sent back news from the border. They have left the border of Dayong and entered the territory of Tiansheng. They are approaching Hanyang City and will arrive there soon. This is a golden opportunity for our Great Zhou."
"Feng Yang? Hanyang City?"
Upon hearing Di Beizun's words, Di Yuanyun was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses. Somewhat shocked, she turned her head to look at Di Beizun and stammered, "I knew you wouldn't lend troops to Dayong so easily! So you... The ministers in court have been arguing about this matter endlessly, and almost went on strike. So you were planning to..."
"These short-sighted fools, I'll chop off a few more of their heads sooner or later!"
Thinking of the pressure from those stubborn ministers in the court, Emperor Beizun couldn't help but frown. If he hadn't been so furious that he dragged out and beheaded several troublemaking ministers and exiled several ministers who were pretending to be sick and not attending court to remote border towns, these ignorant fools would probably still be causing trouble!
Upon hearing Di Beizun's words, Di Yuanyun was also shocked. She had personally witnessed Di Beizun's ruthless order. Over the years, her younger brother's murderous intent had always been so strong, and his methods were extremely bloody and cruel. If this continued, she was really worried that he would become a tyrannical monarch!
Di Yuanyun frowned, looking at Di Beizun with some concern. After thinking for a moment, she finally couldn't help but advise, "Your Majesty, governing a country cannot be achieved solely through suppression. Violence is not the ultimate solution. Even if you have intimidated them now, they are still quite resentful. Aren't you worried about leaving hidden dangers for the future?"
Di Beizun turned his gaze away, looking at Di Yuanyun with disdain. A sharp, murderous aura appeared on his alluring face. "Dissatisfied? What right do they have to be dissatisfied? A bunch of old fogies. Do they think governing a country is just about those benevolent principles they keep talking about? They've been saying these things for so many years. They're tired of saying them, but I'm tired of hearing them. Do you think the Great Zhou Dynasty has been able to get to where it is today because of those benevolent principles?"
“Your Majesty, that is true, but they are still important officials in the court. Even if you want to take action against them, shouldn’t you consider it?” Yuan Yun was a very meticulous person who was cautious in his actions.
"They have become so unscrupulous because of their position in the court. I have plenty of ways to deal with them. The new imperial examination is about to begin. I will take this opportunity to reshuffle the court. So you will have to work harder this time. Your intelligence agency should also do something productive. Find out all the details of the candidates with potential and then select the people we need."
As he spoke, he calmly withdrew his gaze, put his hands behind his back, and looked indifferently at the high sky and flowing clouds in front of him, his eyes becoming unpredictable in an instant.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Yun paused for a moment, then asked, "You..."
"I have summoned the two prime ministers to the palace. I will entrust the matter of this imperial examination to you and the two of them. I am going to the border."
"Your Majesty, are you planning to personally lead another expedition?"
Yuan Yun frowned even deeper. Now that he was the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it seemed that...
Di Beizun straightened his sleeves, then suddenly turned his head, looking at Di Yuanyun with a solemn and deep gaze. His tone was no longer as indifferent as before; it sounded serious and profound.
"This opportunity is once in a lifetime, and neither Xi Fenglie nor Tuoba Yu are simple characters. The Wing King will not gain any advantage against them. If we can successfully open up the southwest passage this time, the unification of the world will be just around the corner. Therefore, I must personally take charge... This time, I will probably be away from the court for a long time. Please take care of the affairs of the court, my sister and the ministers."