sbdcsierra Chapter 176: Different for Him
Chapter 176: Different for Him
The atmosphere in the hall seemed to be silent for a long time before Gao Jiayue calmly sat back in her seat. She seemed to be in a trance-like silence.
After a long while, Gao Jiayue finally spoke: "I'm sorry for scaring the general. Please forgive me."
"I was drunk and said a few nonsense. General, don't take it to heart." Gao Jiayue's tone became steady, and the pain in her eyes disappeared. She smiled self-deprecatingly and said, "General, you are at such a good age. You should look for a woman who is of equal status and can stay with you forever."
"I was confused..." Gao Jiayue seemed a little dazed.
She knew her identity clearly, and it was indeed impulsive for her to speak so boldly today.
Maybe she felt that if she didn't say anything this time, there would really be no chance. Or maybe she felt that since she and Zong Yanli had walked side by side until today, Zong Yanli treated her differently?
So many emotions, so many thoughts, so many days and nights of anticipation and waiting, only then did she have the impulse today.
"Your Highness." Zong Yanli looked at Gao Jiayue who had regained her composure and said with a sigh in his heart, "Your Highness has survived many dangers since you married into the Gao Kingdom. You have walked on thin ice in this deep palace and have walked through many thorns to get to where you are today. Why did you entrust your heart to a man?"
"Love will eventually fall apart, and interests and loyalty are the most suitable partners."
"I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Your Majesty."
"Even though I have no one in my heart, I have never coveted the queen." Zong Yanli said seriously, with a calm look in his eyes. He looked at Gao Jiayue and said, "What I want is never the slightest expression of love in front of me."
"But one day the world will be under your and my control, and the people will live in peace and prosperity."
"My Lady, it's not difficult to control the power of a country, but why not control the power of the whole world?"
After Zong Yanli finished speaking, Gao Jiayue raised her eyes in surprise and met Zong Yanli's black eyes. At this moment, she seemed to see from Zong Yanli's eyes an extremely grand map slowly unfolding in front of her.
Zong Yanli stood in front of her with his back straight and said, "Qing State has been destroyed, Jin State is just lingering on, and I can see that all the southern states have been annexed by Wu."
"Is the Imperial Concubine only living in this tiny southern country?" Zong Yanli narrowed his eyes. The southern expedition had already been settled, so was the northern expedition far away?
"General..." The sadness, frustration, and shame that had just risen in Gao Jiayue's heart were instantly washed away as Zong Yanli finished his words. She stared in shock at Zong Yanli who was standing in front of her.
The suddenly accelerated heartbeat made Gao Jiayue clench her heart all night. She couldn't describe how charming Zong Yanli was standing in front of her at this moment. The dark eyes under his heroic face made her hold her breath.
Gao Jiayue smiled. She admired the general.
Even if he rejected her, she was still moved.
"General, you are right." Gao Jiayue took a deep breath, calmed down the emotions in her chest, looked at Zong Yanli with a smile and said, "This lady..."
"I also look forward to the day when the world will be united."
Zong Yanli came out of the palace still feeling a little ridiculous. Who could have thought that Concubine Gao summoned her into the palace just for...
She was a little confused and couldn't figure out what she had done to cause Gao Jiayue to misunderstand her.
Not to mention the time since they met, she has never done anything presumptuous even after coming to Beijing. How could this happen?
It’s really confusing.
Zong Yanli had just come out of the palace and was on his way back to his house when he saw a servant from Zong Yan's house running over and saying, "Young General, the general is back!"
"Father has returned to Beijing?" Zong Yanli was overjoyed. He immediately raised his whip and rode his horse towards home.
As soon as he arrived at the door of his house, he saw his father's war horse. Zong Yanhongjing seemed to have just arrived at the gate of the mansion. When he was about to enter the house, he heard the sound of horse hooves behind him and stopped and turned around. Then he saw Zong Yanli running back in a hurry.
Zong Yanlili dismounted from his horse, strode towards Zong Yanhongjing, knelt on one knee and bowed, "My son greets my father."
Zong Yanhongjing had aged a lot, with many white hairs on his temples. His visibly old age made Zong Yanli stand there in a daze, and he didn't even hear Zong Yanhongjing calling him.
"Look at this kid, he's so happy to see his father." Han laughed and went forward to help Zong Yanli up.
"Father..." Zong Yanli's eyes were full of bitterness. This was an age she had never seen before. It turned out that a few years could make her father look much older.
Zong Yanli choked up. She suddenly felt hesitant and worried. She could stop anyone, but she could not stop the years, could not stop the passage of time.
She will grow up day by day, and the price paid is that her parents will grow older year by year.
Zong Yanhongjing had not seen Zong Yanli for many years. The father and son were fighting their own battles, and they communicated through military reports and letters, so they had not seen each other for all these years.
Zong Yanhongjing looked at the tall and handsome Zong Yanli in front of him, and her heroic eyes, his eyes were full of satisfaction and pride.
"Come in and talk." Han's eyes were full of joy. She had finally waited for the day when her family would be reunited. How could she not be happy?
“Grandfather——!” Zong Yanguanghe ran out with his short legs.
"Oh, this kid has grown up." Zong Yanhongjing laughed, stretched out his hand and scooped Zong Yanguanghe into his arms, holding him up and looking at him carefully, weighing him twice and said with a smile: "It seems that he has eaten a lot, so he is heavy."
Zong Yanguanghe chuckled, and Zong Yanyin also came forward holding the child.
Zong Yanhongjing put one down and picked up that, and the hall was very lively for a while.
After they sat down, Zong Yanhongjing said, "I'll pack up and go to the palace first."
Now that he has returned to Beijing, he naturally has to go to the palace to report first. Although Zong Yanhongjing probably won't be able to see the emperor this time, he still has to do the superficial work.
Han said she knew, and then asked Zong Yanhongjing to go and come back early, as it was a rare day for the family to have a reunion dinner together.
Zong Yanhongjing naturally agreed, turned around to wash and tidied himself up before going into the palace. He came back just in time for dinner, and after dinner, Zong Yanhongjing asked Zong Yanli to go to the study to talk.
"What's the current situation in the capital?" Zong Yanhongjing knew something about it, so he discussed it with Zong Yanli.
"It's nothing serious." Zong Yanli spoke briefly, especially about the emperor's illness. He did not hide anything from his father and boldly expressed his guess that the old emperor's current half-dead appearance was mostly caused by Concubine Gao.
"This Noble Concubine Gao is truly a character." It is not easy for her to go to such lengths for her son, even controlling the emperor's life and death.
"The prince is still young. If the emperor dies at this time, it will cause instability in the court, which will not be a good thing for us." Zong Yanhongjing said this, obviously praising Gao Jiayue's actions from the side.
Zong Yanli agreed with this and then talked about what Wei Songhe had said last time, about the matter of Gao State borrowing troops.
Zong Yanhongjing frowned and said, "This matter is not groundless. There were some unusual movements in Gaoguo during the winter month."
Zong Yanli straightened his back with a serious expression, listening to Zong Yanhongjing talking about the border defense of Gao State. With the destruction of Qing State, Gao State might have felt a little uneasy, so it made such a strange move, wanting to bypass others and go directly to Concubine Gao.
It's just that Gao Jiayue is the princess of Gao State, so there's no reason for her not to help Gao State, right?
Wu State has already swallowed up Qing State, so Jin State should at least let Gao State come.
"What does father think about this?" Although Zong Yanli had already thought about it, she still wanted to hear what Zong Yanhongjing had to say.
"I know that Jin State deserves the credit for your breakthrough. If we really fight, we shouldn't let Gao State get away with it." Zong Yanhongjing looked at Zong Yanli with a gloomy look and said, "But in my opinion, now is not a good time to continue the war."
"The troops need to rest, and the treasury needs to be replenished." Zong Yanhongjing looked at Zong Yanli and said, "Since you joined the army, you have experienced countless battles. Not only are the troops under your command increasing day by day, but you have also expanded the territory by hundreds of miles through the battles."
"It's not like everything will be fine just by conquering them. If you can't control and rule them, what's the point of conquering them?"
"The most urgent task is to reassure the people and stabilize the morale of the army, rather than blindly start a war."
Zong Yanhongjing gave Zong Yanli a very detailed analysis. Although Jin State did not have any combat power at the moment, it was impossible for Gao State to swallow up Jin State in a short period of time.
How difficult is it to destroy a country?
Gao State obviously knew the difficulty, so it secretly borrowed troops from Wu State.
Zong Yanhongjing said calmly: "At the beginning, Gao State borrowed troops first, and Wu State and Gao State were friendly countries. Now that Gao State is borrowing troops, there is no reason for us not to lend them. If we don't lend them, people all over the world will accuse us of being immoral.
"We have to borrow these soldiers." Zong Yanhongjing said in a deep voice: "As for whether these soldiers are useless or the main force when we lend them to Gao State, it all depends on our own decision."
"Gao State wants to attack Jin State and reap the benefits. Such behavior should be cursed." Zong Yanhongjing said carefully: "I think Concubine Gao is worried about Gao State borrowing troops. You were the main force in the attack on Jin. You should go and raise this matter yourself."
"First, it helps Concubine Gao solve her dilemma, and second, it also demonstrates your righteousness."
Zong Yanli bowed his head and nodded, silently taking note, and then listened to Zong Yanhongjing say: "Let Gao and Jin fight, we will take this opportunity to recuperate, completely devour Qing, stabilize the people's hearts and expand the military strength."
Zong Yanhongjing thought for a moment and said, "We must walk steadily. The strength of a country does not lie in military affairs. The prince is still young. Since you are the prince's teacher, why not take this opportunity to teach him in person?"
Zong Yanli bowed and responded: "Yes, son, I understand."
"I am old." Zong Yanhongjing said with a tired look on his face, "I don't know how many more years I can fight..."
"Now that you are in a high position, you have a deeper understanding of what you see and what you have learned. It is not a good idea to start wars blindly." Zong Yanhongjing taught him carefully, "Ali, do you still remember why you joined the army?"
"To defend our country." Zong Yanli pursed his lips and responded.
Zong Yanhongjing nodded slowly and said with a smile: "Don't lose your original intention."
The father and son talked for a long time, and it was already late at night when Zong Yanli came out of the study.
She saw Wen Nian standing outside the courtyard waiting. He had waited for so long in such a cold winter weather...
"Why are you waiting for me here, isn't this some other place?" Zong Yanli felt helpless. What could possibly happen to her in her own home?
"There's nothing to do in the house." Wen Nian glanced at Zong Yanli and saw that her brows were relaxed and she looked a little happy. He knew that she was having a good chat with General Zong Yan, so he smiled and asked, "General, are you hungry?"
"Hmm..." Zong Yanli paused slightly. He didn't feel hungry at first, but now that Wen Nian mentioned it!
I seem to be feeling a little hungry.
Wen Nian smiled and said, "I'll take the general somewhere."
Zong Yanli raised his eyebrows: "Now?"
Maybe she was in a really good mood, or maybe she found Wen Nian's sudden proposal novel, she actually followed Wen Nian to a place in the back mountain. Behind what looked like a rockery that sheltered them from the wind, Wen Nian took out a chicken as if by magic.
"What are you doing..." Zong Yanli sat beside the stone, a little confused.
"Cook for the general." Wen Nian swiftly took out a lighter, lit it, and roasted the chicken.
Zong Yanli: “…”
So amazing.
I'm roasting a chicken next to the rockery in my own backyard. I have a kitchen so I don't have to light a fire in this freezing cold weather. Why am I huddled here? Don't you think I'm a thief?
Zong Yanli found it a little amusing. She hadn't felt this way for a long time. She simply kept silent and just watched Wen Nian roasting the chicken seriously. Why did the seasonings look like something he had picked up temporarily from the kitchen?
"Grilling something in the back mountain?" Han was just about to make some food for Zong Yanhongjing and Zong Yanli when she heard the servant report mysteriously.
"Yes, I dare not let anyone disturb them..." The servant who came to speak also found it ridiculous.
"Don't disturb them." Han thought for a moment and told others not to disturb them, while she secretly took a look herself.
Seeing the two people talking and smiling under the campfire, for some reason Han keenly sensed that Zong Yanli felt differently towards Wen Nian, or rather, it was Wen Nian who felt differently towards Zong Yanli.
Han was somewhat happy and somewhat sad. She did not point it out nor ask. She just thought that as long as her daughter could be happy, everything would be fine.
After standing in the dark for a while, Han silently turned around and left, ordering everyone in the mansion not to approach the back mountain.
In the back mountain, Zong Yanli stretched out his hand to warm the fire, smelling the gradually wafting fragrance and salivating: "When did you learn such a skill?"
"It's not difficult." Wen Nian didn't try to learn it, he smiled and said, "It's just that I didn't have this kind of free time when I was in the army before."
"That's right." Zong Yanli nodded silently, sighed and said, "I don't know how many days this will last."
"General, are you talking about the affairs of Gao State with the general today?" Wen Nian took the initiative to bring up the topic. He originally wanted to talk about some family matters, but when the words came to his lips, they were linked to military affairs. Wen Nian felt annoyed after asking this question.
On the one hand, he was worried that he might say something he shouldn't have said and upset the general, and on the other hand, he wanted to get closer to Zong Yanli...
Zong Yanli lowered his eyes and looked at the fire. He did not notice anything wrong with Wen Nian. He responded calmly, "Yes, the matter of Gaoguo borrowing troops must be true."