Chapter 262: Eating everything clean without doing work

Empress Dowager Li, Empress Dowager Chen, Zhang Juzheng, and the ministers of the court all attached great importance to the Emperor's grand wedding. Moreover, they hoped that the Emperor's secondary consorts would be as beautiful as possible, ideally captivating the Emperor completely.

After Empress Ma passed away, Zhu Yuanzhang had already lost a part of his humanity. After Crown Prince Zhu Biao passed away, he directly became a cold stone. Until his final moments, Zhu Yuanzhang had already stopped trusting anyone—he trusted no one. Even Li Shanzhang, a minister who had followed him his whole life and was already living in retirement, a politically dead figure, was on Zhu Yuanzhang's liquidation list.

After Empress Xu passed away, Zhu Di's personality changed drastically; he became eccentric, isolated, and headstrong. Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Revenue who had cooperated with Zhu Di for half his life, was dismissed simply because he advised Zhu Di to pay attention to his dragon body and not to personally lead the expedition.

After Consort Wan passed away, the Ming Xianzong Emperor became ill with worry and soon "collapsed," his dragon spirit ascending to be a guest. All the achievements of the Chenghua reign, following the ascension of the Xiaozong Emperor, began to turn into nothingness.

These few were all Emperors with extremely far-reaching influence in the history of the Great Ming. Every move they made could affect the rise and fall of the Great Ming, and even the situation of various countries within the sphere of influence covered by the Imperial Ming under the entire universe.

The selection for the grand wedding requires good appearance and a decent figure; that is the reason. It is to avoid the Emperor becoming a cold stone as much as possible.

And now, the young Emperor's state is infinitely close to Zhu Yuanzhang after Zhu Biao's death—ruthless to the extreme, holding suspicion and distrust toward everyone. And this attitude, following the advancement of cases like the assassination of the King, the great fire burning the palace, and the Xishan assassination, has become increasingly severe.

By and large, the fact that the Emperor is still willing to trust Zhang Juzheng and still willing to believe in the remaining beauty of the world is something that makes everyone feel quite fortunate.

Ma Ziqiang and Wan Shihe's persistence regarding the chastity archways was very uneasy. They were unclear whether, after these words were spoken, His Majesty would develop a knot in his heart and harbor resentment toward Ma Ziqiang and Wan Shihe.

But Ma Ziqiang and Wan Shihe chose to blame Chen Shan. When the Emperor has an unreasonable order, refusing to blame Chen Shan and speaking out directly is being a sycophant.

"Your Majesty, marriage is actually a contract. The man provides inheritable property, and the woman provides a reliable heir—such a contract." Wan Shihe began to take the lead, discussing the essence of marriage.

Ma Ziqiang was clumsy with words; he understood in his heart, but couldn't express it clearly, always leading to misunderstandings.

"Hmm? What Grand Minister Wan said is extremely novel. Speak in detail." Zhu Yijun's attitude toward Wan Shihe was still very gentle. Having sprinkled water and washed the ground multiple times, Wan Shihe had already proven his attainments in rites and laws multiple times. He was no longer the Minister of Rites who couldn't even read history books clearly.

Wan Shihe had read all the Veritable Records of the State, and his mastery of the rites and laws of the Great Ming had reached the point of perfection.

Wan Shihe said with great certainty, "Your Majesty, the prostitutes in brothels, the concubines kept by officials, powerful and influential gentry, and wealthy merchants are also reproducing, and even more so, they are engaging in intercourse. However, these are not marriages; they are merely momentary pleasures, after which they become strangers."

Ma Ziqiang immediately took over the conversation and said, "Your Majesty, there is a story in the Xicheng recently about an oil seller who monopolized the top courtesan of Xisi Hutong. It tells of the oil seller Qin Cheng, who, in order to catch a glimpse of the courtesan's elegance, spent ten years of savings—a total of ten taels—just to see the courtesan once."

"When Qin Cheng saw this courtesan, the courtesan was already dead drunk. In order to entertain and socialize with Squire Zhao, the courtesan drank for her life, because Squire Zhao promised to redeem her and promised her a life of splendor for half her life. Yet, this Squire Zhao refused to fulfill the agreement."

"The courtesan was dizzy, vomiting several times a night. This oil seller Qin Cheng served her by the side, pouring tea and water. The next day, he left with great regret. After he left, he told no one, fearing that others would know the courtesan was drunk and tarnish her reputation."

"The courtesan's maid felt that Qin Cheng was a kind and honest person, worthy of trust. But the courtesan Meiniang replied: 'If I marry him, will I have to sell oil for a lifetime and suffer for a lifetime? But these gentry sons, how could they look upon a woman from a brothel? It's just a game.'"

Wan Shihe thought for a moment and explained, "The courtesan Meiniang meant: If I marry him, will I have to sell oil for a lifetime and suffer for a lifetime? But these gentry sons, how could they look upon a woman from a brothel? It's just a game."

"Yet, this courtesan Meiniang took it seriously, thinking day and night about Squire Zhao redeeming her, so she could live a life of splendor, even if it meant entering the mansion as a concubine, that would be excellent."

"This is marriage, and the fundamental reason why it is completely different from having children with concubines or prostitutes. Marriage is a contract."

Zhu Yijun listened to Wan Shihe and Ma Ziqiang singing in harmony. He understood clearly and asked with some confusion, "Later? This matter of Qin Cheng and the courtesan Meiniang reached the ears of the public. I imagine it wasn't that simple."

"Your Majesty is wise." Ma Ziqiang deliberated slightly and continued, "This Squire Zhao just kept hooking the courtesan Meiniang, never redeeming her. And this Meiniang, in this world of flowers and willows, fell seriously ill, her appearance haggard, almost wanting to commit suicide. It was thanks to Qin Cheng's rescue that she managed to save her life."

"Speaking of this serious illness, it was also caused by Squire Zhao. It is said that one night, Meiniang didn't serve Squire Zhao well, and the Squire was furious, throwing her naked onto the street, causing her to catch a cold in the middle of winter."

Zhu Yijun frowned and made a sound with his nose: "Hmm?"

This Squire Zhao actually threw someone naked onto the street. It somewhat matched Zhu Yijun's stereotypical impression of the powerful and influential gentry. To actually be so ruthless, and simply because she didn't serve him well—he estimated that when Meiniang was serving him, she kept nagging about the redemption, which finally annoyed Squire Zhao.

Ma Ziqiang continued, "As for Qin Cheng, the oil-selling business grew larger and larger. Just in the Xicheng, there were seven shops. The goods traveled to the capital, Xuan-Da in the Northwest, and the Liaodong Regional Military Commission. Only then was the courtesan willing to marry."

Wan Shihe held his hands and said, "The courtesan married the oil seller; it can only be said to be a matter of fate. This matter was strange to begin with, and people marveled at it and talked about it with relish."

"But some time ago, this Qin Cheng divorced his wife, and the courtesan Meiniang committed suicide, causing a great uproar in the city. This courtesan Meiniang married the oil seller—no, now it's the oil tycoon Squire Qin. Meiniang married for three years, but her belly didn't grow. This Qin mother made the decision to have Qin divorce his wife."

"So that's how it is." Zhu Yijun completely understood the whole story.

Qin Cheng was infatuated with the courtesan, exhausting his family wealth to see her face; the courtesan drank for the Squire, but the Squire abandoned her like a shoe; Meiniang was seriously ill and dying, Qin Cheng saved her life and she fell in love; the oil seller's luck turned, the beautiful courtesan married into splendor; in the end, there was fate but no destiny, the old mother broke up the mandarin ducks, and in the end, she ruined her own life.

Zhu Yijun whispered a few words to Feng Bao, and Feng Bao answered carefully.

Zhu Yijun was asking about the courtesan Liu Qiniang he knew, and how she had been recently.

It was the last time at the Yanxing Building, when Zhu Yijun scolded Sun Jigao, and that courtesan called out to him, just because he looked at her more in the crowd. Feng Bao had sent that courtesan to the Yongsheng Woolen Factory to be a weaver.

Liu Qiniang's life was definitely not as glorious as when she was a courtesan, but it was stable. She didn't need to worry about being thrown naked onto the street because she didn't serve someone well, let alone being divorced and having nowhere to rely on, directly committing suicide.

Both were courtesans. Between Liu Qiniang, the weaver at the Yongsheng Woolen Factory, and Meiniang, who was divorced as the wife of an oil tycoon, which one could be considered "life is triumphant"?

Clearly, it was Liu Qiniang. After all, Liu Qiniang was still alive, while Meiniang's life had already ended.

According to Feng Bao's introduction, Liu Qiniang now had quite a family foundation. Recently, she had started teaching apprentices and even went to the Yangji Institute to adopt a child. Because the official factory had schools, Liu Qiniang's adoption qualification was ranked at the front. Plus, with the background of being covered by a powerful figure, Liu Qiniang adopted a non-deformed boy.

Liu Qiniang was still teaching the child to read and study in the school. She was literate and could calculate; this was a great advantage among the weavers.

After all, he was the supreme Emperor of the Great Ming. Being involved in a bit of karma with the Emperor could lead to a satisfactory ending. Liu Qiniang was not willing to give up the splendor of the brothel, but with Feng Da's arrangement and Xu Jue's repeated instructions, how could Liu Qiniang dare not obey?

"Grand Minister Wan, Grand Minister Ma, what you said is reasonable. Indeed, marriage is just a contract. One side provides inheritable property, and the other side provides an heir." Zhu Yijun recognized their understanding of marriage.

At first, Meiniang refused to marry Qin Cheng because Qin Cheng was an oil seller with no inheritable property. Later, she was willing to marry because Qin Cheng was Squire Qin, who had inheritable property.

Qin's mother had him divorce his wife, not necessarily because there were no children. She mostly felt that it was a loss of face for a family of a squire to have someone from the world of flowers and willows as the mistress. However, Meiniang was indeed unable to provide an heir, so she was at a disadvantage and eventually committed suicide.

Liu Qiniang knew her own situation. Drinking too much cold medicine didn't necessarily mean she could have children. Plus, with the palace's wariness, she simply adopted one, avoiding the detours of marriage and not delaying others.

Wan Shihe and Ma Ziqiang used recent hot events to support their viewpoints. Major miscellaneous newspapers competed to report on this matter, and there was a lot of discussion.

Marriage has little to do with sex and love; it has the most to do with heirs and inheritable property.

According to their point of view, without inheritable property, one cannot obtain a long-term and effective marriage. Without an heir, the family will not be peaceful, and the resistance will be extremely great, eventually leading to a breakdown, which becomes almost inevitable, especially in the Wanli reign, where "of the three unfilial acts, having no heir is the greatest."

"Because the maintenance of the marriage relationship is based on inheritable property and heirs, the chastity archway for remaining chaste is necessary." Ma Ziqiang said.

Wan Shihe was so anxious. Ma Ziqiang's disadvantage was his mouth; he couldn't explain anything clearly. He immediately explained, "The Grand Minister means that women who remain chaste usually have to raise their children to adulthood, and guarding these inheritable properties is extremely important. Therefore, the chastity archway is merely to protect the mother and child."

"Is Grand Minister Wan saying 'eating the household clean'?" Zhu Yijun understood the causal relationship and asked.

"Your Majesty is wise." Wan Shihe bowed his head. This causal relationship, all the logic was finally straightened out. This chastity archway was an archway given by the imperial court, and it was also the protection of the imperial court. This way, when the child grows up, even if the property is entrusted to others, they have the qualification to inherit.

"Then, as the two ministers said, still grant the chastity archways." Zhu Yijun finally recognized the two ministers' blaming of Chen Shan and made his decision. What they said made sense, so naturally, he had to listen.

If the imperial court no longer granted chastity archways, I am afraid that after the husband died, the mother would only be able to abandon the child and remarry. In this day and age, women lived completely dependent on men and had no independent ability to support their children.

Marriage is a contract of inheritable property and heirs, so the chastity archway is the continuation of this contract. This is the reason why Ma Ziqiang and Wan Shihe wanted to blame Chen Shan.

Zhu Yijun issued a vermilion rescript on the memorial, amending his own decree. Ma Ziqiang and Wan Shihe completed the first act of returning a memorial for reconsideration since Zhang Juzheng left the court. This represents that the Great Ming's error-correction mechanism is still operating smoothly, and that the Great Ming machine has not lost its ability to function simply because it lost Zhang Juzheng.

In the seventh month, the Songjiang Water Army, in the Xiashachang Town of Shanghai County, Songjiang Prefecture, Southern Zhili, beheaded 153 Japanese pirates and 324 desperate sea bandits. They destroyed their lair in Kume Island, Ryukyu. Chen Lin sent a report of victory to claim credit. To prevent people from saying they killed the innocent to claim credit, Chen Lin escorted 13 Japanese captives and 27 desperate sea bandit captives to the capital.

These 13 Japanese had already been investigated and supplemented, and were to be sent to the Jieku Institute to contribute their final radiance to the progress of Great Ming medicine.

The court session passed this report of victory to claim credit. Mobile Corps Commander Ma Zidao and 243 other soldiers were awarded third-class merit medals. All rewards and pensions were to be handed over to the soldiers in full before the end of the year.

Ma Zidao led 250 men to break the Japanese pirates entrenched on Kume Island, Ryukyu. Seven died in battle. They established a "Loyalty and Bravery Shrine" on Kume, carved stones to record the event, and then returned. This was the Great Ming's first overseas combat. Although it was only near Ryukyu, it represented that the Great Ming already had partial offensive capabilities on the ocean. The sea bandits entrenched in Ryukyu would once again recall the fear of being dominated by the giant that was the Great Ming.

The Provincial Military Commander of Yingtian, Song Yangshan, submitted a memorial requesting retirement due to illness. Song Yangshan was ill and increasingly unable to handle affairs. He recommended Zhang Juzheng's protégé, Li Le, as the Provincial Military Commander of Yingtian to continue the tasks of land surveying, returning land to the people, and opening the seas.

Li Le, the Great Ming's first person to "eat everything clean without doing work," took bribes but refused to do things. He was indeed a villain. This person had the waist tag of the Quanchu Guild Hall and was a die-hard Zhang party member.

This was already Song Yangshan's third time resigning due to illness. Zhu Yijun still did not agree.

The Jieku Institute sent two grand physicians to go, but Song Yangshan had no serious illness and was extremely healthy. The reason he wanted to resign was because he and Xu Jie were both disciples of Nie Bao; they were fellow disciples.

The contradictions in the Southern Yamen were like undercurrents surging beneath a calm lake. With the conclusion of the land measurement, the return of fields was about to begin. At that time, how would Song Yangshan deal with Xu Jie?

And the position of Provincial Governor of the Southern Yamen was extremely important.

"Pan Jixun will go to the Southern Yamen to be the Provincial Governor, and Song Yangshan will go to Jiangxi to be the Provincial Governor. Let's swap them like this." Zhu Yijun made new personnel arrangements. Li Le was good, but lacked experience. In the position of Provincial Governor of Yingtian, he still lacked qualifications and experience. Pan Jixun was different; Pan Jixun had killed people like hemp in Jiangxi and was already notorious.

"What does the Grand Minister think?" Zhu Yijun inquired.

"The Ministry of Personnel knows." Wan Shihe did not hesitate too much and chose to support it. The position of Provincial Governor was established after the Chengzu Wen Emperor had Hu Ying inspect the world. During the Jingtai reign, the Jing Emperor set the rule that all Provincial Governors in the world must hold the position of Censor-in-Chief, that is, the position of the Censorate, to go to local areas to take office.

In other words, high-ranking frontier officials like Provincial Military Commanders are all capital officials working abroad. Thus, the appointment and dismissal of such commanders is the Emperor's exclusive power. Even if Zhang Juzheng makes the appointment, it is done by requesting the Emperor's vermilion rescript for the appointment or dismissal; it is not the power of the Ministry of Personnel.

Personnel power is one of the core powers of imperial power.

It was not necessarily Censor-in-Chief. For example, Ling Yunyi also held the position of Minister of War, which is why he was called "Minister Ling." Hu Zongxian also held the position of Minister of War before, and Yin Zhengmao was the same.

Wan Shihe would not fight for this power with the Emperor. Only by fighting with the Emperor over the chastity archway matter did he look like a loyal minister.

The Great Ming machine was running stably. Before the end of the year, the last of the grain and grass sent to the Daning Guard had arrived smoothly, and the mobilized civilian laborers had returned to the capital. The grand army had traveled far to campaign, and the Ministry of Revenue had exerted vital strength to guarantee the logistics of the Great Ming army. Some civilian laborers were hired to cast a city in Rehe, between the Daning Guard and the Beigukou, with three thousand soldiers from the Miyun Guard going to guard the left and right.

A small-to-medium-sized camp that could only accommodate three thousand soldiers could only be planned like this in the short term.

At the end of the eleventh month, Qi Jiguang's one hundred thousand Capital Battalion finally pushed the front line to within fifty li of the Huining Guard, which made the Tuman Khan of the Huining Guard so anxious that he was about to lose all his hair.

And San Niangzi, who entered the capital for an audience, departed from the capital to Jizhou, and then to the Daning Guard. Along the way, the re-leveling of the official roads and post roads made San Niangzi marvel. Then she thought that these official roads and post roads were important legacies left by the Yuan Dynasty. She could only shake her head. This road was first built by Kublai Khan. The Hu Yuan (Yuan Dynasty) were not good at anything else, but they were never sloppy when it came to building official roads and post roads.

But after the Great Ming leveled them, the roads were smooth all the way.

San Niangzi understood the court's intentions. Every time Qi Jiguang was campaigning outside, San Niangzi borrowed the Daning Guard to go and discuss with the Tuman Khan, and the Great Ming Emperor and the court were all happy to agree. It was just to show their strength, to deter the right wing of the Tatars from acting rashly and not to ruin themselves.

And San Niangzi saw the strength of the Great Ming, or to be precise, she saw the strength of Qi Jiguang.

This was not the norm for the Great Ming army. In the long river of two hundred years of history, the time when the Great Ming army was powerful was actually less than seventy years. For the rest of the time, the Great Ming army was not fierce because of various public opinions that "promoted literature and suppressed martial arts."

In San Niangzi's view, the Great Ming army was strong now only because Qi Jiguang himself was strong, and Qi Jiguang's method of training troops was strong.

When San Niangzi arrived at Qinglong Fort, she finally saw Qi Jiguang, the Great Ming's General who Conquers the Hu, once again. And this wife of the Hu chieftain, San Niangzi, paid a visit to Qi Jiguang at Qinglong Fort.

"General, I, the wife of the thief Hu, am right in front of you. Why don't you conquer me?" In the middle army tent, San Niangzi saw Qi Jiguang, who was not wearing armor, and said half-jokingly and half-seductively.

The last time she saw Qi Jiguang, she was deeply infatuated. This could be considered an old tune played again. She was young and beautiful.

"I have a fierce wife at home." Qi Jiguang looked at San Niangzi, frowning, and said, "Loyal and Obedient Lady, there is clearly no lewd and evil aura between your brows. Why do you insist on acting so lewdly?"

San Niangzi was in her twenties, also a pearl of the grassland, a pearl. She rode horses for a long time, so her figure would naturally not be bad, and her waist strength was amazing. If they were to reach the bed, she would definitely make General Qi surrender and bow his head. If she couldn't beat him on the battlefield, couldn't she beat him in bed?

She said with a full face of smiles, "General, how do you know I am acting lewdly and not being sincere? If I had the General's child and claimed it was the son of the Anda Khan, the entire grassland would not dare to talk nonsense. But wouldn't this Great Ming Golden Country be the General's bloodline?"

"I am also seeking peace of mind. Just based on His Majesty's temperament, the Great Ming's current urge to exhaust the military, if the Great Ming Golden Country were General Qi's fief, I am afraid it would be the only way to escape a disaster."

San Niangzi brought up the old matter again based on realistic considerations. First, claim it was the Anda Khan's child. Once the throne was secured, acknowledge the ancestors. The Anda Khan was so old that he couldn't have children anymore. By then, the grassland would be the fief of Qi Jiguang's descendants, and the conflict between the Great Ming and the grassland would reach a final reconciliation.

This was also the reason why San Niangzi kept sending Hailar to the palace. If there was a child born to a Tatar consort, and they went to the grassland to be a vassal, the Great Ming and the grassland would not need to continue to conquer each other. Today I go south, tomorrow you burn the wasteland. Fighting wouldn't produce any results. If they continued to oppose each other like this, it would be a disaster for both the Great Ming and the Tatars.

"Sincere?" Qi Jiguang asked calmly.

San Niangzi pulled at her collar and said with seductive eyes, "Why not let the General touch for himself to see if it is sincere?"

San Niangzi was very confident. This sincerity was truly very white and truly very large.

"Qi has no such intention. If the Loyal and Obedient Lady truly has this intention, having an heir with other Han people would be the same." Qi Jiguang looked at San Niangzi's appearance and refused very gently. When he was not fighting, his temper was truly very good.

"It is only a great man like General Qi who is worthy. As for others, I am not willing." San Niangzi still did not put away her lewdness, but pulled again, showing off her greatness as a woman. She actually really wanted to spread some rumors with Qi Jiguang. In this way, it would be of great benefit to her on the grassland.

Qi Jiguang already had the nickname "Qi Wang." On the grassland, he could almost make children stop crying. With his brilliant military achievements, being able to force the Tuman Khan, the suzerain Khan, to this point, Qi Jiguang's military talent was worthy of the title of "great man."

From the second year of Longqing to the fifth year of Wanli, for ten whole years, Qi Jiguang had been sharpening his weapons and waiting for the dawn, just for today's expedition outside the Great Wall. From the Xifengkou to the Daning Guard, it was only one hundred and eighty li. Qi Jiguang walked for ten years.

"His Majesty has already agreed. Do you intend to defy the holy decree?" San Niangzi saw Qi Jiguang's immovable appearance and was finally a bit anxious.

"Haha." Qi Jiguang laughed. Mentioning His Majesty, he lost all his cultivation. He thought of the Emperor's appearance and revealed a gratified smile. His Majesty was still practicing martial arts every day, shooting three arrows and hitting two, always unable to achieve complete success, which made him extremely annoyed.

Qi Jiguang had already thought of the situation where the Emperor was so angry that he stomped his feet.

The young Emperor was truly easy to understand. When he was angry with himself, he would only stomp his feet. As the Emperor's martial arts teacher, Qi Jiguang naturally knew some of the Emperor's small habits.

Qi Jiguang had said many times that the power of the riding bow was too small. Whether it was in single-soldier raids, scout collection, or large-scale corps battles, it was actually of no use. It was just something for showing off in the training ground, but His Majesty refused to admit defeat and insisted on practicing it.

A stubborn Emperor made Qi Jiguang smile knowingly.

"What are you laughing at! Is it shameful for me to be like this?!" San Niangzi was stunned for a moment, looking at Qi Jiguang and asking with some anger and shame. She thought Qi Jiguang was laughing at her lewdness. She wasn't like this to everyone.

"His Majesty wouldn't. If I am not willing, His Majesty won't force me. You say His Majesty agreed to you, letting the Imperial Uncle Zhu Zaiyu do this work—I would believe that a bit more." Qi Jiguang shook his head, explaining why he laughed. His Majesty would not make things difficult for him. This was the feeling Qi Jiguang had had in the five years he had spent with the Emperor.

Qi Jiguang just knew.

"The Tuman Khan did not lose unjustly." San Niangzi put away her lewdness, became dignified, and turned back into that Loyal and Obedient Lady. The scene of "the ruler is sage and the minister is wise" was truly detestable.

San Niangzi's lewdness was not without the idea of sowing discord.

Qi Jiguang said with a smile, "If it weren't for His Majesty, I wouldn't be able to campaign outside the Great Wall."

Qi Jiguang understood the court too well. From the beginning of pacifying the Japanese pirates, he knew that the court was a dragon's den and a tiger's lair. If he wanted to campaign outside the Great Wall, it was as difficult as ascending to heaven, especially when the Emperor was still young.

The current situation was: the Emperor had almost bet his entire family's life and the Great Ming's country on giving Qi Jiguang the opportunity to campaign and giving him trust.

Before the expedition, the Emperor removed the last shackle, the Governor of Military Affairs of the Capital Battalion, in substance, leaving only a nominal Tan Lun to sit in the capital and govern military affairs.

"General Qi has the merit of following the dragon; he is a martial hero who assists the throne. 'Xu Wenzhang, Wu Qi' (Xu Wenzhang, Martial Qi)." San Niangzi knew why the Emperor trusted Qi Jiguang. Just as the imperial decree said, "Xu Wenzhang, Martial Qi," the Emperor's left and right arms—this was also the greatest confidence the young Emperor had to act recklessly.

How could the young Emperor be so reckless, forcibly seizing from these powerful and influential gentry families? Wasn't it because he held the largest Zhang party in the court and the strongest army in the world?

"Really, give me a child. For the sake of the grassland, and for the contradiction between the Great Ming and the Northern Hu." San Niangzi came back around. The Great Ming and the Northern Hu had been fighting for three hundred years, and it wouldn't produce any results. It was better to reconcile. Sacrificing personal honor for politics was all.

"If you have something to say, say it. If not, go back. If you are borrowing the way to go to the Huining Guard, I will send troops to escort you." Qi Jiguang still refused decisively and chose to send the guest away.

Imperial Uncle Zhu Zaiyu was more suitable than him to do this work. Qi Jiguang was a great general. Having an affair with San Niangzi outside the Great Wall would make His Majesty wary. Qi Jiguang would not give any lowly Confucian scholar the opportunity to sow discord between him and the Emperor. This relationship was precious.

"There is indeed something." San Niangzi spoke of the serious matter. She frowned and said, "The Hu King Anda has dispatched two ten-thousand-man teams. They have now arrived at Yingchang. General Qi must be extremely careful."

These two ten-thousand-man teams of the Anda Khan did not yet mean to intervene in the battlefield, but they were already very close to the battlefield.

"I know. Thank you, Loyal and Obedient Lady, for the reminder." Qi Jiguang's expression also changed upon hearing this. These two ten-thousand-man teams were the variables of the battlefield. Was the Anda Khan here to help the Tuman Khan, or was he waiting for the Tuman Khan to be defeated to take advantage of the situation?

The Anda Khan indeed did not provide the Tuman Khan with anything other than support, but he dispatched two ten-thousand-man teams to wait for the opportunity.

"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman gains."

"I have even told you such confidential matters. I am truly worried about General Qi's safety. General Qi must live well. Don't let me see you in the wild, otherwise, I will definitely capture you!" San Niangzi stood up, flicked her horse whip, and after finishing, placed the whip on the table and left directly.

"A strange woman. It would be fine if she didn't seek pleasure." Qi Jiguang looked at San Niangzi's back and shook his head.

San Niangzi seemed to have heard this sentence. Her feet stumbled, she turned her head, pointed at Qi Jiguang a few times, pointed at the heavens with trembling fingers, and left angrily.

"Chen Dacheng, send the beacon tower scouts to investigate the situation of the Hu in Yingchang." Qi Jiguang called the Jizhou Regional Commander Chen Dacheng. This was his confidant. After the Emperor ascended the throne, the first time Qi Jiguang entered the capital, Chen Dacheng was his escort.

Yingchang was on the other side of the Great Xianbei Mountain. Investigating was truly very difficult. Qi Jiguang needed to confirm the authenticity of the information.

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(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 263 =====