On the second day of the twelfth lunar month in the eighteenth year of Zhaoyang. At Deshengmen in the capital city:
The city gate was wide open, and Crown Prince Zhu Yunjing led officials from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites to wait here at the appointed time. Although it was cold and windy, fortunately, the snow that had been falling for half a month finally stopped yesterday. So the army’s arrival into the city would not be too chaotic.
“How much longer?”
Zhu Yunjing’s voice came from the carriage. Wang Jiu, who was waiting outside, quickly replied: “The servant has already sent someone to inquire. The army will arrive at the city gate in a quarter of an hour at most.”
“Well,” Zhu Yunjing said calmly. “Give the order for everyone to be alert and ready, get off their horses and carriages, and wait. The army will arrive soon, so we can’t afford any mistakes.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Even if it was exciting to welcome the army’s triumphant return, waiting for more than an hour in the freezing wind was really uncomfortable. These pampered officials probably wouldn’t be able to stand this kind of hardship. Zhu Yunjing didn’t want to see He Huailing, the expeditionary army commander. But he also didn’t want to see this group of officials making fools of themselves in front of expeditionary soldiers.
At the second quarter of Sishi, the expeditionary army returned triumphantly, appearing a mile away from the city gate. From a distance, the sound of fluttering flags and clattering hooves could be heard. Soldiers and horses marched forward against the howling wind. The man in the front, riding a tall and powerful black horse and dressed in black and gold armor, was majestic, like a sharp sword that had just broken through the snow – it was He Huailing.
He Huailing rode his horse up to the front of the Crown Prince’s ceremonial guards. He dismounted gracefully, knelt down on one knee and saluted, with a deep voice: “The servant, He Huailing kowtows to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”
Zhu Yunjing got out of the carriage and looked down at the man in front of him. He should have immediately gone forward to help the man up and praised him with a few words to show the favor of the imperial family. However, Zhu Yunjing didn’t do that. He even didn’t call for someone to help the man up the first time. He just stood there looking down at He Huailing, trying to discern something from him.
As a maternal family of an imperial concubine of overwhelming beauty, the He family was worthy of being considered the maternal family. He Huailing’s appearance was also excellent, with a straight nose, sharp eyebrows and eyes, as well as a tall and straight figure. Even when kneeling on the ground, his imposing manner did not diminish at all. He exuded a cold and chilling aura all around him, and carried the murderous aura he had absorbed from the battlefield for years. It was easy to make people ignore that he was actually just a young general who had recently passed his coming-of-age ceremony.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
A moment later, Zhu Yunjing curled his lips into a smile: “General He, you’ve worked hard all the way. Please stand up.”
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The soldiers behind He Huailing all saw the scene just now. Zhu Yunjing’s arrogance really made it difficult for these soldiers who had just returned from a victorious battle to accept. Jiang Yan was He Huailing’s confidant left by General He, and he was always straightforward and outspoken, without any hesitation.
He Huailing’s eyes slightly darkened. He reminded Jiang Yan in a deep voice: “This is the capital city. The crown prince is the Crown Prince. You are not allowed to say such things in the future. Be careful what you say.”
After a pause, he continued: “Transmit the order. From today onwards, everyone must abide by military regulations and conduct affairs in a low-key manner. Anyone who violates them will be severely punished.”
Jiang Yan was stunned, as if he sniffed out a hint of unusual meaning in He Huailing’s words. After thinking about it, he couldn’t help but curse in a low voice, “Damn it!”, and quickly shut his mouth again, following He Huailing into the city in silence.
From the Deshengmen to the imperial palace, the streets were bustling with people and gongs and drums. As expected, countless people crowded the streets, just to catch a glimpse of the expeditionary army, especially the handsome General He Huailing.
The crown prince’s guards led the way, followed by the officials of the two ministries and after that was the team of the expeditionary army, which was vast and seemed to be endless. The carriages and horses passing through bustling and lively Gulou Street were even more crowded. The taverns and teahouses on both sides were also overcrowded, and the people who were flushed with excitement shouted: “The expeditionary army is mighty! Long live the Great Yan Dynasty!” There were even more enthusiastic and bold girls who smiled and threw flowers and sachets at the brave soldiers on the street.
Dayan was open to folk customs. Throwing flowers and sachets was a way for girls to express admiration. Obviously, this group of rough soldiers crawling and rolling on the battlefield had never seen such a spectacle before. The pace of riding and walking one by one became disordered. Jiang Yan who happened to be thrown a fragrant and delicately embroidered sachet into his arms blushed, forgetting the unpleasantness at the city gate and just grinning stupidly.
In contrast, He Huailing, who was favored by the most people and was almost buried under the flowers and sachets falling from the sky, was much calmer. His expression remained unchanged, holding the reins in his hand and walking all the way. His stern face was even more heroic in the morning light.
In the carriage, Zhu Yunjing was somewhat annoyed by the noise outside. But suddenly he heard a sharp scream, followed by a chaotic sound of short-range combat, mixed with Wang Jiu’s frantic shouts of “protect the Crown Prince!”
Zhu Yunjing’s heart trembled. He subconsciously pushed open the carriage window, and a dart flew past the window, piercing the carriage panel beside him. Zhu Yunjing narrowly escaped, and immediately pulled the carriage window shut, not daring to act rashly again.
The outside was already chaos. No one thought assassins would be hidden among the army’s triumphant return. First, a dart wrapped in flowers was thrown from a teahouse by the side of the road. It pierced the chest of a guard in front of the Crown Prince’s carriage. Then, dozens of assassins appeared from all directions, heading straight for Zhu Yunjing’s carriage with a clear goal, and engaging in a fierce battle with the Crown Prince’s guards.
The movement in front also alarmed the people behind, including the unarmed officials were all powerless. Even if they wanted to save him, it would be useless. The expeditionary army in the rear was cut off by the crowd in the chaos. This was not a battlefield, but a place filled with ordinary civilians among whom the assassins blended in. There was no way for them to do whatever they wanted.
At the critical moment, He Hualing leapt from his horse, and flew to the top of Zhu Yunjing’s carriage by stepping on the rushing crowd all the way. He was like a divine warrior descending from the heavens. With a single sword, he pushed away the assassin who had already jumped onto the carriage shaft. He then jumped down, blocking the carriage door.
Zhu Yunjing seemed to sense it, and carefully opened the door slightly, unable to see much clearly in the chaos. He saw only the man calmly lifting his sword and piercing the back of the agile assassin, who was as nimble as a leopard. The assassin’s blood-stained side face revealed a solemn and menacing expression.
When the last assassin was also taken down by He Huailing with a sword, the chaos was finally suppressed. He Huailing threw the assassin to the commander of the imperial guards, who came to plead guilty tremblingly, and turned around to greet Zhu Yunjing.
Zhu Yunjing pushed open the carriage door, and He Huailing happened to glance over. After their eyes met briefly, He Huailing lowered his gaze, and retreated to his horse at the back.
Zhu Yunjing coldly ordered the commander of the imperial guards: “Don’t let anyone die. Find out where they came from, and leave them to His Majesty’s judgment.”
The commander of the imperial guards quickly responded: “Yes.”
What was meant to be a triumphant welcome for the victorious army turned into an assassination farce. No one knew how many people would be implicated. It was indeed bad luck. The second half of the journey was led by the imperial guards, who hastened their pace and directly entered the palace.
Zhu Yunjing returned to the Eastern Palace. Someone would report what happened on the street to Emperor Zhaoyang, and he did not need to speak up. After all, Emperor Zhaoyang still had to meet meritorious soldiers at this moment, so he didn’t have time to deal with him.
At noon, Zhu Yunxuan came to the Eastern Palace to eat and drink, while also consoling his frightened royal brother. Zhu Yunjing wasn’t really scared. It was just that he was in a complicated mood. Zhu Yunxuan had obviously heard about the assassination, and pestered Zhu Yunjing to ask questions, as if he was very interested in He Huailing.
“I heard that General He is unparalleled in his divine abilities and descended from the heavens to single-handedly save Royal Brother from a hundred enemies. In just one morning, the news has already spread throughout the entire palace. Is he really that powerful?”
Zhu Yunjing sneered, “Yes, he really stole the limelight by saving Gu in front of everyone’s eyes. Not to mention this palace. I’m afraid the news has already spread throughout the entire city.”
No matter how many legendary tales of heroism there were on the battlefield, they couldn’t compare to the shock of witnessing it firsthand. After today’s events, He Huailing’s reputation in the capital would rise even further.
Zhu Yunxuan laughed, and didn’t realize that his royal brother was about to vomit blood, but was even more curious: “So what does General He look like? Is he really as fierce as the rumors say, with a green face and fangs?”
Zhu Yunjing was very impatient: “Father Emperor will hold a banquet to reward the meritorious soldiers tonight. You will know when you see him yourself.”
Although He Huailing was the imperial concubine’s nephew, as one of her relatives, he couldn’t enter the palace casually. Before going to battle with his father, He Huailing had never entered the imperial court, let alone Zhu Yunxuan who was still young at that time. Even Zhu Yunjing, did not know there was such a character in the He family until He Huailing’s reputation became well-known. Today was the first time they had met.
After He Huailing became famous at a young age, there were many rumors about him. But it’s unclear how these rumors spread. Perhaps it was because He Huailing rushed into the enemy’s camp alone, cut off the head of the Northern Barbarian King with one sword, and dragged the head by his hair all the way, achieving remarkable deeds that were too amazing to believe. Those stories were passed on from one person to another, and He Huailing was described as the evil god who descended into the world, invincible in battle and no one could defeat him. Otherwise, how could he have survived such circumstances unscathed?
Of course, these were just idle discussions between people after dinner. He Huailing, or rather the He family’s achievements, were there for all to see, and no one could deny them.
Zhu Yunxuan’s eyes darted around, and he said, “Royal Brother, actually, today’s incident isn’t entirely without benefits. General He’s rising popularity will earn him the favor of the people. Sooner or later, Father Emperor will take notice of him. As you said before, those who are brave enough to shock the Emperor will be in danger, like killing the donkey when the grinding is done. We can even add fuel to the fire.”
Zhu Yunjing reached out and knocked him on the head: “What are you thinking? Gu will deal with him. Don’t worry about it. Just read your books well.”
I wish that the main lead should be he huailing
So gong is HH and shou is ZY?
Thank You for the new chapter (⋈◍＞◡＜◍)。✧♡