Chapter 191: Obsession
The painting scroll slowly unfurled.
A delicate and pretty girl brimming with heroic spirit came into view.
The girl wore gray cloth clothes, with a braided pigtail hanging over her shoulder, holding a long bow in her left hand and drawing the bowstring with her right, her gaze intently fixed ahead.
This painter’s skill was extremely exquisite, not only capturing Pei Qinghe’s appearance but also depicting her unique vibrant heroism.
Emperor Jian’an’s heart thudded heavily, his gaze fixed tightly on the painting scroll, unable to look away for a long time.
Commander Gao watched the Son of Heaven’s dazed gaze and quietly thought of Steward Shi’s face, unable to stop sighing inwardly for the Son of Heaven.
“Gao Yong,” Emperor Jian’an lowered his voice, as if afraid of disturbing the girl in the painting: “Is the Pei Qinghe you saw like this?”
Commander Gao cupped his hands and replied: “The real person is even more fierce and domineering than the portrait.”
Emperor Jian’an sighed: “It’s a pity that I cannot see her with my own eyes.”
The sycophant Eunuch Xu offered flattery: “Your Majesty can directly issue an imperial decree summoning General Pei to Bohai Commandery, and you will see her.”
“No.” Emperor Jian’an was clear-headed: “The Pei Family Army occupies Yan Prefecture, together with the Guangning Army guarding Youzhou for me. The Liaoxi Army dares not act recklessly, and the Fanyang Army, after a great defeat, must behave for a while. The Pei Family Army cannot be moved.”
Commander Gao hurriedly chimed in: “General Pei said the same.”
Emperor Jian’an relaxed his brows, smiled, personally rolled up the scroll painting, and gently placed it on the imperial desk. In at most one or two days, it would be stored in the secret study room.
The painter received a heavy reward and gratefully withdrew. The Son of Heaven’s personal soldiers also withdrew accordingly.
In the imperial study, only Emperor Jian’an, Eunuch Xu, and Commander Gao remained. Speaking to these two true confidants, Emperor Jian’an was much more casual: “Gao Yong, have you told Pei Qinghe the words I privately instructed you with?”
Commander Gao replied: “In response to Your Majesty, your subordinate privately met with General Pei. General Pei said that her heart is only for the country and its people, with no time to consider romantic love.”
Emperor Jian’an was silent for a moment, then turned to Eunuch Xu: “By saying this, she is refusing me and unwilling to become my imperial consort.”
Eunuch Xu immediately said: “General Pei is full of loyalty and righteousness, fighting for Your Majesty and the Great Jing empire, and has not yet thought of marriage in the future. General Pei is still young, and Your Majesty is also young. Wait another three to five years before discussing this matter.”
As he spoke, he gave Commander Gao a look.
Commander Gao hesitated slightly before picking up the thread: “Your subordinate is a rough man and does not understand a miss’s thoughts. However, while your subordinate stayed in the Pei Family Army for a few days, I did not hear anyone mention idle talk of General Pei marrying a man into the family.”
Naturally, Shi Yan’s name was skipped over.
Saying it would be useless and only make the Son of Heaven, who harbored an obsession in his heart, feel unhappy. Why say more?
Comforted in turn by his two confidants, Emperor Jian’an’s mood improved greatly: “Very well, this matter cannot be rushed. I must first marry my cousin from the Zhang Family as empress. Once the cousin gives birth to the legitimate son and the empress position is secure, my uncle and cousin brother will feel at ease.”
By then, he would have reclaimed the lost territories, returned to the capital city, pacified the world, and could firmly sit on the dragon throne without needing to rely on the Zhang Family for everything. Then he could grandly bring the girl he had cherished in his heart for many years into the imperial palace.
Unable to give the empress position to Pei Qinghe, he would make her his imperial consort, forever by his side.
Imagining that moment, Emperor Jian’an’s heart burned hot, his black eyes shining with unusual brilliance.
“General Zhang requests an audience.”
Before the words finished, a tall, martial, stern-faced middle-aged man had already strode into the imperial study.
Emperor Jian’an instinctively shoved the scroll painting into the drawer. He immediately regretted it.
The scroll painting placed there was actually not very conspicuous. But his hand had moved faster than his brain, and if General Zhang asked about it, how should he respond?
General Zhang took in Emperor Jian’an’s subtle action and that hint of guilty unease but remained impassive, cupping his hands in salute.
Emperor Jian’an steadied his mind and smiled: “There are no outsiders here. Uncle need not stand on ceremony; rise quickly.”
The sycophant Eunuch Xu had already nimbly stepped forward, fetched a chair, and invited General Zhang to sit. This was a unique imperial favor for General Zhang.
General Zhang sat down without ceremony: “The Pei Family Army achieved a great victory, bringing face and morale to Your Majesty, and serving as a warning to those armies that sought refuge with Thief Qiao. For such great merit, granting only the position of general seems a bit stingy, does it not? Why not send some military expenses.”
Emperor Jian’an said warmly: “The national treasury is insufficient, and military expenses are limited. We must first take care of the Bohai Navy and Beiping Army. The Pei Family Army can raise funds on their own.”
General Zhang immediately offered to allocate two-tenths of the Bohai Navy’s military expenses. Emperor Jian’an was moved by General Zhang’s generosity and loyalty but did not agree.
Commander Gao kept his head low, sneering inwardly.
General Zhang led troops, and his son Zhang Yun managed the Ministry of Revenue. The father and son controlled military power and money and grain. Even the Beiping Army had to humbly negotiate with the Zhang father and son for military expenses. The Zhang father and son regarded all the money and grain in Bohai Commandery as their own pocket; how could they share with the Pei Family Army hundreds of miles away?
He, the imperial envoy, had already returned after proclaiming the imperial decree, and only then did General Zhang hypocritically mention it. Getting the bargain and still acting virtuous! Truly irritating!
After hypocritically putting on a good show, General Zhang raised the matter of the southern expedition again: “The capital city is occupied by Thief Qiao, who has established his own dynasty and reign era, with a large number of shameless officials seeking refuge with him. If this continues, the southern common people will truly recognize Thief Qiao as the Son of Heaven.”
“Your subordinate is willing to lead troops on the expedition to recover the empire for Your Majesty.”
On the point of recovering the capital city, General Zhang’s stance was completely aligned with Emperor Jian’an’s.
Holding on in a corner was not a long-term plan. If Thief Qiao truly gained a foothold and won the people’s hearts, reclaiming the capital city would become even more difficult.
Emperor Jian’an sighed deeply: “How could I not want to fight back to the capital city? But Thief Qiao has over a hundred thousand men and has been recruiting soldiers since occupying the capital city; now his total strength exceeds two hundred thousand. We have only sixty to seventy thousand elite soldiers. Even summoning the Guangning Army, Pei Family Army, and other garrisons would give only about a hundred thousand men. In terms of troop strength, we still fall short of Thief Qiao.”
“The southern expedition cannot be rushed. We must plan carefully.”
“The urgent task is still to recruit and train soldiers, stockpile military rations, and accumulate strength.”
General Zhang solemnly accepted the order.
Then, under imperial command, he openly conscripted able-bodied men and forcibly seized military rations.
The magnates in the counties of Jizhou were repeatedly looted, and the common people suffered even more. Countless families were ruined and exterminated. The pitiful women who suffered humiliation were beyond number.
Wails filled the fields, and popular resentment boiled over.
Emperor Jian’an, deep in the imperial palace, could see none of this and hear no cries from the common people.
Even if he vaguely thought of it in his heart, Emperor Jian’an had no other method. To fight a war, he needed soldiers and grain. To rely on the Zhang Family to send troops, he could only let the greedy Zhangs expand rapidly.
