bayedsolid Chapter 1149 Black-Clad Night Walk
Chapter 1149 Black-Clad Night Walk
As Liang Chongyue raised her hand, a panel appeared, displaying images of Mingliang punishing corrupt officials, just as she had wished.
She looks quite decisive and efficient, which is somewhat reminiscent of her younger self.
Liang Chongyue also looked at the two honest officials that Minglang had mentioned.
It's actually quite good; perhaps my academic ability was lacking back then.
His conduct as an official was truly impeccable.
Liang Chongyue quickly wrote a reply according to Minglang's request.
I'm just waiting for my mother's letter to be written so I can send it over together.
Everything in the court has returned to normal, and Liang Chongyue's letter has been sent out for more than two months.
Liang Chongyue received the news the day Xiang Zheng returned after handling the matter.
"Your Majesty, the Duke of Dingguo traveled in black at night, but did not return to his residence afterward."
Liang Chongyue paused in reviewing the memorials and looked up at Fei He.
"Where did she go?"
Fei He took out a secret letter from his bosom and handed it to His Majesty.
After Liang Chongyue opened and read it, he casually burned it.
"Let her be. After she has done all this, she will come to me to confess her sins."
Fei He had long known that His Majesty had a hundred times more patience with the Duke of Dingguo than with anyone else.
Even he can't compare.
They waited for another seven or eight days until a stack of memorials from soldiers requesting to resign and return to their hometowns piled up on Liang Chongyue's desk.
Liang Chongyue read it all, but she didn't rush to grant permission; she was waiting for someone.
On the ninth day, Xiang Zheng arrived from outside the palace in court attire. The ease in her eyes vanished the moment she entered the palace and saw the magnificent plaque of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
"Your Majesty, the Duke of Dingguo is outside requesting an audience."
Liang Chongyue hummed in agreement and began examining the new and interesting things Minglang had sent her.
As soon as Xiang Zheng entered, she saw that His Majesty looked languid and didn't even glance at her.
He then realized that his little scheme had not escaped His Majesty's discerning eyes at all.
"I have made a mistake, and I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
Liang Chongyue ignored her and Xiang Zheng repeated herself.
"Tell me, what did you do wrong?"
Seeing that His Majesty had offered a way out, Xiang Zheng quickly bowed deeply to His Majesty before straightening her knees.
"I advised the veteran generals in the army to return to their hometowns and farms, and I also reassigned my father's former subordinates to guard remote areas. I did not report this to Your Majesty before making the decision. I am wrong and I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
Liang Chongyue idly fiddled with the small toy that Minglang had given her.
"I'm such a grown man, and Minglang still sends me such childish things. Does he think I'm a three-year-old?"
Liang Chongyue picked up the gadget in his hand and gestured to Yun Ling, indicating how to play with it.
"Her Highness the Crown Princess always thinks of His Majesty. Whenever she comes across something interesting, she thinks of sending it back to His Majesty. She is truly devoted to her filial piety."
Liang Chongyue gave a soft "hmm": "This thing is somewhat interesting at first glance."
Liang Chongyue played with it for a while longer before handing it to Yunling.
"I remember Minglang also brought back quite a few things for the Empress Dowager. He took mine and exchanged it for two new and interesting things. If I don't play with them soon, Xiang Sheng and Xiang Yu, those two mischievous monkeys, will wear them out."
Yunling accepted the toy from His Majesty with a respectful smile on her face.
As he passed by the Duke of Dingguo, he left the main hall without looking at him.
Xiang Zheng had already prepared herself for punishment when she did this.
This matter should not be reported to His Majesty before proceeding.
Otherwise, His Majesty would also be part of this underhanded tactic of crossing the river and then destroying the bridge.
Not only would His Majesty not agree, but if she continued to do it secretly, it would be defying the imperial decree.
So he could only do it secretly and then come back to apologize to His Majesty.
"Since you've already done it, go and accept your punishment. You don't need to attend court for the next two months. We'll talk about it after your injuries have healed."
His Majesty has shown leniency. Xiang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, the weight that had been hanging over her heart finally lifted.
"I'm a little tired. Go and see your two children, so they won't miss you when you're too busy to come to the palace."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I thank you for your mercy."
Xiang Zheng got up and first went to Cining Palace to see the two children, and then had lunch with them.
Only then did he go to receive the punishment.
Two panels hung in front of Liang Chongyue. One panel showed Xiang Zheng being tortured, and the other panel showed what Xiang Zheng had done during this period.
"Host, Sister Xiang Zheng doesn't seem to have done anything particularly outrageous."
The system, with a lollipop in its mouth, looked at the panel and curiously glanced at its host.
"What she did wasn't excessive; compared to those people, she was already quite lenient."
But she was already the Duke of Dingguo, a title earned by generations of the Xiang family through bloodshed and battles on horseback, by the unwavering loyalty of tens of thousands of soldiers, and through mountains of corpses and pools of blood.
Xiang Zheng must accept today's punishment.
"Only when she is punished today can the soldiers in the army feel at ease. I am not so blind as to listen to only her opinion."
After listening to the host's words, the system carefully reviewed the things that Sister Xiang Zheng had been busy with over the past two months.
Those soldiers who originally followed the old Duke Dingguo were all sent to the border by Xiang Zheng under various pretexts and reasons.
Although that place was poor, getting there meant a promotion.
There is no war on the border now. If we stay here for ten years and then return, our determination to follow them to the death will have faded.
In addition, given their past relationship, once they returned to the capital, with the Duke of Dingguo's mansion looking out for them, their official positions and the future prospects of their children would certainly be good.
"If these people resent Sister Xiangzheng just because of these things, they will regret it later."
A faint smile appeared on Liang Chongyue's lips; even the system noticed it.
Life is short, and we've survived the dangers of the battlefield.
Why would these people be afraid of guarding the border for ten years?
In a few years, the remaining people in the camps outside Beijing will have no way out, and they won't even have the opportunity to go to the border to serve.
It wouldn't take three to five years; Liang Chongyue estimated that a year would be enough for Xiang Zheng to truly take control of the Xiang family army.
At that time, these rumors will change according to the will of the people.
Liang Chongyue carefully reviewed the memorials that had been delivered to her. They must have all passed through Xiang Zheng's hurdle before being sent to her.
Liang Chongyue stamped the memorial and had someone take it away.
On the other side, under the Shenwu Sect, after Xiang Zheng was tortured, Chai Shuo carefully carried her onto the carriage.
"Madam, why suffer like this? It's not too late to deal with those people after they've been kept in the camp outside the capital for a while. Your health is the most important thing."
Xiang Zheng lay in the carriage, popped a painkiller into her mouth, took a breath, and then waved to Chai Shuo.
"If this keeps dragging on, when will it ever be resolved?"
Chai Shuo's gaze kept falling on the lady's blood-soaked outer garment.
Her eyes were red with heartache.
"It is my incompetence that has caused you, Madam, to suffer."
Xiang Zheng looked up and reached out to wipe away the tears glistening in Chai Shuo's eyes.
"Why are you crying? Your Majesty is perfectly fine."