The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

Chapter 439 The Emperor’s Thoughts

Tents were set up at the foot of the West Mountain.

In front of a large bright yellow tent that looked like a moon surrounded by stars, a new scarlet felt was laid all the way to the post road covered with a thin layer of yellow earth.

The second prince, Prince Fu, Prince Zhongshun, and Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding led the officials and stood at the end of the red carpet to welcome the arrival of the emperor.

There was a guard post every three steps around the area, filled with imperial guards armed with guns and swords. Even on the surrounding mountains there were large groups of imperial guards on guard.

A fire reduced the palaces and villas built by several generations of Dashun emperors in Xiangshan to ruins, and Emperor Yongchang could only live in a tent at the foot of the West Mountain.

Prince Zhongshun whispered something to Prince Fu's ear, and a sneer flashed in Prince Fu's eyes.

Suddenly, a loud eagle cry resounded through the sky, and a huge goshawk appeared in everyone's eyes. Then, the goshawk grew bigger and bigger, and finally circled over everyone's heads.

This goshawk is very large, with a body length of nearly four feet and a wingspan of more than seven feet. The tips of the feathers on the back of its head, occipital and nape are golden yellow.

It was the golden eagle that Xie Jing gave to Li Hu, and Li Hu then gave it to the emperor as a gift.

Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding spoke: "The emperor is coming!"

Prince Fu, Prince Zhongshun and all the officials began to adjust their robes. The arrival of the golden eagle meant the arrival of the emperor.

Sure enough, at the end of the post road, a group of flying black spots were getting closer and closer.

The vanguard of the imperial guards guarding the holy carriage has arrived!

Feng Ziying took the lead, leading more than thirty riders on horseback, and stood in front of the team that came to welcome the emperor.

Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding stepped forward.

Feng Ziying and the imperial guards hurriedly dismounted and saluted.

Shi Ding looked at Feng Ziying and asked, "Where is the emperor?"

Feng Ziying: "The emperor and the crown prince's carriage are less than five miles away from here."

Shi Ding nodded.

When Prince Fu was sure that the Crown Prince had arrived, a cold light immediately flashed in his eyes!
The retired emperor still underestimated the protection the emperor gave to the crown prince. Except for the few confidants appointed by the emperor, anyone who dared to send food, drinks, or toys to the crown prince would be beaten to death!

The young eunuch arranged by the retired emperor was controlled by the people from the Imperial Household Department before he could even get close to the Crown Prince's study.

The young eunuch insisted until his death that he had taken over the job and served tea and snacks to the crown prince because he was eager to climb the ladder.

Although the people from the Imperial Household Department found nothing, Emperor Yongchang still ordered the execution of all the eunuchs and palace maids who had any connection with the young eunuch, as well as the eunuch in charge who was supposed to serve tea and snacks.

Needless to say, the emperor's travel was grand and spectacular. There were more than two thousand attendants accompanying him, including the imperial guards. The procession was so grand that it stretched for miles along the way.

In the team, the top military scholar took the lead, followed by the second and third military scholars, and followed the emperor's carriage, all of them rubbing their hands, ready to show their skills in the autumn hunt. The day after the announcement of the results, a banquet was held as usual, and Emperor Yongchang personally attended and announced the extra gifts mentioned earlier. The military scholars with outstanding hunting results would become close military officers of the crown prince together with the top military scholar, second and third military scholars.

The elite of the imperial guards were transferred to form a "Yongwei Battalion" with 10,000 people, consisting of cavalry, infantry and firearms battalions, as the direct guard of the crown prince. The horses, food and weapons needed by the Yongwei Battalion were borne by the inner court's imperial horse supervisor. Of course, the crown prince was still young, so the military power of the Yongwei Battalion was temporarily in the hands of the emperor.

This is the merit of following the emperor. After the crown prince ascends the throne, these people will be entrusted with important tasks and highly appreciated. The emperor's grace is so great that all the military scholars are eager to express their gratitude!

Perhaps to appease Li Hu, Emperor Yongchang ordered Li Hu to lead 500 scouts from the Ruishi Camp to guard the chariot in full gear. This was a reward and a trust. Apart from the imperial guards, no other army could carry weapons around the emperor, let alone fully armed ones.

Li Hu was also dressed in military uniform and carrying a sword, riding his big white horse to guard the chariot.

Completely different from the Imperial Guards with their distinctive armor, the armor of the Sharp Knights' scouts had been exposed to the wind and sun, and had lost its luster and looked old. Many of the scouts' armor even had knife marks on it.

At the beginning, the shabby appearance of the sentry camp attracted a lot of ridicule from the imperial guards, but now no imperial guard dared to approach the sedan chair and they could only follow behind the sentry camp at a distance.

The sentinels are the elite of the army, mostly the elite veterans in the army. Once they find an enemy sentinel, they will try every means to kill him, blind the enemy's eyes, and explore the enemy's intelligence. Before a major war, this kind of battle will occur dozens or even hundreds of times, with a very high mortality rate. Which surviving sentinel is not full of murderous aura!
This kind of evil spirit makes them scared!
In the chariot, Emperor Yongchang sat upright with his eyes closed, his body swaying slightly as the wheels rolled.

At this time, the Crown Prince who was sitting next to him leaned closer to Emperor Yongchang.

Emperor Yongchang slowly opened his eyes, then held the Crown Prince's hand and said softly: "Don't be afraid, they are all loyal people who have made great contributions to the court."

The Crown Prince nodded again.

Emperor Yongchang picked up a piece of cake and handed it to the Crown Prince. Then he glanced at Li Hu and the scouts of the Rui Shi Camp. The evil aura of these scouts made him very uneasy and felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

Dai Quan had been with him day and night for decades, so he naturally saw his uneasiness and suggested that the scouts of the Ruishi Camp go ahead to explore the way, and the task of guarding the dragon chariot was still left to the imperial guards. However, his dignity as an emperor and a man did not allow him to speak.

Emperor Yongchang glanced at the brightly armored imperial guards again. If they were on the battlefield, could these 3,000 imperial guards stop the scouts of the Sharp Warriors Camp? Probably not.

Thinking of this, he pretended to close his eyes and looked at Li Hu with mixed feelings, half-open and half-closed eyes. He rose from the rebellion of Prince Zhong in the second year of Yongchang to become a general and a super-rank duke in just five years. His promotion was so fast that all other officials could not catch up. Only a few founding dukes could compare with him.

Emperor Yongchang looked at Li Hu, feeling both relieved and a little worried.

Li Hu was cultivated by him. If there was anything that made him dissatisfied with Li Hu, it was that he was too good at causing trouble, making enemies everywhere, and he had to clean up his mess and deal with those assassins. But this also became Li Hu's advantage, at least it could make him feel at ease and make him believe that Li Hu had no ulterior motives.

But Li Hu was too domineering, and he was worried that the Crown Prince would not be able to control Li Hu in the future.

This was also one of the reasons why he formed the Yongwei Camp. He wanted to train another "Li Hu" to check and balance Li Hu.

He couldn't help but think of Huang Jinzhong's secret report. Li Hu's control over the Ruishi Camp was too strong. Huang Jinzhong, the military supervisor, did almost nothing and couldn't even get any information about military affairs. This made Emperor Yongchang feel uncomfortable and even a little uneasy.

Thinking of this, Emperor Yongchang had a headache. As an emperor, he could not tolerate this situation. He could not let the court's army become the armed force of one person. But could he split up the Ruishi Battalion? No!
Emperor Yongchang opened his eyes again and sighed silently.

At this time, Dai Quan spoke: "Your Majesty, we have arrived at the hunting ground."

Emperor Yongchang looked in the direction of the voice and saw Prince Fu leading all the officials kneeling down to greet him.
(End of this chapter)