The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 323 The Northern Palace
Summer, August 19th.

Chang'an, the northernmost palace.

Even when the sun is high in the sky, the place remains quiet, with only the whistling of the bamboo grove echoing through the courtyard, a sound both desolate and solemn.

A woman in her early thirties leaned against the door. Although she was adorned with gold and silver, her demeanor stood out from the ordinary people passing by. She stood with her arms crossed in front of her own residence, squinting as she observed the majestic imperial city in the distance, like an outsider.

"Mother, I don't want to practice the zither anymore!" Suddenly, a girl of about ten years old threw down her zither, leaving the two elegant scholars behind. She was developing rapidly, tall and large, and her expression was full of impatience.

"What?!" The young woman's expression immediately changed, and she turned around and glared at him: "You're asking for it!"

The little girl blinked her long eyelashes and looked at her mother: "Hit me if you want, I don't want to practice the piano anyway."

The two scholars, who were acting as teachers, chased after the students. Seeing the mother and daughter in this scene, they exchanged furtive glances, a hint of mockery flashing across their faces. Why force their children, who had risen to prominence later in life, to pursue music?

"Kou Niang!" The young woman walked up to her daughter, hands on her hips looking down at her condescendingly: "Not going to learn? Ha, if you can't learn anything decent at home, I'll send you back to the old house in Binzhou!"

"Fine, I'll go." The girl insisted without backing down.

"You!" The young woman rubbed her forehead in anger, glanced at the flower bed, and went to pull up some vines, shouting, "Rebellion! Rebellion!"

The mother and daughter were arguing when they suddenly heard a commotion in the street. Someone shouted, "Is this the residence of General Wu?"

The young woman listened intently and heard the faint sounds of carriage bells, the rhythmic hoofbeats of horses, and the envious exclamations and anxious avoidances of her neighbors. Her mind immediately became active, and before the steward could reply, she shouted, "Hey, hey! That's it! Who is it?"

She dropped the rattan cane, pointed at Kou Niang a few times, then quickly lifted her skirt and ran out the door.

Then they saw a group of noblemen and nobles of varying ages surrounding a large procession of white horses and carriages, making comments. Each carriage was adorned with red decorations, and the horses leading them were all plump, strong, and of fine coat color. They wore red robes and had brass bells around their necks.

The main driver was surrounded by many attendants.

A young man in purple robes sat upright, his hands resting on his knees. His phoenix eyes, so similar to his mother's, were closed down to just a slit as he quietly looked down at the buzzing gossips of the nobles and their children.

"Xiao Zi!" the young woman cried out.

Seeing all the servants turning to look at him, he realized he had spoken out of turn and quickly covered his mouth with his hand, whispering, "Prince Liang~"

King Liang looked down at him, his face showing an expression: "Master's wife!"

"Greetings, Your Highness." The young woman bowed obediently.

King Liang rose from his carriage and strode forward. Behind him, a large group of guards and attendants unloaded a pile of gifts from the carriage, including Shu brocade, lacquerware, spices, musical instruments, fish, and sheep.

The young woman was dazzled and at a loss.

King Liang kept his eyes straight ahead, and only when he got close did he raise his hand to return the greeting: "I heard that your esteemed teacher is ill in his old age, so I have come to visit you."

The young woman dared not accept his greeting and quickly turned away, glancing at the gifts with a forced smile, "If the king wants to come, then come, no..."

For some reason, this boy, who was no more than the size of her own son, inspired a sense of awe in her with his words and manners.

"Do not refuse." King Liang gestured with his small hand.

The young woman didn't know what to say or how to handle the situation. After a long pause, she finally managed to say, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I respectfully acknowledge you."

The large group of guards behind him burst into laughter, never expecting that Wu Xiong had such a wife.

"King Liang, where is Wu Xiong?" The young woman was extremely flustered at the absence of the head of the household.

Before the King of Liang could respond, a child's voice came from the doorway: "Are you Li Zhengyang?"

The one who spoke was the little girl who had almost been beaten up earlier, Wu Xiong's eldest daughter.

"That brat!" The young woman turned around angrily.

Just as he was about to reprimand him, King Liang, who had turned to look at the source of the voice, nodded and said, "It is I."

Wu Damei wore a red blouse embroidered with auspicious clouds and cranes, as if she were wearing a painting. Her hair was styled in a single bun, with two strands of hair hanging down beside her ears.

Despite often being double-teamed by the Wu couple, she remained as unrestrained and carefree as ever in this setting. Her bright eyes blinked frequently, her smile occasionally revealing a missing tooth. Her small head tilted slightly, her round face displaying a delicate beauty with a touch of pink and tenderness.

"You are—" King Liang asked curiously, "the daughter of the military commander?"

"Yes." Wu Damei bent down: "I know you, you are Father's apprentice!"

"Shut up, Kou Niang!" The two children were quite relaxed. Seeing the servants' faces growing increasingly grim, the young woman ran up, grabbed Wu Damei, and turned back to apologize to Prince Liang and his entourage: "Children's words are innocent, children's words are innocent~"

"I know you too," King Liang smiled, "General Wu often says you're no good and tells me not to follow your example, but why are you no good? And what's your name?"

"You're being a bit rude~" Wu Damei peeked out from her mother's arms, shaking her head and smiling with her teeth showing.

"Well," King Liang sighed, "I'll find out when I get back and ask my mother."

Wu Damei was taken aback: "You, you~"

He was about to say something.

"The General is returning to his residence!" Several spirited shouts rang out as a few horses emerged from around the corner.

Wu Damei immediately broke free from the young woman's embrace and stood obediently.

The servants and maids who had gathered at the gate in advance because of the arrival of the Prince of Liang also perked up and lined up, exchanging glances with each other.

"Hahahaha!" Before he even arrived, Wu Xiong's powerful laughter could be heard: "I laugh at Yang Xingmi's lack of wisdom, Qian Liu's lack of strategy, and Liu Shouzhen's courting death!" The servants bowed down from afar.

Beyond the long road, a dozen servants surrounded a red horse that was slowly slowing down; this was Wu Xiong's mount.

His carriage was originally a gilded chariot, a gift from the Northern Palace, nicknamed "The Emperor's Husband," and its extravagance rivaled that of the Three Dukes. Later, due to impeachment by Han Yi, the Commandant of the Capital Region, Wu Xiong, fearing the Emperor's suspicion, sold the "The Emperor's Husband" at the urging of his colleagues and replaced it with the red horse he now rode.

The young woman and everyone in the manor bowed to the horse, saying, "Welcome, General!"

"Get up, all of you!" Wu Xiong glanced around arrogantly, his gaze lingering on King Liang. He then exclaimed, "Ouch!" He threw his horse aside, scooped King Liang up high in his arms, and turned back, beaming with delight, "You really came! How can I possibly accept this?"

"You're despicable!" Wu Damei poked her head out and said, "You actually made the King wait for you!"

"You're itching for a beating again? Shut up!" Wu Xiong held Liang Wang in one arm and pulled Wu Damei up the steps with the other: "That day I just mentioned that my mother was seriously ill, who would have thought that my good disciple would give me such a surprise?"

As he spoke, he turned his head and scolded his wife: "When distinguished guests arrive, you don't serve tea at the main gate first. Instead, you stand on the door. You have no manners as a mistress of the house. Tomorrow, you will surely become the laughing stock of the capital. You should have been expelled long ago, you yellow-faced country bumpkin!"

"Damn it!" Zhang was furious, but she couldn't lash out. She could only swallow her anger and put on a smiling face for the master and apprentice, her enthusiasm overflowing: "I apologize for my neglect, Prince Liang. Please, Prince Liang, have a chat with me. I'll go make some tea..."

The servants followed him like stars around the moon, like clouds around him.

The ceremony for just one homecoming was quite grand, and the entire Wu family mansion bustled with activity as preparations were made for the meal.

"Wow, your house is quite big," King Liang clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Is it big?" Wu Xiong shook his head. "When I bought the house, I consulted a sorcerer who said it was the residence of a prime minister... But after moving in, it's nothing special. Humph, when I reach the highest rank in the government, I'll buy a villa in Ba Shang."

As Wu Xiong's official rank rose, so did his entourage, and now, as the son of the Holy Master, he was even more smug. The Wu residence was already quite large, and its decorations were high-class; if a list of Chang'an's most luxurious mansions were compiled, it would surely rank among the top 100. The residence housed over three hundred people, including family members, retainers, servants, and thugs.

"Martial arts masters. The standards for carriages, clothing, residences, and guards are all governed by regulations of the imperial court. It's not something that the emperor and his subjects can do as they please." King Liang observed every blade of grass and tree in his residence, and the men and women around him: "Don't give those who are jealous of you and hate you any excuse to attack."

"Okay, okay." Wu Xiong shrugged dismissively: "Why are you just like those writing brushes?"

"The General seems to be in a very good mood?" After taking his seat in the central hall, a retainer saw him smiling and asked solicitously.

"What do you think of my apprentice?" Wu Xiong asked him sideways.

"Young yet wise and intelligent, with the appearance of a celestial being," the retainer said respectfully.

"What do you think of my daughter?"

"She possesses a fairy-like beauty and a natural talent for wisdom." The retainer glanced at Wu Damei, who was kneeling to the left of the King of Liang.

"Hehe." Wu Xiong rubbed his chin, looked at Liang Wang with delight, and then at his daughter: "I've struggled for half my life, only to realize that the joy of life is nothing more than this."

"What is Kou Niang's name?" King Liang was displeased at not knowing the answer.

"How do you know her nickname is Kou Niang?" Wu Xiong asked suspiciously, pursing his lips.

"I remembered it when I heard my teacher's wife call me just now."

"Don't tell him!" Wu Damei said urgently.

"Anything you agree to, I will oppose, so you'll know the consequences of going against me!" Wu Xiong sneered a few times and then shouted, "Her name is Wu Ayan!"

Wu Damei viciously gouged at Wu Xiong.

Wu Xiong laughed loudly: "If you look at me with hatred again, I'll expose all your shameful deeds, such as—"

Wu Damei quickly composed herself, lowered her head with a pitiful expression, and sat there.

King Liang frowned deeply, saying, "How could you be so wicked?"

Wu Xiong snorted: "Who told you to ask?"

King Liang coughed and said, "You could have refused."

Wu Xiong was taken aback: "Have you no shame? I offended my daughter for your sake, and you're doing this for me."

Looking at this extraordinary master and disciple pair, the retainers exchanged bewildered glances, feeling as if the collapse of social order was imminent. The retainer who had started the conversation raised his tea and changed the subject, saying, "Just now we heard the General rebuke Liu Shouzhen for courting death. What else could possibly please the General?"

"I laugh at Yang Xingmi's lack of wisdom, his reckless expansion that provoked the Qi and Yue garrisons to jointly petition for his execution. I laugh at Qian Liu's lack of strategy, who could only hang Yang Xingmi's name on a poplar tree to 'behead Yang.' I laugh at Liu Shouzhen's utter stupidity, demanding the position of Grand Secretary from the court." Speaking of this, Wu Xiong's tone was full of schadenfreude: "They're all courting death! Oh, and there's that Zhang something from Shazhou, who actually resisted the Nine Ministers' summons. I just received the news when I was on duty."

The retainer became even more curious: "Does this mean that war will break out in the west again?"

Upon hearing the question, Wu Xiong's smile vanished: "This is a matter of great military and political importance, not something you can inquire about. His Majesty will make the decision, and we will simply follow his orders."

"Yes, yes."

Seeing the guests' panicked expressions, Wu Xiong was quite satisfied. After waving them away, he pulled the sulking Wu Damei into his arms and whispered to the Prince of Liang, "Be prepared this time. Tomorrow I will talk to your uncle. If the Imperial Concubine allows, I will take you and my eldest son with me on the western expedition."

"What's going on?" King Liang asked, resting his chin on his hand.

"It's war, isn't it?" Wu Xiong teased Wu Damei. "When we heard the news at the Privy Council, we all felt that with His Majesty's character, the Guiyi Army would have no basis for separatism. I reckon the imperial decree will be issued in the next couple of days, and we should be sending troops before the end of the year. Going all this way, it's definitely not enough to just quell the Guiyi Army; we'll probably have to deal with the Western Regions as well. It'll take at least a year or two to achieve our goal. With such a good opportunity, I have to find a way to bring you along so you can see how war is fought, and just how difficult it really is to start a business, build an empire, bah, to revive the Holy Tang Dynasty."

"How can you be so sure you'll join the army?" King Liang took a bite of a peach.

"Isn't this simple?" Wu Xiong said leisurely. "When we conquer the Western Regions, there are so many enemies, so the main force will definitely be deployed. Apart from leaving a few people to guard Guanzhong, the rest of us generals will certainly be accompanying the emperor."

(End of this chapter)