I have suffered enough in my previous life, my cousin will never marry me

Chapter 182: Openly repairing the plank road and secretly visiting Chencang
Upon hearing the words "secret edict," Fu Mingchi and Consort Zhang were both stunned for a moment.

Tingfeng immediately took out the secret edict and handed it to Fu Mingchi. Fu Mingchi glanced at it and his brows furrowed: "His Majesty abdicated, and Empress Dowager Gu ruled as regent, and she enfeoffed her grand-nephew as a king of a different surname. Isn't this as obvious as Sima Zhao's intentions?"

Consort Zhang carefully examined the contents of the secret edict. Looking at the mottled bloodstains, she couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache: "Our Emperor is truly flexible and adaptable. It's just a pity that he has been suppressed by Empress Dowager Gu for so many years, and his ambitions have never been realized."

After thinking about it, she suddenly felt something was wrong: "Empress Dowager Gu has been in power for so many years and has never thought of ruling as emperor, and His Majesty has never thought of abdicating. These two have been fighting for most of their lives, so why did they suddenly decide to stage such a scene?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Mingchi smiled slightly and said, "I'm afraid it wasn't Wan'er's idea."

Recalling what she had said to him on the day of the betrothal, Fu Mingchi finally understood the deeper meaning in her words: "Wan'er has always wanted me to rightfully enter Lin'an. Now, with His Majesty's blood edict, I can not only go to Lin'an, but also lead the Yuezhou army into Lin'an, giving me the confidence to stand up to the Gu family."

"This girl is truly unassuming," Consort Zhang thought, a warm feeling welling up inside her. She secretly admired herself for not listening to others' instigation and giving up on this marriage.

“Although my daughter has stirred up the undercurrents in Lin’an, Prince Qi has not yet rebelled, so His Majesty’s edict is probably useless,” Tingfeng said anxiously. “My master was very troubled before she left.”

“Steward Feng, you are mistaken,” Fu Mingchi said with a smile. “Why gamble on whether Prince Qi will rebel or not? Empress Dowager Gu has been abusing her power and causing chaos in the government. Now she has the intention to overstep her bounds. She is the most intolerable person in our Great Ye Dynasty. With this edict, it is perfectly justified for me to enter the capital to support the emperor.”

Upon learning that they had misunderstood Miss Ye, Yu Bai and Yan Jin were both filled with remorse and urged, "Your Highness, the Princess Consort is in a precarious situation in Lin'an. Please send troops immediately. This humble general is willing to lead the charge."

Looking at the geomantic map, Fu Mingchi shook his head: "We can't put our bets on Prince Qi, nor can we expect His Majesty's edict to allow the court to let the Yuezhou army into Lin'an."

Tingfeng was completely confused: "Then what does Your Highness mean?"

“The imperial army of nearly 300,000 is stationed in Huizhou, as well as Qinzhou and Yezhou, which are closest to Lin’an. Although they are not the Gu family’s confidants, they will not be easily mobilized by me. Once Empress Dowager Gu learns that I have come to the capital to defend the emperor and issues an order to stop me, they will become hesitant.”

Fu Mingchi pointed to one of the geomantic maps and asked Tingfeng, "If my Yuezhou army doesn't move, it's fine, but if it leaves Yuezhou, it will definitely attract attention. Steward Feng has been in Lin'an for quite some time and knows Empress Dowager Gu and the Gu family best. If Steward Feng is Empress Dowager Gu, where would you like my army to appear?"

Tingfeng pondered for a moment and pursed his lips: "Judging from the Gu family's attitude towards the Mu family army, they probably hope that the Yuezhou army will go to the northern border to fight the enemy."

“Not bad.” Fu Mingchi nodded with satisfaction: “Since His Majesty’s edict is still a secret edict, if it is publicly announced to the world that he is loyal to the emperor, it will lose the purpose of a secret edict.”

Empress Dowager Zhang had already guessed her son's intentions: "Mingchi, do you intend to take the secret edict to the northern border to fight the enemy?"

"Resisting the enemy is only one aspect; the most important thing is to eliminate the enemy's resources at their root."

Fu Mingchi explained, “Xie Zhan’s 300,000-strong army is currently stationed at Jiayu Pass, 300 li away from Lin’an. This army is the Gu family’s most trusted elite force. The Gu family has placed this army here so that they can advance to resist the northern invaders or retreat to defend Lin’an. Our Yuezhou army needs to pass through Jiayu Pass to enter the northern border to fight the enemy. At that time, we can use His Majesty’s secret edict to force Xie Zhan to send troops to defend the capital, and take the opportunity to seize his military power. The two armies can then be combined to relieve the crisis in Lin’an and jointly resist the northern invaders’ iron cavalry.”

Tingfeng listened with a worried expression: "Your Highness led the Yuezhou army to the northern border. If Prince Qi really rebels, it will be difficult to return to Lin'an in time to provide relief, given the distance of three hundred miles."

"Wan'er must be in dire straits in the Rongguo Duke's mansion right now. The longer I wait, the more dangerous it becomes for her. How can I wait until Prince Qi rebels?"

Gu Tingchen looked at Consort Zhang: "Mother, I will lead three thousand men to Lin'an tonight in secret. Before departing, I will submit a memorial to the court requesting that the Yuezhou army march north to fight the enemy." "Mingchi is going to Lin'an. Who at Jiayuguan can shoulder this heavy responsibility?"

As soon as Consort Zhang finished speaking, she suddenly realized her son's intention and couldn't help but laugh: "You rascal, do you want your maternal grandfather to personally lead the troops to Jiayu Pass?"

After all, only his own father had the prestige to intimidate the arrogant and fierce soldiers of the Gu family.

Just then, Duke Ningguo, supporting Mu Qingqing, was led in by Zhu Wencai.

“Why not?” Duke Ningguo laughed loudly. “My grandson has found a wonderful granddaughter-in-law. That girl risked her life to save my entire Zhang family and even the lives of 100,000 men. Even if I have to risk my old bones, I will not fail in my mission. I cannot simply hand over my granddaughter-in-law to the northern bandits.”

Seeing her father and niece enter, Consort Zhang hurriedly went to greet them, saying with great concern, "Father, I naturally hope that you can personally take charge, but I'm afraid this trip will be very arduous."

“Aunt, Qingqing is willing to go with Grandpa,” Mu Qingqing said. “If it weren’t for Sister Wan, my mother would probably have died in the Northern Border. We must welcome her back to Yuezhou no matter what.”

The Duke of Ningguo walked up to Fu Mingchi and said in a hearty voice, "Mingchi, tell me, what do you want your grandfather to do?"

Fu Mingchi didn't beat around the bush and directly handed the secret edict to him.

"The Gu family is eager for my Yuezhou army to march north. I will send a memorial requesting an imperial decree to Lin'an by express courier. I expect the court will respond soon."

Fu Mingchi solemnly instructed, "When the time comes, please have Grandfather carry my banner northward. Once you reach Jiayu Pass, act according to the situation, seize Xie Zhan's military power, take over the Gu family army, and then order someone to rush to Lin'an to provide immediate assistance."

"But you only brought three thousand men into Lin'an. How can you stabilize the situation there?" the Duke of Ningguo asked somewhat anxiously.

“If you want to cover your tracks, having too many people will only alert them,” Fu Mingchi said. “Grandfather and Mother, don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

The Duke of Ningguo roughly reviewed the marching routes drawn by his grandson. Each route was chosen to be the most treacherous and rugged. Although the journey would be difficult, it would avoid the eyes and ears of the imperial court. Only a small number of elite troops would be sent to Lin'an in separate routes. It was unlikely that the troops would be detected when they arrived at the foot of Lin'an.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war. His strategy of feigning an attack while secretly advancing is indeed likely to catch those guys in Lin'an off guard, and it might just be a surprising and effective move.

He patted him heavily on the shoulder and said earnestly, "You must bring my granddaughter-in-law back to Yuezhou safely."

"Mmm," Fu Mingchi responded softly.

Seeing that His Highness had made the arrangements, Zhu Wencai suddenly stepped forward and cautiously said, "Your Highness, there is something I am not sure if I should say, but I am afraid that there is a spy in our palace."

When the Duke of Ningguo entered, he had already heard about the commotion in the city. He frowned and said, "It's being said in the city that Princess Qi Ning has been rewarded for her proposal of a marriage alliance and has been granted the title of Princess Jin Fu. Although she is Mingchi's aunt, there are still some things we need to be wary of."

No sooner had the Duke of Ningguo finished speaking than Fu Yu'e and Zhao Yun, along with their daughter Zhao Yingying, burst in.