"Lord Dou! Lord Dou!" Liu Cheng called out to Dou Yuan at the east gate of the Meridian Gate. He caught up and bowed, saying, "Lord Dou, your speech in the court today truly made me admire you whole - heartedly."
When Dou Yuan saw it was him, he knew that Liu Cheng's sycophantic nature was fully reflected by the character "Cheng" in his name. He naturally didn't want to waste time with him, so he just went along with his words and said, "It's Lord Liu who deserves the credit. If it weren't for Lord Liu's timely rescue, who knows how long the tense atmosphere in the court would have lasted."
Liu Cheng grinned from Dou Yuan's praise and said, "Lord Dou, don't forget the ceremony tonight. You've missed it several times before. It'll be hard for this old official to explain to the emperor."
Dou Yuan thought for a while and said, "Welcoming a delegation from Loulan, it doesn't really matter whether I'm there or not. Lord Liu and the other officials can enjoy yourselves. I'm going home to be with my little nightingale."
Liu Cheng didn't immediately understand who this "little nightingale" was. He blinked his eyes in confusion.
Dou Yuan laughed heartily, waved to Liu Cheng, and was about to take his leave.
Liu Cheng quickly grabbed him and advised, "Lord Dou, you've missed several ceremonies held in the palace. What if the emperor blames us?"
"Don't be afraid. The emperor won't really punish you," Dou Yuan pulled his arm out of Liu Cheng's hand and said with a smile. "Our Lord Liu surely has a way to deal with it. If all else fails, just say I'm ill at home."
After saying that, he trotted away, not caring that Liu Cheng, an old man, was almost out of breath chasing after him.
In the imperial study of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
"Your Majesty!" Wu Qiuyang was in floods of tears. He had been chasing Si Kongting to the imperial study right after the court session. Usually, the Third Prince Si Kongchen would hold him back, but this time, Si Kongchen had rushed back a few days ago, fearing that the Xiongnu might take advantage of the situation regarding Loulan. Without the restraint, Wu Qiuyang directly knelt in front of Si Kongting, beating his chest and stamping his feet, wailing.
Si Kongting rubbed his temples impatiently and said, "Minister Wu, I've already said that it's not the right time to fall out with the people of Loulan."
Wu Qiuyang cried, "Your Majesty, it's not that I'm war - mongering, but those Loulan barbarians are stepping on our heads! Our Great Sheng has been a powerful country for a hundred years, but today we're being insulted by this tiny place. It's truly a disgrace to Great Sheng!"
Si Kongting pointed at him and said, "Minister Wu, it's not that I'm reluctant to fight. It's that Loulan doesn't want to fight. Qin Feng has led his troops to confront them for almost a month, just waiting for a spark. You saw it today. How did Yaze Bu use this to blackmail me? If Great Sheng were to send troops first, what would the world think of me? What would they think of Great Sheng? Wouldn't Great Sheng be labeled as a bully?"
Wu Qiuyang scolded, "Your Majesty! How can you care about what others say? The people of Loulan are ungrateful. Isn't it normal for us to send troops?"
Si Kongting said, "They haven't invaded our territory, nor have they sent troops to attack first. Since ancient times, when going to war, there must be a just cause. Do you really think I'm afraid to fight them? Then find a'reason' for me!"
Wu Qiuyang lowered his head without saying a word, trembling with anger.
"Moreover, the Xiongnu are eyeing us covetously. If I were to start a war rashly, what if the Xiongnu take advantage of our weakness?" Si Kongting patted his shoulder and said, "We should act calmly and wait for the right moment. Minister Wu, I know you're eager to protect the country, but we should come up with a fool - proof plan for this matter."
Wu Qiuyang swallowed his anger and said hatefully, "Your Majesty, I understand. But Yaze Bu has impure motives for coming to the capital this time. Just looking at him today, we can tell that he's definitely not here for peace talks. I still think this war is inevitable."
Si Kongting nodded and said, "I never thought we could have peace talks with them. It's a fact that this great war is inevitable. But ten years ago, Qin Feng was young and vigorous, and he could lead troops to defeat Loulan. But you know, Minister Qin is old now. I don't want him to go to the battlefield with his old body. My third brother, Han Yushan, and Zhu Bu are all held back by the Xiongnu in the Hetao and the northwest regions. Now there's a shortage of young talents in the army. Minister Wu, as the Minister of War, do you have a candidate to replace Minister Qin?"
Wu Qiuyang pondered for a while and then said, "Your Majesty, I do have a person who should be able to take over General Qin Feng's position."
Si Kongting was overjoyed and quickly asked, "Who is it?"
Wu Qiuyang said, "Qin Huaqiu, the son of General Qin Feng."
Si Kongting was shocked and froze on the spot.
Wu Qiuyang continued, "Although this young man is still young, he has truly learned from Qin Feng. He grew up on the border and has followed Qin Feng to fight in battles. I was fortunate enough to meet him a few years ago. Although he's young, it's obvious that he'll be a rare general in the future. I think..."
"No!" Si Kongting directly interrupted Wu Qiuyang and shouted.
His loud voice startled Wu Qiuyang. Wu Qiuyang looked at Si Kongting in confusion and said, "Your Majesty? What's wrong?"
Si Kongting realized his gaffe. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand, took a deep breath, and said, "This young man is still too young. It's better for him not to go to the battlefield."
Wu Qiuyang advised again, "Although he's young, he was taught by General Qin Feng himself. And as a member of the Qin family, he's more familiar with the Loulan army. Compared to other soldiers who have never fought against the Loulan people, he's actually more suitable."
"You want a sixteen - year - old boy to lead troops into battle?" Si Kongting roared.
"I also led troops when I was sixteen, Your Majesty!"
Si Kongting got impatient again. He rubbed his temples and said rather impatiently, "That's enough. Let's stop discussing this. Qin Huaqiu can't replace Qin Feng. Minister Wu, go and find other candidates."
Wu Qiuyang was stunned for a moment. Seeing that Si Kongting didn't want to say more, he had no choice but to bow to him and slowly back out of the imperial study.
He never expected that just by objectively mentioning Qin Huaqiu, the emperor's attitude would change so much. Even if he didn't want Qin Huaqiu to replace Qin Feng, he could have just said so directly. Why did he lose his temper?
Wu Qiuyang scratched his head. Suddenly, he seemed to think of something and murmured, "Hey, something's not right... How does the emperor know he's only sixteen?"
In the imperial study, Si Kongting was in a state of chaos. He shook his head and buried himself in the mountain of memorials, hoping that correcting the memorials could calm his uneasy heart.
An afternoon passed in a hurry. As the sun was setting in the west, after Liu Cheng, the Minister of Rites, had prepared all the work for the dinner, the first thing he did was to send someone to urge Dou Yuan in the residence of the left prime minister.
But Dou Yuan was having a passionate time with his canary. The servant who came to summon him shouted a few times at the door. Apart from adding some fun to the young couple, he didn't manage to invite Dou Yuan to the palace as Liu Cheng wished. So he had to slink back and report to Liu Cheng.
Liu Cheng angrily flung his sleeve and rushed directly to the imperial study.
"Your Majesty, the dinner tonight is all ready. Your Majesty can move there at any time," Liu Cheng bowed and said. "But the left prime minister, Dou Yuan, hasn't arrived at the palace yet..."
Si Kongting immediately understood. He frowned and said, "He's not coming again?"
Liu Cheng wiped the sweat off his forehead and said, "Maybe the left prime minister is ill and can't enter the palace..."
Si Kongting snorted. After thinking for a while, he said, "Forget it. Considering that he helped me deal with Yaze Bu today, I'll forgive him this time. It's better that he doesn't come. Otherwise, Yaze Bu might pick on him."
Liu Cheng bowed and scraped.
"Have all the concubines been notified?" Si Kongting asked.
Liu Cheng said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. All of them have been notified. The three concubines are on their way. The seating arrangement has also been made according to the previous plan."
According to the previous seating arrangement, the Lady of the Virtuous Concubine would sit next to Si Kongting.
Si Kongting paused for a moment and said, "By the way, my dear minister, let the Lady of the Virtuous Concubine sit next to me this time."
Liu Cheng was stunned for a moment. A fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead. He said, "Your Majesty means to arrange the Lady of the Virtuous Concubine on the other side of you?"
Si Kongting glanced at him and walked up to him. He said, "My dear minister should know that when I married the Lady of the Virtuous Concubine, I used the ceremony for marrying a queen in Great Sheng, right?"
Liu Cheng clasped his fists with both hands. His body trembled slightly, and he replied, "Yes."
"Don't you understand what I mean yet?" Si Kongting patted his shoulder and said softly.
Liu Cheng trembled all over. He was so scared that he directly knelt down, kowtowed three times, and said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, I absolutely have no such intention! I was just being stupid for a moment and didn't understand Your Majesty's intention. But I definitely have no disrespect for the Lady of the Virtuous Concubine."
Si Kongting looked down at him, squatted down, and helped Liu Cheng up. He said with a smile, "What are you saying, my dear minister? You're a pillar of our Great Sheng. I naturally trust you. But the Lady of the Virtuous Concubine was chosen by the empress dowager after consulting the imperial astrologer. And she entered the palace with the courtesy of a queen. As the Minister of Rites, you surely understand the etiquette better than I do. Naturally, I'll follow your arrangement for this matter."
Liu Cheng bowed and said, "I'm flattered... I'll go and handle it right away."
Si Kongting nodded. "Thank you for your hard work, my dear minister."
Liu Cheng bowed to Si Kongting and then turned around to leave the imperial study. As he turned back, a strange look flashed across his eyes.
Si Kongting, with a smile on his lips, stood in the hall for a long time.
Lady of the Virtuous Concubine - Qin Huaqiu, I'll let you stand beside me in a proper way.