Compared with Su Tai who often throws dirty water on himself, Wenxuan is most worried about Su Qian.
Su Qi'an returned to the capital early and was intercepted, so he arranged a meeting to clean up the dust. He took advantage of the opportunity to see the strength of the two princes in the court. With everyone already taking sides, Su Qi'an remained neutral, which seemed strange no matter how you looked at it.
Su Qi'an and Wen Xuan looked at each other, and they could guess what he was thinking without even speaking a word, Su Qi'an said softly.
"When I returned to Beijing this time, I thought that the two princes would kill me, but it turned out to be delicious, delicious, and respectful. As the saying goes, there must be monsters when there is abnormality. I think they will probably give it to them at the celebration banquet. Let me take the bait."
Wenxuan nodded slightly and said calmly, "You are right, but this time the trap was not targeted. It seems that I want you to be promoted to a noble rank and go further."
Hearing this, Su Qian's face showed a playful look, but he was not too shocked and was prepared in his heart.
From the greeting that day to the more respectful greetings later, it can be seen that Su Zhe and Su Tai's attitude towards him was obviously different from last time.
But Su Qi'an didn't believe at all that these two people would change their minds, treat him kindly and respect him, be able to be a king, and be a dignified prince. What they are best at is playing with people's hearts and engaging in intrigues. If they were really kind little white rabbits, they would have been eaten up long ago. No bones are left.
"Does the teacher know the purpose behind their move?" Su Qian asked.
Wenxuan shook his head, and then said, "I only know that they want to push you to the position of Duke and make you a duke. As for why, I'm afraid only a few of them know."
Su Qi'an raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Duke, if it were an ordinary person, he would probably be unable to control himself and be extremely excited."
"The title of Duke, regardless of status and power, is second only to the emperor and the two kings in Great Liang. It can be said to be a truly high and powerful position."
"Even if I am a second-grade Duke, I can stand on an equal footing with the local governor and other high-ranking officials in the border areas. I am truly a very human minister. The two princes really look up to me."
Su Qian shook his head with a smile, and then changed the topic, "But if you are granted the title of Duke, you have to join the cabinet. After joining the cabinet, many things are not as convenient as those of a military prince. To put it bluntly, you will be monitored by Zheng Yuan."
"Before he became an official, Mr. Chu promoted his status as a second-grade prince. He originally wanted to check and balance the excessive power of the prime minister. Now it seems that he can check and balance for a while, but he cannot check the prince behind him who has greater power."
"If I really join the cabinet, I'm afraid not only will everything be reported to me, but I'll also be monitored at all times. Especially if a war breaks out, I'm afraid every strategy and tactic I make will have to be reviewed by someone above me. This is not good for students. a good thing."
Wen Xuan nodded slightly and realized the seriousness of the matter. If he really became a second-grade public servant and entered the cabinet as Su Qian said, let alone leading troops to fight, it would not be so casual for him to leave the capital.
Wen Xuan's eyes flashed and he was silent for a while, then looked at Su Qian and said, "I really want to avoid Duke Feng, but there is no way. It just depends on whether you dare to be arrogant again."
Su Qi'an laughed when he heard Wen Xuan's sudden words, "Haha, it's not like the teacher doesn't understand the students, isn't he just arrogant? As long as this pushback can be resolved, let alone being arrogant, even if there is a celebration party, it will be It’s a small thing.”
Wen Xuan smiled and nodded, then whispered. After a moment, Su Qi'an leaned forward and sat up straight, and then said.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, the student really underestimated the teacher. In this case, let's make a big fuss at the celebration banquet."
"By the way, teacher, the student still has something to ask for..."
Before Su Qi'an could finish speaking, Wenxuan took over the words and said, "It's about Tangtang and the others."
Su Qian nodded.
"Don't worry, Tangtang and the other three, I will take care of them for you. Whatever you want to do, just go ahead and do it before the storm comes."
Su Qi'an's smile faded, and she looked at Wen Xuan and said, "Teacher, what's wrong with Your Majesty? Why has he changed so much in half a year? This makes the students a little confused."
Wenxuan looked calm and said, "Our Majesty, if you say something rebellious, he is really not a wise master with great talent and great strategy. I don't know whether there is any cooperation or transaction between you and Your Majesty, but there is a saying that the teacher wants to remind you, in everything Leave yourself a way out, especially when facing His Majesty, and for no other reason than to at least have the ability to protect yourself."
When it comes to propaganda, Su Qi'an naturally understands clearly that several emperors in the past dynasties were truly talented!
A dynasty can only produce one or two, which is great. In Su Xuanyong, Su Qi'an did not see the so-called talents and strategies, that is, he had some motivation in the first few years after he ascended the throne.
But then the Crown Prince Suning died of illness unexpectedly, and he fell into despair. Even when he finally met Su Qi'an, they had a frank conversation and barely regained some ambition.
But as the war on all sides gradually calmed down, the internal situation began to stabilize, and the previous eagerness gradually calmed down, and some indulgence began.
After Su Qi'an returned to Beijing, he talked with senior officials such as Su Zhe, Su Tai, Wen Xuan, etc., and basically got a general understanding after looking at the intelligence collected in his hands.
Su Xuanyong has changed now, and Su Qian has no intention of admonishing him. He is not a loyal remonstrator. As long as Su Xuanyong can maintain trust in him and continue to support the tenth prince as his own responsibility, everything else is easy to talk about.
Once Su Xuanyong changes his mind and makes other changes, Su Qian will definitely find a way out for himself and ask Sun Wen, Liu Meng, and Xu Tangtang to shut down the huge intelligence network established outside Kyoto. This will be the first time he begins to retreat and escape the whirlpool of Kyoto. step.
As for what happens next, it all depends on how the celebration party goes next.
Wenxuan stayed in Su Qi'an's Hou Mansion for half an hour, then left the Hou Mansion, left through the gate, got on the carriage, and returned to the Hanlin Academy.
The second king's spy did not worry about the existence of the outside world during the whole process. There are some things that cannot be hidden. In this case, there is no need to cover up, just show it openly.
Now that the two kings in the court are at loggerheads, Su Qi'an, one of the most important military lords in Great Liang, still intends to maintain his neutral position.
I just want to see how I want to deal with him in front of His Majesty and officials of all sizes in Kyoto.
The news of Su Qi'an's return to the capital soon spread throughout the capital, which naturally caused many people to flock to the palace and squat in the marquis's mansion, hoping to see his true appearance.
Only this time, many people were disappointed. Su Qi'an returned to the Marquis Mansion and made sufficient preparations around the mansion. Ordinary people would not be able to see Su Qi'an at all.
The external reasons were very good. It was a tiring journey and they needed a good rest. The people who heard this kind of rhetoric were a little helpless, but they could only disperse.
Compared with not seeing Su Qi'an's true appearance, they were more interested in Su Qi'an's governance in Dongzhou for half a year. Although there was no first-hand information, some hearsays came one after another.
All kinds of news were flying all over the sky in Kyoto, and the people's discussions and surprising things were not stopped by officials of all sizes in Kyoto. Instead, they seemed to be adding fuel to the flames. In the end, all the credit for the pacification of Dongzhou was attributed to Su Qi'an alone. .
This time, Su Qi'an's fame and prestige reached a new level. Su Qi'an, who stayed in the Marquis Mansion, did not express any opinions from beginning to end and just watched silently.
As time passed, six or seven days passed by, and the army led by Xie Cang, who returned from Lulu, finally arrived in Kyoto.
According to the old rules, all the troops returning to Beijing were stationed in the suburbs of Beijing. Xie Cang led about a hundred personal guards and quickly entered the capital.
There was no stopping along the way, and he went straight to the Hou's Mansion in Dongshan. Under the gaze of many eyes, Xie Cang entered the Hou's Mansion. Not only that, Xie Cang did not come out of the Hou's Mansion until the evening.
Previously, some rumors about Su Qi'an not returning to Beijing were self-defeating at this moment.
As Xie Cang returned to the capital, news came in the imperial city that night that a celebration banquet would be held for the two marquises.
Two days before Xie Cang returned to the capital, Su Xuanyong, who was hunting and playing in the Xishan Palace, also returned to the imperial city.
During this period, Su Qi'an was not summoned, but an imperial edict was issued, "Since the Marquis of Dongshan has been tired of traveling and traveling all the way and needs a good rest, there is no need to ask for greetings from the imperial city these days."
Now it seems that the promulgation of this imperial edict was mostly to wait for the return of Lingdong Marquis with his army, so as to celebrate the victory of the two military marquises.
As night fell, about an hour later, the closed door of Dongshan Marquis Mansion opened, and Su Qi'an and Xie Cang appeared, dressed in white, looking like noble gentlemen, and they were very heroic. They didn't stop and got on the carriage directly. .
The carriage galloped straight to the imperial city.
At this time, the Imperial City is brightly lit, and even outside the city, you can feel the lively atmosphere in the Imperial City. That feeling can only be compared to the New Year's Day.
It can be seen that this celebration banquet was carefully thought out. The galloping carriage speeded along the official road without any obstruction and soon arrived at the imperial city.
Under the escort of the imperial army, the carriage stopped for a while and then continued forward. Being able to drive in the imperial city was already a great honor.
Moreover, the leader of the Imperial Guards escorting this time was none other than Han Qing, the commander of the Imperial Guards.
Although there had been some conflicts between the two of them before, this time Han Qing greeted them with smiles along the way, without any arrogance as before, as if the unpleasantness of the day did not exist at all.
That behavior was no different from being groveling. Those who knew he was the commander of the imperial army, but those who didn't know, thought he was some kind of servant.
While Han Qing was groveling, Su Qi'an had a cold face and without saying a word to him, he escorted him to the square in front of the main hall.
Then he got out of the car and without even looking at Han Qing behind him, he and Xie Cang walked side by side toward the brightly decorated hall ahead.
The more Han Qing grovels like this, the more it can only mean one thing. This celebration banquet will probably put Su Qi'an in high esteem.
No matter how high you hold it now, it will be miserable if you fall down later. After planning for so long, it all depends on who can achieve their wish.
