In the courtyard!
Xia Chen looked at his uncle, a smile appearing on his lips; everything was as he had guessed.
If the Zhendong Marquis Manor’s 600 years of glory had only been based on loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, how could it have maintained its brilliance and never declined throughout more than 600 years of power reshuffling?
The Zhendong Marquis Manor might be patriotic, but whether it is loyal to the emperor is debatable.
Whether it was the Old Zhen Dong Marquis or Anwu Marquis himself, for so many years they had stayed quietly within the Zhendong Marquis Manor, living in seclusion and avoiding contact with the outside world.
Wasn't it because Emperor Wen was suspicious?
For the safety of the Zhendong Marquis Manor and the opportunities for the next generation of disciples, they could only do this.
And during this time, his biological father, Xia Yuan, had achieved great merit in the Eastern Wilderness.
Soon, he would likely return to the capital, and the outcome was naturally obvious: hand over military power, not inquire about court affairs, perhaps only waiting for a major war to break out again to have a chance to emerge.
This is a kind of political wisdom. They might all have emotions; how could they not have feelings when facing such a situation?
“Lu Li’s downfall, the Civil Official Group must be the happiest, right?”
Xia Chen said in a deep voice.
“That’s right. This time, Grand Commandant Ouyang Jing personally took action. His Majesty abandoning Lu Li might also have this deeper reason.”
Anwu Marquis nodded. Although the Lantern Bearers organization was used to balance the Civil Official Group and the Wu Xun Group, it actually focused more on suppressing the Civil Official Group. In recent years, the Civil Official Group’s power has grown rapidly, becoming a force that can threaten imperial power.
“It’s already very good that you can see so much. You are the fuse for this matter.
Although on the surface, Li Wenzhong was leading the charge in this matter, Li Wenzhong has always been impartial over the years and is not good at handling cases.
It’s unlikely he would take such a big risk to snatch credit from the Lantern Bearers. According to the information I received, yesterday you privately led people out of the camp and arrested them before reporting to Li Wenzhong, right?”
Anwu Marquis said calmly, without raising his eyes, looking at the distant scenery.
Xia Chen was startled, not expecting Anwu Marquis to know about this matter.
“If I can guess this, others can too. There’s no shortage of smart people in the capital.”
Anwu Marquis looked deeply at Xia Chen: “Be low-key during this time. I will help you handle some things!”
“Thank you, Uncle!”
Xia Chen respectfully bowed, behaving like a humble gentleman, which made Anwu Marquis nod in satisfaction.
“You may go!”
Anwu Marquis waved his hand, allowing Xia Chen to leave on his own.
Smart people don’t need many words!
...
...
In the next few days, the capital’s official circles experienced an earthquake.
The Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Guards were dispatched, and the downfall of a major figure excited many people.
The positions above are all one person per slot; only when the person above falls can those below have a chance to climb up.
And in a world invisible to ordinary people, the Lantern Bearers were dispatched one after another, launching a frenzied attack on the Great Feng Surveillance Institute.
Many Surveillance Institute secret agents hidden in the capital were arrested or even killed on the spot.
Meanwhile, in the distant Northwest frontier, troops also began large-scale movements, initiating martial law and preparing for war.
Guarding against Qing Country to the west and Great Feng to the north!
Ready to deal with war at any time.
Several representatives of the entire Wu Xun Group were summoned to the imperial palace for military discussions, and even the Grand Secretariat was discussing who should be sent to lead the expedition if a major war truly broke out in the Northwest frontier!
Under this tense, smoke-filled atmosphere, Anwu Marquis Xia Qian was also summoned to the palace multiple times.
Xia Chen heard from unofficial sources that Xia Chen, His Majesty, was preparing to activate Anwu Marquis, and might even employ the Old Zhen Dong Marquis Xia Chutian, who was currently in seclusion.
Thirty-six years ago, Xia Chutian led troops in the Huaiyang Battle and nearly annihilated Great Feng. The entire court and public still had great confidence in this old marshal.
...
“Your grandfather should not be allowed to act. Your grandfather’s military achievements in the Huaiyang Battle were too great. If war truly breaks out this time and he wins again, he might really be enfeoffed as a king, but this is impossible, so neither His Majesty nor the Grand Secretariat will allow such a situation to occur.”
In the garden, Xia Chen and Anwu Marquis were strolling and chatting.
Since that day, in recent days, Anwu Marquis had been calling Xia Chen over whenever he had nothing to do, actively informing him of some news and listening to his thoughts, which greatly surprised Xia Chen.
Anwu Marquis looked at Xia Chen, who was half a step behind him, with complex emotions in his eyes. Who would have thought that these major events happening in the court recently were related to this small Imperial Guard captain?
“So, if Qing Country truly wants to launch another war, the only people who can lead the expedition are you, Uncle, and the Grand Commandant!”
Xia Chen smiled. In the current Great Wu, there are not many people capable of commanding large-scale military operations, and among these, those with a relatively high probability of defeating Qing Country are only the Old Zhen Dong Marquis Xia Chutian, Anwu Marquis, who shone brightly in the Southern Frontier War more than 20 years ago, and the current Grand Commandant Ouyang Jing!
And among these three, two are from the Xia family, which is why the Xia family has been incredibly low-key for two generations, always voluntarily handing over military power after each battle.
Any emperor would probably be suspicious.
“His Majesty has already issued an edict for my second brother to quickly end the battle in the Eastern Wilderness. Fighting on two fronts puts too much pressure. If it drags on, Qing Country to the west will definitely intervene, and then it will be dangerous!
Moreover, His Majesty will certainly not allow my second brother and me to simultaneously command troops.”
Xia Yuan currently has over 100,000 troops in the Eastern Wilderness. If war breaks out with Great Feng this time, at least 300,000 troops will need to be mobilized, meaning the Xia family would control over 400,000 troops, which is half the strength of Great Wu.
In such a situation, no one would dare to gamble.
Xia Chen remained silent, realizing that his biological father would soon return from the Eastern Wilderness.
Anwu Marquis looked at Xia Chen, who showed no particular expression, and sighed inwardly.
...
The tense atmosphere intensified. Lantern Bearers scouts indeed detected troop movements within Great Feng, which led to several late-night meetings of the Grand Secretariat.
Besides this matter, there was another major event in the capital: the new Commander of the Lantern Bearers had taken office.
His name was Ma Song!
His ascension surprised everyone in the capital.
Because Ma Song had previously been inconspicuous within the entire Lantern Bearers, even in the smallest of the eight divisions of the Lantern Bearers.
But this time, not only did he not fall with Lu Li, but he leapt up, seizing the final fruits and becoming the big winner, which made many people ponder!
Xia Chen only learned some information and did not pay much attention to it. Currently, the Lantern Bearers had little to do with him.
He was waiting for a promotion. As the military defense map incident gradually settled, it was time to enjoy the fruits of victory.
Counting the time, he might move up a position within the next day or two.
Thinking of this, Xia Chen smiled!
In addition, Xia Chen also paid attention to one thing: Qingya Abode caught fire on the second night after he left, and the entire Qingya Abode burned to ashes.
Everyone was completely incinerated!
This saddened many guests who had visited Qingya Abode; their goddess, Qing Ya Guniang, would never be seen again.