Chapter 85: Is Your Majesty supporting me or does he have other intentions?
Eunuch Liang looked around and suddenly said to the person beside him:
"You don't have to kneel. His Majesty has instructed that this announcement should only be made to the soldiers at this time. No one else needs to be polite."
Standing over there were Uncle Ye and An Yu. Chen Xiong had just rushed down and was planning to attack the foul-mouthed guy, but he didn't expect Ye Qiongying to get angry first.
Others did not think that there was anything strange about Eunuch Liang's order, but for once they felt His Majesty's respect for the Ye family.
Otherwise, there are only two people, and kneeling down is not a big deal.
Of course, they didn't know that the emperor himself was over there. How could Liang Dehai dare to let His Majesty kneel to him? In the eyes of normal people, a close attendant of the emperor like Eunuch Liang didn't need to take care of two attendants like this. He was just giving face to the Ye family.
After confirming that everyone was ready, Eunuch Liang cleared his throat and said:
"The Emperor, by order of Heaven, declares..."
When Eunuch Liang's sharp voice sounded, the people in the audience became more and more surprised the more they listened.
Even Ye Qiongying couldn't help but look up.
This imperial edict did not mention that she killed Du Chengxiu, nor did it say that she was sent here as a punishment. Instead, it stated that the Ye family army could not remain leaderless, so the orthodox descendants of the Ye family were sent here to prepare and take over the tiger talisman.
However, Ye Qiongying has no experience in leading troops, so she has to start as a captain. The tiger talisman will be temporarily managed by four fourth-rank generals in the army, namely General Zhongwu, General Xuanwei, General Zhuangwu, and General Mingwei. They will supervise each other and are also responsible for inspecting the results of Ye Qiongying's training.
One year later, if Ye Qiongying can achieve actual results in battle and gain the recognition of half or more of the fifth-rank generals and above in the army, she can officially take over this half of the tiger talisman.
If she fails the test, this half of the tiger talisman will be taken back by the royal family and kept until Ye Qiongying passes the test.
The more Ye Qiongying listened, the more unbelievable it seemed to her.
Although she felt that the current emperor was not the irrational murderer as rumored, she also didn't think he was very protective of the Ye family.
But now, this imperial edict gave her the greatest confidence, making it impossible for others to oppose her staying, at least on the surface.
This is more legitimate than what was originally thought, indicating that she was sent here to be punished after committing murder.
The others were secretly shocked when they heard this.
After the death of General Ye and his son, the army was temporarily without a leader.
Logically speaking, several fourth-rank generals are more qualified to intervene in management.
Unexpectedly, Yuan Wu seized the opportunity at that time, stood up in the name of the Ye family, won the hearts of the people, and earned the title of general. Naturally, the tiger talisman was entrusted to him.
Although others did not say it explicitly, it was conceivable that several generals with higher ranks than him would not be convinced.
Now, His Majesty took the tiger talisman directly from General Yuan and distributed it to the other four.
Will General Yuan be convinced?
But it was useless for him to be unconvinced. Although the other few were not the direct descendants of the Ye family, they were not good-for-nothings, and their status was higher than his. Before, the four of them were fighting with each other without a clear target, which allowed Yuan Wu to take advantage.
Now that His Majesty has handed the knife to them, how can they let Yuan Wu take advantage of it?
I'm afraid there will be unrest in the army...
Besides this, His Majesty has probably already been very wary of the Ye family and has long wanted to take back the tiger talisman.
It was just that General Pingwu of the Ye family was too sensible. No matter what he thought in his heart, he appeared to be loyal on the surface. He simply split the tiger talisman into two and handed over half to the court.
Later, the Ye family had no male heirs, and Your Majesty was unwilling to appear too anxious for fear of disappointing others.
So, they found an excuse to ask Ye Qiongying to come here for "training".
What use can a little girl like this, who is as thin as a stick, have in a year?
Is there any need to guess?
A year later, the tiger talisman finally fell into the hands of the emperor.
At that time, on the pretext of appeasing the Ye family, the eldest daughter of the Ye family would be taken into the harem and left aside in the cold. This really took both the inside and the outside into consideration.
Who said that His Majesty is just a bloodthirsty madman? He has quite a lot of tricks!
Compared with the internal strife in the army and the intentions of the person in the palace, Ye Qiongying herself was not a big problem in this turmoil.
At least, everyone in the audience was no longer concerned about opposing Ye Qiongying's entry into the military camp as a woman and becoming a centurion. Instead, they were considering how to stand on the side and what to do after a year.
"Generals, come forward to receive the imperial edict!" After Eunuch Liang finished reading the contents of the imperial edict, he held up the golden scroll and said to the people standing in front of him.
The soft armor these people were wearing was different from the standard worn by those in the rear, and one could tell at a glance that their military ranks were higher.
When those people targeted Ye Qiongying just now, they said nothing. They neither agreed nor had any intention of speaking up for Ye Qiongying. Instead, they just watched silently from the side.
Hearing Eunuch Liang calling them, they all stood up and stepped forward, and one of them bowed and took the imperial edict.
"One of the important things I came here for this time is to send Ye Baichang here. Now that you know the contents of the imperial edict, just follow it. I will not stay any longer and will leave the military camp and go to the post station to rest.
By the way, Miss Ye, I will take your two followers with me as well. You can make plans for their future arrangements after the handover.
Or you can buy a house in this city and settle down there, or... you are now a captain, and you can manage hundreds of people. If your followers pass the assessment, you can also arrange for them to go there."
After saying this, he waved his hand to refuse the generals' offer to see him off, and nodded to Ye Qiongying. Then Eunuch Liang took Uncle Ye and An Yu out of the military camp.
Uncle Ye was fine. He just gave Ye Qiongying a look before leaving.
However, An Yu looked back every few steps, obviously not wanting to be too far away from Ye Qiongying.
But on the way out, perhaps because she had been sitting in the same carriage with Eunuch Liang, she did not show too much resistance at this time. In order to avoid bringing trouble to her "sister", she just went away obediently.
At least, that's what happened in the eyes of Uncle Ye and Ye Qiongying.
As soon as Eunuch Liang left, the atmosphere became increasingly tense.
The four generals did not immediately express their attitude towards Ye Qiongying. Instead, they looked directly at Yuan Wu who was standing on the other side.
"General Yuan, please deliver the half of the tiger talisman today." The speaker was General Zhongwu, who had the most say among the four.
This man is now over 40 years old, his name is Pang Li. If Chen Xiong is fat and strong, then he is really full of tendons, and his age is completely invisible. His arms are thicker than Ye Qiongying's legs, and even his voice is very loud, like a trumpet.
Yuan Wu's face froze for a moment, then he smiled and asked:
"Yes, General Pang. But... I don't know which general should I give this tiger talisman to? The imperial edict just mentioned the four of you. I..."
As he spoke, an embarrassed expression appeared on his face, as if he really didn't know what to do.
The others immediately looked at the four generals nervously.