Chapter 172 The imperial edict arrives
Leaving the others guessing, Ye Qiongying had already followed the bearded deputy general all the way to the main general's tent.
As soon as she approached, Ye Qiongying saw an acquaintance.
There is no need to say much about Uncle Ye. Behind him were An Yu and Yang Xiaotao. It seemed that neither of them would submit to the other. They kept their distance from each other and looked disdainful of each other.
And the person standing in front of them was... Eunuch Liang Dehai?
On the other side were several generals led by Pang Li.
"Miss Ye, it's been a long time since we last met." Eunuch Liang bowed to Ye Qiongying.
Ye Qiongying also responded quickly, but she was confused in her heart.
Isn't Eunuch Liang a close attendant to His Majesty? He is also in charge of the inner court of the imperial palace.
The last time he followed them to Pingwu City, it could be barely said that His Majesty was wary of and valued Du Ming, and he had to send a confidant to follow him all the way to ensure that Du Ming arrived in Pingwu City.
So what is the purpose this time?
Of course, this doesn’t mean that news related to Dongchen and Xili is not important.
But the matter of announcing the decree could be accomplished by sending an envoy, so why did we need to send Eunuch Liang over?
What on earth is there in Pingwu City that makes Eunuch Liang attach so much importance to it?
Ye Qiongying was suspicious but did not show it on her face.
As soon as she came, Pang Li said:
"The people have been called here, Eunuch Liang, what is the imperial decree from His Majesty?"
Eunuch Liang reached out to the guard following beside him and took out the golden imperial edict from the box held in his hands.
The others were about to kneel down to listen to the decree, but were stopped by Eunuch Liang:
"No need to do that. His Majesty has specifically ordered this. This is a secret decree. Just read it. You don't need to kneel down to receive it."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!"
After General Pang and the others expressed their gratitude, they stretched out their hands and took it respectfully. Seeing that Eunuch Liang wanted them to read it now, they immediately unfolded the scroll and looked at it.
Seeing this, the expressions of several people changed. They opened their mouths to say something, then looked around. Pang Li stretched out his hand towards the tent behind him and said:
"Eunuch Liang, can we talk inside?"
Eunuch Liang nodded and said to the guards:
"Just wait here!"
After that, he called Ye Qiongying and the others:
"You come in together. This matter is also related to you."
Pang Li and the other three looked at Ye Qiongying and the other three, but did not move to stop them.
Several people followed into the tent and stood together.
"Eunuch Liang, His Majesty's edict said that this country of Xili...did you meet someone from Xili last time?"
Eunuch Liang nodded and said:
"Yes, that's what we encountered when we were escorting Du Ming to Pingwu City last time."
He explained the situation at that time. Perhaps he was worried that Ye Qiongying and the others had not seen the contents of the imperial edict and could not understand the situation, so he deliberately explained it in detail:
"Your Majesty has already sent people to investigate this matter. Those people are indeed from Xili Country. The reason why we have delayed for so long is to wait for the spies to send back a message and get definite evidence.
More than four years ago, the ruler of Xili sent envoys to Daqi to offer tribute, but no one noticed at the time. They took a detour on their return journey and stopped by Dongchen on the way.
More than a year later, Dongchen...
After the incident three years ago, in the past few years, although there has been no open trade contact between Dongchen and Xili in the bordering areas, the exchanges have actually been very close.
The group of Xili people who assassinated the team last time had a soldier from Dongchen country mixed in. They took the same route that Xili took when they offered their tribute.
His Majesty's intention now is to ask General Pang to immediately organize the army and strengthen defenses.
If possible, we should take the initiative to take action before the two countries react, keep the battlefield outside the country, and avoid the suffering of the people in Pingwu City."
The generals all looked unhappy at this time.
On the one hand, I was angry about the conspiracy of those two countries, and on the other hand, I felt a little ashamed.
They were stationed in Pingwu City, but they did not find out the truth about these things. Instead, His Majesty, who was far away in the capital, sent people to verify the news. How could they remain calm?
Uncle Ye also stepped forward at this time and said:
"In addition to the last attack, I have another matter to report. Du Ming, who was supposed to be in Cunjin Mountain, has disappeared."
"What?!" Pang Li and his companions shouted in unison.
Pang Li and his men may not remember the exiled prisoners.
But how could they not know Prime Minister Du Ming?
What’s more, we just mentioned the accident that occurred on the way to escort Du Ming, and now we heard that Du Ming himself is missing?
"How is this possible?" Pang Li frowned and asked, "Where did you get this information? There is a special team stationed on Cunjin Mountain, responsible for guarding the exiled prisoners. Even if Du Ming was once so powerful that he could get rid of those powerful people, he is just an old man with no power. How could he escape from under the eyes of those soldiers?"
"He didn't escape from under our noses, but slipped away from under our feet." Uncle Ye told the story about the secret passage between Cunjin Mountain and Xiaowa Village, including the substitute of Du Ming left on Cunjin Mountain.
After finishing speaking, he took the initiative to admit his mistake:
"I sent people to investigate these on my own initiative. If they violated military rules, you generals can punish them. But the authenticity of this information is absolutely reliable. I can guarantee it with my life!"
Ye Jingan, Pang Li and the others actually recognized him.
He has always been reliable in his work.
But Ye Jing'an took all the blame on himself at this time. How could Pang Li and others not know that without the master's order, how could he, a former steward of the Ye Mansion, act on his own?
Pang Li originally wanted to question Ye Qiongying, asking why she didn't mention it to them if she had noticed something, but instead went to investigate it herself.
But when he thought about the situation in Pingwu City and the attitude of his people towards Ye Qiongying, he could only sigh. He knew the answer without asking.
Ye Qiongying lost her father and brother. Three years made her realize that her only option was to come to Pingwu City and join the army.
However, after arriving in Pingwu City, she found that the Pingwu Army was no longer the Ye Family Army. Even the deputy general left by her father found it hard to believe, and several generals did not treat her closely. Even the position of the centurion granted by His Majesty's imperial edict was stripped away.
In this situation, if they were Ye Qiongying, it would be impossible for them not to think too much.
Of course, such crucial information cannot be simply said out loud, so as not to attract criticism or... alert the enemy.
"I will send people to seal off Xiaowa Village and Cunjin Mountain!" Pang Li had been a general for many years after all, and he reacted immediately, "There is something fishy about these two places! Maybe Du Ming is still hiding in Xiaowa Village. Even if he is not there, there must be someone there!"