After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

Chapter 229 Turning against others

The main male members of the Xie Huo family were all sentenced to death. The next day, they were escorted by yamen runners through the streets to the execution ground. During the procession, some members of the Xie Huo family regretted their actions and cried out to the prefect to spare their lives. They knew they were wrong and would never dare to do it again.

But there is no regret medicine in the world.

Unlike others who were shocked by the sudden downfall of the Xie and Huo families, Gu Lin remembered what the young military supervisor had told him before, that he would take action to clean up the Xie and Huo families. Therefore, Gu Lin was not surprised when they were in trouble.

Gu Lin did not personally go to the scene to witness their deaths, but the Xie and Huo families held extraordinary positions in Youzhou Prefecture. Whenever something happened to them, everyone would discuss it, and Gu Lin always managed to get the latest news.

In the inns, the people whispered among themselves, marveling, "The prefect is really something. He's only been in office for a year, and he's already dealt with the Xie and Huo families."

A small merchant who knew a little about the inside story said, "Originally, the prefect probably didn't intend to deal with the Xie and Huo families. Making enemies with them would bring more trouble than benefits."

Who would have thought that the prefect wouldn't provoke them, yet they would provoke him? They've bitten off more than they can chew, thinking that Prefect Zheng would be like the previous prefects, completely at their mercy.

The small businessman shook his head as he spoke.

Some people who were unclear about the relationship asked, "What grudge do they have against Lord Zheng that led to their homes being confiscated?"

Seeing the pity on the other man's face, the small merchant sneered, "If you ask me, Lord Zheng was too lenient with them. They poisoned the water carts he pushed out, causing many villagers to be poisoned in their drinking water. If it weren't for Lord Zheng's timely response, he would have lost his official position long ago. If it were me, I would have already... Hmph!"

Hearing the discussions among the guests below, he did not simply blame the young prefect.

Sitting in the private room, Gu Lin couldn't help but think of Zheng Hao's punishment of the children and women of the Xie and Huo families. He had thought that the other party would exile them to a remote and desolate place thousands of miles away and let them fend for themselves. He didn't expect that the other party would leave these people in front of him to cultivate the wasteland of Youzhou Prefecture.

Gu Lin felt no sympathy or pity for the plight of the Xie and Huo families' women and children. Although they did not directly harm anyone, it could not conceal the fact that they were exploiting the people to live a life of luxury.

In Gu Lin's view, Zheng Hao's execution of them was already more than merciful.

The reason why the young prefect was able to execute the Xie and Huo families so smoothly without anyone intervening was threefold: firstly, he was gradually gaining control of Youzhou Prefecture; secondly, he held the Zhenbei Army in his hands; and thirdly, and most importantly, the reason why the Youzhou Prefecture officials who were on good terms with the Xie and Huo families could only watch him take action against them without daring to help was that the major backers of the Xie and Huo families had either died in the struggle for the throne or had been purged by the Crown Prince for siding with the Third Prince's faction.

After executing Xie Huo and other members of the family, their treasury was seized, resulting in an unprecedented increase in the finances of Youzhou Prefecture, which also benefited the Zhenbei Army.

The young military supervisor was not stingy and had Tian Kang lead the troops to transport the money and grain back to the military camp.

During the recent house raids, Tian Kang was present the whole time, but he didn't pay much attention to the Xie and Huo families' storehouses. Now, seeing the money and grain that the young military supervisor had distributed to them, he realized that it was enough for the Zhenbei Army to live on for a year.

Tian Kang's tiger-like eyes widened in disbelief as he exclaimed, "No wonder some emperors of the previous dynasty liked to confiscate the property of their officials. One confiscation of property was enough to supply the Zhenbei Army with three years' worth of provisions."

"I don't know why the Marquis, who is also of noble birth, is not as wealthy as these other families."

Listening to Tian Kang's rambling, the young military supervisor glanced at him without saying a word, but Tian Kang seemed to see a warning in his eyes and immediately stopped talking.

He looked around and saw that the people coming and going were all from the Zhenbei Army. Although there were no outsiders, it was indeed not appropriate to say such things outside that could get him killed.

Seeing that he stopped talking, Zheng Hao withdrew his gaze and focused his attention on the armor and weapons confiscated from the Xie and Huo families in the inventory list. There weren't many, only about a hundred sets of armor from each family, but Zheng Hao could convict them based on these hundred sets of armor and weapons alone.

In the Great Qian Dynasty, anyone who privately possessed more than twenty sets of armor was guilty of a capital offense. Since these armors had been officially discovered, Zheng Hao could not keep them.

He said to Tian Kang, "These armors are not suitable for the Zhenbei Army, so distribute them to the militia."

The Zhenbei Army has its own special armor, and Tian Kang didn't care about the hundred or so sets of armor in front of him, so he nodded and agreed directly.

Zheng Hao instructed Da Zhuo to distribute the armor.

Beijing.

After the Marquis of Zhenbei left the capital, the Crown Prince and the General of Jin'an Prefecture continued to settle scores with the rebels. However, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Compared with these criminals who would be sentenced to death sooner or later, the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne was more important.

Two days later, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau observed the celestial phenomena at night and calculated an auspicious day for the coronation. With the advice of the court officials, the Crown Prince quickly went through the ceremony of three invitations and two refusals, and ascended the throne in his imperial robes. He then changed the era name from Jian'an to Qianyuan.

Seeing that the crown prince had finally ascended the throne smoothly, the court officials finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The new emperor also breathed a sigh of relief; he had almost missed out on the throne.

Thinking of this, the new emperor lowered his head and looked down at the court officials below. His gaze swept over the military generals, including the Minister of War, and then, after what seemed like a long deliberation, he spoke: "I have not failed the expectations and cultivation of the late emperor and have been able to ascend the throne smoothly. It is thanks to the loyalty of the Marquis of Zhenbei and the General of Jin'an Prefecture that I could not bear to see the Great Qian fall into the hands of a rebel king and cause the people to suffer."

The courtiers bowed their heads and exclaimed, "Your Majesty is the chosen one of Heaven!"

Seeing the reactions of the civil and military officials, a cold smile flashed across the new emperor's eyes. Not all the court officials below belonged to the Crown Prince's faction. Just as when the Third Prince controlled the capital, he dared not take action against the powerful families affiliated with the Crown Prince. The new emperor had just ascended the throne and his foundation was not stable, so he dared not risk a direct confrontation with these powerful families.

He continued, “Without the Marquis of Zhenbei’s generous assistance, I would not have been able to return to the capital and ascend the throne. The Marquis of Zhenbei is a great general who protects the country and a loyal minister of the Great Qian Dynasty. Over the years, he has worked hard and made great contributions to the Great Qian Dynasty by guarding the border and resisting foreign enemies. I intend to confer upon the Marquis of Zhenbei the title of Duke of Zhenguo.”

The ranks of duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron are ranked below duke and prince. However, the titles of prince and prince have always been reserved for princes and grandsons of the emperor, and they are given the title of "guardian of the country," which carries more weight and significance than "guardian of the north."

Immediately, a courtier stepped forward and shouted, "Your Majesty, you must not!"

"The Marquis of Zhenbei already commands hundreds of thousands of troops. People in the border regions only know the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Zhenbei Army, but not the capital or His Majesty. If the Marquis of Zhenbei is further granted additional titles, it could lead to endless troubles!"

Not only this courtier opposed it, but the new emperor looked around and found that more than half of the civil and military officials in the court opposed his bestowal of the title of Marquis of Zhenbei.

The two sides reached a stalemate. The new emperor was not as shrewd as the Jian'an Emperor, who was able to engage in a back-and-forth struggle with the court officials to achieve his own goals. In the end, faced with his ministers who refused to give in, the new emperor had no choice but to adjourn the court.

Upon arriving at the imperial study, the new emperor was furious. The general of Jin'an Prefecture followed him into the imperial study.

The new emperor turned to look at him, displeased: "I see that the ministers in the court do not respect me at all. When I want to reward the meritorious officials, they can come up with a thousand reasons to oppose it."

"It's truly laughable. If the Marquis of Zhenbei isn't a loyal subject of the Great Qian Dynasty, then who is he? When the rebel king held the capital and no region dared to send troops to assist me, only the Marquis of Zhenbei received the secret letter and rushed over overnight to help me retake the capital."

Facing the angry new emperor, the general of Jin'an Prefecture sighed and said, "The court officials are advising His Majesty for his own good."

The new emperor looked at him without speaking, but his gaze seemed to say: There's no need to speak well of those people anymore.

The commander-in-chief of Jin'an Prefecture spoke up: "Does Your Majesty believe that the Marquis of Zhenbei is utterly loyal to the Great Qian Dynasty?"

The new emperor nodded slightly. If the other party truly harbored rebellious intentions, they would have already reaped the benefits while he and the rebel king were vying for the throne.

The General of Jin'an Prefecture said, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Zhenbei is loyal to the Great Qian Dynasty, but not to Your Majesty. He is a loyal subject of the Great Qian Dynasty, not Your Majesty."

The identity of a loyal minister is crucial; who he is loyal to is paramount. If the Marquis of Zhenbei is loyal to the emperor himself, he will be regarded as a pillar of the state and trusted by the emperor implicitly.

If the other party is loyal to the Great Qian Dynasty, it means that no matter who sits on the throne, the other party will be loyal.

The new emperor immediately understood what the other party meant: there were too many uncertainties surrounding the Marquis of Zhenbei.

It was at this moment that the new emperor recalled the scene when he had spent time with the Marquis of Zhenbei some time ago. The other party did not seem to treat him with the same respect and fear as other ministers.

The new emperor thought about it more and more and felt that the general of Jin'an Prefecture made sense. The main branch of the royal family was declining, but the collateral branches were flourishing. If the Marquis of Zhenbei really had rebellious intentions one day, he could simply choose a well-behaved child from the collateral branches, establish him as the new emperor, and then slowly plot against him.

After thinking it through, the new emperor became wary of the Marquis of Zhenbei. He frowned and said, "That may be true, but it is an undeniable fact that he helped me reclaim the capital and ascend the throne. If I do not reward him, I am afraid it will discourage loyal ministers."

Regardless of whether the Marquis of Zhenbei was loyal to him, given everything the other party had done, if he did not show any appreciation, which capable minister or extraordinary person would be willing to serve him?

The commander-in-chief of Jin'an Prefecture suggested, "Your Majesty, why not bestow upon the title of Marquis of Zhenbei the position of Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince?"

Since the reign of Emperor Jian'an, the position of Grand Tutor had always been held by the maternal grandfather of the Crown Prince. After the new emperor ascended the throne, he did not change this and still appointed his own maternal grandfather as Grand Tutor.

As for the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor, the position had been vacant for a long time because the Crown Prince had studied under the Grand Tutor since childhood.

After a moment's thought, the new emperor was quite satisfied with the suggestion from the General of Jin'an Prefecture. The position of Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince was prestigious and respected, but lacked real power, making it very suitable to bestow upon him the title of Marquis of Zhenbei.

The new emperor, with a flourish of his pen, wrote an imperial edict ordering that it be delivered as quickly as possible to bestow rewards upon those who had rendered meritorious service, so as not to let the world and his courtiers feel that he had mistreated his meritorious officials.

Youzhou Prefecture was located on the border of the Great Qian Dynasty, and they only learned of the news half a month after the new emperor ascended the throne.

Immediately afterwards, the rewards sent by the new emperor arrived at the Zhenbei Army camp.

Zheng Hao happened to be discussing matters with the Marquis of Zhenbei when he heard a report from his personal guard. He and the other man went out of the tent to receive the imperial edict.

The person who came to deliver the imperial decree was the adopted son of the eunuch who served the new emperor closely. As soon as he saw the Marquis of Zhenbei, he stepped forward with a smile and bowed, his voice high-pitched but not unpleasant: "This servant greets Your Excellency!"

Marquis of Zhenbei: "Please rise, Your Excellency."

The eunuch rose, and the Marquis of Zhenbei asked, "May I ask how you should be addressed, sir?"

He hadn't expected the Marquis of Zhenbei, who commanded the army, to be so polite to him, much more sincere than the courtiers in the capital who wanted to build a good relationship with him but looked down on him for being a eunuch.

"My surname is Su and my given name is Su Sanbao. You can just call me by my name, Lord Marquis."

Marquis Zhenbei: "Eunuch Su has been traveling for many days and must be exhausted. I will have someone take you down to rest first."

Su Sanbao shook his head and said with a smile, "Serving the emperor is not tiring at all. Your Excellency is a meritorious official, and His Majesty is very grateful. He specially ordered me to send you this reward."

"Your Excellency, please accept the imperial decree first."

As Su Sanbao spoke, he took the bright yellow imperial edict from the tray held by the little eunuch behind him.

The Marquis of Zhenbei led his generals and soldiers to kneel down.

With a change from his previous smile, Su Sanbao unfolded the imperial edict, his expression solemn, and his voice slightly deeper: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:

I believe that the stability of the nation depends on its pillars of state, and the restoration of the world relies on loyal and virtuous officials. Marquis Rongzhi of Zhenbei has been loyal and upright for generations, and his merits are recorded in ancient steles. At a time when rebellious princes were causing chaos, you personally led your mighty army to recapture the capital and pacify the world. Your loyalty is as bright as the sun and moon, and your courage surpasses that of the three armies. You are truly a founding father of the nation and a pillar of strength in suppressing the chaos.

Now, I, Tejin'er, am appointed Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, with the rank of Second Grade. I am hereby granted:

First, the Emperor bestowed upon him one thousand taels of gold from the Imperial Treasury to recognize his outstanding achievements.

Second, by imperial decree, a Longyuan sword was forged, with the inscription "Pillar of the Nation" engraved on it.

3. Two Ferghana horses.

You shall forever remain loyal and steadfast, guarding the northern frontier, bringing peace to the people, and protecting the nation. If you can ensure that the beacon fires are extinguished and the barbarian horses flee far away, then I and you may share the blessings of peace.

The announcement was made at home and abroad, and the envoys heard about it.

"

After the imperial decree was read, Su Sanbao put on a smile: "Congratulations, Lord Marquis! Congratulations on your promotion to Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince."

Despite Su Sanbao's congratulations, the Marquis of Zhenbei did not become complacent. He expressed his gratitude for the Emperor's favor while remaining humble and polite to Su Sanbao. He then mentioned that he had prepared a welcoming banquet and would host a feast for Su Sanbao that evening.

Su Sanbao said that the Marquis was too kind, but his smile became even brighter.

In fact, the Marquis of Zhenbei disliked the officialdom's practice of holding banquets and entertaining guests, where every matter had to involve a round of drinks. However, Su Sanbao's status was different; he was sent by the new emperor and represented the emperor's face. If he accepted the imperial decree without any response and simply ignored Su Sanbao, rumors would likely circulate that he was dissatisfied with the new emperor's bestowal of honors once Su Sanbao returned to the capital.

That evening, at the welcoming banquet, not only did the Marquis of Zhenbei and the military generals attend, but Zheng Hao, as the supervising officer, could not be absent either. After a round of drinks, before the city gates were locked, Zheng Hao rode a fast horse into the city.

Fearing that his strong smell of alcohol would offend the young men upon returning home, Zheng Hao did not go directly to the backyard. Instead, he went to the front yard first, took a bath, changed into new clothes, and made sure he was free of the smell of alcohol before heading to the backyard.

Although it was pitch black at night, Gu Lin's courtyard was still brightly lit. The servants outside saw several figures walking towards them from afar. When the young prefect approached, they quickly bowed and greeted him. The people guarding outside lifted the curtain to let him in.

"hiss--"

Just as he stepped into the room, a cry of pain came from behind the screen. Zheng Hao paused, looking up at the two figures reflected in the screen.

Immediately afterwards, the young man's voice rang out again, seemingly both restrained and pleased: "It's alright, you need to have some strength, otherwise you'll feel so light and weak that you won't be able to feel anything."

After he finished speaking, the young man did not hear the young man speak again, but the room was silent, and the young man's heavy and light breathing reached his ears.

Zheng Hao approached, his dark eyes fixed on the two figures, one tall and one short, behind the screen. He suddenly asked, "Is Uncle Gu alright? Should I call someone in?"

Suddenly, the sounds of flesh rubbing together and panting inside the screen stopped abruptly.

Gu Lin stared wide-eyed, his bare back exposed to the cold wind, but he dared not turn around.

Outside the screen, the young military supervisor spoke again, his voice low: "Uncle Gu, may I come in?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Lin felt a chill run down his spine, worried that the other party might actually come at him. Just as he was about to speak, he felt a light pat on his back, and instantly, he lost the strength to speak.

Seeing that the person inside did not turn around, Zheng Hao turned to look at another figure. The next moment, Zheng Hao was about to go around the screen to go in, but bumped into Zhao's wife who came out.

Zhao's wife remained silent with a somber expression as she looked at the young man who had come to Gu Lin's room at night.

Zheng Hao remained calm, staring into Zhao's fiery eyes, and called out without batting an eye, "Auntie."