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Kapitel 36

Junyu stared blankly at the cloud of dust that was billowing high for a long time, then turned around and "Little Handsome" took off, slowly heading towards Xining Prefecture.

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Chapter 109: A Passionate Dream Chaser

By mid-May, the imperial grain and provisions had begun to arrive.

On this day, the army was receiving the last batch of provisions when the supervising officer in charge of the transport delivered an imperial edict: the court had ordered the mobilization of 50,000 troops from the Northeast, all to be placed under the command of the Northwest Army Commander, and demanded that they take down Zhen Temur's main force as soon as possible to completely eliminate the threat on the northern border.

Junyu was overjoyed. The 50,000 troops were mostly Meng Yuanjing's old subordinates and a part of the Phoenix Army, with the rest being the best of the Northeast Army, their combat effectiveness long proven. With the arrival of these 50,000 troops, the Northwest Army could now be considered well-trained and well-supplied. As long as the tactics were appropriate, there was no need to worry about not being able to accomplish great things.

Currently, Zhou Yida's forces have penetrated deep into the grasslands and are engaged in a protracted war of attrition with the Chijin tribe's army, while Lin Baoshan, Lu Ling, and others have led their troops to replenish supplies. In the early stages of the war, although both sides have suffered losses, Zhenmutier has not yet suffered a decisive blow, and his accumulated strength is still quite formidable. Completely annihilating his tens of thousands of extremely fierce elite troops will not be an easy task.

Junyu immediately summoned all the generals and officers in the army to discuss the subsequent tactical arrangements and deployments in detail, and to come up with a complete battle plan as soon as possible.

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"Yu'er".

As night fell, Zhu Yu pushed open the door to the study and was about to close it when she saw her father already standing at the door.

Prime Minister Zhu glanced at his son and slowly walked in.

The large study appeared quite empty. Looking around, Prime Minister Zhu noticed that the paintings of beautiful women that once filled the walls of the innermost half of the study were gone. A bed had been placed in that empty space.

Prime Minister Zhu glanced at the messy documents and books on the desk and said, "You've completely turned the study into your bedroom? You just got home, why didn't you go see the princess? It's fine if you don't go to see her, but why won't you let her come to see you? Where did all your attentiveness to her go these past few days?"

Zhu Yu said indifferently, "I'm tired of it. You know I don't have much patience for women."

"I'm afraid the supplies have already been delivered to the Northwest Army, and the Prince of Heyang is no longer of any use to me?"

"It doesn't matter to me what the reason is."

"In order to raise the first batch of provisions for the Northwest Army, you not only used my connections in Chang'an without my permission, but also the power of the Prince of Heyang in Luoyang. You even used your own wife? What is your purpose?"

"I have never thought that my wife is any different from other women."

"How far do you want to go before you give up? You've already sent the supplies, but what about Junyu? Will she start to look at you differently because of this?"

Zhu Yu chuckled lazily: "You probably know that I did this not because of her. The tyrannical emperor's suspicion of you grows stronger every day. This time, the Minister of War was made a scapegoat, but what about next time?"

Prime Minister Zhu paused for a moment: "What is the situation in the Northwest army?"

“Junyu is incorruptible, lives and eats like an ordinary soldier, has neither sought official positions nor formed cliques for personal gain. She is simply impeccable. I think you don’t need to waste your time anymore. With Junyu’s prestige in the army, I think no matter who you ask, they cannot sway her. Lin Baoshan is the best example.”

"Is Jun Yuzhen really that invincible? How did she overcome the difficulties before the supplies arrived? How did she manage to survive such a desperate situation?"

"That's because she has repeatedly helped the Holy Palace, and people have taken the initiative to help her."

Prime Minister Zhu sneered, "I'm afraid that it's that thing, Bokdo, who has ulterior motives."

"Qin Xiaolou was also involved in this matter. Qin Xiaolou is the resident minister, representing the imperial court. No matter how much effort he put in, he is a legitimate scapegoat. How can you impeach him?"

Zhu Yu looked at his father and said, "Instead of wasting time on Junyu, you should focus on dealing with your real political enemies. Perhaps I can help you then."

Prime Minister Zhu said, "I hope you are telling the truth."

"What else can I do if I don't tell the truth? Am I just supposed to wait and watch the Zhu family perish?!"

Prime Minister Zhu nodded with some relief: "With your help, my burden has been greatly reduced."

As Prime Minister Zhu rose to leave, he glanced at his son several times and asked, "Yu'er, where is your jade pendant?"

"Oh, I accidentally dropped it on the way."

"How could it have fallen? This is a pair of jade pendants that are heirlooms of the Zhu family. You and your elder brother each have one. Since there was only one pair, your younger brother didn't have one either. How could you be so careless?"

Zhu Yu said calmly, "The jade pendant is inanimate, but the person is alive. Why not just find another one?!"

Prime Minister Zhu did not press the matter further and walked out.

Zhu Yu closed the door and sat quietly at her desk.

After a long while, he took out a piece of paper from his pocket and spread it out on the table. Under the bright light, several lines of vigorous small regular script were written on the paper:

The past is gone, the affairs of the world are over, I ride my horse to observe the Western Rong, eating wild vegetables and millet, hoping to achieve my goal.

During the Jin Dynasty, General Zhou Chu led 5,000 soldiers to fight against an enemy army of 70,000, despite running out of supplies. From dawn till dusk, they killed tens of thousands of enemies, but ultimately, running out of arrows and food, their entire army was wiped out. In grief and indignation, Zhou Chu composed this poem and fought to the death.

This note was secretly taken from Junyu's desk by Zhu Yu when he left the jade pendant. The vigorous and elegant small regular script, with each character penetrating, clearly showed that Junyu had already prepared to die on the battlefield in the face of plague in the army, shortage of food and supplies, and siege by the Red Gold Clan army.

He stared at the slip of paper, and slowly, the words on it transformed into identical, dazzling faces. And these faces, it seemed, were always ready to die. In the brutality of war, nothing is impossible, especially with her pioneering spirit.

What would happen if this face really disappeared from this world? He suddenly felt a pang in his heart.

He looked at his right hand again, where there were several deep bloodstains on his palm. These were from when the jade was broken, when a shard of jade broke his palm.

Every wound is etched in his heart. Like a fervent dreamer, he desperately chases after a cloud on the horizon, only to find with each step closer that he is just one step closer to the shattering of his illusion.

"No, I will never be your friend." It felt like a huge, desperate stone was pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe and driving him to the brink of madness.

Zhu Yu slammed his palm heavily on the desk, and a corner of the thick desk was immediately chipped off.

………………

The morning court session took place in the Golden Palace.

"Former Minister of War Zhang Qi has been dismissed from his post for serious dereliction of duty due to his failure to investigate the stolen military funds... General Meng Yuanjing of Fujian has returned victorious from the campaign to eliminate Japanese pirates in Fujian. He is hereby promoted to Minister of War in recognition of his merits..."

Meng Yuanjing accepted the imperial decree and loudly expressed his gratitude.

The court was filled with congratulations, and the emperor was also very pleased.

"Your Majesty, there is another memorial here that needs to be processed."

The emperor took the memorial, unfolded it, and suddenly his expression changed drastically. After a long while, he raised his head and looked at the court: "Who submitted this secret memorial?"

A cabinet minister said, "Your Majesty, this secret memorial has been passed through many hands to the cabinet. We have carefully considered it but find it difficult to decide. We have no choice but to leave it to Your Majesty for judgment. In order to prevent rumors from spreading inside and outside the court, we hope Your Majesty will make a wise decision."

The ministers looked at each other, none of them knowing what had happened.

The emperor sneered: "This is strange. Someone actually secretly reported that Junyu, the commander of the Northwest Army, is a woman. They said that Junyu is the daughter of Lanxisi, a female swordsman who was famous in the martial arts world more than 20 years ago."

The audience erupted in an uproar.

Zhu Yu glanced at his father casually and saw that Prime Minister Zhu looked perfectly normal, pretending to know nothing at all.

Meng Yuanjing, who had been beaming with joy, suddenly felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head. It took him a while to come to his senses before he stepped forward and said, "Who is spreading such rumors? Junyu is my childhood friend, and he is undoubtedly a man."

Another minister stepped forward: "In my opinion, this Marshal Jun is indeed very suspicious. Many of you in the hall have seen him, haven't you? What man looks like that? Not to mention men, how many of you have ever seen a woman with such a face?"

Meng Yuanjing said loudly, "Handsome men like Song Yu and Pan An have existed since ancient times. What's so strange about that?"

Seeing that everyone was arguing endlessly and having no idea what to do, the emperor suddenly looked at Zhu Yu and said, "Minister Zhu, you have also known Marshal Jun for many years, what do you have to say?"

Zhu Yu laughed: "Your Majesty, have you ever seen a woman commanding tens of thousands of troops and winning every battle? We have known Jun Yu since childhood, and we know her identity. It is probably because Marshal Jun has made great achievements in battle that she has aroused jealousy, hence this rumor."

One minister said, "Marshal Jun's identity is indeed highly suspicious. When he was in charge of Fengcheng, all the credit, big and small, went to Peng Dong. If he were a man, who would be willing to give up such great achievements to someone else? I'm afraid he had no choice but to do so because of his position."

Another minister stepped forward: "That secret report doesn't seem entirely unfounded. Marshal Jun is a young hero with such illustrious achievements, yet he has never married or had children. Isn't that strange?"

"This is ridiculous! Does Marshal Jun's refusal to marry and have children become a major crime?" Wang Jun, the imperial bodyguard, was furious. He had always admired Jun Yu and had recommended him to the emperor. Now, seeing Jun Yu suffering such slander and impeachment in the court while fighting hard in the northwest, he was filled with indignation. He stepped forward and knelt down: "Your Majesty, please allow me to say a few words."

The emperor nodded.

"Huo Qubing of the Han Dynasty famously declared, 'How can I have a home when the Xiongnu are not yet destroyed?' Although Marshal Jun is only in his early twenties, he has fought for many years, pacifying the northeastern and northwestern borders with numerous victories and an undefeated record, making him no less formidable than Huo Qubing. Last year, shortly after joining the Northwest Army, he achieved three major victories at Yeniugou and Yushu Town, nearly annihilating half of the main force of the Chijin tribe, leaving them utterly routed. It was this deterrent power that prevented the Chijin army from making any rash moves when the Northwest Army faced a major plague and food shortages. Now, at this crucial juncture in the decisive battle against the Chijin tribe, such rumors are circulating. Is this an attempt to destroy our own Great Wall?"

The hall fell silent, and no one stepped forward to argue.

The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "Now is a critical time for the two armies to fight. This secret report is obviously malicious. Marshal Jun's identity is beyond question. This matter should be dropped. No one is allowed to speak or make any irresponsible remarks. Anyone who violates this rule will be severely punished."

The court officials accepted the order and left the court.

Meng Yuanjing caught up with Zhu Yu outside the palace gate.

Zhu Yu glanced at him: "Minister Meng, congratulations on your promotion. Why all this rush? Are you planning a celebration?"

"Zhu Yu, what exactly happened today?"

Zhu Yu suddenly laughed, her eyes filled with undisguised sarcasm: "Meng Yuanjing, you and Junyu have been on the same side since childhood, how come you don't even know if she's a man or a woman?"

"Zhu Yu, what exactly do you know?"

Zhu Yu looked at his blank expression and suddenly felt a little sorry for him. However, this feeling of sympathy quickly turned into a more sarcastic remark: "Aren't you her best friend? How would I know if you don't even know?"

Meng Yuanjing glared at him, then, realizing he wouldn't get anything out of him, turned and left.

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Chapter 110: Identity Exposed (1)

In the imperial study, the emperor carefully reviewed the memorial again before asking, "Wang Jun, what is your view on today's events?"

Wang Jun said, "Could it be that His Majesty truly has some doubts?"

"The contents of this memorial do not seem to be entirely unfounded."

"Your Majesty, Mr. and Mrs. Lancisi have been dead for many years. The person who made the secret report was obviously sure that there was no way to verify it, so he made a baseless accusation."

"People often describe a woman's appearance as being as beautiful as a celestial being. When I first saw Junyu, I was truly as shocked as if I had seen a god. I thought to myself, if there really are gods in heaven, they are probably no more than this. However, Junyu's demeanor, speech and behavior are also first-rate among men, and it is definitely not something a woman can imitate, so I have never dared to doubt her."

Wang Jun's expression was somewhat agitated: "Marshal Jun is the person I admire most in my life. Even if I haven't known him for long and don't know his past, wouldn't Meng Yuanjing, Qin Xiaolou, Sun Jia, and other people who were his classmates and friends for many years not know his identity? Moreover, Zhu Yu has also strongly testified that he is a man. Zhu Yu has no reason to help him, right?"

"That's true." The Emperor nodded. "Junyu has fought his way from the Northeast to the Northwest, commanding widespread support across the entire northern border. In just a few years, his prestige and military achievements have surpassed those of any other general in our dynasty. I know this is no feat achieved by a woman alone. Throughout history, many generals have risen to great heights, becoming powerful figures who then turned against their rulers, leading to frequent mutinies and rebellions. It is precisely because Junyu has never sought any reward or recognition for his family, and has even willingly relinquished all his past military achievements to others, that I feel comfortable entrusting him with the command of the entire northern army. Now, it's best to let this matter rest. Although he himself is not fond of wealth, when he returns victorious, I will still bestow upon him generous mansions, fertile land, gold, silver, and beautiful women, ensuring that this meritorious official is not mistreated."

Wang Junxi said, "Your Majesty is wise; this is excellent."

The Ministry of Personnel.

Meng Yuanjing returned home dejectedly. As soon as he entered the house, he saw a large group of strangers coming and going, creating quite a lively scene.

Inside the newly bestowed mansion, he saw his mother greeting a large group of female colleagues who had come to offer their congratulations. Meng Yuanjing had no interest in entertaining these women and returned to his room, where he sat quietly.

A moment later, Meng's mother walked in happily, followed by two maids, each carrying a large pile of scrolls.

After the maids unfurled the scrolls one by one, Meng's mother smiled and pulled her son over: "Look, this is Lord Zhang's daughter... that's Lord Wang's daughter... and this most beautiful one is..."

She suddenly noticed her son's sullen expression, stopped, and asked, "Yuanjing, what's wrong? What's making you unhappy?"

Meng Yuanjing shook his head and forced a smile, saying, "It's nothing."