She was the one who actually went out to buy things for Chu Yun's wedding, but instead of wedding gifts, she bought dowry items for Yu Xiangxiang.
Unexpectedly, on the way, he saw groups of soldiers coming and going, which was quite different from usual. He asked the servant accompanying the carriage and found out the news. He then turned back to report the news and forgot about the shops.
Of the four people present, only Chu Pei had never met Wang Hongbo before. Wu Xia, Wu Shuang, and Chu Wan were all extremely concerned about him.
Do you know how Brother Bo is doing?
"Is Brother Bo injured?"
"Is Hongbo alright?"
The three of them asked almost in unison.
Wu Hui shook her head: "I don't know either. I came back to report as soon as I got the news. I also asked the nanny who follows me to go to my aunt to see if she could inform my uncle and my older brother..."
She was flustered and incoherent, and also felt a little wronged: "Why didn't you ask me if something happened to my brother?"
The youngest, Chu Wan, said in a serious tone, "Brother-in-law Sheng is only in charge of supervising the manufacture of firearms, but Brother Bo has to go down to the field and command the soldiers!"
Despite saying that, how could she not be worried about Junheng at all?
Everyone was filled with anxiety and waited until evening before Wang Hongbo and Jun Heng returned to the mansion one after the other.
Just as the girls had predicted, Junheng was completely unharmed.
Wang Hongbo's right arm was wrapped in gauze, and his face was extremely pale due to blood loss.
Yang busied herself running around, making arrangements. Fearing the large number of wounded soldiers and the perfunctory medical staff, she called in another doctor. She also ordered the kitchen to prepare a blood-nourishing stew for Wang Hongbo.
It wasn't until the doctor arrived and re-applied the medicine and bandaged the wound that everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They saw that although the wound was still bleeding, it was just a scratch from gunpowder and there was nothing seriously wrong.
Junheng took a moment to recount what had happened that day.
The firearms battalion conducts drills once a month, and Emperor Deqing personally attends each time, and today is no exception.
There are two main types of drills: one is shooting at targets in formation, and the other is soldiers attacking each other in pairs.
The former type, in order to demonstrate the power of the musket, naturally required gunpowder bullets, but the latter type always used ink bullets that were harmless.
Since it is a weapon that can cause injury, the firearms battalion is very strict with it, and there had never been any problems before.
For some reason, when people were fighting in pairs today, many of their muskets were loaded with real copper bullets.
Inevitably, there were many dead and injured, which was terrifying.
Emperor Deqing was furious on the spot and dismissed the eldest prince, who was in charge of the firearms battalion, and replaced him with the fifth prince, Chu Yun, who was accompanying him that day.
Everyone couldn't help but sigh.
Earlier, the eldest prince was ordered to take charge of the firearms battalion and was highly valued by the emperor, enjoying great prestige. Some court officials even petitioned Emperor Deqing to make the eldest prince the crown prince.
Although the emperor did not give his approval, he did not say anything against it either. Everyone felt that the matter of establishing an heir was of great importance and required careful consideration before a decision could be made.
As for the outcome of the considerations, there were no particularly outstanding figures among the princes. The principle of primogeniture dictates that the eldest son should be chosen, and the eldest prince rightfully holds that position. Barring any major mistakes, it seems highly likely that he will be chosen.
Regardless of the cause of today's events, the eldest prince, as the leader, is undoubtedly responsible.
The emperor would surely take note of this, and the position of crown prince would likely be out of his reach.
As for the Fifth Prince Chu Yun, because his birth mother was of low status, he was originally the most inconspicuous person. Unexpectedly, after taking over the Firearms Battalion, he thoroughly investigated the malpractices and rectified the atmosphere. He seemed to have some thunderous methods, which made the entire Firearms Battalion look brand new.
The emperor praised it, and everyone commended it.
When some gossipy courtiers mentioned it in private, they even gave him the nickname "Little Chu Yao."
That's not all. It just so happens that Chu Yun is marrying the daughter of Grand Secretary Yu. On the day of their wedding, even the emperor personally came to the Prince's Mansion to offer his congratulations and drink the wedding wine.
For a time, they were incredibly popular and the envy of many.
Chapter 140 | Table of Contents
Chapter 140
After Chu Yun's marriage, the Winter Solstice passed quickly, followed by a long holiday for the imperial court. (Read the latest chapters at www.QiuSHU.cc)
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Emperor Deqing looked up from the mountain of memorials, and as if remembering something, muttered to himself, "Everyone has taken a break, why am I working so hard?"
The female official, who was best at reading the emperor's expressions, immediately served tea.
The finest Wuyi Da Hong Pao tea, this year's new autumn tea.
As soon as the lid of the bowl was lifted, even Liang Sansheng, who was standing three feet away, could smell a rich aroma.
To everyone's surprise, Emperor Deqing only took a sip before putting down his teacup and saying, "Liang Sansheng, come with me to the teahouse for a while."
Liang Sansheng, who was standing in the main hall, was startled, and the lines on his forehead trembled three times.
He looked out through the stained-glass window and saw that the sun was already setting in the west. Although it should have been another hour or so before it got dark, the emperor was going out, and with the need for ceremonial processions and street clearing, the palace gates would probably be locked before he even left the palace.
After hearing Liang Sansheng's tactful reminder, Emperor Deqing laughed and said, "I didn't say we should set up a ceremonial procession. Let's just take a few people and go for a stroll."
That is, traveling incognito.
The emperor might say "whatever" about such matters, but he certainly wouldn't dare to be casual about them.
Despite the freezing winter, Liang Sansheng felt sweating profusely. He was torn between agreeing with the Emperor and fearing it might cause trouble, and disagreeing with him and worrying about upsetting the Emperor. Just then, he heard the Emperor sigh, "A while ago, when the Fifth Prince got married, we went out and happened to pass by the Lu Family Teahouse on Qianmen Street. I peeked through the curtain and saw that the signboard was still written by my grandfather, but the storefront looked much more splendid than before. It seems the business has been booming these past few years. I remembered that when I was young, no matter what kind of tea I drank there, it was always incredibly fragrant, and I could still taste the lingering aroma when I got home. These past few years in the palace, nothing tastes good. When I mentioned it to Consort Jing, she joked that when I was young, I didn't know the meaning of sorrow, and even plain water tasted sweet. Let's go see today and see if it's just my state of mind or if the tea there is truly that good."
Liang Sansheng had no choice but to wipe his sweat and personally go to the Imperial Guard to have the commander select a few of the best guards to accompany Emperor Deqing. They traveled lightly and simply to the Lu Family Teahouse.