CH 65.1

This should be a very urgent letter.

The surface was slightly wrinkled and stained with sweat from being held in the postman’s hand.

Lin Bozhou’s eyes seemed to look through the back of the paper to read the contents. He didn’t open it at first, his eyebrows gloomy, and breathed gently. He decided to read the letter and picked the edge of the stamp with his fingertips.

There was the sound of the pages turning.

His gaze swept from page to page.

“When is Your Highness going to—”

The word “enter” was not spoken, and the questioning voice of the North Zhenfu Division’s bailiff stopped abruptly amidst the tension.

Meng Huan tilted his bright, round eyes, and his gaze fell on Lin Bozhou’s face. His heart was still, with a peculiar feeling of foreboding. When the postman mentioned ‘Liaodong’ just now, his face was full of hardships, sweat wetting his lapel and hair, making the uneasy feeling increasingly apparent.

A moment later.

Lin Bozhou’s fingers squeezed the letter into a ball. He had never shown his emotions, but this slight action let everyone know Lin Bozhou was in a terrible mood, and they hung their heads even lower.

When Lin Bozhou spoke, his black and slender eyebrows were raised, and his voice was practically livid. “What is Mao Chengchang doing?! It has only been a few days since the Jurchen went amok, but they have broken through the Great Wall, and now the cavalry is heading south towards the doorstep of the Liaodong Dusi*! What is he doing?!”

*Liaodong Dusi: a military and political institution established in the Liaodong area.

“Back then, our ancestor rode north, explored the North of Xinjiang, and carved a monument at the Nurgan Dusi twice, making everyone within the four seas submit to the might of the Great Zong! Only two hundred years have passed, but has the Great Zong already reached the point where it cannot even deal with the rebellion of a small tribe and can only be beaten and scolded at will, watching them fight their way through the Great Wall?!”

The Great Wall, a military defense project designed to limit the enemy’s cavalry incursions, also had many cities, barriers, pavilions and forts set up to watch for and look out for each other. From time to time, the Great Zong would allocate materials and send people to repair it, so it should be the sturdiest defense system.

But the Great Wall was attacked in less than half a month, which was unheard of!

Lin Bozhou was furious, and the people around him did not dare to speak, sweating coldly. Some realized the real danger but were stunned in place amidst the shock of hearing this letter.

Great Zong was not without experience of rebellion. Occasionally, there were Tusi rebellions and civil revolts. From time to time, there were also incursions by foreign tribes. The purpose of the Jurchen tribe in Jianzhou seemed clear, and the strong brigade came with a sense of stormy trampling, heading straight for Jizhou.

The storm was about to come, and the wind swept all over the building.

Lin Bozhou returned the crumpled letter to the postman. “Hand it to the Secretary of General Administration, transcribe three copies, and send them to His Majesty, the Cabinet and the Ministry of War so they can all see Mao Chengchang’s virtue!”

The postman took the letter and left on horseback.

After the sound of horses’ hooves faded away and quieted down, Meng Huan heard his own rapid heartbeat.

His arms and legs flushed with powerless weakness.

Whether modern or ancient, this was Meng Huan’s first brush with war. Even if he wasn’t on the battlefield, he could imagine the scene of giving one’s life on the battlefield a thousand li away, a bloody scene, and the population living as refugees.

When he was in the prince’s residence, he did not even dare to speak in front of Lin Bozhou, not to mention those cruel and dangerous people. Those unarmed people facing the massacre and plundering, how desperate would they be?

When thinking about this, Meng Huan’s heart clenched, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable, and his fingertips gently grabbed Lin Bozhou’s sleeve.

Rage rampaged through his mind. Lin Bozhou, angry from seeing this group of vermin in Great Zong, had a haze before his eyes, scanning the crowd while holding himself back; the desire to kill that rose in his bones screeched and rose to a horrible level. His appearance was calm, but he had already planned how to kill this group of losers.

Beheading, death by a thousand cuts, tearing off their four limbs and head using five horse-drawn carts.

All he could think of was on hand.

Those in public service who did nothing and accomplished nothing deserved to die.

A faint light flashed under Lin Bozhou’s eyes. No one knew what he was thinking now, and no one could enter his world.

However, his sleeves were lightly pulled by a tiny force.

He tilted his head sideways and lowered his gaze. Meng Huan was pulling at his sleeves, his face clean and his eyes clear, looking slightly overwhelmed.

“Husband.”

The young man called out to him softly.

There was fear of war in his voice.

There was also helplessness when Lin Bozhou was furious.

“……”

Lin Bozhou’s throat was dry, and his boiling blood cooled down.

He held Meng Huan’s hand. The bubbles that flooded his blood subsided into nothing, and his sanity returned to him, stepping into the Northern Zhenfu Division’s yamen. “The trial first.”

This was the main thing they came to do.

Meng Huan looked at him quietly and followed him. When Meng Huan was alone with him, he was more comfortable but still a little uncomfortable in front of everyone.

The Northern Zhenfu Division’s prison was damp and cold. The Jinyi Guard was the emperor’s personal army in the capital military under the emperor’s direct command. They were the most elite, the so-called “fresh clothes and vigorous horses, brocade clothes and flowery garments; act first, report later; the display of imperial power”, and could even seize influential court ministers.