PDLP Chapter 306 Going to Jiangnan
Chapter 306 Going to Jiangnan
Xie Jinghan responded with a few ambiguous words, and the emperor, seeing this, felt helpless.
"Jinghan." The emperor tapped the table, finally drawing Xie Jinghan's attention. He lowered his voice and said, "Looking around the court now, you are the only one with the ability to quell the river bandits in Jiangnan. What do you think?"
Before Xie Jinghan could speak, the Empress, standing to the side, said with displeasure, "You've made Jinghan leave the capital again. He's only been reunited with Shuyao for a few days."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's expression stiffened, and he forced a smile at the Empress, saying, "I know this is wrong, but the river bandits in Jiangnan are rampant, and in recent years they have claimed many lives. If Jinghan can take action and completely eradicate this scourge, it will be a great blessing for both the court and Jinghan."
The Empress sneered a few times: "There are more than a dozen military officers in the court. Why doesn't Your Majesty send them first?"
As she said this, she glanced at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty probably has other plans."
The Empress treated Xie Jinghan like her own son, and naturally couldn't bear to see him being schemed against by the Emperor. She always considered Xie Jinghan's well-being.
The emperor cried out that he was wronged: "I did it all for Jinghan's own good! I had good intentions!"
Xie Jinghan's gaze also turned over at this moment. Upon seeing this, the emperor quickly said, "I did this for Jinghan! You all know that since the palace coup, people in the court have been restless, and those major families are even more ambitious. I'm afraid it was Prince Xin and others who gave them the confidence to think that they could also try."
“Jing Han is a thorn in their side.” The emperor sighed. “Although the river bandits in Jiangnan are rampant, their numbers are not large, and Jing Han’s abilities are sufficient to deal with them.”
"At this time, wouldn't it be convenient for Jinghan to go to Jiangnan to avoid trouble?" The emperor looked at the two of them and explained earnestly, "If Jinghan is unwilling to be separated from Shuyao, it wouldn't be a bad idea for him to take Shuyao with him to Jiangnan."
Upon hearing this, the Empress glanced at the Emperor from head to toe, and her attitude softened somewhat.
"That's not bad." The Empress lowered her eyes and said softly, "It's boring for the young couple to stay in the capital all the time. If they can take this opportunity to go to Jiangnan, it will be a good way to pass the time."
Having said that, the Empress turned to Xie Jinghan: "Jinghan, what do you think?"
“If you don’t want to go, no one can force you,” the Empress added. “Not even your brother.”
The emperor was quite helpless upon hearing this. The empress treated Xie Jinghan like her own son, and so did he. In fact, he treated Xie Jinghan even better than his own sons.
So the emperor sighed and said, "So be it. In your hearts, I am the bad guy anyway."
While the Emperor and Empress were talking, Xie Jinghan lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Seeing that the two were not willing to submit to each other, Xie Jinghan said, "Let's do as Your Majesty wishes."
"As a member of the Great Li, I will not refuse this mission, regardless of whether I can take Shuyao to Jiangnan."
"However," he paused, "it would be best if Shu Yao could come along."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor beamed with delight, and couldn't help but glance at the Empress: "As expected of Jing Han!"
Seeing this, the Empress chuckled and said, "Jinghan is a child personally taught by His Majesty, so naturally he puts Dali first."
Having said that, she also voiced her concerns: "Although the powerful families can't extend their reach that far, given their ruthlessness, it's hard to guarantee they won't cooperate with the river bandits."
"Your Majesty, you should still send more people to Jinghan," the Empress instructed. "I don't want to see Jinghan suffer again."
"A few years ago, you sent him to the border to suppress bandits. He was seriously injured. If it weren't for Chief Physician Zhou arriving in time, we might not have been able to see Jinghan one last time." The Empress looked worried. "This is a lesson from the past. You must not be careless again."
"Don't worry." The emperor patted her hand and said in a low voice, "I have already made arrangements. Five thousand imperial guards will accompany me on this trip to the south of the Yangtze River."
The Imperial Guards were established to protect the emperor. Unless the emperor left the capital, the Imperial Guards would never leave the city. However, the emperor said that he would give five thousand Imperial Guards to Xie Jinghan, which was undoubtedly his way of protecting Xie Jinghan.
However, Xie Jinghan had already made a plan shortly after agreeing to the task.
Upon hearing this, he said, "In recent years, various prefectures and counties in Jiangnan have also sent troops to suppress the river bandits. The number of river bandits has shrunk considerably in recent years, and now there should only be a few hundred left."
"A mere few hundred bandits, why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Why would we need the Imperial Guards?"
As soon as Xie Jinghan spoke, the emperor frowned: "You want to act alone again?"
"A few hundred river bandits may not seem like many, but they are familiar with the terrain and have practically grown up in the water. Five thousand imperial guards might not even be enough," the emperor said in a deep voice. "Otherwise, why haven't we completely wiped out these river bandits in all these years?"
"As Your Majesty knows, the Imperial Guards are not skilled in naval warfare," Xie Jinghan said helplessly. "No matter how many Imperial Guards we send, it will be of no use."
"Then what do you intend to do?" the emperor asked coldly. "Do you perhaps plan to infiltrate the bandits' lair alone?"
This wasn't the first time Xie Jinghan had done something like this.
The Empress's expression turned serious: "Jinghan, you're not alone on this trip to Jiangnan. Shuyao is with you. Even if you're skilled and daring, Shuyao is a weak woman. If you..."
"Your Majesty and Your Highness, rest assured, I never intended to travel alone." Seeing the dissatisfaction on their faces, Xie Jinghan explained, "I just wanted to change the group of people who would accompany me."
The emperor narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Xie Jinghan carefully before asking, "You want to change who will accompany you? Whom?"
"My brother's personal guards," Xie Jinghan said. "My brother has five hundred personal guards, plus the soldiers from various prefectures and counties in Jiangnan, which is enough to wipe out the river bandits in one fell swoop."
The emperor immediately sneered: "You only have five hundred personal guards and several hundred river bandits. Where do you get the audacity to say that? Five thousand imperial guards are accompanying you, and not a single one can be missing!"
He made his decision, leaving Xie Jinghan no room for change: "If you feel it's inappropriate, then leave Shu Yao in the capital."
Before Xie Jinghan could reveal his plan, he was interrupted by the emperor.
Seeing the emperor's serious expression, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
"Alright." Xie Jinghan already had a plan in mind. Even if five thousand imperial guards accompanied him, he would find a way to get rid of them.
But the emperor hadn't considered this. Seeing Xie Jinghan obediently agree, he looked at him with affection and said, "Jinghan, I'm doing this all for your safety."
"After dealing with the river bandits, you can take Shuyao and have a good time exploring Jiangnan." The emperor patted his shoulder. "I have already prepared the titles for the heir and princess of the Jing Prince's Mansion, and I am just waiting for their birth."