CHAPTER 834: CHAPTER 505: RETURNING TO THE CAPITAL TO REPORT

The "military leader" of the Qingzhou Rebel Army actually belonged to the faction led by that old schemer Yuann Li.

This answer greatly surprised Zhao Douan, but upon reflection, it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Yu Country had been without major wars for years, hence the promotion of local military generals became much more difficult.

More often, it’s not about "battle achievements" or "ability," but about background.

Although the Grand Ancestor Emperor of Yu Country was a martial artist, he advocated the strategy of governing the nation through civil officials, thus making the military officer group represented by the Privy Council rank far lower than the cabinet on the court.

Unavoidably, the local military mansion’s military generals’ positions were also, to some extent, influenced by the court’s political factions.

The "Pure Stream Party" led by Yuann Li was the second-largest group after the "Li Party," so it’s no surprise they collaborated to recommend a commander.

"When I was in the Capital, I never heard anyone mention this," Zhao Douan recalled the day when the court members gathered to discuss Qingzhou’s rebel military matters, hesitating to speak.

Yuan Feng smiled bitterly, saying: "Though Ning Xianzong belongs to the Pure Stream Party and defected to Prince Heng, Mr. Yuan is loyal to the court, and they should not be confused."

Hah, are you sure the real situation isn’t that the court is in turmoil, the Li Party just rebelled, and all the ministers tacitly agreed not to target Yuann Li at this juncture? To avoid the "Pure Stream Party" also collapsing and causing the court to be paralyzed?

Zhao Douan snorted lightly, with his understanding of the court’s dark arts, if not for the pressured situation, the impeachment petitions against Yuann Li would have piled up like a small mountain.

No matter if Ning Xianzong represents Yuann Li’s will or not, in any case, the recommendation had such a big problem, as the party leader, Yuann Li cannot remove the label of "poor judgment in employing people."

Well, I’m willing to bet that once the rebellion of Li Yanfu settles down, Yuann Li will be the next to have bad luck... After all, what matters most in the court is balance. Now that the Li Party has collapsed, even for the sake of balance, the Pure Stream Party must be reprimanded...

Zhao Douan’s thoughts flickered, suddenly asking, "Do you know why this Ning Xianzong rebelled?"

Everyone exchanged glances, shaking their heads in unison, indicating the incident happened suddenly, and as commanders, they lacked the channels to investigate.

"Why is the Lord asking this? No matter the cause, treason is a heinous crime, and he cannot escape death," Chen Gui scoffed while stroking his goatee.

Zhao Douan smiled without speaking, leaned comfortably in the ornate chair, fingers gently tapping the knee, eyes revealing contemplation, then suddenly said:

"Please, everyone, interrogate the captives thoroughly later. I need to know everything that occurred within Prince Heng’s rebel group during this period, especially concerning this Ning Xianzong. Have the scribes in the army organize it into documents; I need to present it to Your Majesty."

Everyone’s expression became serious, not daring to ask more, quickly agreed.

Then, military officers occasionally started entering the tent to report battle results; Zhao Douan did not get involved with these aftermath matters, leaving others to handle them.

A moment later, a soldier came from outside: "Reporting to Junior Guardian, the Xiao family’s female Family Head at East Lake has awakened and wishes to see you."

Xiao Donger has woken up? Zhao Douan pondered slightly, stood up, and said, "Lead the way."

...

Xiao Donger was placed in a separate tent within the camp, guarded at the entrance.

Upon Zhao Douan’s arrival, a military physician was standing respectfully:

"Reporting to the Lord, the person is fine now, just suffered from the summer heat, coupled with recent mental tension, lack of sleep and anxiety leading to body weakness, has been given herbal medicine."

"Very good." Zhao Douan nodded with satisfaction, lifted the curtain of the tent and stepped inside; the tent was empty, with a simple wooden plank bed placed inside.

Wearing a dark mamian skirt, hair loose, mentally exhausted, and looking haggard, Mrs. Xiao was sitting on the bed, legs hanging off the edge, socks exposed to the air, with a pair of embroidered shoes neatly placed on the floor.

She was just finishing a bowl of herbal medicine, placing the porcelain bowl on the simple wooden table beside, and upon seeing Zhao Douan walk in, Xiao Donger’s eyes suddenly brightened, her face still flushed from the heat showing excitement, used her hands to prop herself up to get out of bed, but seemed too weak after being bound for many days, faltered, and knelt on the ground, "Lord..."

"Mrs. Xiao, be careful!" Zhao Douan was startled, withdrew his hand, letting the thick tent curtain behind him fall, blocking the physician and guards outside, quickly stepped forward, just about to help her.

However, Xiao Donger swiftly bowed down, her delicate hands pressed against the muddy ground, elbows bent, crawling forward, head lowered, forehead almost touching the ground, her full pear-shaped buttocks tightened and raised high, the rescued Mrs. Xiao with tears streaming:

"Lord, my endless gratitude for saving me!"

Ah, being caught off guard by a brief glimpse of whiteness shining like a mosaic, Zhao Douan flinched slightly, awkwardly accepting this bow from the female Family Head, with a peculiar expression:

"Mrs. Xiao, there’s no need for such formality. I merely did it on impulse, and since you are an Imperial Merchant of the court, protecting you is naturally my duty. Instead, your Xiao family got involved in the rebellion, and it’s already good if you don’t blame the court or me."

Xiao Donger’s thin shoulders seemed to tremble with emotion, she hurriedly raised her haggard face, eyes reddened, sniffled: "How could I harbor resentment? The gratitude isn’t even sufficient, just daring to ask about Prince Heng..."

"I wounded him, captured him alive, and he’s currently being interrogated in the camp," Zhao Douan declared righteously, bending over, lifting his arm, helping Mrs. Xiao up and sitting back on the bed, "Later, I will escort him back to the Capital for trial."

After a pause, he added: "The Qingzhou Rebel Army has been defeated, and Your Majesty also returned to the court a few days ago."

Your Majesty returned... The Qingzhou Army is defeated... Xiao Donger froze slightly, struggling to digest this explosive news, then finally relaxed, a smile blossoming on her face, revealing the joy of surviving the disaster: "Good... that’s good... With Your Majesty’s return, my Xiao family should be spared from the calamity of destruction..."