For several days, Song Nan was busy preparing for the expedition, almost without touching the ground. Fortunately, under the current situation, no one in the court dared to show up and cause trouble. With the help of the newly appointed Minister of War, Yang Yiqing, the matter was carried out. It went quite smoothly, and the preparations before the expedition were basically completed in three days. ¡ù%w. For this expedition, Song Nan still mobilized several battalions of troops from the Shenshu Camp and the regimental camp of the Second Foreign Army. However, in order not to favor one over the other, except for the regimental camp led by Jiang Bin and Xu Tai, Three new battalions of soldiers and horses were drawn to accompany the expedition. Five of the twelve regiments went out to fight. If it had been before, someone would have jumped out to point east and west, saying that the regiments should not go out to fight in Beijing. But this time, no one came out to object. Yang Tinghe and others have not been seen since that day, and they were so quiet that it was a bit shameful. At that day's meeting, the cabinet was ordered to strictly investigate the interception of Sun Sui's memorial. At the same time, Yang Tinghe treated Lu Wan, the Minister of War, as an abandoned son in order to save his soldiers and chariots. He also lost his important position as Minister of War, which was a huge loss. This is the time to lick the wounds and calm down the situation, so we have to stay out of the limelight for a while. Song Nan had no time to pay attention to them. He suspected that Liang Chu intercepted the memorial and colluded with Prince Ning. Since the imperial court had ordered the cabinet to conduct a strict investigation, Song Nan was also willing to see if Yang Tinghe could find out any clues. If he brought him back to suppress the rebellion, the cabinet would not be able to If a satisfactory answer is given, Song Nan will step in and investigate the matter thoroughly. In fact, from the bottom of his heart, Song Nan did not want to create permanent hostility with the cabinet, nor did he want to step the cabinet into the eighteenth level of hell; from the bottom of his heart, the cabinet and the outer court under the leadership of Yang Tinghe were still capable, and Nuo Da There were so many affairs in the Ming Dynasty. The reason why all the affairs were still in order naturally benefited from the guidance and management of the outer court. However, Song Nan had a bottom line in his heart. If Yang Tinghe and others could keep their own selves and do their duties well, instead of trying to put the outer court of the cabinet above others or even influence the future of the court, Song Nan could coexist peacefully with them. of. But Song Nan also vaguely felt that his idea might be too naive; no matter from any aspect, Yang Tinghe was not someone who gave in easily. Judging from Yang Tinghe's resolute abandonment of Lu Wan, this person was decisive and scheming. The courage is not inferior to one's own; as the saying goes, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. When two opposing power groups appear in the DPRK, it will be an endless battle. It is not clear when this storm will come, but It's obviously not far away, Song Nan understands this. The atmosphere in the Song Mansion has been very tense these days. Ever since the rumors of Song Nan's death in Jiangxi reached the capital a few days ago, Song's mother was frightened for several days, cried secretly more than a dozen times, and was not in good health; although the Song Mansion's wives and concubines Everyone thought that they would never believe that Song Nan was dead unless they saw Song Nan's body, but the news spread all over the world, and everyone was very panicked. After Song Nan returned to Beijing, they were pleasantly surprised, but then they were worried because Song Nan was going to lead the army again. Every time he went on an expedition, all the wives and concubines were worried. After all, going to the battlefield was a life and death fight, and Song Nan was a favorite. People who take risks will encounter life-threatening dangers not once or twice. It is inevitable that something will happen. If such a day comes, no one will know how to face it. Although Song Nan rarely sat around in the mansion, he could clearly feel this atmosphere, so before going on the expedition, he specially took half a day off to gather everyone at home to express his guilt and appease everyone's uneasy emotions. . This time, Song Nan specially invited Zhu Fengtong and Yang Keer to the mansion. If Zhu Xiufu could not come openly, Song Nan would have wanted to invite her to the mansion to get together. In Song Nan's view, these would all be to accompany him. Women have had skin-to-skin contact throughout their lives, and they should express their feelings at the appropriate time. In the garden of the back house of the Song Dynasty, a long table was placed on the green grass, and various snacks and fruits were placed on the snow-white tablecloth. Although it was only February, spring came very early this year. In the afternoon sunshine, It is full of warmth and comfort, and occasionally bees and butterflies buzz in my ears, making this moment long and leisurely. Song Nan helped Song's mother to sit at one end of the long table, and then accompanied the girls in costumes to take their seats one by one. Although Song Nan repeatedly emphasized that there is no need to stick to the so-called ranking of status in the mansion, the girls themselves had a strong idea in their hearts. I know my place, so I am very particular about where I sit. On the right side of Song Nan is the Duke's wife Zhang Pei. The position of the first left hand is very particular. Originally, Lu Qingli should be sitting according to the order of entry, but everyone knows that Song Nan's favorite is Dai Su'er. " But Dai Su'er refused to sit there. Dai Su'er knew very well in her heart that on the surface, Song Nan liked her the most, but in fact, it was not Dai Su'er who should sit in this position, but Ye Fanggu. Not only because she is the oldest, Ye Fanggu is actually the person Song Nan respects the most. She has also gone through the test of life and death with Song Nan. In her heart, Ye Fanggu is the person Song Nan can't live without. With Dai Su'er's intelligence, Naturally she refused to incur words for this position. leafFanggu was forced to sit down next to Song Nan by Dai Su'er and Lu Qingli. Song Nan smiled and said nothing. Song Nan was quite proud of the well-behaved and harmonious wives and concubines at home. Looking at them one by one, the women around him each had their own characteristics. The common advantage is that they understand the general principles and will never care about these things. Perhaps this is also due to the enlightened style of his house, which never engages in hierarchical suppression. Otherwise, like his mother, in the highly hierarchical Song Dynasty in Yuzhou, he would not be able to get a position as a concubine. , in that kind of atmosphere, the women in the family are vying for favor and position, and I am afraid that they are also being cleaned up. Zhu Fengtong and Yang Keer, who had no status in the Song Dynasty, sat on the other side of the long table. Accompanying them were the maids beside them; they were very satisfied to participate in the Song Dynasty's family banquet. Song Nan returned to Beijing to count. On that day, they didn't have the chance to meet Song Nan, and they couldn't go all the way to the Song Mansion to see him. Being able to appear on such an occasion showed Song Nan's attitude that he regarded them as his own. For this On one point, everyone in the Song family also had a consensus. After settling down, Song Nan stood up first, bowed deeply to Song's mother and said, "Mother, my dear, I apologize to you." Song Nan sighed and remained silent. Song Nan said, "My child has been staying at the house recently. I have too little time to accompany my mother, and there are some people with ulterior motives outside who are making rumors to worry my mother. My child is really unfilial. Please punish me. " Mother Song is obviously a little old, but in fact, Song's mother is a bit old. Her mother was actually only in her forties, but she looked like she was in her fifties. Song Nan felt a little worried when she looked at her. It stands to reason that my mother has lived a comfortable life since she came to the capital, but why has she aged so quickly? Perhaps it is because she is drifting in the wind and waves every day, and my mother is too worried about it? Or maybe you lost your husband when you were young and have been a widow for more than 20 years, without the comfort of love, and you age quickly? "Son. Mom is old and can't understand many things. You are busy every day, and Mom knows that it is difficult for you. Since you moved to Beijing, have you ever spent a peaceful and comfortable New Year with us? Aren't you careless about it? What, Mom remembers the festivals you have celebrated in Fuzhong over the years. In the past seven years, how many Lantern Festivals, Lantern Festivals, and Double Ninth Festivals have you spent with your family? Maybe Mom doesn¡¯t understand your heart, but Mom is responsible for today? To say something harsh in front of my daughters-in-law, Mom doesn¡¯t like you now. Mom even regrets coming to the capital. Mom misses the days in Xiaoshiqiao House in Yuzhou.¡± The whole place was silent, Song Nan lowered his head. He said, feeling deeply guilty in his heart. There was mist in Mrs. Song's eyes, and she looked away and whispered softly: "Although our family's life was difficult at that time, maybe the food and clothing were not as good as now, but our family could see each other every day, and we lived together peacefully. , the neighbors are in harmony, and my mother is very satisfied. But now, how many of the three hundred and sixty-five days a year do you spend in the house? When you are not at home, you must be away fighting. Do you know that the people at home are there? Are you so worried? Why are you always fighting? Look at your home. Your children are already knee-high. Have you ever taken them out to see the lanterns and visit the capital? ? My daughters-in-law are very virtuous, but what they don¡¯t say is what I will say for them. Do you think the higher your position and the more honorable your title, the happier they will be? Accompany them and coax them." The eyes of the girls in the seats were red. The mother-in-law's words seemed to have reached their hearts. A few years ago, they were still happy about Song Nan's continuous advancement and promotion. If they enjoy it in a vain state of mind, now they are even more eager to stay and embrace Song Nan, and their state of mind is no longer what it used to be. These words were also touched by Yang Keer and Zhu Fengtong. They had fewer opportunities to meet with Song Nan. When they did meet, they were always secretive and hurried. Especially Zhu Fengtong, who had been able to restrain himself before, but since they had that moonlit night with Song Nan, After the wedding, the passion in her heart was as uncontrollable as a volcano erupting, and she could be said to be crazy about Song Nan. If she didn't inquire about Song Nan's whereabouts every day, and if she didn't know what he was doing, she wouldn't be able to get through that day. Hearing Mother Song's words, Zhu Fengtong couldn't help but shed tears in her eyes. Qingluan on the side quickly handed her a handkerchief to wipe away, so as not to be rude in front of everyone. Song's mother sighed and continued: "In the past in Yuzhou, my mother had a very good relationship with the surrounding villagers, but now it's better. There are guards and soldiers inside and outside the house, and there are dozens of people guarding her whenever I go out. , I can¡¯t even say a word to the people on the roadside. Although the folks from Yuzhou work in the government, they no longer dare to talk to me. Every time they speak, they must bow and nod. Oh, I don¡¯t know. What's wrong? If you say that this is what you have earned for us, you really don't know what use these things are. Maybe you are old and your ideas are out of date. Maybe what you said today doesn't sit well with you. , but Mom has been holding these words in her heart for too long, and she finally said them today. Whether you are happy or unhappy, Mom always said it. "