Hibiscus Tent: The Prime Minister’s palm is reborn

The north wind was howling and whimpering, and the gray sky was casting down dense white snow slanting down. Some of the snow fell on the ground, and some merged into the river. It was not until the evening that the heavy snow showed signs of abating.

In the twilight, the roofs of all the tents in the camp turned white, and from a distance they looked like small snowdrifts.

Xiao Qianyi walked towards one of the tents in the wind and snow. The wind and snow blurred her vision. She squinted her eyes, held her flag tightly, and quickened her pace.

There was a brazier burning in the tent, so it didn't feel damp and cold because of the snow.

But what was hotter than the charcoal was the dispute between several people.

When Xiao Qianyi went in, she saw Xiao Jingnan, Sima Bo, Wang Shiliang and others sitting in a circle, with the open space in the middle occupied by a huge sand table.

There were considerable disagreements among the group on which city to attack first.

Although Qi's elite cavalry were all on a defense line from Meilin Island to Luozhou, Lianzhou was only 500 miles away from Meilin Island and could be reached in just three days.

Sima Bo advocated attacking from near to far, from difficult to easy, and concentrating the main forces to capture this line of defense while the weather was not too cold, and from then on they would be unstoppable.

Conservatives such as Wang Shiliang felt that although Meilin Island was not impregnable, its terrain was easy to defend but difficult to attack, and a rash advance would have little chance of success and would be a risky move.

It should be noted that when two armies face off, the outcome of the first battle is particularly important. It is related to the morale of the entire army, and we must not be careless. For the sake of safety, we should start from Jinzhou, not to mention that there is Pingzhou as the hinterland, ensuring that we can attack when we advance and defend when we retreat...

Sima Bo was quick-witted, eloquent, and in his prime, and his words were unstoppable. Although Wang Shiliang was older, his vigor was undiminished, and he seemed more stable and powerful.

The two sides were arguing to a draw and were evenly matched. Just as they were arguing, faces red and necks thick, someone lifted the curtain and came in.

The people arguing stopped talking at the same time and looked over.

Sima Bo stood up first.

"Have you seen the Lord?"

The person who was trying hard to compete with each other a moment ago has now shifted his attention.

At a glance, everyone's eyes were on him.

Xiao Qianyi shook off the snowflakes on her body and shook her head.

"The war is about to start, what should we do?" Sima Bo's face was full of disappointment, and he turned and asked anxiously: "What did the imperial physician say? The master didn't see him, but you should have seen him, right?"

Xiao Jingnan also stood up, but his expression was not as anxious as Sima Bo's: "Did the imperial physician tell me how the master is doing?"

As soon as the national mourning of Qi was over, the emperor ordered an attack on Qi. However, after arriving in Lianzhou for many days, there was no news of the siege order. Upon further inquiry, it turned out that the emperor was not feeling well. He wanted to meet the emperor, but the emperor refused to see him. He only sent Gongsun Xu to read the imperial edict and do everything according to the emperor's will.

As the days go by, we only see the imperial edict but not the emperor's face. How can we not be anxious and how can we not speculate secretly?

Facing so many anxious looks, Xiao Qianyi remained calm: "I did see the imperial physician, but he didn't say much to me. He just said that I should be fine after two days of rest—"

Before she could finish, someone interrupted her.

"Another two days? What on earth is this imperial physician doing?"

Sima Bo frowned tightly, "He is always using this to evade people. No, I think I should go and wait outside the imperial tent myself. If the master still refuses to see me, I will risk my life to force my way in!"

After saying this, he clenched his fist and prepared to go out of the tent.

"Brother Sima," Xiao Jingnan grabbed him and said, "The master has an old injury, which always relapses on cloudy days. I have been with the master for a long time, and I know this very well."

He paused, and then said, "Besides, conquering Qi State will not be accomplished in a day or two, so this matter cannot be rushed."

"Is there no time to rush?" Sima Bo took a breath and looked at him in disbelief: "The army is waiting day by day, but the Lord has not been seen for a long time. How can we not be worried?"

Xiao Jingnan let go of his hand and slowed down his tone: "You see, it has been snowing these past two days. Although the master is ill, he has arranged everything. I think he may have other considerations and plans. In my opinion, we should be patient and wait for his order."

The people around also followed suit to persuade him.

Sima Bo sighed heavily.

Seeing this, Xiao Jingnan glanced at everyone and said to Sima Bo, "Besides, don't you know what kind of personality our master has?"

The look in his eyes was deep.

With just this one glance, Sima Bo's burning heart suddenly cooled down.

He slowly lowered his eyes. Although he didn't fully understand the emperor's temper, based on what he had seen in the past, how could he not know something about it?

The King of Qi had been silent for so many years, and even if he returned to Luoan, he was alone and powerless. He was not taken seriously in the power struggle among the princes and grandchildren of Luoan. He only did some insignificant things. His greatest achievement was flood control and disaster relief, and there was nothing else worthy of praise.

From this point of view, he has neither strength nor temper. He even accepted the fact that Yuwen Ke had snatched away his marriage, which should have belonged to him.

If someone else had been humiliated like this, they would have definitely asked for an explanation, otherwise how could they let it go? Who would have thought that not only did he not pursue the matter, but he also went to watch the ceremony and congratulate according to the emperor's order...

Of course, since the person who was running rampant was Yuwen Ke, Yuwen Jue could only blame himself for his bad luck.

Because of this incident, the King of Qi repeatedly became the topic of conversation after dinner and was criticized.

How can it be so frustrating?

Unexpectedly, things change unpredictably. Yuwen Ke died in battle and the matter was over. The late emperor intended to let Prince Qi take over the three armies. Just when everyone thought that he would finally be able to hold his head high, news came that he was seriously ill and was on his last legs.

Who knows this and doesn’t say “what a pity” and sigh that everyone has their own destiny?

But the result?

The person who was least expected to win became the final winner.

It can be said that he became famous overnight and known all over the world.

It really fooled everyone.

I had some doubts about him before, but it was not until I witnessed with my own eyes how he killed Wei Wang Yuwenying so swiftly in Lianzhou City that I realized I had really misjudged him...

Seeing that Sima Bo didn't speak for a long time, Xiao Jingnan patted his shoulder and said, "Let's stay calm."

How can you not understand the meaning of this exhortation?

Sima Bo turned his head and looked over one by one, his gaze stopping at Wang Shiliang who was sitting silently, "Lord Wang has no objection?"

Wang Shiliang pondered for a moment, raised his head and was about to express his opinion when someone walked in, lifting the curtain and bringing in a gust of cold wind carrying snowflakes.

Gongsun Xudao came here on the orders of his lord to listen to the strategies of the generals.

When they saw Gongsun Xu, Sima Bo and several others came forward one after another, surrounded him and kept asking questions.

Although Gongsun Xu had a stern face, he still patiently answered each question one by one.

Xiao Qianyi stood silently outside the circle, with her eyes lowered and her mind racing. Seeing that no one was paying attention, she turned around and walked out of the tent.

I had not walked far when I heard hurried footsteps chasing me.

"Qianqian."

Xiao Qianyi turned her head, and through the wind and snow, Xiao Jingnan's handsome face was a little blurry.

"The Lord is not in the city at all, right?"

He approached, his voice so quiet that he was almost buried by the snow.

Xiao Qianyi glanced at him, then hurriedly looked around. Even though there was no one around, she still felt uneasy.

It’s not surprising that my brother could see through her lies, but how could he let others know about this?

"Brother-"

"Don't lie to me, what's going on?"

Without waiting for her to answer, Xiao Jingnan pulled her arm and went straight to the tent where he lived.

"If nothing else, you've been avoiding me these past two days. Don't you think that's unusual?"

He stopped and his expression became extremely serious.

“This matter can be big or small!”