Chapter 156: Hunting at Tiewang Mountain
However, there is one thing that has arrived early, and that is the Iron Net Mountain Hunting on April 18th!
Although Jia Cong was not the commander of the Dragon Guards nor the commander-in-chief of the army, as the most outstanding and brave general in the reign of Emperor Longxing, he not only accompanied the emperor, but also followed him directly. Dozens of his personal guards were also incorporated into the imperial guards!
And when the emperor travels, it is naturally impossible for him to travel light and in a simple carriage!
First of all, the Shenwu General Feng Tang personally led 5,000 Dragon Guards as the emperor's personal guards. After leaving the city, there were also 20,000 soldiers led by Wang Ziteng who were temporarily drawn from the Beijing camp to protect the emperor!
In addition, Prince Beijing and Prince Zhongshun also accompanied the emperor!
And Jia Cong met the emperor's three sons and the Prince Zhongshun for the first time!
The prince of Zhongshun was named Li She, and looked to be about the same age as himself. He was dressed in Confucian robes and looked quite elegant. It was said that Li She had a very good reputation among the civil officials and scholars, and was polite to others. His favorite thing to do was to gather his guests to drink and write poetry.
The eldest son of the emperor is named Li Chu, born to a concubine, but the concubine has passed away, and his in-laws have no power, so although he is the eldest son, his power in the court is very weak. However, this person is not interested in literature but in martial arts, and likes to make friends with outlaws. He is already twenty years old, and the princess married a girl from a small family, the daughter of a deputy general in the Shandong camp.
The second son of the emperor was named Li Gen. He was handsome and looked like another Prince of Beijing! Li Gen was sixteen . It was said that last year, some court officials had mentioned the idea of letting the prince participate in politics. The officials of various departments were very optimistic about Li Gen, but Emperor Longxing temporarily rejected it because his eldest son liked martial arts and the other two sons were young.
The reason why he was recognized by many bigwigs in the court, besides being humble, was that his mother was an extraordinary person.
Li Wei's mother was Shufei, one of the four concubines. Shufei was born in the Zhen family and was the legitimate daughter of the Zhen family. She was the legitimate sister of Zhen Yingjia, the current head of the Zhen family. It was precisely because Li Wei had the support of his mother's family that he was almost the only candidate for the next generation emperor in the minds of civil and military officials.
The third son of the emperor is named Li Yu, who looks about the same age as Jia Huan. His mother is Concubine Wu, whose father is now the Minister of Rites, Wu Tianyou. The Minister of Rites is already old, and it is almost certain that Wu Tianyou will take charge of the Ministry of Rites in a few years. Therefore, although Li Yu is not as good as the second son of the emperor, Li Yu, he still has a certain chance to compete for the throne.
Jia Cong kept his distance from all these princes! Now that the emperor is still alive and Emperor Longxing is in his prime, it would be a dead end if he took sides early, no matter whether he was right or wrong!
Moreover, the fight for the throne has always been extremely dangerous. As long as the Jia family can be stabilized, the two Jia families do not need to gamble on the merit of following the dragon.
The emperor's dragon sedan left the palace early in the morning. The Imperial Street had already been under martial law, and the area was surrounded by dragon guards in shining helmets and armor. Jia Cong was riding on a horse, walking side by side with Feng Tang!
This Feng Tang was slightly older than Niu Jizon, probably in his thirties. He was of sturdy build and looked like a fierce general in his black armor. Moreover, he was able to command the Dragon Guards, so it was obvious that he was either a close confidant of the retired emperor or a direct descendant of the Longxing Emperor.
Less than half an hour later, the team left the city from the west gate. Wang Ziteng and the generals came forward to greet the emperor. After receiving the emperor's order, he led 20,000 troops to protect the front and back.
Tiewang Mountain is located about forty to fifty miles northwest of Shenjing. The army was moving slowly and did not arrive near Tiewang Mountain until the afternoon.
Wang Ziteng had already sent soldiers to set up the tents! Moreover, the area around Tiewang Mountain had been cleaned up by soldiers. After the Beijing Camp arrived, they were stationed outside Tiewang Mountain, and the emperor entered Tiewang Mountain under the protection of Long Jinwei.
After walking another three or five miles forward, they saw a series of tents. First, there were two smaller tents, which were prepared for Prince Zhongshun and Prince Beijing. After the two reported to the emperor, they led their men directly into the tents.
After walking forward for about ten miles, they saw a large area of tents. The golden tent in the middle was obviously prepared for the emperor. Behind the golden tent were three tents for the three princes. Most of the Dragon Guards were stationed in the four directions, leaving hundreds of guards stationed near the golden tent.
It was about to get dark, so hunting was obviously not an option today. However, just as Jia Cong was about to follow Feng Tang to find a tent to rest, Emperor Longxing said to him, "Jia Cong, come with me too!"
Jia Cong dismounted and handed the reins to his personal guard, then followed Emperor Longxing into the golden tent.
This golden tent was very large, and it had obviously been heated by charcoal fire. Therefore, even though the weather was still a little cold , the tent was warm.
Several princes went directly to the tents at the back to rest, while several important officials of the court entered the golden tent like Jia Cong.
"Okay, everyone, sit down!" Emperor Longxing waved his hand casually, "We finally got out of the palace, we don't have to stick to those rules. You are tired of it, and I am tired of it too!"
After expressing their gratitude, everyone sat down. After Xia Shouzhong and several eunuchs served tea to everyone, Emperor Longxing began to chat.
Of course, other people could not treat the emperor's gossip as gossip. Everyone still held their breath and concentrated, and only when the emperor called out their names would they say a few words respectfully and cautiously.
"Jia Cong!"
Suddenly, Jia Cong, who was acting as a background, heard Emperor Longxing calling his name. He stood up subconsciously, "Your Majesty!"
"I see you haven't said a word. Do you think it's boring to chat with a bunch of old guys like us?"
Jia Cong smiled bitterly in his heart, who dares to treat you as ordinary old guys?
He immediately bowed his hands and said respectfully, "Your Majesty is in the prime of life, and the seniors are the pillars of the court. How can you be called old? On the contrary, I am still young, and I am lacking in knowledge and experience. I am afraid of making a fool of myself in front of Your Majesty, so I dare not speak carelessly."
"Hahaha!" Emperor Longxing laughed loudly. "Look, this is my great general, and he can still talk like this . No wonder the Grand Emperor keeps calling you a little monkey!"
Everyone burst into laughter when they heard this.
"Come here, don't hide behind, come closer to me!" Emperor Longxing waved his hand.
"Let me introduce someone to you!" He pointed at Fang Yao who was standing beside him, "Do you know who this person is?"
To be honest, Jia Cong had never met Fang Yao alone. They had only met twice at court meetings. However, it was not impossible for him to not recognize who Fang Yao was.
However, Jia Cong blinked and said, "Your Majesty, you are making things difficult for me! You also know that before I went to the border, I had hardly left the house. Apart from meeting my master, I had never met anyone in the court."
