The Queen has arrived: An Lingrong does not want to fight in the palace after her rebirth

An Lingrong hasn't figured out what's happening with Shen Meizhuang yet.

Something happened in Concubine Duan’s family.

The imperial court had been preparing to use military force against Dzungar since last year, with the troops advancing in two routes, with Fu Erdan as the commander of the northern army and Yue Zhongqi as the commander of the western army.

According to the original plan, the two armies would march into Dzungar together while the Dzungars were in civil strife. However, the military intelligence was leaked, and Dzungar resorted to the strategy of peace talks in order to stabilize the imperial army.

While the emperor was recalling the two commanders back to the capital to negotiate peace, Moge sent troops to launch a surprise attack on the western army.

There was no commander in the tent, and the surprise attack came too suddenly. Although the army fought hard, more than 6,000 people were killed or wounded.

Concubine Duan's cousin died after killing more than ten enemies in this battle.

After his death, the Qi family, a family of military generals that had been passed down since the entry into the Pass, was forever extinct.

When Concubine Duan heard the news, she burst into tears:

"From Emperor Taizong Wen, there have been 18 members of my clan who died on the battlefield. This one was the last one to return home wrapped in his horse's hide. He died a worthy death, and he is worthy of being the bloodline of my Qi family."

The Junggars were cunning, and the front line was defeated. The emperor was heartbroken, and after hearing Concubine Duan's tearful words, he felt even more uncomfortable:

"Don't worry, I will not let your Qi family's inheritance be cut off. I will find someone to adopt the Qi family and pass on the Qi family's loyalty and bravery."

Although Concubine Duan was heartbroken, she knew that once she agreed, the Emperor would feel that he no longer owed her anything, and at most he would reward her with some gold and silver for nothing. She was unwilling to accept this, so she suppressed her grief:

"I thank Your Majesty for your deep consideration, but the adoption is a matter of human relations, and I really cannot bear it. Moreover, God is merciful. If my family is not destined to die out, they will surely give birth to another male to serve the court. But if that is God's will, wouldn't adopting a child harm a good family's child?"

Her words were more like silent accusations. The failure of the war was largely due to the emperor's credulity towards Junggar. Therefore, the emperor felt very uncomfortable staying here and could only say:

"Since you don't agree, let's discuss this matter later. Take good care of yourself first, and I will come to see you again after some time."

After the emperor left, An Lingrong saw Concubine Duan still crying, so she had to persuade her:

"Sister Duan, please accept my condolences. If you continue to sink into despair and hurt your body, who will be able to protect the weak members of the Qi family in the future?"

The tears on Concubine Duan's face were still there as she smiled bitterly and said:

"Lingrong, even if people like us feel sad, it is limited. We should always think about maximizing benefits in everything that happens."

"I am crying for the Qi family and because I have been in this palace for too long and can no longer find my former self. I am just taking this opportunity to vent."

These words made An Lingrong's eyes wet. She was no exception. In the palace, every word and every action seemed to have been rehearsed, and she dared not make the slightest mistake. She gently hugged Concubine Duan and comforted her softly:

"Sister Duan, everything will be fine, believe me."

Concubine Duan hugged her back for a moment, then pushed her away and said solemnly:

"Lingrong, do you have anyone available outside?"

Thinking of Xiaohu who was still in the capital trying to find out about going out to sea, An Lingrong answered truthfully, "There is only one person available."

Concubine Duan wiped the tears from her face and said, "One person is enough. The emperor has been tricked by Junggar this time. He will never give up. With his temper, he will fight to the death."

"Once the war breaks out, it will take years to stop. Lingrong, what you and I are planning requires both money and people's support. I have a risky business to discuss with you."

An Lingrong asked her directly: "What about the military supplies and fodder?"

Concubine Duan's eyes lit up. "It seems that you have thought about this a long time ago. The army's food and fodder are first requisitioned and allocated by the court from granaries in various places. When the demand is huge, the court will allocate funds, and the governors of Qinghai and Gansu will buy them from grain merchants and then send them to the army."

An Lingrong asked her sensitively, "Sister Duan, do you have any ideas?"

Concubine Duan nodded: "The Qinghai Governor has a history with the Qi family. I think as long as our price is right and the food and grass are available, he will be willing to do me a favor. After all, it doesn't matter who you do business with."

The business of military supplies and fodder is not something that can be interfered with just by having a connection, but everyone has secrets, so An Lingrong stopped asking and said bluntly:

"Sis Duan has such trust and respect for me, Lingrong is not shy about it. My people have made a little money from reselling medicinal herbs and furs in the past few years. I originally wanted to try out some new things. Since Sister Duan has a more reliable method, Lingrong will tell her about it."

Concubine Duan nodded: "Your path is more long-term, and I have news to tell you."

An Lingrong's heart moved. Concubine Duan's cousin had been promoted to deputy general of the second rank in recent years, and Dahu was still in the position of external commissioner, so she knew more detailed information about the casualties in this battle than herself.

She originally thought that Concubine Duan was too sad to ask more questions, so she had to find a chance to ask the emperor. Now that Concubine Duan had said that, she hurriedly asked, "Is there any news about Da Hu?"

Concubine Duan said slowly, "His right hand is injured and he can no longer lift a sword. If he continues to stay in the army, he will only be responsible for some logistical matters. I think that he has been in the army before and knows that fighting is not easy. It is better to let your people take him to familiarize himself with the business first, and then he can take care of the grain and grass business in the future."

An Lingrong's heart sank. She still remembered how agile and good at martial arts Dahu was. Now he couldn't lift a sword anymore. It was a huge blow to him. Although the court had taken care of the wounded, for an adult man, that little subsidy was enough for him to get by, but it was far from enough to support a family.

Concubine Duan's idea was good, and it could be said that she had found a safe way for Da Hu, but she had to discuss it with Ren Dong, so An Lingrong was not in a hurry to reply:

"There's no rush for this. No matter who takes over, someone will do it. We can send people to Henan and Shandong to find out about the wheat purchase market in previous years. If it's suitable, we can buy a batch of wheat during the season, and then go to Jiangnan to get a thorough understanding of the grain business. Even if we don't sell it to the army, as long as we know the business, we won't waste the grain."

Concubine Duan praised: "I just said one thing, and you have already listed two or three things. It shows how much effort you put in."

An Lingrong blushed slightly. She only knew this from what Jinpei and Xiaohu had said when they were reporting on their business. She said embarrassedly, "Sister Duan, please stop praising me. I just hear this a lot every day. I should pay attention to it. Besides, without Sister Duan's help, what Lingrong said would be nothing but empty talk."

Concubine Duan had completely calmed down by now, and immediately said:

"Since you are ready, I will write a letter to you, saying that you will need to find a way to take the token out in the future. When you are ready, I will give it to you and we can trade with it."

"it is good."

The two of them planned something, but no one outside knew about it. However, Cao Qinmo in Qingliang Palace made a new discovery.