Chapter 138 Gu Tingye's Growth
The imperial court did not attach importance to the military examination, which shows how low the status of military generals was.
It’s no wonder that ordinary people are unwilling to let their children join the army.
Although the Song Dynasty implemented a conscription system, not many people voluntarily came forward to join the army.
Most of the troops were elite soldiers drawn from refugees and suppressed rebels during natural disasters and rebellions.
In addition, there were many prisoners who were exiled.
This has its advantages. If the young and strong among the refugee rebels are recruited into the army, the remaining ones will no longer be a threat and the army can be replenished.
However, there are also many disadvantages. The reason why the imperial court maintains so many soldiers is not only because there is no strategic location to defend in the north and a large number of soldiers are needed to ensure safety, but also because they cannot be placed.
Just like now, the Song Dynasty, Liao Dynasty and Western Xia have been at peace for decades, and the imperial court has no need to maintain so many troops.
However, most of these people are young and strong, and they have nowhere to be resettled after the disarmament. If they are not careful, chaos will arise.
Therefore, not only could the imperial court not cut its military forces, but when natural disasters and rebellions occurred, it had to continue to recruit young and strong men into the army and support them.
There were good and bad people in the army, and many of them were prisoners, so there was a saying that good men did not join the army.
In Zhao Xing's view, the advantages obviously outweigh the disadvantages.
"Let's go!"
Zhao Xing shook his head and no longer had any interest in reading any further.
After leaving Fanlou and getting on the carriage, Yu Yanran saw that Zhao Xing was frowning and asked worriedly, "Your Highness, what's wrong with you?"
"I'm fine, is there any place you want to go?" Zhao Xing said with a smile.
He had known for a long time that the Song Dynasty had too many accumulated problems. He just saw the lively scene of the roll call at Donghua Gate, and thought about the martial arts examination that no one was interested in, and he felt a little touched.
There won’t be too much waves because of these.
"I don't have anywhere I want to go. It's almost noon. How about going back to the East Palace first?" Yu Yanran said.
"Well, let's go back." Zhao Xing nodded.
Yu Yanran lifted the car curtain, gave an order, and then sat down next to Zhao Xing.
"Your Highness, let me massage your head for you." Yu Yanran said.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xing moved a little and lay down.
Yu Yanran dragged Zhao Xing's head, placed it on her legs, and started massaging him.
Her hands were very soft, with a hint of coolness, and she had learned how to do it, so the massage was very comfortable.
The carriage was shaking and Zhao Xing fell asleep without realizing it.
Zhao Xing was a light sleeper and woke up when the carriage stopped.
"arrive?"
"Yeah." Yu Yanran nodded.
Zhao Xing sat up and said with a smile, "Get out of the car."
Yu Yanran looked at the smile on Zhao Xing's face and also smiled.
Since when, Zhao Xing's emotions have begun to affect hers.
Zhao Xing got off the carriage and reached out to help Yu Yanran get off the carriage.
"Changwu, why are you so happy today? I see you are smiling the whole time." Zhao Xing said to Sheng Changwu who was standing aside.
Sheng Changwu was stunned and said, "Your Highness, I am not laughing."
"He hasn't smiled yet. I saw that his mouth has never closed." Gu Tingye said, "Your Highness, this kid got engaged yesterday, and he has been grinning foolishly today."
"I didn't." Sheng Changwu was only sixteen or seventeen years old, and his face turned a little red when Gu Tingye teased him like this.
"Oh?" Zhao Xing said with a smile, "Why didn't you tell me? I can send you a gift when the time comes. Which girl did you choose?"
"Your Highness, it's...it's the girl from the Kang family." Sheng Changwu said with some stammering.
Although Wangshi Kang made a mess of the Kang family, her brother and brother-in-law Sheng Hong helped cover it up, so outsiders didn't know about it.
Sheng Changwu also didn't know about the Kang family's troubles.
Although the Kang family is now in decline, the fact that they were able to marry the eldest daughter of the Wang family shows that the Kang family still had some power at that time.
Sheng Changwu was very satisfied about marrying a girl from a scholarly family, so when he heard the news, he couldn't suppress his joy and smiled unconsciously.
"Miss Kang?" Zhao Xing was stunned when he heard that. He didn't expect that Sheng Changwu would marry another girl from the Kang family.
But he was soon relieved.
Queen Kang wanted to marry her daughter to Sheng Changbai, and she valued both Sheng Changbai's future and the power of the Sheng family.
Today, the Sheng family is even stronger than in the original drama, and Zhao Xing, this little butterfly, cannot affect this matter.
In the original drama, even though Old Lady Sheng disagreed, Queen Kang was willing to agree to marry her daughter to Sheng Changwu.
Isn’t it because the eldest branch of the Sheng family is rich?
At this time, Sheng Wei was managing his business, and Sheng Changwu was working in the Eastern Palace, so Princess Kang had even less reason to object.
"Zhong Huai, you still have the nerve to tease others. Look, you are already twenty years old, and you haven't even settled down yet. Ningyuan Hou is really something. He hasn't arranged a marriage for you yet." Zhao Xing scolded with a smile.
To be honest, Zhao Xing also found it a little strange that Gu Yankai had never helped Gu Tingye to find a marriage partner.
In the original drama, Gu Tingye was delayed because he went to study at the Bai Lu Dong Academy and then had to take the imperial examination.
After Gu Tingye failed the exam, because of Man Niang's existence, she took the initiative to become his wife.
It’s a bit embarrassing to say, if things had developed as they were originally supposed to, Gu Tingye would have chosen Yu Yanran.
Later, because of Man Niang's trouble, he failed to marry her, and instead angered Gu Yankai to death, and finally married Minglan.
Now Yu Yanran and Minglan are both his.
However, Zhao Xing adjusted himself quickly, because if it were not for his existence, this series of events would not have happened, and Gu Tingye would not have been able to go to the Yu family to propose marriage, let alone marry Minglan.
So it can't be said that he had snatched Gu Tingye's person away.
"Your Highness, my family is already making arrangements." Gu Tingye said.
"Oh?"
Zhao Xing understood what Gu Tingye meant when he heard it. He did not say that Gu Yankai had already arranged it for him, but said that his family was arranging it for him. It was obvious that it was Xiao Qinshi who was arranging this matter.
"Let's go."
We are still outside the East Palace, so it is not convenient to talk about this.
After entering the Eastern Palace, Yu Yanran returned to the harem.
Zhao Xing brought Gu Tingye to the study.
"Zhong Huai, after the Qionglin Banquet the day after tomorrow, I will take over as the prefect of Kaifeng. You can take action now." Zhao Xing said.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Gu Tingye said excitedly.
He had been waiting for this day for too long.
"Remember, no one can die this time," Zhao Xing warned.
After all, Bianjing was the capital of the Song Dynasty. Once someone died, things would become difficult to handle.
"I understand!" Gu Tingye nodded.
Although he wished Xiao Qinshi would die, sometimes death was a relief. Shenjiesi was the kind of place where life was worse than death.
"It's good that you know what's going on." Zhao Xing nodded slightly and said, "You don't need to come to the East Palace during this period of time. Just take care of this matter."
"Yes!" Gu Tingye bowed and said, "If Your Highness has no other instructions, I will take my leave first."
"Go ahead." Zhao Xing nodded slightly.
Speaking of which, this matter is also a training for Gu Tingye.
This exercise is not about how he does it, but about his forbearance over the years.
He knew that it was Xiao Qin who killed his mother, but he was able to endure it for so long without letting Xiao Qin notice. This was undoubtedly a great growth for him.
Gu Tingye is essentially an impulsive person.
In the original drama, he was branded as the one who angered his father to death and was kicked out of the house, which promoted his growth and made him mature and stable.
He no longer has this opportunity, but his forbearance over the years has made him much more mature and stable.
Zhao Xing has very high expectations for Gu Tingye. He hopes that Gu Tingye can become a talented person. Naturally, he is very pleased with Gu Tingye's growth.
(End of this chapter)