Rebirth is not a dream.

Chapter 114: What Does Princess Mingzhao Really Want That the Emperor Wants

Su Yue didn't expect that such a complicated story would be involved. It seems that this world is much more complicated than she imagined.

Su Yue: "Don't we all know all of this? Is there anything else that the public doesn't know?"

Qiuzhu: “Yes…”

Su Yue looked at Qiu Zhu in surprise and asked, "What?"

Qiu Zhu: "Noble Concubine Su is the daughter of Su Bai, the eldest son of the Duke of Huguo! If Su Huai hadn't hidden her and raised her as a concubine, there would probably be no Noble Concubine Su now!"

After Su Yue finished listening, she looked at Qiu Zhu blankly, as if she didn't understand what he meant at all. After a long while, she came back to her senses and asked with a frown, "Wait, you just said that Concubine Su is the daughter of Su Bai, then what about Su Huai? Isn't he Concubine Su's uncle? And I remember that Su Huai seemed to be the hero who reported the Duke of Huguo and killed his own relatives for the sake of justice! So, aren't they enemies? There is hatred for the murder of their father, but there is also grace for raising them... Oh, what kind of messed up relationship is this! The more I listen, the more confused I get!"

Qiu Zhu: "The old lady of the Huguohou Mansion is the cousin of Emperor Gaozu, Princess Anping. She had to work hard to marry into the Suguogong Mansion as a concubine. After she gave birth to a concubine's son, she was even more deliberate in trying to obtain the title of the Duke's Mansion. Unfortunately, not only did she fail to achieve her wish in the end, but she also caused a heavy blow to the direct line of the Duke's Mansion. Despite this, she only got the title of Huguohou. Moreover, the emperor does not seem to attach much importance to the Huguohou, and his sons only hold some insignificant and idle positions."

Su Yue thought to herself that the late emperor was an interesting person. Look at the Duke of Huguo Mansion, which suddenly became the Marquis of Huguo Mansion, but the title is still the same as before, exactly the same; look at the Duke of Weiguo Mansion, which was once so glorious, but now has become the Marquis of Weiguo Mansion, and the title has not changed either, but its status is getting worse and worse, and it has gradually been marginalized. On the contrary, the Duke of Yingguo Mansion, although the title has slightly declined, the title has become the Marquis of Anning, and he still plays a pivotal role in key positions.

Is this the difference between the current Emperor Ming and the previous emperor, or does it mean that the emperor will still entrust important tasks to the Anning Marquisate in the future? Then in comparison, wouldn't the Huguo Marquisate and Weiguo Marquisate be empty shells in name only? Thinking of this, Su Yue couldn't help but feel confused.

Politics! It's such a headache. Su Yue always felt that she didn't have the intelligence to get involved in these things. She just wanted to live her life peacefully. However, the current situation forced her to face reality.

What she wanted to know most was, what did the emperor want from her? And did she really have what the emperor expected? These questions lingered in Su Yue's mind, making her feel stressed.

"What should I do..." Su Yue murmured to herself, staring into the distance, as if looking for an answer.

Su Yue asked Qiu Zhu again: "What kind of person is the Duke of the Protectorate? Is there anything in him that the emperor covets the most? After his death, did the emperor get what he wanted?"

Qiu Zhu thought for a moment and replied, "According to rumors, the Duke of Protecting the Country is a great hero who stands tall and upright, and is righteous and upright! He is a master of military tactics, and is both wise and brave. If the emperor had not recalled Duke Su back to the capital when Northern Yan was weak, Northern Yan would have become a vassal of Daliang. The late emperor had always dreamed of taking back the military power from Duke Su. After Duke Su was executed, the late emperor got his wish and took back the military power. However, just one year after Duke Su's family died tragically, Northern Yan and Mobei simultaneously sent troops to invade our border. In order to stabilize the National Protection Army, the late emperor had to send Princess Mingzhao to lead the expedition. At that time, the late emperor gave Princess Mingzhao a military token, and later Princess Mingzhao married Northern Yan, and Bingzhou became her fiefdom, which was given to her as a dowry. Most of the National Protection Army also stayed in Bingzhou."

Su Yue asked doubtfully: "Where is the military token?"

Qiu Zhu thought for a moment and replied, "No one knows the whereabouts of the military token. Normally, it should be in the hands of the emperor, but the strange thing is that the emperor cannot mobilize the troops of Bingzhou. If the military token is not in the hands of the emperor, it may have fallen into the hands of Princess Mingzhao."

Su Yue frowned and muttered to herself, "But I didn't see it in the dowry my mother gave me. Could it be in the hands of the escaped youngest son of Duke Su?"

Qiu Zhu shook his head and denied it: "But I have never heard of any news about the military token in all these years."

Su Yue asked in confusion: "Since the military token is lost, why can't the emperor make a new one?"

Qiu Zhu sighed and explained, "Although it is theoretically feasible, the Bingzhou garrison commander does not approve of the new military token."

Su Yue's eyes widened in surprise: "How can it be done this way? For the emperor, the military token is not the most important thing. As long as the Bingzhou garrison commander has no intention of rebelling, it doesn't matter whether the emperor has the military token. As long as they recognize the emperor's authority, the emperor can completely forge a new military token. In this case, does Duke Su have any other secrets or treasures besides the military token?"

Qiu Zhu thought for a moment, and then said, "I'm not really sure about this question. But as far as I know, the Su family has an elite force of up to 2,000 people - the Iron Eagle Guard. They are all brave and powerful, and can fight one against a hundred! This army once followed Princess Ming Zhao to fight and kill the enemy, and repeatedly made great achievements. In addition, Princess Ming Zhao also has a mysterious and powerful 18 Dragon and Tiger Riders. According to legend, this team has amazing combat effectiveness and extremely high mobility, and can easily take the head of the enemy general in the enemy's formation, just like entering an unmanned area."

Hearing this, Su Yue couldn't help but ask: "So where is this team now?"

Qiu Zhu shook his head and replied, "No one knows their exact location. It seems that they disappeared along with Princess Ming Zhao." Su Yue pondered for a moment and then asked, "Do you know when and where the eighteen riders last appeared?"

Qiu Zhu nodded and said, "I know a thing or two about this. The last time they appeared in public was when Princess Ming Zhao returned to Da'an to visit her relatives. As for the last time they were mentioned in the martial arts world, it was near Jingzhou."

Su Yue fell into deep thought, recalling the time in Jingzhou. At that time, little Su Yue and her mother lived there, but unfortunately, her mother was assassinated and seriously injured. The injury had an irreversible impact on her mother's body, causing her health to deteriorate. After that, their family was forced to move to Jiangdu, where her mother almost never left the house.

At that time, Butler Liu appeared in their lives. At the same time, Su Mingyuan also moved in with them. Su Mingyuan, Mingyuan, Mingyuan... these names intertwined in Su Yue's mind, making her think: Is there some kind of connection between them?

In addition, Su Yue also noticed a strange phenomenon. Duke Su's youngest son was named Su Liu, and the housekeeper Liu was still a pale-faced scholar in Jiangdu, but why did he grow a thick beard when he arrived in Kyoto? Is he deliberately hiding something? This question kept circling in Su Yue's mind, making her feel that things were not simple.