Zhu Houzhao decided to return to the capital temporarily, which caught the officials and soldiers of Zhangjiakou Fort off guard.

Many yamen only received the news of their departure the next morning after the third day, so that in the city, soldiers in the military camps outside the city needed to get up in the middle of the night to pack their luggage. The errands that originally took three days to complete would need to be completed within one day.

The two notices were set off for less than three hours, and the distance was reduced from three days to one night.

The army was in a mess.

But for Chen Xi, these things had little to do with him. He still stayed outside, sat on a chair and waited for Zhu Houzhao, occasionally closing his eyes to rest, but he would never fall asleep.

Sitting and walking outside, witnessing the brilliant galaxy, it seems that things are smoother than usual.

Afterwards, Xiao Taozi sent the eunuch out to pass the message, informing Zhu Houzhao that he had fallen asleep, and persuaded Chen Xi to go back, but Chen Xi had no plans to go back at all.

It was almost dawn that someone came to say hello to Chen Xi, but Lu Wan and others asked Chen Xi to come and take charge of the withdrawal of troops.

"Tell me to Mr. Lu and several other colleagues that I am going to set off with His Majesty and return to Beijing. They will arrange the withdrawal of troops. I will not interfere, and even His Majesty will not ask more questions... I will meet again after His Majesty's carriage sets off."

Chen Xi had a clear attitude, just stayed there, waited for Zhu Hou to shine, and set off to return to Beijing together.

The person who came to pass the message went back quickly. At this time, Lu Wan had already leaned on the back of the chair and slept for half an hour.

"Shisan Lu?"

Hu Lian was waiting for the news around him. When he saw the people below bringing Chen Xi's words back, he went over and tried to wake Lu Wan.

Lu Wan opened her eyes, her eyes were still a little dry, and she rubbed her red eyes: "Why, it's dawn?"

Wang Chang kept looking at the official document and said with a smile: "Quanqing, you are not good at your body, but you just stayed up all night, why are you still confused when you sleep?"

Lu Wan covered her mouth and yawned: "Brother Hanying, how long have you been resting? You actually have the energy to read this? Is there any news about Shangshu Chen?"

Because Wang Chang was a few years older, there were not so many elderly people like him, while Lu Wan suddenly prepared to return to Beijing because of his daily labor and needed a lot of time to rest. Lu Wan had been busy with the coordination before. Although he was not sleeping well, he could only get up quickly to prepare for the matter of the imperial carriage.

Hu Lian said: "Shangshu Chen asked someone to bring him back, saying that he would wait at the door to go with the imperial carriage and make arrangements back to Beijing, and the arrangements will be completed by Mr. Lu, Mr. Wang and others."

"Oh."

Lu Wan smiled bitterly on his face, "This is a bit like throwing everything to us... Brother Hanying, have you arranged everything?"

Even a minister of the Ministry of War, who is both virtuous and capable, is not qualified to discuss Chen Xi, the immediate superior. No matter what official position Chen Xi will sit in in the future, it is obviously much higher than Lu Wan. But now I don’t know if Chen Xi is going to be promoted to the Ministry of Personnel after the war, or continue to stay in the Ministry of War, or even to the Ministry of Rites. After all, Chen Xi was born in a Hanlin family.

Wang Chang said: "Let's implement it according to the previous plan. You have to ask Shangshu Chen for instructions first. What's the result?"

Lu Wan nodded: "Then let's make arrangements quickly. The front and rear troops are clearly distinguished to prevent the Tatars from suddenly killing from the north. In the end, the thief leader is not dead!"

Because Batumonk and Turuborot are still there.

This is particularly cautious in withdrawing troops. From a military perspective, all precautions must be taken to prevent the occurrence of the Yingzong Tumu Fort Incident. However, in the overall situation, the Tatars had no ability to fight back at all, and it was not easy for the Tatars to break through the border and enter the pass.

Hu Lian saluted: "Abide by the orders of the two adults!"

Then Hu Lian turned around and left. Lu Wan stood up and stretched: "Brother Hanying hasn't packed it yet?"

Wang Chang said: "It's all old documents. Check if there are any omissions. Those that are not important will be kept here without taking them back to the capital. After all, the capital will be kept in the capital. This war is over. Looking at the entire war report, it makes people sigh, as if everything happened yesterday."

Speaking of this, both of them had a little helpless smile on their faces.

They knew very well how inappropriate the court responded in this war. They knew even more that if Chen Xi had not turned the tide, the war would have been defeated and even the emperor would have taken risks.

"Be prepared early and set off as soon as possible. You and I cannot delay any delay. After Your Majesty returns to the capital and the prefecture is stable, I believe that Master Xie will return to the capital. By then, the cabinet and the Prison of the Secretariat will be able to return to normal. The six ministries are in line, so the world can be maintained... I really hope that the prefecture will not have any major changes."

Lu Wan has a little more longing for the future.

The headache-inducing border problems were solved. Even the nominal Khan and Hatun of the Tatars were under the control of the court. When the war ended, Liu Jin and Zhang Yuan, two of the Sili Supervisors who were abusing the power, were pulled down. Everything was developing healthily. As for whether the emperor was wise, it seemed that it had little to do with the ministers.

Originally, according to the operation of the Zhengde Dynasty court, the emperor was an optional character, and all departments were always operating according to established rules.

Wang Chang smiled and said, "Then after you go back, I guess Brother Quanqing should be promoted?"

In one sentence, the atmosphere between the two suddenly became awkward.

A very realistic problem. He Jian, the Minister of Personnel, was old and had the intention to retire before. Zhu Houzhao never let He Jian retire. In fact, he was waiting for the end of this war. With Chen Xi's contribution, it was just right to be promoted to the position of Minister of Personnel. In this way, facing a very realistic problem, who will become the Minister of the Ministry of War?

Obviously, Wang Chang had no idea about this position, because Wang Chang felt that he was old and had no energy to keep up. He was the right assistant minister, and he was half a level lower than Lu Wan in his official position. Lu Wan was clearly dispatched in this battle and won the trust of the military. In this way, Lu Wan succeeded as the Minister of War in Chenxi and became a matter of course.

But whether the emperor was willing to let Chen Xi leave the Ministry of War is another matter.

Lu Wan said: "The war has just ended, and Zhihao's ability is there. He has to take responsibility for the position of Minister of War. I dare not make that unreasonable idea."

"hehe!"

Wang Chang smiled and said, "You want to go to the Ministry of Personnel? Anyone who needs someone to take over He Shangshu's position. If it is not as good as it is, it needs others to take over it. But if it seems that such a great contribution is so great that if he doesn't let him go further, it will be difficult for the court to explain it. What do you think?"

Lu Wan's face added a bit of contemplative expression, as if he was considering whether Chen Xi would become the Minister of Personnel.

Just at this moment, the voice of the guards came from the door: "Two ministers, the general secretary of Xuanda Wang Junmen, asked for a meeting."

"Please come in."

Lu Wan and Wang Chang could only give up discussing this issue first and look at the door.

Soon, Wang Shouren came here in great silence.

For Lu Wan, Wang Chang, and even Hu Lian, the next step is to return to Beijing. Hu Lian's role as governor of the Xuanfu was just a stopgap solution. The purpose of coming to the northwest was only to assist the emperor in leading the troops, and he would not stay in the northwest after the errand was completed.

However, Wang Shouren is the genuine Governor of Xuanda. Others can leave, but Wang Shouren must stay.

"The two ministers, I wonder if the troops of Xuanfu will withdraw to the place immediately? The front-line defense of Zhangjiakou will also return to the pre-war state?"

What Wang Shouren is most concerned about is not when the imperial army will leave, but what state should the local defense be restored to, and whether to continue to station troops in Zhangjiakou, because it involves military dispatch, it is not something that he, the Governor of Xuanda, can explain clearly in one sentence, and he needs to ask the two ministers of the Ministry of War.

Lu Wan and Wang Chang also had no right to make a decision. If they were to transfer troops, they had to ask the emperor for instructions and get the emperor's order.

"Who knows?"

Wang Chang said carelessly, "Shangshu Chen sent a message, he wanted to walk with Your Majesty, so we need to do all the affairs here. Bo'an, as the general system of Xuanda's military and horses, you can wait for some things first. If Your Majesty passes Juyongguan and has not issued a transfer order, you can withdraw the troops stationed in Zhangjiakou from the local government, but what happens to Your Majesty halfway..."

"Uh-huh!"

Lu Wan cleared his throat, as if to remind Wang Chang that this was inappropriate.

Wang Chang smiled: "Just discuss the matter, it is best to use local personnel to escort Your Majesty back to Juyongguan. After passing Juyongguan, everything will be peaceful. The same is true for Shangshu Chen. If he could kill both Da Yankhan and his son, why would he be worried about this now? But I thought the Tartars would not have the courage to continue invading my Middle Earth."

Wang Shouren looked at Lu Wan with his inquiry eyes, and he also saw that Wang Chang, as the Minister of War, always said some useless nonsense, belonging to the qualifications, and Lu Wan is the practical faction. The most capable person in the Ministry of War is Chen Xi, followed by Lu Wan.

Lu Wan said: "Mr. Wang is right. Wait for the news first. We dare not make a decision casually. At least it is the decision of Secretary Chen. You don't have to worry. After the Shengjiao leaves Zhangjiakou, it will take a certain amount of time to adjust the defense here. You can temporarily station the Xuanfu troops for a few days. The nearby garrison troops can be withdrawn first. As for the Wanquan Zuo Guard, Weizhou Guard and other troops, you can wait until Your Majesty returns to Juyongguan before dispatching."

Wang Shouren saluted: "Mr. Lu's intention is to prevent the Tatars from raiding Zhangjiakou Fort?"

Lu Wan smiled and said, "You are also a soldier. You don't need to bend around the bush. This is probably what you mean. Your Majesty returns to Juyong Pass before you, and you cannot relax your defenses in the northwest. This is a matter of concern for the safety of the Ming Dynasty. Bo'an, you have outstanding abilities and you will probably be transferred back to the court for office soon. Show it well!"

...

...

The capital city, at dawn.

No one knows the news that the emperor is coming back at this time.

Zhang Yanling met Huang Yu very early and asked about his profits in business.

For Huang Yu, he was a little uncomfortable with the sudden appearance of the Marquis of Jianchang. After all, this master never woke up after noon.

"The deal is done well, but the good days are coming."

Zhang Yanling complained with some annoyance, "Shen Zhihou has arrived in Zhangjiakou Fort. He has been urging His Majesty to return to Beijing these days, and even instigated His Majesty to openly select the Secretariat Seal and Supervisor's seal in the internal supervision. It is estimated that the next Secretariat Seal and Supervisor's seal is the person he controls."

Huang Yu didn't understand the major national affairs very well, and even did not even know the accounts of business. He was more of a thug under Zhang Yanling.

Zhang Yanling said: "Even if they come back, they will do the business as they do, but they can't be as arrogant as before... Shen Zhihou is a kid who is very good at doing things. Now he found out that he actually has a business in the capital... Humph, I see that this marquis won't impeach him."

Huang Yu thought to himself: "You have all business and earn a lot of money through clever robbery, but you have the attitude to report others? Besides, Lord Shen is a merchant family. He has received permission from His Majesty for business. What's so surprising about him having business in private?"

"Mr. Marquis, there are some people locked up in the yamen now, all of whom were arrested for disrupting the market. Should I release it first?" Huang Yu asked for instructions.

In order to make the transaction bigger, Zhang Yanling did a lot of things to bully others by bullying others. Through the cells he controlled, he arrested a large number of innocent businessmen. Many of them were even falsely accused of being involved in the Tartars, but no substantial evidence was found so far.

If it weren't for this, Zhang Yanling wouldn't have controlled the capital market in a short period of time. Originally, Chen Xi's commercial layout in the capital was very perfect, but because Zhang Yanling did something wrong, Li Jin, who was left behind, had to temporarily withdraw from the capital, and all layouts were put into vain.

Zhang Yanling said: "Let it go? It's good if they haven't killed them. Since the charge is a synonym, let's put it aside for now. Don't do the murder, so as not to cause trouble by the boy named Chen later."

Because he had done something to ignore human life before, he was punished by the court. Now Zhang Yanling is much more timid and can make him arrest and falsely accused and imprisoned, but he still shrank after thinking about the murder for a long time. As for how the yamen would understand his meaning, it would be a different matter.

Huang Yu said: "Then Marquis, what should we arrange business before His Majesty comes back?"

"That's... it's very simple. All the shops that were sealed before were all allocated to the name of this marquis... No, just find some people, and these shops are all included in these people's names. In this way, the court will not find any evidence of this marquis' crime after investigation. As for the seized goods, they will continue to be sold, and the purchase channels will be controlled, so that their brothers can keep a close eye on them. If you want to eat delicious food and drink spicy food in the future, you must have enough eyesight. Whoever has any problems in your jurisdiction will investigate. In short, we have to make this transaction ourselves. All the goods in the capital must pass this marquis before they can be put on the market!"

Zhang Yanling achieved a monopoly of goods during the war and tasted the sweetness, but was unwilling to let go after the war.

As long as the shipping channel is controlled, the pricing power will be firmly in his hands, so that he can continue to make big profits.

...

...

Although Zhang Yanling's plan is good, he doesn't understand the market rules at all, nor does he know how Chen Xi will make arrangements. He just wishfully feels that he controls the market.

The news that Chen Xi had returned to Zhangjiakou Fort in the capital was heard, and the whole family was filled with joy again.

The Shen family held a special family dinner, and had a delicious meal in the backyard. After the meal, Xie Yuner left Zhou and explained in detail what was written in the letter Chen Xi sent.

"...My husband's letter was delivered ten days ago. At that time, my husband had not led his troops to Zhangjiakou Fort, so this letter was not allowed to be made public. My husband was afraid that someone would make a big fuss and said that others had not returned, so he sent a letter to his home first, without distinction between public and private..."

Xie Yuner wanted to explain to Zhou why she delayed the family's letter, but after she said that she regretted it because she found that her mother-in-law didn't understand her behavior at all.
To be continued...