182 Consort Rong Is Pregnant
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Guo Fuzhen invited the two of them to Fort Lius.
As soon as he entered the city gate of Fort Liushi, Lin Ran was shocked by the scene in the city.
Although this fort looked very dilapidated from the outside, it was quite prosperous inside. There were all kinds of restaurants and shops. It was not inferior to the towns near the capital.
The only difference was that most of the residents in the city had gone to repair the city wall, so the streets looked a little deserted.
After arriving at the general’s residence, the empress was invited to take a seat while Guo Fuzhen returned to his room to put on a coat. Then, he returned to the hall to meet the empress.
“General Guo.”
The empress pointed at the city wall that was being repaired in the distance through the door. “Is the battle over so that you are mending the city wall?”
When Guo Fuzhen heard this, he nodded slightly, but his eyes revealed a hint of doubt. “It’s strange. At half-past four this morning, the Great Yong Dynasty sent troops to invade, but when I led the army to face them, they suddenly retreated.”
“I thought that this should be a tactic by the Great Yong Dynasty to harass us, so I didn’t lead the troops to chase after them. However, Your Majesty, don’t worry. I’ve already sent people to keep an eye on their movement. If the Great Yong Dynasty makes any moves, we will definitely be able to react in time!”
“General Guo, thank you for your hard work.”
The empress thanked him and looked at Lin Ran.
Guo Fuzhen did not know the inside story, but the two of them knew very well that the sudden retreat of the Great Yong Dynasty was not a tactic. Instead, it was Liu Hongshan’s doing.
However, even though they knew the inside story, the two of them could not help but be a little surprised.
Fighting a war was expensive. Mobilizing hundreds of thousands of troops was not as simple as it sounded.
Just the food, horses, and supplies could add up to an astronomical figure.
In the past few days of war, the Great Yong Dynasty had lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers and wasted countless money. In the end, because of a word from Liu Hongshan, they immediately retreated. It could be seen that Liu Hongshan definitely had a high status in the Great Yong Dynasty.
Just as Lin Ran was wondering about Liu Hongshan’s identity in the Great Yong Dynasty, Guo Fuzhen suddenly rubbed his hands and asked, “Your Majesty, I have something to ask… I wonder if my daughter is doing well in the palace?”
At the mention of his daughter, Guo Fuzhen’s fierce face revealed the love of a father.
The empress was stunned for a moment before she smiled and said, “General Guo, don’t worry. Consort Rong is doing very well in the palace. Now that she’s pregnant with my child, according to the imperial physician in the palace, you can expect to become a grandfather in autumn!”
“Really?”
Guo Fuzhen was overjoyed. A simple and honest smile appeared on the famous general’s face. “Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“General Guo, you should thank Lord Lin!”
The empress chuckled and pointed at Lin Ran. “It’s all thanks to Lord Lin that Consort Rong was able to get pregnant.”
The expression on Lin Ran’s face instantly froze. He widened his eyes and stared at the empress, thinking to himself, “Why did you bring it up?”
Guo Fuzhen did not know what was going on between the two of them. When he heard the empress’s words, he carefully examined the young man in the eighth-grade official robe for the first time.
As soon as they looked at each other, Guo Fuzhen sensed the unfathomable power in Lin Ran’s body. He couldn’t help but look respectful. “May I ask who you are?”
“Commander of the Imperial Guards.”
Lin Ran cupped his hands and replied. After a pause, he added, “I was lucky enough to get promoted by His Majesty to a general this morning.”
Guo Fuzhen’s expression changed. He hurriedly cupped his hands.
From the commander of the imperial guards to a general, it sounded like Lin Ran had only been promoted from the third-grade to the second-grade. However, it had to be known that the guards in the palace and the guards at the border were completely different.
The main duty of the palace guards was to defend, but the guards at the border were required to both attack and defend. In Guo Fuzhen’s heart, the ability needed to become a general in the army was higher than the commander of imperial guards.
After greeting each other, Guo Fuzhen asked in confusion, “Lord Lin… Oh, no, General Lin, just now, His Majesty said that it’s all thanks to you that my daughter was able to get pregnant. May I ask what it means?”
“Well…”
Lin Ran, who had always been eloquent, was instantly speechless. In front of Consort Rong’s father, he couldn’t possibly say that he impregnated her, right?
Seeing that Lin Ran was speechless, the empress couldn’t help but chuckle. After a moment, she said, “General Guo, a few days ago, an assassin sneaked into the palace to assassinate me. You must have heard about it, right?”
“I heard that the assassin was sent by the Great Yong Dynasty.”
Guo Fuzhen nodded and continued, “However, I’m at the border, so I don’t know the details.”
The empress was not surprised. Her expression darkened as she continued, “That day, the assassin sneaked into the palace and disguised as Consort Rong.”
“What?!”
Guo Fuzhen narrowed his eyes, and his powerful aura erupted. “This assassin really deserves to be cut into pieces! She actually tried to implicate my Guo family!”
The empress was caught off guard by this surging aura and her face turned pale. Fortunately, Lin Ran reminded him, so Guo Fuzhen retracted his aura in time.
After taking a few breaths, the empress looked at Lin Ran and said, “It’s all thanks to Lord Li that we were able to catch the assassin and save Consort Rong.”
“Otherwise, not only will Consort Rong be killed by that assassin, but your Guo family will also be implicated.”
“I see!”
Guo Fuzhen was enlightened. He turned his burly figure towards Lin Ran and knelt on the ground. “General Lin, thank you for saving the Guo family!”
“General Guo, please get up!”
Lin Ran was taken aback and quickly went forward to help him up. “It’s just my duty. General Guo, you don’t have to thank me.”
“General Lin, you’re wrong!”
Guo Fuzhen knelt on the ground and did not move. He widened his eyes and said seriously, “Not only did you save my daughter’s life, but you also saved the reputation of my Guo family! I have to thank you for your kindness!”
With that, Guo Fuzhen kowtowed three times. Then, with Lin Ran’s help, he stood up with a bruise on his forehead.
Seeing how sincere Guo Fuzhen was, Lin Ran couldn’t help but feel a little bad. After all, he didn’t mean to save Consort Rong at that time. It was just a coincidence.
Just as Lin Ran was feeling awkward, the empress suddenly said, “General Guo, the Northern Garrison has suffered heavy casualties in this battle. Now is the time to recruit people. I want Lord Lin to be your deputy general. What do you think?”
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