After the end of the court meeting, the contents of the eight-hundred-mile urgent report spread rapidly.
Every official in the capital was spreading it. Everyone said it in a low voice and behind closed doors. It spread quickly and depressingly.
Before this, in the imperial palace with layers of red walls, Jingxiu Palace where Concubine Chen lived.
Lin An, who was bright and beautiful with charming and affectionate eyes, had just finished greeting her mother and stayed in Jingxiu Palace to talk with her.
Chen Fei drank the health tea and looked at her bright and charming daughter. She sighed and said, "I'm sorry.
"Wei Yuan will lead the army to battle. It will be a rich military achievement that will make people envious. This Wei Yuan is the biggest threat to your brother's position in the East Palace, but he is also the most stable cornerstone of the Crown Prince. "
Lin An took a sip of tea and wet her small mouth. She did not respond.
As a princess, she was obviously not qualified. But under the influence of what she saw and heard, she had a little standard. It was not difficult to understand the meaning of her mother's words.
There was no doubt that Wei Yuan supported the Fourth Prince because Wei Yuan was a eunuch from Fengqi Palace.
But Wei Yuan was also the most stable "cornerstone" of the Crown Prince. Her father was suspicious and Wei Yuan had great achievements. Naturally, he would not let the Fourth Prince be the Crown Prince.
Concubine Chen sighed, "It would be good if Wei Yuan could die on the battlefield."
Hearing this, Lin An frowned. It was not that she was dissatisfied with her mother cursing Wei Yuan. She and Wei Yuan had no friendship.
She just felt that her mother's tone and expression when she said this were full of hope and certainty. Yes, certainty.
It seemed that she knew something but was a little nervous and not completely sure before the final conclusion.
The Second Princess, who had the innocence of a young girl, certainly did not have a deep level of observation. But the woman in front of her was her biological mother and one of the people she was most familiar with.
As they were chatting, the light outside the door was blocked. The Crown Prince stepped over the threshold and hurried in, shouting, "Mother, Mother …"
Lin An turned her head and saw her brother enter the room. His expression was very complicated. There was a mixture of excitement and regret, and there was also sadness in the joy.
Chen Fei smiled and said, "Crown Prince, please sit."
He called for the palace maids to brew tea for the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince waved his hand, indicating that he did not need it. He sent the palace maids away and sat down on the soft couch covered with bright yellow silk. After a long pause, he slowly said,
"Imperial Mother, Wei Yuan … died in the northeast."
Both mother and daughter's expressions froze at the same time. A few seconds later, two completely different expressions appeared on their faces.
Lin An's face turned slightly pale, and his shock was mixed with confusion and worry.
Chen Fei, on the other hand, was overjoyed. This joy was so great that her body trembled slightly, and her voice also trembled. "Really?!"
The Crown Prince nodded and gave an affirmative answer, "The urgent letter arrived last night. This morning, Imperial Father had called for an impromptu court meeting to discuss this matter. The news of Wei Yuan's death in battle would quickly spread throughout the capital. Of the hundred thousand soldiers, only sixteen thousand returned. In this battle, our Daibun suffered heavy losses. "
Chen Fei's face flushed with excitement. Even though her son and daughter had already grown up, she still had a unique charm and did not look old at all.
"As long as we can ascend the throne, what are the necessary sacrifices?" Chen Fei said in a powerful voice.
She seemed to be educating the Crown Prince and comforting herself.
The Crown Prince nodded and sighed. "It is a pity that Wei Yuan died. He had a strong sense of the overall situation. I had hoped that after ascending the throne in the future, he would accept the reality and work for me."
There were only three blood-related people present, so the Crown Prince did not hide his words.
"Crown Prince, your biggest problem is that you like to fantasize and look forward to some impossible things."
Chen Fei reprimanded him, and a smile appeared on her charming face. She said, "Stay at Jingxiu Palace for lunch and drink with Imperial Mother. With Wei Yuan's death, Imperial Mother's heart disease has finally been dispelled, and she feels relaxed."
The Crown Prince also laughed. "Okay, today I will drink with Imperial Mother to my heart's content."
Lin An looked at them silently. Looking at the two people who were related to her by blood, she suddenly felt a strong sense of sadness.
This sadness came from loneliness. The things they said, the things they did, the things they were happy about, the things they were angry about … It was difficult for her to identify and empathize with them like before.
Unknowingly, she had gradually drifted away from them.
…
Not long after the morning court session ended, a note was passed through layers of secret channels and finally fell into the hands of the guard captain of Dexin Yuan.
He opened it and glanced at it. Immediately, his face changed greatly and he rushed to Huaiqing's bedroom.
At this time, Huaiqing had already gotten up and was sitting in the outer room enjoying breakfast. She looked at the guard captain who rushed over and stopped outside the door. She frowned and asked, "What's the matter?"
The guard captain did not speak. He crossed the threshold and handed over the note while trembling with fear.
Huai Qing frowned. He took the note and read it with some doubt.
She saw that her beautiful face became pale little by little, and even her lips lost their color.
After doing this for a long time, she suddenly woke up and seemed to think of something. She lost her voice and said, "Mother!!"
Huaiqing quickly got up, ran out of the bedroom, came to the study, and pulled out a letter from a history book.
She put the letter in her sleeve, lifted the hem of her skirt, and ran out of the study again.
The letter was given to her by Wei Yuan before the expedition. At that time, there was also a sentence:
"Give this letter to your mother at the right time."
What was the right time? Huaiqing didn't understand at that time, but now, she understood.
She ran all the way to Fengqi Palace. Two palace maids were chasing behind her, panting and holding their waists. Their faces were pale and they looked like they could not live.
In Fengqi Palace, the Empress sat in front of the table and mixed incense. She was wearing a golden luan dress and a small phoenix crown on her head. She was beautiful and graceful.
It seemed that even time could not bear to destroy the beauty of this peerless beauty who resided deep in the harem.
In the entire capital, except for the Empress who was a little worse than me when she was young, the other women were worse than me by ten or even a hundred times.
— — Mu Nanzi's Quote
That was a very high evaluation.
Because in the eyes of the Princess, there were only two kinds of women in the world. One was Mu Nanzi, and the other was all the women in the world.
It could be imagined that such a narcissist would admit Mu Nanzi's beauty.
"Why did you come to pay your respects to me?"
The Empress saw her daughter coming and smiled.
Her smile was elegant, dignified, and she didn't show too much enthusiasm because of her daughter's arrival.
The Empress was still the Empress, as gentle and dignified as ever.
In the eyes of outsiders, the Empress was approachable, gentle, and a real motherly woman.
For example, Xu Qi 'an, who once exaggerated that the Empress was gentle and had no airs, and many more people like him.
But in Huaiqing's view, this was the real coldness.
In Huaiqing's impression, the Empress was always dignified and indifferent, gentle and reserved. She was so reserved that even her daughter couldn't get close to her.
"Duke Wei died in the battle at the headquarters of the Witchcraft Cult."
Huaiqing said concisely.
Then, she saw the elegant and dignified woman, who made the Empress flawlessly, lose her manners for the first time.
"You're lying!"
She suddenly screamed, and her phoenix eyes widened. She looked at Huaiqing not as if she was looking at her daughter, but as an enemy.
Huaiqing stared at her mother, and sadness flashed in her bright eyes.
She could naturally guess what Xu Qi 'an could guess. The case of Concubine Fu had explained a lot of things.
She put the envelope on the table and said lightly, "Before Duke Wei went to battle, he asked me to deliver this letter to you."
After that, she turned and left.
She stepped over the threshold and left the room. She didn't leave immediately, but waited in the courtyard for a moment until the Empress's heart-wrenching cry came from inside.
The sound of crying blood was heart-wrenching.
Huaiqing raised her head. In the bleak autumn day, between the white clouds, she seemed to see the gentle and elegant man again.
Duke Wei, what kind of story do you have with her …
…
The Xu family once again came to Yunlu Academy, seeking refuge with the whole family.
Xu Lingyin was pulled by her aunt, and reluctantly climbed up the mountain. Her two shallow eyebrows were wrinkled, and she asked loudly, "Mother, are you sending me here to study again?"
Her aunt said snappily, "No, I've already given up on you."
Xu Lingyin jumped hard, and beamed with joy, "Mother is the best to me."
How did I give birth to such a useless daughter … Her aunt almost cried because of her.
When they arrived at the academy, they went to the small courtyard that they had stayed in before.
After settling the family, Xu Qi 'an and Li Miaozhen left the courtyard side by side. They saw the dean, Zhao Shou, standing not far away, looking at them with a serious face.
"Before Wei Yuan went to battle, he asked me to take care of two things, and let me give them to you at the right time."
Zhao Shou took out a letter from his bosom, and handed it to Xu Qi 'an, saying, "This is the letter he left for you."
The other thing, he didn't mention.
Xu Qi 'an didn't ask, took the letter, kept it in his bosom, and nodded slightly.
The two left on their swords.
…
At the border of Xiang Province, Jade Sun Pass.
The desolate barking of Huo Yao reverberated in the sky, circling in circles in the distant sky.
At the top of the city wall, the soldiers drooped their heads, and a centurion spat, and cursed, "The Fire Country's bastards are here to show off again."
The target was too high and too far, beyond the range of the crossbows. The flying beast scouts were very experienced, and didn't give the high rank Daibun Warrior any chance. The moment they sensed something was wrong, they would immediately fly away.
Even a fourth rank expert would not be able to catch up with a beast that was known for its speed in the air.
The centurion turned to look at the morale of the soldiers, and cursed angrily.
"Damn it, look at you now, like a bunch of useless trash whose wife was slept with by a wild man. Show me your strength. Duke Wei led his brothers to conquer Jing Shan City. Jing Shan City, the Witchcraft Cult's headquarters.
"Not just Daibun, even the Great Zhou Dynasty, this is the first time this has happened. This will be recorded in the history books. Do you know what this means? You uncouth bastards. "
The centurion waved his fist excitedly. "Our names will go down in history!"
"But Duke Wei died in battle …"
The soldier next to him said in a low voice.
The centurion's face fell, and he didn't speak for a long time.
Had they won the war?
In the eyes of these soldiers who followed the army, they had won, and they had penetrated the Fire Country's hinterland and conquered the Witchcraft Cult's headquarters. Such a victory was worth more than eighty thousand lives, even if it was a hundred thousand or two hundred thousand.
The Witchcraft Cult had lost millions of people in this battle, including civilians and soldiers.
It was a huge victory.
But Wei Yuan's death was a heavy blow to the Daibun soldiers.
The kind that directly crushed their morale.
After withdrawing from the Witchcraft Cult's territory, the remaining sixteen thousand soldiers set up camp at Jade Sun Pass, waiting for instructions from the Imperial Court.
In the meantime, the scouts of Daibun and the Fire Country had been monitoring each other, passing messages to each other, and paying close attention to each other's movements.
Suddenly, a pitiful wail broke the silence. The scout who had been swaggering in the sky was torn apart along with his flying beast.
Blood splattered everywhere.
The soldiers at the top of the city wall squinted their eyes and saw a black shadow flying towards the city wall after killing the Flying Dog scout.
Then, they heard the woman in the Taoist robe say loudly, "I am Tenzō's disciple, Li Miaozhen."
The centurion exhaled slowly, as if relieved of a heavy burden.
"It's Tenzō Shōnin, the Flying Swallow Heroine."
"Who is the Flying Swallow Heroine?"
"You don't even know the Flying Swallow Heroine? She is the Saintess of Tenzō."
"She can fly on a sword. She is very powerful …"
"She is more than powerful. The Flying Swallow Heroine is invincible. Wherever she is, no one dares to do evil."
"Really?"
"That's what everyone is saying …"
The soldiers whispered in each other's ears in surprise. The lower ranks did not have a deep understanding of the concept of ranks. In their eyes, a third rank master was not even as good as a famous swordsman.
In the future, there was a special term called "Degree of Nationality".
If it was Xu Qi 'an, they would think that they were invincible. Because Xu Yinluo had killed the High Duke in a fit of rage for the people. The Imperial Court did not dare to say a word and the Emperor was forced to issue an edict.
Li Miaozhen landed on her flying sword and stopped above the city wall. She followed Xu Qi 'an and landed.
Was this the legendary Flying Swallow Heroine? They were actually such beautiful women … All the soldiers looked at the young man and woman with scrutinizing gazes.
Then, they looked at the man behind Tenzō Shōnin at the same time.
His facial features were handsome and exquisite. He did not give off a feminine or "beautiful" feeling. Instead, he was handsome like a piece of jade.
His expression was indifferent, and there was an indelible sadness between his brows.
He looked familiar. It was as if they had seen him somewhere before, but they could not remember who it was.
Until the centurion's body trembled, and his rough face suddenly turned red. He said in a trembling voice, "Xu … Xu Yinluo …"
Xu Qi 'an looked at the centurion and did not answer. He only nodded slightly.
…
In the military camp below the city wall, more than ten thousand soldiers suddenly heard loud cheers from the top of the city wall.
Some of them ran out of their tents, some pulled on the reins of their horses, and some stopped what they were doing. They all turned their heads to look at the top of the city wall.
They heard countless cheers, which converged into one voice.
Xu Yinluo!
To the "leaderless" Daibun soldiers, Xu Yinluo's name was like a shot in the arm. He was their backbone, and they were no longer confused.
Since ancient times, the leaders had always been people with great reputations.
…
In the military tent.
"Duke Wei brought five Jinluo soldiers to the battle. Why are you the only one who came to see me? Where are the others?"
Xu Qi 'an asked in a calm tone when he saw Zhang Kaitai, whom he had not seen for many days.
Zhang Kaitai, who had not shaved for a long time, said softly, "Dead.
They died in the headquarters of the Witchcraft Cult. Some fought with the wizards, and some were killed on the spot by the aftermath of the devastating battle. Among the fourth-grade soldiers, only Chen Ying and I came back. "
After a long time, Xu Qi 'an had the urge to smoke. He composed himself and said softly, "Where … is Duke Wei?"
Zhang Kaitai looked at him. This young man's expression was calm, and his emotions were stable. He seemed very calm.
However, when Zhang Kaitai met those bright eyes, he subconsciously avoided them.
He looked to the side and said, "We couldn't bring him back."
Xu Qi 'an's body swayed.
After a long silence, she slowly exhaled. "Tell me what happened, from the moment you left for the battle."
Zhang Kaitai nodded and said, "In fact, there are many things that I only just realized now. For example, why did Duke Wei fight so urgently? Because we didn't have any rations from the beginning."
"No rations?"
Xu Qi 'an's pupils shrank slightly.
A hundred thousand people went to war without any rations?
Was this war or sending people to their deaths? Was Yuan Jing crazy? Were they crazy?
Did they want Duke Wei to die that badly?
"After our brothers retreated, Chen Ying killed all the officials in the Ministry of Revenue in a fit of rage. He killed a few hundred people. Then, he returned to the capital with a hundred men. "
Zhang Kaitai shook his head. "He wanted to confront His Majesty and the other officials."
Zhang Kaitai told the story. After the battle, Wei Yuan secretly divided his forces. Some went by land to attack the Fire Country in the shortest time possible.
But they were stopped by the Yan Capital's easily defended walls.
Although they didn't conquer the Yan Capital, Duke Wei had achieved his goal of delaying the Fire Country and Kang Kingdom's troops.
He told the story until Wei Yuan summoned the Confucian Sages to fight the Witch God to the death.
It's him, it's him, it's Joan of Arc … Xu Qi 'an's face twisted.
After listening to Zhang Kaitai's description, he was certain that the mysterious expert who joined forces with the Witch God Cult to kill Wei Yuan was Joan of Arc.
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