"It is my Hanqing."
Miss Jun said, a smile appearing on her face.
The spoon in Lu Yunqi's hand paused near her mouth.
"That young lady was remarkable," he said. "At that time, the entire army in Suning Pass followed her commands."
"She has a pure heart, without a hint of doubt. If you ask her to kill the enemy, she will remember just that," Miss Jun said. "Unafraid of life and death."
Lu Yunqi pinched her cheek and fed her a spoonful of soup and rice.
"Alright, I'll eat by myself," Miss Jun said, turning her head slightly to shake off his hand.
Lu Yunqi withdrew his hand and only used the spoon to feed her.
"His Majesty was very pleased," he said.
Miss Jun laughed with a "ha."
"Pleased?" she said, with a face full of mockery. "He still has the nerve to be pleased!"
Lu Yunqi smiled, neither refuting nor denying.
"All of this is because of him," Miss Jun continued, clenching the hands bound in front of her tightly. "Because of his foolishness and ignorance, he expelled loyal ministers and worthies, employing treacherous and incompetent officials. Why did the Jurchen attack suddenly at this time? It's because they knew the northern lands without the Duke of Chengguo were vulnerable."
Lu Yunqi seriously stirred the soup and scooped up a spoonful.
"You never said these things before," he said.
Back then, when he told her about events outside, she never commented, treating it only as a lively joke that would soon pass. She talked to him about family matters—what books she'd read that day, how many words she'd written, how the flowers she'd newly tended had bloomed.
Has she changed now?
"No, I have never changed," Miss Jun gazed at him, shaking her head with a touch of arrogance. "It's just that the me you knew was not the real me."
The Princess Jiuli who married him was a fallen princess.
It was an order, a helplessness, a compliance, a numbness, like a bird with its wings clipped, or a flower uprooted from the ground.
He did not know the real her because she did not let him know, and also because he was unworthy.
Lu Yunqi looked at her expression and smiled.
"It will get cold," he said, offering the spoon to her mouth.
Miss Jun bit down hard.
"I wonder if that emperor can still eat," she said through gritted teeth.
Lu Yunqi looked at her.
"Uncle Qinghe has verified that the government soldiers at Junzi Pass were directed by someone else to open the city gates," he said.
Miss Jun was stunned.
Someone else?
The only people who could give orders to the government soldiers at Junzi Pass were those they trusted.
The meaning of this statement from Uncle Qinghe was clear to anyone.
He was clearly implying that the Duke of Chengguo was a traitor; the soldiers at Junzi Pass had all died without leaving any testimony.
Those soldiers sacrificed their lives in battle, yet they were still branded with such a stigma.
Miss Jun bit the spoon with a grinding sound.
"Coward," she said.
......
......
The emperor drank the bowl of soup in front of him in one go, put it down with a slight sweat on his face, looking refreshed.
"Convey my thanks to the Empress Dowager," he said to the eunuch. "Once I'm done with my duties, I will visit the Empress Dowager."
The eunuch bowed repeatedly.
"If Your Majesty can eat, Her Majesty will be at ease," they said excitedly. "Her Majesty said that Your Majesty must take great care of your health, as haste can resolve nothing."
The emperor nodded in agreement and looked around the hall.
"You must also remember the Empress Dowager's advice," he said.
Inside the hall sat a dozen officials, all eating, and upon hearing this, they bowed in agreement.
"Everyone has worked hard these past days," the emperor said. "It's been hard to eat or sleep in peace."
"Your Majesty has
worked hard," Ning Yunzhao said.
Everyone was used to it; upon hearing it, no one looked at him again.
"Your Majesty has worked hard," they echoed.
"However, the current situation still does not allow us to relax," the emperor continued, putting down the brocade handkerchief he used to wipe his mouth.
The eunuchs immediately cleared the table and retreated, the hall returned to official discussions.
"Mainly because the Jurchen came too suddenly, everyone was caught off guard; it's not that we couldn't stop them," an official said.
This statement was truly ridiculous, as if the Jurchens had always given prior notice before attacking.
Several officials moved their lips but recalled how a few days ago some officials had been imprisoned for causing a stir and criticizing the peace talks and easy changes of generals, condemned by the emperor for disturbing the morale of the army and the people, and so they all swallowed their words.
Upon hearing the word "suddenly," the emperor's face darkened.
"I never imagined, even in my dreams, that the Duke of Chengguo would do such a thing," he said.
"Your Majesty, he already intended to revolt; it's not surprising he'd do such a thing," Huang Cheng said. "Speaking of which, someone had mentioned earlier that even though they said to negotiate peace and withdraw troops, the Duke of Chengguo went to Yizhou of the Jurchen; who knows if he had already arranged something with the Jurchen then."
The emperor slammed the memorial on the table.
"How could he do this? Where have I wronged him?" he said, his expression turning sorrowful and indignant. "Even if I wronged him and he is dissatisfied with me, he should consider the favors shown to him by the former emperor and the prince brother. How could he do such a thing?"
He spoke as he rose.
"Go ask him, what does he want me to do? As long as it can bring peace to the Great Zhou, I will, I will admit my fault to him."
"Your Majesty, do not say such words," Huang Cheng said sternly, stepping forward. "To vile people like him, kindness is useless; it will only allow them to take more advantage."
"Yes, to deal with such thieves, we must repel them fiercely," said the other officials one after another.
After some words of encouragement, the emperor's mood recovered, and he sighed.
"I truly cannot bear to see the people of the northern lands suffer," he said.
"Please be reassured, Your Majesty," said Huang Cheng, "Uncle Qinghe has already gone north to drive back the Jin thief invading Hejian."
As he spoke, he signaled the officials of the Ministry of War, who stepped forward and pointed out on the map spread beside the emperor.
"...Just yesterday, news came that the Jin thief in Baozhou has retreated to Xu Pass, and the Jin thief in Bazhou is also retreating to Changfeng."
"...The three armies have already gathered, and they will surely drive the Jin thief back in one swift effort..."
.......
........
At the end of the first lunar month, although it was already spring, the northern lands remained icy and desolate.
Suddenly, the sound of drums echoed between heaven and earth, the Commanding General Drum, and for a moment, the army mobilized, soon tens of thousands of troops assembled outside the city in formation, various flags and military uniforms adorned the land, solemn yet splendid.
In the camp, Uncle Qinghe wore a thick suit of armor, its scales old, the cloak behind him stained with blood.
"Thus, all generals heed the order, divide the troops into four paths, and drive the Jin thief out of our territory," he said, his voice not loud, but his eyes fierce and authoritative.
Below the command, more than ten generals stood solemnly, responding in unison.
But one general only moved his lips, his expression worried.
"Lord Bo," he hesitated, "I believe that it's better not to pursue a desperate foe, the Jurchen people retreat fiercely, lest there be deception."
His words did not surprise the surrounding generals, even Uncle Qinghe remained calm; it was obvious this was not the first time he had said this.
"General Yang," Uncle Qinghe said, "your thoughts are thorough; scouts from all sides have already gone to closely observe whether there is any unusual movement among the Jurchen."
General Yang nodded, his expression somewhat embarrassed.
"Lord Bo, I do not fear death," he said, "but the tactics of these Jurchen cannot be underestimated; their soldiers are strong and swift, best at sudden attacks."
Before he finished speaking, he saw Uncle Qinghe's gaze turn cold, making him inwardly smile wryly, knowing he had spoken the wrong words.
Uncle Qinghe always prided himself as a veteran of the northern lands, most disliked when others treated him as a newcomer, especially not wanting to hear him unfamiliar with Jurchen talk.
General Yang lowered his head.
"Lord Bo knows best," he added.
He knew, and he wanted the world to know, that Zou Jiang earned merit in the northern lands, and Zou Jiang ought to be Duke Qinghe.
Uncle Qinghe no longer looked at General Yang, raising his hand to wield the long blade.
"The Jin thief runs rampant, killing our people and destroying our homeland; all Great Zhou People must unite against the enemy, kill the thieves and defend the nation," he said.
The generals below the command raised their arms one after another.
"Kill the thieves and defend the nation."
The shout echoed, soon the troops outside the city also raised their arms, shouting.
"Kill the thieves and defend the nation, kill the thieves and defend the nation."
In an instant, it swept across the land, the momentum like a rainbow.
........
.......
Because of the continuous good news, after the first month, the capital had resumed its former bustling scene, even more lively than usual, as people seemed to want to make up for the lost joy and bustle of the first month.
Despite the government official family's guards clearing the way, Huang Cheng returned home much slower than usual.
He trembled as he got off the carriage, his house servants swarming to greet him, one of them handed a letter.
"Master, a letter from the shop," he said with his head down.
Huang Cheng owned quite a few shops, but no shop would write to him.
This shop was a code name for Yu Chihai.
While entering his house, Huang Cheng opened the letter.
"I want to see what this dog slave has to say," he said with some resentment as his eyes fell on the letter, stunned: "Grandfather?"
Grandfather?
Who was he calling? Anyone worthy of Huang Cheng calling 'grandfather' were all dead. The house servants on both sides were perplexed.
Huang Cheng was also puzzled, looking at the two characters on the letter.
A piece of letter paper with only two large characters written in bold ink.
Grandfather.
Grandfather? What does it mean? Huang Cheng couldn't help but read it again and suddenly realized something, his face turned red, and he tore the letter into pieces in a few strokes.
"Dog slave, dare mock me!" he cursed, turning to raise his hand, "Someone, take all those people surnamed Yu and execute them on the spot."
Understanding this order, the house servants immediately responded and rushed out.
Meanwhile in Bazhou, standing on the city gate surrounded by a group of soldiers, Yu Chihai suddenly raised his hand to calculate.
"Alas," he said, "obedient grandson."
What?
Was he thinking of his grandson? The surrounding generals looked over puzzled.
Yu Chihai's face showed a smile, reddened by the wind.
"Next, I don't have to pretend to be a grandson," he continued, "you should act like real grandsons."
With a wave of his hand.
"Sons, the enemy has been lured deeply, now close the net and hunt," he ordered.
With his words, the generals bowed their heads in response, watching as troops moved out in all directions, Yu Chihai turned around on the city gate.
"I should also take a look at that prosperous place," he said, taking the cloak and mantle handed by his attendant, he wrapped himself and strode away.