Murder

News always comes on the wind, faster than the fastest post horse.

When the smell of blood outside Qinghe City had not yet been blown away by the north wind, and when the new soil on the graves of the fallen soldiers had not yet dried, rumors of the great victory had spread like wildfire, sweeping across the entire Southern Dynasty.

"Have you heard? Qinghe! Great victory at Qinghe!"

"Princess Mingzhu, it's Her Royal Highness Princess Mingzhu! Bring her soldiers, what are they called? The Mingzhu Guards! Yes, join forces with the Beishuo people and slaughter the Western Qiang barbarians!"

"Is this true? Didn't they say that Heshuo was almost lost? The court hasn't made any move, and Her Royal Highness the Princess..."

"Absolutely true! Four to five thousand heads have been beheaded! That fierce general from the Western Qiang named Helian Bo was beaten so badly that he abandoned his armor and fled in disgrace! Qinghe City, hold on!"

Teahouses, taverns, street talk, everywhere is bustling with activity.

The humiliation that had long been suppressed in the hearts of the Chinese people seemed to have found an outlet. Although the court was very secretive about it and there was no mention of it in the official gazette, the merchants and travelers who fled from the north, and the few words that were managed to be passed on, pieced together an exciting fact.

We won! Someone won in the north!

For the first time, the Pearl Flag appeared so clearly in the eyes of the people of the world.

Mingzhou City was plunged into a sea of ​​ecstasy.

This is Ning Lingyi's roots and the hometown of his three thousand soldiers.

The moment the good news came, the whole city seemed to be on fire. The sound of firecrackers rang out sporadically and soon became continuous. Every household seemed to be celebrating the New Year in advance, and people ran around to tell each other.

"Those are the soldiers we sent out from Mingzhou!"

"Your Highness brought our children with him! Well done, you didn't bring shame to Mingzhou!"

"Wang Mengzi's mother, you can finally put your mind at ease this time!"

"I told you that His Highness is no ordinary man! I saw it when he killed corrupt officials and saved refugees in Mingzhou!"

Joy and pride washed away the shadow of war and temporarily covered up people’s worries about the safety of their relatives far away. This victory was so hard-won and so inspiring!

In the backyard of Mingzhou government office, the cheerful atmosphere also infected the two little ones.

Ning Lingyao almost ran into the study with her skirt lifted up, her face flushed, and in her hand was a red paper-cut that she had gotten from somewhere, which looked like a small battle flag.

"Mr. Shen! Mr. Shen! Did you hear that? People outside are saying that my sister won the battle! She drove away the bad guys from Western Qiang!" She was panting, her voice crisp and bright.

Shen Qingyan, who was writing furiously at his desk, raised his head, and a rare look of relief appeared on his gaunt face.

He put down his pen and looked at the excited little girl in front of him gently: "I heard it, Your Highness."

"Sister is so awesome!" Ning Yanhe also ran in behind, his fists clenched tightly, his face full of admiration.

"Sister led 3,000 men to a great victory! When I grow up, I want to be like Sister and fight against the Western Qiang barbarians!"

Shen Qingyan waved the two children to come closer, carefully straightened Ning Lingyao's messy hair, and patted Ning Yanhe's puffed out little chest.

"Yes, Her Highness Mingzhu has accomplished things that ordinary people dare not even think about. She has always been your pride."

"Is Sister coming back soon?" Ning Lingyao raised her little face, her eyes full of anticipation. "The war is over, the bad guys have been driven away, Sister can go home now, right? I miss Sister, and Sister Su..."

Ning Yanhe also nodded vigorously: "Yeah! I miss my sister too! Mr. Shen, can we go find my sister?"

Shen Qingyan's eyes darkened slightly when he heard this.

He looked out the window. The snow on the distant eaves had not yet melted, reflecting the cold light. Go find her? Go to the battlefield surrounded by powerful enemies?

He withdrew his gaze, looked at the two young faces, and sighed in his heart.

How could he tell them that a partial victory was far from the end of the war and that the road ahead would only be more dangerous and treacherous?

How could I tell them that their identities meant they couldn't search for their sister as freely as ordinary children?

He slowly squatted down, looking the two children at eye level, and spoke as calmly as possible: "Your Highnesses, I understand your feelings, but the battle is not over yet. The Western Qiang people are only temporarily retreating, and Beishuo is not a friend. Your Highness is now surrounded by tigers and wolves, and every step must be taken with caution."

He reached out and gently stroked the "small battle flag" in Ning Lingyao's hand. His voice was gentle but unquestionable: "All we can do now is to protect her home in Mingzhou so that she has no worries. Once she has eliminated all the enemies, she will definitely come back to pick you up."

The light in Ning Lingyao and Ning Yanhe's eyes dimmed a little, and their little faces were full of disappointment, but they were both precocious children and could vaguely understand the heaviness in Mr. Shen's words.

They lowered their heads and whispered, "Got it."

Shen Qingyan looked at their withered appearances and felt sorry for them. He added, "However, we can write a letter to Sister and tell her about your thoughts and the good news about Mingzhou, okay?"

The two children finally regained their spirits and nodded vigorously.

*

The news of the great victory at Qinghe spread to the capital and to the homes of ordinary people at an even faster speed through various secret channels.

News was secretly circulating among the people in the market.

"Have you heard? It was Princess Mingzhu! She brought the soldiers she had raised and joined forces with the Beishuo people to defeat the Western Qiang!"

"Hundreds of thousands of imperial troops are hiding behind, but a princess is charging forward? Hey!"

"If the princess had been used earlier, why would Heshuo have been lost?"

These whispers, like invisible wind, penetrated into the high walls and deep palaces, into the Purple Palace, and into the ears of Emperor Guangqi.

Inside the Zichen Palace, the charcoal fire burned fiercely, but it could not dispel the cold and gloomy aura surrounding Emperor Guangqi.

He sat on the dragon throne, with secret reports from different channels spread out in front of him. The contents were similar, all describing the Battle of Qinghe.

A great victory at Qinghe? How could a motley crowd of 3,000 refugees unite with Beishuo to repel the elite Western Qiang troops and achieve such a remarkable victory?

Every word was like a loud slap in the face, slapping him hard and burning with pain.

How is this possible? How can she do that?

Wouldn't that make him seem extremely foolish and incompetent, as he held the whole world but stood back and allowed Heshuo to fall?

What made him even more headache was that Xue Cheng actually became independent!

Youzhou, the last barrier of Heshuo, was completely out of his control, but he was too cautious to even punish Xue Cheng's family in Beijing! He was afraid that if something went wrong, Xue Cheng would completely turn to the Western Qiang.

And how did Beishuo end up being involved with Ning Lingyi? Tuoba Hong actually sent troops to fight for a fiancée? Was he crazy?

What frightened him even more was that if the Western Qiang people exposed the secret deals he had made in exchange for support by giving away Heshuo...

How would the world view him? His throne...

Emperor Guangqi shuddered. No! This must not happen!

He had seized this throne by killing his brother and forcing his father to take it! He would never allow anyone to shake it! Never.

He stood up anxiously and paced back and forth in the empty hall. Zhao Deben and those idiots!

They were asked to raise taxes to raise funds for the army, but after layers of exploitation, they were lucky to get only 30% of the money into the treasury! The treasury was still empty. How could he fight the war? How could he win back the people's hearts?

People’s hearts…

Emperor Guangqi stopped.

Yes, the people’s will.

Now that the people are jubilant over the Battle of Qinghe, their disappointment and resentment towards him as the emperor has probably reached its peak. If he doesn't express his feelings, I'm afraid...

He took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and spoke in a hoarse voice: "Draft an edict. I will issue an edict of apology."

......

A few days later, an earnestly worded "Edict of Confession of Sins" was issued throughout the country.

In the edict, Emperor Guangqi mourned the shame of the fall of Heshuo, felt compassion for the suffering of the soldiers and civilians in the northern border, took all the blame on himself, and said that he was "deeply ashamed of the trust placed in him by his ancestors and ashamed in front of the subjects of the world." He vowed to do his best to reorganize the military, vowed to recover Heshuo, and avenge this national humiliation.

This "Edict of Confession" was written with great emotion and was extremely sentimental. Many people who read it felt that the emperor's life must have been difficult. He had only been on the throne for two years and should have been more lenient. Perhaps he really was powerless? Perhaps he could really cheer up?

The legend about Princess Mingzhu that was secretly circulated seemed to be temporarily suppressed by this undercurrent of "understanding the holy heart".

Inside the Purple Palace, Emperor Guangqi looked at several memorials submitted by local governments praising His Majesty's wisdom and moving the people to tears, but there was no trace of joy on his face.

This false reputation is nothing but a temporary solution to the problem. The real crisis has never been resolved.

His eyes were sinister as he looked towards Mingzhou in the south.

Ning Lingyi, her reputation is growing, she holds military power, and she also has a prince, Ning Yanhe, who is in Mingzhou.

If one day, she used the prestige of a great victory and, in the name of "clearing the imperial court," supported that brat...

Emperor Guangqi's pupils suddenly contracted.

No! We must not leave this hidden danger.

Ning Lingyi is a woman, and her status is not legitimate after all, but Ning Yanhe is the son of the late emperor. If he were Ning Lingyi, he would definitely set up this puppet and act as regent himself. This is the smartest approach.

As long as Ning Yanhe is alive, he is the biggest threat to his throne.

How can he feel at ease if he is alive?

In that case, my dear brother, you go down first. I will let your good sister Ning Lingyi go down to accompany you later. Don’t worry, you won’t have to wait too long.

Then, he spoke, his voice reaching the ears of his trusted eunuchs: "Pass on my secret order. Select capable men and secretly go to Mingzhou. I want Ning Yanhe to disappear quietly."

The eunuch shuddered and lowered his head even more: "I obey your order."

An invisible murderous intent quietly left the capital, tore through the remaining chill of early spring, and headed straight for Mingzhou, thousands of miles away.

In Mingzhou City, Shen Qingyan had just comforted the two little princes who missed their sisters, and was concentrating on reviewing documents regarding spring plowing and relief. The sunlight outside the window was warm and gentle, as if all the disputes had gone away.

But the flame of the lamp on his desk flickered imperceptibly, as if the wind had started to blow and a storm was about to come.

The wind and snow in the north have stopped for a while, and the dark blade in the south has been unsheathed.