Alone in an empty house?

Only Xie Rang would say something like that.

It's obvious that His Majesty the Emperor still cares about his reputation, so he said this with no one else around him.

"Who would dare leave you alone in an empty room?"

Yun Qing chuckled, feeling somewhat helpless about Xie Rang's behavior. It was only because he was wary of his parents being away from home that he would have asked such a perfunctory question.

"Alright, anyway, Mom and Dad aren't coming back tonight, so even if you come, they won't know."

Having said all that, what could Yun Qing possibly refuse? Besides, the windows here weren't very secure, and given Xie Rang's personality, he might sneak into her room in the middle of the night.

It's best not to let His Majesty's image suffer too much in the eyes of her parents.

It's better for her to allow it than for Xie to do it himself.

Having been traveling for some time, Yun Qing hadn't had much rest. Now that the moon was high in the sky, she was already sleepy and didn't want to continue messing around with Xie Rang here, so she quickly pushed him inside.

"Alright, that's enough. Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow. Let's get some rest."

As she spoke, Yun Qing yawned again.

"good."

Xie Rang enjoys chatting with Yun Qing, but he doesn't do it indiscriminately. In fact, not only Yun Qing, but he himself is a bit tired and needs to rest.

The room was already equipped with toiletries. When Yunqing went out, someone came in and added some more things. Only now, when she looked at them, did she realize that all the items were for two people.

Xie Rang paused for a moment, then laughed out loud: "They probably already guessed it."

They hadn't been together for very long. As people who had been through it all, the couple who had left home probably already guessed that they wouldn't separate. That's what they said to Xie Rang on the surface, but in reality, they had already prepared these things.

Xie Rang said meaningfully, "Stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside... In a sense, the Grand Tutor and them can be considered to be of the same ilk."

Yun Qing, unusually, did not deny it: "Indeed."

After a quick wash, they all went to bed to rest. Knowing that Yun Qing disliked the heat, Xie Rang only dared to hold her tightly and cautiously.

Yun Qing chuckled inwardly. Before he could react, she leaned closer to him. Sleepiness washed over her, and her eyelids began to droop, but she still managed to finish what she was saying.

"When have I ever really disliked you... If you want a hug, then hug me, don't be so coy."

Xie Rang's pupils dilated slightly. He looked at the person who had closed her eyes in his arms, his heart filled with tender emotions. In the end, he couldn't help but gently kiss her forehead before closing his eyes contentedly.

...

The atmosphere remained calm for the next few days.

But it also seemed like the calm before the storm, leaving one with a sense of unease.

Yun Qing had already ordered notices to be posted and announced that people should stay home during this period.

Living in border areas, people have a certain intuition about these things and are generally quite self-aware, so they don't really need to worry about it.

After finishing this task, Yun Qing remembered to go and visit the army.

Before she even reached her destination, she saw soldiers on horseback hurrying past her from the city gate, their expressions cold.

Yun Qing immediately changed her mind: "Let's go to the city gate and take a look."

Qinglan's eyes showed worry.

Yun Qing said helplessly, "I'll just look around from a safe place. Don't worry, I won't put myself in any danger."

She was self-aware enough not to try to help in this situation, so she wouldn't force herself on it.

The system simply required her to record it herself.

Knowing that Yun Qing wouldn't lie about such things, Qing Que and Qing Lan exchanged a glance: "We'll protect you."

They were moving a little slower, and when they reached the city gate, they could faintly hear the sound of war drums outside. The Li couple, Li Yunshu, and Xie Rang, who was standing at the very front, were present.

The first person to notice her was Li Yunshu.

Li Yunshu was startled: "Sister, what brings you here?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but in this small space, she could be heard very clearly.

"Come and see."

When Yun Qing saw that all of them had turned their gazes toward her, including some generals she didn't recognize, she immediately froze.

She asked, "They've started fighting?"

Li Yunshu shook her head: "...But it will be soon."

Yun Qing wasn't very familiar with the process, but since she was already there, and no one was telling her to go back, Xie Rang turned around and extended his hand to her: "Grand Tutor, come here."

In front of her family, Yun Qing had an indescribable feeling. Usually, she was the one who was more at ease, but at this moment, she was not as calm as Xie Rang.

But Yun Qing couldn't possibly show weakness. She stepped forward, but instead of taking Xie Rang's hand, she pressed it down.

Xie Rang raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

The position where the king stood naturally offered the best view. From here, Yun Qing could see the army stationed in the distance, the green grass merging with the blue sky, the sun shining brightly, and the wind blowing by carrying a scorching temperature.

Standing on the city gate is a completely different feeling from what I've seen in history books.

Li Xu said, "The army is ready and can launch an attack on Rou at any time. If they dare to invade, they should be prepared to pay the price."

The skirmishes in the past few days were just minor skirmishes; the real action will begin when both armies have fully assembled.

"Father is right." Yun Qing chuckled and asked, "Who is the vanguard this time?"

“Xiahou Jiang volunteered for the mission, so there’s no reason not to use him.”

Li Xu admired Xiahou Jiang. Although he had almost become a slave, he had a heart that wanted to climb up the social ladder and was loyal to Yun Qing, so he was bound to be given an important position.

"The Rouran have many internal branches, and we plan to defeat them from multiple directions. We will divide our forces into three routes, led by ourselves and His Majesty."

Meng Wan's tone was slightly gentle, but her aura was intimidating, honed over many years on the frontier, making her appear heroic and dashing.

"And me!" Li Yunshu jumped in with a laugh. "Sister, wait for me to bring back the rebel's head for you!"

Yun Qing imagined the scene—a bloody one—and gasped, but it didn't dampen her confidence. She turned to Xie Rang and asked, "Which army is Your Majesty facing?"

“Lüle”.

Xie Rang showed no dissatisfaction that Yun Qing was the last to ask him.

As early as when Lule came to the capital, or even earlier, they already knew that this person did not have good intentions. He was able to take advantage of the internal strife and quickly sit on the throne of Rouran, so he must have the ability and skill to do so.

In fact, in the original development, it was Xie Rang who dealt with Lü Le, and they did not intend to change this point, otherwise there might be more variables involved.

Yun Qing's heart sank slightly. She said nothing more, gave him a deep look, and instructed, "In short, be careful in everything. Leave the matters in the city to me."