"Aunt Qin, have all the other aunties left too?"

Sisi tilted her little face up, and her round, chubby appearance eased Madam Qin's guard a little.

"No, they were clamoring to drink, but I couldn't drink because I'm not feeling well, so I left the table first."

Sisi nodded, then suddenly stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. "Aunt Qin, your bracelet is so pretty! Where did you buy it? I want my mother to buy me one too."

Qin pushed her away uncomfortably. "Your mother knows about the jewelry shops in the city. Alright, we're going home now."

The two walked hurriedly, as if they had something urgent to attend to. Zhao Yuan couldn't tell and assumed she really liked the bracelet, so he said, "My little darling, I'll go back and ask my mother to buy you two, one for each hand."

Guan Yize stammered, "I... my mother knows a lot of jewelry shops, I can ask around for you."

"Alright, you bookworm. Your mother is so strict with you, she'll definitely scold you again if she hears you asking about these trivial matters."

Zhao Yuan stepped forward and took Sisi's hand. "Let's go, let's go ask my mother together, and then we'll have the servants go and buy it."

Sisi shook her head. Right now, there was something else very, very important that she had seen.

Aunt Qin went home to pack her things. Before sunset, she left the city with her family in dozens of carriages. When they passed the Xiongnu, they actually gave way to her. Not long after they left, the Xiongnu attacked the city gate.

The city walls were poorly guarded, and countless people inside the city died or were injured. Sisi didn't know how many Xiongnu people there were; she only saw a huge swarm of bearded men in black armor outside the city.

Aunt Qin needs time to go back and pack her things, and it's almost sunset now, so she can't wait any longer!

We must inform the city lord immediately.

"Little ancestor?"

Sisi grabbed Zhao Yuan, "Yuan-gege, there's something important I need to tell you, do you believe me?"

"letter."

Sisi told him what she had seen, and Zhao Yuan, realizing the urgency of the situation, turned and ran into the hall.

"I will go and inform the city lord right now."

Guan Yize panicked slightly, "The Qin family is colluding with the Xiongnu to harm us? How could that be?"

"I'm telling the truth. Go back and tell your mother and father." Sisi didn't have time to explain to him.

She ran after Zhao Yuan, with Little Gem following behind her, angrily saying, "Sister, let Gem eat all the Qin family members! They're so wicked!"

Xiao Bai: Exactly! They're traitors!

"Never mind them for now, defending the city is the most important thing. Let's go find Father and see what he has to say!"

Inside the hall, having solved the food problem, everyone got completely drunk, with Sun Changjing and several of his brothers so drunk they were slumped over the table, fast asleep.

The women sat at a separate table, also sleeping in various crooked positions.

Zhao Yuan called out to his father, Zhao Tianfu, "Father, Father, wake up! Something terrible has happened!"

"Uncle Sun, Uncle Wang, Uncle Li, Uncle Guan, please wake up!"

No one answered him, and Zhao Yuan was extremely anxious.

"Yuan, go to the garrison and find Zhenzhen, I'll call everyone."

"Okay!" Zhao Yuan ran out.

Sisi angrily poured down a heavy rain inside the house, but the downpour couldn't wake them up.

The little one panicked and nudged Qin Shi, crying, "Mother, wake up! Something terrible has happened!"

"Father, the Xiongnu are about to invade!"

Sisi grabbed Sun Changjing's arm and bit him hard, but he was a martial arts practitioner and his flesh was very hard. Sisi's tender teeth ached, but he still didn't move.

"What's wrong?" Xie Yanhe and Chen walked in from outside, and Sisi quickly told them about the Xiongnu's impending invasion.

"They're drunk and can't be woken up."

Xie Yan instructed Shen, "Go to the four entrances to the city and notify the guards to strengthen their defenses. Under no circumstances should the city gates be opened. They must hold them to the death!"

"And what about you?" Yu Chen asked, still worried.

"I'm going to find Xu Zhenzhen."

After saying that, he pushed Sisi into Little Gem's arms. "Little Gem, Vermilion Bird, keep a close eye on your mistress. If she loses even a single hair, you will be held responsible."

Xie Yan matured like a little adult all of a sudden.

Just as Sisi was about to speak, he left.

The children from the Wang and Li families, two boys and a girl, panicked in the situation and cried loudly while hugging their parents.

Sisi decided that since her brothers had all rushed to the front, she couldn't just hide behind and wait.

"Xiaobai, go and find out how far the Xiongnu are from Wuzhou. It would be best to burn their grain supplies and make them panic!"

—Alright, Princess, I'll leave it to Little White!

"Little gem, let's go up to the city wall."

If the Xiongnu really attack, Little Gem can hold out for a while, giving the people time to evacuate.

"What about me?" Guan Yizhe asked anxiously, "Should I go with you too?"

The other two children looked at her too, "What can we do?"

"Do you have any capable people in your household?"

"Yes, my father has guards."

“My dad has one too.”

Guan Yize said, "My family has them too. Just tell me what you need, and we'll do anything we can!"

"right!"

Sisi nodded, "You take people into the city and inform the people, gather them together, and wait for news. I will have Xiaobai come and inform you when the time comes, then you lead the people and run!"

"What about you? Aren't you going to run?" Guan Yize couldn't help but grab her hand, asking fearfully, "Don't go to the city wall, come with me?"

"It's okay, I have my guys. Don't be afraid, Sisi and the guys are taking care of things up front."

After saying this, Sisi grabbed Little Gem and ran away. Guan Yize knew that she wasn't a child who was afraid of death.

She was different from him. He had lived a timid life, only knowing how to nitpick over words and the Four Books and Five Classics.

He was afraid of dying.

Guan Yize said with some discomfort, "Let's go."

Upon receiving the news, Xu Zhenzhen immediately gathered the troops of the city lord's mansion. Wuzhou had four city gates, and they did not know which gate the Xiongnu would enter from, so they could only divide the troops evenly and leave a team to provide reinforcements at any time.

Zhou Erqian volunteered, "Brother Xu, let me guard one of the city gates. I've been training with you for so long, it's time for me to put my skills to use."

“Brother Xu, I’m willing to stay too.” Xie Yan burst in. “I can go with Second Brother.”

"You're still children, how can you do this?"

“There’s no other way. They can’t be woken up. Only we can hold them off now. Besides, you’re here, aren’t you? We can only watch and do nothing else.”

Xu Zhenzhen hesitated, and Zhou Erqian said anxiously, "Brother Xu, don't hesitate, the sun is about to set."

He gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the table. "Fine, Zhou Erqian and Xie Yan will guard the east gate, I'll guard the west gate, Erqian, go and tell your elder brother to guard the south gate, as for the north gate..."

"I'll do it!"

Sisi hopped into the house with her short legs. "Big Brother Xu, Little Gem and I will guard the north gate."

“Then I’ll guard the north gate too.” Zhao Yuan stood next to Sisi, he would go wherever his little darling went.

"No way!" Zhou Erqian scolded, "This is an adult matter, what are you, a little kid, meddling in?"