Chapter 83: I'll make them both suffer heavy losses.

Seven days later, the entire capital city heard a shocking piece of news: Yi Hongchang had appeared in a military camp a thousand miles away.

When Yi Hongchang woke up and found himself in the military camp, he went crazy and started yelling that he wanted to go back to the capital.

Everyone thought war was about to break out, but seven more days passed and there was still no movement.

There's another rumor: when Yi Hongchang went to the military camp, he carried a letter with him.

It was written by General He himself, proving that he was not dead and was hiding in the Liang Kingdom's military camp. He also had the letter read aloud to everyone, deliberately intended for the enemy country.

The Liang army immediately panicked and conducted a thorough search overnight. Even Xue Xiujun's uncle, Xue Chi, who was known as the God of War of Liang, could not sit still and had been lying in wait in the Jin army camp for many days, unable to sleep well day and night.

He initially suspected Jin Kingdom of playing a prank, but then he realized that he himself had secretly infiltrated Jin Kingdom's military camp, so the other side could certainly use the same method.

Moreover, he had a feeling that He Jing was not dead, because he had been hearing rumors in the Jin Kingdom's military camp and had been searching for He Jing, but could not find him.

He had secretly read the letter; it was indeed written in He Jing's own handwriting, and he recognized the handwriting. The letter also contained a message from He Jing, essentially telling him not to act impulsively, or things would end badly for both sides.

Xue Chi knew that this young general was somewhat capable, but he didn't expect him to be so capable that the situation was beyond his control.

He chose to remain in the Jin Kingdom's military camp, wanting to see what tricks the other side was up to. In any case, no one recognized him and wouldn't suspect him.

This letter brought the imminent battle to a halt once again.

"Father, why is He Jing still alive?" The Imperial Concubine launched into a tirade of accusations.

She was really angry.

Yu Wan was summoned to the palace again today to prepare food for the Imperial Concubine. She deliberately walked very slowly, staying at the very end of the procession.

The prime minister was already worried about his son, and as an elder, being reprimanded by his daughter made him even more unhappy.

“My son, I always told him that he could indulge in pleasure and do whatever he wanted in the capital, but he must not go to the battlefield. Who sent him there? Was it the Emperor? Since I couldn’t bring him back openly, I secretly sent him two women for his amusement, but he… he became impotent… claiming he had contracted a disease that would prevent him from having children.”

The Imperial Concubine said, "The Emperor would never do such a thing. The most important thing now is how come He Jing is still alive?"

The Prime Minister squinted, "I didn't expect him to be so resilient, even managing to go to the Liang Kingdom's military camp."

The imperial concubine said, "I don't care, this war must be fought; it can't be delayed any longer."

The Prime Minister said, "As long as we get the silver, it's fine if we don't fight. If we just keep this stalemate going, one side will eventually give in. Do you really want the Jin Kingdom to be destroyed?"

The imperial concubine snorted, "I'm going to destroy the Jin Kingdom, and the Liang Kingdom won't have an easy time either. I'll make them both suffer!"

The Prime Minister sighed, "So many years have passed, and now you hold a high position, enjoying endless wealth and glory. Why live in the past?"

"How could I forget such a deep-seated hatred? The Emperor of Jin killed my entire family, and the Emperor of Liang took advantage of my feelings. They are the culprits who killed my family. I will not let either of them go!" the Consort said through gritted teeth.

Yu Wan hid in a corner and overheard the gist of it.

The prime minister is greedy for money, while the imperial concubine seeks revenge.

No wonder.

The prime minister wanted to profit from the national crisis, while the imperial concubine hoped the two countries would fight to the death, causing widespread suffering and death. Therefore, they both supported the war.

After the Prime Minister left, the Imperial Concubine sat alone for a while, then wiped away her tears and went back to her bedroom to rest.

Yu Wan had just left the palace and was trying to find a way to contact He Jing when a eunuch stopped her, saying that the Prime Minister was looking for her.

Yu Wan's heart skipped a beat. Had the Prime Minister found out that she was eavesdropping?

Fortunately, it was a false alarm; the Prime Minister had summoned her to inquire about the food court.

Yu Wan answered every question, which pleased the Prime Minister.

"You little girl, no wonder your small food court is thriving in this remote county. I never knew you had so many tricks up your sleeve," the Prime Minister praised.

Yu Wan smiled and said, "I believe that the Prime Minister's Food City will surely achieve even greater success."

The Prime Minister laughed heartily and said, "Qian Jindai was right after all. You are indeed a clever and quick-witted girl."

Yu Wan smiled and said, "Your Excellency, I have a question."

The Prime Minister knew what she wanted to ask, and had even deliberately brought up Qian Jindai just now.

Yu Wan's restaurant in Sui County was formerly known as Fu Man Lou. Qian Jindai was the owner of this restaurant. He attempted to murder Yu Wan but was instead accused by Yu Wan and imprisoned.

The Prime Minister laughed, “That’s right, Qian Jindai is my man, and Fumanlou is also my business. He’s just managing it for me. My businesses are all over the world. Not to mention Jin Kingdom, I have businesses in Liang Kingdom and other countries as well. So, Madam Yu, if you have any ulterior motives, don’t blame me for not warning you. You can’t beat me. You only have one choice: work for me. I won’t skimp on your benefits; in fact, you’ll earn much more than you do with your little food court.”

Yu Wan said, "You already have so many businesses, why won't you stop?"

The Prime Minister said, "Are you trying to say I'm ungrateful? Money is a good thing; who would complain about having too much? Would you?"

Yu Wan coldly replied, "At least I will use legitimate means to make money."

The Prime Minister snorted. "Legitimate? What is legitimate? You want to climb the ladder step by step, but others don't. They use underhanded methods to climb faster than you, gain more power, and more money. They can destroy you with a single word. Don't you think that's very unfair?"

"What? You want to be emperor?" Yu Wan asked.

"Emperor? I don't want to be one. Look at the world now, who doesn't criticize the emperor for being incompetent?" the prime minister asked with a smile.

Yu Wan said, "Then do you know how many people are criticizing you?"

The Prime Minister laughed and said, "That's different. If the country falls in the future, the emperor will only have one way out: death. I can save my life. You are a girl and don't understand these intricacies. But I can tell you, if you want to live a glamorous life, don't talk about justice."

Yu Wan stared coldly at his departing figure. This man only cared about himself, causing suffering to all the people in the world.

He even has his own set of principles, which he may never realize until his death.

Just then, a furtive palace maid bumped into her and knocked her down.

The palace maid was tall and burly. She covered her face with a handkerchief and ran away in a strange manner, hurrying towards the palace gate.

Yu Wan followed along the whole way.

The palace maid arrived at the palace gate, took out a waist token, and spoke in a high-pitched voice.

"The Imperial Concubine has ordered me to go out of the palace to purchase some items."

The guards, seeing that the token was valid, were about to let them pass when they suddenly heard a woman's loud voice.

"Wait!"

Before anyone knew it, the Imperial Concubine appeared before them and ripped off the handkerchief covering half of the palace maid's face.

The face of a middle-aged man was revealed.

The Imperial Concubine's eyes were sharp, but her voice was gentle. "Your Majesty, it's one thing for you to play around with me in private, but why do you have to run out of the palace? You are the supreme ruler; if something happens, who can bear the responsibility?"

Yu Wan felt that the person did not look like a palace maid and was very suspicious, so she wanted to find out. She never expected that he was actually the emperor.

She entered and left the palace several times, but never saw the emperor. She only knew that the emperor favored the imperial concubine and never summoned the other concubines.

The emperor looked helpless, as if he had done something wrong, and looked at her pleadingly.

"My beloved consort, I... I just feel a bit stifled and want to go for a walk outside the palace. Please don't be angry with me."

His tone was pleading, and his eyes were filled with terror.

The imperial concubine smiled, but her eyes revealed a fierce glint; her voice remained soft.

"How could I dare to be angry with you? You are the Emperor. Come on, let's play games together, that way I won't be bored."

As the emperor was being led away, he kept looking at the palace gate, his face filled with despair and regret.

That night, He Jing sneaked into the palace, and Yu Wan told him what she had seen and heard.

Yu Wan sighed, "He was the emperor, how could he have fallen to this state?"

He Jing said, "I'll go take a look in a bit."

Yu Wan also wanted to see what was going on, but considering she didn't know kung fu, she decided not to cause trouble. Anyway, He Jing would tell her when he got back.

“You’re observant; you might notice details I can’t. I’ll take you with me.” He Jing saw through her thoughts.

Yu Wan said, "But I can't fly over walls."

He Jing laughed heartily, "What's so difficult about that?"

As he spoke, he put his arm around her slender waist, lightly touched the ground with his toes, and jumped onto the roof without making a sound.

Yu Wan felt a blur before her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was already standing on the roof.

She looked down at her feet—it was so high!

She had the illusion that she might fall at any moment, so she dared not move and clung tightly to the boy's slender waist.

He Jing felt the strength of the little hand and gently comforted it.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Yu Wan nodded, but still dared not move, afraid that she would fall if her foot trembled.

He Jing found it strange; he had never seen a pack of wolves like this before.

"I... I might be a little afraid of heights," Yu Wan explained. "Mainly because there's nothing around to grab onto."

"It's alright, just hold on to me," He Jing said with a smile.

Yu Wan said in a trembling voice, "I'll be fine in a bit, I won't be a burden to you."

He Jing held her tightly in his arms and whispered in her ear, "..."

Are you ready?

A cool breath reached her ears, and Yu Wan nodded silently.

My vision blurred again, and I felt my body lose weight in the air.

He Jing used his lightness skill, and no one in the palace noticed the two figures under the cover of night.

After her eyes adjusted, Yu Wan opened them and, for the first time, admired the entire capital city from such a high vantage point.

It's beautiful.

It's spectacular.

He Jing lowered his eyes, and the girl wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, staying obediently in his arms. For a moment, he wished time could stop at this moment.

But we still arrived at our destination.

He Jing stopped on a rooftop and asked Yu Wan to sit down.

He lifted a tile, and a ray of light shone through.

Below was the emperor's bedroom, and the imperial concubine's voice came from inside.

The two people on the roof looked inside.

The emperor lay on the bed, his hands and feet bound, his face filled with fear, begging for mercy.

"My beloved concubine, I beg you, please spare me today. I will never dare to do it again."

The imperial concubine held a long silver needle in her hand and waved it in front of the emperor.

"Your Majesty, you are so disobedient and mischievous! How could you disguise yourself as a palace maid and run away? This is not something an emperor should do! Besides, what are you going out for? Aren't three thousand beauties in the harem enough for you? Do you have to go outside to find more beauties? Don't you think I am beautiful enough?"

The emperor said, "I...I didn't mean that, my beloved concubine, please, please don't."

"Then what do you mean? I was already unhappy today, and now I'm even more heartbroken. Don't you want to comfort me?" The imperial concubine's face was twisted and sinister as she waved the silver needles in front of the emperor's eyes.