Chapter 5: Intertwined Fates

Amidst thunder and lightning, the team marching in the rain was forced to stay at the Four Corners Pavilion beside the official road.

But in the minds of the Su family, it was a blessing from heaven that the two groups unexpectedly met in this pavilion.

The man had shackles on his hands and feet. The originally strong grandmother burst into tears the moment she saw her grandfather who was nearly 70 years old.

When the women saw the men, they felt like they had found a support, and their tears flowed faster than rain.

My grandfather remained silent throughout the whole process, and finally, it was my great uncle Su Ruilin who broke the silence.

He sighed and said, "The Northern Rong are demanding a million gold ingots before they will release the Second Saint and the other women back to Nanling State. The imperial court has given up on redeeming them."

This sentence was like lightning from the sky, clearing the fog in the hearts of everyone in the Su family.

Although Su Shengsheng was not allowed to go out, she heard a lot of news from her brother who was in school.

The war between Nanling and Beirong has always been widely controversial among the people and students.

Some people accused Nanling of blindly seeking peace, which was a strategic mistake made by the higher-ups and encouraged the enemy's ambitions, leading to the Beirong troops marching south.

Lamenting the loss of half of the country, the two emperors of the old capital, as well as the harem, court officials and their families were all paid a fixed price as compensation.

The new emperor, who was not the heir to the throne, took a year to pacify the remaining half of the country and ascend the throne after the retired emperor, the old emperor and the crown prince were all captured alive by the Northern Rong.

As for the attitude towards the Northern Rong, whether to advocate war or peace, there has been endless debate since the time of the retired emperor, and there is still no conclusion.

My grandfather has been exiled. Clearly, the new emperor has made up his mind...

Su Shengsheng sighed silently.

Although my grandfather was a civil official, he always advocated fighting against the Northern Rong.

In order to protect the military generals who lost the war, he was even willing to be exiled by the old emperor.

Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, I'm afraid the only thing on his mind is to secure his throne!

Afterwards, Su Ruilin's words were like thunder rolling in the sky, making people tremble with fear.

Su Shengsheng stood up, looked at the mountains under the rain, and let out a breath.

She originally thought that these changes in imperial power had nothing to do with her, but she didn't realize that she was already involved in it...

Ning Yu stood up immediately and held the umbrella outside Su Shengsheng to block the rain from pouring in from outside the pavilion.

Amidst the torrential rain and thunder, a team of armored soldiers rushed in like a raging tide, instantly freezing the gloomy atmosphere in the pavilion.

Everyone in the pavilion was frightened like a frightened bird. Their voices stopped abruptly and they all looked up at the team of armored soldiers that they could not see clearly.

Su Shengsheng's heart also trembled like a drum. She tightly grasped the porcelain bottle hidden in her sleeve, fearing that fate would push them into an unknown abyss.

The escorting soldiers quickly stood up to greet him, fearing that there would be a new imperial decree to be issued.

As the black-armored soldiers approached, a breath of death came over them.

Those horses seemed to have traveled a long distance, and their snorting was as heavy as thunder, forming an invisible layer of heavy pressure.

The black-armored soldiers rushed over, tied up their horses and climbed the stairs.

Only after he could identify the patterns on the armor did Su Shengsheng feel relieved - these people were not soldiers from the imperial capital.

However, when she turned her eyes away, the leading man in scarlet scale armor was looking at her coldly.

His eyes were deep and cold, as if they pierced the deepest part of the soul and reached the sea of ​​death, without any warmth.

The soldier who went forward to meet him had his smile frozen for a moment when he met that gaze, and he completely forgot what he was going to say.

It was like passing by the god of death. All the soldiers in the pavilion showed fear on their faces and retreated quickly.

Thunder suddenly roared, illuminating the man's face that looked like a demon.

The shocked leader was awakened by the lightning above his head, "Hurry up and make room for the nobles."

Everyone in the pavilion was instantly in a panic and stood up one after another.

Yes, now they are prisoners, and anyone else's status is higher than theirs.

Just as Su Shengsheng was about to leave the pavilion with the others, she heard the man's cold voice: "No need."

Afterwards, the pavilion, which was already not spacious, became even more crowded after a team of armored soldiers moved in.

Su Shengsheng was squeezed to the outside and almost fell out. Fortunately, Qingning quickly pulled her back.

Over there, a round-faced young general quietly poked the sturdy male general next to him from behind the man.

"Hey, did you see that? Our general looked at that woman twice!!"

The male general who was stabbed rolled his eyes fiercely and said, "I'm not blind."

"I just asked, these people were taken to Southern Xinjiang. Isn't that our general's fiefdom?"

The round-faced young man didn't care about his attitude and touched his face happily.

"We've already arrived in the imperial capital, and you still haven't changed your name. Do you want the emperor to reduce the power of the vassal states?"

The round-faced young general's expression turned stern, "Isn't this something you're used to?"

"If you have something to say, say it quickly. If you have to fart, fart quickly." The male general was too lazy to say more.

"I mean, when we get back, why don't we..."

Before the round-faced young general could finish his words, the male general retorted, "A blind man lighting a lamp."

The young general became unhappy and grumbled.

"How could it be a waste of effort? Am I not also worried about the prince? Who knows if the emperor will arrange a marriage for military power?"

"You should think about how to get back, right?"

The round-faced young general was stunned. "That's impossible! That person hasn't even sat down yet, and he dares to call our prince?"

"What's impossible? Didn't the imperial teacher say that he should be exiled?" After saying this, the male general didn't want to argue anymore and closed his eyes to rest.

Su Shengsheng's half body was soaked by the rain, and Qingning glared at her with some annoyance.

But since the soldiers who came were all ferocious and vicious, she didn't dare to complain.

The round-faced young general noticed this scene and tutted his tongue twice, "Interesting."

Then he raised his voice, "Your Majesty, someone is staring at you over there."

A single stone caused a thousand ripples, and everyone in the pavilion was startled. In a hurry, Su Shengsheng covered Qingning's head with an umbrella.

Qing Ning's face turned pale with fear, and her lips trembled a little, "Miss..."

Su Shengsheng and Qingning hid under the umbrella together, and signaled her to be quiet with her fingers.

There were lightning and thunder outside, but the pavilion was frozen as if it had been cut apart. Only the male general rolled his eyes coldly.

He never expected that the people he met would be escorts of the prince's stature, and he was so scared that his face turned pale.

After not hearing any sound of investigation for a long time, the crowd, who dared not breathe, finally relaxed a little.

In this atmosphere where every day felt like a year, it was not until an hour had passed that the heavy rain and thunder gradually subsided.

After this team of armored soldiers left, the people in the pavilion dared to stretch their bodies which were numb from standing.

At some point, a giant rainbow bridge appeared in the sky above where the horses were tied.

The round-faced young general who had just mounted his horse was so stunned that he almost fell off his horse. "What did the prince just say?"

The male general looked at him coldly: "The prince ordered you to take people to escort those people across Chiyan City."

The leading man had already ridden away, and the rest of the cavalry followed, leaving behind the round-faced young general with a look of disbelief.

"Back then, Elder Su led the students to protect General Zhang. Your Highness must be trying to repay the favor. Please don't misunderstand me."

After saying that, the male general also rode his horse to chase after him.

Under the Juhong Bridge, Zai Qing drove a carriage and passed by the army.

Not only Xu Wanyunyi and the other three were sitting in the carriage, but also the housekeeper who had been placed in old age by their grandfather in his early years. The Su family's eyes instantly became moist.

Qing Ning excitedly grabbed Su Shengsheng and said, "Miss, brother actually redeemed them."

Su Shengsheng breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that the painting has been delivered in Qingmai.

Otherwise, she didn't know how to deal with this group of elderly, weak, women and children who still had three thousand miles to go.

The rumble of the carriage accompanied the setting red sun and guarded a ray of orange light.