Yunzhou

Zhao Youyi and Chu Chanyin had secretly visited Yunzhou and were familiar with its terrain. They had formulated a battle plan in advance, and the next morning, the army set off for Yunzhou in a grand procession.

As expected, the emperor clearly regarded Yunzhou as the last city to defend, and placed most of his troops there. The sight of the dark mass of soldiers on the city walls was unsettling.

"It seems the Emperor has really gone all out this time," Zhao Youyi said, raising an eyebrow.

Chu Chanyin smiled upon hearing this: "After all, Yunzhou is his father-in-law's place."

"You're saying the emperor wants to depose his daughter? Will the prefect of Yunzhou still side with the emperor?" Zhao Youyi asked with interest.

Chu Chanyin raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Not only that, Awan, have you forgotten that the governor of Yunzhou is also the old lover of Empress Dowager Song? It's rumored in the capital that the emperor forced the empress dowager to her death. Do you think the governor wouldn't seek revenge for his beloved empress dowager?"

Zhou Yaqing watched the two of them go back and forth talking about royal secrets, and was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth.

"What? The Emperor has feelings for the Empress Dowager? The Prefect of Yunzhou is the Empress Dowager's old lover!" Zhou Yaqing exclaimed in shock.

Zhao Youyi nodded calmly and patted her shoulder with a look of satisfaction: "Not bad, Yaqing. You understand without me and His Highness having to explain it to you."

Zhou Yaqing scratched his head with a proud look on his face.

As the two had expected, the Prefect of Yunzhou was drinking and making merry in his mansion, completely unconcerned about the war outside, and even muttering the Empress Dowager's maiden name, which terrified the servants.

"My lord, the enemy is about to reach the city gates, why are you still drinking?" The general rushed in, looking at the scene before him in disbelief.

The prefect of Yunzhou drank the wine in the jar in one gulp. "That dog emperor wanted to depose my daughter and even killed Fuyu. Why should I still serve him?"

"Sir, be careful what you say!" The general, hearing him utter such words that could cost him his life, frantically snatched the wine jar from him.

"His Majesty is His Majesty after all. What right do we common people have to resist?" the general earnestly advised.

"Why not? The King of Chu can rebel, the Lady of Zhao can rebel, why can't I rebel?" The Prefect of Yunzhou snatched the wine jar from his hand and smashed it to pieces. The shards flew everywhere and cut his cheek.

He squatted amidst the mess, tears streaming down his face, a bitter smile on his face. "My daughter... Fuyu... I'm so sorry!"

His cries were like those of a small animal that had lost its mother—soft and delicate, yet heart-wrenching.

The Prefect of Yunzhong County, carrying a sword, staggered out of the mansion. His generals hurriedly followed, fearing something might happen to him.

He headed straight for the city gate and climbed the steps onto the city wall. The general quickly stopped him, saying, "Sir, you can't go up there! Swords and spears have no eyes on the battlefield; you'll get hurt!"

The prefect of Yunzhou shook his head with a wry smile, "My life has long ceased to be my own, so what difference does it make if I die?"

The general seemed to know what he was going to do, so he stopped trying to stop him and watched him walk up the city wall step by step.

"Open the city gates and welcome the general back to the city!" the prefect of Yunzhou shouted from the city wall.

Zhao Youyi and Chu Chanyin were not surprised to see this scene, but what happened next left everyone present dumbfounded.

The governor of Yunzhou, dressed in white, resolutely slashed his own neck with his sword. The force was so great that blood flowed immediately, and his body fell rapidly like a dying bird. It wasn't until a loud thud was heard that everyone came to their senses.

"My lord—" the soldiers shouted.

Zhao Youyi watched this scene with mixed feelings. Chu Chanyin pulled her into his arms and said, "Perhaps, he really does have feelings for the Empress Dowager."

The portraits in the secret chamber were all genuine, each a testament to his endless longing. Perhaps he used wine and women to pretend he had forgotten this relationship, just to reassure the emperor that his heart had already belonged to that girl, and from then on, he was merely surviving.

It is common knowledge that the governor of Yunzhou has countless concubines, but no legal wife, and even his only daughter's origins are unknown. It is likely that the person in this world who knows the truth has long since died.

One is right in front of me, the other... was half a year ago.

"Enter the city!" Having composed himself, Zhao Youyi made a gesture to the rear without hesitation, signaling the army to enter the city.

Thanks to a single sentence from the Yunzhou prefect, both sides suffered no casualties, marking their lowest number of losses in all their years of fighting. Now that the prefect was dead, Zhao Youyi, one of his soldiers, planned to take him under his command as well, since no one would complain about having too many soldiers.

"Two years ago, my brother died in the prefectural governor's mansion." Zhao Youyi walked into the prefectural governor's mansion and looked at every plant and tree inside. It was as if she could still see the scene from back then. How helpless, how sad, how painful her brother was, killed by the king he served and the deputy he trusted most.

Chu Chanyin pulled her into his arms and said gently, "You have done it. Soon you will be able to avenge your brother."

Zhao Youyi nodded in his arms, then belatedly realized, "Why are you calling me 'brother' too?"

Chu Chanyin raised an eyebrow: "A woman follows her husband wherever he goes, whether he's a chicken or a dog. Now that I've married you, I'll naturally follow your lead."

Zhao Youyi angrily slapped him: "Who are you calling a chicken and a dog?"

She knew that Chu Chanyin was intentionally trying to make her happy, so she smiled along with him.

"I never imagined that we could take Yunzhou City so easily," Zhao Youyi said, looking at the stars in the sky with some emotion.

"Our young General Zhao is wise and brave; taking Yunzhou City is naturally a piece of cake for him. Believe me, the road ahead will only get smoother and smoother," Chu Chanyin said with a smile.

Zhao Youyi turned her head to look at him, her gaze deep: "Brother Huai Cong, do you think people change once they ascend to that position? Will I change in the future? If I can't become a wise and virtuous ruler, will you still stay by my side?"

Chu Chanyin rubbed her head: "Silly girl, if you don't want to be in that position anymore, we'll leave. The elder of the Divine Doctor Valley has already passed the position of Valley Master to me. Once you've trained the next successor, we'll go and roam the world, righting wrongs and fighting for justice?"

Zhao Youyi buried her head in his chest, unable to suppress her smile: "Okay, then we'll fulfill our childhood dreams. I'll be a chivalrous knight-errant, and you'll be a healer who saves lives. We'll walk the road ahead together."

Chu Chanyin looked at the starry sky and softly hummed in agreement.

Inside the imperial palace of Shenjing, the sound of porcelain falling to the ground could be heard incessantly. The palace servants, trembling at the sight, knelt down and begged for mercy.

"What? Yunzhou has fallen? Where is the Empress? Summon her to see the mess her good father has made!" the Emperor roared in fury.

"His Majesty summoned me?" The Empress walked calmly into the Hall of Diligent Governance, glanced at the mess on the floor and the trembling palace servants, and waved them away.

"Why is Your Majesty so angry?" The Empress smiled casually and sat down by the couch. "Your Majesty won't be emperor for much longer anyway, so you should enjoy the rest of your time. What's the point of throwing a tantrum and showing off your imperial power?"

The emperor strode forward, intending to slap her, but her hand was firmly gripped by one of hers.

"Your Majesty, people say that even a day as husband and wife brings a hundred days of kindness. I married Your Majesty before I was of marriageable age. Do you only have feelings for me to use?" the Empress asked, unwilling to give up.

"If Song Fuyu hadn't chosen you, do you think I would have married you? It wasn't until I met Wen'er that I understood what love is! Our paths crossed by chance." The emperor broke free from her grasp and said mercilessly.

"Consort Wen..." The Empress couldn't help but laugh when she heard him call her Wen'er repeatedly. "You think she's sincere towards you? Do you even know whose daughter she is? Do you even know what her purpose was in entering the palace?"

Upon hearing this, the emperor frowned and said, "What kind of seditious words are you trying to say now, you crazy woman? Wen'er and I are deeply in love, and it's not something an outsider like you can sow discord between us. Save your energy and think about what consequences you will face for what your father did."

"Consequences?" The Empress laughed loudly, her beautiful eyes narrowing, resembling a cunning and treacherous serpent: "What will come before my consequences is His Majesty's retribution."

After saying this, the Empress left without even performing the proper etiquette.

The emperor, his hands trembling, tried to call Eunuch Gao in, but saw a white figure approaching.

It was his Wen'er.

Consort Wen entered with a smile, carrying a bowl of lotus seed soup. "Your Majesty, are you looking for me?"

Upon seeing her radiant smile, the Emperor instantly forgot all the Empress's divisive words, and even forgot his intention to have Eunuch Gao investigate Consort Wen's background.

"My beloved consort, you've arrived." The emperor hurriedly stepped forward to greet her, supporting Consort Wen as she was about to curtsy, his face bearing a somewhat ingratiating smile: "Wen'er, you've finally agreed to see me. Why have you kept me out these past few days?"

Consort Wen avoided answering, but smiled and handed the lotus seed soup to him: "Your Majesty, after you drink the lotus seed soup I made, I will tell Your Majesty."

"Good, good!" The emperor eagerly took the lotus seed soup and drank it all in one gulp, gazing at Consort Wen with infatuation. "Wen'er, I've drunk it all, can you tell me now?"

In the end, he stopped using the word "I" altogether, reached out and grasped Consort Wen's hand, his eyes filled with deep affection.

Consort Wen's smile grew wider and wider as she looked at him with tender, gentle eyes.

Inside the Southern Barbarian Royal Palace, Princess Yulang picked up the sword forged by her elder brother and stood in front of the bronze mirror, looking at herself. She was about to turn thirty, and her later years were empty, with no one left.

"Your Highness, a letter has arrived." The maidservant bowed her head and presented the note with both hands.

Princess Yulang turned around, picked up the note, and smiled as she looked at the words "Everything is ready, only the east wind is lacking".

It seems that the world... is about to change dynasties.

Princess Yulang looked up at the lavishly decorated palace. To her, this wealth and splendor were like a cage, trapping her in the first half of her life. Surely it couldn't trap her in the second half as well.

She has to live for herself, not be anyone's wife, but just be herself.