"I have come here, but I have not seen Madam Liao?"

My hand, which was folding the white cloth, paused for a moment, but I ultimately ignored him.

"The Liao family thereafter..."

A surge of anger rose within me, and I turned to glare at him. Was he here to pity me? Unfortunately, he miscalculated; the Liao family, after all, had nothing to do with me.

"With the Jimo family here, you have nothing to worry about."

I flicked my sleeve, signaling him to leave.

A royal decree, not what I wanted. Does it mean he expects me to be grateful and live at his mercy?

Seeing my anger, he wisely stopped talking and just stood there quietly watching me. However, I couldn't stand that gaze, as if he were observing and spying on me. I almost wanted to stride over and push him away, but out of politeness, I kept my distance.

Suddenly hearing a sharp sound, he frowned slightly and sighed, "It's getting late, so I must take my leave."

I bowed my head slightly as a farewell gesture.

I haven't seen him since that day. I heard that he suffered defeats all the way to Fuyan Pass before he barely managed to hold off the Guifang invasion.

South of Fuyan Pass lies the capital. The Guifang army is practically at the city's gates; with just one pass and one mountain, Fuqi is about to be captured.

The royal family has already packed their bags and fled south. Pingjing is the former capital of Fuqi, and the first step taken by Fuqi's ancestors in conquering the world and unifying the country. Now, it has become the last refuge for these unworthy descendants. It's just unknown how long the spirits of those fallen heroes can protect them.

All the high-ranking officials and nobles of the capital have followed me, and the Prince of Jin and his wife have also left. A few days ago, the servants in my household even came to ask me if I should flee before the current situation descends into chaos. I secretly counted the days. Jimo lost the northern empire that Fuqi's ancestors had built over decades in just nine months. Although the northern people are known for their fierceness, and the Guifang are so brave, it is still a cause for lament. Although they can hold Fuyan Pass for now, there's no guarantee the city won't fall one day. But where can someone like me go? The Liao family has given me a place of refuge. Without the Liao family, I would only be burned at the stake as a monster by the world. In the past year, although the servants in my household still don't speak much to me, at least they are no longer so afraid of me. My parents' death anniversary is approaching, and I can't just abandon everything and leave. Besides, what harm do I, someone like me, have to do with? I can't just stay here and drag all these servants down with me. After all, they have families and loved ones. If they lose their lives to a foreign race, people will be heartbroken.

I dismissed the servants and distributed the money that had been accumulated in the manor over the years. Many people had spent the best years of their lives in the Liao manor, and I couldn't let them down.

Several elderly servants wanted to stay, for they had nowhere else to go because of the Liao family mansion, and their families had passed away years ago. I tried my best to dissuade them, and only then did they accompany me south. Only one old nanny, who had served my mother for over ten years, refused to leave. I had no choice but to let her stay as well. The Liao mansion, which had been quite lively just a few days ago, and which still had the air of a prestigious family, suddenly became quiet. Fallen leaves filled the garden, unswept; the stove was cold and dusty, and no one cared about it.

It seemed that with the capital about to fall, even if someone were to cleanse the city, it would be pointless. However, no one expected that Jimo would hold off the Guifang outside Fuyan Pass for a whole year.

The Fuqi royal family, suffering repeated defeats, received several reports of victories and heard that the Crown Prince was preparing to head north to reorganize the capital. After all, he had left in a hurry, leaving many things behind. It was unclear whether his arrival this time was for a complete scorched-earth policy or to restore order to the court.

The Crown Prince brought new rewards for the Jimo family. Since I was betrothed to him, I also received some imperial favors, and gold, silver, and jade were sent to me one after another. Now that the people of the capital are struggling to make ends meet, there is no use for me to keep these things. So I distributed the gold and silver to various places and took out some to give to the soldiers at the front.

However, one of Ji Mo's requests to the Crown Prince was not a good thing.

Two years of war had stretched even the strongest army thin. Jimo requested that the emperor personally lead the campaign. This "personal campaign," however, would merely involve a brief tour of the army to let the soldiers see him; ultimately, it was simply a matter of boosting morale. But now, with two armies clashing, swords flashing without mercy, who could guarantee the emperor's safety? The crown prince was troubled, yet he still sent a letter by express courier to Pingjing, but received no reply for a long time. Presumably, the current emperor was accustomed to the sounds of courtly music and could no longer withstand the harshness of the battlefield.

Seeing the increasingly pessimistic battle reports, the Crown Prince had no choice but to agree to personally go and assist in the fighting. Unexpectedly, after several rounds of battle, the Crown Prince was captured by the Gui Fang. The Emperor, who was peacefully living in Pingjing, could no longer contain himself, but helplessly, Fuyan Pass still relied on Jimo for defense. He could only order the confiscation of the Liao family's property to vent his anger. The old woman and I, not caring much about our lodgings, happily left and found an empty, unclaimed house to stay in.

The Guifang leader, Basiljiyu, proposed negotiations with the emperor, as the war had raged for years and was not something either side desired. The emperor initially intended to remain inactive, but with the crown prince in the hands of the Guifang, he had no choice but to head north. However, upon reaching the capital, he refused to advance any further. A messenger from Jimo reported that the Guifang demanded the surrender of the half of the country north of Pingjing; in return, they would halt their advance, and the crown prince would return unharmed. Thus, the Fuqi people would be confined to that small, insignificant corner of the south. From then on, once the Guifang had regrouped and recovered, the Fuqi's demise would be imminent.

Is it better to fight on until death and national ruin, or to surrender without a fight and suffer disgrace and ruin?

Ji Mo seemed to have predicted that the emperor would choose the latter. The next day, news arrived from the front that the crown prince had died for his country. The old emperor was filled with grief and indignation, and had no reason to retreat. He rode to the military camp to personally supervise the battle. When the nanny heard the news, she merely smiled. Supervising the battle, he ultimately lacked the courage to charge into battle.

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