"Before you went?" An Qingyun asked, skeptical. "You didn't explain anything at all?"

“No,” Liu An said truthfully, “Since leaving the capital, my wife has rarely replied to my letters, and I don’t know what she’s thinking.”

As he spoke, Liu An looked at An Qingyun strangely, "What's wrong with Grand Secretary An today? Why is he so unlike his usual composed self?"

An Qingyun: He wants to be composed, but the fire is burning his eyebrows, how can he be composed?

Even though he was loyal to the emperor and loved his country, and was nearing seventy, he did not want to be buried with the current emperor.

Having weathered the storms of two dynasties, there's no reason for him to falter in his final years in office.

Clearing his throat, An Qingyun explained, "Gandan is ambitious, with an army of 700,000 ready to go. In this critical moment of life and death, I can't help but feel a little impatient."

He paused, composed himself, and spoke with a solemn face, "Liu An, as Grand Secretaries of the Great Zhou, we must be responsible for the people of the Great Zhou. The world can exist without an emperor, but it cannot exist without its people. Do you understand this?"

hehe...

Liu An chuckled at this remark, "Grand Secretary An, the war hasn't even started yet, and you're already prepared to defect to the enemy?"

These words made An Qingyun feel both ashamed and embarrassed. "What nonsense are you talking about? This pavilion is just taking a roundabout approach. We will wait until the Great Zhou is prosperous in two years before we launch a major operation. At that time, with the right timing, location, and people, we will surely be able to strike at the heart of the enemy!"

An Grand Secretary believed that the best solution was to exchange temporary hardship for a future resurgence, without causing widespread suffering and devastation to the people of the Great Zhou.

"Tch," Liu An said dismissively, "This war is going to happen sooner or later, which means bloodshed and sacrifice are inevitable. It's only a matter of time. If we try to make peace this time, the barbarians from Gandan will demand exorbitant prices. As one side gains and the other loses, the calamities for the people of Great Zhou will only increase."

"That's an army of 700,000, not 70,000. No matter how capable your master is, can he kill them all?" Elder An was furious. "Sure enough, dogs have been dogs for too long and have forgotten their own worth. They've been wearing human skin for nothing."

Having uttered the words that had been bottled up inside, An Qingyun turned and left.

"What a piece of trash! A moron who only gets older but never gets any brains!"

Liu An never considered the possibility of defeat.

He blindly worshipped and trusted Jiang Nuan, believing that good would prevail over evil and that the banished immortal would surely be able to turn the tide and save the people from their suffering.

An Qingyun believed that many hands make light work, and if the Great Zhou Dynasty couldn't solve a problem even with its full strength, then even an immortal like An Qingyun wouldn't be able to help.

Their conflicting ideologies meant they were destined to never see eye to eye.

As expected, Liu An couldn't stand An Qingyun's cowardly and incompetent behavior, while Grand Secretary An disdained Liu An's servile and subservient attitude. In the end, the two parted on bad terms.

Northwest border region.

With a sliver of hope, Yang Qing asked Xie, "Sister-in-law, is such a miraculous formation capable of protecting the Northwest?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Xie looked at Yang Qing as if he were a fool, "How is that possible!"

"Why not?" Yang Qing was both disappointed and puzzled. "I have personally experienced it. Whether it is a maze or a defensive formation, the effect is unexpectedly good. It cannot be broken by human power."

"I also have a question," Xie said after thinking for a moment, "I've heard that the general is unparalleled in the world. Can he withstand Gandan's thousands of troops?"

"I am ashamed to say that human strength has its limits and I truly cannot do it."

“The same applies to formations,” Xie explained earnestly. “They only borrow a bit of the power of heaven and earth, and are not applicable to all situations.”

"Please explain it more clearly, sister-in-law."

"Simply put, there are too many people to trap them," Xie said, casually setting up a formation. "Like this one in front of us, it can trap a rabbit but not a tiger, it's too small."

"Why not just get a bigger one?"

“It’s not that simple,” Xie shook his head. “The larger the formation, the greater the variables. It not only consumes more effort, but it is also easier to make mistakes.”

Xie had little confidence in making the arrangements.

Upon hearing this, Yang Qing instantly understood: In short, it was still because of his lack of skill.

There was a sense of disappointment, but also a feeling of relief.

Although the formation is mysterious, it is not as invincible as imagined. It is detrimental to this battle but beneficial to the Great Zhou.

Overwhelmed with mixed feelings of sorrow and joy, Yang Qing covered her face and left.

"See that?" Jiang Chao said in a sinister tone, "When our sister-in-law said that the formation couldn't trap the army, our general was immediately overjoyed!"

I want to get punched!

Jiang Chao couldn't understand why the Emperor chose Yang Qing as the commander-in-chief, since, as he knew, Fang Han was stronger in every aspect.

While abilities can be compensated for by others, Yang Qing's shrewdness truly needs improvement.

Judging from how happy he was just now, a petty person would definitely have found a chance to kill him!

"He's probably afraid," Huang Lao Er said, somewhat annoyed. "No wonder Mother always said you can't be too careful around people. It's just that he's too capable and therefore feared. It's really..."

Huang Lao Er didn't know what to say, but he felt a bit frustrated.

When did being outstanding become a sin? What did we do to deserve this?

Jiang Chao curled his lip and made an irresponsible guess, "Yang Qing is the current confidant. If he thinks this way, then that person should think the same way."

Upon hearing this, Huang Lao Er became alert. "What do you want to do?"

"What can I do?" Jiang Chao shrugged. "Can you stop making such a fuss over nothing?"

"That's for the best," Huang Lao Er said, becoming alert. "Mother is in the Northwest. You'd better not try anything funny. If she finds out, she definitely won't be happy."

"We'll see."

Jiang Chao gave a perfunctory reply.

He's made up his mind, and no amount of persuasion will change it.

They won't rebel, but they won't be without any power to fight back like before.

Seeing this, Huang Lao Er frowned and asked, "Wife, don't you think Jiang Chao has changed?"

"No, why are you suddenly saying that?"

“He didn’t have such a strong desire for power before, but now,” Huang Lao Er pressed his temples, looking very troubled, “I don’t know if Mother can keep him in check?”

Upon hearing this, Xie realized what was happening and strongly disagreed, saying, "I don't think Jiang Chao has changed; on the contrary, you're just too stupid!"

"Huh?" Huang Lao Er was taken aback. "Where am I stupid?"

He felt he had improved a lot; although he wasn't as smart as his wife, he was still much better than others.

The word "stupid" has long been irrelevant to him!

"Of course it's stupid! No matter what Jiang Chao does, we're all family. Aren't we closer than the Emperor and the Eight Outer Route Army? Why aren't you on his side or the Emperor's?"

"Is that so?"

“Of course,” Xie snorted, “Jiang Chao would certainly not harm us, but the Emperor might not be so. Emperors are all fickle and have deep minds, so it’s not a bad thing to make plans early.”

Yang Qing's behavior is really infuriating. Does he get so happy just because he's caught red-handed?

Like master, like servant. With Yang Qing like this, who knows what Ji Xuan is really thinking?

The fact that the Huang family is still useful now is so obvious; if they weren't...

The more Xie thought about it, the more wary she became, and the more she looked forward to Jiang Chao's actions.