Chapter 259: Closeness or Distance, Men or Women, Does Not Matter

"The second question is, how did Huo Zhenyue die back then?"

Jiang Sijin blinked in confusion. Was there something suspicious about this?

Wasn't General Huo killed by the barbarians? After his death, not even a complete piece of his body could be found.

Before Jiang Ruheng could answer, a loud female voice suddenly rang out.

"They were cut off from supplies and died in a siege."

Chunzhi appeared in Su Zhenzhen's sight like a warrior.

She is called a warrior because she holds a sword in her right hand and a human head in her left.

That head was from an old acquaintance.

Jiang Sijin's eyes widened even more. "Li Da? What did he do to offend you?"

Su Zhenzhen figured out the key point in just a few breaths: "Li Da is the knife used to kill the donkey after it has done its work."

Chunzhi threw Li Da's head at Jiang Ruheng's feet, her face full of disgust. "You Jiangs are getting more and more disgusting with each generation. If it weren't for General Huo, would you still be alive today?"

“That…” Jiang Sijin explained weakly, pointing to Jiang Ruheng, “He is Jiang Yichun. When the capital was besieged, he committed suicide and his soul entered the womb of Empress Song. He returned to the world through the body of her son.”

Now it was Chunzhi's turn to open her eyes wide.

"Wh...what? What about Empress Song's original pregnancy?"

Jiang Sijin shrugged helplessly, "If we're lucky, that little guy probably hadn't arrived yet. If we're unlucky, he would have died then and gone to be reincarnated."

Chunzhi was so angry that her hands trembled. "How could there be such a beast in the world? That's his own flesh and blood!"

“Even the closest of blood relatives can’t compare to one’s own life and fortune.” Su Zhenzhen’s eyes grew even colder. “Judging from what you just said, it seems you know the truth about General Huo’s death in battle.”

Su Zhenzhen did not use a question, but a statement.

They ran out of food and supplies and died in their siege.

These eight words are an extremely heroic statement, regardless of the context.

Many things are now clear. The agreement that Huo Zhenyue and Jiang Yichun reached was nothing more than a cliché of eternal wealth and honor, but any emperor would worry about someone whose achievements overshadow his own.

Jiang Yichun used his position to halt the supply of provisions to the border prefecture without even having to show his face. The embezzlement of border troops' provisions by powerful families in the capital was nothing new. As long as Jiang Yichun didn't keep pressing them, their influence would only grow deeper.

Did General Huo know before he died that he had been tricked by Jiang Yichun? Perhaps he did.

Otherwise, why would he specifically instruct Old Man Bai to take care of Hensheng before he died in battle? It was nothing more than a scheme to use the emperor to command the princes.

I never expected that Jiang Ruheng was actually Jiang Yichun.

Su Zhenzhen used to think that General Huo was truly loyal to the emperor and loved his country, but the letter that Madam Huo produced already spoke volumes.

Would a truly loyal and patriotic person embezzle military funds? Even if it was an emergency, they should apologize afterwards instead of trying to shift the blame to others.

No wonder Huo Zhenyue has so many complicated karmic connections. He fought on the battlefield, saving countless people from being slaughtered by barbarians. In terms of righteousness, he used the embezzled military funds to support many refugees in the border regions. However, as a subject, he was an outright thief who stole the country.

Now Su Zhenzhen was more curious about something else, "Sister Chunzhi, do you know everything General Huo did back then?"

"What is it?" Chunzhi asked almost instinctively.

Su Zhenzhen glanced at her twice, but what came out of her mouth was, "It's nothing."

The era of Huo Zhenyue has passed. In the hearts of that generation of people, General Huo was an extremely good person.

Since that's the case, there's no need to tear off the fig leaf.

"Sister Chunzhi, what are you planning to do next? General Huo died because he was trapped due to lack of supplies. Will you seek justice for him from Jiang Ruheng?"

"No need," Chunzhi shook her head. "Let them settle their own scores. General Huo's soul hasn't been reincarnated yet, has it?"

Su Zhenzhen understood perfectly. Although Chunzhi had control of the Huo family army, it did not mean that she and General Huo were on the same side.

After all, who says women can't have their own ambitions?

“I plan to capture all members of the Jiang clan. The aristocratic families are parasites, and the collateral branches of the Jiang clan are no better.” Chunzhi’s eyes were bright and her expression was firm. “After that, I will lead the army back to Bianzhou to continue reclaiming wasteland so that Bianzhou can support all the refugees of the Jiang Dynasty.”

Su Zhenzhen's heart also ignited as she listened, but she also had a little gossip to share.

"So, are you still going to have children?"

Grandma Xu hoped that Chunzhi could have a son with Hu Yong so that the Hu family bloodline could continue.

"No, I've figured it out. What does it matter if they're my sons or daughters? What does it matter if they're my own? Haven't I still gotten to where I am today? I'll open an orphanage in Bianzhou to take in abandoned infants, teach them martial arts, and when they grow up, they can inherit my mantle."

It must be said that Chunzhi's ideological awareness was far ahead of this era.

Su Zhenzhen clapped her hands and said, "Then I wish you all your dreams come true, sister."

Chunzhi nodded slightly. "Take care of yourselves."

Immediately afterwards, this only female general of the Jiang Dynasty turned and left, her figure free and unrestrained.

Su Zhenzhen's eyes narrowed; it was time to settle the next score.

General Huo was released again. The sight of broken walls and ruins, and Jiang Ruheng bound like a silkworm cocoon, forced the old general to calmly consider the current situation.

"General Huo, what do you think of today's situation?" Su Zhenzhen raised an eyebrow and smiled lightly. "General, your military strategy is brilliant. Do you have any way to break this deadlock today?"

General Huo let out a long sigh, "My skills are inferior, I admit defeat, and I am willing to offer my neck for execution."

Jiang Sijin scoffed from the side, "He's already as dead as can be, yet he's still offering his neck for execution. Why don't you just say his soul has been scattered?"

General Huo's soul immediately became even paler.

Su Zhenzhen took out the yellowed letter from her sleeve pocket. "I want to know, when you entrusted this to Old Man Bai, did you ever think about dying in battle? Or were you sure that Chunzhi would carry on your legacy?"

Now that things have come to this, there's no point in hiding anything, so General Huo simply cleared up Su Zhenzhen's doubts.

“Back then, when the barbarians reinforced their troops to attack the border prefecture, I sent three urgent memorials to the capital, but they all disappeared without a trace. I knew then that something bad was going to happen. At first, I really did want to help Jiang Yichun preserve his only bloodline.”

"Later, I led my troops out of the city to set up an ambush. We left in a hurry and didn't bring any food or water with us. When we returned after annihilating the vanguard of the barbarians to replenish our supplies, the border state closed its gates to us. At that time, I understood everything and used my last carrier pigeon to send a message to Xu Hua."