Extra Chapter: The First Class

Late at night, the Halberd King's army set up camp in Orange Isle, and a man in black quickly entered Qin Zheng's tent.

"Your Highness, news has come from the capital that the Empress is pregnant!" The man in black presented the letter.

Qin Zheng's pupils contracted slightly as he opened the secret letter in the man's hand and translated the coded message word by word.

The letter was written by Zhao Xin'er, who had always played the role of the Crown Princess and is now the Empress.

This explains that His Majesty selected a child from among the imperial relatives and planned to secretly bring him to the palace to be raised as her child.

Therefore, they deliberately spread the news that she was pregnant.

The note also included detailed information about the child, who was the son of the King of Qi, born out of wedlock.

The child's mother was of lowly status. After Princess Qi learned of her pregnancy, she attempted to poison her, but Zhang Yun rescued her and secretly nursed her back to health.

In addition, a letter of apology from Zhao Xin'er herself was attached to the letter.

After carefully reading the entire contents of the letter, Qin Zheng burned it.

He summoned his trusted confidant and instructed him to properly eliminate all of Princess Qi and her subordinates who knew about this matter.

The army set off early the next morning and marched for ten days before finally arriving at Hongcheng.

Zhang Yun had already led his civil and military officials twenty miles outside the city to welcome the newly promoted second war god of Dayun.

Upon receiving Qin Zheng, Zhang Yun did not wait for him to kneel and pay his respects before personally helping him up and leading him to the imperial carriage.

As soon as he entered the imperial carriage, the handsome emperor, who had just been majestic and dignified, pounced on him and demanded a kiss.

Qin Zheng embraced him and rolled onto the large, soft couch inside the imperial carriage, responding to his lover's passion.

"I missed you so much..."

Zhang Yun kissed him while rubbing against him.

Qin Zheng forced himself to restrain himself and bit Zhang Yun's ear, saying, "Your Majesty, we have a banquet to attend later."

“It’s still twenty li to the palace,” Zhang Yun said, and went to remove his armor.

Qin Zheng chuckled and reached out to help.

...

The imperial carriage swayed and bumped along the way.

The sound of people spontaneously coming to pay their respects could be heard from outside...

The extra chapter is over

Extra Chapter 2: Xu Shi

Xu's real name was not actually Xu Xiuqin, nor was she the third daughter of the Xu family who had grown up under the care of the first wife.

Her mother was a lowly maid in the Xu household. She was the unjust child born from the Xu family head's drunken escapades.

Her mother had to do hard work while pregnant with her and during her postpartum period, which caused her to develop health problems after birth.

She raised herself alone despite her illness; it was very hard for her.

The head of the Xu family was a womanizer, and he had defiled many of the servants in his household. She was not the only child like him.

Although they were his children, he cared nothing for his lowly illegitimate children.

They were like servants in the household, working alongside their lowly mothers from a young age to support themselves.

Later, news came that the third young lady of the Xu family, her third eldest sister, was getting married.

She was to marry into the most prestigious royal family in the Northwest and become a concubine to the young master who had done the Xu family a great favor.

This should have been a joyous occasion for the whole family, but unfortunately, at this very moment, the Third Miss's affair was exposed.

Although the head of the family concealed the news, the third young lady's body was already damaged, so she could not possibly marry into the royal family.

The opportunity then fell to her, who had just come of age and was at her most beautiful.

So, she, Xu Chun'er, took the name of her third sister, Xu Xiuqin, and married into the Northwest Prince's Mansion.

She knew she was just a concubine's daughter in disguise, and the Xu family didn't expect her, a lowly concubine's daughter, to win the prince's favor and love. They just wanted the prince's mansion to not blame them.

Therefore, as soon as she married into the family, Xu Chun'er kept a low profile and was very cautious, not daring to attract the attention of the heir apparent.

She remembered her mother's words before she got married, asking only to live a peaceful and safe life, and asking for nothing else.

Fortunately, the legendary young master was completely infatuated with his wife, and the two were inseparable every day, which allowed her to have some peace and quiet.

She lived in the Prince's mansion, eating delicacies that she could only glimpse from afar, and wearing silks and satins even more precious than those worn by the First Madam of the Xu family. Servants attended to her every need, and her mother from her maiden family also lived a peaceful life after she married into the family.

She could still read and write, and Xu Chun'er felt that there was nothing happier than that.

Later, her husband, whom she had never met, hurriedly went to the battlefield, leaving her and the Crown Princess in Biqing Garden. Without having to pay her respects to the Princess every day or stand in the proper etiquette, her life became even more carefree.

On a sunny afternoon, Xu Chun'er met the Crown Princess.

She only wanted to pick a flower from the tree, but she was too short to reach it.

Just as she was about to ask a servant to bring a ladder, a fragrant breeze blew by, and a beautiful woman in a red dress stood beside her.

"Is this what you want?"

The beautiful woman held a flower and offered it to her, smiling as if she were a fairy who had stepped out of a painting.

Xu Chun'er blushed.

Since then, she has become acquainted with the Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess was not what she had imagined; she was beautiful, intelligent, knew a lot, and even knew martial arts…

She was nothing like the proper, conservative young lady she had in mind; instead, she resembled the image of a chivalrous woman from the martial arts world that she had heard about from storytellers in teahouses.

No wonder the Crown Prince is so fond of such a perfect and unique person.

When Xu Chun'er thought about it this way, she always felt a little sour.

At first, she thought she was only jealous because she cared about the prince, but gradually she realized that she cared about Lin Qingyue.

She began to approach Lin Qingyue with ulterior motives that no one else knew.

Lin Qingyue liked the pastries she made, so she made them for her every day and brought them to her.

Lin Qingyue said her embroidery was beautiful, so she helped her embroider her clothes with the flower petals she liked.

When Lin Qingyue was learning martial arts, she pretended to be interested and begged her to teach her.

...

What Xu Chun'er found strange was that when they were together, she never mentioned the Crown Prince.

In her heart, did she only regard the Crown Prince as a husband she respected, rather than a lover she cherished and wanted to be with?

Whenever she thought about this, Xu Chun'er felt a little bit of happiness.

"Xiuqin, my nickname is Xin'er, you can call me Sister Xin'er."

That night, because it was raining, Xu Chun'er used the excuse that she was afraid to sleep alone and climbed into her bed. She said this to her.

“Sister Xin’er, I also have a nickname. My nickname is Chun’er. You can call me Chun’er from now on.”

As Xu Chun'er spoke, she felt her heart pounding.

Then, she heard Sister Xin'er pronounce her real name.

At that moment, she could no longer control her feelings for her and kissed her.

...

Many years later, Zhang Yun, who had become the emperor, asked Zhao Xin'er if she wanted to use a difficult childbirth as an excuse to die and regain her freedom, but Zhao Xin'er shook her head and refused.

Having found true love to accompany me in this life, even the shackles and cages are a warm home away from home.

End of extra chapter two

Extra Three-Colored Star

"Princess, wait for me!" Xue Gui's voice rang out from behind.

Zhang Caixing has been really annoyed lately. Ever since she returned to the capital from Luoyan Pass to report on her duties, Xue Gui has been like a leech, following her around all day long.

Isn't he a high-ranking official? How come he's so idle? Doesn't he have to do any work?

On her first day in Hongcheng, Zhang Caixing began to miss Luoyan Pass.

It's better there, so free and easy. There, she's the boss, and everyone else has to obey, except...

Thinking of Yang Xin's handsome face, which was always stern, Zhang Caixing felt a strange sense of longing.

Despite his perpetually stern and unsmiling demeanor, he is actually more talkative and nagging than his mother in private.

Previously, Zhang Caixing would be scolded by him for missing mealtimes, with all sorts of classical allusions.

This guy isn't good at martial arts, but he's incredibly stubborn. Even if you put a gun to his neck and tell him to shut up, he won't. He's like a rock in a latrine—stinky and hard.

However, after being nagged by him for so long at Luoyan Pass, Zhang Caixing felt a little unaccustomed to not hearing his voice for a while.

Zhang Caixing decided to resign from her job and return to Luoyan Pass tomorrow.

"What? You want Xue Gui to come with me to Luoyan Pass?!" Zhang Caixing's voice came from the imperial study.

"Third sister, you're a princess now, can't you be a little more ladylike?" Zhang Yun said.

"It wasn't my idea to send him; Xue Gui himself wrote to me asking for it. He had just fought alongside Qin Zheng in the northern expedition against the Hu tribes and made great contributions, but he didn't want any reward. He only asked me to transfer him to Luoyan Pass. What could I do? Of course, I agreed!"

"You, you, Luoyan Pass already has Yang Xin, we don't need him!"

"So, Third Sister, you actually prefer Yang Xin?"

"I didn't, don't talk nonsense!" Zhang Caixing immediately denied it, but her pretty face turned red.

She suddenly stomped her foot in embarrassment and said, "You can transfer whoever you want, you're the emperor after all!"

After saying that, he turned and ran away.

Zhang Yun watched her retreating figure and smiled, "Third Sister, we should always give people a fair chance to compete!"

The next morning, Zhang Yun issued an imperial edict appointing Zhang Caixing as the commander-in-chief of Luoyan Pass, and Xue Gui and Yang Xin as his lieutenants.

Xue Gui accompanied Zhang Caixing to Luoyan Pass.

As the sun rises in the east, the story of the three of them is just beginning.

End of extra chapter three

Side Story 4: Sun Chengping

Since joining the Taiping Army, Sun Chengping had never been as shocked as he was today.

He received an order, an order that no lord would ever order his subordinates to carry out.

Qin Zheng, to whom he had sworn allegiance, instructed him to feign betrayal and lead his 4,000 men out of Qingshan Village.

"After you defect, you can call yourself a Taiping Army soldier and persuade other rebels in various places to join you. If any of them are not convinced, just wipe them out."

“I will send Li Xianzong to assist you. With his advice and strategies, plus your own 4,000 elite cavalry, it shouldn’t be difficult to become the strongest force among the rebels.”

“Take this list. Once you have gained power, conquer all the places on the list, confiscate the property of all the people on it, hide all the wealth you have obtained, compile a list of the locations, and hand it over to the Lord later.”

"Master, this list is..."

"The eight major merchants of Anshang colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, secretly smuggling and funding the Hu people, which is why the Hu people have such a strong fighting force."

"Corrupt officials and bureaucrats mislead the country and its people."

“Wealthy and powerful families, who monopolize fertile land and refuse to pay taxes, are the root cause of the empty national treasury.”

"The generals in various regions only knew how to embezzle soldiers' pay and drink their blood, which led to the corruption of the army."

"The imperial clan has become too powerful and uncontrollable, a heavy burden indeed..."

"I want you and your Taiping Army to be a knife, and under the guise of rebellion, to completely eradicate these malignant tumors that are hindering the rise of the Yun Kingdom."

"Only in this way can His Majesty rewrite the kingdom on a blank sheet of paper when he takes over the kingdom in the future, instead of having to scribble and rewrite on a stained scroll."

"Although this action is beneficial to the country and the people, and its merits will last for generations, it will be fraught with difficulties. It will require you to go against your conscience and defy the world. Afterwards, you will have to atone with your death. In the future, history books will record you as a despised leader of a traitor and a murderous monster. Are you willing to take on this heavy responsibility?"

"Your subordinate is willing to go!"

After Sun Chengping left, Qin Zheng looked down at the ring on his ring finger and gently stroked it with his fingertip.

Ah-Yun, you are the light, responsible for illuminating and warming this world. So let me be the darkness behind you. I will clear away all the obstacles that block your light.

End of extra chapter four

Extra May Mother

Northwest Camp.

“Moon Maiden, Commander Qin ordered us to pretend to be rebels who escaped from Yun Kingdom, to become bandits on the grasslands, to gather intelligence, and to draw maps of the various tribes. If Commander Qin finds out that you left the army to come to the Northwest Camp without permission, he will blame you,” Xiao Shuang said with a worried expression.

“I know, I just wanted to come and see for myself. After all, that person will be our future master. I won’t feel at ease if I don’t see for myself.”

Yan Yueniang made excuses, but only she knew that the reason she insisted on coming to the Northwest Camp and seeing the person she cherished in her heart was simply because of the deep-seated resentment in her heart.

"He's here, he's out!"

Suddenly, Xiao Shuang called out softly.

Yan Yueniang quickly came to her senses and looked at the dazzling man surrounded by his personal guards.

The moment he appeared, everything around him seemed to lose its color.

A bitter feeling crept into her heart, and Yan Yueniang suddenly understood.

"Who's there?" Zhang Yun's personal guards spotted the two men spying from a distance.

Yan Yueniang and Xiao Shuang were captured. She pretended to be flustered and said, "I am a citizen of Yun Kingdom who was captured by the Hu people. My original tribe was attacked by a rebel army that escaped from Yun Kingdom. The general released me and other Yun Kingdom prisoners, saying that we could only survive if we fled to the Northwest..."

As she spoke, she casually loosened her hair and pretended to straighten her clothes, pulling down her collar to reveal half of her shoulder. She gave Zhang Yun and his guards a fawning smile and said, "Please, gentlemen, take us in. If you will take us in, my sister and I will do anything."

“I don’t know what’s been going on lately? People keep coming to us for help. Your Highness, be careful, it might be a trap,” a guard warned.

Several guards also stared at Yan Yueniang's half-exposed shoulders, swallowing hard.

Suddenly, a cloak fell onto her. Yan Yueniang felt the faint warmth and pleasant pine scent lingering on it, and she was stunned.

“There’s no need for that, young lady. My Northwest Army is strictly governed and will not do anything to you sisters. You must be exhausted from your escape. Zhao Xu, take them inside to rest for a day. Tomorrow, you will personally lead people to escort them to Lingzhou City for resettlement.”

"Yes." Zhao Xu accepted the order.

Then, Zhang Yun gave them a slight but heartfelt smile, "Welcome home, my fellow countrymen."

"..."

The next day, Yan Yueniang and Xiao Shuang were sent to Lingzhou City, the closest city to the Northwest Camp, to register their household registration with the local officials.

"Don't worry, madam. Even women can support themselves by working in our Northwest. The young master owns factories all over the Northwest, and female workers earn just as much as male workers. Plus, there's... oh, women's subsidies, and paid maternity leave for childbirth and marriage..."

The eloquent official was knocked unconscious. Yan Yueniang instructed Xiao Shuang to carry him to a small couch in the back where officials could rest temporarily, and to cover him with a quilt so he wouldn't catch a cold.

"Xiao Shuang, let's go."

"Wife, are we just leaving like this?" Xiao Shuang was a little confused.

“Yes…” Yan Yueniang looked up at the sky above her head and suddenly felt relieved.

She raised her hand, wiping away the tears that slid down her cheeks, and gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Because, I simply can't compare..."

End of five extra episodes