*

Pei Linmo was the only one left in the room. He stared at the stack of colorful sketchbooks on the table, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.

He stepped forward, picked up a corner of the cloth wrapping the picture books, and prepared to pack them up and throw them out the window, but then he saw the book "How to Make Your Lover Only See You".

The movement suddenly stopped.

"absurd."

He scoffed, but then, as if possessed, picked up the book.

He sat upright at his desk, reading intently. At first, he frowned and looked disgusted, but his page-turning gradually slowed down.

In the dead of night, all was quiet.

The guards on night duty were patrolling the corridor with lanterns when they suddenly saw that the prince's room was brightly lit with candles. Upon closer inspection, they could vaguely see through the paper window that a tall and upright figure was sitting at his desk.

The guards stood at attention, straightening their backs and widening their eyes. The prince was still reviewing official documents late into the night; how could they afford to be lax?

Pei Linmo spent a day and a night reading all twenty storybooks except for the one about cousins, which he cleaved in two with a single sword strike.

As dusk approached, people came to welcome Pei Linmo and his entourage into the palace for a banquet.

Liang was the only major power besides Wei, so the reception was of extremely high standard. This welcoming banquet was held in the second largest hall in the palace, the Wuying Hall, and all officials of the third rank and above in the capital attended with their families.

"The Regent of Liang has arrived—"

As the announcement was made, Pei Linmo, dressed in a black robe with gold thread, slowly entered the hall, and all those seated in high rank rose to their feet.

As soon as Pei Linmo sat down, his gaze fell on the empty seat opposite him. According to etiquette, the Crown Princess of Wei should be seated at a slightly higher position than him.

The positions of the highest seat and the Crown Princess remained vacant. Officials from the Ministry of Rites took turns offering toasts to Pei Linmo, who responded with his cup. However, most of the toasts were made by the officials accompanying him, and he rarely spoke.

About fifteen minutes later, a high-pitched shout suddenly came from outside the hall:

"The Emperor has arrived!"

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"

Everyone in the hall knelt down in unison to pay their respects, and the Liang Kingdom's envoys also bowed. Only Pei Linmo stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze passing over the Emperor and Empress who had entered the hall, and looking straight at the hall door behind them.

But even after the banquet ended, he still hadn't seen that figure.

As he stepped out of the palace gates, the moon was already high in the sky. Before boarding the carriage, Pei Linmo suddenly stopped, turned to the side, and gave the order:

"Go and investigate the whereabouts of the Crown Princess of Wei."

Su Jing knew perfectly well that his lord was distracted tonight, and quickly replied, "Yes."

At the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), the night watchman's drum had sounded, but Pei Linmo's room was still brightly lit with candles, and he was holding a storybook in his hand.

"Your Highness."

Su Jing hurriedly pushed open the door and entered, his forehead still covered in sweat.

"A spy reports that the remnants of the royal family of Fan Kingdom have rebelled, and the Crown Princess led troops to Qin Prefecture last night."

"Smack!"

The book in his hand was slammed heavily onto the table, and a chill flashed in his eyes:

"Why wasn't such an important matter reported?!"

Su Jing's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly knelt down: "Wei Guo has blocked the news; our people only just arrived..."

Before he could finish speaking, Pei Linmo had already grabbed the outer robe hanging on the screen.

"Prepare the horses."

"Your Highness?"

"Go to Qin Prefecture."

Su Jing was shocked: "This... Your Highness, please think it over! You are the Regent of Liang, we have no right to interfere in Wei's suppression of the rebellion."

Pei Linmo paused in tying his cloak, his usually calm eyes now filled with a chilling coldness.

"Qin Prefecture borders Liang State. What's wrong with me inspecting the border defenses?"

Su Jing was taken aback upon hearing this, then suddenly remembered that Qinzhou was originally the former territory of Fan State, and was separated from Huai'an City of Liang State by only a river. In name, it made sense. Now, the birthday banquet was still more than half a month away, so there was still enough time.

"Your subordinate is dull-witted."

"I will arrange for a light cavalry escort immediately."

Pei Linmo, already wearing the black iron wrist guards, didn't even look up when he heard this, and said directly:

"No need for a large mobilization. Just send twenty personal guards, traveling light and simply."

"Furthermore... let Lord Yuan personally go to the palace to explain the situation to Emperor Wei."

"I'll take care of it right away!"

Pei Linmo and his group traveled day and night, but still failed to catch up with Nan Qing, who had set off a day earlier.

The incident happened suddenly, and Nan Qing only took a few dozen Iron Eagle Guards with him and set off overnight.

She rode the White Tiger in the lead, while the Iron Eagle Guards also rode specially supplied steeds that could travel a thousand miles a day. So when Pei Linmo and his party arrived at the border of Qinzhou, Nan Qing had already led his troops to press on the city of Qinzhou.

Qinzhou City has been occupied by the remnants of the Fan Kingdom. The city gates are tightly closed, and soldiers stand guard on the city walls, fully equipped with bows and crossbows.

Nanqing stood atop a hill a mile away, gazing at the city gate.

She has mobilized troops from several surrounding cities, totaling 100,000, to surround all four gates of Qinzhou.

Zhou Cheng rode forward and handed over a letter.

"Your Highness."

"The rebels refused to surrender and even shot arrows down from the city walls."

Nanqing took the letter and unfolded it, which had been shot with an arrow.

To the Crown Princess of Wei:

If you wish to save the lives of 100,000 people in Qin Prefecture, please have the Crown Princess enter the city alone to negotiate. She must enter through the South Gate before noon. If you see even a single soldier accompanying her, massacre the entire city immediately. If she does not arrive by the deadline, massacre the entire city as well!

—Fan Hao

The ink was made of cinnabar, and the characters were written as if dripping with fresh blood. At the end of the signature, there was a dark red seal, which was the dragon-patterned seal of the royal family of Fan Kingdom.

Nan Qing glanced calmly at the words "massacre of the city," but his eyes were icy cold.

"Fan Hao".

Lin Rui, who was accompanying him, immediately stepped forward and said, "It is the eleventh prince of Fan Kingdom, the one who escaped from the net back then."

Nan Qing slowly folded the letter. A year ago, she led only 30,000 iron cavalry to break through the capital of Fan Kingdom and personally beheaded the Fan Emperor. Unexpectedly, this only remaining fugitive was so impatient that he dared to challenge her after only one year.

Massacre of a city? Ha, he really did inherit his father's tyranny.

"Zhou Cheng, attack the city at noon," she suddenly said.

Lin Rui and Zhou Cheng had both followed Nan Qing in his campaigns for a long time, so they both knew what those words meant.

Zhou Cheng should answer "yes".

Lin Rui was shocked: "Your Highness! Are you really going to enter the city alone?"

Nan Qing climbed onto the white tiger, and upon hearing this, lowered her eyes to look at Lin Rui with an indifferent gaze.

"He's just a stray dog. If he wants to play, then I'll play along with him."

"You will stay in the army and command on my behalf."

After saying that, he spurred the tiger and leaped several meters away, arriving at the foot of the city in the blink of an eye.

Nan Qing stood in front of the Qinzhou city gate, with the soldiers behind her retreating a hundred meters away. She looked up at the city tower, her voice cold and clear.

"Fifth Princess Nanqing of the Wei Kingdom, open the door."

The soldiers guarding the city looked at each other, none of them daring to move. After a moment, the city gate slowly opened a small crack.

Without turning his head, Nan Qing spurred the tiger forward. The white tiger moved steadily and stepped into the city gate. None of the soldiers holding spears on both sides dared to step forward.

The city streets were deserted, with only archers lurking on the rooftops on either side.

Her expression remained unchanged as she sat atop the white tiger and headed straight for the government office in the city.