Chapter 439 There is only one way now

Late at night, the imperial study was brightly lit by candlelight, and the pile of memorials on the golden nanmu desk cast swaying shadows.

Outside the window, the autumn wind blew coldly, making a low whimpering sound as it passed through the palace corridors.

The iron horses on the eaves collided with each other, one sound after another, shattering the silent night in the imperial city.

The court, which had just begun to stabilize, was completely turned upside down when news came that the second prince Qin Jingheng had declared himself king in the southern border.

The candle wax accumulated and lingered on the bronze lampstand with a coiled dragon holding a pearl, illuminating the faces of everyone in front of the imperial desk dimly.

Except for Qin Zhaoyue, who was also lying on the couch.

She had been thinking earlier that if her second brother was in Fengjing at that time, it might be a tricky variable.

However, he did not expect that the storm would be even more turbulent when people were not there.

How to deal with it has already been decided.

Meng Jian of the Meng family was the vanguard general and led 10,000 imperial troops south in the afternoon.

Xuan Ge Si's Zuo Shaojian was the chief commander and was one step behind. He needed to lead the palace soldiers along the way, gather troops and then meet up with the vanguard army.

At the same time, all the Xuanji Guards of Linhai Prefecture were mobilized to the southern border to secretly cooperate and collect military intelligence.

The war in the north was still going on, so the heavy cavalry did not dare to act rashly. However, they had already sent messengers to convey the message quickly, ordering them to assemble their troops and be on standby in case of any emergency.

However, the troops from the north were transferred to the south, and the distance was long and winding. The south was full of towering mountains, dense forests and deep valleys, and the heavily armored cavalry were like a dragon trapped in a shallow pool.

Food and supplies, terrain advantages and disadvantages, marching routes...

The myriad of issues, like a giant invisible net, bound the newly assembled team, making it hard for them to breathe.

Qin Zhaoyue remained silent.

The third princess and Yinzhe asked her for advice several times, but she just lowered her eyes and said that she was not familiar with military affairs and dared not speak carelessly.

On the imperial desk, a huge map of the southern border was spread out, with ink outlining the mountains, rivers, and cities, and red pens dotted the marching formations.

The rebels' possible routes of attack, the strategic passes our army should occupy, how to allocate troops, how to collect autumn grain...

The national treasury was just filled up by eliminating the four great families, but now that the war has started, I am afraid that even mountains of gold and silver will be poured into this bottomless pit.

In the end, there was still no conclusion.

The eldest princess, the most knowledgeable among the royal heirs in military affairs, is far away in the northern border, while the rest are just talking about military affairs on paper.

Qin Zhaoyue knew that it was useless to say more, but he did not interrupt.

When the noise died down, she raised her eyes and asked softly:

"After discussing this for so long, I just want to ask, can we recapture the southern border in the short term?"

The room was filled with silence.

The candle flame crackled and burst into a little starlight.

The third princess, Qin Zhaowan, pursed her lips tightly and said after a long moment, "I'm afraid I can't."

During the secret meeting in the afternoon, Yinzhe, under Qin Zhaoyue's instructions, confessed everything about the illegal mining of iron ore and the private casting of weapons and armor in the southern border.

The Second Prince has the support of the remnants of the aristocratic families, so it is impossible for him to accomplish anything overnight.

This sudden attack was the result of years of accumulation and planning by multiple parties.

As the northern border has not been pacified yet, the Fengjing Imperial Guards dare not transfer all of them to the south.

It is not easy to form a confrontation, and it is extremely difficult to put it down in one fell swoop.

"Sixth sister, is this question related to saving our mother?"

Qin Zhaoyue nodded without hesitation: "Yes. If the southern border is not peaceful, the Queen Mother will surely die."

Although she has reached the third level, her body is not made of iron after all.

Even if you can go without sleep for ten days or half a month, there is a limit.

If the southern border is unstable, there will be no "peace and prosperity for the country" and the merit points will be difficult to sustain.

The vitality poison in the Queen Mother's body is even more violent than the one that the eldest sister was infected with. Qin Zhaoyue doesn't know how many merit points are needed to completely cleanse the poison.

Fifty or sixty thousand...I'm afraid it's not enough.

If it cannot be cleared in one go, the merit points will be a pure waste.

With the country in ruins and its fortunes declining, this is almost an impossible task.

The atmosphere in the imperial study was as heavy as iron.

Although no one knows the secret of merit value, they all know that Zhao Yue's ability is connected with the country's destiny.

If the land is divided, the country's fortune will be damaged.

The Third Princess suddenly clenched her palms, her knuckles turning white. "Then let's mobilize the entire nation and fight to the bitter end!"

The Fourth Princess shook her head: "Let's not talk about the chances of winning. Even if it's a tragic victory, the people's livelihood will be in decline and the country will be devastated.

It took the Queen Mother fourteen years of painstaking efforts to achieve today's strong and peaceful country.

Even if she gave everything to wake up the Queen Mother, would she want to see such a situation? "

There was a dead silence, as if the situation was hopeless no matter what.

The light of the candles gradually dimmed, the gauze curtains rose and fell in the wind like breathing, and the water clock ticked, and each sound struck the darkest part of people's hearts.

The sky outside the window was as dark as an inkstone, with no stars or moon visible. Only the lanterns of the patrolling guards on the palace wall occasionally passed by, like faint ghost lights.

The tea on the imperial desk had already gone cold, and a circle of bitter marks was condensed on the rim of the celadon cup, like dried tears.

Finally, it was Qin Zhaoyue's long sigh that broke the suffocating silence.

"There is only one way: kill my second brother."

Regardless of whether Qin Jingheng was a puppet voluntarily or forced, his existence was the banner of "legitimacy".

If this flag falls, the rebels will be just rebels, the morale of the army will collapse, and the morale of the people will decline.

It shouldn't have been her idea to kill the prince, but she said it anyway.

The third princess, Qin Zhaowan, stood before the imperial desk, her figure stretched extremely long by the candlelight, swaying gently like a reed in the wind.

Her fingertips dug deep into her palms, her lips faded, and her eyes were filled with turmoil.

Suddenly, a wind whistled outside the window, passing through the nine-layered palace, as if the wronged souls were crying.

After more than ten breaths, all the struggle in her eyes subsided and turned into a firmness as cold as iron.

"Life..." Her voice was hoarse, but every word was as hard as iron. "Xuan Ji Guards assassinated the traitor Qin Jingheng."

She gave the order, and took on the responsibility of this huge matter alone.

Even though this is the most rational choice at the moment, if the Queen Mother is healthy in the future, the dispute over the throne will inevitably become a handle for criticism.

Qin Zhaoyue sighed inwardly. The world is in a dilemma and there is no perfect solution at this point.

"My lord, I obey the order."

Yinzhe bowed and accepted the order. Just as he was about to speak, Qin Zhaoyue shook his head and interrupted him:

"Since the noble family dares to support my second brother, how can they not be on guard against assassination? He must be surrounded by many experts.

Even if the Xuanji Guards have dedicated warriors, they may not be able to succeed. We probably only have one chance."

She turned to look at Jiang Wuya and Chu Xinglan who had been standing quietly beside her, her eyes as clear as snow:

"Brothers and sisters, I have no choice but to trouble you to accompany me this time."

Everyone in the room was shocked.

“No!”

"Xiao Liu, be careful with your words!"

Qin Zhaoyue raised his hand to stop everyone from arguing:

"Even if we send a second-grade assassin, there's still no guarantee of success. What if the other side has a master close to the first grade?"

The timing was too coincidental, which reminded people of the previous assassination attempt by Master Yun Miao.

Since there is the first one, who knows if there will be a second one?

Judging from the hard fight that Old Xue had previously experienced, the two second-grade cultivators could at most draw with him.

If you want to kill with one blow, only when the three plates of heaven, earth and man come together can there be a glimmer of hope.

No one can refute it.

The third princess' voice trembled:

"Zhao Yue, how could you risk your life? Moreover, if you go south, what will the Queen Mother do..."

Qin Zhaoyue's lips curled up into a weary arc:

"So, Third Sister might be able to recapture the southern border before I can no longer hold on and fall asleep?"

Silence swallowed everything again.

She said no more and just looked at Jiang Wuya:

"Brother, I dare not boast about restoring the former glory of Tianyan Sect, but I can swear:

I will make sure that your lineage has no connection with the sorcerers who have committed assassinations before, and will not be implicated.

Within two generations of emperors, the orthodoxy of the Tianyan clan will be preserved and its inheritance will not be extinguished."

Jiang Wuya immediately bowed and said, "Why do you say that, Junior Sister? I will definitely protect you."

He was talking about protecting her, not guaranteeing success.

He had already made a secret decision in his heart that if things couldn't be done, he would take her away.

Chu Xinglan also chuckled, and the sound of his voice was like the sound of a sword: "It is my duty."

Qin Zhaoyue nodded slightly.

"In that case, get ready."