On this day, Gu Qingyan spent a long time with Jiang He at the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence.

"Uncle, if you're really too tired, take a rest first, and then get up and continue fighting when you've rested enough."

Gu Qingyan took a deep look at Jiang He, who was lying motionless on the bed, clenched his hands, and left the room.

"Young Master."

Mei Chu's words stopped Gu Qingyan in his tracks, "This subordinate is incompetent; I have not yet developed an antidote..."

"Dr. Mei, I'm counting on you."

Gu Qingyan reached out and grabbed Mei Chu's arm, his eyes filled with a look that Mei Chu dared not look directly at. "If there really is no other way, I will not blame you."

Looking at Gu Qingyan's retreating figure, Mei Chu inexplicably sensed a hint of loneliness.

I imagine that's how our lord feels right now.

A small Buddhist shrine was set up in the courtyard where Gu Qingfeng and Gu Qingyao were imprisoned. Gu Qingyao knelt on the prayer mat and prayed for Jiang Yu, almost without eating or drinking.

Gu Qingfeng sat in his wheelchair, looking at the Buddha statue in front of him with a sorrowful expression.

Buddha, my mother was fortunate enough to be reborn, so she shouldn't have left before she could enjoy anything.

If Buddha has a spirit, please protect my mother.

......

In Hengxian, the sound of gongs and drums rang out. Chang Qing led 200,000 soldiers and shouted towards the border city of Daning, but the soldiers of Daning did not come out to meet the enemy for a long time.

"Are they too scared to fight?"

Chang Qing shouted at the top of his lungs, a hearty smile on his face, "I thought your Great Ning was so capable, but it turns out the previous Great Ning royal family was such a useless piece of trash!"

Chang Qing's voice traveled through the city gates and reached the ears of the soldiers and civilians on the border.

"Your rebellious king is none other than Jing Zhao, whom you call better than your own king. He colluded with the Great Wei and caused my Empress Dowager of Great Qing to fall off a cliff."

Bai Qian waved her hand, and the drumming stopped immediately, making Chang Qing's voice even clearer.

"And my Empress Dowager of Daqing is the wife recognized by your king."

In the past, no one would have dared to say such outrageous things, but now Gu Heng's reputation is completely ruined. Da Ning dislikes Gu Lin, so they will support the Prince of Xiang!

"You guys are really... a bunch of idiots."

Chang Qing looked at the gleaming blade on the spear and said, "Our Emperor of Daqing is the only child of your monarch, and should rightfully be the Crown Prince of Da Ning!"

"We in Daqing are overjoyed to have such a young and promising emperor, yet you are not happy about it and even question the background of your ruler. Have you forgotten how Jing Zhao made you suffer back then?"

Separated by a wall, the people of the border town silently lowered their heads.

They couldn't refute what that general from Daqing said.

"The reason your king doesn't want to attack Daqing is because he doesn't want the people to suffer." Chang Qing exchanged a glance with Bai Qian, and only continued speaking after Bai Qian nodded.

"Daqing and Daning could have been merged into one, couldn't they?"

Chang Qing uttered earth-shattering words in the most nonchalant tone.

"If you don't want to, that's fine with me. I, Daqing, will accompany you to the end!"

"Furthermore, Daqing welcomes Prince Xiang home at any time. His Majesty has personally made arrangements for Prince Xiang's residence."

If the earlier statement about merging the two into one had caused a great uproar among the people of Da Ning, then Chang Qing's final words, "Welcome back to the Prince of Xiang," completely threw them into a panic.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty wouldn't really return to Daqing and choose to abandon us, would you?" a soldier stammered, only to be immediately reprimanded by his superior.

"Our king is the king of Da Ning, how could he possibly go to Da Qing?"

"But his relatives are in Daqing..."

Upon hearing the soldiers' words, the superior officer was at a loss for words and could only sigh heavily.

Just a short while ago, Da Ning was clearly in the lead, so why did it turn into Da Qing in just a few days?

Chang Qing's words quickly spread throughout Daning, causing the Daning people who had previously been prejudiced against Gu Lin to fall silent one by one.

"Hey! Do you think the king has really abandoned us?"

Nowadays, when people talk about Gu Lin on the streets, they can no longer see any trace of Lingxiao Pavilion.

It was as if Gu Lin had already lost hope in everyone.

“Tell me what kind of mess this is!” another burly man said. “We understand that the king has brought us a good life, but he is still the King of Xiang of Daqing.”

"Why bring this up now!"

An elderly man with white hair and beard spoke with exasperation, "Is Daqing still the same Daqing as before? The little emperor of Daqing is the son of the monarch! You are all idiots!"

"Think about it, if you were the rulers, would you be proud or regretful to have such a son who carries the blood of the Daqing royal family? What about the Da Ning royal family?"

"Don't forget, the eldest princess was forced into a political marriage back then."

Young people may not know the past, but the elderly do.

Their ruler must have hated the Daning royal family.

The old man's words seemed to strike a heavy blow to everyone's hearts, and they suddenly understood something.

This scenario occurred in more than one place, and soon, public opinion about Gu Lin began to reverse.

......

"You bastard!"

Jing Zhao was furious. "These stupid, lowly people are really not worth having any hope for."

"Your Highness, shall we begin our operation?"

The subordinate chimed in, "If this drags on any longer, I fear the situation will become increasingly unfavorable for us."

Jing Zhao chuckled a few times, "Let's take action, let's take action tomorrow."

His sudden casual tone silenced the air for a moment, but a flame blazed in Jing Zhao's eyes. "How many courtiers are still willing to cooperate with me now?"

"Ten."

A booklet was handed to Jing Zhao, containing detailed information about the ten court officials.

"First, take control of these people's families."

Jing Zhao twitched the corner of his mouth. "Then starting tomorrow, we'll use the tunnels to move our position and take over Ming City first."

The entire Daqing area is riddled with interconnected tunnels, a backup plan prepared in advance by the Da Ning royal family to ensure their survival.

"Your Highness, we currently only have a thousand men."

“A thousand is enough. Kill some civilians first to throw Mingcheng into chaos, and then this person will help me.” Jing Zhao pointed to a person in the booklet.

Mingcheng has an excellent geographical location. If he takes it, he may be able to share control of Daning with Gu Lin.

If some unfavorable remarks about Gu Lin are spread at that time, the people are the easiest to be incited.

"Yes, ma'am."

Jing Zhao watched his subordinates depart, a confident smile appearing in his eyes.

But the next second, another subordinate stumbled in.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Several of our tunnels have been set with charcoal fires, and the whole place smells pungent."

"What?"

"The tunnel...it seems the tunnel has been discovered."