After the peace talks with Rouran were concluded, Qi Nuan and his army returned to Shangjun.

Although only three months had passed since the expedition against Rouran, Qi Nuan felt as if a very long time had gone by.

Returning to the Jiang residence, it felt as if they could still see the days when they gathered together, but now everything had changed, and everyone had reached the end they were meant to reach.

Since they joined the army, they gradually moved away from the Jiang residence, except for Wang Er, who remained in the Jiang residence. Now, only Wang Er and his family of three live in the Jiang residence.

After Qi Nuan and the others left, Wang Er burst into tears. He knew this day would come when they went to the battlefield, but he always held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that each of them was so capable that they would all survive to the end.

He never expected this outcome. He wanted to persuade Qi Nuan and Amu not to go to the battlefield anymore, but he knew his words would be useless. None of them were the little beggars in the dilapidated temple they once were.

They have their own mission and their own lofty aspirations.

All he could do was stay on this land, wait for them to return, and let them know that he would always be there for them.

Jiang Yu held Qi Nuan's hand, while Jiang Ming followed silently behind them.

Amu looked at Jiang Ming as if he had something to say, but in the end he said nothing.

The crowd was bustling.

Qi Nuan and the others went up.

So someone was organizing a donation drive. What's going on? Didn't the government already distribute compensation to the fallen soldiers? What's happening now?

Then someone answered Qi Nuan's question.

"Although the government has already issued compensation, that's the government's business. These are all our own sentiments."

"Although I can't do much, I am truly grateful to these soldiers on the frontier. It is because of their fighting on the front lines that we have peace."

Someone chimed in, "Yes, they defended our country and protected us all on the front lines. Now that they have died on the battlefield, all we can do is our small part to make things a little easier for their families."

Qi Nuan looked at their faces. Although the people of Shangjun were happy to have defeated Rouran, they were even more saddened by the deaths of the soldiers.

These people all initiated donations to the government voluntarily.

They did not forget the sacrifices of their soldiers in the joy of victory, nor did they forget the grief of the families of the fallen soldiers.

This proves that their sacrifice was worthwhile; they protected everyone, and they should naturally protect their own families.

A smile finally appeared on Qi Nuan's face.

That's enough; it's enough that they remember their sacrifice.

No one's sacrifice is a given.

The Rouran had been harassing Shangjun for a long time. This time, the Prefect led his army to drive the Rouran out of the Tianwang Mountain range, which was a great relief to the people.

The people's long-standing anxieties have been resolved, but this does not mean they can forget the Rouran's harassment of them for many years.

They always remember the soldiers who died defending the border over the years.

I am grateful and willing to do what I can for them.

When Qi Nuan and the others returned to the prefectural office, they saw Zhang Liao quickly coming to greet them.

"Fu Jun."

Zhang Liao first bowed to Jiang Yu, and then nodded to Qi Nuan and the others.

"What is it?"

Seeing Zhang Liao's somewhat hurried steps, Jiang Yu asked, knowing that Zhang Liao wouldn't be waiting for him here unless it was something important.

"News has come that Gu Yucheng of Langya intends to become king of Langya."

Jiang Yu paused in her brisk walking.

He continued driving forward, not expecting this news. For the past three years, the third party had maintained a strange tacit understanding, and everything proceeded as usual.

Why did Gu Yucheng suddenly declare himself king?

What is the movement of Shu Han?

"There's been no movement yet, but this is an invitation from Gu Yucheng of Langya to the Prefect."

As they spoke, the group arrived at the hall, where Yan Gong and the others were already waiting for them.

Fu Cong'an presented the invitation.

After Jiang Yu opened and read it, she handed it to Qi Nuan.

Qi Nuan glanced at it.

Gu Yucheng will become king in a month and hold a grand wedding ceremony with Ye Sheng.

And this invitation was to invite them to attend their wedding and coronation ceremony.

Qi Nuan believed that Ye Sheng's invitation was sincere, but it was more likely a trap.

Gu Yucheng's move truly achieved three goals at once.

If it were merely a ceremony to declare oneself king, neither Shu Han nor Shangjun would have needed to participate. And by not participating, they could signify that they did not recognize Gu Yucheng as their king.

If it were his wedding, both Shu Han and Shangjun would go to offer their congratulations as long as they wanted to maintain a facade of harmony.

But coincidentally, his wedding and coronation ceremony were held at the same time.

Were they there to congratulate him on his wedding or on becoming king?

Moreover, Langya is Gu Yucheng's territory.

Their journey will inevitably involve risks.

Not going is tantamount to admitting one's fear and cowardice.

This is not good for them in their struggle for the world.

This move also serves to demonstrate his high regard for Ye Sheng.

Langya is not like Shangjun. Most of the officials in Shangjun are capable and only their abilities matter, regardless of their family background. Jiang Yu is also not constrained by aristocratic families or clans.

Langya is composed more of aristocratic clans, and its strength is certainly greater, but Gu Yucheng's actions and decisions also need to take into account the opinions of many parties.

In the book, Ye Sheng is of low status, and they have long been dissatisfied with Gu Yucheng's insistence on making her empress. However, since Gu Yucheng has already seized power, they can only obey him.

Now, Gu Yucheng still relies on the help of aristocratic families in many ways.

It's clear he put in a lot of effort to achieve this.

Although the wedding was not entirely innocent.

What Qi Nuan can see, Yan Gong and the others can naturally see as well.

Therefore, Yan Gong believed that he could go to receive the invitation, but the danger was also obvious.

After all, it wasn't just people from Shangjun who went there; people from all over the world flocked to Langya, and they could profit from it.

They can catch a turtle in a jar, or they can fish in troubled waters.

If nothing goes wrong for those who went to offer their congratulations, all will be well. But if something does happen, unless Gu Yucheng can take down the leaders of Shangjun and Shu Han in one fell swoop, Langya will become the target of everyone's anger.

And Shu Han would probably not let go of this good opportunity.

Their danger came not only from Langya, but also from Shu Han.

I wonder who they're all after?

Qi Nuan can protect Jiang Yu's safety, but she cannot guarantee the safety of others.

Therefore, the selection of personnel for this trip to Langya needs to be extremely careful.

Finally, the group that decided to go to Langya included Jiang Yu, Qi Nuan, Zhang Liao, the Fu family father and son, Gao Ge, Xiao, and Jiang Ming.

Apart from Zhang Liao and Fu Cong'an, everyone else was extremely skilled in martial arts.

They can guarantee their safety if danger occurs.