Su Jinxia continued, "With two princes in hand, the Empress's position is becoming increasingly secure. She can rightfully place her own child in the position of Crown Prince, and then have the Third Prince join the army to protect the Crown Prince!"
"Things have progressed to this point without any problems. It's only natural for an empress to scheme for herself and her child. But Consort Qi is pregnant again!"
"If Consort Qi were to give birth to another prince, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to elevate her to the rank of Consort or even Imperial Noble Consort. Moreover, the Third Prince wields considerable power. In that case, how can the Empress tolerate a once-useful pawn now posing a threat to its master?"
"She could have had Consort Qi's child die in the womb, but no one knew the Crown Prince's character better than her, his mother. She needed to pave the way for his future, so a seventeenth prince, as lowly as dust, was born. Without his mother's protection, he was raised alone and helpless under the powerful Empress. Whatever the Empress wanted him to become, he would become!"
Su Jin chuckled softly, her sharp gaze fixed on Zhou Lin. "You say you don't believe A-Chen's words, then what do you believe? You believe the Empress who ordered the massive conscription, leaving not a single man alive—oh no, she's already the Empress Dowager. You know very well that even if those people were men, they couldn't compare to soldiers. Pushing them so hastily to the battlefield is nothing but sending them to their deaths. The Empress Dowager wants to pave her path to prosperity with endless corpses!"
"You still believe in the Crown Prince, no, the Emperor, a cruel and ruthless tyrant who, at the beginning of his reign, built palaces on a grand scale, unaware that the people were starving and resorting to cannibalism and drinking human blood. He personally led military campaigns, yet he held lavish banquets every day, indulging in singing and dancing, living a life of unbridled pleasure!"
"General! Is this... your faith?"
Su Jin's words were piercingly honest, leaving Zhou Lin completely stunned.
He got up in a disheveled state and stumbled out of the room.
Looking at the figure that was completely different from when she arrived, Zhou Chen felt a slight pang of pain in his heart. Looking at the message in his hand, he felt even more sorrowful. "Sister, why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Su Jin looked up and said, "If things hadn't come to this, I hope you would never have known."
The hatred for killing one's mother is too heavy.
Zhou Chen clenched his fist, crumpling the paper into a ball, his eyes flashing with intense hatred. "But I should know, I must know!"
Otherwise, how can we comfort my mother's spirit in heaven!
"I not only want to know, I also want to tear my enemy to pieces!"
When Wang Shuyi woke up in the early morning, she found the bed cold. Looking around, she saw a man sitting in the room with his back hunched over.
She looked puzzled, put on a coat, got up, and walked over to Zhou Lin.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Zhou Lin's distraught appearance was quite unusual, which startled Wang Shuyi.
Zhou Lin's brows were furrowed with deep sorrow. He reached out and hugged Wang Shuyi's waist, like a heartbroken child.
Wang Shuyi gently patted his back, "What happened?"
Zhou Lin shook his head. "It's nothing, I just had a nightmare."
He didn't want to tell Wang Shuyi about these troublesome things.
Hearing this, Wang Shuyi felt relieved. "You're such a grown woman, why are you still afraid of having nightmares? Isn't today the day for the troops to be mustered? I'll help you wash and change your clothes. We can't let the soldiers see you like this."
Upon hearing about the troop mobilization, Zhou Lin's eyes darkened.
The original plan was to muster the troops today and set off tomorrow!
"No need for now, please change me into my everyday clothes. I'm going out for a bit."
"Huh?" Wang Shuyi was surprised.
Zhou Lin had already stood up, so Wang Shuyi had no choice but to help him put on his casual clothes. Before she could even ask him what he wanted to do, he hurriedly left.
In the main hall of the Prince's Mansion, Jiang Long arrived late, but he was already fully prepared. His exquisite armor made him look quite imposing.
Seeing Zhou Lin sitting in the hall drinking tea as usual, Jiang Long said in surprise, "Your Highness, aren't we supposed to be reviewing the troops today? Why haven't you changed your clothes yet? Have you forgotten? No way, I was the one who got drunk yesterday, I haven't forgotten!"
After last night, Zhou Lin's gaze toward Jiang Long grew increasingly disgusted. This man was sent by the Empress Dowager to assist him in the war, but he was neither good at literature nor martial arts, and knew nothing but pleasure. Rather than assisting, he was more like a spy.
Zhou Lin was startled by his own thoughts. In the past, he only disliked Jiang Long for his incompetence and extravagance, but he never questioned the Empress Dowager's intentions.
Thinking about it now, it's chilling.
“Third Prince?” Jiang Long walked up to Zhou Lin and waved.
Zhou Lin pushed Jiang Long away and said coldly, "Many new recruits have arrived in the army, and it's a chaotic time. I need time to train and integrate the troops, so let's postpone the deployment!"
"What?" Jiang Long raised his voice. "Didn't I tell you? The army has already assembled at the front line, and we must set off as soon as possible!"
“But your so-called army is just a bunch of civilians. They are a disorganized bunch and need time to train before they can go to the battlefield!” Zhou Lin said with dissatisfaction. He got even angrier when he talked about this and felt that Su Jin’s words made more sense.
"Bullshit!" Jiang Long cursed angrily. "Hundreds of thousands of people! Do you know how much money they spend on food every day? It's the dead of winter now, and many people freeze to death every day. You're telling me it will take time? Are you kidding me?"
The conscription was personally handled by Jiang Long, and Zhou Lin was unaware of the specifics. He was shocked to hear this.
"An army marches on its stomach. If you can't even guarantee your soldiers' food and clothing, how can you arbitrarily annex hundreds of thousands of troops on the front lines? Are you fighting a war? You're sending them to their deaths!"
Jiang Long trembled with rage, pointing at Zhou Lin and shouting, "You're such a blockhead! Does the process matter as long as we win? Those lowly people can die, that's their glory. The priority now is to send troops to attack Zhuang's army. Only by defeating Zhuang's army can we have a chance to turn the tide!"
"Commoners?" Zhou Lin was struck dumb. "You call those who bravely fight on the front lines and defend the country commoners!"
At this moment, Zhou Lin finally realized that he was wrong, terribly wrong!
Having been stationed on the border year after year, Zhou Lin's life consisted of nothing but the military camp. He knew all too well the hardships the soldiers endured, but such hardships were nothing in the eyes of those who enjoyed peace and prosperity!
How ridiculous! How pathetic!
Jiang Long took a deep breath. "What's the point of arguing with me about this now? This is the Empress Dowager's order. She wants you to send troops as soon as possible to take down Zhuang's army. This is for the sake of the overall situation. People always die in war. What are you being so dramatic about?"
Zhou Lin closed his eyes, unwilling to argue with a heartless scoundrel like Jiang Long. He firmly stated, "I will not send troops!"
"Fine!" Jiang Long glared, furious. "Are you trying to rebel? We'll see!"
Jiang Long turned and strode away!
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