Spring is in full bloom, and then a light rain falls.
Looking out the window, the trees in the front courtyard of Yelan Pavilion swayed in the wind, and the tender buds of the grass and trees were lush and green, appearing even more verdant after being washed by the drizzle.
A cool evening breeze swept by, lingering in my heart for a long time.
Su Tiyue has hardly left the house these past few days, spending all her time indoors working diligently.
Xiao Heye had given her a lot of jewelry before, and she thought about giving Xiao Heye something in return, but after thinking about it, she realized that he really didn't lack anything.
That's why Su Tiyue had Qingwu make a special trip to the Imperial Household Department to pick out several bolts of silver-white silk.
She thought of embroidering a belt for him herself. It didn't need to be too complicated; she would just embroider some simple bamboo leaf patterns on it.
Su Tiyue's embroidery skills were not exactly exquisite, but they were passable.
In any case, for Xiao Heye, the things she made herself were much more precious than those that she bought at a high price.
Every time he came back from outside and saw her with her head down and a serious expression, he would jokingly say that she was becoming more and more like a pampered wife who never left the house.
Su Tiyue would always blush and turn her head away, ignoring him.
...
Actually, this is quite good. As long as she stays obediently in Yelan Pavilion, Xiao Heye can feel more at ease. After all, this deep palace is fraught with danger.
Xiao Heye couldn't watch over her every moment, nor could he lock her up in Yelan Pavilion and prevent her from going out, could he?
Since Su Tiyue began to focus on embroidery, life seems to have slowed down again.
Night Pavilion and Listening to the Rain Tower also enjoyed a brief period of peace and tranquility.
Whenever Qingwu had free time, she would run to the Imperial Household Department to play with Xiao Anzi. Liu Wan would mostly stay by Su Tiyue's side, quietly serving her, always with a calm and undisturbed demeanor.
I thought this kind of life would last a long time, but it didn't last long.
On a rainy night, King Zhou Lin of Huainan entered Chaoyang Palace with a secret letter, shattering the tranquility of the place.
In the spacious and brightly lit hall, Zhou Lin presented the secret letter to the emperor, his voice low: "Your Majesty, something has happened in the southern border."
Zhou Tingyue opened the letter and read it carefully. By the end, his brows furrowed and his face turned pale. The contents of the letter were like a bolt from the blue, plunging him into an endless abyss.
"Nanshaping is really besieged by Rouran soldiers?" Clearly, Zhou Tingyue was still unable to accept this devastating news.
Southern Xinjiang is a vast region, but sparsely populated. Therefore, the local people and the soldiers guarding the border also live together in Nanshaping.
In other words, Nanshaping is the core of southern Xinjiang.
Zhou Lin nodded and said, "Your Majesty, as far as I know, the Rouran have sent 300,000 troops this time, just to devour the entire southern border. They really have a huge appetite..."
The Emperor said, "General Su, who guards the southern border, has less than 80,000 soldiers under his command. How can he resist the Rouran's 300,000-strong army? Moreover, there are tens of thousands of innocent civilians in Nanshaping. If we lose this battle... how can I face the people of the southern border? How can I face our ancestors?"
Zhou Lin said, “Your Majesty, Nanshaping is a strategically important and easily defensible location. Therefore, it is impossible for the Rouran to break through General Su’s defenses in a short period of time. You can rest assured about that.” Zhou Lin paused and continued, “However, the Rouran are cunning and treacherous by nature. This time, they want to take Nanshaping without losing a single soldier.”
The emperor frowned and said, "So, they just set up camp ten miles outside Nanshaping, neither attacking nor retreating. Those inside can't get out, and those outside can't get in. If it weren't for my second uncle's spies planted within the Rouran and managing to get the news out, we probably wouldn't even know how Nanshaping was lost."
Zhou Lin said helplessly, "The Rouran want to starve everyone living in Nanshaping to death. This is a war of attrition. There's no need to fight; whoever has more supplies will win. Your Majesty... what do you plan to do now?"
"General Su and his 80,000 troops are trapped in Nanshaping. How can I not come to their rescue?"
The emperor slammed his hand heavily on the table and continued, "Besides the 80,000 troops, there are also the people of the southern border... How can I let them suffer in misery and fend for themselves?"
Zhou Lin nodded and replied, "Your Majesty is right. This time, we must not only fight, but we can only win and not lose."
"Second Uncle, this time I can only rely on you." He said, standing up and pacing back and forth in the hall. "Song Yunqian is in the northern frontier. It would take at least half a month to transfer troops from the north to the southern frontier, so that route is not feasible. The Imperial Guards and soldiers from the Ministry of War in Yong'an City should number 300,000 elite troops. However, it will take at least seven days to march from Yong'an to the southern frontier. We are not yet clear about the situation on General Su's side. I'm afraid those seven days will be extremely difficult for them..."
Before the emperor could finish speaking, Zhou Lin interrupted him, saying, "Your Majesty, you mustn't."
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards and soldiers under the Ministry of War in Yong'an should not be acted upon rashly. If you send troops to rescue the Southern Frontier, Yong'an will be left undefended, and I fear that some unscrupulous individuals may take the opportunity to threaten your position."
Clearly, the person Zhou Lin was referring to was Xiao Heye.
Because, apart from the powerful and influential Master Xiao, who else in Yong'an would dare to do such a rebellious thing?
Therefore, to this day, apart from the emperor and the Prince of Huainan, no one else knows about the siege of Nanshaping.
Their biggest worry was that Xiao Heye would find out about this.
Therefore, the Imperial Guards of Yong'an City could not be moved. Firstly, they feared that the news would alert Xiao Heye; secondly, and even more so, they feared that Xiao Heye would take advantage of the weakened defenses within Yong'an to seize control of the Northern Liang region by manipulating the emperor.
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