Night fell as dark as ink, silently enveloping the earth. In the stillness of the night, a long procession slowly moved along the official road.
The person in charge was Lu Jingze.
Upon reaching the outskirts of Luzhou City, Lu Jingze ordered his soldiers to set up camp.
At his command, the soldiers immediately got to work, setting up tents and cooking in an orderly manner.
However, shortly after they settled in, a sudden sound of horses' hooves echoed through the night.
The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a fast horse galloping towards them from not far away.
"All troops on alert!"
In an instant, the slightly relaxed atmosphere became tense.
The soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, their expressions serious, watching their surroundings warily.
This march involved escorting a large amount of grain and fodder northward to the capital, from where it was transferred by the supply troops to Lizhou.
Although there is an army escort, we must not let our guard down in the face of various bandits and robbers who may appear along the way.
The fast horse drew closer, and the rider galloped at full speed, shouting, "Deliver a message!"
Once he approached the camp, he quickly dismounted and walked straight toward the crowd.
The person who arrived looked travel-worn, clearly having traveled a long way to get here.
"May I ask which one of you is General Ming?"
Mingxuan stepped out from the crowd and replied, "That's me. What is it?"
Upon seeing this, the messenger quickly stepped forward, leaned close to Mingxuan's ear, and whispered, "This is a letter that Miss Zhaozhao asked me to deliver to you. There is also a package of clothes. Please check it, General."
After saying that, he handed over a letter.
He dismissed the soldiers and personally went with the messenger to retrieve the bundle.
Mingxuan, carrying his bundle, found a quiet corner and slowly leaned against a thick, sturdy tree.
As the letter was unfolded, a faint scent of ink wafted out.
The handwriting in the letter was delicate and neat, in the small regular script that Zhao Zhao was best at.
Mingxuan (the author) hereby declares:
Seeing this letter is like seeing the person in person. When you open this letter, you should have already embarked on the road to Lizhou.
Zhao Zhao knows that you have a strong desire to protect your country and are going there for a greater cause. Even though I am reluctant to let you go, I have no choice but to let you go.
We've been childhood sweethearts since we were little, and we've dreamed about our future countless times. I imagine you feel the same way.
However, now that the country is in trouble, you should step forward.
Although I am reluctant to leave, I also understand the importance of my country and its people.
Please forgive my audacity.
I don't want to be a burden to you.
But the journey is long and fraught with danger, so please remember that someone at home is always waiting for you.
I will pray for you at home, hoping for your safe return.
I await your return, to hold your hand and spend the rest of my life with you.
Don't worry, take care!
After reading the letter, Mingxuan's eyes couldn't help but redden slightly.
He folded the letter again and carefully put it back into the envelope.
Mingxuan gently stroked the words on the letter, as if he could feel the writer's deep affection through this gesture.
The bundle that was sent with the letter contained his travel clothes and food that kept for a long time.
He sat there quietly, staring blankly into the distance, as if the whole world consisted only of himself and the bundle in his arms.
Time passed second by second, and he didn't know how much time had gone by until Lu Jingze appeared in front of him and gently patted his shoulder. Only then did Mingxuan come back to his senses as if waking from a dream.
The journey, which was originally scheduled to take more than ten days, was completed by the group traveling day and night, and they finally arrived in the capital at the fastest speed.
Upon arriving in the capital, before they could even rest, Mingxuan pulled Lu Jingze into the palace to meet the emperor.
Lu Nancheng had already roughly understood the purpose of Mingxuan's visit from the letters he had sent back to the capital earlier.
So, after Mingxuan stood in the main hall and bowed in worship, Lu Nancheng still hesitated before asking, "Mingxuan, have you really thought this through?"
Upon hearing the emperor's question, Mingxuan immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying firmly, "Your Majesty, I have given this matter considerable thought and am determined to retake Lizhou from the enemy and protect the people in the city!"
"Even though I sent General Zheng to Lizhou to oversee the battle a few days ago, do you still insist on going there in person?"
Faced with the Emperor's questioning, Mingxuan showed no fear and kowtowed again, saying, "Please forgive my arrogance, Your Majesty. I know that General Zheng is a veteran of many battles and has extremely rich experience. However, Lizhou is located on the frontier and has been in confrontation with the northern border for many years. The situation is complicated!"
Lu Nancheng remained silent for a long time.
Mingxuan, kneeling below, broke the silence first, "Your Majesty, I request permission to fight! I am willing to fight to the death against the Northern Border! I hope Your Majesty will grant my request!"
Su Yingxue did not elaborate on the brutal war, only mentioning it briefly.
Wang Xiuxiu understood that this was her sore spot, so she didn't ask any more questions.
There was just one thing that puzzled Wang Xiuxiu.
"Then how did my sister marry the prince?"
Wang Xiuxiu spoke without thinking, only realizing she had said the wrong thing after the question left her mouth.
Su Yingxue waved her hand dismissively, not caring at all.
"This matter is also related to an old incident in the court, but it is not something I should speculate on. All I can say is that in order to save me and Yu Nian, the prince had no choice but to become a fake couple with me in name only."
Hearing this, Wang Xiuxiu couldn't help but mutter to herself, "A fake couple..."
“That’s right. Although the prince and I are husband and wife in name, he calls Mingxuan his brother and treats me as his brother’s widow. Even when he comes to my courtyard to stay overnight on the first and fifteenth of each month, it is to protect my reputation and dignity, but we always sleep in separate beds.”
Wang Xiuxiu was truly shocked this time, her eyes widening in surprise. "Yu Nian! Yu Nian, he?"
"When I received news of Mingxuan's death, I was already pregnant with Mingxuan's child and was recuperating at the estate."
Not long after Mingxuan went to Lizhou, Su Yingxue realized that she was pregnant.
Even from the moment she found out she was pregnant, she decided to keep the baby.
Su Yingxue dared not tell her parents, so she took her trusted confidante to the estate under the pretext of getting away for a while.
Seeing that Su Yingxue had been sullen ever since Mingxuan left, Mr. and Mrs. Su naturally granted her permission when they heard that she had this idea.
Su Yingxue wore a faint smile, and a hint of tenderness unconsciously appeared in her eyes. "Yu Nian is not a prince's bloodline, but the blood of Mingxuan and me."
Wang Xiuxiu knew very well that, given Su Yingxue's character, there was absolutely no reason for her to deceive her on such an important matter.
However, even so, she still had too many questions in her mind, and there were many things she just couldn't understand no matter what.
Wang Xiuxiu then fell into deep thought.
After a long period of deep thought, she finally came to a conclusion—the root of all these seemingly illogical points probably lies in the old story that Su Yingxue mentioned, a story that no one else could speculate on.
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