Chapter 347 Imminent
Chen Yuexi took a day and a half to travel and met up with Xiao Zhuo in the southern part of Zhongzhou.
When Xiao Zhuo left the Anzhou hunting grounds, he was intercepted by the Yan army. After circumventing several layers of encirclement, Xiao Zhuo encountered the pursuing Yan army. The soldiers led by Qiu Liming arrived in time and broke out of the encirclement after a fierce battle.
Shen Yuexi was always worried about Xiao Zhuo's safety on the road, and she didn't feel at ease until she met up with Xiao Zhuo. When they camped and rested, she told Xiao Zhuo about what she had seen and heard in Daliang Village.
After listening to Shen Yuexi's statement, Xiao Zhuo remained calm and composed as usual, and said slowly:
"I never expected that my mother came from a poor family in Yuzhou."
Shen Yuexi snuggled in Xiao Zhuo's arms, gazing at the bonfire before her, sparks dancing. She said, "Pei Jingyun selected hundreds of women who looked like her, but only my husband's mother made it. The rest died in that dark underground cave."
Thinking of Pei Jingyun killing so many women, Shen Yuexi felt horrified. Looking up, she saw countless wronged women's ghosts wandering in the darkness around her.
Thinking of the scene of being pounced on by a group of skeletons, she felt cold all over and curled up even tighter.
Xiao Zhuo lowered his head to look at her, tucked the blanket covering her, and then hugged her shoulders with a little force.
Shen Yuexi felt warm in her heart and put her face on Xiao Zhuo's chest: "Husband, the Queen Mother...what kind of person is she?"
She had wanted to ask before, but Xiao Zhuo had always regarded the Queen's death as a painful wound in his heart, and she couldn't bear to open the scar. Now, taking advantage of the matter of the real and fake Queen, she could ask it naturally.
"As far as I can remember, my mother... has always been very good, in every way. It's just that she would occasionally look worried," Xiao Zhuo looked up at the starry sky, as if lost in memory. "At that time, I thought my mother felt I wasn't strong enough, not good enough, to be a qualified crown prince. Sometimes, seeing my mother secretly crying, I would blame myself even more. Now I understand that my mother hid so many terrible secrets deep in her heart. She was an impostor queen, and her son was not Emperor Yongde's son. These were secrets that could not be told... She endured twenty years of torture."
"Although the Queen Mother came from a poor family, she was a great mother," Shen Yuexi said, comforting her when she saw a hint of sadness in Xiao Zhuo's words. "She endured so many years of pain to protect her son."
Empress Wen was born into poverty but was raised to be a woman of excellent character. Meanwhile, Pei Jingyun, born into a Duke's mansion, committed unimaginable cruel acts to be with her beloved. Even her son, Xiao Beiheng, became a ruthless man. It's hard to tell whether one should be moved by her infatuation or sigh at her cruelty.
"You're right," Xiao Zhuo said, "It's a pity that we're separated by heaven and earth. I can no longer fulfill my filial duty to her. Now even my father has left me."
Shen Yuexi was afraid that Xiao Zhuo would be sad, so she stretched out her arms and hugged his neck: "Husband, don't be sad, you still have me. And we still have our baby, right... Oh, I don't know if it's a boy or a girl."
Xiao Zhuo smiled faintly and said, "Although Emperor Yongde is not my biological father, he raised me for twenty years. He gave me all my abilities, and in fact, my feelings for him are deeper. However, we are not made of wood or stone, and we have our origins. After all, my life was given by my father. Without him, there would be no me. I will still fulfill my father's wishes."
"Are we really going to go to war with my brother?" Shen Yuexi asked with wide eyes.
She knew Xiao Zhuo would never make an enemy of his family. From his actions against his teacher Ji Zhong, to his duel with Xiao Kai, to the fire at Yuangu, she was surprised that he had made up his mind so quickly.
"My brother has made a grave mistake. Father is gone, and Mother is like this. As his elder brother, it is my natural responsibility to correct him. Even if I wanted to stay out of it, I'm afraid my brother wouldn't let me. This battle is inevitable."
"That's what Sister Mei told me before she left. She said my brother's true nature has been revealed. The whole world will see through him. It's useless to try to frame you for the crime of assassinating the emperor. No one will believe it. Sister Mei has already returned to Seonggyeong to prepare the army. We should hurry back too."
Qiu Liming emerged from the shadows, approached the two, and said, "My Lord, Madam, the scouts have brought us very important news."
Xiao Zhuo said, "Report."
"Xiao Beiheng opened the imperial edict from Zhaixing Tower and hastily ascended the throne yesterday without any ceremony. He has ordered the army to assemble and prepare to attack Shengjing. General Zhao Mu and General Qi Shengjue of the Anguo State attempted to instigate a rebellion but failed. Zhao Mu's entire family was imprisoned, and General Qi Shengjue of the Anguo State escaped and his whereabouts are unknown."
Upon hearing this news, Shen Yuexi threw back the blanket and jumped up: "Is Xiao Beiheng going to kill the general? When will he do it?"
With the war about to begin, the imperial decree appointing Xiao Beiheng as crown prince was no longer important to her. Instead, she was deeply concerned about Zhao Mu's case. Zhao Mu was the commander-in-chief of the Yan army and held high prestige. Now that he was being held in death row by Xiao Beiheng, it was clear that he was about to be beheaded.
Qiu Liming shook his head in embarrassment and said, "I don't know about this."
Shen Yuexi grabbed Xiao Zhuo's sleeve and said, "My husband, the general is the commander of the Yan army. If we rescue him, we will definitely be able to weaken Xiao Beiheng."
Although she didn't know much about military affairs, she knew that with a major war imminent, it was absolutely necessary to win over more forces to her side. Zhao Mu was a force worth relying on, currently imprisoned by Xiao Beiheng. If he could be rescued, Zhao Mu's prestige might attract many Yan troops to join Sheng Jing's side, greatly increasing Xiao Zhuo's chances of victory.
Xiao Zhuo said to Qiu Liming, "Go ahead and explore." Qiu Liming nodded and left. Xiao Zhuo then turned to Shen Yuexi and said, "I won't allow it."
Shen Yuexi pouted and said, "I haven't even said what to do yet, and you can't even say for sure... How domineering."
She considered herself quite skilled at saving people. She had saved her sister, Chen Lan, even from the heavy guards of Yongwei City. Although she was a woman, she was different from others. She had the Big Bear cheat.
Xiao Zhuo placed his hands on her shoulders and looked at her seriously: "Yuexi, I know you have Daxiong to help you. But I have lost my mother and my father. You are all I have now. I don't want you to take any more risks."
Shen Yuexi looked up at the deep affection in Xiao Zhuo's eyes, and her tense body slowly relaxed.
Xiao Zhuo couldn't really be blamed for this; every adventure was her own initiative. After experiencing so many ups and downs, she was no longer the Shen Yuexi who loved to cling to others and seek support. She now had the confidence to do what she wanted.
"I know, but I'm also thinking about my husband." She stretched out her fingers and counted them one by one. "We have 30,000 troops of our own, Sister Mei has 20,000 cavalry, and Qianglin has 20,000. Totaling to less than 80,000, the Qi King's army already has over 100,000. Add to that the troops Xiao Beiheng recruited in Jingzhou, and the troops in the capital... I don't think even 300,000 can stop us."
In reality, she had no idea what was going on. Since Xiao Beiheng had ascended the throne, Xiao Zhuo would inevitably have to confront the entire Yan army this time. The thought of this filled her with trepidation.
Xiao Zhuo smiled and said, "My husband is good at defeating the majority with a small force. Hasn't he proven this many times?"
“But…but…”
Xiao Zhuo stretched out two fingers and pressed them on her lips: "This time will be no exception. Trust your husband. Protect our child well. Leave the future battles to me. Please don't ask about it anymore, okay?"
Shen Yuexi subconsciously touched her stomach and realized that it had swelled up without her noticing. It felt a bit like she had eaten too much. She had always thought it was caused by her recent excessive eating.
It's only been four months, and my belly is already growing. It's really growing at the wrong time, right before my husband's most important battle.
"It's only been four and a half months, and you treat me like an outsider... You won't let me help you. Your wife is so capable, yet you treat her like a pig every day."
As she spoke, she turned away angrily, muttering in her heart, "Baby, your daddy does care about mommy. But mommy is very strong, and daddy still needs mommy's help, so don't blame mommy for making things difficult for him."
Xiao Zhuo shook his head helplessly: "Okay, I understand. Madam, please help me, and we will fight together."
Seeing Xiao Zhuo give in, Shen Yuexi finally smiled and turned to him, "That's right, come and touch the baby. He just said that daddy is a very reasonable person."
Xiao Zhuo showed surprise on his face. He squatted down and gently put his ear to her belly and asked, "Is the baby really talking? Can he move? Will I hurt him by pressing on him?"
Shen Yuexi burst out laughing and covered her mouth, saying, "I was just kidding. How could I possibly talk? It's okay...it's okay if I get closer."
A night passed, and the soldiers got up early in the morning. They extinguished the campfire, saddled their horses, and prepared to set off.
Before leaving, Shen Yuexi discovered that Ji Yunyan was missing, so she called Qiu Liming over to ask. Qiu Liming admitted that he didn't know where Ji Yunyan had gone.
Ji Yunyan was Mei Dai's subordinate. Following Mei Dai's instructions, she escorted Shen Yuexi to reunite with Xiao Zhuo. Now that her mission was complete, she might have set off on her own back to Shengjing. Furthermore, she was a skilled martial artist and often acted independently, so Shen Yuexi wasn't worried. She and Xiao Zhuo mounted their horses and headed towards Shengjing together.
The war with Xiao Beiheng is imminent.
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