Dawei (Great Wei) withdrew its troops, their soldiers and horses were left in Daliang awaiting instructions from the Crown Prince, Yan Huisheng.
Zhou Gu, before he left, handed over control of the 640,000-strong army to Zhou Wei, with Jiang Zhu remaining as the vice general.
Zhou Wei held concerns for Zhou Gu, "You must be very careful. Nanchu is like a dragon’s den or tiger’s lair. You cannot be careless. Think three times before you act and prioritize your own safety. I am sure, if Miss Seven were here, she would say the same."
"I know, I’m much more important than Nanchu Country," Zhou Gu said unabashedly.
Zhou Wei choked on his words, "No need to be so arrogant."
Jiang Zhu chuckled on the side, "Brother Zhou has every right to be arrogant. Everyone knows that Miss Seven gave up the Ye Xiang Residence and Second Young Master Ye for him. Who wouldn’t know that having the support from the Ye Xiang Residence in Nanchu would double one’s success rate? Therefore, in Miss Seven’s heart, Brother Zhou is naturally more important than Nanchu Country. Brother Zhou, please take care of yourself; you cannot afford any misstep."
Zhou Gu smiled and raised an eyebrow, "Of course."
He patted Zhou Wei’s shoulder, "Don’t worry, elder brother. When you return to the capital, tell grandmother and mother that I will be fine. Reassure them."
Naturally, he would not be reckless. He would keep himself safe to become Su Rong’s husband, to grow old with her. He was loved by many and hence, he cherished his life.
Zhou Wei nodded and gave Zhou Gu a heavy pat, "It’s time to go!"
Zhou Gu and Zhang Yun mounted their horses, following behind were Ziye and Le Shu, with their men. The party swiftly left the military camp, heading towards Nanchu.
After the two left, everyone else turned to leave as well.
Ning Ze stood at the spot stamping on snow. Jiang Zhu saw him not leaving and asked him, "What are you doing? Let’s go back!"
Ning Ze sighed, "I feel so useless!"
Jiang Zhu laughed, "Why do you feel useless? Haven’t you been helping out with the chores in the army lately?"
"Does that count as being useful? Anyone can do those things." Ning Ze mumbled.
Jiang Zhu spoke seriously: "It’s true that anyone can do those tasks, but no one is as meticulous as you. That’s the difference. Stop feeling sour. Neither of us can compare with Zhang Yun. He climbed his way up from the savage environment of the Zhang family. It’s normal for us to fall behind. If it were you, could you have ended the civil unrest so quickly? If not for Zhang Yun, it wouldn’t be an internal rebellion but a full-blown crisis."
Ning Ze scratched his head, "I’m not being sour. I just feel like I wasted my youth, not learning more skills. I only focused on studying, thinking that earning a degree would allow me to surpass my brother. Who would’ve thought that I was nothing but a useless scholar."
"That’s not true." Jiang Zhu said, "There’s gold in books. Now in this time of wars and battles, you naturally can’t contribute much. But once Miss Seven goes to Nanchu and takes up position, it will be scholars that are needed. Your usefulness will then be revealed."
He dragged Ning Ze back, "Instead of being depressed, you should read some more books to prepare for the future when your skills can be utilized."
Ning Ze suddenly lost his gloom, chuckled and said, "Brother Jiang, I never thought you could comfort people."
Jiang Zhu was surprised by his skill in consolation too and nodded, "It must be a gift then!"
Ning Ze laughed heartily.
They laughed and joked as they headed back to camp.
Six days after Zhou Gu and Zhang Yun left, Su Rong, Fen Ling, and Shen Yi arrived at the border military camp.
The trio alighted from the carriage. Shen Yi immediately spotted Duan Xiao amidst the crowd. Duan Xiao saw her and was startled, his expression somewhat dazed.
Shen Yi was repulsed by Duan Xiao’s gaze, but she walked towards him.
Only when Shen Yi was in front of him did Duan Xiao come to his senses and exclaimed, "Im... Imperial Concubine, aren’t you supposed to be in..."
"In the Imperial Mausoleum?" Shen Yi looked at him and smiled tenderly, "I’m sorry to disappoint you. The Crown Prince secretly allowed me to leave the Imperial Mausoleum for I had a vengeance to exact."
"Wha... What vengeance?"
"You!" Shen Yi drew her dagger and stabbed it into Duan Xiao’s abdomen, "You deceived me, sold your wife for glory, and then indulged in wealth and pleasure, surrounded by wives and concubines, with many children. How nice you thought your life was."
Duan Xiao, in pain and shock, clung to the dagger in an attempt to remove it, "You... you dare... dare to kill me..."
"Of course I dare. Isn’t that what I’m doing right now?" Shen Yi clenched the dagger tightly, twisting it forcefully in his abdomen.
Duan Xiao, having been pampered for many years, weak from his scholar’s upbringing, found that he was too weak to stop the Imperial Concubine. He yelled in pain, "Help... murder... save me..."
The crowd was shocked, their gazes all turned towards Su Rong. Su Rong stood still, showing no intention of interfering. So, no one stepped forward.
Shen Yi watched Duan Xiao with a smile, "No one can save you. Oh, and by the way, all those dozens of people in your family, I’ve killed them. Your son, just one year old, lively and lovely; I initially thought I would not have the heart to do it. But when I thought he was your son, that he would grow up to be as disgusting and harmful as you, I figured it would be kinder to send him off for reincarnation. So, your family are all dead. What are you still living for? Go reunite with them in the underworld!"
Duan Xiao opened his mouth wide, ready to say something, but ended up spewing a mouthful of blood.
Shen Yi naturally wouldn’t let his filthy blood splatter her. She avoided him, yanked the dagger out, and kicked him onto the ground. Then, she squatted down, wiped the bloody dagger on his clothes at leisure, until it was clean. Only then did she stand up and looked down at Duan Xiao with a smile, "Duan Xiao, you’d best not come haunting me even after you become a ghost. Even if you turn into a fierce ghost, I can still kill you again."
"You..." It took Duan Xiao a long while to utter a single word.
Shen Yi sheathed her dagger, "People like you, bound for hell after death, will be reincarnated in the animal realm. Today, I personally took revenge on you, and from now on, I’ll act as if I’ve never met you."
She laughed again, bright and radiant, "I’m going to enjoy life with my little sister. You bastard, just close your eyes! Don’t delay the black and white ghosts from taking your soul away."
She finished speaking, not looking at Duan Xiao again, and walked towards Su Rong, "This bastard, even burying him is too kind. It would be best to throw him into the chaotic burial mound to feed the dogs."
Su Rong nodded and instructed at the side, "Fen Ling, send people to throw him into the chaotic burial mound. Make sure he’s completely devoured by wild dogs before coming back." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
Fen Ling agreed and said to Shen Yi, "Shen Sister, don’t worry. If the dogs refuse to eat him, I’ll have people roast him to feed the dogs."
"Thank you, Junior Brother," laughed Shen Yi brightly.
Everyone watched as Duan Xiao, his eyes still open, was carried away to be thrown into the chaotic burial mound. The bloodhounds from the army smelled the blood and followed behind, ready to take the first bite.
All who witnessed were left with a new perception of the gentle and charming Imperial Concubine, who seemed incapable of even wielding a butcher knife.
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