Ning Ze and Zhang Mao were both taken aback after hearing Cui Xingzhi’s words. They thought to themselves that Qinghe Cui family had also sent someone to Nanchu to curry favor with the princess, and the person they sent was indeed Cui Xingzhi.
They knew of Cui Xingzhi when they were in Daliang. He was the most talented and outstanding descendant of the Qinghe Cui family. There once was a saying that among the current generation of the Qinghe Cui family, many are promising. If they could take advantage of their connection with Zhou Gu and the Eastern Palace, then the Qinghe Cui family might rise again in Daliang.
But no one expected Zhou Gu, who was after Su Rong, to become a prince of Nanchu.
And as for the Qinghe Cui family, well, they proved to be very capable by sending their most promising descendant to Nanchu.
Ning Ze wanted to give a thumbs up. He leaned on Cui Xingzhi’s shoulder and said, "Cui, how did your big family decide to send you to Nanchu? It must not have been easy, right?"
Cui Xingzhi smiled, "It was very easy. My grandfather gathered our relatives to discuss the matter. It only took an hour to decide."
Ning Ze: "..."
Could such a large family make such a critical decision so easily?
Cui Xingzhi answered his question, "My grandfather received news from my aunt. He learned that the situation in Nanchu was not optimistic, so he quickly made the decision. My grandfather is known for his decisiveness. If other relatives disagree, he does not force them."
Ning Ze suddenly realised, "So, in the immense Cui family, with countless descendants, only you two came. That is to say, the rest of your relatives from the Cui family do not have a favorable view."
Cui Xingzhi said, "They do not understand the situation in Nanchu and dare not take risks, which is understandable."
Ning Ze sighed, "You have seen it yourself, Nanchu is extremely dangerous. Your relatives are smart. After arriving here, have you ever regretted your decision?"
Cui Xingzhi smiled, "Not at all. In fact, I feel fortunate to have come."
Ning Ze nodded his head, "Exactly. We are fortunate you came. Otherwise..." he sighed, "If something happened to the princess, we would be completely finished."
Cui Xingzhi stopped smiling, "When I came here, I saw that there were two hundred thousand soldiers on the border of Nanchu. They were led by the second and fourth sons of the Zhou family. Daliang would not deploy troops on the border of Nanchu without reason. I guess these must be the reserve forces requested by my cousin-in-law from the Crown Prince of Daliang, aren’t they?"
"Yes", Ning Ze nodded, "but we did not expect that the Crown Prince of Dawei would bring eight hundred thousand soldiers to attack Nanchu. The letter was just sent a few days ago. The fastest hawk messenger would reach the border of Daliang at the earliest. When the second and third sons of Zhou received the letter and hurriedly marched to help, it would also take half a month. We do not know if we can last until then."
Cui Xingzhi said, "Let’s do our best!"
At this point, Zhang Mao suggested from the side, "If the situation turns bad, we might as well follow the princess’s early plan and retreat to Guiku Mountain. It is said that even ghosts can get lost and hit the wall when entering Guiku Mountain."
Cui Xingzhi shook his head, "On our way here, we passed by Guiku Mountain. Unless it is absolutely necessary, we must hold on to Heiya Pass. Heiya Pass is known as the natural barrier of Nanchu. It is a strategic point with its wide reach and difficult to penetrate. If we abandon Heiya Pass, Guiku Mountain won’t be able to hold out for a day. We can only retreat again and again until we reach the royal capital. In that case, even if the two hundred thousand reinforcements from Daliang come, they will suffer numerous casualties, which would be too passive."
Zhang Mao, upon hearing this, felt it was reasonable, "Brother Cui is right, we must not retreat unless we have to."
The three chatted for a while before they began to prepare for the battle again.
With more than an hour left before dawn, Cui Xingzhi felt that if Dawei were to attack the city, it should be coming soon, surely before daylight.
When Cui Xingzhi got up and left, his movements were very gentle. As soon as he moved, Cui Yanjin opened her eyes, ready to follow him. However, he held her back and whispered, "It’s still early, stay with your cousin and rest for a while. Once Dawei attacks the city, you can come over. You will still have plenty of time."
So Cui Yanjin did not insist. She obediently lay back down.
Zhou Gu seemed to be aware of something. He woke up and opened his eyes to look around. It was still dark and the day had not yet dawned. He didn’t say anything and just closed his eyes again.
Cui Yanjin whispered, "Cousin, are you awake?"
"Mm."
Cui Yanjin said, "Big Cousin has gone to the city gate to guard. Doctor Zhang said you can’t fight. Does this mean you can’t go to the city gate today, can you? You’d better not go. Don’t worry, with me and Big Cousin here, we will definitely guard the Heiya Pass."
The unspoken words were, listen, don’t let people watch you. I want to go, I don’t want to be with you.
Zhou Gu said, "Even if I can’t fight, I can be with you. When Dawei attacks the city, you just go and fight, I’ll stay in the rear to command."
Cui Yanjin felt that being unable to fight but staying in the rear to command was barely manageable. She nodded and said, "Then I will leave two people to look after you."
Zhou Gu ignored her, "Sleep."
Cui Yanjin closed her mouth. She thought, he can’t sleep anymore, I really want to go, but I can’t. Instead, I have to take care of my little cousin.
Half an hour later, there was a commotion from the next room. Someone seemed to be exclaiming with joy, "Master, you are awake?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Gu immediately sat up.
Cui Yanjin also sat up in response, "Cousin, it seems your wife is awake?"
Zhou Gu listened quietly for a moment, then nodded, "Light the lamp."
Cui Yanjin quickly got off the bed to light the lamp. Zhou Gu had also moved off the bed. When Cui Yanjin put down the flint and turned back around, he saw that Zhou Gu had already left the room. He quickly followed him.
In the next room, Su Rong had indeed woken up.
She wanted to sit up by herself, but she was in so much pain that she felt weak. She tried to move, but couldn’t summon the strength. She felt disheartened.
Lan Zhi quickly said, "Master, you were severely injured. Doctor Zhang has repeatedly instructed you to not engage in combat in the short term. Even if he were a Daluo Golden Celestial, he would not be able to save you if you continue to harm yourself like this."
Su Rong felt weak all over, "How long have I been unconscious? A night?"
Lan Zhi nodded, "Exactly one night. In about half an hour, it will be dawn."
"Who is guarding the city gate now?" Su Rong asked, reaching out to Lan Zhi, "Help me up."
Lan Zhi extended her hand to slowly help her sit up and replied, "It’s the Young Master Xingzhi of the Qinghe Cui family. The Fourth Young Master has given him the responsibility of handling post-war affairs and fortifying the city wall. It is said that they have reinforced the city gate and wall with people from the Evil Ghost Sect. Sir Zhang Mao and Sir Ning also went to the city gate shortly after waking up."
Su Rong nodded. Just as she was about to ask about Zhou Gu, she saw the door being pushed open and Zhou Gu walked in. His face was still tight with a pair of dark eyes, clearly not over his anger yet.
Su Rong resigned to her fate and called out, "Zhou Gu."
Zhou Gu came to the bed and looked down at her with cold eyes, "We promised to be together until death. But you left me. What does that make you?"
Su Rong apologized quickly, "I was wrong."
Zhou Gu snorted coldly, "You always apologize quickly, but your heart doesn’t think you’ve done anything wrong. Do you take me for granted and think I can’t do anything to you? Is that how you bully me?"
"No, not at all. You can very much do something to me. You can take care of our home and be my master." Su Rong had a strong will to survive. She tried her best to reach out to hold him, "I’m sorry."
Zhou Gu wanted to shake her off, but considering her injury, he didn’t. He kept his face cold and said, "Don’t try to sweet talk me."
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