...
"Welcome, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
At Hanyuan Pass, Lü Yue and Yue Qing personally led 300,000 border troops to kneel before Yu Xiyan, who had just arrived at the border.
Gu Ningye and Yu Xiyao's sudden departure quickly made Yu Xiyan understand their intentions.
At the same time, a secret report about Huang Tianhu's rebellion and collusion with the Northern Barbarians to attack the pass also reached Yu Xiyan's ears.
In order to prevent Yu Xiyao from marrying into the Northern Barbarians, to stop the Northern Barbarians from knocking on the border, and to deter Huang Tianhu, Yu Xiyan personally led 100,000 imperial guards to the border to engage in a decisive battle with the Northern Barbarian army.
However, upon arriving at Hanyuan Pass, they received news that the Northern Mang Khan, Basaixi, the Left Wing King, Yin Zhixie, and their 420,000 Northern Mang cavalry had all been annihilated by the border army at Bailang Mountain.
"I am deeply gratified by the soldiers' dedication in driving out the invading Northern Mang for the sake of our Great Yin Dynasty. You are all meritorious men of Great Yin, and I will reward you handsomely when I return to court."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After the deafening roar subsided, Yu Xiyan glanced intentionally or unintentionally at Lü Yue, who was still very excited in the crowd.
...
"Royal sister..."
Inside the Hanyuan Pass Palace, Yu Xiyao saw Yu Xiyan and called out softly, appearing flustered and at a loss for what to do.
Yu Xiyao had been somewhat afraid of her older sister since childhood. Yu Xiyan was too strong-willed and seemed to have little interest in anything other than power and cultivation, making it difficult for Yu Xiyao to get close to her.
This time, he took it upon himself to sneak out of the palace to prepare for a marriage alliance with a foreign ruler, and he will surely be punished by her.
Yu Xiyan sighed softly, took Yu Xiyao's hand, and said gently, "Royal sister, do you know how worried you are about your royal sister? Is there anything we can't discuss as a family?"
"You're almost sixteen. Don't be so willful. I will handle matters of the court. No matter how difficult it is, I will not send you to a barbaric land for a political marriage."
Yu Xiyao's nose stung with tears, and she could no longer hold back. She hugged Yu Xiyan and burst into tears: "I'm sorry, sister. I just saw that you were working too hard on state affairs and wanted to share some of your burden. I really didn't mean to..."
Yu Xiyan gently patted her back and comforted her, "I know, don't cry, it's all over."
Gu Ningye, who was standing to the side, breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the scene of the sisters' deep affection.
What she feared most was the infighting and bloodshed that would result from the struggle for imperial power, since the imperial family has always been the most ruthless place.
But for now, she doesn't have to worry.
"Alright, now that you two sisters are reunited, stop crying and talk things over."
The two women then separated. Yu Xiyan carefully brushed away the strands of hair that were stuck to Yu Xiyao's forehead with sweat before sitting back down.
"Mother, the chieftain of the Northern Mang has died, and now the Northern Mang territory is leaderless. I want to take this opportunity to lead the army to wipe out the remnants of the Northern Mang in one fell swoop and completely solve the northern foreign threat to the Great Yin."
"Your Majesty can make decisions on matters of state yourself. Since you've decided to do it, then just go ahead and do it. I will fully support you."
"Thank you for your understanding, Mother."
After exchanging pleasantries, Yu Xiyan asked directly, "Mother, in the Battle of White Wolf Mountain, which general commanded the annihilation of 400,000 Northern Barbarian cavalry?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Ningye remained calm, as if she had expected her to say such a thing.
Yu Xiyan continued, "Although Lü Yue has been on the battlefield for many years and has guarded the border for many years, he is good at maintaining the status quo but lacks ambition. Would Mother really believe that such a great achievement could be accomplished by a mere deputy general of the Zhenbei Army?"
Gu Ningye: "Since you have doubts, why don't you go and ask Lü Yue yourself?"
Yu Xiyan: "Mother, I have a feeling that it's better to ask you than him. Please tell me, when did our army have such a talented general?"
The court is in dire need of capable people now, and I will certainly make an exception and appoint such a talented leader, regardless of rank or social status.
Gu Ningye shook her head: "Then Your Majesty may be disappointed. The commander who quelled Huang Tianhu's rebellion and wiped out the Northern Mang army has quietly left after the event was accomplished. I didn't even have time to see him one last time."
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiyan closed her phoenix eyes slightly: "Mother, who is that person?"
Gu Ningye sighed, slowly got up, picked up the pruning shears for potted plants, and began to trim a camellia.
"Xi Yan, I know you've never liked us dictating your fate since you were little. Your father and I both know your temperament, so we will respect your choices."
But sometimes, you should also put yourself in your father's shoes. If he truly didn't care about you, would he have faced immense pressure from the entire court to hand over the throne to you?
Yu Xiyan nodded: "Please forgive me, Mother. I was just being willful before, unaware of the good intentions of Father and Mother."
"It's good that you know. Now you are the ruler of a country, bearing the heavy responsibility of the nation. This path is not easy. In the future, gathering wise and talented people and revitalizing our Great Yin Dynasty still depends on Your Majesty."
After Gu Ningye saw that the potted plants in front of her had been almost trimmed, she turned to look at Yu Xiyan.
"If it weren't for Zhao'er's heroic efforts to turn the tide, I don't know how the situation on the border would have changed."
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiyan's eyes lit up immediately. She stood up and asked excitedly, "Mother, are you saying it's Shen Zhao?"
Gu Ningye sighed softly: "Xi Yan, do you know why your father and I are so determined to have Shen Zhao marry into our royal family?"
That's because Shen Zhao's father risked his life to save your father when he was in danger, and even died from exhaustion while helping your father escape.
Yu Xiyan was stunned. In her previous life, she had no idea that Shen Zhao had this relationship with the royal family.
"Back then, Shen Zhao's father was your father's personal bodyguard. Once, during a southern tour, they were ambushed by evil cultivators. It was Shen Zhao's father who carried your father and fought his way out of the encirclement. In the end, he fought until he collapsed from exhaustion and died."
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