In the capital city, at Sun Mian's residence.
The hall felt utterly empty to the two lonely people having their dinner alone. Long shadows were cast on the walls. One oil lamp was silently extinguished, leaving only three remaining.
Sun Mian sat silently, staring at the wine glass in front of him, the wine on his lips tasteless and sour. Sun Ruoxi sat opposite him, the eight-immortal table between them empty.
Even with servants and maids attending to him, Sun Mian still felt lonely.
Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, and the outside world is already decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations in preparation for the celebration.
The butler brought out barrels of wine from the cellar for the celebration; perhaps they'll start drinking secretly tonight.
I can't blame them, Sun Mian thought. It's not their fault that my Sun family can't be together on this festive occasion.
They don't know what will happen tomorrow, and even if they did, what would it matter to them?
They didn't know the King of Shu at all, nor did they care about the Lin family's fate. To them, Lin Wenzhong's death was just a topic of casual conversation.
He looked at the dinner in front of him: steamed sea bass and braised pork. "These two dishes are Tian'er's favorites."
"Yang'er loves Eight Treasure Duck and Five-Color Beef Tenderloin!"
"I wonder how they are doing now, whether they are eating well!"
Sun Ruoxi ate her meal in an orderly manner, treating it as yet another task to be completed.
"I'm such a boring old man," Sun Mian thought. Fine wine and good meat didn't interest him, and songs and laughter felt foreign to him.
I am a sad and anxious oddball; the place where my heart once resided is now empty.
He glanced at his daughter out of the corner of his eye and said, "Ruoxi, don't just stay with me. If you're feeling adventurous, you can go out for a walk."
"There's nothing fun outside!" Sun Ruoxi took a bite of roast pork, then stared blankly at the table, seemingly lost in thought. "Brother Lin Mo, he..."
Sun Mian saw through her thoughts. "After tomorrow, you will be his fiancée," he comforted her. "More likely, you will go to Shu with him."
"Really?" Sun Ruoxi asked excitedly.
“Hmm!” Sun Mian’s voice was very soft, and he himself didn’t believe it when he said it.
"Oh, I really don't know what Brother Lin Mo is doing now!" Sun Ruoxi said. "I heard he hasn't left the house for the past few days and has been sleeping all day."
Upon hearing this, Sun Mian's expression grew even more grave. "That Lin Mo!"
"How can he be so calm!" Sun Mian couldn't help but think, "Didn't he realize the danger at all? In military campaigns, your achievements have already surpassed your father's."
He surpassed any general in the Great Xia Dynasty.
But why are you even dumber than your father when it comes to politics?!
"Father, do you think His Majesty will let me marry Brother Lin Mo first?" Sun Ruoxi began to fantasize. "But what about the princess then? Does that mean Brother Lin Mo will stay in the capital for a long time? Otherwise, how can the princess marry him?"
Sun Mian couldn't bear to interrupt her. His fingers opened and closed, and finally he slowly raised his eyes. "Ruoxi!"
He wanted to tell her the truth, but the words wouldn't come out.
Do you think that keeping a secret in your heart makes it no longer real? Do you think that by not mentioning it or telling others, it's just a dream, or even not a dream at all, but just a fright in a half-awake state?
Sun Mian mustered his courage and was about to speak when he heard footsteps.
"Master!" The person who came was the butler, and he looked somewhat flustered.
"Ruoxi, you can go down now!" Sun Mian said.
As soon as Sun Ruoxi left, the butler closed the door tightly and said urgently, "Master, something terrible has happened! Ling Tiande has mobilized eight hundred Imperial Guards."
Upon hearing this, Sun Mian's heart trembled.
"Anything else?"
"There are also reports of troop movements in the Jiangdong and Jiannan areas!" the steward said in a low voice.
Sun Mian frowned; his worst fears had come true.
Everything the Empress did was a lie; marrying off her daughter was a pretense, her true intention was to kill Lin Mo.
"Can the message be taken out? To the King of Shu!" Sun Mian asked.
The steward shook his head. "The Imperial Guards... are watching us too!"
Sun Mian shook his head helplessly, his heart filled with bitterness.
"Lin Mo, only the gods in heaven can save you!"
~~~
Meanwhile, in another part of the capital city.
Lin Mo was fast asleep in bed.
Suddenly, I was jolted awake.
He subconsciously reached up and touched his head, only to find someone throwing stones at him.
"Holy crap, an assassin?" He immediately sat up in bed.
He lit the oil lamp and looked around, but found nothing.
"Your Highness, no need to look anymore, it's me!"
He Xiao's voice entered Lin Mo's ear.
Turning around abruptly, I found the Venerable Master of Xuanhua Palace hanging upside down from the roof beam.
"You!" Lin Mo exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing here?"
"Don't tell me you've already rescued Guo Wenlong's wife and daughter," he thought. "If that's the case, things will get a bit complicated."
Their agreement was that He Xiao's mission would be complete once Guo Wenlong's wife and daughter were brought before Lin Mo.
Now, Lin Mo is in the capital...
“Your Highness, I know what you’re thinking,” He Xiao smiled. “I haven’t rescued the person yet.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Mo breathed a sigh of relief.
It's not that I'm afraid of this guy. He can currently exchange for eleven "Nightmare Riders" at once, and he also has over 100,000 points, so he's not afraid at all.
However, this would disrupt Lin Mo's plans.
He didn't want to reveal his strength too early, because at present, the Empress had the upper hand in public opinion.
The current empress is seen as a "wise ruler" by the people, who tolerates Lin Mo's "purging of corrupt officials" and even betroths his princess to him.
Even the massacre of over 400,000 prisoners of war, on the surface, was Wei Maozhen "covering up" for Lin Mo!
If Lin Mo doesn't expose the Empress's disguise and kills her, he will incur the hatred of the entire Great Xia!
"Then what are you doing here?" Lin Mo asked him.
"Let's be friends!" He Xiao said.
While Lin Mo was still in shock, he continued, "Take back the name, and I'll make Li Hu take back his name too! From now on, we're even!"
Why should I agree to your request?
"I'm not afraid of you at all now," Lin Mo thought.
"What, does the King of Shu think I failed to rescue Guo Wenlong's wife and daughters?" He Xiao laughed. "I just think that Wei Maozhen is a little less capable than you."
He's already been rescued? Lin Mo was shocked again.
"Don't look at me like that," He Xiao continued, "I can guess most of your secret!"
"secret?"
He Xiao's lips twitched slightly. "Alone, he went to Shu. And in such a short time, he managed to take down Yang Fei and wipe out the bandits in Shu. And there's Xu Chu, Bai Qi, Ran Min, and Yao Guangxiao."
Your Highness, where did these people come from...?
The Venerable Master of Xuanhua Palace deliberately left things unsaid, which sent a chill down Lin Mo's spine.
At this moment, He Xiao's expression darkened, and he asked, "Your Highness, may I ask whether you are backed by the ancient gods of Great Xia or the Red God?"
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