"A fierce conflict has broken out on the border between Yuehai Kingdom and Da'an. His Majesty has ordered me to lead the expedition." Yu Shuo rushed to the Marquis of Zhongyi's residence. He didn't even want to waste time having someone else deliver the message. He broke the wall and climbed in, which was unprecedented for him.
The guards of the Marquis's mansion almost came to blows with him, but luckily Lian Tao happened to be passing by while delivering pastries to Qin Su and led the man to Qin Su.
When Yu Shuo said those words, Qin Su looked at him, speechless for a long time.
Yu Shuo was slightly out of breath; he had run all the way here without daring to delay for even a moment.
"I will return as soon as possible."
Qin Su nodded, "You must return safely."
"Take this. If you need anything, go directly to the palace to see His Majesty or the Empress Dowager." A heavy token was handed to Qin Su. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a token symbolizing the identity of Prince Yu Shuochen.
"This is not appropriate." Qin Su wanted to return it to him.
Yu Shuo still held her hand through her clothes, gently shaking his head, his tone leaving no room for refusal, "I'm leaving the capital, and your father isn't here. What if you get bullied and no one will stand up for you... Take this, and return it to me when I return."
Qin Su knew that refusing again would be pretentious, so she decided to make sure to put the token away safely.
"Then I will keep it for Your Highness for now, and retrieve it when Your Highness returns victorious."
Yu Shuo's dark eyes stared at Qin Su's face, as if trying to etch her image into the depths of his soul.
"Your Highness, we should go." Chongyang urged from a short distance away.
Qin Su quickly grabbed Yu Shuo's robe, then let go, saying, "Are you in such a hurry?"
Yu Shuo nodded, "For some reason, the Yuehai Kingdom launched a fierce attack on our border."
Given the urgency of the situation, Qin Su stopped Yu Shuo and simply handed him the antidote pills she always carried at her waist.
Yu Shuo turned and strode away, then suddenly stopped, turned back, and walked away again.
"What's wrong?" Qin Su asked him.
Yu Shuo looked down at her, his gaze intensely aggressive at that moment, but he softened it as Qin Su frowned. "When I return, I have something to tell you."
"good."
Yu Shuo left in a hurry, heading to the border that very day.
Qin Su wasn't idle either; she went to Huichuntang to purchase a large quantity of wound medicine.
Uncle Liu wrapped it up for her, saying, "Wait a moment."
Qin Su didn't know what he was going to do, but she was very obedient.
Not long after, Uncle Liu came out again, carrying a bundle on his back.
"Is Uncle Liu going on a long trip?"
Uncle Liu sighed, "Let's talk as we walk."
“His Highness Prince Chen once gave me a precious ginseng, and I haven’t been able to repay him. So I might as well go with the army.” Of course, he also had his own selfish motives, and it wasn’t as simple as he said it.
"When did this happen?" Qin Su asked, puzzled, as she had never heard Uncle Liu mention it.
The two men brought horses from the Marquis's residence. Uncle Liu replied, "It was after the spice incident last time." He looked at Qing Su's stomach and said again, "Why don't you give me the medicine and I'll take it to him? Your body isn't suitable for riding horses."
Qin Su shook her head. "The danger period should be over by now, right?"
"Give me the medicine before three months have passed."
Qin Su touched her stomach, but ultimately shook her head. "They haven't been gone long, they shouldn't have gone far. It's okay if we go a little slower."
Left with no other choice, Uncle Liu had to agree.
The two hurried as fast as they could and caught up with the army just as dusk was falling.
Qin Su did not delay the army's advance. After handing the items over to Yu Shuo, he set off back.
However, curfew had already been imposed when she returned, so she could only go back the next day. Qin Su had no choice but to find a family to stay with.
This family is small, consisting of just two people, both elderly. According to them, their children and daughters-in-law live in Kyoto and rarely come back.
Qin Su ate something simple and then rested on the bed. She planned to leave early the next morning.
But I just couldn't sleep well in bed.
She didn't remember any fierce clashes occurring at the border around this time in her previous life. However, three years later, something else happened—a tragic event that still terrifies Qin Su when she thinks about it now.
It was the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, a grand affair hosted by Emperor Mingyang. Even officials of the fifth rank attended with their wives and children. But no one expected that their food had been laced with a muscle-relaxing drug, allowing assassins to infiltrate the palace. These assassins didn't target Emperor Mingyang or high-ranking officials; instead, they specifically chose to slaughter young boys.
Thinking of that bloody scene, Qin Su's heart ached terribly, and she instinctively curled up on the bed.
It was during that time that a generation of young talent emerged in Da'an, and Xue Huai'an subsequently stood out and rose rapidly through the ranks.
Before this, Yu Shuo was not in the capital. The Yuehai Kingdom launched a fierce attack on the border of Da'an, like a mad dog, biting anyone it could get its hands on. Yu Shuo had no choice but to return to the battlefield.
The Empress Dowager's birthday banquet followed immediately afterward.
It's hard to imagine that someone could get into the imperial kitchen and poison the food; it's almost unbelievable, yet it actually happened.
In her past life, Qin Su never imagined the reason behind this until her death. Who could have broken through the palace's encirclement and so quickly administered the drug? She only guessed that it must have been done by an enemy country, as the target was too obvious.
And now?
Qin Su sat up in bed, and a name popped into her mind.
Conlin.
He is the most motivated and the most likely person to do this.
Whenever Qin Su thought about how many talented people from her own country had died at the hands of this man, a raging fire would ignite in her chest, burning within her for a long time.
Feeling a tightness in her chest, Qin Su pushed open the window. The breeze dispersed much of the pent-up frustration in her chest. Qin Su bent one leg, her gaze seemingly piercing through the moonlight as she looked towards the direction of Kyoto.
"Rustling, rustling"
Qin Su heard a faint sound. At first, she thought it was the elderly couple getting up in the middle of the night, so she didn't pay much attention to it. Then she heard a faint conversation.
"Master, Yu Shuo has already headed to the border."
Qin Su immediately sensed something was wrong, slipped out the window, and carefully hid and concealed her breathing.
"It's time to act. The flood in Jiangzhou has been resolved, and the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet will surely be a grand affair. This is an excellent opportunity for us."
Qin Su's chest trembled, and she almost experienced tinnitus.
It's Kang Lin.
What incredible luck she had! She actually bumped into Kang Lin.
"Go and count again, make sure there are absolutely no mistakes."
"yes."
As they walked away, Qin Su clutched her chest, her pupils trembling.
Was Yu Shuo transferred by them? It must be.
What happened three years later happened ahead of schedule.
Should we arrest them?
Qin Su quickly considered the consequences of doing so.
She was confident she could capture Kang Lin, but she couldn't necessarily prevent the tragedy that would ensue at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet.
Who should she turn to for help?
Qin Su's first thought was Emperor Mingyang, but would he believe her? Qin Su thought it was unlikely, so she decided to look for Princess Cheng'an instead.
Princess Cheng'an probably doesn't have enough power.
Empress Dowager...
Seek out the Empress Dowager.
However, this matter still needs to be addressed to Emperor Mingyang first; whether he believes it or not, he must be told.
Qin Su was filled with anxiety and so nervous that she could hardly breathe, yet she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
In the end, Qin Su decided to leave ahead of schedule.
Horse hooves trod in the moonlight, and Qin Su's long hair flew in the wind on the horse's back.
She was stopped at the city gate. "Who are you? The capital is under curfew and you are not allowed to enter."
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