Having fooled the city guards of Tongcheng, Di Xiu and the soldiers lying in ambush behind him confirmed that no one had reported the incident. Without further delay, they packed their rations and headed towards Pucheng.
Of the ten thousand men, not many were lost. Di Xiu divided his men into two groups. The main force pretended to be pursuers, while he left two hundred men with him to disguise themselves as soldiers of the Copper City. Using the excuse that he didn't know the way, he took away the city guard's youngest son and all the horses.
"Did you remember what I said?"
The city lord's youngest son was only fourteen years old. He was probably spoiled and had a soft heart, making him easy to manipulate. In their hands, the clean and tidy young man was transformed into a refugee, yet he was also aggrieved and dared not resist.
Upon hearing Di Xiu's question, he swallowed hard and awkwardly wiped his face again: "I know."
After a while, the boy asked him with a mournful face, "Um, General, does this count as treason?"
He hasn't yet adjusted to the change in mindset and nationality; subconsciously, he still identifies as a Ningguo native.
"You don't want to betray your country?"
"Of course I don't want to, this is a crime punishable by the extermination of three generations of my family." The boy's eyes were filled with fear.
Laws may differ from country to country, but treason and rebellion are generally punished most severely.
The boy didn't know if he would be punished by the laws of Ningguo. He only knew that if he didn't agree, he would be punished by these bastards right now. But when he thought of his father and brother's instructions, he became conflicted.
He was terrified of death, but dared not disobey his father and brothers. Emperor Xiu also knew that the city guards could not completely give up resistance, so he chose his younger son, who was easier to control.
After a moment of contemplation, Emperor Xiu said in a serious tone, "If you make Pucheng belong to my Tiansheng, then you won't be considered a traitor."
The boy froze, blinked, and asked blankly, "This works too?"
001 clicked her tongue and condemned Di Xiu: "You're just changing the subject."
But the boy thought it over carefully and realized he had really gotten himself into trouble. Di Xiu then mentioned the fictitious bombs in the city. After hesitating, he chose to live.
"They're so easy to fool," 001 remarked.
Having resolved this potential hazard, the group quickened their pace, and by the evening of the fourth day, they could already see the outline of Pucheng.
With the help of the teenagers, the group successfully entered Pucheng. With their combined efforts from within and without, they seized control of Pucheng on the morning of the sixth day.
Following the principle of not killing those who surrendered, Emperor Xiu killed those who refused to surrender. The blood in the city's central square was forbidden to be disposed of, and the smell quickly attracted flies.
The people hated them intensely, but after someone's assassination attempt failed and he was publicly beheaded, most of them quieted down.
The reinforcements from Guancheng did indeed arrive, but they faced Pucheng, which had already changed hands. Di Xiu fought a defensive battle for twelve days, besieged on both sides, before finally hearing the good news: Yanling had captured Guancheng.
Pucheng and Tongcheng were taken over by their respective owners. Di Xiu handed the boy over to the people who came to take over Pucheng, and only took four hundred elite soldiers with him.
As the Yan family army marched triumphantly, the King of Ning was terrified. Before the letter requesting peace talks could even reach its destination, the capital was captured, and he became the king of a fallen kingdom.
Yan Ling led the Ning Kingdom royal family back to Zhaodu. He rode a tall horse, looking left and right along the way, and even pulled Di Xiu to help him look, but he just couldn't see Mu Ruoyin, and was very disappointed.
He sighed, "I should have known better than to return her handkerchief last time. Now I don't even have a token of our love. I've been gone for almost half a year, and I'm finally back, but she won't even come to see me. Has she forgotten me?"
Di Xiu frowned and glanced at him, then spoke on behalf of 001: "So cheesy, so resentful, what a resentful husband."
When Yanling entered the palace to meet the emperor, he was granted the title of marquis. The emperor brought up the old matter again, and this time he did not use any subtle probing but asked him directly: "How about I bestow a marriage upon you and my Princess Ruoyin?"
However, this probably stirred up his longing for his daughter, and his gaze dimmed for a moment, flashing with pain and hatred.
Yan Ling pretended not to see it, revealing obvious joy and delight, but quickly calmed down: "Your Majesty, I am of the highest rank and honor, but I do not know if you are willing to marry a mere warrior like me."
The emperor laughed loudly: "That's easy. Someone, go and summon the empress and the second princess."
On the other side, the Empress and her daughter sat in a pavilion by the koi pond in the Imperial Garden, surrounded by palace servants to prevent anyone from bumping into them.
The Empress looked gently at her daughter who was feeding the fish and said softly, "General Yan is returning to the capital today, why don't you go and see him?"
Mu Ruoyin sprinkled a small amount of fish food, watching a group of beautiful and brightly colored koi scramble for it. She slightly curved the corners of her mouth, but her eyes were indifferent: "I am the ruler, and he is the subject. It is only right that he should come to see me."
“My daughter is insightful,” the Empress said, looking at her with kind eyes. “You are the legitimate princess of Tiansheng, so this is how you should be.”
The two talked for a while longer when a palace servant came to report that General Yan had entered the palace. The Empress pondered for a moment and asked the unmoved Mu Ruoyin, "Yin'er, what are your plans for the future? Last time Dongqing sought peace, His Majesty intended to marry the princess to him. This time, his merits are even greater, and His Majesty will surely mention it again."
"It all depends on how the Empress Dowager behaves. The worst outcome will be that the marriage is arranged."
The Empress's eyes showed worry: "Yanling is not someone to be trifled with. What if he discovers that we have deceived him..."
Mu Ruoyin flicked her wrist, scattering a handful of fish food. Watching the fish fight fiercely, she smiled maliciously and said lightly, "Either he dies or I die, it all depends on how much his heart is worth."
A young eunuch serving the emperor approached, and the two women simultaneously fell silent. Mu Ruoyin stood up, patted her skirt, and went to help the empress, who took off the Buddhist prayer beads wrapped around her wrist and began to hold them in her hand.
"This servant greets the Empress and the Princess. His Majesty requests your presence."
The two rode in the imperial carriage to the Imperial Study.
When Yanling heard the guard's report outside the door, he turned around and saw that his beloved first looked at the person next to her before looking at him. He felt a surge of jealousy. But when he saw her tender smile at him, he felt his heart soar.
"Empress, you are Ruoyin's mother. I wish to arrange a marriage between General Yan and Ruoyin. What do you think?"
The Empress paused in her prayer beads, her lips pursed, and she said indifferently, "Your Majesty's judgment is indeed excellent, but... I have always regarded Ruoling as my own daughter. She has only been gone for less than half a year, and I am truly reluctant to let another daughter leave my side as well. I hope Your Majesty can understand."
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