The death of King Qi of the Great Yan Kingdom was common knowledge throughout the entire Yuntian Continent. The Great Yan Kingdom dispatched a large army to capture the true culprit who murdered King Qi, but to no avail. They even issued arrest warrants throughout the world and offered a large reward for information leading to his capture, but to no avail.
Time always makes people forget many things. This wanted poster, which was issued decades ago, has gradually become a blurry little dot in people's memories.
Now the new king of Yanxia, busy with political affairs, was frustrated by the lack of a pretext for conflict between the two countries, which would allow him to realize his ambition of unifying the world. The opportunity thus presented itself to him so readily.
"Mother, I have found the murderer who killed Father, but the murderer's identity is related to you, and I do not know what to do."
Yan Xia's young and handsome face showed some hesitation, and his eyes were full of questions as he looked at Wu You.
"You child, you know perfectly well that I have had no dealings with Yongguo in the past decades and have long since lost all feelings for him, so why ask me this question when you already know the answer?" Wuyou chuckled. How could she not know the child she had raised? This was nothing more than a test, and it was understandable that she wanted to get his definite answer.
"I know Xia'er's ambitions. Even if I can't help you, I will never hold you back. You can do it with confidence." Wuyou patted her son's shoulder and smoothed the messy hair at his temples. Her tone was gentle and warm, filled with deep maternal love. The bond between mother and son over the past 15 years was something no one else could understand.
"Mother..." Yan Xia was moved and reached out to hug Wu You's waist, nuzzling her affectionately, just like when she was a child and had been bullied and wronged, and she would go to her mother to complain.
His mother disregarded even the bond between their motherland and their sisters for his sake, which shows how much he meant to her. From now on, he must be filial to his mother, because he is her only family.
"You're too old to still act like a child. You can declare war on Yong Kingdom. Helan Wuxia's killing of your father is perfectly legitimate, and no one can question it. It's a good reason to start a war. Just remember, you must not harm the people at will."
The royal family of Yong was her target, but the common people were innocent. Her son was destined to become the ruler of the land, and she couldn't bear the name of a tyrannical and incompetent ruler. When Yan Xia first ascended the throne, everything was in ruins and needed to be rebuilt. As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean, and Yan Xia needed to achieve some results to prove his abilities so that his officials would submit and his subjects would feel at ease.
However, no one expected that Yan Xia would set its sights on Yong Kingdom. Although Yong Kingdom was only a third-rate small country, it had many in-laws! Countless princesses had married into various countries as wives or concubines, and the underlying chain of interests was beyond imagination.
But Yan Xia had already made up her mind, and the reason for fighting was perfectly legitimate, so no one could say anything more.
The two countries were not far apart, only a hundred miles apart. The actions of the Great Yan Kingdom were secretive and swift. By the time the Yong Kingdom discovered them, their army was already at the city gates, catching them completely off guard.
In less than half a month, Yong Kingdom was incorporated into the territory of Great Yan Kingdom, and everything went incredibly smoothly. Other countries wanted to intervene, but they were no match for Great Yan Kingdom. Going in would only make them easy prey. Great Jing Kingdom was too far away and had no power to do so.
Helan had no time to ask her husband and lover for help. This matter was caused by him, so how could he sit idly by and watch his motherland be attacked? Although the two men loved her, they would not sacrifice national interests for him and make a losing deal.
Jin Minghe also felt uneasy. He said that everything was planned very well at the beginning, so why did things go wrong in the middle? Yan Qi's sudden death disrupted all his plans and almost cost him his life.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the third brother bewitched their father, accomplished several impressive feats, and smoothly ascended the throne as the new king. If that had succeeded, he wouldn't have had to grovel before his third brother and lose the woman he loved.
All his scheming came to naught, a lingering pain in Jin Minghe's heart. Fifteen years later, the truth finally came to light.
Even Jin Minghe, who loved him most, was unwilling to help, let alone Jin Mingrui, who only had a liking for him and harbored resentment towards Helan Wuxia. For the sake of their own interests, the two brothers still decided to help, but unfortunately, it was too late.
By the time the two brothers had reached an agreement and the army was preparing to depart, news of victory from the Great Yan Kingdom had already arrived. Helan Min and her niece wept uncontrollably, which caused Helan Min's already frail health to deteriorate further, to the point of being terminally ill.
"Wuxia, quickly write a letter to your sister. She is the Empress Dowager of the Great Yan Kingdom, and she will surely be able to save our father and brothers' lives. In any case, being alive is good enough." Helan Min was bedridden, her face as pale as paper. Only her peach blossom eyes were filled with a bit of spirit, but she still looked like she was hanging on by a thread, which was heartbreaking to see.
She was a thoughtful woman, and even on her sickbed, she couldn't help but worry about her family. After searching her memory for a long time, she finally remembered her niece, Wuyou, who had been married to the Great Yan Kingdom for over a decade and whom she hadn't contacted. At the time, Wuyou had left a very bad impression on her, and according to her father and brothers' wishes, she should have stopped contacting her after marriage, treating her like water spilled from a cup.
Although he knew all too well the fate of a princess who married into another country and was not valued by her mother, and that if the two countries went into conflict, the princess would be a sacrifice and die without a burial place, women had always been like this, not allowed to make their own decisions. Moreover, Wuyou was gloomy and in poor health, of no benefit to Yong Kingdom, so sacrificing her seemed justifiable.
Who could have imagined that the discarded pawn would climb step by step to the position of Empress Dowager of the Great Yan? Even if the Empress Dowager couldn't intervene in the conflict between the two countries, at least she could protect the lives of her family!
"Aunt, I'm sorry, it's all my fault. If I hadn't acted rashly and carelessly back then, I wouldn't have brought disaster upon the family." Now Consort Xin and a mother, Helan Wuxia wore a light purple palace dress, her hair tied up, tears streaming down her face. Compared to before, she appeared more delicate and less impulsive.
"That's enough. What's the use of saying more now?" He Lanmin was not without resentment. He had always doted on this niece and given her almost everything that was best for him.
The two women shared one husband, and she devoted herself wholeheartedly to helping her niece. She had no children of her own and focused solely on supporting her niece and her child, yet she ended up in this predicament. In the vast palace of the Great Jing Kingdom, the aunt and niece, without favor or background, how will they go on?
"My sister already knows that I'm the one who ruined her husband. Will she resent me? Will she take her anger out on my father and brothers? Is writing a letter really useful?"
Helan Wuxia felt a sense of unease. Over the years, she had tried her best to forget the past, to avoid contacting her sister and touching upon it. But the revisiting of old matters only intensified her fear and anxiety.
“Helan Wuyou is my daughter from the Helan family. Even if she resents you, she would never disregard her father and brothers. I will personally write a letter to her.” Helan Min appeared resolute, but inwardly she was worried. They knew Helan Wuyou’s situation very well back then. She didn’t have much of a sense of belonging to Yong Kingdom and might not be willing to help.
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