In the small cell, the two men sat opposite each other, staring at each other.

Lu Yanluo drank a glass of wine indifferently and said casually: "There is no need to talk about getting involved between you and me. You are the prince and I am the princess. We prosper together and suffer together."

Lu Yanluo didn't continue speaking, but she couldn't stop muttering in her heart.

[If something happens to you, the prince, there will be no place for me in the entire capital, so I will naturally come with you.]

【Maybe I can still protect you at a critical moment. 】

Chu Xuan slowly raised his glass and clinked it with Lu Yanluo's, then drank it all in one gulp, feeling a little melancholy.

The nobles have always been accustomed to flattering the powerful and bullying the weak. Now that she has entered the clan residence, the life of Lu Yanluo, the Princess of Ye, will naturally not be much better.

Lu Yanluo glanced at Chu Xuan, seeing his melancholy, and snorted, "My Lord, it's not like you to be sad about the passing of time. Although you and I are in the clan residence right now, this is just a temporary measure. As long as there is a chance, you and I will be able to break through the cage and show our talents, so there is no need to be depressed. Come! Drink!"

Lu Yanluo raised the cup cheerfully and smiled at Chu Xuan: "This is a rare opportunity, let's get drunk today! Who cares about the emperor or the concubine? Once we wake up, everything will be over."

The two of them raised their glasses and drank together, and all the previous depression was swept away.

At this moment, outside the city gate, a fast horse was galloping towards the city gate.

"Urgent news from the border! Open the city gates! Open the city gates!"

A burst of hurried horse hooves sounded past, tearing apart the silent night. The sound seemed to step on people's hearts, making them panic.

When the emperor was woken up from his bedroom, he was still in a daze: "What's going on? It's so noisy in the middle of the night!"

The Minister of War didn't care about the emperor's displeasure and presented the report in a hurry: "Your Majesty, an urgent report from the northern border of 400 miles away, Dongchen has raised 300,000 troops and invaded on a large scale. In just three days, they have already captured two cities of Tianji! The commander of the northern border, Yang Peng, was killed. Now the northern border is leaderless, and Zhongzhou is in danger. The governor of Zhongzhou urgently asked for help. What should we do now? Please tell me, Your Majesty!"

The words "the northern border is in danger" startled the emperor out of his half-awake state, and he hurriedly ordered, "Call all the military marquises and cabinet ministers to the palace immediately!"

This night was destined to be a sleepless night. The lights in the imperial study were brightly on, and until the morning court, the ministers had not yet come up with a proper solution.

The Tianji Kingdom went through three generations of emperors. The founding emperor, Qin Shi Huang, pacified the world with bows and horses, thus opening the era of the Tianji Kingdom.

The second generation of emperors continued the strategy of ruling the country with military force, emphasizing military power over culture. Over time, problems arose in the court. The Marquis of Wu occupied the land and acted as a king, checking and balancing the court, causing no one to obey the emperor's orders.

The current emperor has watched since he was a child as the previous emperor was checking and balancing the military governors of various places, and finally died of depression. So he had long had the idea of ​​disbanding the army in the world.

Since the emperor ascended the throne, after half a lifetime of efforts, the military generals in the court have been suppressed one by one. Now the military generals in the court are either too old to wield a sword, or are stationed outside the border.

Now that the northern border is in crisis, the court has no shortage of counselors who can offer advice, but what it lacks is a commander who can lead the troops into battle.

At the morning court, everyone looked worried and sad.

The Minister of War was full of hesitation. The most suitable candidate to lead the army in the court now was none other than King Ye. However, yesterday the emperor inexplicably ordered King Ye to be imprisoned in the clan house.

Although everyone wanted to nominate the Night King, no one dared to bring it up rashly, for fear of angering the emperor.

At the clan residence, a jailer carrying a food box walked to the door of Chu Xuan's cell and shouted, "It's time for dinner."

Chu Xuan looked up, walked over slowly, took the food box and asked in a low voice: "What's wrong?"

The person who came was Shen He.

Shen He looked around for a moment and said quickly: "Master, the North Territory is in chaos. Dongchen has raised troops to attack. The commander of the North Territory, Yang Peng, is dead. Now they have reached the city of Zhongzhou."

Chu Xuan's heart tightened. Although he had expected Dong Chen would not be so honest, he never thought that he would call at this time.

"What does the emperor say? Has he made a decision?"

Shen He shook his head: "Last night, plus today's morning court, the cabinet and the Ministry of War were all in a mess. There is no one in the court who can lead the troops, and the issue of reinforcements has been pending."

After seeing Shen He off, Chu Xuan fell silent.

In the evening, the imperial study was brightly lit again. A young eunuch walked quietly to the emperor's side and said, "Your Majesty, the head of the clan affairs office, Prince Duansu, sent a message saying that Prince Ye wants to come to the palace to see Your Majesty. Look at this..."

The emperor slowly raised his eyes and looked at the young eunuch meaningfully.

The young eunuch was so frightened that he fell to his knees, not daring to get up.

It is self-evident why Chu Xuan asked for a meeting at this moment.

But secretly he didn't want Chu Xuan to lead the troops to war.

An elderly father and a son in his prime, this made him feel an unprecedented sense of crisis, especially since his son was slowly getting out of his control.

But……

The young eunuch kneeling on the ground only heard the emperor sigh, and then ordered: "Go to the clan house and bring King Ye here. I want to see him."

When Chu Xuan stepped into the imperial study, it was almost 3 p.m. The emperor was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, not even looking at the door. He asked, "You want to see me?"

Chu Xuan lifted his robe and knelt down, saying decisively: "I, your son, request that you lead the troops to fight against Dongchen's invasion!"

The emperor finally opened his eyes, looked at Chu Xuan, and said in a deep voice: "Do you think I will agree?"

Chu Xuan slowly raised his head and looked directly at the monarch in front of him: "I think your father will definitely agree."

That night, no one knew what the father and son talked about. However, after dawn, an imperial decree was issued from the imperial study, appointing King Chu Xuan of Ye as the general of the northern expedition. Three days later, he was to lead an army of 100,000 to join the northern border garrison to meet the foreign enemy.

After the imperial edict was issued, everyone in the court felt relieved.

On the second day, an unexpected visitor knocked on the door of the Night King's Mansion.

"Sister Cheng, what are you doing..."

Cheng Ruoxue was dressed in tight clothes, looking very neat and heroic. When she saw Chu Xuan, she lifted her robe and knelt down, performing a standard military etiquette.

"Your Majesty, I want to go to the northern border with you." Cheng Ruoxue said straight to the point: "I hope Your Majesty will grant me this!"

Lu Yanluo looked at Cheng Ruoxue in a daze, and then she realized that the woman in front of her was also a powerful female general in her past. The Cheng family army under her command was invincible. She only got married later and returned to the inner house life, but in essence she was an out-and-out soldier.

Chu Xuan also thought of this, and agreed without saying much.

If we have the help of Cheng family army this time, it will be like adding wings to a tiger.

Cheng Ruoxue was very happy, and the smile was still on her face when she left.