"Your Highness is inexperienced in such matters; I never imagined your first time would be so...tsk tsk tsk."
Bi Xie was completely confused. She took a few steps forward, and as soon as the soldiers saw her, they immediately fell silent and slipped away.
The envoy sent by the Kuiyang Kingdom arrived in the Yexi Kingdom half a month later.
The Emperor of Yexi Kingdom and Bi Xie had a prior agreement, so after Ning Mingshao arrived in Yexi Kingdom as an envoy, the news was delivered to Bi Xie by express courier.
Bi Xie's reply consisted of only two words—"Execute him."
It's a pity I couldn't kill Ning Mingshao with my own hands.
News of the assassination of the envoy from Kuiyang Kingdom at the post station spread quickly. Upon receiving the news, Chu Chu was furious and a thunderous rage erupted in the court. The Duke of Ningguo's family was devastated by the loss of his young heir. The Duke of Ningguo wept bitterly in court and, together with Grand Tutor Wei, proposed to start a war. However, several court officials, led by Prime Minister Jiang, earnestly advised His Majesty to consider the innocent people. They argued that if war broke out, there would surely be widespread suffering and rivers of blood.
"The Yexi Kingdom's provocations are a blatant disregard for our national prestige. If Your Majesty continues to back down, it will only embolden those scoundrels!" Duke Ningguo remonstrated with tears in his eyes and deep indignation.
“Your Majesty! If the Yexi Kingdom dares to kill the envoy who sought peace today, it will dare to launch a full-scale attack on Kuiyang tomorrow. If Your Majesty does not make a decision and make arrangements soon, I am afraid that you will lose the initiative and let the Yexi Kingdom destroy the hearts of the people! This old minister begs Your Majesty to send troops.” Grand Tutor Wei also added.
After several days of discussion in court, Chu Chu had no choice but to make a decision—to order Xu Lan to initiate war.
This battle came suddenly and fiercely. In the dead of winter night, Xu Lan's army appeared unexpectedly in the camp of the Ye Xi Kingdom.
Night raids were a common tactic of Xu Lan, designed to catch the enemy off guard.
However, a soldier quickly ran up and hurriedly reported, "General, there is no one in the camp!"
The charcoal fire in the iron basin outside the tent was burning fiercely, and snowflakes began to fall from the sky again. Xu Lan's expression changed, and he stared at the trembling soldier kneeling on the ground. "What did you say? There's no one in the tent?"
"Yes, General! We're probably...we're in trouble," before he could finish saying the word "ambush," the sound of heavy, orderly footsteps suddenly came from all directions. Xu Lan turned around in astonishment, his gaze falling on Bi Xie among the enemy soldiers. His body trembled uncontrollably, and he exclaimed in disbelief, "Xu Xie!"
Ya Qing, who was beside her, also exclaimed in surprise, "Little Evil General."
Bi Xie slowly walked over and said with a smile, "Long time no see, Master, Aunt Ya."
"General Xiao Xie, what are you doing in the military camp of Ye Xi Kingdom?" Ya Qing stepped forward, wanting to pull her over, but found a young man following closely behind her. She squinted for a moment, then her face changed color in horror. "Han Yun," she said, then looked at Bi Xie with pity for his lack of ambition. "You really eloped with him! How could you disobey the imperial decree? You're so foolish!"
After Xu Xie disappeared on their wedding night, the truth could not be kept secret any longer and eventually reached the Emperor's ears. The Emperor ordered a city-wide search and eventually discovered that Han Yun of Nuanjiao Pavilion had also disappeared. She had always believed that General Xiao Xie would understand her position and identity and would not do anything foolish because of romantic feelings, but she never expected...
Bi Xie reached out and grabbed Si Jin, intending to pull him into her arms, but the boy had somehow grown a head taller than her. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his waist and said with a smile, "Master, Aunt Ya, he's no longer called Han Yun. He's Si Jin, the young prince of Ye Xi Kingdom."
Xu Lan stared at her in shock, then his expression changed drastically as he looked at the enemy soldiers behind her. He questioned her sharply, "Xu Xie, have you betrayed Kuiyang and defected to Ye Xi Kingdom?"
Ya Qing's face turned deathly pale instantly, but now that the facts were right in front of her, she had no choice but to believe it.
"Master, I only chose the one I love." Under the cover of night, the woman's brows were deep, and she stood side by side with the young man beside her, like a perfect couple.
Si Jin's heart suddenly felt warm and sweet, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly in the breeze.
"The person you love?" Xu Lan roared in fury. "Xu Xie, have you forgotten that you were born in Kuiyang, that you learned martial arts and studied in Kuiyang, that you have guarded your homeland for many years in Kuiyang? For a man, you are going to betray Kuiyang, betray the loyalty and virtue I have taught you over the years, and betray the thousands of Kuiyang people who admire and respect you?"
Ya Qing glanced at Xu Lan, whose hand holding the sword was trembling. Wasn't she trembling too? She simply couldn't believe that the little evil general she had watched grow up had betrayed Kuiyang.
“Master, you’re still as impatient as ever. I haven’t finished speaking yet,” Bi Xiefeng smiled lightly, but the smile was tinged with bitterness in the cold moonlight. “I did not betray Kuiyang. I just wanted to save myself. Master, if I had truly betrayed Kuiyang, Kuiyang would already be in chaos.”
"My master taught me martial arts and military strategy, and raised me. I once regarded his words as golden rules, but it wasn't until the day I was forced to marry someone I didn't love that I realized in my pain that everyone should live for themselves at least once in their life. I don't know if my master knew that Her Majesty the Empress gave me Five-Stone Powder on my wedding day, but did my master know? That day, I was in so much pain—"
When Si Jin heard her mention "Five-Stone Powder," his eyes widened in shock. How could he not know that she had taken Five-Stone Powder on her wedding night!
It seems there's something he overlooked in his past life.
No wonder the general's expression was so strange when he barged into the general's mansion on his wedding day in his past life. He thought the general was drunk and speaking the truth, but it turned out to be Five-Stone Powder... The general betrayed his vow to marry Desheng, but that night he was forced to listen to those unbearable sounds, and the general might not have known...
"Beep, the villain's corruption value has dropped to 5 points, and the happiness value has risen to 90 points."
Bi Xie didn't notice Si Jin's expression and continued with a bitter smile, "Master, with that expression, do you not believe Her Majesty the Empress would use Five Stone Powder on me? You think she has already achieved her goal by sending the heir of the Duke of Ning's mansion to marry me and monitor me, and that she won't take my life anymore, right?"
"General Xiao Xie, what is Five Stone Powder?" Ya Qing looked at Bi Xie with complicated emotions, then glanced at Xu Lan, whose face was pale. It turned out that General Xiao Xie knew everything. He knew why His Majesty wanted her to marry the heir of the Duke of Ningguo's mansion, and he also knew that His Majesty had long been wary of her.
Bi Xie's heart was truly aching, aching for the original owner of the body. "Master, haven't you seen through Her Majesty the Empress's hypocritical mask yet? Or do you simply refuse to look at the face beneath the Empress's mask? Since the Empress ascended the throne, how many loyal ministers and generals have been framed and executed for various crimes? Even the Prince of Xiaoyao, Her Majesty's younger sister, could not escape suspicion and was exiled."
"Does Master know why His Majesty administered Five-Stone Powder to me?" Bi Xie took two more steps forward, his smile turning cold. "Because His Majesty ordered Ning Mingshao to fabricate evidence of my treason on the night of our wedding! She's so ruthless. She not only wants my life, but also wants the people of Kuiyang to despise me forever, so that I will die bearing the infamy of a treacherous minister and rebel."
"That's impossible. His Majesty promised me that as long as you obediently marry Young Master Ning and gradually hand over your military power, His Majesty will not..." Xu Lan suddenly took a step back, his armor colliding with the soldiers behind him, producing a cold metallic scraping sound.
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