"Your Highness, I have been here for so long, and this is the first time you have come to see me."
In a villa on the outskirts of Da Ning, Pei Lan pressed herself against Jing Zhao upon seeing him. Jing Zhao seemed to enjoy Pei Lan's initiative and reached out to lift her chin.
“I did give you a chance to leave,” Jing Zhao said with a hint of amusement. “But I didn’t expect you to come back on your own. Interesting.”
“Your Highness took pity on Qingyi’s loyalty and gave me the opportunity to leave.” Peilan’s eyes flashed with hatred. “But without Your Highness, I would be like a rootless duckweed with nowhere to go. I beg Your Highness to let me stay.”
She encountered He Yu on her trip, but she still chose to come back.
She wanted to stay by Jing Zhao's side and watch Gu Lin die.
And what about Master... Why does Master think he can just stop whenever he wants? Master softened and didn't want to kill Gu Qingyan, but what about Qingyi? Did Qingyi just die in vain?
Jing Zhao slowly wiped away the tears from Pei Lan's eyes. "Since you have chosen to stay by my side, you must understand my rules. I hate betrayal the most."
"I will never betray Your Highness."
The ties on her clothes were untied, and Perrin forced a fawning smile.
At the same time, in a village not far away, He Yu and his companions disguised themselves as villagers and settled down.
"Lord He, we've waited so long and still haven't seen Pei Lan. Should we keep waiting?"
In just a few months, He Yu became more and more dejected.
"He Yu, you're a coward!"
The scene of Perrin pointing her finger at him and cursing him appeared before He Yu's eyes. Perrin's eyes were bloodshot, and there was no longer any love in her eyes when she looked at him.
“Peilan, Master said he would take you away. Master is now... unwilling to kill Gu Qingyan.” He hugged Peilan tightly. “Gu Qingyan is no longer easy to get rid of. Peilan, besides Master, if we want to get rid of Gu Qingyan, we will have to pay the price with our lives.”
"Our master has promised to give us all the wealth and resources we've built up over the years. We can finally find a place to live a good life."
But Pei Lan slapped him across the face, her eyes filled with a hint of fear in his gaze. "He Yu, you have no heart."
He didn't understand; he simply wasn't as reckless as Qingyi, sending a letter to his master first and waiting for instructions.
And after receiving instructions, he immediately went to look for Perrin, so why did Perrin say that he had no heart?
Didn't Pei Lan used to hate Qingyi the most for not following her master's instructions?
"What if the master's instruction is to abandon me?"
Faced with Perrin's questioning, he couldn't say a word and could only watch Perrin leave.
A gust of cold wind blew by, clearing He Yu's mind.
"She should be going to find the rebel king right now."
He Yu's words made the people around him widen their eyes. "This...going to find the rebel king is like asking a tiger for its skin."
The veins on He Yu's forehead started to bulge. Pei Lan was simply stupid!
He'd risk his life for the sake of Qingyi!
"Pass the word, we'll leave tomorrow." The fluctuation in He Yu's eyes gradually disappeared, and he returned to his usual calm. He couldn't give up his promising future for a woman.
......
On the day the troops set out, Jiang Yu and Gu Qingyan personally saw Jiang He and Bai Qian off at the city gate.
Several bowls of wine were placed on the table. Gu Qingyan gave Jiang He and Bai Qian a deep look. "Uncle, Aunt, the journey ahead is long and fraught with difficulties. Please take good care of yourselves."
After saying that, Gu Qingyan picked up the wine glass on the table and drank it all in one gulp.
"Return safely." Jiang Yu also raised her glass, all her words ultimately condensed into a single sentence: "Return safely."
"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty and Your Majesty. I will certainly live up to your expectations."
After emptying several wine glasses, Jiang He and Bai Qian leaped onto their horses and left without looking back.
Gu Qingyan and his mother Jiang Yu were left behind, watching the departing soldiers.
"Mother, the great battle is about to begin."
Gu Qingyan spoke softly, his eyes filled with determination.
"Ayan, you focus on handling state affairs, leave everything else to me." Jiang Yu looked around, "At this critical moment, whether as the Empress Dowager of Daqing or your mother, I should stand up."
"The child is with Mother."
With his uncle and aunt fighting the enemy outside, he and his mother can handle the affairs of Daqing.
The capital city.
"Little one, come back quickly." A woman ran and picked up the doll that was standing on the street. "Go back inside and play, be good."
"Mommy, why can't we play in the street anymore?" The little child's innocent eyes were full of questions. "And why is the grandpa who sells candied hawthorns gone?"
"My dear child, we're going to have a war. Once we win, you can come out and play again."
After saying that, he took the baby away. In the carriage next to him, Gu Qingyan silently watched this scene. Yes, it's good that they won.
It was already early August when Jiang He's team arrived at the border town.
The weather was scorching hot, and the drought in the Great Wei had reached its worst point. When the scouts rushed back to the capital with the news, the Wei emperor was already exhausted.
"Daqing...Daqing actually sent troops at this time!"
Emperor Wei struggled to sit up with the help of his attendants. "Someone, summon Lord Lingzhen."
Before Daqing and Dawei had even truly clashed, news of Daqing's military intervention had already reached neighboring countries, with Da Ning reacting the most strongly.
Even though Gu Lin returned to Da Ning at this time, the memorials requesting the dispatch of troops to Da Qing still piled up like a small mountain in the court. No one understood why Gu Lin insisted on not sending troops to Da Qing.
Even Zhuo Yi abandoned his calm demeanor and was extremely busy.
"monarch."
Chang Wuyou, dressed in a black robe, appeared before Gu Lin. "If the ruler insists on his own way, he will inevitably suffer a backlash."
But Gu Lin sat on the dragon throne, exuding an aura of supreme authority.
"Back then, it was I who took over the nearly destroyed Great Ning and brought it to its current powerful state." Gu Lin's eyes were full of disdain. "The future of Great Ning should be decided by me."
If he really wanted to hold a grudge, he also had a grudge against the Da Ning royal family for forcing his mother to marry into a foreign land.
Chang Wuyou was stunned for a moment, then sighed.
Oh well, what's meant to be will be.
"Grand Preceptor, I have no other choice." Through the mask, Chang Wuyou could not see Gu Lin's stubble that he hadn't had time to clean, nor the dark circles under his eyes.
If we don't send troops to Daqing now, the people will not suffer when the two countries merge one day.
In war, it is always the ordinary people who suffer.
Moreover, if troops were to be sent to Daqing, with Ayu and the others present, Da Ning would inevitably have to pay a heavy price.
"This battle cannot be fought."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com