Xie Yayuan stepped forward and performed a curtsy, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the two Empress Dowagers. May you enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
"No need for formalities, get up!" An Shuyi said. "You came too early this morning, and we didn't get up either. You don't need to come to pay your respects next time; just serve the Emperor well."
"You don't need to go to the Empress Dowager. You just need to manage the affairs of the inner palace and serve the Emperor every day, and these formalities will be waived."
If she had to come to pay her respects every day, she'd be running around so much she wouldn't even be able to get up herself.
"Yes, thank you for your kindness, Empress Dowager." Xie Yayuan bowed again.
An Shuyi felt a headache coming on as she watched her constantly bow. "Let's serve tea first. You'll be going back to your parents' home later, so don't waste time here."
The palace maid placed a cushion on the ground and then brought tea. Xie Yayuan knelt down to offer the tea and then accepted the gifts from the two empress dowagers.
After standing up, turn around and kneel down to offer tea to the Empress Dowager. After receiving the gift, the ceremony is over.
"There's nothing to do here now, Your Majesty. Please take the Empress back to her parents' home."
Yan Zhen nodded, "Yes, grandson takes his leave."
"Your Majesty, I take my leave."
Zhao also stood up. "Mother, your daughter-in-law will also take her leave. You and Auntie are busy." After receiving permission, she hurriedly left.
I thought Yan Zhen would stay at the Xie family's house with the Empress until dark, but he returned after only a few hours and then hurriedly went to the pavilion.
An Shuyi and Xia Hua were chatting in the garden when he rushed over.
"Grandma, Nangong Haotian has raised the banner in Jincheng."
"Don't worry, he only has a little over 100,000 troops. Don't worry, we knew he would do it. Go back and handle your government affairs. We'll take care of this matter," An Shuyi said.
Once Nangong Haotian is dealt with, they can stay in peace for a few years. Once Yan Zhen takes control of the court, they can leave.
"Grandma, are you going by yourselves?" Yan Zhen asked worriedly.
Although the two grandmothers looked young, they were already over fifty years old, and he was worried about their health.
"Don't worry, once we get this sorted out, we can all live in peace for a few years and get back to what you're doing."
"Yes, Grandma, please be careful. I'll take my leave now." Yan Zhen said before leaving.
Watching him leave, the two stood up, and An Shuyi said, "Let's go, let's go find Xiao Yubai and Cheng Yumo."
As soon as they left the palace, they saw two people riding horses outside. They must have known they were coming and were waiting for them there.
An Shuyi said, "Huahua, I'll go to the border. There's no need to worry about Wenshan there. You go to Wucheng. We'll attack from both sides and take down Nangong Haotian with minimal losses."
"But can you manage without two thousand iron cavalry? Should we bring a thousand with us?"
Xia Hua shook her head, "No need. The combined forces of both sides are over 400,000. It's too easy to fight against more than 100,000. Let's have a contest and see who can reach Jincheng the fastest."
It is the common people who suffer in war. Otherwise, with so many troops, Nangong Haotian would not have been able to hold out for long, and the troops under Wen Shan have not even moved.
"It's settled then. Let's see who gets there first, and be careful!"
"Don't worry, you also need to be careful. If anything happens, let Young Master Xiao handle it. Don't be reckless."
"Okay." The two mounted their horses and, after leaving the city, headed in two different directions.
Actually, they weren't too worried about the presence of scholars at the border, but in Jincheng, besides Nangong Haotian, there was also the King of Shu. If they colluded together, then they had to take it seriously.
When they stopped to rest at night, An Shuyi asked, "Husband, how is the Duke of Huguo's family?"
When they heard Yan Zhen say that they were leaving the palace, they didn't know what would happen to the Duke of Huguo's family.
Xiao Yubai replied, "The Duke of Protectorate died last night, but the Nangong family is keeping it a secret. The proper masters of the Nangong family fled overnight. But don't worry, those people are being watched by the Emperor's secret guards."
"It was a major event for the Emperor yesterday, and the guards didn't mention it. They only found out about it this morning when they reported it to Xiu Yi. However, he was at the Xie family's house at the time and only said he would deal with it later."
"But before long, a guard came to report that Nangong Haotian had rebelled."
After the emperor gave the bodyguards of Lady Madam and Madam Xia to him, they had no one else they could use. He could only send people to keep an eye on them so that he could know in time if anything happened.
An Shuyi nodded. "Have the King of Shu and Nangong Haotian cooperated?"
This is what she most wants to know.
"There's no official agreement, but secretly, the two have already reached a deal. The King of Shu is a useless villain. Don't worry, he's no threat."
"It's fine as long as it's useless. I'm just worried that if two useful ones are put together, it will increase the difficulty." She also thought that the mecha girl would be young and save time.
“Don’t be afraid of difficulties, I’m here. I’m the knife in my wife’s hand. You can cut whoever you want.”
"Okay, this time it's up to you. I'll cheer you on from behind."
Xiao Yubai nodded, "It's getting late, Madam, you should rest early." Since they couldn't find an inn, the two of them had to camp in the wild, but they could sleep under any tree they found.
The next morning, the two continued their journey, spending all their time traveling except for resting when they ate.
By the time they reached the border, five days had passed, and they had changed horses several times along the way.
As soon as he entered the camp, Xiao Yubai went to find Wen Shi. Now that he was a general, even though he didn't need to lead the charge, he still had to ask him about the specific situation.
An Shuyi entered the camp and went straight to her tent to rest. Since Xiao Yubai was there, she didn't need to worry about anything. As for her agreement with Huahua, it didn't matter who won.
When Xiao Yubai returned in the evening, during dinner, he said, "Wife, I will lead troops to attack Nanshan City today, taking Wen Shi with me. I'll leave this place to you."
"As long as those barbarians don't invade, you don't need to worry about the camp. Training the soldiers is handled by the strategist and the others. If there are barbarians, you can handle it yourself."
He took Wen Shi with him so that he could teach him more skills. After all, they would call him godfather. If he didn't teach him some skills, he would be letting him down. Besides, after they left, he would rely on them to lead the troops in battle.
The more we teach, the more self-protection skills we gain.
An Shuyi nodded, "Be careful and don't get angry. I'll give you some more medicine later. It's best if you don't get hurt, but if you do, don't hesitate to use it."
"Don't worry, my wife, I won't get hurt. We still have decades to live together, and I'll cherish my life. Don't worry." Although he had never fought Nangong Haotian, he was certain that the old man was no match for him.
"Good to know, come and eat!" After saying that, she put some food on his plate before eating herself.
The next day, before dawn, Xiao Yubai got up. "Wife, I'm leaving now. Take care of yourself." He kissed her on the cheek and went outside, where the soldiers were already fully equipped and ready to go.
The camp has more than 200,000 soldiers. He will take 100,000 with him. Once they reach Jincheng, they can join up with the soldiers under Madam Xia.
Meanwhile, Xia Hua also wrote a letter to summon Da Niu. Although the deputy generals here were all capable, she didn't trust anyone else with the military command, so it was better to give it to Da Niu.
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