Chapter 37 The War
After leaving the Mingzheng Hall, Huo Lin dismissed everyone around him and quietly arrived at the wall of the Yihuai Pavilion.
Looking at the jujube tree in the yard through the wall, it felt like only yesterday that Liu Xi sat on it and threw jujubes at him.
He stood there quietly, wanting to see Liu Xi before leaving the palace, yet he dared not meet her.
If the princess knew that she had volunteered to lead the army to war for the emperor, she would definitely be angry.
Thinking this, Huo Lin withdrew his foot that was about to step forward, and decided to leave after a sigh.
Before he could walk far, a stone suddenly flew from behind him. Huo Lin turned around sharply and caught it, just in time to meet Liu Xi's eyes.
Liu Xi had clearly climbed the tree in a hurry; she hadn't even found a suitable foothold for one leg yet.
"The palace servants said there was a suspicious fellow lurking outside my courtyard, and I knew it was you right away!"
Liu Xi spoke angrily, clearly already aware of Huo Lin's impending military expedition.
"You should be glad I threw a stone. Next time, I'll definitely throw a dagger or a hidden blade at you!"
As she spoke, Liu Xi jumped down from the tree in one breath, and her muffled voice came from behind the wall.
"Get in here and speak to me now!"
Huo Lin walked into the hall helplessly. Facing Liu Xi's deliberately stern demeanor, he lowered his head, looking just like a child who had made a mistake.
"Your Highness, I failed to discuss this matter with the princess beforehand, and I hope Your Highness will forgive me."
"But I really cannot leave my brother to fight alone on the front lines, Your Highness. My brother is my only remaining family member."
Liu Xi frowned, and sighed several times in just a few words.
"Of course I understand General Huo's predicament, but things shouldn't have progressed so quickly. Everything happened too suddenly."
"The He family's power has not collapsed yet, and it is hard to guarantee that He Qing will not choose to fight to the death. I do not want to see the Huo family get into trouble again."
Huo Lin hesitated for a moment, then tentatively moved closer.
He reached out and touched Liu Xi's forehead with his fingertips, trying to smooth her furrowed brows.
"Your Highness, I will never allow the Huo family to repeat the mistakes of the past. I assure the princess that I will return safely."
Liu Xi rarely showed any tenderness. She closed her eyes, and when she spoke again, her voice trembled slightly.
"Once the general returns in triumph, he can take me to Kyoto for a visit."
"I just don't know if it was spring/summer or autumn/winter at that time."
Huo Lin suppressed the urge to hug Liu Xi and replied in a slightly hoarse voice.
“If it is spring or summer, I will take the princess to Ningbei to see the flowers, and in autumn or winter, I will go with Your Highness to Changnan to enjoy the rain.”
"Princess, you will wait for me to return to the capital, won't you?"
Liu Xi opened her already moist eyes, wanting to firmly imprint Huo Lin's image in her mind.
"certainly."
The next morning, at the gate of the imperial city, Liu Xi stood on the city wall, looking down at Huo Lin's heroic figure on horseback.
Huo Lin did not look back until he led his troops far away and completely disappeared from Liu Xi's sight.
He didn't want to leave with reluctance and longing.
Liu Xi was filled with mixed feelings, but she knew that now was not the time for her to hesitate.
If she wants to protect the Huo family, she needs to quickly establish another force that can counterbalance the He family or even deliver a heavy blow to them.
What's right in front of you is the Second Prince and the Song family behind him.
The issues of disaster relief grain and refugees had already strained the already tense relationship between the He and Song families, causing it to plummet. After much deliberation, Liu Xi decided to start with the Second Prince.
Compared to his mother, Consort Xian, the Second Prince was more straightforward.
Liu Xi, carrying a food box, went to the Imperial Study to visit Liu Yu in the name of the Empress Dowager. At that time, the Second Prince Liu Cheng was copying his homework as punishment at his desk.
They were just chatting about random things, and Liu Xi didn't deliberately avoid Liu Cheng, only lowering her voice slightly.
Previously, Liu Cheng might not have easily believed that He Qing would conspire with Liu Yan to rebel.
But now Liu Yan's nominal mother has lost her status in the harem, and the He family's power is waning day by day. If it were him, he would probably fight to the death.
“Ayu, you are currently enjoying the Emperor’s favor. Why not take this opportunity to show your skills in front of the Emperor again?”
Liu Yu and Liu Xi performed so convincingly that the Second Prince was completely fooled and believed it to be true.
After finishing his studies for the day, Liu Cheng rushed to Consort Xian's palace and told her everything he had seen and heard that day.
“Mother, if the seventh prince surpasses me again because of this, how can I still have a place in Father’s eyes?”
Consort Xian comforted Liu Cheng patiently.
"Don't rush, let Consort Rong think it over carefully. There's probably something fishy going on here. We can't rush it."
Upon hearing this, Liu Cheng could no longer sit still.
“Mother, you always say that this matter cannot be rushed, and that matter cannot be rushed. As a result, I am always overshadowed by others. Even Father Emperor only criticizes me and never praises me.”
"Your son has grown up and no longer needs you, Mother, to make decisions for me in every matter. Please stop interfering with me in this matter. Your son will go to the Mingzheng Hall to tell Father the truth."
The words of the Consort Xian to stop her were stuck in her throat, and before she could say them, Liu Cheng had already left in a hurry.
Everything must be supported by evidence to be considered legitimate. In order to convince his father, Liu Cheng, under the pretense of the Song family's secret investigation, submitted a memorial to His Majesty claiming that the Fifth Prince Liu Yan harbored rebellious intentions and colluded with the Dingyuan Army to plot a rebellion.
With war imminent between the two countries, the emperor naturally hopes to nip all internal troubles in the bud.
He gave Liu Cheng an army and ordered him to immediately go to the northern suburbs to capture Liu Yan and He Qing alive and bring them back to the capital.
Liu Yu never expected that Liu Xi would act so decisively against Liu Yan, without any warning whatsoever.
At first, he didn't understand why Liu Xi suddenly acted so decisively and plotted to uproot the He family. It wasn't until news of the border war arrived and Liu Xi eagerly awaited the urgent reports from the Huo family army sent back to the capital that Liu Yu finally understood.
It turns out that everything Liu Xi did was not to clear the way for him, but simply so that Huo Lin could lead the Huo family army to victory.
At that moment, Liu Yu felt a strange impulse.
If only those who are in the way could just disappear.
If only he were the only one left by his older sister's side.
Thinking this, Liu Yu's eyes gradually hardened.
For several days in a row, Liu Xi did not receive any more military reports related to the Huo family army.
At the same time, the Second Prince Liu Cheng, who was supposed to bring Liu Yan and He Qing back to the palace, suddenly disappeared without a trace, along with Liu Yan, just like the wind.
Ignoring Zhi Xiang's objections, Liu Xi changed into the same clothes she had worn when she left the palace with Huo Lin, and then left the palace that very night with Xia's help.
Although Huo Lin had instructed Xia before leaving that the princess's safety should be the priority in everything, Xia still resolutely agreed to Liu Xi's request to go to the frontier in person.
Even if he were to meet General Huo again, and he were to behead him in a fit of rage, he would have no complaints.
After all, in his heart, Huo Lin would always be his only master.
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