incident
Rong Xiao walked around the camp and saw the soldiers loading and securing the items onto the wagons.
"Is everything almost packed?"
The sudden question surprised the soldiers who were busy, and they immediately stopped what they were doing and greeted him: "Your Highness!"
Then a man who looked like a minor leader stepped forward and replied, "Everything is almost ready. We won't be late, Your Highness, please rest assured."
"That's good. We'll celebrate properly when we get back to the capital." Rong Xiao smiled and patted his shoulder. "Go back to work."
The time had come, and the soldiers in the camp were fully equipped and ready to go.
They are going back to Beijing.
This war in the North is now completely over. From now on, there will be no more annual invasions, and the people can live in peace.
The soldiers, who had just won a battle, were in high spirits and excited about the end of their journey.
In the capital, they can finally go home and start the new year with their families.
Rong Xiao led the team, and they were about to set off.
Before they even reached the entrance, the orderly procession suddenly began to make a commotion.
He turned around and heard his deputy shouting, "Enemy troops are launching a sneak attack!"
Bang, bang, bang!
The gate of Cat Tea House was knocked on so loudly that it instantly woke Yan Qing up. She quickly tidied herself up and rushed to the front yard to open the gate.
It is Rong Xuan.
He cut to the chase: "They've made a move!"
Yan Qing frowned and led him to a private room on the side. This was the only room that was left; the others had been expanded into a cat play area.
"What action?"
She sat down and looked at Rong Xuan, whose cheeks were slightly flushed, and felt a strange stirring in her heart.
He's a prince, yet he's completely disregarded his image these days.
It's hard to imagine that if he were to remove his attire, his actions would be so different from what he is now.
Sure enough, she was still a bit groggy from just waking up. Even in this urgent situation, she was still able to focus on Rong Xuan's image.
"My apologies, my apologies," Yan Qing said, focusing her attention on what he was saying.
“In the past few days, the Jiang family has replaced the defenses of the capital with their own people, and many members of the Cheng family have been replaced. At this juncture, something is not right.”
She thought for a moment, but her focus shifted elsewhere: "Can the Jiang family mobilize the defenses of the capital?"
As far as she knew, the Jiang family had military power, but the capital was entirely in the hands of the emperor.
Rong Xuan explained, "Old Master Jiang has rendered meritorious service in saving the country, and the defense of the capital has always been in his hands. However, he retired from the court many years ago, but this power is still in his hands and has not been transferred to anyone else. Therefore, this matter is handled by the emperor himself. If Old Master Jiang wants to transfer it, there is no problem."
When it came to Old Master Jiang, Yan Qing understood. He was known for valuing loyalty above all else. Otherwise, this task would not have been assigned to him, nor would it have remained unrevoked by the emperor.
But aside from the emperor's trust, Yan Qing also sensed something else.
If the younger generation of the Jiang family really makes any unusual moves, what is Old Master Jiang's stance?
This is both a sign of trust and a way to suppress the Jiang family.
"Given that, it's not surprising that the Jiang family has been the main force in the military's defenses over the years. But at this point in time, is the Emperor really not worried at all?"
Rong Xuan shook his head. "I don't know, but we need to be prepared. Rong Zhang should be about to take action."
That's right. Regardless of everything else, the only people we should be optimistic about right now are the Jiang family and Rong Zhang, who has the Jiang family backing him.
"Is there anything else?" Yan Qing asked, yawning.
Rong Xuan shook his head.
Yan Qing couldn't help but say, "Then what are you doing here so early in the morning? This news doesn't seem that urgent yet."
Whether it was her imagination or not, the blush on his face did not fade with rest, but instead deepened.
But she didn't look at it closely, which wasn't very polite. Since there was nothing to discuss, Yan Qing decided to go back to sleep and let Rong Xuan leave first.
On her way back to the backyard, Yan Qing pulled up the cat map, wondering if Rong Xiao and the others had set off yet.
The good news had already reached the capital, and judging by the time it was time for them to set off for Beijing.
I selected the kitten, and as soon as I put it in front of her, she suddenly woke up. What's going on?
The kitten was huddled in a corner, shivering.
Upon noticing that the kitten's leg was injured, Yan Qing immediately treated it and comforted it for a while before it calmed down.
Noticing something amiss, Yan Qing guided the kitten towards an open area. The kitten, now calm, seemed to have found a protector and was no longer as afraid as before. Following her guidance, it jumped onto a high wall.
As soon as she stood still, Yan Qing seemed to freeze, her foot hovering in the air.
She saw it.
Rong Xiao plunged the sword into his own chest.
The surrounding noise gradually blurred, and she heard her own voice calling out.
"Rong Xuan!"
Outside the Cat Tea House, Rong Xuan walked slower and slower, and after so long, he was still wandering around in front of the gate. He naturally heard Yan Qing's shouts.
In the blink of an eye, he rushed to her side.
Yan Qing's hands were trembling.
She reached out and gripped his sleeve tightly, weakly uttering a few words, "Rong Xiao is in trouble."
Her hand was grabbed instead, and she looked up to meet Rong Xuan's anxious face: "How could this be? They set off back to the capital yesterday, and my people have been following them..."
Yan Qing interrupted him, "They didn't set off. Just now, Rong Xiao committed suicide."
Silence spread between the two.
After an unknown amount of time, the noise outside the door brought Yan Qing back to her senses.
It's Deng Chan.
What brings her here?
Yan Qing took two steps forward, wanting her to go back first and come back to find her later. Her mind was in a mess right now, and she really didn't have the energy to deal with Deng Chan.
Before she could finish speaking, Deng Chan interrupted her, her voice trembling with tears.
"Sister Yanqing, people outside are saying that a general in the Northern Border has died in battle, and they all say it was Cheng Changfeng."
She couldn't continue, and collapsed into Yan Qing's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
Cheng Changfeng?
Logically, the kitten should have been beside him, but it was hiding in the corner just now. Could it be that something really happened to him too?
Ke Rongxiao just...
No matter how fast the news spreads, it wouldn't have spread throughout the capital today.
It was premeditated.
All of this was planned by someone.
Yan Qing gritted her teeth, but softened when she heard the voice of the person in her arms.
"I don't know if this is true or not, and I can't go to my aunt and make her worry, so I can only come to you."
She patted Deng Chan, helped her up, and tried to remain calm as she comforted her, saying, "The good news from a few days ago didn't mention this. They should all be on their way back to the capital by now. This matter is probably just a rumor. Go and stay with Fangbi and the others. Don't overthink it."
Hearing her say that, Deng Chan calmed down a bit, stood up straight, saw Rong Xuan, called out to her but got no response, so she didn't say anything more and walked towards the backyard.
Rong Xuan remained frozen in place, offering no response, leaving Yan Qing somewhat helpless.
She had never experienced the pain of losing a family member, but she had just lost a companion, a pain that was hard to describe. Rong Xuan must be feeling even worse than her right now.
She took a few steps toward him, hesitated for a moment, and then decided to prioritize the present situation.
She said, "I don't know the whole story yet, but this was premeditated. Since they dared to take action directly, it means there's bound to be chaos in the capital. Now is not the time to be emotional. Cheer up."
Rong Xuan reacted. He looked up at Yan Qing and said, "Is it because I don't have enough manpower?"
The sound was very soft, like a feather, brushing against Yan Qingxin's heart.
She grabbed his collar and said sternly, "There is no such thing as a completely sealed net. No matter how well you prepare, they will find a loophole. This is not your fault. Stop wallowing in self-pity. Instead of wasting your time, think about what you can do next and protect the others."
These words were said to Rong Xuan, but even more so to herself.
Even with the system's support, she still couldn't protect the people she had chosen.
Wasn't what she had done enough? She wanted to ask that too, but if she kept asking like this, the world would be doomed, and she herself would be doomed.
Yan Qing calmed himself down, took Rong Xuan to the outside of the Cat Tea Garden, and handed him over to his men, instructing them to take him back to the manor and keep him under their care.
She concluded by saying, "Calm down first. I'll come find you once I've figured out what happened."
After saying that, she opened the cat map and walked towards the backyard.
After she explored the house and came out, Deng Chan had calmed down with the comfort of Fang Bi and He Yi, and her tears had stopped.
Seeing Yan Qing approach, looking rather unwell, he didn't say much and sat down on the couch that had always been there with his head down.
Seeing her like this, Yan Qing walked over, put a hand on her shoulder, and said, "Cheng Changfeng will be fine, don't worry."
After saying that, Fangbi glanced at her.
Yan Qing nodded to her.
She had just seen Cheng Changfeng, but the scene was too chaotic, so she didn't linger. She pieced together the truth from the few words spoken by the people there and left in a hurry.
Deng Chan nodded to her and said, "I also believe he will be alright."
After saying that, he stood up and solemnly bid them farewell: "Then I'll go back first. Let's get together again in a few days, with him."
There was nothing wrong with what she said, and Fangbi and Heyi waved goodbye to her.
But Yan Qing felt something was off about her and kept a close eye on her movements.
As expected, Deng Chan took a carriage and headed out of the city at dusk.
Yan Qing hurriedly followed, and only managed to catch up with her after a great effort.
The calm she maintained that morning was an act; only now did she reveal her true feelings, bursting into tears in Yan Qing's arms. "I didn't even get to say goodbye to him properly. What if something really happens to him? I want to see him with my own eyes."
If Cheng Changfeng had already regrouped and set off again, then sending Deng Chan wouldn't be a big deal. But things are chaotic there, and it won't be long before things get chaotic in the capital. At this time, it's absolutely not okay for her to leave.
Yan Qing was unusually firm with her, taking her back into the city. "If anything happens to you on this trip, think about how your family will react, how your aunt will react. Cheng Changfeng is fine, I assure you. Don't leave the manor recently, they will be back soon."
After finally coaxing her back, Yan Qing breathed a sigh of relief. On the way back, she found a place to sit down and tried to sort out her thoughts and deal with what was to come.
At this time of day, pedestrians should be heading home, but instead, many people are gathered in groups.
Even now, anything unusual would set her on high alert. She got up and walked toward them, hearing them talking from a short distance away.
"Have you heard? That one, that one isn't Consort Shu."
"Who is it? Who is it? Explain yourself clearly, don't beat around the bush and make people anxious."
"King Qi! The news coming from the palace is most likely true."
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