Xuanming slept peacefully through the second half of the night, sleeping soundly until dawn.
When the rooster crowed, everyone in the house breathed a sigh of relief; they had finally made it through the night.
Qian Youxue yawned widely, her eyelids drooping, and handed the water jug containing the Snow Spirit Spring from her waist to Bu Yu: "Here, give him a few sips when he wakes up."
"Your Highness is tired, please go back and rest. Leave the rest to me. Wuya, tell the kitchen to send some breakfast to Your Highness. It's better to eat before you rest." Buyu could tell that the mistress and her servants were all sleepy. She wondered how they had managed to get through the night in the forest.
Mmm!
Qian Youxue nodded repeatedly, and led the two maids back to their room. After eating and drinking her fill, she fell asleep on the quilt before Yunhe could fetch water for her to wash.
There was no other way. Although she couldn't fight that night, setting up those formations required injecting spiritual and soul power, and her physical strength was almost completely depleted.
Yunhe yawned and told Sister Mei'er to go and rest first. She was afraid that if she fell asleep on the table, her master might not be able to find her when he woke up.
Mei'er still had some injuries that needed treatment, so she didn't delay with Yunhe. She covered her wounds and left the room, returning to the servants' quarters.
Overnight, there were many corpses in the War King's mansion. However, from the guards to the old women, everyone in the War King's mansion seemed to be used to this kind of thing. They loaded the corpses onto the carts at a very fast speed and cleaned the floor spotlessly, as if nothing had happened the night before.
Meanwhile, in the main hall of the palace, the emperor, suffering from a splitting headache from a sleepless night, listened absentmindedly to the various matters reported by his ministers.
"Report! Urgent! Last night our army was attacked, and Prince Yi retreated to outside Dongshan County. Your Majesty, please make a decision!" Just as the Emperor was feeling down, a loud voice immediately perked him up.
Attacked!
The Emperor shook his head in frustration. Prince Yi was young and impetuous, lacked experience in leading troops, and often refused to listen to advice. It would be too difficult for someone like him to win a battle.
Fortunately, this was something he had anticipated. He glanced at the assembled ministers and calmly began, "Tell me, how should this matter be handled?"
"Your Majesty, Prince Yi is still young. Please have mercy!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, even Prince Yi was not as amazing on the battlefield."
"Your Majesty, please give Prince Yi another chance!"
Those who spoke were all the Empress's people, and the Emperor noted them all down. He was quite curious as to why the Prime Minister, as the Empress's father-in-law, remained silent.
Is it because you're afraid of offending Zhan'er, or because you're afraid of offending him?
Qian Sheng wasn't stupid; at this moment, those speaking up for Prince Yi were all the Empress's people. He had always maintained neutrality and wouldn't take sides until he understood the situation clearly. Although he had previously considered using the Empress to create more connections for the Qian family, You Xue's current status forced him to be more cautious.
In addition, there's the Emperor's attitude!
hehe……
Things are probably not that simple. In that case, he will remain calm and observe the situation before making any further plans.
What a cunning old fox! He's playing it safe!
The Emperor was displeased. He seemed uncomfortable if he didn't bring Qian Sheng in and give him a hard time. So, before Qian Sheng could speak, he called out, "Prime Minister Qian, do you have any good suggestions?"
Sweating profusely, Qian Sheng cupped his hands and stepped forward: "Your Majesty, Prince Yi is not a reckless man. Perhaps the retreat is only temporary?"
That's nonsense, it's like saying nothing at all.
The Emperor rolled his eyes at Qian Sheng and said impatiently, "Say something useful!"
"If Your Majesty is still worried, you can send someone else to support Prince Yi." Qian Sheng thought that with so many people in the court under the Empress, even if there were to be someone to support him, they would surely be able to provide some.
That's just more nonsense!
Unwilling to give up, the emperor continued, "Then who do you think is suitable to send?"
Qian Sheng realized that the Emperor was going to make an example of him. If he continued to deal with the situation and angered the Emperor, he would definitely have a hard time. So he could only obediently bow and say, "I think it would be better to send an old minister."
"Who?" the emperor demanded.
"This old minister recommends General Chen Jin. I wonder what Your Majesty thinks?" Qian Sheng had no choice but to find a neutral person.
Very well, Qian Sheng, you old fox, I can't catch you anymore!
The Emperor was furious, but there were very few neutral veteran generals like Chen Jin in the court. Although he couldn't compare to General Su, he was a good candidate to help Yi'er.
Alright, consider yourself lucky this time, Qian Sheng.
So he issued an edict ordering Chen Jin to lead troops to support Yi'er, then waved goodbye to the court and went back to rest.
Qian Sheng wiped the sweat from his brow and looked up to find the ministers who had been siding with the Empress staring at him. He forced a smile, flicked his sleeves, and left the court.
In Kunning Palace, the Empress, who had just returned from outside, was already in a bad mood. Upon hearing from the servants about what had happened in the court, she overturned the breakfast on the table.
"Your Majesty, please calm down and go receive your reward!" Granny Wang waved to the young eunuch, who obediently withdrew.
After everyone had left, Granny Wang had the servants clean up the floor and brought a bowl of sweet soup to the Empress: "Your Majesty, please have something hot to drink."
The Empress was exhausted and hungry. She took the sugar water and drank a few sips, but her heart felt heavy because of what the young eunuch had just said.
Why……
With a sigh, she said angrily, "What exactly does Qian Sheng mean?"
"I'm afraid Qian Sheng is unhappy about losing her position as Crown Princess," Wang Mama casually remarked.
The Empress thought there was some truth to this. Qian Sheng had quite an appetite, so it was normal for him to feel uncomfortable about making Qian Muxue a concubine.
However, she didn't want it to end this way. It was the Emperor's fault for not agreeing to Lord Sai's wishes; without curing that bastard's leg, there was no way she could persuade the Emperor to relent. But Lord Sai's request was indeed too unreasonable; how could the Emperor bear to use that precious treasure to save that bastard?
"My lord, don't take it to heart. Once this storm passes, we'll welcome Qian Muxue into the Crown Prince's residence. If Qian Muxue can really give the Crown Prince a son, then we'll have a way to get the Emperor to give in," Wang Mama suggested from the side. But, the matter of whether someone has a son or a daughter is not something anyone can decide.
However, the Empress was not worried about this. Even if Qian Muxue couldn't give birth to a son, she could still create such an ending if she wanted it to.
However, it was unexpected that even with a master like Hai Sheng, Lord Sai still suffered a defeat last night, losing a key figure in the battle. Moreover, none of the others who went in returned, resulting in extremely heavy losses for them.
Haisheng is a master of formations, how could he have turned into this?
Could it be that besides that old man, the War King's Mansion has other array masters?
Last night, Master Sai was seriously injured, and Hai Sheng protected him as he came out, so she didn't dare to ask too many questions. Only after they left did she realize that she hadn't asked about such an important matter.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
