Chapter 1442: Chapter 1442: Good News
The next day, Lady Li was worried sick about her family’s illness, and for someone who seldom fell ill like her, this time the illness was quite severe.
Zhulan looked at Lady Li, who had become noticeably haggard overnight, "You’re not one to hide things. It must have been hard for you not to mention your family all this time."
That suppression in her heart had kindled a fire, and the illness had flared violently; overnight, blisters had even sprouted on her skin.
Blisters formed around Lady Li’s nose, and her mouth was so sore that even a slight movement caused pain. She said pitifully, "My mother has more to worry about, I didn’t want to add to her concerns."
Zhulan honestly was not worried about the war in the Dongbei. Alas, knowing too much is also loneliness; she couldn’t talk about it and it made her anxious, "From now on, don’t keep things bottled up, just speak your mind."
Lady Li’s eyes welled with tears as she nodded, "Mhm."
In the end, she still caused her mother-in-law to worry. The pain struck whenever she moved her lips, so she wiped her tears and dared not move again.
The medicinal soup was brought in, emitting an overpowering smell. The concoction was rich with heat-reducing herbs. In agony, Lady Li drank the medicinal soup. Even sugar could not mask the bitterness, causing her to retch repeatedly.
Zhulan gently patted Lady Li’s back, "Just take it easy. I don’t think the war will reach Pingzhou."
The Emperor had indeed sacrificed a few border states to lure the enemy deeper, but he would not give up Pingzhou. If the war really reached Pingzhou, that would mean losing half of the Dongbei states. With this year’s grain production already reduced, the Imperial court cannot afford such a loss.
Lady Li responded with a meek, "Mhm."
Zhulan knew she couldn’t console Lady Li; it was a matter concerning the lives of everyone in the Li family. Lady Li would not blindly believe her, even if her words were true.
After her mother-in-law left, Lady Li lay motionless in bed. She truly wanted to trust her mother-in-law’s words, but with no good news from the Dongbei, the entire Li family, over forty people, all depended on the Zhou family. The Zhou family would not leave, and neither would her parents.
In a mountain village, Rongchuan’s well-concealed whereabouts were exposed, and the assassins relentlessly pursued him; he had no choice but to hide within the village.
Last night’s heavy rain had covered their tracks, and the leader of the sworn bodyguards returned from patrol, "The assassins haven’t caught up."
Rongchuan felt relieved, then said, "We’ve concealed our movements so well, yet the assassins still discovered us. They will not rest until they have killed me."
The leader of the sworn bodyguards said, "Your servant will ensure Prince’s safe return to the capital."
Rongchuan sighed. The last few days of pursuit cost many of his sworn bodyguards their lives. Even the leader had been wounded, "Since the small village is safe, let’s stay here a few more days so you all can heal properly."
"Yes."
Rongchuan turned and went back inside the house to see his wife, who had barely touched her porridge, "No appetite?"
Xue Han touched her protruding belly, "Yes, not much of an appetite."
Rongchuan also looked at his wife’s belly. Continuous assassination attempts had affected the pregnancy, "This child has suffered."
Xue Han felt a wave of pain in her heart, "I’m really afraid the child won’t be healthy after birth."
Having had blood loss from the pregnancy scares twice, the child was still inside her. It didn’t want to leave its mother.
Rongchuan found it hard to bear, "Let’s recuperate here in the village. Once you’ve recovered, we will set off again."
Xue Han asked, "Is it safe here?"
"It’s safe."
Xue Han exhaled with relief, feeling secure at last. She and the child could no longer withstand the constant fleeing.
Rongchuan held his wife’s hand, "The child will be born safely, and will grow up healthy."
Xue Han held his hand back, "He will grow up healthy."
The next day, an incident occurred in the Palace overnight. The Yiqi Tribe princess attempted to harm the heir of the throne, resulting in Princess Aerola’s child being stillborn. The Emperor was furious, interrogating the Yiqi Tribe princess overnight, extracting the truth that the Yiqi Tribe’s submission was feigned; their borrowing of troops was a ruse, with their real intention to pinch the Dongbei tribes from both sides.
This time, Princess Aerola uncovered the Yiqi Tribe’s plot to harm the heir, rendering their conspiracy unsuccessful. The Grassland Tribe’s incursion at the border instigated war. With such brazen ambition, there will be no leniency this time.
Zhou Shuren stood in the grand hall, listening to the Emperor articulating reasons that brooked no tolerance. He didn’t know whether the princess from the Yiqi Tribe came to the Palace with a mission, he only knew this was all the Emperor’s scheming—with the Emperor standing on the side of righteousness.
Meanwhile, far to the north, a prince of the Yiqi Tribe sat astride his horse, his gaze fierce as he looked towards Prince Liang, "What is the meaning of Prince Liang surrounding us?"
Prince Liang played with the riding crop in his hand, "The Yiqi Tribe falsely asked to borrow troops, secretly partnering with the Dongbei tribes for a pincer attack against this Prince. What reason do you think this Prince has for surrounding you?"
The prince of the Yiqi Tribe felt a heavy heart, "Has Your Highness believed in rumors? Our tribe has submitted to the Emperor’s rule, and my sister is an imperial consort. How could we conspire with the Dongbei tribes?"
Prince Liang sneered, "Refusing to admit until one sees the coffin. Bring it here—let our prince have a look."
The prince caught the thrown letters, scanning through them one by one. Nothing needed to be said further—the Yiqi Tribe had been under surveillance all this time. He dropped the letters and drawing his saber, he shouted, "Break through!"
Prince Liang retreated on horseback, shields raised in front of him, archers with arrows wrapped in burning medicine bags. With another wave, a volley of arrows flew and thick smoke arose.
Prince Liang had already ridden to higher ground, his gaze coolly surveying the Yiqi Tribe’s soldiers as they fell from their horses one by one. After a quarter of an hour, the shields were lifted, revealing only the horses nuzzling their lifeless masters on the ground—some killed by poison, others by arrows.
Upon hearing the report that there were no survivors, Prince Liang gasped in shock. It’s said that the most ruthless was the Emperor—this secret medicine could not be detected when consumed, only with the encounter of the antagonistic herbal drug would it produce a deadly poison.
The Yiqi Tribe moved slowly, blissfully unaware of the deep poison within them. If they had not consumed it over a long period, the poison would not have taken such rapid effect within just a quarter of an hour.
Prince Liang took a deep breath, "Send word back to the capital, the entire Yiqi Tribe has been annihilated."
"Yes."
"Strip the Yiqi Tribe of their clothes and put on their garments—we will inflict upon them a scheme of their own making."
General Qian rubbed his hands, "Yes."
This time, they could finally fight to their heart’s content. To make the act convincing, it was indeed stifling for the soldiers these days.
At the Zhou family, Lin Xi and Zeze once again left the Palace. Lin Xi said, "The empress dowager needs to recuperate, so she sent us to live outside the Palace."
The Empress Dowager was worried about Rongchuan, her health was never good, the Empress needed to nurture her unborn child, and now that something had happened in the Palace once again, the two children would be safer at the Zhou residence.
"You will wait with your grandmother for your parents to return."
Initially, Lin Xi didn’t know the reason for the empress dowager’s illness. Although the empress dowager had ordered not to tell her, she still found out. To avoid worrying the empress dowager, she had always kept it to herself, but now that she was out of the Palace and saw her grandmother, she couldn’t hold back, "Grandma, my parents will return to the capital safely, right?"
Zhulan’s hands paused briefly, "Hmm, your parents will return to the capital safely. They will come to pick you and Zeze up themselves."
Lin Xi lay in her grandmother’s arms, the Palace felt empty and she was very scared, "Dad and Mom said they will teach me how to ride a horse."
"By then, we will surely choose a beautiful little pony for Lin Xi."
There were dark circles under Lin Xi’s eyes, she had not slept well for a long time.
Zhulan held her granddaughter, rhythmically patting her back, and upon hearing the sounds of her granddaughter sleeping, she raised her hand to touch the little girl’s hair. Children of the imperial family mature early; this time, with Rongchuan in trouble, Lin Xi was forced to grow up once more.
Now the Grassland Tribe’s expedition was unsuccessful, meeting the formidable power of cannons that greatly affected the morale of the tribe’s warriors. To inspire morale, the pursuit of Rongchuan would intensify—Rongchuan was the best flag bearer to rally around.
Time flew by, and with successive imperial edicts issued from the capital, troops quickly assembled in the Northwest, waiting for the order to break out of the city. The Northwest was waiting, waiting for the great victory in Dongbei.
The news of the Dongbei’s great victory reached the capital first. The Emperor laughed heartily, "Good, good."
Although Zhou Shuren was confident, he had been anxious without seeing the outcome. Now he could finally feel at ease.
The faces of all the ministers in the study were filled with joy.
But the Emperor’s smile faded quickly, his gaze falling upon the victorious report.
The Retired Emperor was also present, sensing something, he took the victorious report from the Emperor’s hand, gripping it tightly.