Chapter 918: Chapter 534: Capital Lockdown
With the strength of the border army led by Duke Tang, it wouldn’t be hard to defeat Prince Hejian within a few months.
But the issue is... the Western Regions...
The Western Regions would likely be eager to weaken the court’s blockade on the border and might stir up trouble.
Even though Princess Wenzhu is there, the actual power is in the hands of the Buddhist Dharma King, and if the Dharma King orders to restrain the border army, Princess Wenzhu might not be able to stop it...
Still, we cannot rely on others... Zhao Douan sighed softly in his heart, saying, "I will report to Your Majesty truthfully."
With that, a meeting came to an end, and the soldiers got up to leave, attending to the aftermath duties.
However, compared to the joy after a great victory, everyone felt a trace of urgency.
In three months... can they capture the Huai River? Even with Xue Shence overseeing, with all three Capital Camps out, having consecutively crushed the Qingzhou Army and captured Su Dan in two victories, it still fails to inspire confidence.
And Zhao Douan also returned to a room within the county government, had a simple meal, then slept for a while. When the sun extinguished, and the sky turned dark, the world dimmed, he woke again.
Finally feeling his spirit replenished, he attempted to visualize the "Human World" once more.
...
In a daze, Zhao Douan once again entered the world within the painting, but this time, as soon as he entered the painting, he clearly felt the existence of the "Stele."
"Hmm, is it because I’ve left some marks after stepping out of the painting previously?"
Zhao Douan didn’t know the principle, but his consciousness instinctively adjusted direction, not falling toward the metropolis below, but floating in mid-air, following that strange pull to find a seam in the darkness.
"Could it be that these seams existed all along? Yes, if there were no seams, how did my consciousness enter here? So it’s because I previously failed to perceive the cracks leading in and out of the painting."
"Or, did Zhenbao leave a unique seam on the painting the first time she entered here, and last time I memorized this coordinate?"
"It’s interesting to say, only inside the painting do I exist as my past life’s identity, once outside, I return to my ’Zhao Douan’ identity."
Zhao Douan mused idly, attempting to actively dive into the seam.
...
Imperial Palace, within the old fourth-floor pavilion.
Zhao Douan suddenly emerged from the mural, what greeted him was darkness.
The Imperial Palace had also entered the night. However, in the pitch-dark room, a palace lantern was lit, its exquisite flame burning quietly.
Dispersing a piece of darkness.
Xu Zhenguan sat quietly on the cushion, surprisingly having dinner!
A small table laid on the ground, atop were dishes and a pot of wine.
Witnessing Zhao Douan’s "return," chopsticks poised to pick food, Xu Zhenguan was momentarily taken aback, then smiled, saying with a glint of a smile, "It seems you’ve succeeded."
Zhao Douan was also momentarily startled, his expression changing, "Your Majesty wouldn’t have been waiting here all along, would you?"
Xu Zhenguan naturally nodded, "Of course, I’ve been waiting."
She explained earnestly, "This matter is worth the wait."
From the time Zhao Douan returned to Linfeng until now, several hours had passed.
She had waited from afternoon until nightfall.
Zhao Douan was silent for a moment, exhaled, and explained, "After returning, I found my Divine Soul unusually fatigued, rested for a long while, handled some aftermath matters, then attempted to return. It seems I can frequently traverse in this state, but the price is the exhaustion of energy each time, requiring rest."
Xu Zhenguan’s eyes held a trace of delight, though only the ’soul’ could drift over, not the complete person, it was in any view a good thing.
"Would you sit and talk? Unfortunately, in this form, you can’t eat," Xu Zhenguan joked.
Zhao Douan gave a bitter laughed, averting his gaze from the delicacies on the table, he didn’t waste words, recounting various matters following the campaign, including Wei Xianzong’s contributions despite his crimes.
"In this case, you truly backed the right person, Mr. Yuan’s recommendation indeed has talent," Xu Zhenguan nodded and said, "The situation of war is special, if he is willing to make up for his crimes with merits, he may be given a chance."
Zhao Douan nodded, mentioning the reunion of the Yu Xiu sisters.
"Such a thing occurred? Very well, you may handle matters concerning this person as you see fit at the front," Xu Zhenguan nodded, showing surprised, though these weren’t major issues.
Not until Zhao Douan finished recounting the content of the post-war meeting with the leaders, and Xue Shence’s worries, did Xu Zhenguan finally become grave.
"Blocking supplies, starving the court... indeed a difficult matter to resolve, yet within three months, to reclaim the Huai River is a pipe dream. What do you think?" Xu Zhenguan asked, eyes glinting in the darkness.