When news of the great victory in Ningzhou reached West State, Fengyu was overjoyed. It was the best news she had heard in the past two months. The entire West State was brimming with joy and harmony upon hearing of the triumph. Xie Jue and Xie Xun initially thought it would take until sumr to drive the Beiman out of the battlefield, but unexpectedly, they accomplished it in just two months. However, throwing 300,000 troops into an all-out decisive battle ant not just risking everything but a fight to the death—either one side perishes or the other. In this life-and-death struggle, the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, betting all their forces on this single campaign, fought fiercely, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides, ultimately forcing the Beiman to withdraw from the battlefield.
Spring was nearing its end, but the news from the southern front was far from good. The Sannan forces were adept at employing poisons. Despite the commander staying in Jiangnan for years without advancing, during training, the Sannan army only sporadically employed their mist tactic. The mist was poisonous but not fatal. Even then, nearly 10,000 soldiers stationed in Jiangnan experienced physical discomfort, suffering from symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea, requiring several days of recovery.
This ti, on the southern battlefield, Sannan’s toxic warfare spread across the front. Although the Jiangnan army was sowhat prepared, they still underestimated the potency of Sannan’s toxins. Those affected by the toxins suffered relentless high fevers, vomiting, and diarrhea—symptoms resembling a plague but clearly not one. Upon hearing the news, Fengyu sought out Nangong Heng and Xue Yu. After consulting with them, they organized a volunteer team of doctors across the twelve provinces to head to the southern battlefield and assist the commander in dealing with Sannan’s poisonous formations.
The southern battlefront was in dire straits. Fengyu thought, no wonder Han Ziqi was so confident, daring to probe their defenses at West State. The Yanyang forces always fought with straightforwardness and integrity, relying on the commander’s strategy and the bravery of their soldiers. Thus, the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry achieved unparalleled victories, fad for their valor, but they had little experience dealing with toxic formations.
"Miss, spring plowing is mostly finished, so you can finally take a break for a while. With good news coming from Ningzhou, don’t pull such a long face—be cheerful." Qiuxiang set the al for Fengyu. Today, Fengyu had been to the governnt office to discuss affairs with Nangong Heng and returned late; it was already deep into the night.
At dinner, she had little appetite, so Qiuxiang prepared so snacks for her as a midnight al.
"I’m thinking about how to resolve the southern battlefield’s toxic formations. At least we’ve been fighting the Beiman for years, understanding them well. Zhixu and Second Brother have experience with their tactics. But with Sannan’s toxic formations, they’ve never encountered them before. I also don’t know how bad the casualties in the south are," Fengyu said. The twelve provinces sent around 30 doctors, but dicine was already scarce. Fengyu even specifically allocated so heat-clearing and detoxifying herbs to send to Lanzhou, though she wasn’t sure if it would make a difference.
Xu Zhou and Cui Lansong had already led 40,000 troops from Jiaozhou to Lanzhou to join forces with the Jiangnan army in resisting Sannan. Now, the northern and southern battlefronts were united.
Ningzhou must win, and Lanzhou must win!
"Deploying troops is the responsibility of this group of Great Generals. Miss stays behind the lines preparing grain and dicine, forging weapons, and managing agricultural tasks—enough burden already. Don’t overwork yourself; your injuries have just begun to heal. The doctor said you still need proper rest."
"Got it, little housekeeper," Fengyu replied, rubbing her sore neck. "Where’s Ruyi? I haven’t seen him in ages. Bring him over to have so midnight snacks with ."
"Alright, Lady Zhang said Ruyi has been crying out to be held by you." Qiuxiang stepped out to fetch soone to look for Ruyi.
Fengyu leaned her tired head on her hand, waiting for her little source of joy, when suddenly, she heard Qiuxiang scream.
She thought Qiuxiang had accidentally tripped. Walking out, she said, "Qiuxiang, you’re so careless even while walking..."
Her voice abruptly stopped. Several figures dressed in black dropped silently into the courtyard, one of them pressing a longsword against Qiuxiang’s neck, already drawing a line of blood.
It was Chen Mo!
"Miss, run..." Qiuxiang shouted. Chen Mo struck her unconscious with a blow, then sneered, "Third Miss, co along with , or I’ll kill her."
"Commander Chen, what a rare guest..." Fengyu hadn’t expected Chen Mo to break into the City Lord Mansion. Normally, the Mansion was guarded with strict vigilance, especially after Han Ziqi’s surprise attack on West State. Zhang Da had heightened the defenses and rarely left Fengyu’s side. Today, Fengyu had sent Zhang Da to the Salt and Iron Departnt, as she generally stayed indoors after returning ho. Hence, Zhang Da was away, and Nuanyang, who was responsible for West State’s general defense, was preoccupied with city fortifications alongside Chen Jiangdong.
She hadn’t anticipated that Chen Mo, who was supposed to be far away in the Capital City, would appear at the West State City Lord Mansion.
Chen Mo tossed a rose-hued hairpin toward Fengyu. "This is Princess Chen Fei’s hairpin; surely you recognize it. If you don’t co with , not only will she die—your parents and grandmother will too. The Emperor’s patience with you has reached its limit. I’ll count to three. If you don’t surrender obediently, I’ll kill your maid first!"
Fengyu’s eyes burned with fury. Sister... Sister was in danger! She had a signal firework hidden in her sleeve—if she sent out an alert, they wouldn’t escape West State. But what about her sister?
"One..."
Adding to her despair, she heard Ruyi’s laughter as Lady Zhang approached the courtyard with him. Although Ruyi was nominally Second Brother’s eldest son, Chen Mo was Yuwen Jing’s lackey. Yuwen Jing utterly despised the Xie brothers. If he whimsically decided to take Ruyi back to the Capital City...
Fengyu’s blood froze. Abruptly, she shouted, "Lady Zhang, take Ruyi and run—don’t co in!"
Lady Zhang had nearly reached the courtyard entrance. She had been walking while entertaining Ruyi when she heard Fengyu’s shout. Her heart raced as she scooped up Ruyi and fled toward the corridor. Ruyi, unaware of what was happening, kept crying out for Fengyu, but Lady Zhang covered his mouth as they ran.
Two figures in black cursed and moved to give chase, but Fengyu stopped them sharply: "Stand still!"
Fengyu quickly pulled out the signal firework. "If I light this, the gates will close imdiately. Commander Chen, I’ll go with you, but you must promise to take only ."
Ti was already running short, as the commotion had started to attract attention. Chen Mo struck Qiuxiang away and seized Fengyu’s firework, then knocked her unconscious.
"That ’Ruyi’ she ntioned just now should be Xie Jue’s eldest son. Find him imdiately and take him with us!"
"Sir, the Third Miss has already alerted others. We shouldn’t linger. The Emperor’s command was to capture the Third Miss only—no unnecessary complications. If we fail to escape West State, our mission will be ruined."
Chen Mo gritted his teeth. Looking at the unconscious Fengyu, he quickly made his decision. "Let’s go!"
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