son, don't mess around

It's quiet at night.

A figure quickly appeared under the eaves and looked at the figure standing in the courtyard.

Seemingly oblivious to the chill of winter, the moonlight stretched that lonely figure long.

"Sister Paper Kite..."

Jasmine stared blankly at the scene, and only when she came to her senses did she remember something: "His Highness has already arrived at the front line in Xuzhou, and the news has spread among the imperial army..."

"I heard that Your Highness brought relief supplies and provisions from Jiangnan this time, which won the favor of many soldiers in the imperial army. Your Highness is now enjoying unparalleled prestige and influence in the imperial army..."

"Also, His Highness...he saw that woman..."

"..."

Paper Kite stood in the courtyard, quietly listening to Jasmine's report, her cool face showing little emotional fluctuation.

Seeing this, Jasmine seemed to realize something, her expression hesitant and worried: "Sister Paper Kite, are you really not going to see His Highness?"

Zhiyuan raised her eyes, her gaze fixed on a distant direction, lost in thought.

"Your Highness has come all this way. If you don't show yourself, he will definitely worry."

Jasmine couldn't understand Paper Kite's thoughts. His Highness had come to the front lines this time, so why wasn't she there?

Even more surprisingly, Sister Paper Kite was trying to match the prince with the newly enthroned empress... This left Jasmine completely baffled.

Isn't Sister Paper Kite blatantly sending her man into the arms of another woman?

Jasmine couldn't help but feel anxious for Paper Kite.

Zhiyuan's cool expression seemed to be in a daze for a moment, but she quickly recovered. She paused for a moment, then shook her head slightly: "Gone."

"He has more important things to do right now."

"Something more important?"

Jasmine looked bewildered. The Prince's troops hadn't arrived yet, and while His Highness certainly had many things to do, surely he couldn't possibly be without time to even see Sister Paper Kite?

"Sister Paper Kite..."

Jasmine seemed to realize something, and her voice suddenly became serious: "Did that woman threaten you? Did she say something to you last time, Paper Kite?"

Jasmine suddenly remembered that she had seen that woman once before Paper Kite left.

The atmosphere seemed a bit off; the woman who became emperor looked very intimidating... Could it be that she used her power to try and break up Sister Paper Kite and His Highness?
Paper Kite paused for a moment, then shook her head slightly.

"No."

"She and he still have very important things to do."

Zhiyuan's expression remained calm: "I won't bother you."

Jasmine: "?"

She sensed something was wrong, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.

That's really not right!
It feels like my own Paper Kite sister has become the victim.

Or are they willing victims?
……

Before Jasmine could think things through, she heard Paper Kite's cold voice again: "Have you found out where Auntie is?"

Jasmine snapped out of her reverie and shook her head: "Not yet, but I found out that Miss Jiang seemed to have some unusual reactions before leaving the Jiang family, and she even met with some people."

Paper Kite's gaze sharpened slightly: "Who have you seen?"

"This servant does not know, but give this servant some more time, and I should be able to find out."

Jasmine spoke up: "Based on the evidence from my investigation, Miss Jiang left the Jiang family voluntarily, without being coerced or kidnapped..."

Jasmine gave a full report of her investigation in one go.

Paper Kite listened quietly for a long time before calmly turning around.

"let's go."

Jasmine was taken aback: "Where to?"

"We are no longer needed here."

Zhiyuan gazed intently in a certain direction outside the courtyard: "They need us more over there."

"..."

In a year of peace, at the beginning of spring.

Xu Wang's rebel army amassed tens of thousands of elite troops and, at a heavy cost, finally captured Anping City. The once prosperous and well-connected city of Anping was reduced to ruins and fell into the hands of Xu Wang's rebel army.

The new empress of the Da Ning Dynasty led the remaining imperial troops to retreat to Chuyang City, fifty miles away, to rest and recuperate and reorganize the remaining generals.

Xu Wang's rebel army did not give the imperial army a chance to catch its breath. They once again gathered tens of thousands of elite troops and marched south from Anping City, splitting into two routes, intending to annihilate the imperial army's strength and capture the Empress of the Da Ning Dynasty alive.

Meanwhile, having broken through the important pass of Anping City, Xu Wang's army had no more worries and advanced rapidly, sweeping through the enemy lines and reaching the gates of Chuyang City, where they launched another fierce siege.

This protracted siege did not last long. Under the continuous onslaught of Xu Wang's army from all directions, the already exhausted imperial army suffered repeated defeats and was almost completely routed.

Just as Xu Wang's rebel army was riding high and preparing to take Chuyang City in one fell swoop and capture the 'Demon Queen' alive,

In February of the first year of the Taiping era, the vanguard troops of the Prince of Lin's Palace arrived at the front line battlefield silently, having traveled upstream along the waterways of Jiangnan.

The sudden appearance of the Prince of Lin's army on the northern battlefield instantly reversed the previously one-sided situation.

Everyone thought that the long journey and the unfamiliar environment would surely weaken the fighting capacity of the Linwang Army.

However, the terrifying fighting power displayed by this army of the Prince of Lin exceeded everyone's expectations.

The Linwang army, which appeared on the northern front, bypassed the blockade of the Xuwang army's front-line forces with lightning speed and appeared outside Chuyang City in a surprise attack, blocking the main force of the Xuwang army that was besieging Chuyang City and preventing the fall of Chuyang City.

In the battle of Chuyang City, both the imperial army and the rebel army of Prince Xu were exhausted and suffered heavy losses. With the arrival of reinforcements from Prince Lin's army, the situation instantly turned around. Not only was the siege of Chuyang City lifted, but the defense was directly turned into offense.

Realizing the dire situation, Xu Hong immediately ordered a retreat to preserve his strength.

In February of the first year of the Taiping era, the revitalized imperial army, with the assistance of Prince Lin's army, launched a counterattack against Prince Xu's rebel army, intending to recapture the lost city of Anping. However, they were met with a fierce counterattack from Prince Xu's rebel army stationed within Anping.

In March of the first year of the Taiping era, the remaining two Linwang armies, which had traveled through Zhongzhou, arrived at the front line in Xuzhou and clashed head-on with the Xuwang rebels in various parts of Zhongzhou in the north.

The flames of war continued to spread, engulfing the northern borders of the dynasty.

At the same time, under the command of Empress Li Piaomiao, the imperial army launched another offensive against Anping City.

This time, seeing the situation was dire, Xu Wang's rebel army chose to abandon the city and retreat. Before leaving, to prevent the imperial army from pursuing them, Xu Wang's rebel army set fire to Anping City, completely reducing it to ashes.

This once bustling city, rich in history and culture, was completely destroyed by the fire, leaving hundreds of thousands of people displaced and forced to flee to other places.

In the northern territory of the Great Ning Dynasty, suffering was widespread and the people were living in misery.

……

In May of the first year of the Taiping era, in order to reverse the unfavorable situation on the northern battlefield, Xu Hong gathered 200,000 elite troops and 10,000 cavalry, and launched the largest-scale frontal battle against the imperial court and the Prince of Lin's forces in Taiyuan, Xuzhou.

In this battle, the Xu Prince's rebel army was well-prepared, bringing out all the resources accumulated by the Xu Prince's family over generations. Xu Hong even made a solemn promise, borrowing tens of thousands of troops from northern grassland tribes to form a mighty army, determined to fight the imperial army head-on to the death.

This battle lasted for a full three months.

In Taiyuan, rivers of blood flowed, cries of agony filled the air, and the land was stained crimson with blood.

This land has become a terrifying meat grinder.

Under the Empress's leadership, the imperial army bravely resisted the offensive of Prince Xu's rebel army.

This young empress displayed the might of a grandmaster, appearing alone on the battlefield, fighting against ten or even a hundred men single-handedly. Her invincible demeanor greatly boosted the morale of the imperial army.

Meanwhile, on the other side, under the leadership of the Crown Prince of Lin, this terrifying army that once swept across the world and conquered more than a dozen countries in the southern border region has once again displayed its former glory on the northern battlefield.

The Linwang Army was highly trained, fearless, and unparalleled in bravery on the battlefield. Led by their two vanguard generals, Zheng Zhiming and Dongfang Guanshan, they were like two steel blades piercing deep into the heart of the Xuwang rebel army, heading straight for their throat. This terrifying and agonizing battle had no winners!
The three sides' elite forces suffered heavy losses, but none had any reason to retreat. Everyone knew that retreating meant utter defeat!

No one can afford the consequences of losing!

As time went on, Xu Wang's rebel army finally began to show signs of defeat.

Even though the rebel army led by Prince Xu was exceptionally brave and the Prince Xu's mansion had a deep foundation, it could not withstand such terrifying and high-intensity losses. As local troops from various prefectures and counties arrived one after another to provide support, the scales of victory slowly tipped in the imperial court's favor.

In September of the first year of the Taiping era, a surprise force of the Linwang army penetrated deep into the heart of the Xuwang rebel army and burned down the Xuwang rebel army's Liang camp from the rear.

The rebel army led by King Xu was forced to withdraw and retreat back into Xuzhou.

This retreat meant that all the efforts of Xu Wang's rebel army on the front lines had been in vain.

At the same time, the combined forces of the imperial army, the Prince of Lin's army, and local troops from various prefectures and counties pursued their victory northward to recover lost territory.

In the twelfth month of a peaceful year, another winter arrived!

The rebel army led by Prince Xu suffered repeated defeats and devastating blows within Xuzhou, with various parts of the territory gradually being recovered by the imperial army. The remaining rebels retreated to Xuzhou city, where they held firm and put up a final, stubborn resistance.

That winter, the imperial army besieged Xuzhou.

A sudden heavy snowfall enveloped the entire city. Within Xuzhou City, cries of despair filled the air, and an atmosphere of despair and terror permeated the city.

"Father, we... have lost!"

Inside the Xu Prince's mansion, the former heir of the Xu Prince was no longer the spirited young man he once was. Instead, his eyes were vacant, filled with bitterness and despair.

My dream of many years has vanished in an instant.

They lost!

They lost badly.

They squandered the wealth that the Xu family had built up over generations!
Xu Hong, the once all-powerful Prince Xu, now had a gloomy look in his eyes as he stared intently at the sand table on the table.

"We haven't lost yet!"

His eyes gleamed, and his voice was deep.

But his tone betrayed his panic and helplessness.

Xu Xuan said in despair, "Father, we... have no more trump cards left!"

“Our Xu Wangjun army was almost completely wiped out… They sacrificed everything they had accumulated from my grandfather’s generation…”

"Even if we keep going, we still can't win..."

"Father, let's retreat."

Xu Hong stared intently at the sand table: "Retreat? Where can we retreat to? Xuzhou has fallen, we have nowhere to retreat!"

Xu Xuan said, "Father, we can still go north! They will rescue us there... Once we get there, we can regroup and, given time, have a chance to make a comeback!"

Xu Hong's gaze was deep, and he said coldly, "They won't. They are all fierce wolves. Once we are no longer of any use to them, they will bare their fangs!"

"Moreover, this time, they are in dire straits themselves!"

Xu Xuan remained silent, a feeling of despair welling up inside him.

Is there really no way out?

A tense atmosphere hung in the air. After a long while, Xu Hong slowly raised his head and stared at Xu Xuan, as if he had made up his mind. He said in a deep voice, "You go with Chaoge. I will send people to fight their way out under the cover of night and escort the two of you away. You cannot go north; go south to Linzhou..."

Xu Hong's gaze was deep: "Go to Linzhou incognito; that's the safest place. Remember not to reveal your identities."

Xu Xuan suddenly looked up: "Then, Father, what about you?"

"I can't leave, and I won't leave!"

Xu Hong's gaze was deep, his hands behind his back. At this moment, this king of the Great Ning Dynasty, who was not of the same surname, revealed his true aura.

"I, the king, live and die in Xuzhou, and I will fight Xuzhou to the very end!"

"This time, I have lost, but so what?!"

Xu Xuan's heart trembled: "Father, I will not leave. I will stay with you and defend Xuzhou to the death."

You must leave!

Xu Hong stared intently at him: "You are the last bloodline of my Xu family, and also our last hope... Go to Linzhou, the most dangerous place is the safest place."

"In the future, the Xu family will still need your help to rise again... and Chaoge, she can be of great help to you!"

"As long as you are alive, my Xu family has not completely lost!"

Xu Xuan gritted his teeth, his eyes red-rimmed, and nodded forcefully: "Yes!"

……

Heavy snow fell, blanketing the territory of Xuzhou in the north.

"It's snowing again!"

Inside the Xu Prince's Mansion, in the backyard.

A stunningly beautiful figure stood under the eaves, gazing absently at the falling snowflakes.

The once bustling and prosperous Xu Prince's Mansion is now in ruins.

The imperial army has besieged Xuzhou City, and everyone in the mansion is in a state of panic. Most of the servants have already been dismissed, and now the surroundings are quiet and deserted.

This solitary and beautiful figure stared blankly at the falling snowflakes, gazing into the distance, seemingly lost in thought, as if recalling something.

After a long while, a stunning smile gradually appeared on her face.

In the end, you still won!

She muttered to herself, but her tone seemed somewhat lost and dejected.

"It seems we'll never have the chance to meet again."

The soft voice drifted through the courtyard.

Just then, a voice that had been unseen for a long time, both familiar and unfamiliar, suddenly rang out.

Who says we won't have a chance to meet again?

The beautiful figure under the eaves suddenly trembled, as if frozen in place.

The next second, he suddenly turned around.

When she saw the familiar figure appear in her line of sight, an expression of disbelief appeared on her face.

I almost doubted my own eyes.

"you……"

"How did you come?!"

Xu Chaoge's voice trembled slightly, unable to suppress her emotions.

In her line of sight, that familiar figure, the one she had been longing for day and night, quietly appeared before her.

"I am coming!"

After a year apart, Lin Jiangnian seemed to have matured a lot. He calmly looked at the lonely figure in front of him, a familiar smile on his face.

Her voice was gentle, and she spoke softly.

"I've come to take you home!"

"..." (End of this chapter)