After being forced to leave the marriage, I became the wife of a top scholar.

The night is dark and everything is silent.

The concentration camp on the north mountain was eerily quiet, seemingly blending seamlessly with the tranquil night.

Bai Wanqing lay in the bushes and observed carefully for a while, and found that these men in black were indeed as her husband had described, with almost no expression.

The North Wind City has a new leader, but these men in black seem indifferent, continuing to do whatever they were doing as usual!
It seems that without the King of Huai's orders, they are like a group of walking corpses, posing no threat whatsoever.

The others didn't understand what Bai Wanqing was going to do!
She slowly stood up and walked out casually.

"Wanqing!" Fengniang followed closely behind, and Cui Jingcheng also jumped out.

Seeing that everyone had come out, Cheng Susu felt it was no longer appropriate for her to remain lying down, so she stood up and followed them out.

The same was true for the others; soon their commotion attracted the attention of the concentration camp's men in black.

As if triggered by some kind of reflex, the men in black quickly assembled and rushed towards Bai Wanqing and her group.

Twenty, one hundred, five hundred!
Looking at the densely packed group of assassins in black before her, Cheng Susu couldn't help but swallow hard. "Wanqing, with so many of them, we're probably no match for them!"

Cui Jingcheng and Feng Niang also tensed up instantly, silently clenching their fists, waiting for a big battle to begin.

Bai Wanqing kept a close eye on the man in black's movements, watching as he drew closer and closer to them.

Bai Wanqing took out a wooden sign, raised it above her head, and shouted, "Hear my command, stop!"

The leader of the men in black paused upon seeing the wooden sign and quickly stopped in his tracks.

The men in black following behind him also stopped when they saw this.

And so, all five hundred men in black turned their gazes toward the dozen or so of them.

Cheng Susu and Feng Niang felt a chill run down their spines as Bai Wanqing held up the wooden sign and walked step by step toward the man in black.

"Wanqing." Cheng Susu wanted to call Bai Wanqing back.

But it was too late; Bai Wanqing had already arrived in front of the leader of the men in black.

The man in black glanced expressionlessly at Bai Wanqing's face, then looked up at the wooden plaque in her hand, seemingly to confirm its authenticity.

Bai Wanqing smiled slightly, quickly grasped the wooden plaque in her hand, and extended it towards the man in black, saying generously, "How about I use this wooden plaque to make a deal with you?"

The man in black didn't even lift his eyelids, preparing to turn around and return to his camp with his men.

To these men in black, the wooden signs were nothing more than tasks that allowed them to control the lives and deaths of others.

They don't show it on their faces, but deep down they hate this wooden sign the most!

He didn't know where the woman got the wooden plaque from, but to use it to make a deal with them was utterly ridiculous.

Just as the man in black turned around, there was a soft click behind him.

The man in black stiffened, turned his head slightly, and saw that the wooden plaque in Bai Wanqing's hand had been broken into two pieces.

This crazy woman, she smashed the wooden sign with her own hands, is she trying to get herself killed?
The leader of the men in black looked at her with a puzzled expression, only to see Bai Wanqing take out a porcelain bottle from her sleeve. "I can cure the poison in your bodies!"

The man in black raised an eyebrow slightly, clearly not believing it!

But then another man in black suddenly stepped forward and whispered a few words in the ear of the leader, whose eyes gradually lit up.

"What kind of deal?" the leader of the men in black asked in a hoarse voice.

"Easy! Help me defend Northwind City!"

The leader of the men in black stepped forward and took the small porcelain bottle from Bai Wanqing's hand, then turned around and waved his hand!
Five hundred black figures surged into the night like a tide.

They moved nimbly through every corner of Northwind City, all surging towards the manor on West Mountain.

"Wanqing, can five hundred assassins in black really control those several thousand elite soldiers?"

Cheng Susu finally snapped out of her daze from the scene she had just witnessed and asked with lingering fear.

Cui Jingcheng and Feng Niang also looked at her with curiosity.

"Yes! Don't forget, for an assassin, the best strategy is to capture the leader first!"

That night, the Huai King's army, which had no leader to begin with, saw its deputy generals die one after another. To save their lives, the remaining Huai King's army had no choice but to surrender.

Bai Wanqing led five hundred men in black to imprison these people in Beishan!

The entire North Wind City has fallen into the hands of the Lin family army.

As the sun rises, the rosy clouds stretch endlessly.

When Fu Yan returned to Beifeng City at full speed, he looked up and saw the Lin family army's flag planted on the city wall of Beifeng City.

Fu Yan couldn't believe it and originally wanted to go into the city to find out.

But before they even entered the city, they saw the Lin family army escorting batch after batch of deputy generals' corpses to the low hills outside the city.

Fu Yan had seen these people before under the command of the Prince of Huai. They were originally Zhu Shuan's subordinates, and after Zhu Shuan's death, they should all be following Zhuang Er.

How could it be that in just a few days, all these deputy generals have died tragically here?

Fu Yan dared not rush into the city again. He waited for the Lin family army to throw these people behind the low hill before he approached their corpses discreetly.

Familiar faces exploded before his eyes, and Fu Yan felt his mind go blank, his fingers trembling.

None of these are here!

Zhuang Er is not among these corpses!

Fu Yan's eyes suddenly turned bloodshot. He quickly mounted his horse and galloped back the way he came.

On the city tower, Bai Wanqing watched Fu Yan's departing figure, and her clenched fist slowly relaxed.

Looking at Bai Wanqing, who hadn't slept all night and looked somewhat haggard, Cui Jingcheng said with heartache, "Wanqing, don't worry, this person will surely deliver the message to Prince Huai's ears accurately."

Bai Wanqing nodded, "That would be best!" Seeing that Bai Wanqing was still frowning, Cui Jingcheng continued to comfort her, "The Prince of Huai is always stubborn and self-willed. Although he has great ambitions, he lacks wisdom."

"Now that his hometown has been taken over, he will definitely go back to defend it!"

"There definitely won't be any pressure from Cheng Dong!"

Bai Wanqing's brows finally relaxed as she looked towards the horizon, watching flocks of wild geese fly south.

In Youzhou City, Zhuang Qi learned from the news brought back by his scouts that Lin Yunche had gone on an expedition, and Jiangnan, Xianzhou, and Langzhou had not actually sent troops to support him!

Zhuang Qi stroked his beard, already having made his judgment: this was clearly a smokescreen by Lin Yunche!
Their Lin family army is still isolated and helpless, and the prince's chances of winning are still very high.

Thinking of this, Zhuang Qi stuffed the news brought back by the scout into his bosom and happily strode to the study of the Prince of Huai.

As soon as Zhuang Qi stepped inside, he sensed that something was off about the atmosphere in the study.

Fu Yan stood to one side with bloodshot eyes, while the Prince of Huai stared silently at the map behind him.

"Your Highness, what's wrong?" Zhuang Qi asked.

Prince Huai turned around and saw that it was Mr. Zhuang who had arrived, and he couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.

"Mr. Zhuang, you've arrived?"

Zhuang Qi nodded slightly, too overjoyed to notice the change in the Prince of Huai's attitude. He excitedly shared with the Prince of Huai the news he had gathered from Jiangnan and other places.

"Your Highness, the Lin family army is truly cunning; they actually dared to forge a troop mobilization notice!"

"We've rested enough now, why don't we march on the capital tomorrow and catch them off guard? The day Your Highness ascends the throne will be just around the corner!"

Prince Huai slightly raised his eyes. "Oh?"

"They forged the notice?"

"Yes!"

"Was Zhuang Er's betrayal also fabricated?"

When Zhuang Qi saw the prince ask this question, he turned to look at Fu Yan. Fu Yan remained silent, so Zhuang Qi patted his chest and said, "Your Highness, it might be possible if someone else were to betray us!"

"But Zhuang Er won't!"

"General Fu, you must have witnessed this with your own eyes!"

"What do you say?"

Before Zhuang Qi could finish speaking, the Prince of Huai slammed his hand on the table and stood up. He drew the sword from his waist and walked step by step toward Zhuang Qi. Only then did Zhuang Qi realize what was happening and look at Fu Yan in horror.

"General Fu, did you make a mistake when you returned to Beifeng City this time?"

"No matter what, Zhuang Er will never betray us!"

"Your Highness, General Fu, we are at a critical juncture in our great undertaking. We must not fall into Lin Yunche's trap."

As Zhuang Qi spoke, he backed away, but no matter how big the study was, it had its limits, and Zhuang Qi soon had nowhere left to retreat to!

He knelt down with a thud and spoke eloquently, “Your Highness, I was appreciated by Your Highness when I was in my thirties. I have served Your Highness diligently and devotedly for more than twenty years.”

"No matter what, I will never betray the Prince!"

"Your Highness, please reconsider!"

But at this moment, the Prince of Huai could no longer listen to these words. All he could see was what Fu Yan had said about the deputy general lying dead in the wilderness and Zhuang Er surrendering the city. That was all his wealth!

The bookmakers are complete traitors and not trustworthy at all.

Swish! The Prince of Huai raised his sword and brought it down, and Zhuang Qi's head fell to the ground with a thud.

The Prince of Huai suddenly felt a sense of peace and quiet. "What forged troop mobilization notice?"

"What do you mean Zhuang Er didn't betray me? I think it's all a lie!"

The Prince of Huai glanced disdainfully at the blood on the ground. "Guards, drag this man away immediately, and clean up that mess on the ground!"

"Don't let him defile my study!"

The news of Zhuang Qi's murder quickly spread among the advisors of Prince Huai, and many of them were terrified.

"That's Mr. Zhuang!"

"He served the prince faithfully for twenty years, how can you just kill him like that!"

"This prince is far too heartless!"

"Shh!"

"You can't speak carelessly at this time. The Prince of Huai killed Mr. Zhuang only because the Zhuang family betrayed the Prince!"

"If betrayal can be tolerated, how can Your Highness manage people!"

The advisors present nodded in agreement, but they all knew in their hearts that if even the Zhuang family could betray the prince, then there was probably no one left who could be considered loyal to him.

Zhuang Qi's death truly chilled their hearts!
But at this moment, the Prince of Huai could not care about so much. The fall of Beifeng City meant that his more than 20 years of hard work had been destroyed in an instant!
He must find a way to take back Northwind City!

Some of Zhuang Qi's close aides, who knew some of the inside story, stepped forward to persuade him.

"Your Highness, we have now reached this point!"

"It would be a huge loss to retreat back to the Northland to defend a small city like Northwind!"

"It would be better to just launch an attack and storm Kyoto!"

"So what if the Lin family army takes control of Beifeng City by then?"

"Sooner or later, Your Highness, you will have that place in your possession!" (End of Chapter)