You have truly caused me great suffering!

Bianliang, the imperial city.

Between the red walls to the west of Kunning Hall, there is a gate tower. Beyond the gate tower lies the Western Six Palaces.

The current emperor has only recently ascended the throne and has not appointed many concubines. Furthermore, the concubines of the retired emperor all reside in Genyue, leaving some courtyards in the Western Six Palaces vacant.

Because Empress Zhu was a Buddhist, the palace eunuchs chose one of the courtyards in the Western Six Palaces and set it up as a Buddhist hall.

A few days ago, the Emperor sent someone to bring over a jade Buddha statue, saying with great joy that it was a gift from Prince Chen Shao of Dai.

It was simply because Zhao Huan was such a chatterbox that he talked about everything in his letter to Chen Shao.

She even mentioned that her empress was a Buddhist and would pray for her children every day—a private matter.

He was like a quiet, reserved kid from the 90s generation who suddenly discovered one day that he could chat with people online.

The key is that every letter he sent received a reply, and it was from a powerful person who gave him a sense of security.

Chen Shao was initially annoyed, but he eventually got used to it. If such an important person could be tracked down simply by writing a letter, that would be incredibly profitable.

Therefore, he observed very carefully each time and gradually discovered that Zhao Huan was truly being suppressed by his father.

Chen Shao's actions once again indirectly proved that Zhao Ji was extremely wicked.
This guy will suppress anything that threatens his power to the death, and I will never be on good terms with him in the future.

On the contrary, Zhao Huan was much like the historical figure; he harmed the Jurchens and himself.
The people surrounding the Empress were mostly palace maids and female officials. Apart from a few junior eunuchs, there were two senior eunuchs: one was Shao Chengzhang, and the other was Zhang Di, the head eunuch of the Inner Palace Attendants Bureau.

Looking at the exquisite jade Buddha, Zhu Lian was somewhat lost in thought. Then he realized that this was disrespectful to the Buddha, so he quickly closed his eyes, sat on the prayer mat, and devoutly chanted scriptures.

Shao Chengzhang showed no unusual behavior, but Zhang Di frowned.

Where did this jade Buddha come from?
As Zhao Ji's trusted eunuch, he had many followers in the palace and among the eunuchs, and was very knowledgeable about most things in the palace.

Zhang Di diligently recorded everything that happened in the palace each day, and whenever he had the chance, he would send a young eunuch who delivered daily necessities to Genyue to deliver messages.

Strange things are happening more and more frequently in the palace, especially to the Emperor.

Since he had scolded the retired emperor, Zhao Huan had not visited Genyue again.

He didn't suddenly change his temperament; rather, he was so enraged by Zhao Ji that he had an outburst.

Although Zhao Huan resented his father, he had always been a timid person. Having been suppressed by his father for twenty years, he had no courage to resist.

The factions currently in power in the court all went to Genyue to block Zhao Ji from returning to power.

So when Zhao Huan insulted his father, the court and the public remained silent, and no one dared to say a word.

This is already a statement.

Zhang Di sighed. Following the Emperor Emeritus might have been a terrible move.

But he did not choose.
Inside the Buddhist hall, Zhu Lian stood with a devout expression, her hands clasped together in prayer.

Zhang Di listened carefully, then his brow furrowed even deeper.

The Empress, the mother of the nation, was actually in the Buddhist hall of this imperial palace.

They prayed to Buddha to bless their family with peace and safety.
-
Chen Shao always considered himself an honest person.

Kind-hearted and simple-minded.

In dealing with people and matters, he rarely resorts to underhanded tactics unless absolutely necessary.

When Zhao Huan wrote to him saying that his wife was a Buddhist, he sent him a jade Buddha; when Zhao Mingcheng and his wife liked antiques, he gave them some; when Cai You's wife liked to drink wine, he gave her some wine.
Therefore, when outsiders blamed Zhao Mingcheng's death on him, Chen Shao was the first to disagree.

"I sent him travel expenses and gave him a grand send-off from Taiyuan because I am implementing this policy!"

Hearing the rumors circulating outside from Song, Chen Shao felt furious and deeply aggrieved.

Kneeling below the seat, Madam Song looked up and saw that the young prince of Dai was dressed in a brocade robe. His figure, demeanor, and appearance were all very pleasing to the eye.

He is usually warm and generous, and his demeanor is refined and proper. How could he be like what the outside world says?

Song had completely forgotten how the two of them had gotten together. At this moment, she felt that Chen Shao was a righteous gentleman, with the demeanor of an ancient benevolent virtuous man.

Chen Shao pressed down on her hair and said, "Don't you think so?"

Unable to speak, Song could only nod in agreement.

Zhao Mingcheng was returning to his hometown, but before he even left the city, people from the Prince of Dai's mansion came to see him off.

They sent him a lot of travel money in a grand and impressive manner.

At this time, gentry and noblewomen from other places all hoped to establish a relationship with the inner quarters of the Prince of Dai's mansion, which is why they lingered there.

Once you establish even a small connection, the benefits in the future will be endless.

They had long been dissatisfied with Li Qingzhao's ability to gain access to the inner quarters of the Prince's mansion despite having no power or influence.

At this point, they went all out to spread rumors, not saying a single kind word.

Zhao Mingcheng shouldn't have left; his health was very poor, especially after spending a month in the dungeon.

In the original timeline, he died around this time as well.
This time, he was filled with even more sorrow and depression, and soon after leaving the city, he fell ill on the way. Li Qingzhao was at her wits' end and could only take him back to the city, but he still died three days later.

This made the rumors even more outlandish, with some saying that the Prince of Dai had intervened.

"Investigate! We must find out who started this rumor!"

This matter had to be investigated because of her own identity and Li Qingzhao's status in the literary world.

One wrong move and you could be infamous for eternity.

Later generations don't care about this or that; they're most happy to spread these kinds of erotic rumors.

Having known Li Qingzhao for so long, Chen Shao found her to be a very interesting person, with a personality somewhat different from that of women today.

As soon as Song returned from rinsing her mouth, lightning flashed across the sky, and a sudden downpour began. The rain was extremely heavy, with large, dense raindrops pounding against the roof with a clear, tinkling sound.

Chen Shao glanced at it and said, "Don't leave tonight."

"That's not a good idea."

She actually dreamed of agreeing, but she was afraid of hurting Chen Shao. Every time Chen Shao was with her, she felt a subtle warmth.

This intimate feeling of mutual concern for each other despite being unrelated by blood was something Song Shi experienced for the first time, even though she was already married.

"It's okay, stay and keep me company for one night."

Madam Song was overjoyed. Her dress was very elegant, lightly covering her mature and voluptuous figure. She leaned close to Chen Shao and suddenly whispered, "If you, my lord, truly like Madam Zhao..."

Chen Shao pressed her onto his lap in an annoyed manner and slapped her twice.

After filming, Chen Shao sighed inwardly.

That's it, I'm in deep trouble now, there's no way I can clear my name.
-
Youyan, Liangxiang City.

Wanyan Xiyin sat atop the watchtower atop the city wall, looking at the fierce battle raging before him with annoyance.

Now that the Jurchens are in dire need of generals, although he lost Wuhui Ridge, he was not killed.

Instead, he was allowed to atone for his crimes by guarding the cities near Yanjing.

This important Jurchen general, known for his meticulous lifestyle in the Western Route Army, now appeared in a disheveled state.

Due to the weather, even though he was on the battlefield, he did not wear armor, but only a Song Dynasty silk robe.

Standing atop the city wall, directing the defense, he was considered one of the more adept defenders among the Jurchen generals.

This is also a case of becoming a doctor through long-term illness.
His clothes were of good quality and finely made, but because they hadn't been washed for a long time, they were wrinkled and smelled of sweat.

In the past, even when he was in the army, Wanyan Xiyin would wash and perfume his clothes every day, living like a Khitan nobleman.

This was Wanyan Xiyin's wish; he hoped that not only himself, but also the Jurchen people in the future could truly become dignified.

Among all the Jurchen people in the Jin Dynasty, perhaps only Wanyan Balisu was more particular than him.

But now, Wanyan Xiyin really couldn't care less about those things.

The reason is simple: the Dingnan army's attack was simply too fierce!

With both sides mobilizing and reinforcing their troops, the Jurchen people realized that the decisive battle was imminent.

Because we've already mobilized almost all of our own resources, we don't have much strength left.

Meanwhile, the opposing force continued to increase.

Not only was the Dingnan Army reinforcing its troops, but the three main forces of the Western Army that had submitted to Chen Shao—the Zhe family, the Zhong family, and the Liu family—were also reinforcing their troops.

Of the four major families of the Western Army, three have already arrived.

Zong Ze and Zhang Shuye found that they couldn't control Qu Duanyi at all in Hebei and Shandong, so they simply sent troops north as well.

Wang Bing of Lianghuai has already submitted a memorial to the court, hoping that the court will allow him to go north to destroy the Jin dynasty and recover Youyan.

Li Gang, Yuwen Xuzhong, and others were unwilling to let Chen Shao alone enjoy the credit for the recapture of Youyan. Otherwise, he already had no more titles to bestow, and if he were to occupy Youyan as well, the situation would never be able to turn around again.

Wanyan Xiyin, who was on the city wall, suddenly saw someone rushing towards him from the city. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a messenger in armor.

He immediately showed a hint of joy.

Is it finally time to start the counterattack?
Tired of being besieged, Xi Yin, like other Jurchen generals, was looking forward to a counterattack.

Using the Jurchen warriors' forte of offense, they ended the war on the land of Youyan.

The contest will determine who is the strongest force.

As Wanyan Xiyin descended from the watchtower, his personal guards suddenly raised their shields to shield him from a stray arrow.

Xi Yin cursed angrily and hid in the shooting tower to meet the messenger.

"Xi Yin, Zong Han has ordered you to gather strength in the city, mobilize the garrison troops from Tanzhou and Shunzhou, and attack Gu'an in seven days!" (End of Chapter)