The host and the protagonist had a happy ending again [Quick Transmigration]

The northern barbarian tribes were overjoyed to learn of the news that Emperor Tianqi was personally leading the expedition.

Their tribes were numerous, and they had a king. The most outstanding warrior was the second prince, China. He entered the royal tent covered in snow, his face beaming with joy.

"Father, just as you predicted, Pei Guan is indeed seriously ill, and Tianqi has no capable generals. The young emperor has no choice but to personally lead the campaign. Your son will surely defeat him soundly!"

Wang slammed his fist on the table and stood up, laughing loudly, "Good, good, good! My son will let that pampered brat see the bravery of us grassland warriors!"

An eighteen-year-old emperor has probably never even caught a hawk, how could he know how to wage war?

Before launching the war, their spies sent a secret report that Pei Guan, the regent of Tianqi, was seriously ill, which was one of the reasons why they dared to act so recklessly. Now that the news was true, their morale was greatly boosted.

However, they were too happy too soon. They never expected that the young emperor would be even more treacherous and cunning than Pei Guan!

*

"Host, will Xiao Pei dislike you now that you're like this?" The system asked worriedly, tugging at Xu Ran's beard.

Xu Ran waved his hand and knocked it away. He was a little worried while he was in the army, so he asked the system to go back to the capital to check on Pei Guan for him. As a result, after returning, the system seemed to be possessed, talking nonsense all day long.

"How is Pei Guan? Did he take his medicine on time?"

The system sighed and let go of Xu Ran's beard. "Don't worry, Xiao Pei has been obediently taking his medicine, but host, you look older than Xiao Pei now. Even the most handsome face can't withstand this kind of abuse."

Xu Ran froze, raising his hand to touch his prickly beard. "Does it really look bad?" Wasn't he just not shaving because it was inconvenient?

The system abandoned its conscience and nodded resolutely, since it wasn't as good-looking as before! But actually, the host was good-looking, and even with a scruffy beard now, he only lost a bit of his handsomeness and gained a bit more heroic spirit.

Xu Ran hesitated a bit after hearing what it said, "Then... how about ordering a single razor?"

It's really a waste to spend points on something like this.

The military report was sent back to the imperial court every month, along with a letter from Xu Ran to Pei Guan.

But no matter how many times I say "I'm fine," they are just bland words. As long as I can't see the real person for even a moment, I can't put my mind at ease.

After Pei Guan finished approving the last memorial, he took out Xu Ran's letter from the box. Once you go to the battlefield, no one can come out unscathed. But His Majesty has never mentioned whether he was injured, whether life in the military camp was tough, or whether he was uncomfortable facing the bloodshed of the battlefield. His Majesty has learned to report only good news and not bad news...

But he could only believe that every word in the letter was true, that His Majesty was well, and that he would return victorious in the future.

He will take care of the rear for His Majesty, so that His Majesty has no worries.

Fighting was not a difficult task for Xu Ran. In addition, Pei Guan had urgently entrusted Qi Panshan with the task. With the assistance of this commander of the northern border, Xu Ran was in his element in the camp.

  

The Yi people launched several attacks, but were all forced back by Xu Ran and Qi Panshan. Because they were unfamiliar with the grassland terrain, they did not rush to pursue their victory. However, even if they continued to fight like this, the Yi people ran out of ammunition and food and were in dire straits.

Winter has passed and spring has arrived; the ice and snow have melted, and the roads on the grassland are now easier to travel.

Xu Ran discussed with Qi Panshan that it was time to launch a counterattack.

A corner of the tent flap was lifted, and a chilly wind rushed in. The woman, dressed in foreign attire, shivered and trembled.

"General, my mother was captured by the barbarians. She was tortured to death and only entrusted me with the task of returning to Tianqi... General, I am all alone and helpless. Please grant me a way to live."

The barbarian woman knelt on the ground, sobbing, her words earnest and pitiful.

Qi Panshan rubbed his forehead and asked the soldier beside him, "What happened?"

The soldier looked troubled. "General Qi, I found this woman acting suspiciously outside the camp during my patrol, so I brought her back. But after hearing her words and seeing her fair complexion and delicate appearance, she does indeed resemble a person from our Tianqi. So I beg you, General, to make the decision."

The woman kowtowed again, pleading, "General, General, I just want to go home... I really can't take it anymore! Those barbarians, they're all beasts!"

Her tearful outburst was deeply moving.

Qi Panshan sighed: "Young lady, this is a military camp, a place of great importance. We cannot believe your one-sided story."

The woman looked sorrowful and said, "If the general refuses to take me in, I have no choice but to die."

She looked thin and frail, with bruises on her neck and the back of her hands; she was quite pitiful.

"This..." Qi Panshan hesitated.

A glint of light flashed in the woman's lowered eyes. Prince Chi Na was right after all. The biggest weakness of the Tianqi people was their soft hearts. She waited for Qi Panshan to relent, but suddenly felt a chill down her spine.

The keepsake she kept close to her body was torn off. The woman turned around in alarm and met a pair of emotionless black eyes.

Xu Ran flicked the wolf fang that symbolized the royal family of the Yi tribe, and a slight smile appeared on her lips. "Only death is the way out? Then please, young lady, go and die."

This unexpected turn of events caught the woman off guard. Realizing she had been exposed, her expression changed drastically. She suddenly produced a silver needle and lunged at Xu Ran. Qi Panshan's gaze turned cold, and before he could even draw his sword, Xu Ran had already subdued the woman.

Qi Panshan, filled with remorse, clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty."

If it weren't for His Majesty today, he might have made a terrible mistake!

Xu Ran bound the woman's hands behind her back. "General Qi has no experience wielding a sword against women and children. It's understandable that he was caught off guard. He should be more careful in the future."

Qi Panshan shouted at the woman, "Who are you, daring to assassinate His Majesty!"

"Heh, since you're not as skilled, do as you please." The woman glared hatefully at Xu Ran. This was actually the emperor of Tianqi. If she succeeded, Tianqi would surely fall into internal strife, which would also give Prince Chi Na a chance to catch his breath.

Xu Ran glanced sideways and said, "Judging from your appearance, it seems your words just now weren't entirely false. You must have blood of Tianqi. Your courage is astonishing, so why are you risking your life for the Yi tribe?"

The woman didn't answer, but stared intently at the wolf fang in Xu Ran's hand.

Xu Ran raised an eyebrow slightly, observing the woman's expression, and slowly asked, "This wolf fang, is it your king's?"

After saying that, he shook his head to himself, "It seems not, then it is... the Second Prince, China?"

The woman's pupils contracted sharply, and Xu Ran smiled, putting the wolf fang into his sleeve: "It seems so."

"What nonsense are you spouting!" The woman exclaimed in alarm, "I'm not here for the place where I grew up, could it be Tianqi, the place that abandoned me and my mother?"

Xu Ran ignored her, whispered a few words to Qi Panshan, and ordered someone to take the woman away and keep her under strict guard.

Back in his tent, Xu Ran began writing a letter, while the system secretly watched from the side.

"Host, didn't you already write a letter to Xiao Pei this month?"

"Hmm," Xu Ran continued writing, "I miss him a little."

Longing is not one-way; it was already past midnight, yet the side hall of Ninghui Palace was still brightly lit.

Pei Guan did not return to the Prince's residence. Perhaps he would have fewer nightmares at night if he stayed in a place where His Majesty had once been, or perhaps only Zhao Fu could talk to him about His Majesty.

He would never have believed he would do such a thing. As a subject, living in the palace, if others knew, they would surely think he harbored rebellious intentions.

He did indeed harbor rebellious thoughts, but not for the throne. As the nights in Ninghui Palace grew longer, these thoughts became clearer. He knew what he wanted... Even if it meant eternal damnation, he would not regret it.

Zhao Fu stepped forward and extinguished the kerosene lamp. "Regent, His Majesty repeatedly instructed us before he left that you must not overwork yourself. Please, for the sake of my life, go and rest."

Pei Guan chuckled and reluctantly got onto the bed. His Majesty was truly worried.

He was sensible from a young age, and his mother had never worried about him like this before, which was quite a novel experience for her.

When he closes his eyes, unpleasant scenes inevitably flash through his mind, disturbing his sleep.

He had experienced such nightmares before. When he went to the battlefield, he was still young. Blood and gore, flesh and blood, liver and marrow flowing wildly. Even if he couldn't show it, it was impossible not to be afraid. But he only had nightmares for a month before he slowly got used to it. He got used to the mechanical killing and to the brothers who laughed and talked with him yesterday turning into corpses today.

But now that His Majesty has been gone for several months, he has lived in fear and anxiety for just as long and is unable to adjust...

Less than an hour later, he woke up from his dream with the bloodstains still vivid in his mind. Gasping for breath, he staggered to the table and clutched the box tightly to his chest before he felt a little relieved.

His Majesty promised him that he would return safely...

He believed he would wait.

But not long after that, more news came.

"Regent! Urgent report from the army!"

The messenger, drenched in sweat, gasped for breath as he held Qi Panshan's seal and reported, "His Majesty is trapped!"

Pei Guan suddenly stood up, his voice trembling slightly: "What?"

Xu Ran was indeed trapped. This time, Chi Na was determined and led all his subordinates to surround them, showing a determination to fight to the death.

It wasn't that they couldn't break through, but Xu Ran had other plans and didn't want to cause more casualties. He stepped forward and flashed the wolf fang in front of Chi Na, who immediately changed his expression.

Emperor Tianqi sacrificed himself to bring the rest of his soldiers back to camp, and was then taken away by Prince China of the Yi tribe.

The news dared not be spread. Only a few trusted confidants were anxiously pacing around, wishing they could rush to the barbarian camp and snatch the emperor back, but Qi Panshan held them back firmly.

"Your Majesty is exceptionally wise; you must not act impulsively and cause trouble for Your Majesty."

Qi Panshan was naturally flustered, after all, that was the emperor, but he inexplicably believed that His Majesty would never do something without certainty.

If His Majesty were to fall into danger, as the commander-in-chief of the Northern Frontier, he would have no choice but to atone with his death. He would not only lose the honor he had earned through years of bloody battles, but his entire family would also be implicated.

"Hurry back to the capital and inform the Regent. Remember, it must be the Regent."

Xu Ran was not harshly punished inside the barbarian tent; Chi Na treated him like an honored guest.

Xu Ran chuckled lightly: "The war is currently at a stalemate, and Prince China is probably at a loss as to how to resolve it. However, I have what you desire. I wonder how Prince China will decide?"

Chi Na, unable to tolerate Xu Ran's roundabout words, said directly, "Emperor of Tianqi, this wolf fang on your body was once Chi Na's personal possession. Please tell me, where is the owner of this wolf fang now? Is Aya... is she still alive?"

When asked about the word "alive," a clear look of worry flashed in Akana's eyes.

It turns out that the girl's name was Aya, and she really was the second prince's love interest.

Xu Ran remained silent for a moment, and seeing that Chi Na's face was becoming increasingly gloomy, he slowly said, "I admire that girl's courage and spare her life."

Akana visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Who is that woman, Prince China?"

Akana was taken aback. "She didn't tell you?"

Xu Ran asked curiously, "I have never had the habit of using torture to extract confessions from prisoners, and she is unwilling to submit to my Tianqi, so why would she tell me?"

Chi Na remained silent; he still thought...

Aya's mother was a woman from Tianqi who was abandoned during the war between the two sides. Because of her outstanding beauty, she was taken in by a nobleman of the Yi tribe and barely survived. He thought that since the truth had been exposed, Aya must have become the woman of this Emperor of Tianqi to have survived. He would not mind at all; he would take Aya back and marry her.

Xu Ran's words revealed his despicable and shameful nature. He should have known that Aya, though seemingly weak and helpless, was extremely strong-willed and would never submit. How could he have such thoughts? Aya loved him and would never be with anyone else.

He had initially felt seven parts affection and three parts exploitation towards Aya, but now that exploitation was completely replaced by guilt. He spoke in a hoarse voice, "She risked her life for me. Thank you for sparing her life. Please let her go. She is my... princess."

Xu Ran hadn't intended to kill her; he simply took it as tacit agreement with Chi Na's words. In this world, men and women were not yet equal. Although Prince Chi Na wasn't as sincere as Aya, his ability to reflect on himself and understand the hardships women faced was already commendable.

"In that case, Prince China, you may speak with me again about your thoughts."

Silence returned to the tent. Having reached an agreement with China, Xu Ran felt relieved.

"The fighting here will be over soon."

The system happily lit a firework, "Congratulations, host, you're finally going to reunite with Xiao Pei!"

Fireworks burst open before her eyes, but something flashed through Xu Ran's mind in an instant.

Wait... Pei Guan...

The ease in Xu Ran's eyes faded. The situation was special at the time. His feigned defeat in order to communicate with Chi Na was a spur-of-the-moment decision. He hadn't had time to discuss it with Qi Panshan. He thought that with his understanding of Qi Panshan, he would definitely be able to keep things stable and prevent any trouble from happening in the army.

But he forgot one thing... Qi Panshan was Pei Guan's deputy general, and Pei Guan had always shown that he cared about him so much, so Qi Panshan would definitely inform Pei Guan of the news.

"It's over..." Xu Ran's smile froze. "I think I've gone too far."

system:???

The young war god knew that he had to test the waters and act cautiously in this situation. The powerful regent would weigh the pros and cons without making a sound, but Xu Ran had personally stripped Pei Guan of these two identities in front of him. In front of him, Pei Guan was simply Pei Guan.

As for Pei Guan's thoughts... Pei Guan's thoughts are easy to guess. Xu Ran only needs to put herself in his shoes and the missing person in Pei Guan's shoes, and she will immediately know what he is thinking at this moment.

His voice was a little unsteady, "Could you turn into a pigeon and deliver a letter to Pei Guan for me?"

That person's health has not yet recovered, and they should be resting properly.