Chapter 23: The Golden Feather Guards

"This..." Song Qi was stunned, and Song Yi finally understood why, despite his father's advanced age, the emperor still insisted on sending him to war and commanded Song Yi to assist him.

"Understood," Li Hongyi replied with a smile. Last night, Hong Hui had told him many things—how mischievous he was as a child, how he strove forward in his youth, how he left home to join the army... He spoke of his mother, who, though weary, was happy; and his father, though he died young, whose reputation was renowned.

Eleven o'clock? Xia Yuxin went out so late to buy red bean pastries? The pastry shop should have been closed by then, which was rather odd.

"Eunuch Miao Jian, no need for formalities. I actually have a favor to ask of you," Xuexue said, her tone earnest and tinged with a hint of request.

"Your Majesty, do you mean..." Xuexue felt a stir within her heart, her delicate brows rising involuntarily. Was he going to reject her decree?

"Mother, why must you try to shake my resolve? Since I have chosen this path, I must forge ahead with courage." Yes, she sought freedom, and now, having fulfilled her wish, it was time to set herself free.

"Enough! That's all for today!" Yang Mingyi could hold back no longer and shouted angrily. Everyone fell silent, let down their rolled-up sleeves meant for fighting, bowed, and retreated from the room.

Even Huo Yu, who had little on his mind, now felt a wave of sorrow. Things were not as they used to be, and a sense of melancholy welled up, worsened by what lay further ahead.

After washing the dishes, we awkwardly sat on the living room sofa. The TV played boring commercials, but I knew our thoughts were far from the screen.

Yu Chengping's resignation indirectly expressed the emperor's attitude. Only then did people realize that Shao An had not lost the monarch's trust. The Xiang faction immediately regrouped, determined to reclaim their lost territories.

At this moment, Qin Yang was puzzled. He wanted to know how the Night King had learned of the news and why he appeared in Qingbei.

In contrast, Xiao Ling, at the instant he launched his attack, summoned the Desolate Heaven Tower and slipped inside.

"Is that so? The Northern Desert lacks supplies, and the Snow Mountains are even worse. The hard-earned grain vanished without a trace, and not a single cultist survived. So to survive this winter, Hua Wujue had to take action himself," Lu Qianmo murmured.

Normally, a maid could not leave the residence alone unless permitted, and the house rules forbade private exchanges. Still, everyone turned a blind eye. The acts were minor, so no one pressed the issue.

Qu Ran was genuinely moved by He Xin's words, especially by her conduct today, which was distinctly admirable.

Gu Qian was very obedient. She didn’t know what to talk about with people, but she answered questions seriously whenever they were asked.

When Qu Ran’s surgery succeeded, no matter what happened, he would tell her about He Xin—but definitely not now.

Lu Qianmo took the apple, a subtle smile appearing on her lips. Compared to her elder sister, she was still a bit inexperienced.

Yet at that moment, Yue Xinrui looked back toward the guest seats at her parents, whose faces were distraught, anxious and flustered. They must have been worried for her, unable to bear the shame, and were especially panicked.

Cheng Liping, together with Xu Jingwen, didn’t go far. He didn’t want Xiong Dawei to fail in front of Old Master Xu, so he found a tea house downstairs and sat down. Feeling awkward just sitting, he ordered some snacks and two cups of tea. Unexpectedly, Xu Jingwen had quite the appetite—she watched Cheng Liping while eating heartily.

"What? You need Prince Eight's personal order?" Murong Fu was startled. This hadn’t come up when Ali Buge spoke last night—did he forget, or was it a test? Or did he simply not trust Gerdan?

"Of course it’s dangerous. Why else would I want you?" The old man smiled at Zhou San, tapping his fingers on the table.

Outside the big tent, chaos reigned. Everyone clamored that Third Prince Yu Du had come back from the dead, causing an uproar.

While Zhou San was troubled, the people in the courtyard, previously quiet, began to stir under Fo Qi's incitement.

Back at the bureau, Wan Shan had just finished a meeting and was free. Bai Xue quickly reported her findings from the days spent at the University of Political Science and Law, but she left out the part where Xiao Geyan ditched her by claiming to go swimming—she had her pride.

Xiao Geyan was different—a shimmering, deep pool; quiet and understated, yet unfathomable, making it impossible to see the bottom.

"Alright, understood. Your personal matters are none of my concern—handle them as you see fit." Li Yishan spoke first and left the conference room.

Dana looked at Liu Hao in surprise after hearing him. After a while, she smiled and sat down again, looking satisfied.

But I hadn’t expected that I was still too naïve; Zhao Yu’s next words completely overturned my worldview.

Yang Lanting had no choice but to stop and look around for a rag or something similar, but the nursing station didn’t have such supplies.

"Alright, no problem," Bai Piaopiao agreed instantly. She had only stayed in the mountain stronghold out of necessity. If the mutiny succeeded, she and her brothers could return openly to Piaofeng City and live normal lives.

The county bailiff was somewhat jealous. He had never served in the capital; though he was a scholar, he could only be appointed as a minor official in an outlying county, a rather humble position. He was over forty, yet had only managed to become a county bailiff.

The Great Dream Reincarnation—worthy of shaking heaven and earth and making ghosts weep—was an extremely harsh ordeal, unbearable for ordinary people.

The crowd didn’t understand what the sect leader meant, and Ye Feng was even more helpless. At this moment, he felt as if trapped in a space of light, unable to leave, forced to watch as they tried to force him out.

The four notorious wolves from Suhang University staggered into the dorm just as the apartment doors were about to close, crawling into bed without even washing up.

When Jingzhou fell and the news that Ren Dejing and Gulihei had died in battle arrived, the Divine Guard Army began a new assault on Gaotaisi City. Li Renxiao nearly fainted. If Gaotaisi fell, Xingqing would be completely exposed, with no room left for maneuver.

This time, Yang Shaojun lost face, nodded fiercely, squinted and said, "I’ll take my leave first!" With that, he glared at Wang Shoucai, took his men, and slunk off without looking back.

The End.