Chapter 44

After finishing his dinner, Xie An wiped his mouth and headed toward the bedroom. Guan Yi followed him out, her face stiff with disapproval as she said, "You really are just a mountain boy. You leave the table the moment you finish eating, showing not a shred of manners."

Xie An replied, "We have to say goodbye after breakfast, and we have to say goodbye after dinner! We wander around the same courtyard every single day, and we have to be all polite and formal the whole time. It doesn't feel like a family at all."

Guan Yi widened her pretty eyes and said, "What do you know? This is etiquette! It's also the difference between civilized people and the ignorant! Since you are about to take up an official post in the Crown Prince's Mansion, you must learn etiquette and understand the rules! Rules, do you understand?"

Xie An smiled and said, "I really don't understand. Why don't you teach me?"

Delighted, Guan Yi said, "Good! I will teach you! Remember, if you want to become a great general, you must understand the rules of a great general..."

Before she could finish, Mengyin, Qi Qiongqiong's maid, walked over and said, "Madam Xie, my mistress has an urgent matter she wishes to discuss with you. Please come over for a moment."

Guan Yi turned back to her husband and said, "Go back to the room and rest first. I'll continue teaching you as soon as I get back." With that, she followed Mengyin away.

Xie An stood in place, watching their departing figures, and muttered to herself, "She doesn't even know what rules are herself, yet she wants to teach me!"

He shook his head, smiled, and went back to his room to sleep soundly.

Around the second watch of the night, Guan Yi finally returned. Xie An was lying on the bed fully clothed, without even taking off his boots. Seeing her return, he asked, "What did Sister Qiongqiong want you for just now?"

Happily, Guan Yi said, "Starting tomorrow, I won't have any free time either!"

Xie An asked, "What will you be busy with?"

Guan Yi replied, "Someone from the Crown Prince's Mansion just came and said that the Crown Princess of Xia wants to establish a women's polo team. The team members will be selected from the young female relatives of the capital officials who know how to ride horses. Sister Qiongqiong has been appointed as the Commander-in-Chief and chief selection officer. Little Sister Yaoyao has already signed up, and Sister Qiongqiong asked if I wanted to sign up too."

Xie An asked, "Did you sign up?"

Excitedly, Guan Yi said, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, Guan Yi, to enter high society, so of course I signed up! I'm just worried I won't be selected."

Xie An comforted his wife, saying, "You are so young, your riding skills are excellent, and Sister Qiongqiong is the chief selection officer. There is no reason you won't be chosen."

Guan Yi said, "That's what I think too! It's getting late, and you still have your interview tomorrow, so let's get some rest!"

Xie An said, "Alright."

As soon as Qi Yaoyao returned to her bedroom, Gu Yusheng eagerly said to her, "My love, today this discerning judge has scouted another fierce warrior for the imperial court!"

Qi Yaoyao asked, "Who is it?"

Happily, Gu Yusheng said, "It's my good brother-in-law, Xie An."

Qi Yaoyao said, "He is just a hunter, and his archery is passable. But to become a general, he is still far short! Besides, he doesn't read much and knows nothing about the art of war. How can he lead troops into battle?"

Gu Yusheng disagreed, saying, "My love, don't say that! If he doesn't know how to read, we can teach him; as for the art of war, he can learn that too. No one is born knowing how to lead troops into battle! Brother Xie An is like a piece of raw jade right now; with careful carving, he will become priceless!"

Qi Yaoyao asked, "How can you be so sure?"

Gu Yusheng said, "During dinner today, I tested his internal energy. His internal strength is robust, and his vigor is as strong as an ox. Furthermore, he is naturally gifted with a sturdy frame; he is bound to be a fierce warrior who charges into battle in the future!"

Qi Yaoyao said, "But he is rather foolish and dull, not flexible at all."

Gu Yusheng said, "That's just his exterior; deep down, he is extremely shrewd."

Qi Yaoyao said, "My husband's judgment of people has always been clearer than mine, so I suppose it must be true. Then, how do you plan to train him?"

After a brief moment of thought, Gu Yusheng said, "Literacy is the key! From now on, we must step up and teach him to read, helping him learn more characters. Once he knows more characters, teaching him the art of war will be much easier. In addition, besides archery in warfare, he must also master the spear on horseback. From now on, whenever I have free time, I will thoroughly teach him equestrian spearplay—Big Brother and I already agreed on this with him during dinner today."

Excitedly, Qi Yaoyao said, "That is simply wonderful! My husband, Brother Xie An's family not only saved my life, but also promptly cured my broken leg. These kindnesses are things I will never forget for the rest of my life!"

Gu Yusheng said softly, "My love, I understand all of this!" He lowered his gaze to look at Qi Yaoyao's legs. "Well, is your thigh truly healed?"

Qi Yaoyao said, "It's healed! Thanks to Mother's timely treatment, there are no lingering effects."

Staring at his wife, Gu Yusheng said, "Can you walk a few steps for me to see?"

With a smile, Qi Yaoyao said, "Of course I can. One, two, three, four... Look, is this normal?"

Gu Yusheng nodded and said, "Not bad! I was just worried the bones wouldn't align properly. Come over and let me touch you to see if the bones are set right."

A blush instantly rose on Qi Yaoyao's cheeks as she smiled, "Didn't you already touch them last night?"

Gu Yusheng narrowed his eyes with a smile and said, "Last night I was in a rush to do that deed and didn't check carefully."

With a docile smile, Qi Yaoyao said, "Alright! I'll go freshen up, wait for me and I'll be right back."

Gu Yusheng smiled and said, "Very well."

The time it took to brew a cup of tea later, Qi Yaoyao returned.

"My husband, touch it and see if the bones have been set straight."

Slowly removing her garments, Qi Yaoyao stood before the bed.

Gu Yusheng sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at Qi Yaoyao from head to toe: her skin was smooth, delicate, and evenly fair; her breasts trembled, as if greeting him.

Gu Yusheng's whole body began to tremble as well. He opened his arms and pulled Qi Yaoyao tightly into his embrace.

"My husband, what are you doing? You—you said you wanted to check if my thigh bone was set right! Why aren't you looking anymore..." Before Qi Yaoyao could finish her sentence, Gu Yusheng had already pressed down upon her.

That night, Qi Yaoyao received the seed Gu Yusheng planted within her healthy and beautiful body. Ten months later, their daughter, Gu Nuonuo, was born.

Perhaps it was a coincidence! On that exact same day ten months later, Xie An and Guan Yi's son, Xie Fang, also descended into the world. Xie Fang arrived into the world one hour earlier than Gu Nuonuo.

On the road from Southern Han to the Qi State.

Gu Yusheng rode at the very front of the diplomatic delegation. Seated in a carriage behind him was the Qi military general Weige—the young emperor of the Qi State had already accepted the title of "King of Qi" conferred by the Emperor of Southern Han. Gu Yusheng was dispatched on a diplomatic mission to the Qi State and to escort the Qi prisoner of war, Weige, back home. Gu Yusheng served as the primary envoy, with Gao Jin as the deputy envoy.

On this day, the long line of the delegation had already passed Qingcheng and was traveling slowly along the banks of the Wei River. The procession was grand and majestic.

Gu Yusheng remembered that the first time he traveled this road was when he led troops in pursuit of the defeated Dowager Liang. At that time, his only thought was to capture Dowager Liang, leaving him no leisure to appreciate the scenery of the Wei River. On his return journey, it was nighttime, making it impossible to see the river clearly.

The spring Wei River resembled a youth—grass grew, orioles flew, and the emerald-green river carried fallen petals surging eastward. Willows trailed their silk-like branches along the riverbanks. As they neared the confluence of the Ba River, the river waters surged, churned with mud. At the Ba River mouth, the emerald waters of the Wei River met the yellow waters of the Jing River—turbulent waves rolled like a golden dragon, while the clear current resembled sparkling jade, the two waters embracing yet refusing to merge.

"It truly is 'the clear and the turbid are distinctly separate'!" Gu Yusheng sighed as he sat in the saddle.

Ahead lay a small pier where ferry boats moored. Directly across the river was a small town, with ferries traveling back and forth between the two banks.

A black-awninged boat was temporarily moored at the small pier. Inside the boat, two snow-white fingers pinched a poisonous needle, waiting for the diplomatic procession to pass.

Just as Gu Yusheng spurred his horse past the small pier, he suddenly heard a sharp whistle, and Weige collapsed into the carriage with a dull thud.

Gu Yusheng shouted, "Assassins! Protect Weige!" With that, he leaped down from his horse and dashed toward the black-awninged boat.

The boat had already drifted more than a zhang away from the pier. Gu Yusheng leaped with both feet, landing lightly on the stern of the boat.

The boat rocked violently, and with a single stroke of his sword, Gu Yusheng killed the boat's steersman.

A woman emerged flying from beneath the awning, dressed entirely in black, holding a curved saber tightly in one hand as she slashed toward Gu Yusheng.

Gu Yusheng stood firmly at the stern, his long sword flashing like a rainbow. The blade swept out a clear, chilling light, accurately parrying the downward slash of the curved saber at the exact moment of impact. With a sharp clang, the curved saber was snapped in two.

The woman in black looked at the broken half of the saber in her hand, her face turning pale. She tossed it casually into the river and sneered coldly at Gu Yusheng, "Secretary Gu, Weige has already been struck by my poisoned needle; his days are numbered!" With that, she took a deep breath, her figure unfolding like an eagle striking the vast sky as she plunged into the river.

"Trying to escape? Not a chance!" Gu Yusheng quickly sheathed his sword, tapped the deck with his toes, and executed an eagle-like leap, plunging vertically into the water. Only a ripple remained visible on the river's surface. Gao Jin stood at the edge of the pier holding a long spear.

Everyone held their breath, staring at the river surface.

Before long, two figures burst out from the water. Gu Yusheng hurled the drenched woman in black heavily onto the pier, wiped the water droplets from his face, and shouted to Gao Jin, "Quickly, bind her hands and feet!"

Gao Jin was momentarily stunned and asked, "Why bind her hands?"

Gu Yusheng frowned and said, "Her hands can launch hidden projectiles!"

A frantic attendant rushed into the pier, his voice trembling as he reported, "Reporting to Lord Gu, the Qi prisoner of war Weige has collapsed in the carriage, bleeding from his nostrils. The medical officer says he has been poisoned!"

Hearing this, the corners of the black-clad woman's mouth curled into a cold smile.

Gu Yusheng drew his treasured sword, pointing the tip at the woman in black, and demanded, "Who are you, and why did you poison Weige?"

The woman cast a sideways glance at Gu Yusheng and kept her lips sealed.

With a swift slash of Gu Yusheng's long sword, a lock of the woman's hair drifted down to the ground. He shouted, "Speak quickly, or I'll slit your throat!" As he spoke, he raised his sword.

A galloping horse raced toward the small pier, and the rider shouted, "Stay your hand!" Gu Yusheng turned his head and saw that the rider was none other than Wester, the distant cousin of Minister Wang Wuliang.

Wester dismounted before the pier, walked up to Gu Yusheng, dropped to his knees with a thud, and pleaded, "Lord Secretary Gu, this black-clad woman is my daughter, Dina. I implore you, for the sake of her being Minister Wang Wuliang's own niece, to spare her life!"

Gu Yusheng asked, "Patriarch Wester, do you know what your daughter Dina just did?"

Wester hesitated slightly, then smiled and said, "She threw a poisoned needle at you, of course!"

Knowing the truth, Gu Yusheng said, "No! She tried to poison and kill Weige!"

Wester feigned surprise and said, "Lord Secretary Gu, you are mistaken! My little daughter has no relation whatsoever to General Weige; she neither knows him nor has any grievances with him! Why would she want to poison and kill General Weige? She has no motive or reason to do so. She certainly has ample reason to want to murder you, Lord Secretary Gu! It seems most likely that her poisoned needle flew astray!"

Gu Yusheng asked, "Respected Patriarch Wester, tell me then, why would Dina want to poison me?"

Wester wore an embarrassed expression and said, "Lord Secretary Gu, are you truly confused or just pretending to be? She is a deeply infatuated woman, and since you rejected her last time, she has hated you to the bone! Not only is she infatuated, but she is also narrow-minded and fierce—rather than let someone else have what she cannot attain, she would rather destroy it!"

Gao Jin glared and said to Dina on the ground, "Attempting to assassinate our Lord Gu is a capital offense anyway!" With that, he raised his spear and aimed it at Dina's throat. Dina bit her lip, the resentment in her eyes entirely feigned.

Wester quickly intervened, "General Gao, this is an entangled debt between my daughter and Lord Gu. Let the two of them sort it out themselves; you and I are outsiders and need not meddle in this!"

Gu Yusheng smiled and asked, "Patriarch Wester, what if Gu Yusheng also wants Dina to die?"

Wester said with absolute confidence, "I hold a bargaining chip; Dina will not die!"

Gu Yusheng stared at Wester and demanded, "What chip? Produce it!"

Wester said, "Lord Secretary Gu, Weige has already been poisoned with my daughter's slow-acting, fatal toxin. Without the antidote, he will die within three days without fail! This is my bargaining chip!"

Gu Yusheng replied, "We have skilled medical officers who can cure poison!"

Wester chuckled and said, "Aside from immortals, no one in this world possesses the antidote to this slow-acting poison except my daughter!"

Gao Jin aimed his spear at Dina and cursed, "Vicious woman, hand over the antidote immediately, or I, Gao Jin, will run you through with my spear!"

Wester hurriedly said, "General Gao, wait!" He turned to look at Gu Yusheng and asked, "Lord Secretary, shall we trade a life for a life?"

Gu Yusheng asked, "How so?"

Wester explained, "Well, Lord Gu, Weige is a dying man, and my daughter is also a dying man. How about my daughter produces the antidote to save Weige's life, and you spare my daughter's life? What do you say?"

Gu Yusheng had known all along that this would be the outcome. Though filled with inward elation, he still maintained an expression of difficult choice.

Anxious, Wester urged, "Weige's life is hanging by a thread, Lord Gu, please make your decision quickly!"

Indifferently, Gu Yusheng said, "Please have Lady Dina produce the antidote."

In the Daze Prairie, Wester and Dina rode side by side on horseback.

Dina turned to the Right Wise King Wester and asked, "Father, why did you make me hand the antidote over to Gu Yusheng?"

Wester stroked his beard and laughed, "How could I possibly equate the life of my precious daughter with the life of that coward Weige of the Qi State?"

Disappointedly, Dina said, "Father, our plan this time to dismantle the alliance between the Qi State and the Southern Han has failed. Please punish your daughter."

Wester said, "Father already knows that my precious daughter did her utmost in this operation; Dina is blameless! As for Southern Han wishing to restore friendly relations with Qi, let them restore friendly relations!"

Perplexed, Dina asked, "What does Father mean by that? You must know that a renewed alliance between Southern Han and Qi is vastly disadvantageous to our ambitions to conquer the Central Plains!"

Dismissively, Wester said, "It is vastly advantageous! Dina, do you know what the Qi State is like right now?"

Dina looked at her father and shook her head.

Wester continued, "Then let Father tell you! Today's Qi State can be described as an absolute mess! Because Dowager Liang pursued her own selfish desires and waged aggressive wars of expansion, she launched an invasion of Southern Han that ended in complete failure. In today's Qi State, the agricultural labor force in villages has virtually vanished, and the agrarian economy is paralyzed. The prestige of the Liang family in Qi has plummeted to its lowest point, and the young emperor is still a child. The Qi State is currently in complete chaos! Due to the shortage of labor, economic recovery is sluggish, and the people's lives are extremely difficult. To revive the economy, Dowager Liang is desperate for external aid, but the surrounding small countries are all struggling to survive; only Southern Han is slightly better off. Consequently, Dowager Liang extended an olive branch to the Southern Han court, seeking to mend relations. Yet for Southern Han to ally with Qi, it must provide economic aid to Qi. However, today's Southern Han is no longer what it used to be and is not wealthy itself! Southern Han aiding Qi can be described as 'one beggar helping another beggar'! This is exactly what Father hoped for!"

Perplexed, Dina asked, "Why would Father hope for such a thing?"

Wester continued, "Aiding Qi is a bottomless pit! Father intends for Southern Han to fill this bottomless pit of Qi, thereby draining and crippling Southern Han's economy!"

Hearing this, Dina beamed with joy, gave a thumbs-up, and praised, "Father is brilliant!"

Smugly, Wester declared, "Who is your father? Your father is a great golden eagle of the grasslands!" With a shout of "Jia!", he spurred his horse and galloped forward.

Dina likewise spurred her horse forward, shouting, "Father, wait for Dina!"

One month later, Gu Yusheng, Gao Jin, and their entourage were warmly received by Dowager Liang of the Qi State. It was said that in the Qi State, "the young emperor, Dowager Liang, and the attendants all bowed toward the east, receiving imperial favor."

Gu Yusheng handed Weige back over to the Qi State.

Weige was a military general accustomed to wielding a Qi sword with his right hand; now, lacking his right palm, he was reduced to a cripple. However, he possessed military achievements, and Dowager Liang granted him an audience. At that time, Dowager Liang needed to rally the tribal factions!

Weige knelt on the ground and shouted, "I beg the Dowager to honor her promise and let Princess Chongwen and this general be wed!" His gaze was piercingly aggressive, and Dowager Liang did not dare meet his eyes directly.

Looking at Weige, who was now reduced to a cripple, Dowager Liang's thoughts were tumultuous. She appeased him, saying, "General Weige, rest assured, that is only a matter of time."

The moment Weige withdrew, Yimo pressed both hands and knees against the cold ground and pleaded, "I beg the Empress Mother to rescind her command, or Yimo will have no choice but to die!"

Exasperated, Dowager Liang scolded, "Go and die then!" Heartbroken, Yimo slumped against the cold floor and cried out, "Mother is far too unfair to me! Yimo blames neither heaven nor earth, only herself for having a cruel, vicious, and hypocritical mother!" Without offering a bow of farewell, she turned and stormed out.

Dowager Liang's face turned ashen.

At this time, there were primarily three factions within the Qi court. The first was the Liang consort-relatives faction, whose core members were Dowager Liang and her younger brother Zhi. Their political platform advocated for traditional Qi rituals while marginalizing Southern Han culture, and they relied on military expansion to consolidate authority. The second was the Southern Han-leaning faction, represented by Mu Qing. Their political platform called for abandoning traditional Qi rituals and pursuing a rapprochement with Southern Han. The third was the tribal faction, to which Weige belonged. Ever since Dowager Liang seized control of the Qi court, local imperial clansmen and tribal chieftains had repeatedly raised troops for self-preservation, refusing to obey her commands. Yet, the Liang consort-relatives faction still maintained intricate ties with the tribal forces. Consequently, Dowager Liang sought to forge closer ties with the tribal factions through political marriage. The tribal factions held exclusive dominance over the Ministry of War in Qi.

After Weige exited the palace, officials from the Ministry of War hosted a banquet to welcome him back, all addressing him as "Prince Consort Weige." It had been a long time since Weige had tasted Qi's dry red wine. The wine was rich in aroma, mellow on the palate, and exceptionally smooth.

"This really quenches my thirst!" Weige said after drinking a large leather pouch of wine, wiping his mouth with his hand.

"Since that is the case, would the Prince Consort care to switch to drinking from an earthen jar?" the rising stars of the Ministry of War fawned over him.

"Very well! Drinking from an earthen jar is much more satisfying!" Weige reached out with his right hand to pick up the jar, then laughed mockingly at himself and switched to his left hand.

That very night, Weige drank himself to death at the Ministry of War.

Dowager Liang issued an imperial decree confining Princess Chongwen Yimo to death row. The pretext was that among the numerous rising stars of the Ministry of War who had been drinking with Weige that night, two deputy generals had formerly served in Princess Chongwen's Second Route Army. Weige's elder brother, Duwang, who was currently the Left General of Qi and responsible for the capital's security, insisted vehemently that Weige's death must have been orchestrated by Princess Chongwen through her two former subordinates. He demanded that Dowager Liang severely punish the three culprits. Thus, while imprisoning Princess Chongwen on death row, Dowager Liang simultaneously issued a decree arresting the two deputy generals, and without any further ado, had their heads severed.

Weige's death provided an opportunity for the local imperial clans and tribal factions to stir up trouble, demanding that Dowager Liang surrender political power to the young emperor. But Dowager Liang, a woman obsessed with power, how could she ever bear to relinquish it? Consequently, Duwang openly raised an army in rebellion, surrounding the imperial palace airtight and proclaiming his intent to storm the palace, capture Dowager Liang alive, and tear her limb from limb.

The capital had already been under siege for three days. The Southern Han diplomatic mission, led by Gu Yusheng and Gao Jin, was also trapped within the Southern Capital Hostel.

Initially, Dowager Liang paid no heed to Duwang and his followers because she knew them far too well—they were merely making a fuss and could never stir up a major storm! By the third day, however, she realized that this time, Duwang and his men were not just making a fuss! Panic began to grip her heart, and she hurriedly summoned the imperial edict reader, instructing him, "Summon Princess Chongwen Yimo for an audience."

Instead of crying out with his usual soaring, clear voice, the edict reader approached cautiously and whispered to Dowager Liang, "Reporting to the Dowager, Princess Chongwen has been locked away in the Gaoling Heavenly Prison; she cannot be summoned!"

"Oh?" It was only then that Dowager Liang remembered Yimo had been locked in the heavenly prison by her own decree. The heavenly prison was not in the capital, but dozens of li away at the Gaoling Prison.

"Only that stubborn girl Yimo can handle those men under Duwang!" The shrewd Dowager Liang glanced at the edict reader and asked, "Who shall go to Gaoling Prison and release Princess Chongwen?"

Several eunuchs looked at one another in dismay, dropping to their knees to bow their heads in silence.

Dowager Liang was a woman who had weathered great storms and remained calm in times of crisis.

Late that very night, Gu Yusheng and Gao Jin were quietly escorted into the imperial palace.

Casting aside her dignity, Dowager Liang said to Gu Yusheng, "Lord Gu, you already know the situation without Her Majesty spelling it out. The circumstances are indeed far from optimistic! Therefore, I wish to ask for your assistance."

Gu Yusheng stood and replied, "Replying to the Dowager, this humble official is not one to stand by idly. Speak plainly, how do you wish for this humble official to help you?"

Dowager Liang gestured for Gu Yusheng to step closer and whispered a few instructions into his ear.

Gu Yusheng stepped back, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Dowager, this humble official can help you with this task. But once it is accomplished, I ask that Your Majesty keep your promise and sign your esteemed name to the *Treaty of Generational Friendly Alliance between Southern Han and the Qi State*."

Dowager Liang nodded heavily and said, "That goes without saying!"

Deep in the dead of night, a figure clad in night-walker garb leaped up onto the watchtower of the Xingqing Gate, then soared down like a bat, drifting noiselessly over the heads of the imperial guards sleeping on the ceremonial avenue before the gate. Once outside the capital, taking advantage of the cover of darkness, the figure sped toward Gaoling Prison.

Gaoling Prison.

When Gu Yusheng arrived at Gaoling Prison, dawn had not yet broken. He quickly stripped off his night-walker garments and changed into the crimson official robes of a "Penal Inspector." He knocked on the warden's door and presented the imperial edicts and decrees from Dowager Liang and the young emperor. The warden checked and cross-checked the two documents repeatedly before shouting aloud, "Open the doors of the death row prison at once, and escort Princess Chongwen out!" The warden belonged to the Liang consort-relatives faction.

With the final, muffled sound of the heavy iron door unlatching, Gu Yusheng stooped and walked into the dimly lit stone cell where Yimo was being held. By the flickering, faint light of a torch, he saw Yimo curled up in the corner of the stone room, her gaze filled with helplessness and despair.

Gu Yusheng stepped closer and softly called out, "Princess Chongwen..."

Yimo opened her eyes, and upon recognizing that the visitor was Gu Yusheng, a flash of light crossed her gaze. She tried to stand up, but her feet were shackled in heavy irons, and she could only stare at Gu Yusheng as tears streamed down her face.

The warden hurriedly shouted, "Quickly unlock Princess Chongwen's shackles!"

An elderly prison guard squeezed clumsily into the stone cell and unlocked all the irons.

Gu Yusheng bent down to help Yimo to her feet and escorted her out of the heavenly prison. Yimo asked softly, "Who sent you to release me? Weren't the imperial edicts and decrees all forged by you?"

Gu Yusheng whispered, "It was Dowager Liang who sent me to release you, and the imperial decrees are entirely genuine!"

Skeptically, Yimo whispered, "Gu Yusheng, you're lying! That vicious old woman doesn't have such a kind heart! Still, I am overjoyed that you came to pull me out! Because I don't want to die yet! I haven't even tasted the pleasures of a man! This time, you must take me back to Southern Han. I want to marry you!"

Gu Yusheng said, "Yimo, don't think your mother is so wicked! The old lady and the young emperor have been besieged by Duwang's rebellious army for three days, and the imperial palace is in imminent peril. Dowager Liang needs you to go immediately and summon your Second Route Army to lift the siege of the capital." With that, he drew the imperial tiger tally given by Dowager Liang from his bosom and handed it to Yimo.

Yimo did not take it. She asked, "Why is Duwang rebelling?" Gu Yusheng replied, "It's all because of you, poisoning Weige's wine! With Duwang losing his own younger brother, it's no wonder he's rebelling!"

Yimo lowered her head and said, "I thought I had done it seamlessly! Who could have foreseen that those two deputy generals used to be under my command as well?! I always assumed everyone in the Ministry of War belonged to the local imperial clan and the tribes!"

Gu Yusheng scolded, "You truly are foolish! If you didn't want to marry Weige, you could have just refused; there were actually multiple paths you could have taken! Did you know that poisoning Weige was the worst possible strategy?"

Yimo wept silently as she contemplated his words.

After a long while, Yimo suddenly wiped away the tears from her face, smiled, and asked Gu Yusheng, "Did you bring food and wine?"

Gu Yusheng was startled and asked, "What do you need food and wine for?"

Yimo declared loudly, "To eat, of course! I need to eat and drink my fill before I have the strength to rush to the Second Route Army and bring back reinforcements!"

Gu Yusheng chided, "Do you think I strolled casually out of the palace? Let me tell you, Princess Sister! Your humble servant Gu Yusheng had to scale walls in the middle of the night wearing night-walker clothes just to sneak out of the palace!"

"A great kindness requires no thanks!" Yimo cupped her hands in a salute to Gu Yusheng, then turned to the warden. "Warden Lord, quickly prepare a fast horse for me, along with travel rations and water."

"As you command!" The warden hurried off to procure a horse and provisions. Gu Yusheng asked, "Do you need Yusheng to accompany you?"

Yimo looked at Gu Yusheng's penal inspector robes and said, "You are an official from another land; anyone can tell at a glance that you are a southerner, so your presence would only cause complications! It would be better for you to return to the woods outside the Xingqing Gate and wait for me there. As soon as the reinforcements arrive, we will march together to crush Duwang that traitor!"

"Very well."

Duwang had besieged the imperial palace for half a month, yet Yimo's reinforcements had still not arrived. More than half of the imperial guards defending the city had been killed or wounded.

Gao Jin was inside the palace protecting Dowager Liang and the young emperor.

The palace was running short of food and water, and the young emperor wept from thirst. Watching her imperial grandson on the verge of dying from thirst, Dowager Liang felt as though her heart were being torn to pieces.

On the twentieth day of Duwang's siege on the capital, Dowager Liang donned her full ceremonial attire, climbed up to the ramparts of the Xingqing Gate, and called down to Duwang below: "General Duwang, state your terms! What must the Dowager agree to before you will send up a single bucket of fresh water?"

Duwang asked, "Old witch, why do you want a bucket of fresh water?" Dowager Liang replied, "The emperor is dying of thirst and urgently needs a bucket of water to quench it."

Duwang said, "A bucket of water is easy! But I want your old life in exchange, old witch. Will you give it?"

Dowager Liang raised her eyes to the heavens and said, "Granted! Once you hoist a bucket of water up here, I, a member of the Liang clan, shall leap from this rampart and let you hack me into a thousand pieces!"

Duwang asked, "If I send a bucket of water up, and you go back on your word?"

Dowager Liang said, "A mere bucket of water can save the emperor, but it cannot save the thousands of people within the palace! If I break my word to you, the people inside this palace will not spare me either!"

"Very well! Send a bucket of water up to her."

Watching her imperial grandson drink the water and break into a smile, Dowager Liang caressed the young emperor's neck and whispered, "My imperial grandson, starting today, Grandma returns political power to you!" With that, she stepped to the edge of the battlements, leaped forward, and plunged down before Duwang—shattered and bloody.

At that exact moment, someone suddenly shouted, "Princess Chongwen has brought the Second Route Army to lift the siege!"...

The siege of the capital was lifted.

The young emperor issued a decree to have Duwang torn apart by five horses.

Yimo moved into the imperial palace to look after her young imperial nephew.

A month later, Gu Yusheng, Gao Jin, and the Southern Han delegation bade farewell to the young emperor and Yimo.

With tear-filled eyes, Yimo looked at Gu Yusheng and said, "Brother Yusheng, I truly want to follow you back to Southern Han, but my nephew is still young, and I cannot leave."

Gu Yusheng smiled and said, "Live in peace here in the Qi State!" Yimo gestured to a beautiful young woman standing behind her and said, "Jianzhi, step forward." A young maiden of sixteen stepped up.

Yimo said to Gao Jin, "General Gao, this is my cousin, Liang Jianzhi. I am giving her to you in marriage!"

Gao Jin looked at the exquisite beauty from the Qi State, his heart blooming with joy as he said, "In that case, shouldn't I also address you as Cousin Yimo?"

"Indeed!" Yimo said with a smile.