Chapter 844: Chapter 590: Who is in the Play? Part 2
Good or bad, it has nothing to do with her...
She is merely an intermediary.
A blade caught in the feud between Xiao Cheng and Feng Yun.
No matter which side it strikes, it is never of her own will.
Yet, she had just explicitly said that Feng Yun would no longer trust her, that she had lost her value in staying by Xiao Cheng’s side...
Still, Xiao Cheng said that by his side, there would always be a place for her.
He gave her a room.
That was spoken to her.
Not to Feng Yun’s sister.
But solely from Xiao Cheng, to her.
"Your Majesty..."
Daman knew she should not soften her heart, but faced with those eyes, the secret she harbored felt like a string of lit firecrackers, ready to ignite her entirely at any moment.
"This concubine has something to say."
A rush of fiery blood surged to her head.
She seemed unable to restrain herself, as if she wanted to bare her heart to the man before her, to the king of Qi Country, to the one who gazed at her tenderly—the man she loved—offering up her heart and soul entirely.
"Xiaoman inadvertently revealed just now that the Da Yong Army will launch a surprise attack on Bingzhou through the Mingquan Bamboo River Crossing in three days—"
Xiao Cheng’s eyes flickered slightly.
Daman bit her lower lip and raised her head higher.
"And Xiaoman also told me another secret."
Xiao Cheng narrowed his eyes, studying her tense expression, "What is it?"
Daman replied, "Pei Jue’s surname is not Pei, but Xie. He is the son of the late Daqi General Xie Xian..."
This revelation might be a secret to the common folk, but since the time of Li Zongxun, such rumors had been intermittently spreading. Xiao Cheng was not hearing it for the first time. Moreover, the truth within, he already knew in great detail, and thus showed no hint of surprise.
"So what?"
Daman said, "Xie Xian’s tomb is in Bingzhou. Years ago, when Pei Jue seized Bingzhou City but was later trapped by Your Majesty, he barely escaped with his life, bitterly losing Bingzhou. For him, it was a humiliation he could never forget. Therefore, they would rather abandon Dan Prefecture and Guyi, but they are determined to take back Bingzhou..."
At this point, her eyelids flicked upward once more.
"After all, Bingzhou is not only where Pei Jue’s biological father’s tomb lies but also the place where he married his elder sister..."
Xiao Cheng’s expression shifted, his lips pressing tightly together, a slight furrow forming between his brows. The calm mask on his handsome face almost cracked, and his eyes resembled an icy, fathomless abyss.
The corner of Daman’s eye caught his reaction. She slightly lowered her head.
"Your Majesty, do you wish to hear more?"
Only then did Xiao Cheng lift his gaze, "Speak."
Looking at him, Daman hesitated for a moment, "Xiaoman said that as soon as the spring snow melts, they will feign an attack on Suo Yue Ridge, using it as a diversion to launch a surprise attack on Bingzhou, then seize Hengqu Pass, forcing Your Majesty to withdraw troops from Dan Prefecture to counter..."
-
In the first month of the eighth year of the Jingning Era, heavy snow fell for half a month straight.
Endless layers of white snow entirely blocked Suo Yue Ridge, with only scouts from both sides weaving through the snow-laden mountain ranges.
The snow-blanketed peaks became the best natural barrier before the two armies.
Yet, everyone knew that winter would pass.
The critical moment of war would likely arrive when the snow cleared. Once spring returned and flowers bloomed, peace would be over.
Better to live as a dog in peacetime than as a human amid chaos and displacement.
As the Yong and Qi armies faced off amidst the blizzard, the people of Yunchuan turned their gaze beyond the battlefield.
Amid this grand-scale warfare, as the world’s eyes focused on Suo Yue Ridge, in Yunchuan, where snow never fell throughout the year, the Prince of Yunchuan, Chunyu Yan, swiftly annexed several Yi Departments at the southwestern frontier. He shattered Yunchuan’s hundred-year-old tradition of "neutrality and non-aggression" by incorporating a small vassal state at the southwestern border into his territory...
A blade honed over ten years.
The sharp sword of Yunchuan was finally unsheathed.
The turmoil of the era stirred once more.
By midday on the tenth of the first month, a team of light cavalry crossed mountains and rivers to reach the Da Yong military camp in Dan Prefecture, delivering a letter from the Prince of Yunchuan directly to Pei Jue.
"The great prince is willing to send 100,000 elite soldiers to aid Da Yong."
One hundred thousand elite soldiers.
Da Yong certainly did not lack those one hundred thousand troops.
But Chunyu Yan brought more than just the soldiers; he also brought hundreds of thousands of stones of grain, provisions, and equipment. Without waiting for the emperor’s approval, he had already mobilized from Yunchuan, advancing via both land and water routes on a direct course for Dan Prefecture...
That soft whip, called Qiu Tong, was also sent back by Chunyu Yan.
The travel-worn envoy from Yunchuan presented the letter to Pei Jue and, raising the box containing the soft whip high above his head, declared loudly before him:
"This gift is from the Prince of Yunchuan to the Empress. May the Empress accept it with a smile."
Feng Yun’s heart gave a slight leap, and she smiled, "Please thank the great prince for me."
The box, made of exquisite rosewood, was crafted by master artisans. It had previously been placed in Feng Yun’s study, where it was visible to anyone passing by. It looked distinctly familiar...
Pei Jue glanced at it, his fingertips tapping lightly on his knee, making no comment.
For a fleeting moment, a tension gripped Feng Yun’s heart.
