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In her dream, the State of Chen's large army only started heading southwest after the New Year. In the second month, they captured Princess Ning'an and Old Marquis. In the third month, they captured Gu Chengfeng. In the fourth month, Gu Changqing led a hundred thousand Gu Family troops northward. In the fifth month, the borderlands were still covered in endless snow. In the sixth month, eighty thousand Gu Family troops were annihilated.
Right now, it was only the tenth month of the current year.
It seemed that the events she dreamed about were indeed happening ahead of time again.
Yuan Tang furrowed his brow, "What do you mean?"
Gu Jiao glanced at him with regret and sighed, "It seems you don't know yet."
Yuan Tang’s brows furrowed even deeper, "Don't know what?"
Gu Jiao shifted her gaze away and continued to peel the tangerine, "Both countries are about to go to war, and you, as a hostage prince, will soon lose your usefulness."
Yuan Tang folded his fan and retorted, "You're talking nonsense!"
Both of her statements were utter nonsense!
The reason the State of Chen sent their imperial prince as a hostage to the State of Zhao was to express their determination to surrender and seek peace. If they dared to raise arms against the State of Zhao again, the State of Zhao would definitely kill Yuan Tang.
When Marquis Xuanping had raised troops against the State of Chen back then, he had first rescued An Junwang before deploying his forces.
But now, the State of Chen's army was advancing toward the State of Zhao's border, yet there was no sign of movement from Yuan Tang. This indicated that Yuan Tang had been abandoned by the State of Chen, or more precisely, by his own uncle in the State of Chen.
Yuan Tang was generally easygoing, but he couldn't help but feel a bit angry now, "Hey, don't use our acquaintanceship to spew nonsense and try to sow discord between me and my imperial father!"
Gu Jiao shrugged, "It has nothing to do with your imperial father. It’s your uncle who is planning a rebellion. I’m afraid you cannot be the Crown Prince of the State of Chen anymore."
Yuan Tang's anger slightly subsided upon hearing that it wasn't his imperial father, but he still furrowed his brow and asked, "Which uncle of mine are you talking about?"
Gu Jiao replied, "How would I know which uncle of yours led the troops to suppress the rebellion?"
Gu Jiao actually knew the answer, but she wanted to see if Yuan Tang was aware of it.
Yuan Tang hesitated for a moment, then bristled with indignation, "Are you talking about my imperial uncle, Bo Qinwang? That's impossible! He's a full-blooded sibling of my imperial father and his most trusted brother! Anyone else can plot a rebellion but not him"
"Is that so?" Gu Jiao raised an eyebrow.
Yuan Tang was unwavering in his belief that his imperial uncle would not rebel, "Furthermore, this time, my maternal grandfather and my eldest maternal uncle are going with him. Even if my imperial uncle wanted to rebel, they wouldn't sit idly by."
Gu Jiao responded with a casual "Oh" and said, "What if they were conspiring with your imperial uncle to rebel?"
Yuan Tang looked at Gu Jiao as if she were an idiot, "Why would my maternal grandfather do that? What does he gain from it?"
Gu Jiao ignored his disdain and calmly replied, "That's your Rong Family’s business."
If it weren't for Bo Qinwang and the Rong Family, how could the Gu Family's army have suffered such a huge loss?
Yuan Tang thought Gu Jiao was talking nonsense, "I don't believe it! Where did you hear this gossip from?"
"Believe it or not, it's up to you." Gu Jiao said. Her purpose for coming here was not to make Yuan Tang believe anything. It was to confirm whether her dream had indeed occurred ahead of schedule.
Her goal had been achieved, and out of morality, she had given him a well-intentioned warning.
If he believed it, great; if not, she would think of another way and leave him be.
"How's your finger?" Gu Jiao asked, looking at Liu Yisheng.
Liu Yisheng's eyes flickered, and he replied, "Much better."
"Let me see." Gu Jiao extended her hand.
Liu Yisheng hesitated for a moment, then handed over the reattached finger to her.
She gently pinched the sutured wound, "Does it still hurt?"
"No, it doesn't hurt."
It’s a bit... itchy.
Liu Yisheng lowered his eyes.
Gu Jiao hooked her finger around his, testing his strength. Liu Yisheng was well aware that she was only doing this as a physician, but this gesture felt a bit too intimate for him.
His breathing paused for a moment.
Gu Jiao asked, “Does it hurt like this?”
Liu Yisheng quickly denied, “No, it doesn't hurt.”
“Well, it’s recovering well.” Gu Jiao didn't think much of it. She released Liu Yisheng's hand, lowered her head, and started petting her plump cat, her eyes squinting in enjoyment.
Liu Yisheng looked at Gu Jiao like this; the girl under the sunlight was stunning, showing no trace of timidity due to the birthmark on her face. She lived boldly, like the hottest sun in the sky.
Gu Jiao petted the cat until she was satisfied and then got up to leave.
On the way, she kept thinking about the situation with the remnants of the previous dynasty and the pirates on the sea. They happened almost simultaneously, and it didn't seem like a coincidence. It was as if someone deliberately stirred up trouble on the islands to divert Marquis Xuanping's attention and then targeted Marquis Ding'an Estate and the Gu Family Army.
It was a major conspiracy against the State of Zhao. Destroying the Gu Family Army was like cutting off one State of Zhao's arms, but Gu Jiao couldn't help but feel that things were not so simple.
The actions against Old Marquis and Gu Chengfeng, as well as the brutality of cutting off Gu Changqing's legs, seemed more like a strong desire for revenge and humiliation.
Had the Gu Family offended the remnants of the previous dynasty?
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing was a remnant of the previous dynasty, but her death shouldn't be blamed on the Gu Family, right?
Gu Jiao couldn't figure out the key to all of this for now.
Of course, it was also possible that the so-called revenge and humiliation were only her own misconceptions.
She didn't know if the remnants of the previous dynasty had really colluded with the sea pirates. She hoped they hadn't, so that the pirate attack would not happen in advance and Marquis Xuanping would still have time to head north.
Marquis Xuanping heading north would have at least halved the morale of the State of Chen's army.
Unfortunately, reality was often cruel.
That very night, urgent news arrived from Nanhai City—— pirates had caused chaos, the islands were lost, and the Navy Commander had been killed. They urgently requested support from the imperial court.
When the news reached the imperial palace, the Emperor and Gu Jiao were both in the Renshou Palace.
Neither Grandaunt nor the Emperor tried to keep the information from Gu Jiao, allowing her to overhear the report from the guards and their discussion.
The Emperor was at his wit’s end and said, "Commander Liao was killed, and the Navy is without a leader. The few deputy commanders are too young and inexperienced to handle the situation. On our side, there are a few experienced generals, but they are not familiar with naval operations."
“Aijia remembers Marquis Xuanping served in the Navy for several years." Empress Dowager Zhuang said.
"Oh, that’s right." The Emperor seemed to recall, "When he was young, Marquis Xuanping served in the Navy for several years. He even rose to the position of Navy General."
If Marquis Xuanping had stayed in Nanhai City, he could have eventually become the Navy Commander.
However, he had returned to the capital.
For the purpose of marrying Princess Xinyang.
And yet, no one had anticipated that this originally good marriage would turn out to be what it was now.
"In fact..." The Emperor paused and then mentioned Gu Changqing's whereabouts, "Gu Changqing is near Mount Fengdu, about ten days' journey from Nanhai City."
Gu Changqing had gone to Mount Fengdu to take charge of the secret training of the thirty thousand Forbidden Army troops. These troops were the imperial family's ace in the hole, originally intended to deal with Empress Dowager Zhuang, but now there was no longer a need for it.
Empress Dowager Zhuang didn't inquire about Gu Changqing's mission near Mount Fengdu but continued discussing the situation in Nanhai City, "He lacks naval experience and has limited seniority, making it difficult to gain the respect of the sailors."
Naval warfare was vastly different from land warfare, and Gu Changqing, while an excellent military officer on land, might not be suitable for naval operations.
Furthermore, the naval forces often had a more complex dynamic, with intrigue and manipulation common. Getting involved in these matters required a certain level of ruthlessness, and it typically took someone like Marquis Xuanping, a tyrant and scoundrel, to make them understand the consequences of opposing authority.
The Emperor nodded, "Imperial mother's words are quite true."
Gu Jiao listened from the sidelines, understanding that Marquis Xuanping's journey south had become a significant development in the situation.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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