The Regent's Little Wife

At this time, Yuan Qi took out a human skin mask and a token from his arms, handed them to Hilton, and explained: "Put on this human skin mask and this token. This token was given to me by the empress before. With it, you will be able to leave the customs unimpeded."

Hilton took the mask and token hesitantly, and asked worriedly, "If you let me go, won't it put yourself in danger? If you do this, won't you be openly opposing the empress? Will she forgive you?"

Yuan Qi comforted him, "You don't have to worry about my safety. I have ways to deal with it. You should leave quickly. Once daybreak comes, the situation will become very difficult."

Hilton held the mask and token tightly and answered solemnly: "Okay, I remember what you just said. I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and make the truth known to the world."

The next morning, when the first ray of sunlight had not yet penetrated the thick clouds, Si Ning was immersed in the gentle embrace of dreams, but the sound of hurried footsteps disturbed the tranquility.

The secret guard Jin Yu, with a solemn expression, quietly walked into the empress's bedroom and whispered, "Your Majesty, a strange thing has happened. The prison seems to have evaporated from the face of the earth, and it is difficult to find any trace."

Si Ning was suddenly awakened by these words, and put on a thin shirt, his eyes full of doubts: "Jin Yu, tell me slowly, why are you so flustered? Why did the prison disappear?"

Jin Yu took a deep breath and narrated slowly: "Your Majesty, when we inspected this morning, we found that Prince Hilton was no longer in the cell. Instead, it was your attendant Yuan Qi who took his place. It is incredible that the two of them exchanged identities overnight."

Upon hearing this, Si Ning quickly dressed and hurried to the legendary "empty prison". Inside the prison door, a man sat quietly, his face was no different from Yuan Qi, and he was the incarnation of the missing Prince Hilton.

Si Ning stared at the person in front of him, with a hint of disbelief in his voice: "Yuan Qi, is it you? You actually released the little prince of the Western Region without permission?"

Yuan Qi faced Si Ning's questioning calmly, with a determined light in his eyes: "Yes, I let him go. I can't watch him die in a meaningless war."

"Do you know that he is an extremely important bargaining chip to me? What is your intention in doing this? Besides, this prison is heavily guarded, how did you get in?" Si Ning's words were mixed with anger and confusion.

Yuan Qi smiled bitterly, revealing a hint of helplessness in his tone: "I pity him for being so young, and I can't bear to see him die. As for how to escape, Your Majesty should know that I am highly skilled in martial arts, and with a little magic, this prison is nothing but a paper barrier to me."

"Do you know that no matter your status, releasing prisoners of the enemy country is a serious crime?" Si Ning's tone became increasingly severe.

Yuan Qi nodded, his eyes firm: "Of course I know, and I am willing to bear all the consequences." After saying that, he suddenly swayed, spit out blood, and collapsed to the ground.

Seeing this, Si Ning hurried forward to support him and feel his pulse, sighing inwardly: "Why do you always fail to take the medicine I gave you on time? If you really have something to hide, you can tell me, why do you have to do this?"

Yuan Qi let out a bitter smile: "Ning'er, if I could die in your arms, this life would be enough..."

"Death? How dare you talk about life and death without my permission? If you dare to leave today, I will make you vanish into thin air!" Si Ning's tone was full of determination, and he immediately ordered Jin Yu to send Yuan Qi back to the tent.

Inside the tent, Si Ning faced the unconscious Yuan Qi alone, feeling mixed emotions. She activated the space system to remove the toxins from Yuan Qi's body. Just as everything was settled, there was a burst of noise outside the tent.

"Your Majesty, please be merciful and let me see my elder brother!" It was Yuan Yi's voice. He obviously came for Yuan Qi, and there was a hint of tears in his tone.

Jin Yu strictly followed the empress's order and refused to give in: "Your Majesty has ordered that no one is allowed to enter without permission."

Yuan Yi almost cried out: "Please let me in, I have something to say to His Majesty."

Si Ning knew Yuan Yi's intention, so he ordered Jin Yu to let him go. Yuan Yi rushed into the tent, knelt on the ground, and burst into tears: "Your Majesty, please forgive my elder brother. He did not mean to deceive you. In fact, the person that the Queen of the Western Regions wanted was my elder brother. And he is not my biological brother. Many years ago, he took me in when I was wandering and treated me as his own brother."

After hearing this, Si Ning sighed softly and motioned Yuan Yi to stand up: "When did I say I wanted to kill your elder brother? It is indeed inappropriate for him to conceal his identity, but considering that he saved you and has been seriously injured, let's just let it go. You take good care of him, I have other important matters to deal with."

Yuan Yi was filled with gratitude and kept thanking him. However, Si Ning had already made up her mind that she would give the Queen of the Western Regions a taste of her own medicine and conquer the Western Regions to avenge her previous humiliation.

Empress Si Ning's grand vision was like a raging fire, quickly sweeping across every corner of the army.

The first person to learn about this decision was the powerful regent Jun Yuanxun.

With a solemn expression, he asked softly in the hall: "Ning'er, are you really determined to flatten the capital of the Western Region and resolve the dispute by force?"

Si Ning's eyes flashed with determination, and she slowly replied: "That's right, the sense of justice is as unshakable as a rock. We have tried to be harmonious and treat each other with courtesy, but we did not get the respect and understanding we deserve. Now, only with a thunderous force can we demonstrate the majesty of our dynasty and completely resolve this disturbance. Moreover, the Queen of Xiyue can turn a blind eye to her own brothers and sisters. How can she survive in the world with such behavior?"

Si Ning took a sip of the fragrant tea and continued, "What I cannot tolerate the most is such selfish people. Just imagine that the people of the Western Regions are living in endless suffering and despair under her rule. Rather than letting them continue to sink, I would rather lead them to the light myself and let this land be reborn under my governance."

Upon hearing this, Jun Yuanxun could not help but feel a little respect for Si Ning's kindness and courage. He nodded and said, "Your Majesty cares about the people, which is a blessing for us. However, although we won the previous battle, our army was also seriously injured. Fighting again at this time may not be the best strategy. I think we should wait until the time is right before sending troops."

Si Ning heard this, a hint of impatience flashed across his brows: "The opportunity for war is fleeting, and the enemy's morale is low now, it is time to seize the opportunity to pursue the victory. If we keep delaying, I am afraid that the war will continue endlessly."

Seeing Si Ning's firm determination, Jun Yuanxun had no choice but to obey: "Your Majesty is right. I will go and organize the troops and horses and be on standby at any time."

A few days later, after careful consideration with the generals, Si Ning decided to split his troops into two groups and attack the capital of the Western Region. Wherever the army went, everyone surrendered. Finally, the army arrived at the city and launched a fierce battle with the Western Region Prince Hilton.

After a desperate fight, Hilton was finally defeated due to lack of ammunition and food. Queen Xiyue had no choice but to declare unconditional surrender and sign a peace agreement. When the news was passed back to the Si Dynasty, the whole country was jubilant.

Soon after, the Western Regions sent an envoy with rich tributes and gifts to pay homage to Si Ning. The envoy listed the tribute list one by one, including gold, silver, jewelry, cattle and horses, all of which showed the sincerity and respect of the Western Regions.

However, when the messenger mentioned the last gift - Hilton, the ninth prince of the Western Regions, the entire tent suddenly fell silent.