Madam General, please run slower.

Inside the East Palace.

The palace was filled with fragrance, the aroma of wine intertwined with the taste of various spices, creating a quite charming atmosphere.

The table was filled with fine wine and delicacies, and various precious wine vessels sparkled with an alluring luster. The prince sat on the luxurious throne, holding a wine glass with a dazed look in his eyes. He was surrounded by several beautiful women, who were wearing light gauze, revealing their delicate and white skin.

The girls smiled charmingly, poured wine for the prince, and danced for him, acting as charmingly as they could. The prince's face was filled with satisfaction and intoxication. He sometimes flirted with the girls, and sometimes raised his glass to drink, looking very happy.

But the extravagant events in the palace were soon interrupted by an uninvited guest.

The visitor was still wearing the same navy blue robe as usual, with gold threads wrapped around it, embroidered into delicate lines, each bend and turn contained the mysteries of the universe. Under the light, the lines on the robe seemed to flow, exuding a mysterious atmosphere.

Her waist was tied with a simple wide jade belt, and on one side of the belt hung an exquisite jade pendant in the shape of a magnolia flower, which complemented her gentle appearance.

"It's too early for you to celebrate now, Your Highness."

The other person's voice was gentle and clear, neither arrogant nor impatient. Even when looking at the extravagant and licentious scene in front of her, she did not have the slightest emotional ups and downs. She walked calmly through the many dancers and looked straight at the person in the upper position.

Under the influence of alcohol, the prince's thinking became much slower, until he could no longer hear the melodious tune, and his eyes slowly moved away from the beautiful woman in his arms.

When the prince saw the familiar figure standing below, he was so frightened that his whole body trembled. He quickly pushed away the person in his arms, and the drunkenness was almost dissipated.

"gentlemen!"

The prince quickly stood up to greet him, and angrily directed at the eunuch beside him with a look of dissatisfaction, "How can you do this? You didn't even inform me of your arrival, sir."

The other person moved sideways to avoid the prince's touch. "I came down so suddenly that I disturbed your highness's interest."

"What are you talking about, sir?" The prince waved his hand, and everyone in the hall immediately dispersed. Only the prince and the visitor were left in the huge palace.

"Sir, did you come to the East Palace today to discuss important matters?" The prince, who was always served, took the initiative to pour a cup of tea for the other party, and his words were full of respect.

The woman took the teacup but did not drink it. She stroked the edge of the teacup with her hand and asked, "How is the situation over there, Your Majesty?"

"The medicine you gave me is very effective. My father's cough has become more severe recently. With my mother taking care of him, you can rest assured."

"Well, I am naturally confident that Your Highness will do the job. Does His Majesty have any other instructions regarding Yu Xun leading the troops?"

"Although the emperor doesn't like Yu Xun, the order to go to war has been issued, and there will be no more changes in this matter. However..." The prince hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the whole story, "The emperor is quite concerned about my sick sister."

"He wants to use the Ninth Princess to control Yu Xun?"

"Yes, I guessed so too. But I don't think Yu Xun will be trapped by love. I'm afraid that my father made a mistake in choosing this son. What can a weak woman handle?"

"Your Highness, are you looking down on women?"

Realizing that his words were inappropriate, the prince quickly explained, "Of course not. A woman as knowledgeable and talented as you is something I should respect and honor. It's just that Qu Tangli has been weak since childhood, and now the imperial physician has confirmed that she will not live long, so there is no need to pay too much attention to her."

"Your Highness is right," the woman replied softly. Seeing that the prince was indeed not interested in Qu Tangli, she stopped talking and instead brought up another matter. "Yu Xun's Yu Family Army is always a threat. How is your Highness's city defense arrangement?"

"Yu Xun will lead 50,000 Yu Family troops to Jiangnan to join the 30,000 navy. Most of the elites of the Yu Family troops are included. He will lead the troops to the battle in half a month. The remaining Yu Family troops are not to be feared. My people have already spread to every corner of the capital. When Yu Xun leaves, it is time for us to make plans."

"Half a month..." The woman hesitated for a moment, "It's too long. He must go to war within three days."

"Three days?" The prince frowned, not understanding why they had to rush. "Isn't three days too fast? I'm afraid the people in Jiangnan won't be able to evacuate in time."

"If you can't withdraw it, just abandon it." These seven short words, just a casual remark, cut off the lives of hundreds of people.

The prince could not deny that he was indeed tempted. The longer this matter was delayed, the bigger the consequences would be. Moreover, he had been looking forward to that position for too long, and the sooner he sat on it, the more at ease he would feel.

"I understand, but as for my father..."

The woman knew his concerns and took out a small porcelain bottle from her long sleeves. "This medicine is stronger than the last one. I believe Your Highness will make plans on when to use it."

"Thank you, sir." The prince took it carefully, "With this medicine, I feel much more at ease."

"It's getting late. I'll go back first and come visit again in three days." After the woman said this, she stood up and prepared to leave.

The prince looked at the untouched cup of tea and reached out to stop the man. "The other day, the imperial court got a jar of fine wine. Sir, why don't you stay and taste it with us?"

"No need."

"You don't even want to stay for a meal?" The prince continued to persuade her unwillingly, but the woman replied coldly, "No."

"You!" The prince was humiliated again and again. It would be a lie to say that he was not angry, but he could do nothing about the man in front of him. The prince could only comfort himself and tell himself not to be too impulsive. Once he sat in that position, he would be able to have whatever he wanted.

How could the woman not guess what he was thinking, but she was just too lazy to pay attention to him. After saying "I'm leaving" politely, she left the East Palace without looking back.

Meanwhile, when the "immediate march" order was issued to the military camp, Yu Xun was arranging the next exercise in an orderly manner. This move directly disrupted all his plans, and the schedule he had worked on for several days and nights was directly scrapped.

Yu Xun was so angry that he didn't care about the occasion. He pointed to the sky and started to curse, using vulgar words without repeating himself. The new recruits were stunned and couldn't help but sigh that the general was usually gentle to them.

When Shi Yaojue arrived at the camp, he saw Yu Xun acting like a "shrew". He reached out and poked the deputy general Wu Huang standing beside him, "Has your general finally gone crazy after holding it in for twenty years?"

Wu Huang glanced at him and didn't reply.

"Uncle Wang next door to my house didn't curse so harshly when his wife ran off with another man with the kids. Who on earth offended him to deserve such hatred?" Shi Yaojue rubbed his ears and talked to himself, "His wife also ran off with another man? There's no need to point your finger at the sky and curse, aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?"

Shi Yaojue came back to his senses as he was talking, and looked at Wu Huang in shock, "He's not really pointing at the sky and cursing that 'sky', is he?"

Wu Yan nodded under Shi Yaojue's incredulous gaze, and then he spoke to him, "Why are you here?"

"I'm going back to Chaozhou, and I thought you guys are going south too, so why don't we go together for a while." Shi Yaojue said as he put his arm around Wu Wu's shoulder, "Little Wu, please take care of me~"

Wu Yan impatiently shook off his hand and said, "Go talk to the general yourself."

"No, if I go over to him like this, I'll definitely get scolded. Please be kind and let my ancestors have some peace of mind for a while."

"roll."