The Evil Emperor's Favorite: The Sickly and Poisonous Concubine Goes Crazy

Gu Yanan stood on the wall of the lonely city. The dusk of Wushayuan was desolate. The broken walls of the lonely city were bleak. His battle robe was soaked in blood and dust. His face was cold and hard, like a god of war who walked out of the Shura Field. The afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on his resolute face, reflecting the smoke and blood in his eyes.

All around were the blood-stained ruins of the battlefield, with broken blades and spears scattered all over the ground, as if the earth was silently telling the story of the brutality of the battle. The flags of the Northern Yan fell in the mud in the distance, already tattered and in tatters, foreshadowing the defeat of their masters. The air was filled with the thick smell of blood and scorched earth, making people hold their breath involuntarily.

The soldiers of the Black Cavalry Battalion fought all night long. Although they were covered with scars and ragged clothes, their eyes were still fiery and determined, just like wolves moving forward in the dark night in the desert. Even with scars all over their bodies, they still wanted to protect their territory. They held their swords tightly in their hands, sitting or lying, surrounding Gu Yan'an. There was no need for them to say much, and the tacit understanding and loyalty were deeply engraved in their bones.

"Your Highness, there has been no news on the urgent order sent back to Wang Jun. Wang Jun should have been restrained by Hua Wen." Mo You was silent, with an injured arm, and stood behind Gu Yan'an.

"There are still 10,000 Black Cavalry left. I will lead my brothers to fight for the prince and carve out a bloody path!" He looked at the figure standing in front of him without responding, his eyes filled with determination and cruelty. Their 10,000 Black Cavalry Battalion can die here, but the prince cannot.

Gu Yan'an looked at the distant skyline, his eyes dark, as if gathering a storm that had never seen the sun, and did not answer him.

The Western Border Army of Yinzhou City surrendered to the enemy, and together with Beiyan, they set up a trap to cause the city to be lost several times. They used the entire Yinzhou City and Youzhou as bargaining chips to take his life. This game was extremely dangerous and every move was fatal. Wushayuan connected Youzhou and the vast grasslands of the Northern Frontier. In front were the rebel enemies who were eyeing him covetously and the people in the city, but behind were tens of thousands of herdsmen from the Northern Frontier on the Mohe grassland.

So even though he knew that Yuzhou was setting a trap for him, he had to step into it. Even if it was a dead end, he couldn't retreat even a single step.

"Mo You, if we withdraw from Wushayuan, do you know what will happen on the banks of the Mo River and what will happen to the people of Youzhou and Yinzhou City?"

Mo You opened his mouth, but no words came out.

The climate in Northern Yan is bitterly cold, and they have been coveting the lush grasslands of the northern border for too long. If they cannot defend Wushayuan and take back Youzhou, the grasslands of the Namo River will be devastated, and tens of thousands of women, children and civilians will become victims of the Northern Yan cavalry.

If the Western Border Army had not intervened at the last minute, they would have finished the battle long ago. But now, they were forced into such a desperate situation by a group of rebels under the guise of support. A traitor had appeared in the palace, and knew the prince's marching map. He induced the prince to accept the letter of assistance from Yinzhou City, and forced the prince to enter Youzhou. He also used the Northern Yan army to contain the prince's army in various places, intercepted the reinforcements of the prince's army, and made the Black Cavalry Camp isolated.

"But Your Majesty, the current situation in Youzhou is like a dead end." Mo You's brows were filled with anxiety.

"The hawk hasn't come back yet. Nothing is set in stone yet. Mo You, don't be anxious."

Gu Yan'an looked at the gradually darkening sky with deep eyes. He was calm and confident, and he put away the heavy sword in his hand and whispered:

"Pass the order down, rest for an hour. After an hour, follow me to lead the Northern Yan cavalry into the Quicksand Swamp, and leave the Northern Yan cavalry in Wushayuan in the Quicksand. We will go around the Quicksand Swamp into Youzhou."

He looked into the distance. So what if it was a dead end? Even if he was at a dead end, he could still carve out a way out at the cost of his life.

"Quicksand Swamp...Yes!" Mo You nodded in response.

The Quicksand Swamp is a place where people are eaten, but if we can kill one more Beiyan person, it will be worth it!

Beiyang Palace.

"I, Yao He, the defender of Hancheng, greet the princess. I wish you good health."

Aunt Tan led the commander of the Hancheng garrison and hurried over. Yao Hesheng had a round face, fine eyebrows and eyes, and sweat on his forehead. He bowed to Su Jingning.

Su Jingning lowered his eyes and glanced at him, his eyes were full of scrutiny, as if they could penetrate people.

Yao He bowed his head, stood straight, looked respectful, and had a panicked look on his face, but if you looked closely, there was no trace of fear in his eyes.

"Commander Yao, do you know why I want to see you?"

Su Jingning looked at him with a cold expression, his voice still tentative.

A Yan and the Black Cavalry Battalion suddenly disappeared, and the Western Border Army is suspected of rebellion. Now, except for a few people around her, she cannot trust anyone.

Although she had seen Yao He several times with A Yan, and A Yan said that he was a capable man, she was not sure whether Yao He could be trusted at the moment.

Upon hearing this, Yao He looked respectful, but he did not dare to slack off. He raised his head with clear eyes, met Su Jingning's scrutiny, and said slowly:

"My princess is wise. Although I am dull, I can guess what happened when you summoned me urgently."

Seeing that he had changed his disguise and looked frank, Su Jingning's scrutiny faded a little. Yao He must have known about the rebellion of the Western Border Army and the trap set by Wang's army.

"The prince said that Commander Yao is a capable man. I believe Commander Yao should have known about the loss of contact with the Black Cavalry Battalion."

"Yes. Before the prince left the city, he instructed his subordinates to send a letter from the royal army back to the city every other day. If the secret letter was interrupted, it meant that something had happened to the royal army. This secret letter had never been interrupted until the day before yesterday."

"The prince said that if the secret documents are cut off for three days, we should guard the palace and protect the princess, and follow the princess's instructions. I delivered the secret letter to the palace yesterday and learned that the princess was not in the palace recently."

Yao He took out a token from his sleeve and handed it to Su Jingning. Su Jingning took the token, which was similar to the token in Liu Feng Moyu's hand.

When they first arrived in Northern Xinjiang, A Yan showed her this brief order from the palace's secret agent.

Su Jingning confirmed that Yao He was trustworthy, so he stopped testing him:

"In that case, I will not beat around the bush with you, Commander Yao. When I returned to the city yesterday, I captured several traitors from the Western Capital Army. I learned that the Western Capital Army had rebelled and that they, together with Northern Yan, had set a trap for the royal army, intending to use the people of Yinzhou City as hostages to lure the prince to his death. Commander Yao, I want to know the current situation in the Northern Capital."

When Yao He heard that the Western Border Army had rebelled, he clenched his hands with anger on his face:

"Sure enough! It was the Lost Western Border Army that was interfering, otherwise the battle should have ended long ago. The royal army had already controlled the Northern Yan army, and the Northern Yan cavalry was defeated and already in decline. Who would have thought that the Western Border Army would enter the Northern Border with a sacred order to mobilize troops, and they looked down on you and disobeyed the royal army's orders, causing the royal army to lose several cities in succession, causing the morale of the Northern Yan army to soar. The prince led the royal army to reinforce everywhere, and only then did they recapture the lost cities."

"The prince was furious and ordered the Western Border Army to retreat to the southern edge of the northern border and not to leave their posts without permission, so they went to the north. However, Hua Wen was so bold that he relied on the prince's order and the imperial edict in his hand and secretly ordered people to take over Youzhou Yinzhou City without the prince's order. They almost lost the city. After Youzhou is the Mohe grassland, where there are tens of thousands of herdsmen and civilians. The prince had to take the risk and take a shortcut to enter Wushayuan. The prince led the Black Cavalry Battalion into Wushayuan first and ordered the central army of the prince's army to follow.

"But I just received news yesterday that Hua Wen detained the central army at Yunshanling on the grounds that Wang Shi, the deputy commander of the central army of the royal army, was suspected of collaborating with the enemy, and concealed the news. The right branch of the royal army is currently being pinned down in the north by the central cavalry of the Northern Yan army, and has been fighting for several days. The black cavalry battalion led by the prince has almost been cut off from support."

"The Hancheng Army led by me has always been on its own at the request of the prince, guarding Hancheng alone. After many attempts, I finally dispelled Hua Wen's suspicion. Last night, I secretly sent people into Wushayuan without Hua Wen's knowledge, but no news has been sent back until now."

Su Jingning frowned as he listened to Yao He's reply, his expression gradually becoming gloomy, with a cold look in his eyes.

"Do you know who is leading the troops from Northern Yan outside Youzhou?"

"Northern Yan's general Shan Ruohan is not in the north, so the one leading the troops in Youzhou right now should be Shan Ruohan."

She tightened her fingertips slightly, lowered her eyes and thought for a while, then raised her eyes to look at Yao He.

"How many soldiers are there in Hancheng?"

"Twenty thousand soldiers and horses," Yao He replied.

Su Jingning frowned and ordered in a cold voice: "Leave 10,000 soldiers to guard Hancheng and clean up the rebels in the city. Liufeng will lead the remaining 10,000 soldiers and follow me to Yunshan Ridge."

"Princess, you can't do that! Hua Wen wants to kill the prince, and the prince has asked us to protect you. You can't take risks at this time! You can let me and Chief Liufeng go to Yunshan Ridge. Even if I risk my life, I will bring the brothers of the royal army to support the prince."

Su Jingning turned his head to look at Yao He, his expression softened a little, "Commander Yao, don't worry. Hancheng must be guarded. Commander Yao, please make sure to find the people buried in Hancheng."

"As for Yunshan Ridge... Hua Wen can't touch me yet." There was a chilling coldness in Su Jingning's dark eyes, and murderous intent flashed across his gentle face.

Yao He was still worried when he heard this, but he saw that the princess was firm and would not allow any doubt. Although he did not know the princess, the fact that she could remain so calm in the current situation was not comparable to that of an ordinary woman.

So, he bowed deeply and said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, Princess. Yao He will do his best for the matter of Hancheng. Princess, please be careful on this trip. I will wait for your good news in Hancheng."

Su Jingning nodded, turned around and instructed Liu Feng behind him: "Liu Feng, prepare the troops immediately, we will set out in half an hour. Remember, this trip must not only be fast, but also hidden, and Hua Wen must not be aware of it."

Liu Feng took the order and left, while Su Jingning quickly stepped into the inner room and took out a token from the secret compartment. He lowered his eyes and stared at the white jade pendant, on which a dragon pattern lay, and a dark golden word "Mu" was prominently displayed, silently exuding a mysterious pressure, symbolizing the supreme power of the Great Zhou.

Su Jingning tightened the imperial decree, feeling mixed emotions. She closed her eyes, as if she could feel Gu Yan'an's lonely battle in Wushayuan. The cold wind on the sand plain was so sharp and biting that it seemed to blow on her heart.

"Ayan, hold on, wait for me." She whispered softly, with a determined light flashing in her eyes.

The gate of Hancheng opened quietly, and an elite army galloped silently towards Spruce Ridge.

The sky was rarely covered with dark clouds, adding an ominous tranquility to the coming storm. Su Jingning rode on a horse, wearing a dark purple dress with black hair combed behind her, which made her fair face look even colder. Her eyes penetrated the haze in the distance, with a unique calmness and composure.

Spruce Ridge, with its steep terrain and lush forests, is a natural barrier and a good place to hide.

The valley was filled with military tents and there were sentries everywhere.

The guard on the sentry post saw several people approaching from a distance, his expression suddenly changed, and he aimed the arrow in his hand at the approaching people.

"Who are you? This is a military camp, you cannot trespass. Get out of here immediately!"

He shouted sternly.

Yun Qing spoke first:

"Princess Beiyang asks to see Commander Hua Wen!"

The soldier was stunned, half believing and half doubting, and looked at the sergeant beside him.

The sergeant glanced at the woman with a hat standing at the head of the group and said, "You said you are the Princess of Beiyang. How do you prove it?"

Yun Qing secretly exchanged glances with Yun Ya. Yun Ya turned her wrist, and a token of the Beiyang Palace was nailed firmly into the wooden stake on the sentry post by a flying knife.

The flying knife brushed past the sergeant's bun, taking off a strand of hair.

The sergeant was so frightened that his face turned pale and the bow and arrow in his hand almost fell out of his hand. He quickly stepped back, staring at the token embedded in the wooden stake. The totem of Beiyang Palace carved on it was clearly visible, majestic and solemn.

The sergeant's voice trembled and his face looked a little panicked. He bowed quickly and waved his hand to signal the soldiers to put down their bows and arrows and withdraw their guard.

"Please wait for a moment, Princess. I will have someone inform the commander-in-chief immediately."

After saying that, he signaled to the people below, and the soldier turned around and ran into the military tent in two steps, leaving Su Jingning and his group waiting outside. The wind from Yunshan Ridge passed through the forest, bringing a bit of coolness, but it also seemed to blow away some of the tension.

Under the veil, Su Jingning's face was calm, but his eyes were as deep as a deep pool, as if he could see through everything.

Soon, a burst of hurried footsteps came from far away, and Hua Wen came hurriedly, surrounded by several guards. He was wearing silver armor, with a square face and a bit of arrogance between his eyebrows, but when he saw Su Jingning, a trace of surprise and vigilance flashed in his eyes.

"Why would the princess suddenly come here? I have not received any notification." Hua Wen's tone was somewhat questioning, but he also maintained due courtesy.

He had been in Northern Frontier for many days, and the Princess of Beiyang had been claiming to be ill and had not come out. He had sent people to investigate, and found that the Princess of Beiyang rarely appeared in public, and the palace had been constantly taking medicine, so he only left people to watch over the palace. But she suddenly appeared here today, there must be something strange.

Su Jingning gently tightened the reins in her hand, raised her eyes and glanced at a few people. There was no emotion in her tone: "Commander Hua, I am here to inquire about the whereabouts of Wang Shi, the deputy general of the Wang army."

Hua Wen heard this and sneered, as if he had expected her to mention this matter. "Princess, Vice General Wang is suspected of collaborating with the enemy and has been detained by me according to the law. He will be dealt with after the truth is found out. This is a military secret, so it is better for you not to ask about it."

"Detained according to law?"

The person under the veil chuckled softly, his eyes were cold, but there was a sharp blade hidden in his smile.

"Commander Hua, although I am not involved in military affairs, I also know the military rules. If Vice General Wang is really suspected of collaborating with the enemy, he should be tried by the three courts, not just you who can detain him arbitrarily. Moreover, as the commander of the Western Border Army, Commander Hua does not seem to have the right to interfere in the affairs of the Wang Army."

"Moreover, right now, Youzhou is in chaos, and Commander Hua secretly detained the central army and concealed the situation, ignoring the military situation in the northern border, causing the prince to fight alone in Wushayuan? What exactly is Commander Hua's intention?"

"Is the person collaborating with the enemy Vice General Wang or the one who lost several cities in the past few days... Commander Hua?"