Did the eldest daughter ascend the throne today?

Black Hawk subconsciously touched the mask, "What's so good about it? Didn't you think I was Ning Ba?"

Ning Zhiwei said calmly, "You are over twenty years old. According to the rules of the Ning family, you have to change your portrait."

Black Hawk was a little confused. "Portrait?"

Ning Zhiwei looked at him steadily with a subtle expression, "Every descendant of the Ning family has a portrait. After death, it is sealed in the memorial pavilion of Qingluo Villa for future generations to admire and remember."

Black Hawk couldn't tell what he felt in his heart, "Me too?"

This sentence actually revealed a message. He already believed Ning Zhiwei's words, but his reason was still restraining him.

Ning Zhiwei handed over the thing in her hand, "It's yours."

When Black Hawk opened it, his pupils shuddered. It was a portrait of himself.

He took off his mask, revealing a handsome, pale face full of fatigue.

He walked to the river, looked at his face in the river, and then looked at the portrait.

Yes, it looks very similar. The portrait looks exactly like him. No, it looks a lot younger, like a young boy who has not yet grown out of his childishness.

His heart was in a mess and he could no longer deny that he was not Ning Ba.

This portrait of him when he was young is the evidence.

No one plans ten years in advance.

So, he is Ning Ba? A member of the Ning family? A person from the Yong Dynasty? He is not a Jin person at all?!

His world, his values, and all his cognition collapsed in an instant, leaving him devastated.

Ning Zhiwei looked at him in a daze. It was Ning Ba, but why did he look so... old?

Ning Ba is one year younger than Ning Qi, but at this moment, Ning Ba looks ten years older than Ning Qi.

What has he been through over the years?

Black Hawk confirmed again and again, his voice trembling, "This is... a portrait of me at how old I was?"

Ning Zhiwei had a complicated look on his face. "Descendants of the Ning family go to the battlefield when they are ten years old. Before they die, they will leave a portrait, which will be their portrait after they die. If they can live to be twenty, they will have another portrait drawn, and the portrait will be changed every ten years."

Black Hawk stared at her blankly. What was behind this strange rule? It was the Ning family's tragic, yet generous and magnificent history, and the border line paved with blood and tears by countless Ning family descendants.

“How many people make it to twenty?”

Ning Zhiwei sighed softly, "Two-thirds."

"It is the fate of the Ning family generals to die on the battlefield. Almost no one can have a good ending."

"Eight people in my grandfather's generation all died on the battlefield."

My grandfather was eighty years old, but he was still guarding the northwest. He did not return to the capital to spend his remaining years in peace. Eventually, he was killed by an arrow.

That is the place guarded by the Ning family for generations, and also the final burial place. Members of the Ning family have accepted this fate calmly since birth.

"Thirteen of my uncle's generation died on the battlefield."

"There are eleven of us in this generation, but only three of us survived: you, Ning Qi, and me."

"But, our Ning family has never regretted it. All Ning family members have spent their entire lives guarding the borders, protecting the country and the people, without any complaints or regrets."

Black Hawk's heart felt like it was hit by a huge rock. He was in so much pain that he couldn't breathe. His whole body was shaking and his eyes gradually turned red.

It hurts, it hurts so much. My head hurts, my feet hurt, and my heart hurts. The pain is everywhere like needles.

Ning Zhiwei's eyes also turned red. "You know what? Before my uncle died, he was still thinking about you. He said... if you didn't die and you could come back safely, he would hand over the Ning Family Army's military token to you."

"He has placed so much hope on you. He has entrusted the future of the Ning family and the 100,000 Ning family soldiers to you."

In fact, the Ning family has two heirs. One is the eldest son, the eldest brother of this generation of the Ning family, and the backup candidate is Ning Ba. If something happens to the eldest brother Ning, Ning Ba will take over.

Such double insurance is a must for every noble family, just in case.

"But, you...disappointed him in the end."

Isn't she sad that Ning Ba had such an incident? She was sadder than anyone else, but she was the emperor of a country and the head coach of the Ning family, and she had too many things to consider.

"Ning Xiurui, how can you be worthy of those dead people in the Ning family? Your brothers, your father, uncles, and your grandfather were all killed by the Jin soldiers!"

"And you, you sold out your ancestors for fame and fortune! You took the thief as your father!"

Black Hawk's psychological defenses were completely broken, and he held his head and screamed, "Ahhhhh."

With a shrill scream, he ran away, completely crazy.

Watching him riding away on horseback, Ning Zhiwei sighed silently.

How could fate have brought us to this point? How could we overcome this blood feud that would never end?

If he regains his memory, how can he face everything that has happened?

Alas, I just hope he can get through this.

Yu Qing, the commander of the Imperial Guard, asked softly, "Your Majesty, do you want to stop it?"

Ning Zhiwei shook her head, "No, let him leave."

"Let the Jinyiwei collect all the information about him, especially his wife and children." If I'm not mistaken, his wife is his weak spot.

"Yes."

"At the same time, collect intelligence information about the Jin royal family. I heard that the King of Jin is a playboy and has many illegitimate children. This time, he has adopted a few of them. Check it out."

"Yes."

Ning Zhiwei stood by the river, gazing at the red sun in the distance. Her expression was extremely indifferent and no one knew what she was thinking.

But everyone around her knew that she was feeling bad.

She was the one with the hardest time, but she couldn't even show her sadness.

Not showing your emotions on your face is the most basic quality of an emperor. You cannot let others know your thoughts and you cannot be used to cause trouble.

In the Jin army camp, outside the commander's tent, the Seventh Prince angrily ordered, "Don't block the way, I want to go in now."

The soldier was very anxious. "You can't go in. The general is resting."

The Seventh Prince was furious, "Get lost."

While they were arguing, Sangger came over after hearing the news and said, "Seventh Prince, what happened to you?"

The Seventh Prince glanced at her and said in a much better tone, "I'm going to go in and check on Black Hawk's whereabouts. I suspect he's not in the tent."

Instead, he went to keep an appointment with Ning Zhiwei, which made him very uneasy.

Sanger smiled slightly and said confidently, "This is impossible. I guarantee it."

The Seventh Prince looked at her deeply, "How can you promise?"

Sanger lowered his voice, "Before going to bed, he drank a cup of milk tea, and at least slept until dark."

Milk tea? The Seventh Prince knew that she had a special identity, but he was still skeptical. "Really? Then I'll go in and take a look, but I won't disturb him."

"This..." Sangger was a little embarrassed.

"Just one glance."

Sanger thought about it for a long time, and finally compromised, "Okay then."

The Seventh Prince went in quietly. It was very dark inside the tent and he couldn't see clearly.

"Light up."

Sanger was holding a lantern, and the Seventh Prince snatched it away and walked quickly towards the bedding.

Suddenly, his gaze fixed and he exclaimed in surprise.

Sanger's sight was blocked by the tall and strong man, and she asked anxiously, "What's wrong? No one is here? That's impossible. I asked the soldiers to guard the door all the time, and no one came in or out."

"Yes, but..."