Priceless: A widow with a baby asks the prince to marry again

The horse riding trail, this deserted road along the stone cliff is not long, but it still takes a long time to walk if you have to stop every step.

Qin Shuangyu felt unfamiliar with this familiar mountain path, and then he felt panic...

Is this road unused? Why is it so overgrown with weeds?

Then he saw from afar that there seemed to be another path that also led to Dongshan Village. Qin Shuangyu felt a little relieved... Maybe there was a new road in the village...

But then he saw rocks of different sizes, some covered with moss, scattered on the stone cliff road.

The burly middle-aged general suddenly felt a suffocating pain in his chest...

There were several large rocks blocking the road, making it inconvenient to ride horses. Some soldiers dismounted without being told. They did not try to go around them. With the strength they had gained from years of training, a stone weighing a thousand pounds was nothing that could be lifted by a few people working together.

It only took the soldiers a moment to move all the stones blocking the road and push them to the side of the mountain.

Just turning their heads, they were surprised to see that the general's face was pale and he was staring at the rocks at the bottom of the mountain in a trance.

"General? What's wrong with you?" the deputy general asked worriedly.

After a long time, the burly middle-aged man came back to his senses...

Qin Shuangyu shook his head slightly, but his eyes were red with madness, and then he whipped his horse hard! The horse ran towards the destination of the mountain road like an arrow!

The Qin family soldiers were unable to react in time and quickly mounted their horses to chase after him, but they could only watch the general ride away in a cloud of dust!

Luckily, there were no branches on this road, so they wouldn't get lost!

After turning a corner, at the end of the road, a group of earthen houses came into view. This was an ordinary little mountain village.

Only the traces of collapsed and burned houses and damaged objects indicate that this small mountain village had suffered a disaster.

Soon after entering the village, the Qin army soldiers just passed a few villagers who looked at them in fear, and saw the general's horse overturned on the ground beside a pond!

The burly figure slumped on the ground, motionless as if he had lost his soul.

The direction it was facing was the house across the pond - or rather, a pile of burnt wood and ruins!

Even if the general didn't say anything, the soldiers of the Qin Army understood!

That's exactly the home the general wants to return to!

Several soldiers rushed forward to help, and some even went to look for people living in the nearby pond!

The strong soldiers grabbed the villagers who were trying to escape and asked anxiously: "What happened here?"

The villagers were panicking and yelling, "You plundered Dongshan Village a few days ago! We have nothing left! Why are you back? I just came back to pick up some worthless belongings! Are you conscripting me? I... I'm almost fifty and not in good health. If I join the army, I will only hold you back!"

"What a mess! We just came to the southwest. When did we rob the village?" A soldier retorted angrily. How could they, the Qin Army, be confused with the robbers who robbed the general's hometown? !

"Don't worry, brother. We are the Qin family army from the northwest. We are returning home with the general to find our relatives. We will never harm this place." The deputy general spoke to comfort him.

"Qin's army? Qin's..."

The villager muttered a few words, calmed down a little, and thought of something: "Is it related to Qin Lie? Is it...his father didn't die after he went to serve in the army?"

The soldiers were confused, but when Qin Lie's name came out, the distraught middle-aged man came back to his senses!

He stood up as if struggling, and staggered over quickly! He grabbed the villagers like a life-saving straw, and his tough face was full of humble hope...

The trembling voice responded repeatedly: "It's me! I am Qin Zhong! Qin Lie's father! Qin Lie is my child!"

The Qin army soldiers looked at each other in shock, but none of them said a word.

The villagers were stunned, then their fear and vigilance disappeared, and they complained with a little trust: "Oh!"

"Since you have made a name for yourself, why don't you return to Dongshan Village earlier? Even if it's a few days earlier... If you had more soldiers, Dongshan Village might not have lost to those bandits!"

Qin Zhong couldn't help but close his eyes, but he couldn't hide the embarrassment on his face... But the strongest feeling in his heart was urgency, and he asked in a trembling voice: "Dongshan Village, what happened?"

"Alas... There have been bandit problems around Jinyan City for many years. Two years ago, a prince died nearby. Later, the imperial court sent troops to suppress the bandits, and the situation became peaceful for a while."

The villagers narrated with a sigh: "But this year, the bandits have started to run rampant again, and they have moved from the west to the east! Many villages east of Jinyan City are plagued from time to time!"

"Originally, our Dongshan Village was relatively good. Liu Cui... Qin Lie's wife, wrote a letter to the newly appointed county magistrate, asking the city guards of Jinyan City to patrol the village regularly."

"The people of our Dongshan Village listened to Liu Cui's warning and went out with the patrolling city guards. In addition, our Dongshan Village has a good terrain, and the villagers took turns to defend it, so no major incidents have occurred before."

As the villager spoke, he suddenly became sad and cried, "But who knows?"

"Just half a month ago, those mountain bandits who robbed houses suddenly transformed themselves into the regular army of Daxia who eat the emperor's food!"

"Those bandits! They're raping and looting everywhere under the pretext of recruiting soldiers! Thousands of them came the day before yesterday! To attack this small Dongshan Village!"

“When Liu Cui saw the situation was not good, she took out her family property and distributed it to those who were willing to send people to cover our retreat… Dozens of brave warriors responded and desperately blocked the village entrance, which left us a chance to escape…” When the villagers said this, they were already crying.

Listening to the twists and turns of the story, countless thoughts and voices swirled in Qin Zhong's mind... He couldn't even tell where and when he was...

Only after the villagers stopped narrating did they ask unwillingly with their deepest instinct: "...Where is Qin Lie? Did he...stay behind to cover the retreat..."

"Qin Lie?"

The villagers were surprised at first, but then they understood and replied with a sigh: "Qin Lie passed away three years ago, leaving only Liu Cui and Qin Hao, a pair of orphans and a widowed mother..."

It was like a thunderbolt! He had a premonition, but the bad news was still too much for Qin Zhong to bear!

The middle-aged general's burly body suddenly lost strength, but fortunately the soldiers on both sides supported him early, so he did not fall to the ground...

"What about Qin's daughter-in-law Liu Cui and grandson Qin Hao? Are they all right?" The deputy general hurriedly asked, hoping to find some comfort for the grieving general!

"I don't know about that... Liu Cui said that if we dispersed, more people would survive. At that time, everyone ran for their lives..."

The villagers looked a little ashamed, looking at the charred wood on the other side of the pond, and whispered: "When those bandits came, they threatened to humiliate Liu Cui... I'm afraid some of them heard that Liu Cui was beautiful, so they went straight for her..."

The villagers did not finish talking about the possible fate of the Qin family mother and son, but they also revealed that they were not optimistic...

But for Qin Zhong, who was as disheartened as a dead man, this was still a glimmer of hope that could stir his remaining body!

Qin Zhong suddenly regained his strength!

He threw away the soldiers on his left and right like a madman! He waded straight across the pond without dodging! He struggled to run towards the charred wood and ruins!

The big hands covered with scars were trembling as they fiercely dug away the broken tiles, soil and rocks!

Along with the action, a low howl like a beast came out from the throat of the middle-aged man! His eyes were bloodshot, but there was not a single tear!

His crazy look made people feel that he was no longer a human being, but a stray dog ​​trying to dig out some evidence of despair...

The soldiers of the Qin Army were extremely worried. How could they possibly dig out a living person from the burnt ruins?

But the general could no longer listen to anything he said, and the soldiers could only follow him, bringing insignificant company, and cleaning up the heartbreaking ruins together...

The middle-aged general searched aimlessly for...

The soldiers moved the charred wood and the ruins one by one and piled them up in empty spaces...

They were used to doing this kind of thing, just like dealing with a battlefield or a post-game situation, but they kept in mind that this was the general's former residence, so they cleaned it up with extra care and detail.

Two soldiers worked together to move a section of the burnt black beam! When one of the soldiers saw what was hidden underneath, his eyes widened and he was about to shout!

The other person quickly covered his mouth to stop him! He desperately used his eyes for a long time!

Then he looked at the general who had gradually calmed down as if nothing had happened...

"found it?"

His tone was strangely calm. Qin Zhong walked towards that place while asking, his gait was surprisingly calm and relaxed...

They were some burnt, broken, grayish remains.

From the traces of ashes, we can vaguely see that this person was curled up in the fire and turned into ashes...

The eyes that reflect these are empty.

There was no miracle that I had hoped for, only what was expected and what I was unwilling to accept, but it still led to the worst outcome...

What's left?

Qin Zhong bent down, trying to pick up a piece of broken bone...

The scarred hand stopped a few inches away, and finally did not dare to touch...

...

A huge team of several thousand people was marching westward.

At first glance it looked a bit messy, and one could tell that many different forces were getting together to travel together.

But if you look closely and classify these people by their clothing and arrangement, you will find that each group is proceeding in an orderly manner.

Especially those hundreds of soldiers in the front, just looking at their pace when they march, no one would doubt that they are well-trained, and no bandits would dare to test their strength!

"Time Ring!"

The young man in military uniform lost some of his childishness and became more imposing, but still full of urgency! He rode his horse to the luxurious carriage and immediately reached out to lift the curtain!

Chu Shihuan no longer felt anything unusual, and asked helplessly, "Want to speed up the journey again?"

Qin Tao grinned and said as a matter of course: "This is too slow! At this rate, it will take half a month to reach Chang'an! My father hasn't replied to my letter yet. According to my mother, if he doesn't issue a military order, you and I will have to go to the northwest to mobilize in person! It will take at least half a month!"

"We are going to do something big! This is not a picnic! We are so slow. What if Chu Shiqi comes up with some shady tricks? Wouldn't we be in a passive position?" Qin Tao's anxiety can be seen from the fact that he even stuck his head into the car window!

Chu Shihuan also knew that speed was of the essence in war, but there were many practical difficulties: "Several ministers are at least 50 years old, and we have female family members riding in the car. If we speed up the journey, they will not be able to bear it."

"Then let's go separately! Those of us who can hurry up, and those who walk slowly should stay behind!" Qin Tao suggested.

Chu Shihuan shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and whispered, "We are going to Chang'an to ask the gentlemen to introduce us to the local tyrants, so that we can set up a new banner and compete with Chu Shiqi... What's the point of us going to Chang'an in advance?"

Qin Tao understood, but frowned and muttered, "Why make it so complicated? Just gather the troops and march into the capital!"

Chu Shihuan sighed softly: "It's not that simple..."

The two cousins ​​were talking when they heard a commotion coming from the team behind them! And the families stopped one after another!

Although he didn't understand why, he realized that the people behind him hadn't caught up, so Chu Shihuan had to give the order: "Stop the front team!"

"These people! What are they doing again?!" Qin Tao, who was already complaining about the slow journey, showed even more dissatisfaction on his face.

However, after complaining, Qin Tao still followed Chu Shihuan's instructions and turned around to order the prince's personal soldiers in the front to stop.

At the back of the team, ministers and clerks all got off the carriages, with the three ministers at the center, passing a letter around. The Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Revenue were even more excited, and the servants who served them were careful to comfort them from behind, fearing that their joy would turn into sorrow!

Chu Shihuan got off the carriage and prepared to walk over, but after taking a few steps, he stopped where he was...

He had realized that something that could make two mature and prudent ministers so excited... was probably not good news for him...

On the side, the Minister of Rites looked at him and then at the letter from time to time. His dilemma made Chu Shihuan's heart sink to the bottom.

"Time ring?" Qin Tao asked worriedly. He was a little confused, but when he saw his brother's expression, he felt something was wrong.

Chu Shihuan barely curled the corners of his lips and pretended to be calm and said, "Rest here, the ministers must have important matters..."

Half an hour of stillness.

The front of the team was silent, while the back of the team was talking lively. Led by the three Shangshu, they finally made a unanimous decision without much difficulty...

Still maintaining a respectful attitude on their faces, the three ministers walked over slowly with a slight sense of guilt.

"Your Highness, the Fifth Prince, I have received a letter from Princess Kang..."

The Minister of Personnel explained the whole story in a tactful but clear tone: "Prince Kang returned safely to Prince Kang's Mansion the day before yesterday..."

"I see."

Chu Shihuan pulled up the corners of his mouth with even more difficulty. The original owner who had followed them for many years had returned. Compared with him, the new master with shallow roots, they naturally wanted to "return the jade intact".

But... he looked at the Minister of Rites who looked even more ashamed. Even the power that was supposed to belong to him had decided to change allegiance?

"Are you planning to abandon the Time Ring and go find your cousin?!"

Qin Tao saw Chu Shihuan's dejected look and couldn't help but feel unfair for him. He asked indignantly, "Isn't this a case of changing sides?!"

The three ministers looked embarrassed and did not say anything back for the time being. They just endured the mild scolding and let people vent their anger.

Instead, Chu Shihuan reached out and pulled Qin Tao, and said softly: "Qin Tao, there is no need to blame the adults. The eldest brother is the one that everyone expects. It is a happy thing that he can come back safely..."

Seeing Chu Shihuan's magnanimous attitude, Qin Tao didn't know what to say, as he didn't scold him for himself in the first place.

Chu Shixuan, who had been unable to get a word in on important matters these days, couldn't help but speak out: "Brother, then, are we going to Chang'an next?"