The Concubine's Daughter Travels Through Time and Space and Takes the Road of Confrontation

Lu Yun tried to comfort her, "The two babies in your belly have always been healthy, and they love you very much. I told you these things because I hope you can see clearly that the Hua family protects you and your two children. The past is not important to you now. From now on, you can live peacefully in the palace and give birth to and raise your two children from the Cen family."

Cen Miaoxin burst into tears again. "I will definitely listen to you."

Before leaving, Lu Yun left Mother Chen at Xiuzhu Pavilion. After all, she had suffered such a great shock today, so she wanted to be on the safe side.

When we came out of Mingde Hall, it was already dark.

Zhou Boli stayed in the camp tonight, so Lu Yun had to sleep alone. She didn't know what the situation was in Kyoto right now.

It was not until the evening of the next day that Zhou Boli returned to the palace.

Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, Lu Yun personally began to massage his muscles and bones. Soon, snoring could be heard from the room. Signaling everyone else to leave, Lu Yun turned and closed the door.

When she came back from outside, the figure on the couch had disappeared.

Tonghua: "My Lady Princess, the Crown Prince has gone to Sansi Hall."

Lu Yun sat in the room and waited for a long time before she saw him again.

Zhou Boli took off his coat and handed it to the maid beside him. "Ayun, I have something to discuss with you."

Lu Yun's nerves immediately tensed up. "Has the time for sending troops been decided?"

Seeing that everyone else in the room had left, Zhou Boli nodded and said, "Ayun, Jizhou can no longer be defended."

Lu Yun was surprised. "How could that be? Didn't you say last time that you could hold on for a while longer?"

Zhou Boli shook his head slowly, a barely perceptible sigh etched in his voice. "General Lin disappeared in a recent battle, leaving the army leaderless. According to intelligence reports, Jizhou is in chaos, with civilians fleeing."

Lu Yun was stunned on the spot. After passing Jizhou and then Yanmen Pass, the Tartars' iron hooves would be able to step into the territory of Kyoto, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

"So when do you plan to leave?" Lu Yun subconsciously held her husband's hand, her eyes fixed on his expression.

"According to the imperial decree, it will be in seven days."

Lu Yun's eyes widened. "Has the situation reached this point?"

Seeing his wife's worry, Zhou Boli hugged her in his arms and said, "Ayun, stay home well, take care of yourself and your son, and wait for me to come back."

Lu Yun nodded sullenly, and after a moment, she tentatively asked, "Zhou Boli, can you——"

"No." Zhou Boli raised his sword-like eyebrows and refused sternly, "Just stay at home. War is not a joke."

"There's one more thing." Lu Yun mentioned the abortion-inducing medicine sent by the Hua family. "This Hua Cheng is such a jerk! If Cen Miaoxin hadn't realized she was pregnant, she'd probably have turned into a pile of dirt by now. He's most likely the one behind what happened when you stayed at the Hua family that night."

Zhou Boli frowned. "Hua Cheng is indeed abominable, but women always suffer in matters between men and women. This matter involves the royal palace, so it's not easy to deal with it openly."

Lu Yun sharpened her knife and said, "It's hard to deal with it openly, but it can be dealt with secretly, right?"

Zhou Boli's lips curled up slightly. "What do you think, Madam?"

Lu Yun blinked and blinked. "Can the old man from the Hua family go with you this time?"

Zhou Boli nodded. "Nanyue hasn't mobilized troops for a long time. The soldiers are in urgent need of an opportunity to make achievements. General Hua, as one of the leading generals, must go with us."

"In that case, Old Man Hua must not want his son Hua Cheng to miss this opportunity." Seeing that Zhou Boli did not deny it, Lu Yun lowered her voice and whispered a few words into his ear.

Zhou Boli didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Madam, this move of yours is really too cruel."

Everything that needed to be explained had been explained clearly. On the day the army set out, Lu Yun and others stood on the city wall and watched everyone leave. However, the people lining the streets to see them off stretched for dozens of miles.

The news that Nanyue responded to the imperial edict and sent 100,000 troops to aid Jizhou quickly spread throughout the country. In addition, the Nanyue army did not enter the city, did not disturb the people, and had strict military discipline. Gradually, everyone stopped paying attention to the movements of this army.

After successfully entering Jingzhou, news arrived that Jizhou had captured three cities in a row. The Tartars were now only 300 miles from Yanmen Pass. Zhou Boli divided his troops into three groups, each marching by day and night, and secretly marched towards Kyoto.

"The Tartars are actually massacring the city!" Emperor Wende was furious, wishing he could tear the Tartars into pieces. All the civil and military officials lowered their eyes and held their breath, not daring to utter a word.

Years of hard work had left Dingyuan Earl Zhao Duan's hair mostly white. He stood hunched outside the ranks, cupped his hands, and spoke, "Your Majesty, the cities of Jizhou have been lost one after another, and General Lin has been missing for over two weeks. Yanmen Pass is in danger. I believe we should intensify military training, select capable men, and keep the wolves out of the pass. Furthermore, we should unite with the Nanyue army to fight the enemy together."

Minister of Justice Li Ming followed closely behind, "Your Majesty, Lord Zhao's words make sense. The court issued an imperial edict to the King of Nanyue to mobilize troops a month ago, but why is there no trace of the Nanyue army yet? Does your Majesty have any advice on this matter?"

Everyone in the capital knew that Lord Lu's youngest daughter, Princess Ning'an, was marrying into the Southern Yue Kingdom. People in the capital had also seen Princess Ning'an's magnificent ship appear at the dock many times.

Lu Lingcong bowed and stepped out of the group. "Your Majesty, military and national affairs are no joke. I don't know."

But everyone seemed to have found a scapegoat, and they all secretly accused the Lu family of concealing the truth and betraying the court.

"quiet!"

The noise gradually died down, and Emperor Wende looked around at everyone with a gloomy face. "I invited you all here to listen to my advice, not to your meaningless complaints. If there is nothing else, I will dismiss the court immediately!"

It was warm as spring inside the Zichen Palace, but the cold wind was howling outside the window, and soon heavy snow began to fall.

Chongrui brought a round stool and asked the father-in-law to sit down. Emperor Wende frowned and said, "Father-in-law, how long do you think we can hold Yanmen Pass?"

Lu Lingcong sighed, "Your Majesty, I think what Lord Zhao said is absolutely right. The court is extremely short of talented generals, and we should be open to discovering capable and brave generals for the court. In my humble opinion, it would be better to send someone to invite General Lin to return to the court."

Emperor Wende smiled bitterly, "General Lin is old and injured. Letting him lead the army is like sending his own life."

"No, Your Majesty." Lu Lingcong's eyes were blazing. "Old General Lin was a master of military strategy. With only half of his skills, General Lin was able to don armor and fight in battle, striking fear into the hearts of the Tartars. I have heard that Old General Lin passed on all his skills to the Lin family's second daughter, Lin Zhaoye."

Emperor Wende was surprised and shook his head in disapproval. "Father-in-law, this is impossible. How can a woman lead an army? No, no!"

Lu Lingcong urged his advice, "Your Majesty, the second daughter of the Lin family has practiced martial arts since childhood. At the age of eight, she accompanied her father on military campaigns and has spent years in the northern border. General Lin has repeatedly praised her intelligence, courage, and foresight. Furthermore, women have led troops in battles throughout history, such as Fu Hao of the Shang Dynasty, Madam Xi of the Sui Dynasty, Princess Shangyang of the Chen and Chu dynasties, and Mu Ying of the Later Tang Dynasty... The court is currently in a critical juncture for recruits, and with reinforcements from Nanyue still arriving, I believe it's worth a try."

Seeing Emperor Wende's hesitation, Lu Lingcong gritted his teeth and added fuel to the fire, "Your Majesty, the Qin Dynasty has gone through two generations of rulers and has never fully taken over South Vietnam. Do we really want to pin our hopes on South Vietnamese reinforcements?"

Emperor Wende's eyes narrowed slightly, and he finally spoke, "Father-in-law, how confident are you about this matter?"

Lu Lingcong wasn't sure, but he knew he couldn't show any weakness if he wanted to convince His Majesty. "I'm 90% sure."

"Okay!" Emperor Wende slammed his palm on the table, his eyes firm. "Pass on my order. Quickly summon General Lin and the Lin family's second daughter, Lin Zhaoye, to the capital."