After being rejected, he emptied the mansion and went into exile

The expeditionary force was vast and imposing, marching with great fanfare.

When they had walked a short distance from Shangzhou City, Emperor Zhao Chengyan raised his hand to signal the procession to stop.

He looked at Xiang Hongxuan, who was not far away, and Xiang Hongxuan was also looking at him.

Zhao Chengyan: "General Xiang, we await your triumphant return!"

The soldiers were waiting; this was not the time for further words.

Xiang Hongxuan and the others did not dismount, but bowed their heads respectfully upon hearing this.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Zhao Chengyan led his troops westward, while Xiang Hongxuan led his troops northward.

One team was positioned to the west and the other to the north; the two teams separated within an hour.

Shen Zhizheng rode behind the Emperor on horseback. He glanced at the people beside him, his face very grim.

The person seemed oblivious to the fact that he had angered someone, and swayed his long hair with a smug look on his face.

"Lord Shen, what's with that look on your face? Didn't you get enough rest last night? Didn't I tell you to get some rest...?"

Shen Zhizheng's face darkened, and he glared at Song Yingxue.

This woman actually went to war?

She didn't reveal anything last night.

Otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have agreed to let her take the risk.

Her identity is sensitive, and with the two countries at war, there's no guarantee that someone might use her.

Moreover, weapons have no eyes.

He knew what he was worried about, and that worry gradually turned into anger.

Upon hearing Song Yingxue's voice, which was neither too loud nor too soft, the surrounding soldiers all looked at Shen Zhizheng with mocking expressions.

It turns out the rumors were true.

Sure enough, this woman from the Western Regions, who was also Lady Xiang's sworn sister, had taken a liking to Lord Shen.

"I heard that Lady Xiang petitioned the Emperor to allow him to bring his sworn sister along."

“Miss Song was originally from the Western Regions. With her by our side, our chances of winning are indeed much greater.”

"Who knows if this Miss Song has ulterior motives?"

"I never expected that Lord Shen, who has always been upright and incorruptible, would have such good fortune."

"Ha, speaking of which, even Lord Shen went to the battlefield. What do these poor, pedantic scholars know?"

"Hmph, I think that Lord Shen is too arrogant and looks down on this Miss Song."

"If I were pursued by a woman like that, I would marry her immediately and give her all my wealth!"

The men exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

Shen Zhizheng's face grew even uglier. His gaze seemed to drift over, lingering for a moment on the deputy general who had said he wanted to marry the woman.

Ah, it's Li Ziyu.

General Li's son.

He used to be a spoiled brat from Shangzhou, but in the past two years he has been stationed on the frontier with General Li, and I heard that things have become much more peaceful there.

What kind of gentleman talks badly about women behind their backs?

At this moment, Shen Zhizheng did not realize that he had done anything wrong.

Despite his obvious disapproval, Deputy General Li never said a bad word about Song Yingxue; in fact, he even said he wanted to marry her.

Vice General Li clearly said that Shen Zhizheng was not worth it.

Song Yingxue could naturally hear the sounds around her.

She originally grew up in the Western Regions, where people were open-minded and didn't mind others saying a few words.

Moreover, the fact that she was pursuing Shen Zhizheng had long been a rumor among the wealthy young men of Shangjing City.

However, she never said it out loud.

Of course, given Shen Zhizheng's character, it's even less likely he would ask her on his own initiative.

Last night, Shen Zhizheng took the initiative to contact her. After she returned home, she wondered if Lord Shen had also developed feelings for her.

But the man stammered for a long time without giving a coherent answer.

She had hesitated beforehand about whether to tell Shen Zhizheng that she was going to join the army to fight in the Western Regions.

In the end, she decided to give Lord Shen a surprise.

She had only discussed this matter with Shen Jinyao.

The reason was simple: she didn't trust Shen Zhizheng and also wanted to take this opportunity to earn some fame and recognition for herself.

She was not afraid of being used by the emperor of Kyushu.

If she doesn't step forward, it's hard to guarantee that no one will target her during a war between the two countries.

Rather than doing that, she decided to strike first.

It would also earn it a good reputation with the emperor of the Nine Provinces, letting him know that it is very useful.

Shen Jinyao asked her if she had ever thought that she would be scorned by the people of the Western Regions.

What was her answer?

Oh, right.

She said she hated the soldiers of the Western Regions Kingdom, but sympathized with all the people of the Western Regions Kingdom.

The Western Regions were masters of secret arts, illusions, raising poisonous insects, and medicine making...

These are things that the people of the Western Regions did not know from the beginning.

They were all researched and developed bit by bit using the mortal bodies of ordinary people.

These soldiers were extremely vicious.

Among them were sorcerers skilled in illusion, who, under the guise of acting in the best interests of the Western Regions, committed heinous crimes.

She wanted the Nine Provinces Kingdom to win, but also to ensure the survival of the Western Regions Kingdom.

This time, she agreed to come along, and what she discussed with the emperor was that the people of the Western Regions should not be harmed.

She didn't know whether such a promise would work.

She asked Shen Jinyao, who simply said that the emperor's thoughts are the hardest to guess.

But she did it anyway.

Although she knew it was just a drop in the ocean, she had fought hard for this opportunity.

Fortunately, while she was in the Western Regions Kingdom, she saved Prince Anning and Princess Anning, who were then the eldest prince.

Fortunately, we arrived in the Kingdom of Kyushu.

They met Shen Jinyao, Shen Zhizheng...

While she was lost in thought, she saw Shen Zhizheng seem to be calling her.

By the time she realized what was happening, the man's face looked extremely ugly.

Tsk.

This is nothing like the Lord Shen I first met. Why does Lord Shen always seem to have a dark expression lately?

There was someone next to her, and Song Yingxue turned her head to look at them.

He was a very flamboyant young man.

It seems that others refer to him as Deputy General Li.

He is General Li's son.

She smiled politely but didn't say anything.

The man was very enthusiastic, "Miss Song, I've heard so much about you. My name is Li Ziyu."

Song Yingxue didn't look over there; she kept looking ahead.

His voice, however, carried a hint of laughter. "So it's Vice General Li. I've heard so much about you."

Li Ziyu's interest remained undiminished, and he said loudly, "Oh? You've heard of me, young lady? That's my honor."

Song Yingxue then turned her gaze to Li Ziyu.

This young man was arrogant and impetuous, with his chin held high, yet his eyes were remarkably clear.

Song Yingxue returned a generous smile.

"you……"

Before she could say anything, she saw Shen Zhizheng riding his horse ahead.

Song Yingxue smiled and said, "Vice General Li, let's stop here for now."

She spurred her horse and gave chase.

Li Ziyu stood frozen in place, captivated by Song Yingxue's unabashed smile.

This was unlike any woman he had ever met before; they were prone to crying and nitpicking over words.

"Lord Shen, Lord Shen, hello! Shen Zhizheng."

Shen Zhizheng slowed down only when the two people in front of him were about to catch up with the emperor.

He kept his eyes straight ahead.

In reality, she was already furious.

He had just called Song Yingxue's name, but she was lost in thought, seemingly preoccupied with something.

Li Ziyu hopped around her like a pheasant, and she laughed and talked in the same way.

Didn't she hear Li Ziyu say he could marry her?

Really!

reality……

He kept a straight face and pursed his lips, saying nothing.

But he deliberately slowed down because Song Yingxue called him.

Song Yingxue naturally wouldn't offer her a warm welcome only to be met with indifference. As Shen Jinyao had said, men shouldn't be spoiled.

She completely agreed.

The two remained silent and followed the main group.

However, they did not notice Shen Leyao, who was mingling at the back of the group.