The ancient martial arts master traveled through time

The marriage was set, and everyone in the palace began to get busy preparing for this grand wedding.

During this period, Zidan led an army of 300,000 to attack Qin. Upon reaching the border, Ruan Xiaojiu, with his swift and decisive actions, stormed into the army, beheading the marshal and several generals, hanging the heads on the Zidan flag. He left only one junior general to deliver a message. The message stated that this was merely a warning; if they did not withdraw their troops and hand over Zidan War King Ye Tingshen, the Ninth Prince of Qin would march directly to the Zidan Palace to retrieve the heads of the Emperor and Empress.

The young general was trembling with fear that night and immediately sent a letter to the emperor over 800 miles to tell him the news. The emperor received the letter with a look of disbelief and was so shocked that he almost died on the spot. He had never imagined that a country with internal and external troubles could have such a master who could kill all the marshals and generals with just one person.

He didn't believe that one Qin person could defeat his army, but an army without a general was like a pile of loose sand, and it was already defeated.

General Xiao had no reason to lie. He still valued his life very much and would rather take precautions seriously than take it lightly. This was a matter of his life and the Queen's, so he had to take it seriously.

Zidan Palace:

The emperor urgently summoned all the ministers and princes overnight to discuss countermeasures. Everyone in the court panicked upon learning of the situation. The crown prince proposed sending envoys to negotiate with the Qin State. "Father, although the Qin State has just established a new emperor, the new emperor has been on the battlefield. It seems that the Qin State has a deep foundation. Provoking and forcing a marriage is reckless. It would be better to send my eldest brother to Qin to negotiate peace and avoid the threat of this war. However, I heard that the Ninth Prince of Qin State is a woman. She is lustful, cruel and arrogant. She does not have the ability to break into the military camp and kill the marshal as General Xiao said. Could it be that someone is impersonating the Ninth Prince and helping the Qin State suppress my Zidan?"

The emperor pinched his brows. He didn't care whether the Ninth Prince was a woman or what kind of person he was in the past. Now he only knew that the content of the message sent back by General Xiao was that the Ninth Prince easily broke into his military camp and killed their marshal and generals. This was no trivial matter and could not be ignored.

"But the War King is missing now. Where can we find a War King for them?" a minister said anxiously.

"Your Majesty, I think this is not possible." The Prime Minister stood up and immediately objected. "If we withdraw now, it will arouse the suspicion of the neighboring small countries. Our massive army has already been known to attack Qin, and we fled in a few days. How will our neighbors view us? They will definitely think we are incompetent. Then, a country of equal strength will come to test our limits and explore our true intentions. Knowing that our capable warlord is missing and our strategic marshal has died tragically, we have no one to send to the battle. We are worried about the five people we can send. Therefore, we cannot withdraw, and even if we do, it is not now."

The emperor thought it made sense, but he had no other choice. If possible, he still wanted to save face and wished he hadn't committed suicide in the first place. Now, he couldn't get the princess and the envoy back, and he had to put his own and the queen's safety at risk. He was really shooting himself in the foot.

At this thought, he remembered that it was the Crown Prince who had suggested that the current state of Qin was in civil strife, making it the perfect time to conquer. Qin had many cities and fertile territory; if it didn't expand now, it would be overtaken by other states and lose the initiative. He was truly confused, and looking at the Crown Prince below him, he couldn't help but feel a bit of resentment and dissatisfaction.

I had first sent the princess to test the waters and see where Qin's bottom line lay. Now, this time, I've sent troops rashly, and I'm in a difficult position. I can't retreat, and I can't fight.

There are no more generals to send in the court. The losses are heavy. I looked down anxiously and asked, "Do you have any candidates?"

The Prime Minister's words just now were very convincing, but there was no official who could actually be dispatched. For a moment, the hall fell into silence.

The emperor was very disappointed. Although they talked a lot of nice things on a regular basis, no one could really be of any use at the critical moment.

At that moment, a man stepped forward. His skin was tan, and his face was angular, bearing a striking resemblance to Ye Tingshen. His deep eyes held a glint of worry and determination. This man was Ye Tingshen's most loyal brother, the Seventh Prince, Ye Tingyi. Although they didn't share the same mother, Ye Tingyi deeply adored Ye Tingshen.

He was heartbroken to learn that his eldest brother was forced to stay in Qin, yet he felt helpless. He heard news that his eldest brother had returned to Zidan, but before he could see him, he had mysteriously disappeared. He searched the entire capital of Zidan to no avail, and even sought help from his father, but his father was unconcerned and seemed indifferent to Ye Tingshen's return, giving up after a perfunctory search.

This left him deeply disheartened towards his father. He had originally planned to leave Zidan and return to his own fiefdom, but he couldn't find his eldest brother, and he felt resigned. As the saying goes, if he's alive, he'll have to see the body. He was thankful that the Ninth Prince of Qin still cared about his eldest brother, and hoped that under the pressure from Qin, his father would do his utmost to find him. To buy time, he stepped forward and said, "Father, I'm willing to go and give it a try. I hope you'll do your best to find my eldest brother during this time. If what General Xiao said is true, only my eldest brother's presence can avert this disaster."

The emperor looked at the prince and was very disappointed with his performance. He and the queen loved this son in vain. He was not only cowardly and incompetent, but also brainless. He wondered if it was a mistake to give him the position of prince.

Turning to look at Ye Tingyi, he was very satisfied with Ye Tingyi's performance at this time. Whether it was retreating or fighting, someone was needed to command the army, otherwise the morale of the army would be disrupted and the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Don't worry, Yi'er. If you return safely this time, I will give you a great credit."

"Thank you, Father."

Since he was a child, Ye Tingyi hoped that he could lead troops to fight in battles like his elder brother and become a hero who protects the people of Zidan. He did not have so many twists and turns in his mind and did not want to participate in the fight for the throne.

The emperor realized that the only way to get rid of the sword hanging over his head was to find Ye Tingshen and send him to the State of Qin.

But where was Ye Tingshen? Ever since he returned a few months ago and then disappeared again, he hadn't paid much attention to him, and there had been no news of him since. His whereabouts now became crucial. The emperor pondered for a moment and ordered an all-out search for Ye Tingshen, while also becoming deeply concerned about the upcoming war.

Whether the Ninth Prince of Qin would really break into the Zidan Palace as stated in the letter also made the Zidan Emperor shrouded in a constant atmosphere of tension.

.........

However, Ruan Xiaojiu and Ruan Siqi's wedding proceeded as planned. Amidst this joyous atmosphere, Yun Yizhou, Feng Liushang, and others felt a surge of jealousy. They watched helplessly as Ruan Xiaojiu married Ruan Siqi, a wave of bitterness welling up in their hearts. Perhaps they, too, had longed to be treated this way by Ruan Xiaojiu, but their wish had been denied. Now, they could only watch silently, their jealousy evident.