Princess Promotion

As night fell, the streets of the Western Zhou imperial capital were filled with the smell of smoke and dust.

The iron hooves of the Qi army trampled on the tranquility of the past, and the flames and screams in the city intertwined into a doomsday scene.

In this chaos, Fu Yuanyuan's heart was unusually calm.

She knew this was her only chance to rescue her brother.

Fu Yuanyuan was wearing casual clothes and a conical hat, blending in with the guards.

They carefully shuttled through the ruins, avoiding the sight of the Qi army, and headed straight for the prison.

The outer walls of the prison had been blackened by the flames of war, and the guards at the door had long since disappeared. Only a few corpses lay on the ground, indicating the fierce battle that had taken place here.

Fu Yuanyuan took a deep breath, waved her hand to signal the family to follow her, and she rushed into the dark and damp dungeon first.

The air was filled with the smell of mold and blood, and every footstep seemed to strike at her nervous heartstrings.

Finally, in the deepest cell, she saw her brother Fu Hongxuan.

Fu Hongxuan's body was tightly bound by iron chains, his clothes were tattered, and his body was covered with scars. His face had lost its former heroic spirit, and he was still in a coma.

Fu Yuanyuan's eyes instantly became moist, but she clenched her teeth to prevent the tears from flowing.

She knew that this was not the time to feel sad.

"Quick, carry him on your back!" Fu Yuanyuan ordered. The family guards acted quickly, carefully rescued Fu Hongxuan from the chains, and carried him on their backs.

Fu Hongxuan's breathing was weak, but he was still alive, which gave Fu Yuanyuan a glimmer of hope.

They evacuated the dungeon quickly and orderly and headed towards the city gate.

Fu Yuanyuan had only one thought in her mind: as long as she could escape from the city and flee to the southern border of Western Zhou, which had not yet fallen, and as long as her brother could hold on, there would still be a glimmer of hope.

In the shadow of the dungeon, Fu Yuanyuan's heartbeat was rapidly beating in her chest, and every beat seemed to remind her that time was running out and her life was at stake.

The family generals held their weapons tightly, ready to fight any sudden enemy at any time.

However, the moment Li Yinhan appeared at the entrance of the dungeon, all the plans seemed to have come to nothing.

Li Yinhan stood there, his armor reflecting the light of the distant fire, looking extremely cold.

His eyes swept over Fu Yuanyuan and Fu Hongxuan on her back, and a hint of barely perceptible sarcasm appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Ms. Fu, do you really think you can escape from the city with this half-dead man?" His voice was calm and indifferent, but revealed an unquestionable confidence.

Fu Yuanyuan's hand gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, and her knuckles turned white from the force.

There was a flash of anger and unwillingness in her eyes, but more of it was determination and resoluteness.

"Even if I die, I won't let my brother die in a place like this." Her voice was not loud, but every word was like an iron nail piercing the hearts of everyone present.

Li Yinhan raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he was not surprised by Fu Yuanyuan's answer.

He walked forward slowly, his eyes fell on Fu Hongxuan, and looking at his inflamed and eroded wound, a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

"You know, once the sore gets worse, it's incurable. Even if you escape, he won't make it to the West."

Fu Yuanyuan pursed her lips tightly. She knew that what Li Yinhan said was true.

Her family has been in the military for generations, and they are very familiar with this kind of battlefield injuries.

However, giving up would mean the death of her brother, and she couldn't do it.

In the shadows of the dungeon, Fu Yuanyuan's voice trembled slightly, yet remained sharp. "Since you knew my brother was dying, why did you come here in person to stop us? Are you trying to use this opportunity to insult my brother and establish the prestige of the Qi army?"

Just when everyone was ready for a bloody battle.

Li Yinhan's expression remained unchanged in the face of Fu Yuanyuan's questioning, and his eyes remained calm and deep.

He shook his head slowly, a hint of helplessness in his voice: "I'm not bored and have nothing better to do than to find trouble with a dying man."

A hint of doubt flashed across Fu Yuanyuan's eyes, but she didn't let her guard down. She held the sword tightly in her hand, ready to deal with any unexpected situation. "Then why are you here?"

Li Yinhan was silent for a moment, then turned his gaze to Fu Hongxuan: "Of course, it's because I can save him."

The air in the dungeon was heavy, and Fu Yuanyuan's heartbeat almost stopped at this moment.

Li Yinhan's words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up waves deep in her heart.

She looked up at Li Yinhan, her eyes filled with suspicion and expectation. "You said you have medicine to save my brother? How is that possible? Are you trying to trick me into surrendering?"

Li Yinhan slowly took out an exquisite medicine bottle from his arms, and the transparent liquid swayed gently in it.

"This is a secret medicine developed by the Empress, specifically for sores and ulcers. It's the only way to save your brother right now."

Fu Yuanyuan was struggling violently. She knew that if she gave up resistance at this moment, she and her brother would lose the chance to escape and become prisoners of the Qi army.

But on the other hand, if what Li Yinhan said is true, then his brother might survive.

She looked at Fu Hongxuan's pale and painful face, and endless desire surged in her heart.

"What if this is true?" Fu Yuanyuan asked herself repeatedly.

She knew she couldn't take any risks, but her brother's life was too important to her.

Finally, Fu Yuanyuan made a decision. She slowly put down the knife in her hand, and her voice trembled a little: "If this medicine can really save my brother, I am willing to surrender."

Li Yinhan nodded. His eyes held no trace of the arrogance of a victor, only a hint of relief. "Very good. I will ensure your brother receives treatment."

Fu Yuanyuan didn't say anything. She knew that her choice might bring unpredictable consequences, but she had no choice.

As long as her brother can survive, she is willing to bear any cost.

Fu Yuanyuan brought Fu Hongxuan back to the general's mansion. Li Yinhan immediately sent people to surround the general's mansion, but he did not go back on his word and sent an imperial physician to treat Fu Hongxuan.

Fu Yuanyuan looked at the busy figures of the imperial doctors, her heart felt like it was hanging on the edge of a cliff, she was both afraid and expectant.

Fu Hongxuan was lying on the bed, his wounds were cleaned and bandaged by the imperial physician, the rotten flesh was carefully removed and medicine was applied.

Fu Yuanyuan stayed awake all night by her brother's bedside. Her eyes were bloodshot, but the worry in her heart turned into hope little by little as Fu Hongxuan's temperature dropped.

At dawn the next day, Fu Hongxuan's fever finally subsided and his complexion gradually regained its vitality.

Fu Yuanyuan couldn't believe her eyes. The effect of the medicine was beyond her imagination. Li Yinhan actually didn't lie to her.

Outside the general's mansion, Li Yinhan's soldiers strictly guarded every corner to ensure that no one could enter or leave.

Li Yinhan stood in the courtyard, looking at the sky, feeling mixed emotions.

When Yao Chuguang received the news that Fu Hongxuan had a high fever after being tortured, he immediately judged that the high fever was most likely caused by wound infection.

In this era, wound infection is almost an incurable disease, but in Yao Chuguang's hands, it can be cured.

The penicillin extracted by Yao Chuguang was a brand new drug for the ancients. They had no drug resistance in their bodies, so the effect of the drug was surprisingly good.

Yao Chuguang foresaw that someone would try to rescue Fu Hongxuan in the chaos, but she also knew that without timely treatment, Fu Hongxuan would die even if he escaped from the city.

Therefore, Yao Chuguang asked Li Yinhan to intercept Fu Hongxuan and his group as soon as they entered the city to ensure that Fu Hongxuan could receive treatment as soon as possible.

The sunlight shone through the window lattice onto Fu Hongxuan's bed. His breathing was steady and his face was no longer pale.

Fu Yuanyuan stood by, feeling mixed emotions, happy about her brother's recovery but also worried about the future.

When Li Yinhan walked into the room, Fu Yuanyuan immediately stood up and stood between him and Fu Hongxuan, looking at Li Yinhan warily.

Fu Yuanyuan: "General Li, my brother hasn't woken up yet. If there's anything, we can discuss it after he wakes up."

Li Yinhan slowly shook his head: "Don't worry, I just came to see if he's dead before I go back and report."

Upon hearing this, Fu Yuanyuan felt angry that this thief actually cursed her brother, but she also knew that when you live under someone's roof, you have to be patient.

After thinking for a moment, he finally asked the question that was in his mind: "General Li, with all due respect, why did you rush to save my brother? His life or death wouldn't have had much impact on the Qi army. On the contrary, if my brother were gone, it might have been more beneficial to the Qi army. It's really puzzling that you came to save him at such a critical moment."

Li Yinhan's eyes became a little strange. He glanced at Fu Yuanyuan, but did not answer. He just turned and left the room.

Fu Yuanyuan looked at his back, and the doubts in her heart became heavier.

At this time, the maid Xiaoxu beside her seemed to be hesitant to speak, and her expression seemed a little nervous.

Fu Yuanyuan noticed her strangeness and asked, "Xiao Xu, what do you want to say? Why are you hesitating?"

Xiao Xu hesitated for a moment, but finally mustered up the courage to say, "Miss, there are rumors that the general is having an affair with the empress..."

Before he finished speaking, Fu Yuanyuan's expression suddenly changed. She angrily shouted, "Nonsense! You believe this nonsense?"

Despite this, Fu Yuanyuan couldn't help but feel suspicious.

Could it be...

When Fu Yuanyuan thought of the usually serious and rigid Fu Hongxuan, she couldn't help but shudder. It's absolutely impossible!

After the Qi army entered the imperial capital, they did not massacre the city wantonly. Instead, they showed rare restraint and order. This allowed the people in the city to quickly adapt to the new emperor, and their lives gradually returned to normal.

For the people, it doesn’t matter who is the emperor, as long as they don’t increase taxes, everything is fine.

The first thing the Qi army did after entering the imperial capital was to go to the dungeon to rescue General Fu. This incident became a hot topic on the streets.

Although Fu Yuanyuan scoffed at the rumors between the empress and her brother, and firmly believed that there was no personal relationship between her brother and the empress, the outside world's speculation and conjecture became more and more intense.

In the streets and alleys of the imperial capital, people were talking about it one after another, and the rumors about the relationship between the empress and General Fu spread like wildfire.

The people speculated that the empress had a special affection for General Fu, otherwise why would she not forget to rescue this enemy general first when the war was tense.

The rumors became more and more outrageous. Some people said that the reason why the empress launched this war was entirely because she was deeply in love with General Fu and was determined to win him back at all costs.

What's worse, some people compared General Fu to a witch who brought disaster to the country and the people, and believed that his existence caused the suffering of the people.

When Fu Yuanyuan heard these ridiculous remarks, she was so angry that she couldn't calm down.

She knew that these rumors would likely affect her brother's reputation and even have unpredictable consequences for his future.

She wants to reveal the truth and clear her brother's name.

Fu Yuanyuan realized that someone was probably manipulating and exploiting this public opinion storm in order to damage the reputation of the Fu family.

Fu Yuanyuan must find out the mastermind behind this. She cannot tolerate others slandering her brother. Her brother is a hero, not a witch who brings disaster to the country.

At the same time, the heads of the four major families gathered again. They sat around a quaint long table. Everyone had a tired look on their face, but they could not hide the shrewdness and expectation in their eyes.

After more than a month of hard work, they can finally put down their work and take a breath.

"Everyone, now that His Majesty has taken over Western Zhou, the distribution of interests among our four families must be finalized as soon as possible." The head of the Liu family spoke first, his tone steady and powerful.

"That's right. Although the empress will continue to employ the old ministers of the Western Zhou Dynasty, we must ensure that the greatest benefits belong to us." The head of the Qing family echoed, his eyes sharp, as if he could see through everything.

Elder Xiao smiled slightly and took over the topic: "As long as everyone works together, this benefit will naturally not fall into the hands of others."

Just as everyone was almost done discussing, the head of the Wu family suddenly interrupted with a hint of joking in his tone: "I heard that there have been rumors in the city recently about the affair between His Majesty and Fu Hongxuan of the Western Zhou Dynasty. I wonder if any of you have any information..."

The other three family heads couldn't help but sneer when they heard this.

Elder Xiao sneered, "Is this kind of nonsense even worth discussing? Who is Yao Chuguang? She's a ruthless character who would even rebel against her own father for the throne. How could she lose her mind over a man?"

The head of the Liu family nodded in agreement: "Indeed, Her Majesty always puts profit first in her actions. This kind of love affair is not worth mentioning in her eyes."

Patriarch Qing also joined the discussion: "Also, as far as I know, Fu Hongxuan is a famous general of the Western Zhou Dynasty. If the empress is really interested in him, it is probably more due to other considerations rather than personal feelings."

The head of the Liu family said bluntly, "Our four families have fought against Her Majesty for so long, and we have all witnessed her methods and ambitions. Such romantic affairs are nothing more than the gossip of ordinary people, and are not worth our attention."

Seeing this, the head of the Wu family also put away his joking attitude: "Although we all know that this is impossible, this kind of rumor will not harm us."

Patriarch Qing immediately understood and said, "You mean if we add fuel to the fire, it won't be bad for us, but it may not be bad for His Majesty."

Patriarch Liu added, "By then, the old ministers of the Western Zhou Dynasty will surely harbor resentment towards Your Majesty, and perhaps even anger Your Majesty. Ultimately, Your Majesty will realize that we, the old ministers, are on her side."

Elder Xiao was playing with an exquisite jade pendant in his hand, but his mind was drifting far away.

He had assisted two emperors and believed that he had some experience in how to control the hearts of emperors.

However, facing the female emperor Yao Chuguang, Lord Xiao felt unprecedented difficulty.

If it were any other emperor, Xiao Ge Lao would have been sure to make the emperor alienate the ministers of Western Zhou and get closer to the ministers of Qi.

If he performs better, it might be possible to kick out all the old ministers of the Western Zhou Dynasty.

Compared with the ministers who defected from the Western Zhou Dynasty, these orthodox ministers of Qi are definitely more trustworthy.

However, Yao Chuguang was different. She had a unique style and was very strong-willed.

Her decisions are often unexpected, but they always achieve the desired results.

Elder Xiao knew very well that it was almost impossible to influence Yao Chuguang's decision through any means.

Since it’s useless to use tricks on Yao Chuguang, then change the target, it’s always easier than Yao Chuguang.

He tried every possible means to discredit Yao Chuguang's image, and the old ministers of the Western Zhou Dynasty would definitely be dissatisfied with Yao Chuguang.

With Yao Chuguang's insight, he would definitely be able to see something and distance himself from them.

Seems like a good choice.