Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"Aren't you being a bit too hasty to head back to the capital so soon?"

"I received a personal letter from His Majesty, ordering me to return to the capital immediately before the seventh day of the seventh month to report back. The imperial army that took over the garrison in Chang'an has already entered Guanzhong."

We're less than a hundred li from Chang'an now. I've already sent Meng Gong behind to hand over the defenses; now we must set off."

"Why the sudden rush? I was planning to visit Miss Piaoxu at Piaoxiang Pavilion today!"

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? Screw your sentimentality! Think about it, you're a married man too!"

On the second day of the sixth month, the Imperial Guard marched off in triumph back to the capital, marking a perfect end to this western expedition.

Jiang Shangxian looked back at the enormous gate of Chang'an, his eyes filled with reluctance.

Shen Lang patted his shoulder: "Your Highness, stop looking. You and Miss Piaoxu are not compatible. Let's go."

Jiang Shangxian sighed, "Alas, it's rare for this king to feel such romantic feelings, and not only did I not get to eat the meat, but..."

And to have to endure the pain of separation—just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.

Shen Lang narrowed his eyes: "Alright, stop being so sentimental. Go back and have a good talk with the Princess. That's a hundred times better than those prostitutes."

Shen Lang really didn't know how to advise Jiang Shangxian on his love life, so he could only let things take their course.

"I'm leaving now, Your Highness. I'll come back often in the future."

Shen Lang gave a reassuring sigh, then mounted his warhorse and swung his long arm.

"go home!"

"Ow~"

In an instant, the Imperial Guard roared like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down as they slowly advanced back the way they had come.

On the city wall, Changsun Ying, who witnessed this scene, clenched her fists, her eyes fixed on the receding figure.

A young man, barely twenty, volunteered for the army, full of vigor and ambition; how dashing it would be to achieve fame and success!

But why, why doesn't such an outstanding man belong to me?

The more she thought about it, the more resentful she became, and finally she couldn't help but complain, "The Empress rules over Great Chu, the whole world belongs to her!"

Why are you trying to steal Xin Yue's man from me? Why? Just because she's an empress, does that mean she can control everything?!

Upon hearing this, Changsun Yan immediately covered her mouth: "Are you crazy? How could you say such a thing?"

Changsun Ying immediately shook off her elder sister's hand and said angrily, "She stole someone else's sweetheart, and I'm not even allowed to say anything? This is so unfair to me, so incredibly unfair!"

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.

Changsun Yan sighed helplessly, "Little sister, you're being a bit impulsive. Marshal Shen and His Majesty have known each other for a long time. How can you let her steal the person you love?"

She looked at the long line of guards.

"Besides, if we're really talking about stealing, it's you, little sister, who's stealing the Empress's husband. Aren't you going against the natural order?"

"But I'm just not reconciled!" Changsun Ying said. "If it weren't for the Empress, I could have been with Marshal Shen long ago."

With my beauty and my family background, he will surely fall for me.

But it was precisely because Jiang Mengxuan was the ruler of a country that she forced Marshal Shen to submit to her..."

"Little sister! Are you in a daze?"

Seeing that Changsun Ying's words were becoming increasingly outrageous, even addressing the Empress by her given name, Changsun Yan immediately raised her voice to interrupt her.

"Listen to me, little sister, Shen Shuai is destined to be no match for you, especially now that Chang'an has returned to the Chu Kingdom."

At this crucial moment when my Changsun family is returning to the imperial court, you must remain calm, especially at times like these.

"Don't let your emotions cause unnecessary trouble for my Changsun family. Do you understand?"

Seeing her elder sister get angry, Changsun Ying immediately backed down, saying, "I understand, elder sister."

But her gaze remained fixed on the gradually disappearing heroic silhouette.

……

On the morning of the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, after a long march, the Imperial Guard finally arrived at the outskirts of Nanjing.

"After rushing all the way, I finally made it back to the capital on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Oh dear, I'm exhausted!"

Inside the carriage, Jiang Shangxian shifted his plump body and lay comfortably on the ground.

After such a long and tiring journey, Shen Lang's eyelids were trembling.

After estimating that it was still about ten miles to the city gate of Jinling, he immediately greeted Jiang Shangxian.

"Your Highness, I'll take a nap first. You can wake me up after we enter the city gate."

"Alright, you look tired too. Take a rest for a while. I'll be watching you."

"Ah."

Shen Lang immediately stopped talking and lay down on the soft cushion, falling into a deep sleep.

At that moment, a gentle breeze caressed his cheek.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he felt someone constantly pushing him.

"Brother, wake up! We're at the city gate. Wake up!"

Shen Lang slowly opened his tired eyes and peeked out from behind the carriage curtain.

"Awoo—"

As soon as I looked up, a farmer drove a donkey cart past me.

Shen Lang shook his head, then pulled back the carriage curtain. The long-unseen gates of Jinling City were less than twenty steps away.

"Your Highness, I'd like to change horses now."

After exchanging greetings, Shen Lang immediately jumped onto the black horse that Jiang Mengxuan had given him and slowly headed towards the city gate.

"156, 157, 181921..."

As soon as he entered Jinling City, Shen Lang saw a group of children playing jump rope outside a house not far away.

Meanwhile, two children were playing with spinning tops nearby.

Shen Lang smiled and continued walking forward.

"Flatbread, freshly baked flatbread, would you like a few, sir?"

As I passed by a pancake stall, I saw a vendor wearing a light blue shirt warmly greeting a customer.

The guest was a burly man who bought ten pancakes in one go, threw down twenty coins, and strode away with an air of indifference.

Shen Lang shook his head and continued riding forward.

"Fire! Get out of the way!"

Suddenly, a cry of surprise rang out, and a lantern with a flame appeared in the middle of the street.

Several inspectors carried basins of water and quickly extinguished the lanterns.

Upon seeing Shen Lang and his group, he immediately bowed and stepped aside.

After passing another teahouse, Shen Lang looked at the word "坊" (fang) on ​​the eaves of the two-story building, which seemed about to fall in the wind.

Suddenly, the ribbon binding the character "坊" broke, falling directly in front of the teahouse entrance and injuring a child holding a windmill, immediately causing a commotion.

"call--"

Shen Lang let out a breath, feeling uneasy for some reason.

He composed himself and continued riding towards Weiyang Palace.

"Flowers bloom and wither, filling the sky, while you appear and disappear."

"Day after day, night after night, I still cannot sketch your face."

I sigh softly at the fleeting nature of life and the passing of time, how many years have passed?

"Who will write the regrets of half a lifetime? Only passersby remain in this world."

As I passed a stage, I heard a melodious song.

Shen Lang looked up and saw a female singer on the stage pouring out her feelings and showing off her singing voice.

"I almost forgot, today is the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the Girls' Festival, a day for lovers to meet. If this were my world in my past life, tonight would be a night of constant gunfire."

Unlike the world today, where relationships between men and women are more conservative, going on a date after listening to music might involve holding hands or kissing at most.

Shen Lang pulled on the reins and stopped, enjoying the singing for a while with great interest.

The songstress sang beautifully, but why was it "The Unfortunate Song of the Ming Dynasty"?

Only after the music ended did they continue riding forward.

As soon as the palace gates came into view, Ye Mo, who was guarding the entrance, greeted them with a smile.

"Congratulations, Marshal Shen, on your outstanding achievements. His Majesty has been waiting for you in the Taiji Hall for a long time and specially ordered me to greet you here."

"Thank you for your help, Minister Ye."

Shen Lang dismounted and followed Ye Mo toward the Taiji Hall.

However, after entering the palace, Shen Lang's doubts deepened.

Why were the two rows of fully armed guards looking at him with such strange eyes and such serious expressions?

Before he could think any further, Ye Mo had already led Shen Lang to the outside of the Taiji Hall.

"General Shen, Her Majesty has been waiting inside for a long time. She specifically instructed me that only you are allowed to go in, so I will not accompany you."

After saying that, without waiting for Shen Lang to speak, Ye Mo quickly turned and left with a strange smile on his face.

"What is that old fox up to now?"

Shen Lang watched Ye Mo's swift and agile figure and shook his head in confusion.

Then he straightened his clothes and strode into the Taiji Hall.

Upon entering the main hall, Shen Lang was shocked by what he saw.

The huge hall was decorated with wedding utensils.

On the dragon throne, Empress Jiang Mengxuan, dressed in a wedding red robe, sat in the arms of a pale-faced scholar, whispering sweet nothings in his ear, their behavior extremely intimate.

Shen Lang froze on the spot, feeling his whole body stiffen and unable to move an inch.

After a long while, the Empress reluctantly moved away from the pale-faced scholar, licked her red lips, and turned to look at Shen Lang.

"Shen Lang, you're back? This is a gift I prepared for you. Do you like it?"

"Thank you for recapturing the old capital for me. With your efforts, my throne will be unshakeable."

"Originally, I wanted to spend my life with you, but I've realized I don't love you."

"He is the one I have always loved; he is the white moonlight I have cherished for so many years."

"But I have already issued an edict to welcome you as the emperor. If I were to fall in love with someone else now, I fear it would give others something to say."

"Let me tell you another secret: I am already pregnant with his child."

"So, help me one last time, grant my wish, with your life."

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of axemen who had been lying in ambush for a long time suddenly appeared from all around.

Faced with this situation, Shen Lang was immediately terrified and wanted to run away, but his body seemed to be petrified and he couldn't move at all.

The empress, held in the arms of the pale-faced scholar, cast a provocative glance at Shen Lang, but didn't utter a single word.

Shen Lang narrowed his eyes. The pale-faced scholar's face was sometimes S-shaped and sometimes B-shaped, with no fixed shape. The abstractness was truly despairing.

Jiang Mengxuan nestled intimately in the scholar's arms, clutching her stomach, then waved her hand and said, "Shen Lang, do you have any last words?"

"Have!"

Shen Lang shouted it out with almost all his might.

"Shouldn't we settle the accounts first, regarding the ten thousand taels of gold you promised me, and the shares in those factories?"

"kill!"

The Empress's response to Shen Lang was a single, cold, and ruthless word.

The next moment, the axe-wielder swung directly at Shen Lang.

"This is terrible, I'm so pissed off!"

Shen Lang was completely paralyzed, watching helplessly as an axe came crashing down on his head...

"Brother, wake up! We're at the city gate. Wake up!"

"call--"

A call, accompanied by a slight sway, startled Shen Lang so much that he sat up straight.

Jiang Shangxian, who was standing nearby, was startled and quickly asked, "What's wrong, brother? Why are you all sweaty?"

"fine."

After catching his breath and sorting out his thoughts, Shen Lang let out a long sigh and then opened the curtains to get some fresh air.

"Awoo, awoo—"

As a result, he saw a strong farmer driving a donkey cart pass right in front of him.

Shen Lang's face turned pale instantly.

"Depend on!"

The next moment, the Browning bullet was chambered, and the scabbard of the dagger at his waist was instantly slit open.

At the same time, his internal energy circulated wildly, instantly switching to the highest state of combat readiness.

"You want to betray me and kill me, Shen Lang? Then let's see who kills whom first!"