The daily life of a cold and aloof general raising his wife

The Duke of Zheng looked worried. "Your Majesty, why are you here? It's dangerous here, leave quickly."

"The Turks have already stormed into the palace."

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Zheng involuntarily took two steps back.

Li Shu quickly went up to help him, "Duke Zheng."

When the Duke of Zheng saw that Zheng Congying was nowhere to be seen, he hurriedly asked, "Where is Congying? Have you seen him? He went to look for you."

Li Shu's tears flowed uncontrollably.

Duke Zheng guessed what was going on from her expression.

"He He……"

Duke Zheng understood, but he just couldn't bring himself to say the words "died in battle."

Li Shu said sadly, "General Zheng has sacrificed his life..."

In an instant, Duke Zheng seemed to have aged ten years, and his usually bright eyes had lost their luster.

"Where is his body?"

Duke Zheng wanted to take another look.

"My father was buried at the foot of Qingshan Mountain."

Duke Zheng muttered to himself, "Very well, very well, the scenery there is quite nice, Cong Ying should like it there."

Li Shu didn't know how to comfort him; nothing she said could ease the Duke of Zheng's pain now.

After a moment, the Duke of Zheng looked at her and said, "Your Majesty, you should go back to Daqing. It's safe there."

"how about you?"

The Duke of Zheng firmly stated, "I am a man of Northern Qi and a general of Northern Qi."

"I won't leave either; I'll stay with the general."

"Listen to me, go back, go back to Daqing, it's safe there. Thank you for what you've done for Northern Qi these past few years."

The Duke of Zheng insisted that she leave.

"What will happen to you if I leave? What will happen to the people of Northern Qi?"

Although she has only been here for a few years, in Li Shu's heart, this is her second hometown.

"The Northern Qi dynasty's fate is sealed; do not waste your life."

Li Shu wanted to say something more, but Duke Zheng stopped her.

"Live well, and when you see your mother, remember to give her my regards."

Li Shu's tears flowed even more fiercely.

Duke Zheng looked intently at Li Shu, as if he saw another person through her face. Finally, he revealed a satisfied smile and then looked at Yan Jingrong beside him.

"Young man, take Shuer away quickly."

Li Shu shook her head, "No..."

Li Shu already felt a deep sense of powerlessness at Zheng Congying's sacrifice. Now, with the Duke of Zheng standing safely in front of her, knowing full well what the outcome would be, how could she bear to do it?

Duke Zheng raised his hand and touched her head, then slashed her on the back of the neck, and Li Shu fainted.

The Duke of Zheng handed the unconscious Li Shu over to Yan Jingrong.

"Treat Shu'er well."

Yan Jingrong nodded.

Duke Zheng urged, "Alright, you should hurry up and leave, or it will be too late."

Yan Jingrong nodded, then picked up Li Shu, mounted his horse, and rode away.

Yan Jingrong knew Zheng Guogong's thoughts better than anyone else: the general would rather die on the battlefield than abandon his soldiers and the people to live a life of ignominy.

In his previous life, he was killed by the Turks on the battlefield.

Yan Jingrong already knew the route back to Daqing by heart. Li Shu woke up half a day later.

Li Shu rebuked, "How could you leave the Duke of Zheng there all alone!"

Yan Jingrong said kindly, "A-Shu, Duke Zheng will not go with us."

"What kind of people are we, running away like this!"

Yan Jingrong comforted her, "You have done very well. The Turks have been building up their strength for many years. This time they want to monopolize the Central Plains. Northern Qi is already on the verge of collapse. What we should worry about now is Daqing. Daqing is probably not much better off."

Li Shu asked anxiously, "What happened to Daqing?"

"Xie Huai'an wrote that the Duke of Yingguo is a spy of the Turks. He has been lurking in Daqing for more than 30 years. Now that his deeds have been exposed, he has fled. Moreover, Daqing has been attacked by the Turks several times."

"How are my father and mother? And what about Shu Wan?"

Li Shu was unaware of these things; she was only worried about the people she cared about.

"They are fine. Daqing's population and military strength are much better than Northern Qi's."

"We're heading back to Daqing now."

Li Shu didn't want to stop for a moment.

"it is good."

Li Shu and her group rode horses toward Daqing.

**

The Turks attacked, and everyone in the capital was filled with fear.

As the Lunar New Year approaches, people would normally be preparing for the holiday by now, but this year the streets are unusually deserted.

Xie Huai'an donned his armor and went to the battlefield. Jiang Shuwan was worried about him, but thankfully, every time she received news from him, it was good news.

This New Year was not as lively as in previous years; even the Lantern Festival was canceled.

Xianwang Mansion

The Prince Xian has been rather depressed lately. It should be said that he has not been happy since he made the third prince the crown prince, but so has Pei Yurong.

Pei Yurong had planned for so long, but in the end it all came to nothing, and she was unwilling to accept it.

So after discussing it, the two decided to assassinate the third brother. With the second and third brothers gone, the throne would naturally belong to them, and now that Xie Huai'an was not around, it was the perfect opportunity.

Since becoming the crown prince, the third prince has been extra careful about his clothing, food, housing and transportation. Xie Huai'an had specifically reminded him of these things, but several months have passed and nothing unexpected has happened.

A maid brought over some snacks.

The prince raised his hand to pick up the snacks.

Xie Huaiyu pressed his hand down, "Your Highness, please have the Imperial Eunuch test it with a silver needle before you eat it."

The Crown Prince said nonchalantly, "Everyone in this palace is one of our own. You're just being too cautious."

Xie Huaiyu remained calm. "It's still better to be cautious."

"Fine, fine, let's give it a try," the crown prince conceded.

Huang Gonggong took out a silver needle to test for poison, but the needle did not change color.

The crown prince looked at him and said, "See? I told you you'd gone to all this trouble."

"It doesn't hurt to be careful."

His brother had given him specific instructions before he left, so he dared not be careless.

Just as the prince was about to grab the pastries, the battle report arrived.

The prince then forgot all about eating.

The Crown Prince and Xie Huaiyu got busy, and no one noticed that the Crown Prince's pet parrot flew onto the table and pecked at the pastries.

Soon the parrot collapsed onto the table and lay motionless.

When Eunuch Huang walked over and saw it, he was so frightened that he cried out.

The crown prince asked, "What's wrong?"

"The myna bird is dead..." Eunuch Huang reported in a panic.

"What!?"

The Crown Prince and Xie Huaiyu walked together to the table.

The parrot lay motionless on the table, and there were indeed peck marks on the pastries on the table.

Xie Huaiyu calmly instructed, "Quickly, fetch the imperial physician."

"Yes."

After finishing his sentence, Eunuch Huang hurriedly went outside.

"They clearly tested it for poison."

The crown prince felt a wave of fear. If he hadn't been too busy to eat, he would be the one who collapsed now.

After examining the poison, the imperial physician said, "Your Highness, this poison is extremely potent. Ordinary silver needles cannot detect it at all. A small piece is enough to kill a normal person."

The imperial physician's words sent a chill down the prince's spine.

Xie Huaiyu told the imperial physician, "Don't tell anyone about this."

"I know."

The crown prince waved for him to leave.

The imperial physician bowed and left.