Forced to be a concubine? I turned around and married the scumbag's father.

Gu Hua didn't sleep all night, and Chi Yu still hadn't returned.

Gu Hua stared intently at the stars in the sky, hoping that dawn would break soon.

The sun is out, everything will be alright.

"Could something have happened?" Gu Hua gripped Zhou Zhilan's sleeve, her hands and feet icy cold with nervousness.

Zhou Zhilan felt extremely distressed and held her hand, rubbing it: "No, my lord has always been lucky and extremely intelligent, he will be fine."

bang.

The door was suddenly pushed open, and Chi Yu appeared before Gu Hua, looking travel-worn and haggard.

Gu Hua jumped up in surprise: "What's wrong?"

"Madam, Madam... My lord, my lord's coffin... is already on its way back."

"Coffin? What coffin?" Gu Hua trembled all over and collapsed into Zhou Zhilan's arms.

Chi Yu's eyes were bloodshot: "I was worried, so I went to the Dali Royal Court overnight, but before I arrived, I encountered the Black Armor Guards escorting... the Lord's coffin back. I rushed back to report to the Lady first."

Akabane choked up, tears streaming down his face.

He didn't want to tell Gu Hua, but after several deputy generals discussed it, they unanimously decided that someone needed to preside over the funeral in the city, and Gu Hua, as the lady, should also preside over the funeral of their lord.

The people inside were so shocked that they couldn't say a word.

"lady!"

Zhou Zhilan screamed and hurriedly hugged the unconscious Gu Hua, yelling anxiously, "Quickly call Shen Li, hurry!"

In the guest courtyard, Yuan Zhongyong, who was lying on the bed, excitedly tried to get up upon hearing this, but the pain from his wound was excruciating, and he cursed and groaned.

"Dead, finally dead, you son of a bitch!"

"Ouch, it hurts like hell! What kind of quacks did you hire?! You all deserve to die!"

……

Before dawn, a messenger rode swiftly back to Juzhou City, crying out all the way: "The Duke of Yong has died a heroic death! The Duke of Yong has died a heroic death!"

Like a thunderclap, it awakened the slumbering city of Juzhou.

Soon, the news of the Duke of Yong's death spread throughout Juzhou City, shocking the entire city.

In the blink of an eye, white banners and lanterns were hung in front of every household, and weeping could be heard everywhere.

Just as dawn was breaking, a heavy snowfall suddenly began.

The people and soldiers of the entire city braved the heavy snow and gathered at the west gate of the city, holding their breath and waiting for the Black Armor Army to bring back Mu Junyan's coffin.

Among them were several members of the Tianwu Army who had come with Yuan Zhongyong, who squeezed into the crowd and peered around.

Gu Hua bit her lip hard, trying her best to control her tears, suppressing the turbulent emotions in her eyes, and gazed at the snow-covered distance with everyone else.

Mu Junyan died in battle, the Mu family army was defeated, and the Dali royal court was not captured but instead ambushed.

Among the crowd waiting for the coffin, some people whispered that they had heard news circulating in the city that the Mu family army had suffered heavy losses in this battle, with nearly 30,000 people killed in the bombing at the royal court and in the encirclement and suppression.

They also said that Mu Junyan's greed for merit and recklessness led to this disastrous defeat.

Gu Hua felt a pang of heartache upon hearing this.

Unexpectedly, despite her efforts to change her fate, she still couldn't prevent Mu Junyan from dying in battle.

But she didn't believe Mu Junyan was greedy for merit and acted rashly; she preferred to believe it was a conspiracy.

She took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing her sorrow, her eyes clear and bright.

Regardless, she will protect the child in her womb.

Even if she is powerless and powerless, she will do her best to protect the people she wants to protect.

Even if I'm torn to pieces!

A fast horse galloped through the snow, and before the people could get close, the rider tumbled off the horse and scrambled to his feet in front of Gu Hua and the others.

They cried out, "They've come! They've come! The coffin of the Duke of Yong and the remains of the fallen soldiers have arrived!"

All around fell silent, and everyone turned to look.

A dense mass of black-armored guards escorted a white-clad carriage, and a long, endless carriage loaded with the corpses of fallen soldiers, as they slowly approached.

The civilians and soldiers knelt silently in unison, kowtowing heavily in the snow. Suppressed sobs rose and fell, making those who heard them feel a tightness in their chests.

The coffin procession stopped in front of the people.

The soldiers were filled with grief and indignation, their bloodshot eyes blazing with fury.

Gu Hua bit her lip hard, not noticing the blood trickling down her lip.

She broke free from Zhou Zhilan's support and slowly approached with difficulty. Her trembling hand stopped half an inch from the coffin, and she hesitated to touch it.

Even when she saw the coffin with her own eyes, she couldn't believe that the man who had held her in his arms and loved her so dearly was gone.

Gu Hua felt a sharp pain in her heart, her vision went black, and she hurriedly reached out to grab the coffin to steady herself.

He used too much force and his fingernail snapped, blood gushing from his fingertip, but he didn't even notice.

She can't fall!

She is Mu Junyan's wife!

To avoid losing her composure, she asked Shen Li to brew her a bowl of heart-strengthening herbal soup.

"Madam, please take care." Deputy General Qi stepped forward, bowed to her, and handed her Mu Junyan's sword with both hands.

Gu Hua could no longer hold back her tears, which streamed down her face.

He reached out and took the bloodstained sword.

The sword was heavy, and Gu Hua struggled to hold it steady, nodding with tears in her eyes: "Thank you all for escorting the Duke of Yong and all the fallen soldiers home."

Deputy General Qi glanced at her and said in a low voice, "Madam, please don't be too sad and take care of yourself."

Gu Hua took a deep breath and forced back her tears.

"Let's welcome Duke Yong into the city first."

"Yes," Vice General Qi and the soldiers replied in unison.

Gu Hua supported the coffin, Zhou Zhilan supported her, and Shen Li, Donghua, and Dongqing followed closely behind.

The group slowly walked into the city.

The civilians and the soldiers guarding the city knelt down together, weeping all around. Groups of military dependents also cried as they searched for the bodies.

Suddenly, a group of people carrying a sedan chair blocked the way for the coffin procession.

Gu Hua stared at the person who had arrived through her tear-filled eyes.

The sedan curtain was lifted, and Yuan Zhongyong lay prone inside.

"I am here by imperial decree to supervise the army. I must open the coffin and examine the body to confirm whether the commander-in-chief has died in battle."

Gu Hua's face darkened.

A commotion erupted around them.

Deputy General Qi's face turned ashen with rage, but he suppressed his anger and said, "The commander-in-chief's body was burned beyond recognition by the fire, so it is inconvenient to open the coffin!"

Burned beyond recognition?

Upon hearing this, Gu Hua felt a tearing pain in her heart. She clutched her chest with one hand and held the coffin tightly with the other, choking back tears as she said, "The dead should be respected. Please, Lord Yuan, do us a favor and allow the coffin of the Duke of Yong to be returned to the official residence first."

Yuan Zhongyong sneered: "Who knows if it's true or false? I must verify it, otherwise I will not be able to explain to His Majesty."

Enraged, Gu Hua roared hoarsely, "This humble woman will return to the capital to plead guilty to His Majesty! If His Majesty wishes to kill or punish me for this, I will bear all the consequences!"

"That won't do. The peace delegation is arriving soon. If Mu Junyan isn't really dead, how can the peace delegation negotiate peace?"

These words caused an uproar.

The soldiers were outraged and shouted angrily.

Why negotiate peace?

"That's right! Although we didn't capture the royal court, we took Shicheng County and other cities. We won!"

"Exactly. The King of Dali is afraid of us and has fled the royal court with his family. Are we supposed to negotiate peace with him?"

"How will we settle the score for the deaths of so many soldiers and civilians!"

Gu Hua felt a tightness in her chest and glared angrily: "A peace delegation? We just launched an attack on the enemy's royal court the day before yesterday, and now a peace delegation is arriving? Does that mean you knew a month in advance that this war was doomed to failure?"

Gu Hua's question immediately silenced the soldiers.

Yes.

It takes at least a month to travel from Bianjing to Juzhou.

They had just captured Shicheng County a few days ago and were confident of victory. How could the court have predicted their defeat and needed to send a peace delegation?

Yuan Zhongyong, his neck stiff, said, "His Majesty is wise and powerful, and naturally has two plans. If you win, the delegation will make Dali Kingdom submit. If you lose, won't you appease Dali Kingdom? What if they take advantage of their victory and attack? Will you all survive?"

"Bullshit!" Gu Hua was furious.

"Aren't you acting recklessly under the emperor's name? I am a woman and child, and I am not knowledgeable about military strategy or politics, but I know that victory and defeat are common occurrences in war."

"Furthermore, the Mu family army has guarded the southern border for decades, and His Majesty has never sent a peace delegation. This time, we have driven the enemy out of their stronghold, so what reason is there to negotiate peace?"

Yuan Zhongyong's tone changed, and he shouted sharply, "Are you trying to defy the imperial decree?"