After being reborn, I went on a killing spree in the imperial court.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!" Consort Hua bowed respectfully.

"Get up!"

"Yes……"

Consort Hua slowly squatted down, her slender, fair hands gently picking up the slightly wrinkled letter from the ground. She carefully smoothed it out, as if handling a precious treasure, and neatly placed it back on the desk covered with ink marks.

At that moment, she turned slightly to the side, her eyes sparkling with concern, and said softly, "Your Majesty, are you troubled by the complexities of the war?" With that, she took a light step and came to the emperor's side, her graceful figure like a flowing cloud. She reached out her soft hands and gently massaged the emperor's head, her movements gentle and soothing, as if trying to dispel all his worries from his mind.

The delicate touch was like a clear spring flowing through the emperor's heart, gradually relaxing his tense nerves. She lowered her eyes, her gaze filled with worry and deep affection for the emperor, and said softly, "Your Majesty, do not worry too much, everything will be alright."

"Chen Guo, seeing the wind and fearing the Wei army's withdrawal, ignored them, and all 50,000 elite troops perished! Yuan'er and the Marquis of Zhenbei..."

Consort Hua stopped what she was doing. "Your Majesty, I overheard people in the palace talking about it before I came here!"

"His Majesty has done so much for them, yet they have acted in such a way! They have caused the deaths of so many people in my Wei Kingdom!"

Consort Hua's eyes were filled with tears.

"Why are you crying! Are you afraid of being attacked in the palace?" The emperor gently touched her little face.

"Your Majesty, I am simply angry! The State of Chen has broken its promise! So many soldiers have died in vain!"

"Your Majesty must be even more heartbroken than I am."

"Yuan'er was my daughter, and she had only been back in the capital for a few years before... Naturally, I am heartbroken, but war is merciless..."

The emperor choked up, unsure how to face the Zhenbei Marquis's lineage—his daughter, his grandson, and even the Marquis himself...

"I have already dispatched 100,000 troops to defend Liucheng! If it weren't for the Shu Kingdom's affair, the Chen Kingdom..."

Consort Hua was still indignant upon hearing this, but she was more afraid that something might happen to her master, Xiao Hanjing.

Inside the Minister's residence.

A crisp, resounding slap seemed to shatter the previously calm atmosphere. Minister Fan, filled with anger and disappointment, struck Luo Xuemei's fair and delicate face hard.

In that instant, Luo Xuemei's cheeks quickly became red and swollen, like a delicate flower ravaged by a storm.

"It's all your fault! You encouraged Qingli to go out and fight!"

Minister Fan's face was flushed, his eyes burning with rage, and his voice boomed like thunder throughout the mansion.

"Now look what's happened, Liucheng is about to fall too." His tone was filled with helplessness and despair, as if the whole world was collapsing.

Minister Fan seemed to vent all his resentment and anger on Luo Xuemei. He stared at her with bloodshot eyes, as if she were the culprit behind this disaster.

"If anything happens to Qingli, I'll drag you down with me!" These words were like a cold, sharp sword, piercing Luo Xuemei's heart and causing her to lose her composure instantly.

Luo Xuemei, who had long resided in the Minister's mansion and rarely ventured outside, was completely unaware of the earth-shattering events unfolding outside. She felt as if she had been suddenly swept into a massive storm, utterly bewildered and filled with fear and unease.

Luo Xuemei grabbed Fan Shangshu's robe, "Father, what do you mean? What exactly happened?"

"Chen is cunning; none of the fifty thousand reinforcements survived! Prince Shuo and Marquis Zhenbei died on the battlefield! Now, only Qingli remains in Liucheng!"

Luo Xuemei panicked and released Minister Fan, collapsing to the ground with reddened eyes, "Why did this happen..."

"Guards! Drag her away! From now on, she'll kneel in the ancestral hall and pray for blessings!"

"Father! Let me go to Liucheng. I need to find Qingli," Luo Xuemei insisted. This was the only solution she had considered.

"You're just a woman, you'll only cause trouble if you go! Drag you away."

Two servants came in and dragged her away.

Xue Xiqiong stood outside the door eavesdropping, her heart beginning to panic. "What should I do? The princess and the Marquis of Zhenbei are both so powerful that they have died in battle. How could Fan Qingli possibly be a match for the people of Shu? I don't want to become a widow at such a young age."

-

It snowed for three whole days, and the snow at the foot of the mountain grew thicker and thicker.

Chu Yan followed the instructions of the immortal and swept the snow in the courtyard.

"You brat, I told you to shovel snow, why haven't you finished yet!"

Ying Xianren glanced at him with some disdain.

"After you finish shoveling the snow, go chop some firewood! So the people inside won't freeze!"

Chu Yan sighed, "Master, how come you're still so temperamental after all these years of being missing!"

"When you left, I thought you had some incurable disease, but I never expected you to hide in a place like this to retire!"

Immortal Ying kicked him, "You brat, I'm just looking for some peace and quiet. What's so fun about spending all day in your palace!"

A series of clanging noises came from inside the room.

Upon hearing the noise, Chu Yan dropped his broom and rushed into the house, not even bothering with his master, Immortal Ying.

"Hey... the snow isn't even all cleared yet! You've really forgotten your master now that you have a wife!"

A complaint from the master.

"Ah Yuan!"

When Chu Yan went in, he found that there was no one on the bed. Looking down, he saw that she was lying face down on the floor.

She must have just woken up and lost her balance.

Chu Yan quickly knelt down and helped her up. "Ah Yuan, you're finally awake!"

"Why is it so dark? Why aren't there any lights on?"

Cao Yuan's eyes were glazed over, and everything in front of her was pitch black.

"Your eyes... you can't see?" Chu Yan waved his hand in front of her eyes.

"What do you mean? You turned on the light! Why can't I see it!"

Cao Yuan grabbed his hand and rubbed her eyes hard, looking bewildered and panicked. "I can't see! Why can't I see!"

Cao Yuan struggled to get out of Chu Yan's arms and tried to get up.

Chu Yan hugged her, giving her strength, and explained, "A Yuan, listen to me. Master said that your eyes are only temporarily damaged, and you will be able to see again after you have recovered."

"master?"

“I used to have a master who wandered around for many years with an unpredictable whereabouts. I never expected that he would save us from the bottom of the cliff this time.”

Cao Yuan nodded. "Can I still see?"

Chu Yan picked her up and said, "Of course, I'll carry you back to bed."

Cao Yuan leaned against the headboard, her gaze vacant. Chu Yan gently brushed the hair from her forehead.

How long have we been down the mountain?

"You've been unconscious for seven days!"

"Seven days! That's been a long time. How is Liucheng?"

"It's snowing, so the Shu army probably has no intention of starting a war."

Hearing Chu Yan say this, Cao Yuan relaxed.

"I'll go cook you some porridge. Wait for me, and don't overthink things."

Just as Chu Yan was about to get up, Cao Yuan groped and grabbed his arm.

"Didn't you say before that my maternal grandfather wasn't dead? You weren't lying to me, were you?"