Reincarnation and Rebirth

In their previous lives, these ministers were still on guard, and some of them arranged for their families to flee the capital as soon as they heard rumors. But in this life, it happened without warning, catching everyone off guard.

"Father, I will escort you away first," the Third Prince stepped forward and said.

Others urged, "Your Majesty, please issue the decree as soon as possible."

"Report... Your Majesty, the Purple Flame Army has captured the city gate and is heading towards the palace."

The emperor's expression changed drastically. "The Imperial Guards! Where are they?"

"The Imperial Guards can't hold out, Your Majesty. As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn."

At the same time, the sound of clashing swords came from the entrance of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The Ziyan spies left in the palace had already fought their way to the hall.

The emperor trembled uncontrollably, and the eunuch beside him cried out, "Protect the emperor! Protect the emperor!"

Unexpectedly, a guard who had been standing in the corner suddenly rushed towards Emperor Ziyun. Before anyone could react, a sword blade appeared on Emperor Ziyun's chest. Xiao Yunting glanced at the emperor, whose eyes were wide open, moved his feet, and, a beat too slow, walked to the emperor's side and ended the guard's life with a single stroke.

With no leader, the ministers fled in panic.

"Your Highness, I will escort you away through the secret passage."

Zi Xingchen glanced at the corpse of Emperor Ziyun on the ground and nodded.

The Imperial Noble Consort, who had just woken up, held her son's corpse and looked at the Crown Prince with eyes that seemed to be poisoned. Then she stood up, pointed at Zi Xingchen and said, "You killed my Xinghe. I will make you pay with your life."

Xiao Yunting turned around coldly, "Crown Prince, what should we do?"

“Zi Xinghe has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country; the Imperial Noble Consort has failed in her duty to educate her son. According to the law, she should be executed.”

"No, I am the Imperial Noble Consort, you cannot touch me."

"Father has passed away, Imperial Noble Consort. Father would very much like you to go down and keep him company. Take action."

The next second, the Imperial Noble Consort collapsed, clutching her bleeding neck, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Zi Xingchen was escorted into the secret chamber by the guards and Xiao Yunting. When the Zi Yan Army entered the main hall, they discovered that Emperor Zi Yun was already dead.

"General, what do we do next?" a soldier asked.

General Zhao pondered for a moment and said, "First, keep these people under guard, then send men to guard the city gates to prevent the Ziyun Army from counterattacking. In addition, send more men to search the palace to ensure that no one escapes."

"Yes, sir!" The soldier accepted the order and left.

"General, something terrible has happened! Xiao Yun Shen has led the Thunder Army to attack!"

"What?!" General Zhao exclaimed in shock. "Wasn't General Weng holding them back at Sunset City?"

"This subordinate did not know, but..."

"Just what?"

"The Thunder Army seems to have acquired a very powerful weapon; they've already taken a lot of our men."

"Weapons? What weapons? Men, guard this place. The rest of you, come with me to take a look."

After Xiao Yunting led the Crown Prince and other princes and concubines out of the city through the secret passage, they discovered the Thunder Army outside the city.

The Crown Prince was overjoyed, exclaiming, "General Xiao!"

"Meet the prince."

"No need for formalities. You have come at just the right time. The Purple Flame Army has already captured the palace. General, you must quickly lead your troops to retake the capital."

Xiao Yunshen's dark eyes swept over the people behind the Crown Prince, and he asked in confusion, "Where is the Emperor?"

The crown prince looked grief-stricken. "Father, he has passed away..."

"What?!" Xiao Yun Shen was filled with complicated emotions. He looked at his younger brother, Xiao Yun Ting, who nodded.

"Your Highness, to avoid unrest among the troops, this matter should be kept secret for now. We will discuss it after we have driven away the Purple Flame Army."

"Yes, I think so too. By the way, General Xiao, what is that?"

Xiao Yun Shen glanced at Yun Ting and then said, "I thought it was a weapon given to me by a master."

"Really? That's great! This weapon is quite powerful; it should be able to force back the Purple Flame Army. General Sun, listen to my command."

From the crowd, a guard general stepped forward and asked, "What are your orders, Your Highness?"

"General Sun led 30,000 guards to assist General Xiao in recapturing the capital."

General Sun's face was grim. "Your Highness, most of the guards died in battle within the city. The remaining number is less than eight thousand."

"What? That's all?"

Xiao Yun Shen glanced at the Crown Prince and sighed inwardly.

"The guards will remain to protect the Crown Prince. I will do everything in my power to retake the capital."

On the other side, when Su Wan'er found her adoptive parents, she happened to see the Su family members surrounding Su Youlu and others.

In their haste to enter the city, the Su family had only focused on escaping for their lives, leaving most of their belongings behind outside the city. Now, the group carried nothing but a few light bundles.

"Give it to me, give me what you're eating."

Su Chen was pulling at Su Zhao'er, trying to snatch the half-pancake from her hand, but Su Xiang'er held on tightly to protect her sister.

The rest of the Su family hadn't eaten for a day and a night, and their eyes lit up at the sight of food.

Grandma Su said angrily, "Youlu, your family has food and drink, but you don't care about your parents? You heartless ingrate!"

"Father and Mother? What about Father?"

"Your father..." Old Mrs. Su suddenly burst into tears, "Your father was killed by those bandits. Old man, you died so tragically. Now that you're dead, your son doesn't care about me anymore. I might as well go with you."

"Then hurry up and go. Maybe my grandpa is waiting for you because he's lonely on the road." Su Wan'er's clear voice rang out. At the same time, she picked up a small pebble and hit Su Chen's wrist. Su Chen cried out in pain and let go. Su Zhao'er quickly put the pancake behind her back and looked at Su Wan'er with joy in her eyes: "Big sister is back."

"You, you brat, how dare you curse me? Second brother, shouldn't you do something about this money-losing brat of yours?"

When Su Youlu saw his eldest daughter return, he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Wan'er is back." Then he looked at Old Madam Su and said, "Mother, I call you Mother because of your upbringing. But ever since you expelled our family from the family genealogy, I, Su Youlu, am no longer a member of the Su family. Please don't call me Second Brother anymore. The Su family no longer has a Second Brother."

"You, you..." Old Mrs. Su clutched her chest, too angry to speak.

Su Youfu stepped forward and said, "Second son, how can you be so unfilial? How can you talk to your mother like that?"

“Su Youfu, I’ve said it before, I’m no longer a member of the Su family. Also, keep an eye on your son. If he dares to steal my daughter’s things again, I will not let him get away with it.”

"You, you..." Su Youfu was so angry that he was about to hit Su Youlu when Su Wan'er took out a dagger and played with it in her hand.

"Uncle Su, you should think this through. What kind of situation are we in now? Swords have no eyes. Even if someone dies, the government won't be able to send anyone to investigate."

"You, Su Wan'er, what do you want to do?"

"I don't want to do anything. From now on, we'll go our separate ways. I hope you won't bother me."

The Su family glared hatefully at Su Wan'er, but were wary of the dagger in her hand, so they had no choice but to continue their journey on an empty stomach.

The road was now crowded. Su Youlu and his wife looked Su Wan'er over with concern and, finding her alright, set off as well.

Su Zhao'er held the pancake to Su Wan'er's mouth, saying, "Big sister, have some."

"I'm not hungry. I still have food here. Have you all eaten?"

Su Zhao'er shook her head, "There's only one pancake left. Mother said it's inconvenient on the road, so there's nothing to cook."

Indeed, the entire journey was filled with starving and emaciated refugees. If their family were to cook for them, it might cause them some trouble.

She casually took out some boiled eggs and pancakes from her bag and distributed them to her family, saying, "Eat up."

Madam Wang accepted the gifts. With Su Youlu's encouragement, she stopped pressing Su Wan'er for answers. Since it was her daughter's gift, she would simply accept it.