Spring in the northwest was very short. At first it was no different from winter—just changing from cold winds to dusty winds that hurt people’s faces and made it impossible to open their eyes, just like the cold winds.

Then after blowing back and forth, when the wind stopped, the sun in the sky became vicious.

One moment shivering wrapped in cotton clothing, the next moment sweating all over from the heat.

The soldiers standing on the watchtower couldn’t help but remove their cotton robes that they hadn’t yet had time to change for single-layer clothes, holding them over their heads for shade.

Since the Xi Liang Prince’s defeat and the Xi Liang people’s relocation far away, strictly speaking, this place was no longer considered a border garrison.

Further west, another group of troops stood guard.

There were many rumors about that group. Some said they were the Dragon Majesty Army left behind by the Late Emperor. Others said they were the former Prince Zhongshan’s rebel troops being punished by earning merit through service. Though their identity was much debated, what was certain beyond doubt was that these were the people who had attacked the Xi Liang royal court and killed the Xi Liang Crown Prince.

This alone earned them deep respect and awe from the border army.

Those people hadn’t been incorporated into the military. Now that the fighting was over, they seemed to have settled there. They had women and children. Patrolling soldiers had seen that a village had already taken shape, and merchants regularly went there to hold markets.

However, they weren’t truly ordinary villagers either. The village had training grounds, and both men and women carried weapons, coming and going without any concealment.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, a group of riders appeared in the soldier’s line of sight.

Men and women, wearing drab gray clothes. Some wore bamboo hats, some wore woven grass hats, some simply topped themselves with tree branches. They urged their horses forward, looking disorderly but actually following rules and patterns. Especially when viewed from above, it was a standard wild goose formation.

They carried swords and blades. Previously they would perfunctorily wrap them in cloth, but this time they didn’t even bother with that perfunctory gesture, letting them gleam coldly in the sunlight.

The soldier didn’t react as if facing a great enemy, nor did he sternly order them to halt from afar. Before those people drew near, he waved the flag signal for passage.

“Brothers are entering the city!”

When that group approached, he greeted them warmly and even gave special directions.

“Go farther in. Luo City is holding a three-day temple fair.”

The man at the front beneath the earthen wall nodded with a smile and said good, but unlike usual, he didn’t proceed directly. Instead, he gestured to the soldier: “Brothers, come down for a moment. We have something to tell you.”

Something to say? The guards on the tower were stunned, but didn’t think much of it. They agreed and indeed came down.

Over ten people were stationed here, and at this moment they had all been called over.

“Brothers, what is it?” the squad leader asked, looking at the man wearing a conical hat before him.

But the man didn’t speak. Instead, he stepped aside, and a woman walked forward from behind him.

The woman wore a woven grass hat. She removed the hat—eighteen or nineteen years old with bright eyes and white teeth.

“Just wanted to inform you,” she said. “We’re taking over this watchtower.”

The squad leader and the guards behind him were all stunned, seeming not to quite understand.

“Taking over—what does that mean?” he couldn’t help but blurt out.

The girl smiled slightly. “It means we’re seizing this place.”

Seizing? The squad leader was alarmed. A soldier’s instinct made him reach for his blade, but he was still a step too late. Cold light flashed all around as blades pointed at them from every direction.

“Drop your weapons.”

Accompanied by shouts and the seizure of their weapons, the squad leader and guards had cold blades pressed against their throats and finally came to their senses.

“What are you doing!” the squad leader shouted.

The guard who’d been on the tower wall had reddened eyes, both angry and aggrieved. “We treated you as our own! How can you do this to us!”

Chu Zhao looked at the young soldier with a kind expression. “Precisely because you’re our own people—that’s why we’re treating you this way.”

Otherwise, when approaching they would have simply shot arrows and taken the tower without caring about the people.

“Your Highness,” someone called out. “We’ve taken over here. Please continue forward.”

Chu Zhao nodded, put on her hat, and mounted her horse.

“Your Highness?” The squad leader heard this and couldn’t help asking again, his expression shocked and suspicious. “You—who are you?”

Chu Zhao smiled at him from horseback. “I am Chu Zhao, and also the Empress of Da Xia.”

With that, she spurred her horse and galloped away.

Left behind were the guards who’d had their weapons confiscated, their expressions indignant, losing their composure in confusion.

“Miss Chu!”

“Miss A’Zhao!”

“Empress Your Majesty!”

Not everyone had seen Chu Zhao, but the border army knew this name well. Beyond being General Chu’s daughter and having the identity of Empress, she was a female general who had fought alongside them.

Was it real or fake? How could Empress Your Majesty be here?

The next moment the squad leader came to his senses and remembered—it seemed he’d heard news before that the Empress had committed treason and fled—

However, this news was immediately discarded by everyone. No one discussed it, much less spread it. What a joke—how could Empress Your Majesty commit treason! It must be Xi Liang spies or remnants of Prince Zhongshan spreading rumors.

Looking at it now, had Empress Your Majesty indeed fled here?

“Yes, Empress Your Majesty is here,” said the earlier group. More than half had followed Chu Zhao, and the remainder took their positions. While taking up guard positions at the tower, they told the guards, “We’re going to campaign against the true traitors.”

Campaign against the true traitors. The guards no longer struggled or resented. They obediently followed the men’s commands and stood properly against the wall, their minds in turmoil.

Suddenly the ground shook. The guards turned to look. In the distance, more troops surged forward like dark clouds covering the earth and sky.

As the clouds approached, they could see banners flying fiercely in the formation—the large Chu character banner, the phoenix banner, and also the large Zhong character banner.

Zhong? The guards were stunned again.

This time there was no need for the men at the tower to explain. They couldn’t help shouting excitedly.

“General Zhong—”

“It’s General Zhong—”

Right, besides the Empress, General Zhong had also disappeared. However, the border army prohibited discussion of this matter, so everyone didn’t know whether General Zhong had truly disappeared or if it was just rumor.

Zhong Changrong wore plain cloth, holding a blade in his single arm. Surrounded by troops and banners, he came to this area and looked at the guards standing beneath the wall. He shouted sternly, “The Empress has been framed. This commander has specially gone to follow her. At this time I will accompany the Empress to campaign against the Xie clan traitors, protect His Majesty, and restore clarity to Da Xia. Are you willing to follow me and the Empress to punish the wicked and eliminate evil?”

The soldiers nodded excitedly, shouting loudly, “We are willing!”

Actually, they hadn’t quite heard clearly or thought carefully about what Zhong Changrong said. In any case, they would follow the Empress and Commander Zhong. All along, they had been punishing the wicked and eliminating evil.

“Divide into three routes,” Zhong Changrong shouted. “Enter Yunzhong Commandery.”

The troops behind him responded in unison.

……

……

When night fell, in a residence in the commandery city, Liang Ji was still busy in his study, his desk piled high like mountains.

“The Great General works so hard,” someone said with a laugh, entering.

Liang Ji looked up and saw who had come. The brush in his hand paused. “I dare not accept such praise. I’m just doing what I can.”

The visitor was his personal attendant, Li Fang.

Li Fang placed soup on the side table. “General, have some late-night refreshment.”

Liang Ji rose and walked over, picking up the soup bowl. Li Fang sat down at the desk, looking at the unfinished documents while simultaneously picking up a brush to write and sketch.

Liang Ji didn’t feel anything was amiss at all. It had always been this way—from initial nervousness, constraint, and shame, to later numbness, and now it was taken for granted.

“Is it inappropriate for me to take over this border army?” Liang Ji hesitated, then asked.

“What’s inappropriate about it?” Li Fang laughed. “Your daughter has become Empress. Of course you should control military power. This is the tradition left by the previous Empress. If people are dissatisfied and want to curse, they can curse Empress Chu first.”

Liang Ji smiled along, but felt this statement couldn’t really comfort anyone. Rather, the implication wasn’t good—they wouldn’t end up with the same fate as Empress Chu, would they?

Naturally he didn’t dare ask this. Previously he could still say he didn’t know who was behind things, guessing it might be Deng Yi, Prince Zhongshan, or even the Xi Liang people. Now those people, including even Empress Chu, had all fallen. Only one person remained in all of Da Xia. Even a fool would know who it was.

“I naturally don’t care about these things,” he changed the subject. “However, previously General Wu commanded the border army. Whether in terms of qualifications or achievements, he was the most suitable choice. I’m afraid he’s unhappy and the border army will have disputes—”

Li Fang waved his hand before he could finish. “He’s one of our own.”

One of our own. Liang Ji said, “That’s good, that’s good.” At this point he couldn’t help asking again, “Is Third Young Master Xie’s health still well?”

Xie Yanfang and Empress Chu had fought at the hunting ground. Now Empress Chu had fled, and the Xie family used another young master to replace Third Young Master in managing court affairs. The Xie family didn’t hide that Xie Yanfang was injured, but no one knew how badly.

Li Fang smiled. “I don’t know about that. I’m just a servant who only knows to follow orders. I don’t inquire about other matters.”

These words were also meant for him—so what if he was Great General? So what if his daughter became Empress? He was still just a servant, unqualified to inquire about the young master’s affairs. Liang Ji’s face grew slightly warm, but he didn’t feel ashamed either—what was there to be ashamed of? Everyone in the realm was the Emperor’s servant. The current Emperor was Xie Yanfang’s puppet, so being Xie Yanfang’s servant was natural and right.

“I will do my utmost to work, to repay the young master’s kindness in recognizing my worth,” he said solemnly.

Li Fang smiled and was about to say something when footsteps sounded outside.

“General,” a guard requested outside.

Liang Ji composed his expression and called for them to enter.

The guard saw Liang Ji eating his late-night meal with his attendant Li Fang organizing the desk, and wasn’t surprised. “The four generals have arrived at the commander’s order.”

Liang Ji was stunned and unconsciously looked at Li Fang. “They’ve come to see me?”

He hadn’t given that order.

Li Fang also frowned. He hadn’t either.

Then who? Who could use the commander’s order?

“General Liang—” More commotion came from outside. Someone rushed over urgently, shouting, “Report—General Zhong has arrived.”

Liang Ji didn’t react for a moment. Who? Besides Zhong Changrong, was there anyone else among the four generals surnamed Zhong? As the thought flashed through his mind, the person from outside had already entered.

“Zhou Xiao Shan?” Liang Ji did recognize this guard, because he was from Zhong Changrong’s personal guard battalion and he still had an impression. “What are you doing here?”

Xiao Shan didn’t speak or look at him. He stepped aside, and behind him someone else entered.

Seeing this person, Liang Ji stood up in shock.

“You—” he said. “Chu—”

Before he could finish, he saw Chu Zhao raise her hand. The bowstring hummed, and a cold light flashed.

Accompanied by a muffled cry, Li Fang, who had been standing at the desk, clutched his throat and fell backward.

Chu Zhao nocked another arrow, aiming at Liang Ji. “Liang Ji, seeing this palace, why don’t you kneel in greeting?”

Liang Ji didn’t hesitate for a moment. He dropped to his knees with a thud and shouted loudly, “This guilty minister kowtows to the Empress!”

Chu Zhao lowered her bow and arrows, looking at the kneeling Liang Ji. How ridiculous. In her past life, why had she thought the Liang father and son were brave and valiant, comparable to her father and Uncle Zhong?