An army of righteousness? Zhong Changrong was still somewhat confused. What did that mean?

“Uncle Zhong,” Chu Zhao explained to him, “Back then, I saved Xiao Yu because Xiao Xun came to persuade Uncle to kill Xiao Yu. Now Prince Zhongshan and his son are threatening the court under the pretext of defending the capital. The people have been deceived. If the court wants to reveal to the world Prince Zhongshan and his son’s wolfish ambitions, tell me—who would be the most suitable and advantageous witness?”

Zhong Changrong’s face turned white instantly.

“Who knows about this matter?” he said.

Chu Zhao said, “I told Third Young Master Xie.”

Xie Yanlai beside them scoffed.

Chu Zhao ignored him and said to Zhong Changrong, “Though I didn’t tell Deng Yi, Lord Deng should be able to guess.”

Zhong Changrong murmured, “Then we’re finished. Those two are not easy to deal with. They’ll definitely make this matter public.”

“If they do this, I can understand,” Chu Zhao said. “Because under the current circumstances, this is the wisest choice. Moreover, this is the truth. No one else is to blame.”

Zhong Changrong sighed deeply. “But this matter has nothing to do with you and the General, young miss!”

He really should have sent Chu Lan’s family to the border. He would personally watch over them, never letting them contact outsiders again for the rest of their lives, completely isolated from the world.

Chu Zhao shook her head. “Uncle and we are one family. Even if we ourselves separate, the world won’t separate us.”

“Don’t panic,” Zhong Changrong said, circling the tactical map. Damn it—he could deploy troops and kill enemies, but didn’t know how to handle these matters. “The Elder Master can say Xiao Xun coerced him. He used quick thinking to maneuver with Xiao Xun, then had you rescue the young prince.”

Wouldn’t this work? It could prove Xiao Xun plotted to harm the Emperor, and the Chu family would still be credited with saving the Emperor.

“Others won’t believe it,” Chu Zhao said. “Even if they believe it now, in the future it will turn into all kinds of rumors.”

People’s words were terrifying, and people’s hearts were frightening too. Especially since the young miss was Empress and the General was gone—who knew how many people were waiting to bully her? Zhong Changrong looked at the tactical map, his expression both angry and helpless.

Why was the young miss so unlucky?

“I’ll return to the capital immediately,” Chu Zhao said.

Zhong Changrong startled, then was overjoyed. “Right! Exactly! I was confused. Miss, you should leave right away, take troops, rescue the capital from danger, and execute Prince Zhongshan and his son!”

This great merit would be enough to offset all rumors and gossip.

Since they’d decided to go, there was no time to delay.

Zhong Changrong immediately went to arrange the troops.

“Don’t bring too many. Besides Old Bai and Ding Dachui, add one hundred more—that’s sufficient,” Chu Zhao said. “The provincial and capital garrison troops are enough. My return now isn’t to reinforce troops, but my presence will reinforce morale.”

Zhong Changrong understood. He was both worried and reluctant. “A’Zhao will have to rely on herself from now on.”

Chu Zhao smiled. “Uncle Zhong will also only be able to rely on himself from now on. However, my father’s coffin is here. If you lose a battle, you can go cry secretly at his grave.”

Zhong Changrong was made to laugh.

Chu Zhao pulled him close and said quietly, “This time, Xie Yanlai will also stay here—”

Zhong Changrong raised his eyebrows. “I don’t need him—”

“Uncle Zhong, please guide him, temper him, make him even more formidable,” Chu Zhao cut off his words and said earnestly. “He’s young with insufficient combat experience. Uncle Zhong, if you train him, I’ll feel more at ease using him in the future.”

She sighed softly at this point.

“I don’t have many people I can use.”

Zhong Changrong swallowed his objections. Yes, he couldn’t act on impulse. The General was gone. The young miss was Empress. Without an illustrious family lineage to rely on, she needed to use everyone available.

“Miss, you can rest assured,” he said solemnly, clenching his fist forcefully and looking at Xie Yanlai, who stood to the side fiddling with the tactical map. “Even if he’s a piece of scrap iron, I’ll forge him into a precious blade.”

Chu Zhao smiled again. “He’s young. Uncle Zhong, don’t bully him too much either. He’s had a hard life since childhood—”

Without even training him yet, Zhong Changrong felt uncomfortable and didn’t want to continue this topic with the young miss. “I’ll go prepare the troops.” With that, he left.

Only Chu Zhao and Xie Yanlai remained in the room.

Chu Zhao turned around with a beaming smile and called out, “Commander Xie.”

Xie Yanlai rose from before the tactical map and said lazily, “What orders does Her Majesty the Empress have? This subject will definitely not obey.”

Chu Zhao laughed heartily, walked up to him, and bowed solemnly. “Thank you for escorting me to see my father. I have no regrets in this life. Next, please remain at the border, face Xi Liang, protect Da Xia’s stability, and also guard my father’s life’s work.”

Xie Yanlai raised his eyebrows. “Didn’t you say you have no regrets in this life? Why are you planning what comes next?”

Chu Zhao laughed again, also raising her eyebrows in imitation. “So I’ll have no regrets in my next life.”

Indeed, after her rebirth, her greatest wish had been to see Father, to let Father depart with peace of mind. In this life, she had not only seen Father but also become Empress, seen Mother, and could lead troops in battle. Her wishes had been greatly satisfied.

But Xiao Xun’s arrogance remained high, the court remained unstable. What she had gained could be lost at any time. To prevent regrets in the next life, she still had much to do.

“A’Jiu, my father is gone. Things are fine for now, but there will certainly be changes in border army personnel,” Chu Zhao continued. “Uncle Zhong alone cannot suppress them. I have no one else to entrust this to, so I can only entrust it to you—”

She bowed solemnly as she spoke.

Xie Yanlai understood her meaning. The border army’s power was very tempting. Countless people had fought over it before, especially in recent years with the Third Prince and Crown Prince competing, the Zhao and Yang families grasping for power. Aside from Chu Ling guarding Luocheng like an impregnable fortress that no one could infiltrate, the other five regional commanders all had various allegiances, and the army was a mixed bag.

Never mind the Zhao and Yang families—the Xie family must have made arrangements too. He didn’t know the details, but take himself for example—hadn’t he been placed among the couriers and personally come to the border, even delivering messages to Chu Ling?

Right after Chu Zhao became Empress and the Emperor expressed his intention to entrust her with regency, Xi Liang soldiers had infiltrated Shangjun to cause trouble. The court then wanted to hold Chu Ling accountable and proposed appointing a new commander.

It was only because Chu Zhao personally came to lead the army and take command, using her authority as Empress to temporarily replace Chu Ling, that no one could supplant her for now.

But Chu Zhao was Empress. She couldn’t remain in the army forever.

Just as before in the imperial city, when Zhong Changrong left, she had given him the Dragon Guard Army.

Before, the Dragon Guard Army in the imperial city, no matter how large, was only several hundred people.

But now the border army numbered a full one hundred thousand—

Xie Yanlai looked at the girl before him and said, “Chu Zhao, actually I’m also ‘someone else.'”

Chu Zhao looked at him and smiled slightly. “This ‘someone else’ might be better than other ‘someone elses.'”

The Liang father and son were already accumulating military merit. Prince Zhongshan had begun raising troops. Deng Yi sat firmly as Grand Tutor. Xie Yanfang protected the young Emperor. She had witnessed all these other people’s behaviors and methods. Only this Xie Yanlai she had not seen before.

“Didn’t you also say?” Chu Zhao raised her eyebrows. “I, Chu Zhao, won’t always have bad luck.”

Xie Yanlai made a sound of acknowledgment. “But I, Xie Yanlai, have always had bad luck.” With that, he waved his hand and left.

Though his words weren’t pleasant, he had still agreed. Chu Zhao smiled and called after him, “That’s fine too! Even if you always have bad luck, haven’t you still kept going?”

The door curtain fell, separating inside from outside. She only heard Xie Yanlai spit outside.

Chu Zhao smiled to herself for a while, then looked at the tactical map. Originally, only the border region had been densely packed with troop deployments. Now troops were also gathering near the capital, particularly striking among the densely packed cities.

Heavy footsteps sounded. Someone lifted the thick curtain and entered. Seeing Chu Zhao standing before the tactical map lost in thought, she coughed heavily.

Only then did Chu Zhao look up. “Xiao Man, what is it?”

Xiao Man turned her head away. “Are you returning to the capital? Going to fight Prince Zhongshan’s troops? We’ll go with you too.” At this point, she snorted. “Your troops don’t seem very useful anyway.”

That last sentence must have been her own addition. Chu Zhao smiled and shook her head. “No need. You don’t need to come with me.”

Perhaps Xiao Man hadn’t expected to be refused. She turned to look at her. “Hey, if you regret it after you get there, even if Ding Dachui blows his whistle to pieces, no one will help!”

Chu Zhao smiled. “Really not necessary. This time you don’t need to march and fight with me, because there are sufficient troops there. However, this time what I need you to help with is transmitting messages, and—”

She walked over, looked at Xiao Man, and said in a low voice:

“The key to my victory or defeat in this campaign rests with you all.”

Rests with them for what? Transmitting messages? Xiao Man frowned. How could victory be won by transmitting messages? Even bandits knew that claiming a mountain stronghold required real blades and spears, piles of blood and flesh.

Chu Zhao had already whispered in her ear. After finishing, she patted her arm. “Go tell her.”

Xiao Man dodged her hand, snorted, turned, and strode away.

After stomping away for a bit, Xiao Man realized—what did she mean by “go tell her”?

“Xiao Man,” a voice called from ahead.

Xiao Man looked up to see Mu Mianhong beckoning from behind a tent not far away. She hurried over.

“What did she say?” Mu Mianhong asked.

Hearing this question, Xiao Man was both exasperated and amused. Chu Zhao said “go tell her,” and Auntie asked “what did she say”—both were clearly in the army, but neither would see the other. Chu Zhao also knew full well whose words she was conveying—

“Would she die if she spoke to you directly?” Xiao Man couldn’t help complaining.

Mu Mianhong patted her arm and smiled. “It’s inconvenient. At this time, don’t trouble her unnecessarily.”

Xiao Man sighed, looking at the anticipation in Mu Mianhong’s eyes, and couldn’t bear it.

“She said we don’t need to go,” she said.

The light in Mu Mianhong’s eyes dimmed instantly.

Xiao Man quickly added, “But, Auntie, she said her victory or defeat depends entirely on us!”

The light in Mu Mianhong’s eyes brightened again. She took Xiao Man’s hand. “Is that so? Tell me what arrangements she has.”

Xiao Man snorted and obediently let Mu Mianhong lead her toward the tent.

……

……

Departure came quickly. Having decided to leave during the day, by the time dusk fell, Chu Zhao was already riding out of the central army camp. Old Bai led the troops ahead, Ding Dachui behind, with A’Le and Xiao Man on the left and right.

Though she hadn’t brought Mu Mianhong’s forces, Xiao Man had insisted on coming along, and Chu Zhao didn’t refuse again.

The troops along the route all bowed when they saw her, unsurprised. Empress Chu was often like this—she could lead troops on inspection tours and also lead troops into battle.

News of Prince Zhongshan besieging the capital had not been announced.

Chu Zhao looked back. She could see Uncle Zhong’s figure. To avoid speculation, he couldn’t see her off beyond the main camp.

As for Xie Yanlai—who knew where he’d run off to?

Chu Zhao withdrew her gaze, raised her whip, and spurred her horse forward. She didn’t notice that on the high hill to the left of the camp, a young officer stood alone, gazing intently.