“Your Majesty, swords and blades have no eyes, and the battle at the city gate tower is at its most intense. If you go there and something happens to you, how are we servants supposed to continue living!” Xiong Jinshui wore a bitter expression as he earnestly tried to persuade: “Your Majesty, please spare this servant. How about this servant go gather intelligence on the battle situation for you instead?”

“Get lost!” Li Qitian was in a good mood, so even though he was annoyed by the nagging, he merely kicked Xiong Jinshui once.

Xiong Jinshui let out an “Aiyou!” and staggered two steps before steadying himself. Not daring to say another word, he could only hurry to catch up with Li Qitian’s pace and make arrangements for His Majesty’s departure from the palace.

With the battle currently at its most intense, for the Son of Heaven to leave the palace was no small matter. No one could guarantee that Tatar spies hadn’t infiltrated the capital. If they were careless and the Emperor suffered any mishap, even executing all nine generations of their families wouldn’t be enough to compensate.

The eunuchs and guards went to make preparations with bitter faces, treading on thin ice as they prepared the imperial carriage and horses with utmost caution.

The imperial palanquin and escort departed the palace gates, heading straight for the northern city gate.

Ji Zeyu was currently tallying casualties and deploying defenses when he suddenly heard someone report the Emperor’s arrival, causing him to frown involuntarily.

Leading his attendants, he strode down from the city wall and bowed to Li Qitian from afar: “Your Majesty.”

“Rise quickly. You’ve worked hard in this fierce battle. How is the situation? Has the arrival of the loyalist troops provided some relief to the fighting?”

Ji Zeyu nodded honestly: “Indeed, there has been some relief, but these troops come from all corners of the realm. Their usual training methods differ, and some soldiers can’t even understand proper Great Zhou speech, making them difficult to coordinate.”

Li Qitian nodded understandingly: “Naturally, this cannot be helped. Fortunately, with more manpower, if the Tatars suddenly press with heavy forces, we won’t be thrown into chaos due to insufficient personnel. I know you’re accustomed to leading the Longxiang Army, but unfortunately the Longxiang Army is now trapped with at least half casualties. I understand your feelings, but as ruler of a nation, one must make choices that won’t satisfy everyone.”

As Li Qitian spoke these words, Ji Zeyu merely stood in place with an expressionless face, head bowed, as if he hadn’t heard and didn’t care whether Li Qitian could meet his demands.

Ji Zeyu had always maintained this cold, distant demeanor, and Li Qitian was accustomed to such reactions. Seeing that he showed no intention of contradicting him, Li Qitian felt increasingly satisfied.

“In this battle, your contributions are immense. I will surely reward you handsomely.” Li Qitian’s tone was extremely excited.

Ji Zeyu merely said flatly: “This minister is only doing his duty. Your Majesty truly need not do so.”

“Ah, you are wholeheartedly devoted to the country, and I know this in my heart. But while you are noble and virtuous, not everyone is the same. There will always be those fame-seeking opportunists who slander me behind my back. With the nation in crisis, there are many with ulterior motives who not only refuse to help but constantly hinder progress.”

Li Qitian clasped his hands behind his back and slowly walked toward the city gate, which had been opened halfway for clearing the battlefield.

Ji Zeyu frowned slightly, then followed behind Li Qitian.

Li Qitian said in a heavy voice: “You’ve also witnessed Pang Zhixi’s actions these past days. I’ve truly been living in constant anxiety lately. Court affairs are already complex with official business, and these Tatars are extremely stubborn. I must support so many armies to fight the Tatars. I originally thought that when the people of Da Prefecture encountered such national calamity, they would naturally extend helping hands, and those wealthy households with stored grain would also lend aid for their own safety.

“But how could I never have imagined that Pang Zhixi would undermine me! Tell me, where did he get so much silver to buy grain from wealthy families? Wasn’t it by using my banner to swagger about and deceive, making those people willingly offer their silver and grain?

“He’s earned all the good reputation, while I’m unable to procure grain due to his schemes, watching soldiers fight the Tatars on empty stomachs. My heart is truly troubled!”

Ji Zeyu’s voice carried no emotion whatsoever, merely stating facts matter-of-factly: “Your Majesty, provisions are indeed a major problem. People will starve to death without food. Dead men cannot contend with the Tatars.”

Li Qitian’s words caught in his throat, feeling somewhat ashamed and helpless.

He had said so much actually trying to avoid having Ji Zeyu bring up the matter of provisions. Any reasonably intelligent person who understood social interaction would have picked up on his hints and understood that he didn’t want to discuss provisions. Yet Ji Zeyu had still spoken these words.

Li Qitian didn’t even know how to respond for a moment. Seeing Ji Zeyu silently waiting for his answer, Li Qitian said: “I understand, I’ll find a way.”

Find a way, always finding a way. Every time these matters were raised, Li Qitian would deflect with such words. But as time passed, the army’s provisions still showed no improvement. The soldiers could only endure because he led from the front like a banner, charging ahead. Fortunately, he had gained some reputation over the years and held authority in the army—otherwise, how long could they have held out?

Moreover, Li Qitian’s distortion of Pang Xiao’s actions nearly caused Ji Zeyu to lose his temper.

The Emperor had assigned Pang Xiao to provide disaster relief without giving him relief grain. Pang Xiao had found his own way to get silver to save people’s lives—shouldn’t this be commended? How was it that Pang Xiao’s ability to procure silver for buying grain, which delayed the Son of Heaven’s attempts to simply demand grain from wealthy merchants for free, had become Pang Xiao’s fault?

Previously, Ji Zeyu had still considered Li Qitian a wise ruler, because they had fought together to establish their kingdom, experienced the cruelty of battlefields together, and understood the preciousness of life, knowing what overthrowing the Bei Ji Kingdom meant for the common people.

Unfortunately, times had changed. Back then, they had risen up to prevent the people from suffering, but now Li Qitian had forgotten this and had himself become the chief culprit in harming the people.

Ji Zeyu shook his head. After seeing the Emperor off, he pondered for a long time before finally writing a letter to Pang Xiao.

When Pang Xiao received this letter, it was already early March.

At this time, the group was camped in a quiet wilderness, with grain they had purchased stored everywhere nearby. Some common people who were willing to follow Pang Xiao were now patrolling near the supply wagons.

Pang Xiao instructed someone to arrange rest for Ji Zeyu’s messenger, then carefully read through the letter. His brow furrowed slightly, showing deep thought.

Seeing Pang Xiao’s deeply furrowed brow, Qin Yining set down her hot tea and asked with concern: “What’s wrong? Has something happened in the capital?”

Pang Xiao quickly shook his head: “Nothing like that. It’s a letter from Ah Lan.”

Qin Yining raised an eyebrow: “The Marquis of Dingbei rarely writes to you. For him to suddenly do so, there must be something important.” She tilted her head to look at him, her long hair flowing smoothly down her back, making her appear even more delicate.

Defeated by her gaze, Pang Xiao handed the letter to Qin Yining while muttering quietly: “Didn’t they say pregnancy makes women foolish? Why is my Yi Jie’er still so hard to fool?”

Qin Yining was right beside him and naturally heard every word clearly. While reading the letter, she rolled her eyes at him.

However, after seeing the contents clearly, she laughed mockingly, losing all mood for playfulness.

“How much must His Majesty hate you to say such things even to the Marquis of Dingbei?”

In the letter, Ji Zeyu reminded Pang Xiao that he absolutely must not return to the capital this time, as the Emperor would likely stop at nothing to have him killed the moment he returned. This was because the Son of Heaven’s dissatisfaction and jealousy had reached an extremely serious degree.

“Having no talent yourself while being unable to tolerate others—such a person was fortunate enough to be emperor for so many years.”

Pang Xiao was amused by Qin Yining’s earnest disdain for Li Qitian and couldn’t help but chuckle, his gloominess dissipating instantly.

“Come now, what’s there to be angry about? Ever since he became wary of me, he was never going to trust me again. Whatever I do is wrong. Besides, his suspicions aren’t unfounded—it proves his mind isn’t completely addled. Though I had no intention of undermining him, I did indeed use that silver for disaster relief. It’s simply a matter of different positions.”

Qin Yining shook her head: “As an emperor, being unable to control one’s own greed will lead to tragedy. If he reformed now, perhaps there would still be time, but from his appearance, I see he will never change.”

Pang Xiao shrugged indifferently: “No matter. Even if he’s like this, what can he do to me in such tense times?”

Qin Yining was also amused by Pang Xiao’s manner.

Indeed, they were well-prepared. Whatever Li Qitian wanted to do would depend on whether Pang Xiao agreed. However, thinking of Li Qitian’s actions still made Qin Yining feel stifled.

She increasingly despised Li Qitian and was convinced he would never change, meaning the people would suffer in the future. The thought of overthrowing Li Qitian gradually took shape and became resolute in her mind.

Pang Xiao went to write a reply to Ji Zeyu. Although the messenger was Ji Zeyu’s trusted confidant, he wasn’t Pang Xiao’s.

Worried the letter might be seen by interested parties, Pang Xiao’s reply contained only brief phrases, touching on nothing related to the current court situation.

Meanwhile, Ji Zeyu was also gradually losing patience.

With insufficient provisions, all the soldiers were going hungry. Yet Li Qitian stared wide-eyed, unable to think of solutions, even brazenly expecting the loyalist armies to be self-sufficient—barely short of writing IOUs to borrow supplies.

Having led troops for years, Ji Zeyu’s analysis of warfare was overly thorough; he could make a series of judgments from mere clues. If Pang Xiao were willing to join, he would certainly find ways to protect Pang Xiao while maintaining Great Zhou in a stable environment. But with Pang Xiao blocked out by Li Qitian, who hadn’t even considered including him in the loyalist response, speaking up would only offend the Emperor. Should Pang Xiao face targeting in the future, if he lost imperial favor and his advantages, he might not even be able to speak a word for Pang Xiao.

At this time, Pang Xiao had traveled sixty percent of the journey. The number of common people willing to follow Pang Xiao along the way far exceeded Qin Yining’s expectations. Pang Xiao had people create a registry to record everyone’s age and family circumstances. However, Qin Yining’s morning sickness was becoming increasingly severe—she felt nauseated even drinking thin porridge.

Bingtang carefully tended to Qin Yining’s health, while Mu Jinghu stayed by Pang Xiao’s side all day to prevent him from being caught off guard by those with ulterior motives.

Just then, Tang Xiu hurried over to report: “Your Lordship, there’s a Miss Qiu outside requesting an audience.”