In mid-August, the Heavenly Teachings struck into Zhili and stationed troops at Baoding Prefecture; the so-called “armies to rescue the Emperor” followed closely behind, taking Zhending Prefecture, which the Heavenly Teachings had expended great effort to capture.

Baoding was only half a day’s fast ride from the capital.

Zhending was to the southeast of Baoding, slightly farther from the capital, but similarly only a half day’s journey from Baoding.

When Yan Lin and the others led their troops to Zhending, the Heavenly Teachings rebel forces stationed in the city simply could not withstand the attack. Already exhausted with weary soldiers and tired horses, having just fought the court and not yet had time to catch their breath, they now faced the armies from Xinzhou and Huangzhou—how could they have even half a chance to resist?

In less than two hours, they opened the city gates and surrendered.

Upon entering the city, all that could be seen around were the disasters left by war, debris everywhere, devastation meeting the eye at every turn.

Wan Xiuzi was not someone easy to deal with either. He deeply knew that if he stopped to defend every city he captured, he would inevitably face the situation of wolves before and tigers behind, suffering attacks from both Xie Wei and the court, leaving him with no chance of survival whatsoever.

So in these recent two months, he had come up with some methods to “weaken” Xie Wei.

For instance, upon entering a city, he would burn, kill, and plunder, looting the wealth of local gentry, officials, and wealthy households clean. What could be taken was taken; what couldn’t be taken was burned in a fire, unwilling to leave even half a grain of provisions for Xie Wei. Even if there were able-bodied men in the city, he would either forcibly capture them and incorporate them into his own rebel army to serve as sacrifices in the next siege, or kill them on the spot to prevent them from joining the Xinzhou army’s ranks.

Thus, wherever the Heavenly Teachings rebels passed, nine out of ten cities were emptied.

In the early period, they were looted and cleared by Wan Xiuzi’s orders; in the later period, the common people fled early before the fighting to avoid danger, only returning to the city when General Yan Lin’s armies to rescue the Emperor arrived.

Comparing the two—

Wan Xiuzi was a demon, Xie Ju’an was a sage;

The rebel army were bandits, the Xinzhou army were the Emperor’s forces.

But who could know that pushing all this from behind was actually that so-called “Emperor’s forces,” that so-called “sage”?

Yan Lin led troops in battle, Xie Wei planned the overall strategy, Lu Xian coordinated provisions. Of course, this inevitably included Jiang Xuening’s share of effort. After all, ever since taking over the south from the Heavenly Teachings, the business from Shu and Jiangnan regions naturally came back into their hands. Even though Zhou Yinzhi had stolen the tokens, he had merely made off with the tens of thousands of taels of silver stored in the money houses.

Money was a dead thing; people who could use money were rare.

She had not been idle, following along behind the army the entire way, even bringing along Wei Liang, who hadn’t gone to take the imperial examinations. Upon reaching each city, she would first ask about the people’s livelihood, adapt to local conditions, arrange agriculture and sericulture—she played a great role in comforting the common people.

Only, well…

Jianshu clutched the letter from the capital in his hand, walking forward, thinking of that naive and foolish Master Wei Liang, and couldn’t help but purse his lips lightly. It wasn’t that he had any opinion of Master Wei; in fact, this young master who was only interested in farming got much work done yet had not a hint of airs, and was quite likeable.

But the problem was exactly this.

Who told him to be someone under Second Miss Ning’s command?

He looked passable, always followed Second Miss Ning around, could chat well with her. Once, their master had watched these two holding sweet potatoes and squatting in the fields for an entire afternoon, his face simply as black as the bottom of a pot.

Yet this person couldn’t understand hints at all.

Once when Second Miss Ning wasn’t there, the master happened to encounter him and kept him sitting down for tea, spending a few words to warn him. Wei Liang completely failed to understand and, knowing nothing of worldly wisdom, even asked back in confusion: “Can’t the proprietress lady come along too? But she manages the money, everyone likes her, everything needs her nod of approval, she always has to go look to know. How could things be done and fields be planted just by looking at account books from afar?”

That was perhaps the worst mood their master had ever been in.

Even Second Miss Ning suffered for it the next day. While learning the qin, she lost focus and casually mentioned Wei Liang. The master picked up the discipline ruler and struck her palm, making her cry and shout, yet in the end she never understood why the master’s temper had been so fierce that day.

Jianshu pondered his master’s posture of silently eating vinegar with great jealousy, and even felt his neck turn cold, but dared not speak out of turn.

Fortunately, the master knew what he was doing.

The jealousy only lasted a moment.

After all, Second Miss Ning and that Master Wei Liang were completely innocent before, there really wasn’t anything between them, just focused on farming. No matter how displeased, the master had to hold it back.

At this time, in the Zhending Prefecture magistrate’s office, people from the Xinzhou army had long since taken over. Looking up, soldiers wearing armor could be seen walking about the courtyard.

The former magistrate had had his head chopped off by Wan Xiuzi when the Heavenly Teachings entered the city some time ago. Most of the other officials had also been killed, and the remaining survivors had long since fled without a trace.

Thus the office was emptied.

It happened to be available for Xie Wei, Yan Lin, and the others to live in.

Second Miss Ning’s courtyard was naturally the best courtyard in this residence.

With autumn’s arrival, maple leaves were gradually turning red.

From the corridor drifted qin music flowing like spring water, already finding its way, gradually giving a feeling of gaining mastery.

Listening from outside, Jianshu couldn’t help but smile, but when he lowered his head and saw the envelope in his hand, his expression slowly turned solemn and cold again.

He stepped into the courtyard.

The window shutters of the adjacent room were open. Jiang Xuening sat before the qin table, casually playing the strings, while Xie Wei stood beside her, silently watching and listening.

When one piece finished, she let out a breath, then joy immediately spread across her brow as she turned and said: “How was that? Did I play it all correctly this time? Then I can rest for the next half hour.”

Hearing this, Xie Wei twitched the corner of his mouth.

His cold gaze swept over her expectant eyes. Though he knew in his heart that when she said she’d made a bet with him, saying if she played this piece correctly she would have learned it and could rest for the next half hour, she was actually bargaining, wanting to slack off.

Only, the days ahead were long.

If she couldn’t learn it in one day, she would continue learning another day. Little fool Ning’er didn’t understand this at all.

He didn’t make things difficult for her, laughing once and saying: “Then let’s stop practicing here today.”

Ever since the Heavenly Teachings incident last time, Ning’er had kept her word and truly followed him in learning the qin. These past few months, whenever there was no battle that day, he wasn’t away strategizing, and she wasn’t busy managing business, they would hole up in the room—one teaching the qin, one learning it.

Only, Ning’er’s mouth told lies.

By nature she didn’t like stillness. Staying indoors made her listless and lazy, but going outside made her lively and bouncing. She said she wanted to learn the qin so she could play for him later. She truly learned, and truly made progress, but couldn’t really sit still. After half an hour there, her whole body felt uncomfortable and she wanted to jump left and right, being cunning and lazy.

Xie Wei had always been a strict teacher. If it were back when he accompanied the prince in studies at Fengchen Palace teaching qin, he would have long since grabbed the discipline ruler to strike her.

But now…

When she didn’t practice qin, he got angry; when she practiced miserably, he felt distressed.

He had clearly told Jianshu to prepare two discipline rulers, but until now both remained brand new. Forget about breaking them—they didn’t even have a few scratches on them!

Jiang Xuening didn’t know what Xie Wei was thinking, only felt this person was becoming more and more easy to talk to.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to practice qin during this time.

After all, when she made the promise to Xie Ju’an, she was serious. Only, seeing the war developing, about to reach the capital, those old matters surfaced one by one clearly in her mind. Practicing qin so absentmindedly would probably be twice the effort for half the result. It would be better to wait until she found peace of mind to practice again, which was why she acted coy and lazy with him.

Sitting for so long, her neck ached.

She let out a long breath and couldn’t help but turn her head.

Xie Wei stood behind her. Seeing this, he smiled and reached over to rest his hand on the back of her neck, his slender fingers applying force, kneading for her bit by bit: “With your attitude of fishing for three days and drying nets for two, I’m afraid even if you learn until you’re seventy or eighty, you still won’t necessarily reach seventy or eighty percent of my level. Just this bit of time and you’re tired already…”

Jiang Xuening rolled her eyes at him.

However, when she turned her head back, she immediately saw Jianshu coming from the doorway, and also saw his expression. The relaxed smile on her face slowly faded, and she only asked: “Has news arrived?”

Jianshu entered and presented the letter.

He bowed and said: “With Young Master Dingfei’s assistance, Dao Qin has already brought people safely out of the city. They will arrive at Zhending tonight.”

Jiang Xuening took the letter, opened it to read, sat expressionlessly for a long while, then lifted her eyes to look at the red leaves outside the window, saying to Xie Wei: “In the blink of an eye, it’s again the season when autumn comes and kills a hundred flowers…”

Zhou Yinzhi rarely didn’t want to ride a horse, nor did he want to take a palanquin. He simply walked with his hands behind his back on the road home.

Scene after scene from the court deliberations just now passed through his mind again.

Clearly today he had just been granted the position of Commander of the Nine Gates, able to lead troops with Duke Dingguo Xiao Yuan to defend the capital. It could be said he was just one step away from reaching the pinnacle of ministerial power, yet he surprisingly had no joy whatsoever.

That the court had now fallen to such a state was something he had never imagined.

Ever since returning from Xinzhou, Xiao Shu had gained face, and Shen Lang had greatly praised him. He had originally thought that although he had been heavy-handed with You Fangying, offending Jiang Xuening, this matter wasn’t really a loss.

But who could have imagined that before he could be happy for even two days, the Heavenly Teachings rebelled.

Then came the current chaotic situation.

Having been to Xinzhou and understanding the full story of attacking the Tartars, he naturally wouldn’t be like those naive nobles in the capital, thinking that Xie and Yan were truly armies to rescue the Emperor, truly benevolent.

Only, no one dared to speak the truth openly.

As the Heavenly Teachings fought closer and closer, the danger facing the capital grew heavier and heavier. Not to mention that the Heavenly Teachings had an evil reputation. Many noble families in the city couldn’t sit still. Some secretly plotted to flee first to avoid the storm; some were even having thoughts of defecting to the enemy.

How could Shen Lang not care?

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had recently secretly arrested quite a few people trying to escape, throwing them all into prison. Some were even assassinated outright.

Now, not mentioning Xie and Yan’s “armies to rescue the Emperor” could still stabilize the capital’s situation. But if this matter were told clearly and plainly to everyone, the capital would simply collapse without being attacked.

After all, who could believe—

This lonely single city could withstand the combined attack of the Heavenly Teachings rebels and Xie and Yan?

In Zhou Yinzhi’s view, the current court was like an egg suspended on a hair, liable at any moment to fall and shatter into smithereens because of a small breeze!

Troops stationed at Tongzhou, the Imperial City’s Forbidden Guards.

Added together, there were only so many people. Could this battle really hold?

Thinking again of how the Emperor today had separately kept that stubborn Zhang Zhe to speak, seeming to have something to entrust but not allowing the assembled ministers to listen—it was really unusual.

He gradually felt irritable. Looking up, he had already reached the gate of his residence.

The newly repaired residence originally occupied an extremely vast area, decorated with carved beams and painted rafters. Since marrying Chen Shuyi and bringing her through the door, it had added over a hundred servants, coral jade trees, gold, silver, pearls, and jade—very luxurious.

Only, at this moment he had no mood to look at any of it.

Standing in the courtyard for a moment, Zhou Yinzhi thought of Chen Shuyi’s aloof posture and felt disgusted. He simply turned his steps and passed through the hanging flower gate toward the west courtyard.

Usually there were maids waiting outside.

But today, somehow, there was no one outside, let alone any sound inside.

At this moment, Zhou Yinzhi found it somewhat strange.

But he didn’t pay too much attention.

However, just as his foot was about to step through the doorway, he saw a pot of golden dragon-claw chrysanthemums that were usually well-tended toppled on the ground beside him. His heart immediately tensed, suddenly giving birth to several points of ominous premonition.

He quickly walked through the door. What met his eyes—all the maids were actually gagged, bound, and thrown against the wall!

Zhou Yinzhi’s eyelid jumped. He immediately grasped the blade at his waist and rushed inside.

His voice held several points of fear: “Yao Niang—”

The room was completely empty.

On the floor lay an unfinished infant’s garment.

A letter rested quietly on the desk.

After nightfall, lanterns were hung in the corridor.

The candlelight inside the room flickered somewhat because wind blew in.

Jiang Xuening’s dignified countenance also flickered uncertainly because of this.

Dao Qin, who had been away to the capital for several months, had finally returned, and brought back a woman—a woman with child.

Her face was delicate and clear, her features shy and timid.

Compared to when Jiang Xuening first saw her a few years ago, her skin had actually become much fairer and more delicate. The cloth clothing on her body had been replaced with silk and satin. Her features were gentle and kind. At this moment, being scrutinized by Jiang Xuening’s deep, calm gaze, she revealed several points of fear, unconsciously reaching out gently to protect her abdomen.

There was a bulge there.

Yao Niang was already over six months pregnant.

In the previous life, Jiang Xuening had never seen her. In this life, they had only met twice.

If not for Zhou Yinzhi, she probably wouldn’t even remember her name.

Jiang Xuening inexplicably laughed once, lifted her hand to lightly grasp a cluster of her hanging hair, contemplating how useful this woman could be, only slowly saying: “No need to be nervous. It’s not you I want to kill.”

Before she said this it was fine, but once she did, Yao Niang’s complexion turned deathly pale almost instantly.

She naturally remembered Jiang Xuening.

How her master had been able to rise to prominence—she had been completely clear about it all back then. Later, when the master went to Xinzhou and had just returned, for those two days he was anxious and restless, unable to sleep in the latter half of the night. And now, this young lady had come back…