The trembling voice of the house guard struck like a heavy hammer into the song-and-dance-filled night of the Grand Princess's estate.
"What did you say?"
Xue Tingxue turned around abruptly, the autumn chrysanthemum that Fu Tingyuan had just tucked into her hair bun swaying slightly from her violent movement.
The color drained completely from her face; her eyes, which had just been filled with a cunning smile, were now left with only a terrifying, ice-cold chill.
"Say it again!"
The house guard, bearing her oppressive gaze, repeated, "Urgent report from the Northern Border: the Young General was ambushed in Luoyan Valley, and three days ago... the entire camp lost contact."
The entire camp lost contact.
These four words were even more chilling than saying "the entire army was wiped out."
Fu Tingyuan turned his wheelchair to her side, watching Xue Tingxue’s fists clenched until they turned white, and her expression that seemed as if it would shatter at any moment.
"This king will send people to investigate."
Xue Tingxue did not look at him, but stared fixedly at the house guard kneeling on the ground.
"Return to the estate."
The Dingguo Mansion did not sleep that night.
Just as dawn broke, the rumors about the Dingguo Mansion in the Capital City had already grown wings and flown to every corner.
"Have you heard? That Xue Zhen didn't go missing at all; he defected!"
"Indeed! He had just received a reward from His Majesty, and the next moment he took his troops and ran. Isn't it obvious that this is a case of the golden cicada shedding its shell to commit rebellion?"
"His merits are so great they overshadow the Emperor; the Xue Family has really overplayed their hand this time."
Bi Tao was so angry she stomped her feet in the room, her eyes turning red.
"Miss! Listen to the nonsense those people outside are spouting! How could Eldest Brother possibly defect!"
Xue Tingxue was sitting in front of the bronze mirror, expressionlessly applying something to her face.
She listened to those outrageous rumors, her heart burning with anxiety, yet her face remained as steady as Mount Tai.
She knew that her Eldest Brother had not defected.
In her previous life, her Eldest Brother died in Luoyan Valley. It was not because the Hu people were so fierce, but because the army ran out of grain! The military equipment and grain supplies for the logistics were rotted from the root, starving the entire camp of soldiers to death!
As she was thinking this, the gatekeeper ran over in a hurry to report.
"Eldest Miss, Your Highness Prince Yu has arrived, saying he has important matters to discuss."
Bi Tao was furious upon hearing this: "What is he here for? To watch us make a fool of ourselves?"
Xue Tingxue stood up and gave a cold laugh.
"Let him wait."
She walked to the estate gate but did not even open it, looking through the crack at that self-righteous face outside.
Fu Nanli had specially worn a black brocade robe today to appear majestic; he thought he had grasped the lifeline of the Xue Family and looked arrogant.
"Xue Tingxue, you are finally willing to come out. I can help mediate your Eldest Brother's matter. As long as you..."
"Get lost."
The voice that came through the crack was only two words, cold as ice.
Fu Nanli's expression froze.
"What did you say? Xue Tingxue, don't be ungrateful! Only this king can save your brother now!"
Xue Tingxue gave a light laugh, her voice full of mockery.
"If the Prince has such leisure, you might as well go to the Dali Temple Heavenly Prison to see your dear Manman. I heard she was scratched on the face by that cat, and these past few days in prison she has been crying and laughing, telling everyone she meets that she is the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden sent down to earth by the Jade Emperor. Looking at her mental state, I fear she is not far from ascending to the heavens on the spot."
"You!"
Fu Nanli was so angry his face turned green.
With a "bang," the gates of the Dingguo Mansion slammed shut in front of him, nearly hitting his nose.
He looked at the tightly closed vermilion gates, feeling an unprecedented sense of humiliation welling up in his heart.
That night, Xue Tingxue changed into night clothes convenient for movement and, all alone, silently climbed into the Prince Ning'an's Estate.
In the study, Fu Tingyuan seemed to have long expected her to come, as a pot of hot tea was still being kept warm on the table.
"Have you decided?" He looked at her, his gaze deep.
Xue Tingxue did not waste words, directly taking a thick stack of account books from her bosom and slapping them onto the table.
"These are all the cash flows and accounts of 'Qingcheng' since it opened, as well as the distribution map of all the shops under my name."
She then took out a secret letter she had already written and pushed it in front of Fu Tingyuan.
"I want to use my trade routes to bypass the Ministry of War and send grain, fodder, and medicinal materials directly to my Eldest Brother in the Northern Border. There is no time for military equipment, but the grain and fodder must not be cut off for even a single day!"
Fu Tingyuan picked up the secret letter and flipped through the account books, which clearly recorded massive capital flows and a complex, interconnected commercial network.
He raised his eyes and looked at the young girl in front of him, whose eyes were burning with flames.
"Do you know what you are doing?"
His voice was calm, yet carried a pressure that could not be ignored.
"This is a great crime of colluding with the enemy and treason. Once exposed, with conclusive evidence, even this king cannot protect you. You are playing with fire."
"Playing with fire?"
Xue Tingxue met his gaze; far from retreating, she took a step forward, braced her hands on the edge of the table, and leaned over to press closer to him.
"If I am playing with fire with the Prince, then I, Xue Tingxue, will accompany you to the end."
She looked at him, enunciating every word.
"Besides, who is the fire is not yet certain."
The two stared at each other for a long time, and in the study, only the crackling of the burning candlelight could be heard.
Finally, Fu Tingyuan spoke slowly: "Good."
He picked up the brush on the table and added several more secret routes and the names of contacts to the end of Xue Tingxue's secret letter.
"These are my people; they will cooperate with you."
Early the next morning, a huge notice was posted at the entrance of the 'Qingcheng' shop.
"In the face of national disaster, every citizen has a responsibility. From now on, five-tenths of all income from 'Qingcheng' will be donated to provide winter clothing and grain for the soldiers at the Northern Border!"
Once the notice was out, the entire Capital City exploded.
"My heavens! Eldest Miss Xue is donating all the money she earned!"
"This is the true daughter of a military family! Unlike some people who only know how to wag their tongues in the Imperial Court and frame loyal officials!"
"Let's go, let's go! Even if we don't buy anything today, we must go to the entrance of 'Qingcheng' to stand and show our support for Eldest Miss Xue!"
In an instant, popular support shifted, and public opinion reversed immediately.
The common people of the entire Capital City were praising Xue Tingxue's righteous act, which instead made those censors who had impeached the Dingguo Mansion in the Imperial Court look like buffoons.
This immense pressure from public opinion even reached the Palace.
The Emperor, forced by popular sentiment, had to issue an edict praising the Dingguo Mansion for being loyal to the monarch and loving the country, understanding righteousness, and even added many rewards.
In the Prince Yu's Estate.
Fu Nanli listened to the servant's report and was so angry he crushed the teacup in his hand into pieces.
He had originally wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to meddle with the grain supplies of the Ministry of War and thoroughly trample the Xue Family.
But now, Xue Tingxue's move to pull the rug out from under him had completely blocked all his paths!
"This script is wrong! This is completely wrong!"
He looked at his hand, which had been cut by the porcelain shard, and for the first time felt what it meant to be powerless.
Three days later, at night.
At the back door of the Dingguo Mansion, a 'caravan' consisting of dozens of carriages was assembled, ready to depart at any time.
Xue Tingxue was dressed in black close-fitting clothes, her long hair tied up high, and a long sword tucked at her waist, looking neat and tidy.
"Miss! You cannot go! It is too dangerous!" Bi Tao pulled on her sleeve, crying like a fountain.
Duke Dingguo also stood to the side with a dark face: "Tingxue, this is nonsense! Father has already sent the most capable guards from the estate; as a young girl, what are you doing going to the Front Line!"
Xue Tingxue pushed Bi Tao's hand away and bowed deeply to her father.
"Father, Eldest Brother cannot wait. I must see with my own eyes that the grain and fodder are delivered into his hands before I can have peace of mind."
After she finished speaking, she mounted her horse and did not look back.
"Giddyap!"
She rode her horse into the night, leading the long caravan as they galloped toward the direction of the City Gate.
The soldiers guarding the city had already received orders, and seeing that it was the Dingguo Mansion's caravan, they immediately opened the City Gate.
Xue Tingxue rode through the deep and secluded City Gate tunnel, and just as she was about to completely merge into the night of the wilderness outside the city, a figure made her pull the reins abruptly.
On the official road not far outside the City Gate, a person and a horse stood quietly there.
That person was also wearing black clothes, riding a magnificent black horse, his figure as tall and straight as a pine. The moonlight illuminated his face; it was none other than Fu Tingyuan, who should have been sitting in his wheelchair!
And behind him was a silent, murderous black shadow.
Three hundred elite cavalrymen in uniform black armor, holding spears, were like a group of fierce beasts lurking in the darkness, silent and soundless, yet exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.
That was not the guard of the Prince Ning'an's Estate at all; that was an army that had truly been on the battlefield and seen blood!
Fu Tingyuan looked at Xue Tingxue, who had stopped her horse not far away, and spoke slowly, his voice clearly carrying in the night wind.
"My Princess wants to charge into the border alone, how could this king sit at home and drink tea in peace?"
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