His eyes seemed to spit ice: “Such a muddle-headed empress, even without real power, she’s still the supreme sovereign. Her hands may not reach into the court, but they reach into the harem. Elder Sister, look, in these two years, how many servants in the harem have had their bodies violated by her… I can’t wait a moment longer, I want this Pei dynasty to be buried with her.”

Jia Ziyun’s lips turned pale. She opened and closed her mouth, her hand falling limply as she spoke harshly: “Brother, you want her dead, but do you know how many people will die in the chaos of war because of what you did yesterday? The Duke of Ying holds the military tally. Even though Cangyun and I have been maneuvering in court for two years, we still didn’t dare to openly confront her. We could only use the evidence as leverage to negotiate for benefits. But yesterday you had the Chief Secretary submit a memorial of remonstrance, forcing the Emperor to order her imprisonment. Sure enough, last night news came that the Duke of Ying had escaped from the dungeon, whereabouts unknown.”

Jia Ziyun slammed the teacup heavily on the Eight Immortals table, her eyes a dull gray: “The Duke of Ying commands a hundred thousand troops in Jiaodong. If she rebels, what will happen to Cangyun in Jiaozhou? What will happen to the countless common people of the Jin Phoenix dynasty?”

“Cangyun…” Empress Jia’s fingers paused as he adjusted his sleeves. A flash of bewilderment crossed his delicate face, but quickly disappeared without a trace.

He turned to meet Jia Ziyun’s gaze, toying with his slender fingers, saying carelessly: “…Elder Sister, you need not feel guilty about this. Master Sister’s order for you to progress gradually was always with an ulterior motive. A few days ago, the Southern Pacification King came to the palace and inadvertently told me something. Master Sister has long been entangled with Pei Ziyuan… Everything she’s done has been to protect the Pei dynasty for Pei Ziyuan. Concern for the country and people was just an excuse…”

Empress Jia applied force to his hand, breaking his long fingernail in half. He laughed self-mockingly: “Rather than watching Master Sister marry Pei Ziyuan, it would be better if she died, and I died with her. On the road to the underworld, one person would be lonely, but with a companion, it should be quite nice! This life lived in filth, but able to scheme for her next life of growing old together.”

“Slap!” Jia Ziyun stepped forward quickly and slapped her brother’s face.

She trembled with anger, raising her voice to berate him harshly: “Duke, are you still the duke of our Jia family? Hatred has already blinded your eyes. …You’d rather believe Jing Huan’s one-sided words than listen to your elder sister. Do you know that two years ago, to consider your feelings, Father knelt before Cangyun, begging her not to marry at the Qionglin Banquet, repaying kindness with kindness…”

She took a breath and continued scolding: “If she had intended to use the Jia family, she could have used that as leverage back then… Even if you don’t believe your elder sister, can you still believe Mother? The old lady said that Liu Changning is a talent who can manage heaven and earth. If she truly wanted to seize the world for Emperor Changdi, the world would have long been in their grasp… Because of the dynasty’s collapse, corpses would float for a thousand li. She chose the most difficult path – breaking up the noble families one by one, attempting to uproot their foundations. If not for the people, why would Liu Cangyun bother wading into the muddy waters of the court…”

Jia Ziyun’s eyes were bloodshot as she slammed her fist hard against the pillar of the pavilion: “I’ve failed my good friend! Pity her many years of planning, all ruined in your… my hands!”

The fish in the Taiye Pool had all scattered. The Empress’s body was unsteady, leaning against the railing. He opened his eyes wide, two streams of clear tears falling down his cheeks and dropping into the lotus pond.

He turned back in a daze, grabbing Jia Ziyun’s sleeves with both hands as if clutching at straws, asking urgently: “Elder Sister, you… go to Emperor Changdi’s mansion, beg him to send reinforcements to Jiaozhou… Pei Ziyuan has the military tally for three hundred thousand troops in the northern desert, he will… he will surely come to the rescue!”

Duke Jia’s voice grew lower and lower, his gaze falling on his elder sister’s bloodshot eyes. His hands finally dropped.

“Reinforcements?” Jia Ziyun shook her head, laughing softly: “Brother, Mother and Father lived upright lives, having a child in their old age, doting on you excessively. This was ultimately a mistake. How can reinforcements be sent? The Duke of Ying has rebelled. Since she fled so openly, she must have found allies. Even now do you not understand who the Duke of Ying chose to cooperate with?”

The young female official seemed to age ten years in an instant. She turned away, stumbling out of the pavilion, her voice tinged with the weariness of finality: “The Dragon Tiger Guards stationed by the Southern Pacification King in Longxi will likely reach Jinling City in a few days. To defend Jinling City, the northern desert army cannot spare troops to send to Jiaodong.”

For Liu Cangyun who had offended the Duke of Ying’s household, her fate could only be death!

—

The 9th year of Yifeng, Winter Solstice

The rebel Nie Yizhou launched an uprising in Jiaodong.

Jiaozhou was closest to Jiaodong. For the rebel army to advance north and occupy Jinling City, they must first break through Jiaozhou.

Governor Liu Changning and the Jiaozhou General led troops to resist, with only 30,000 soldiers in the entire city, while the rebel army had over 200,000 troops.

The disparity between the two armies was obvious at a glance.

In the winter of the 9th year of Yifeng, the people of Jiaozhou city lived through the terrifying siege in fear and trepidation.

Outside the city gates, the rebel army would attack every five days.

The defending army was weak, and everyone thought Jiaozhou could not be held.

But unexpectedly, the 30,000 defenders led personally by Governor Liu resisted the rebel army for over a month.

She personally laid out a maze formation outside the city gates. All rebel soldiers who tried to approach the gates lost their way and could not get within half a step of the gates.

After this, Liu Changning stayed in the armory for half a month, developing two types of firearms: the fire cannon cart and the divine fire arrow.

On the day the firearms were successfully developed, each of the 30,000 soldiers in Jiaozhou held a divine fire arrow in their hands. The city defenders, clad in armor, looked imposing and awe-inspiring.

From the beginning, Liu Changning had no intention of sitting idly waiting for death. After the sudden incident in Jinling City, her husband had written her three urgent letters.

One letter poured out his longing, another detailed the current situation in Jinling City, and the third described the distribution of cavalry and infantry under the Duke of Ying’s command, the leadership styles of the generals, and their usual temperaments.

Liu Changning spent over a month holding off the rebel army.

Considering that the rebels couldn’t enter the city, but the civilians in Jiaozhou had little food left in storage, the city would eventually run out of ammunition and provisions. Therefore, Nie Yizhou would not give up attacking Jiaozhou.

Then she used her knowledge of weapons from her previous life to create firearms that didn’t exist in the Jin Phoenix dynasty.

On New Year’s Day, Liu Changning deployed 30,000 soldiers. One-third used fire to create an impressive display, using the cover of night to create the illusion of a million-strong army, surrounding the rebel forces to instill fear in the enemy!

Another third launched a surprise attack, burning the rebels’ rear supplies. In the enemy’s rear, they sang New Year’s festive songs in unison.

Creating the illusion of being surrounded on all sides, on this New Year’s Day, many soldiers in the rebel rear wept upon hearing the festive music from their homeland.

As rebels, if defeated, they faced the fate of having their entire clan executed.

Lonely daughters and widowed fathers at home! Waiting anxiously on New Year’s…

Moved by the scene, many soldiers, looking at the brightly lit night, suddenly lost their will to fight.

The remaining third of the army arrived on horseback, rolling out fire cannon carts and launching fire arrows simultaneously.

The spectacle was grand, intimidating the enemy!

That night, Liu Changning barely lost a single soldier. She arrived on horseback, employing both kindness and might.

The rebel army of 200,000 troops surrendered and laid down their arms en masse.

She spent a day and a night in the dungeon, ordering the imprisoned Nie Yizhou to personally write a victory report, which was sent by carrier pigeon to the Southern Pacification King’s mansion.

Jing Huan wanted to rebel, along with the noble clans behind her.

If that was the case, she would give her a push and eliminate future troubles once and for all!