Before Tang Yan departed, good news arrived. Gao Jianye, leading Fu Sanjin and his son, achieved a great victory against Dong Qi. Dong Qi ceded five cities to protect themselves.

Gao Jianye sent word back, saying he wanted to hear Emperor Chengde's intentions: whether to continue fighting or agree to Dong Qi's terms and return.

Ultimately, Emperor Xianfeng, along with his princes and ministers, decided to withdraw their troops.

Of course, there are also those who favor a direct attack, but Dongqi is not as easy to deal with as Xilin. If we continue to fight, we need to increase our troops. Even if we successfully capture Dongqi, in the short term, Lichao may seem to benefit, but in the long run, it would be detrimental.

By then, Bei Mo and Xi Lin will truly unite, while Li Chao's forces will be dispersed and difficult to manage.

Even if one truly had the heart to conquer Eastern Qi, it wouldn't be possible to swiftly subdue two countries in a short period of time.

No matter what, it's a victory, and it's a happy thing for the people.

A king who engages in warfare first loses the hearts of his people.

Where does the money come from, where does the food come from, and where do the soldiers for war come from?

The common people aren't stupid either.

During this defeat, Eastern Qi not only lost five cities, but also sent some beautiful women over. However, that's a story for another time.

When news of Li Chao's current momentum reached Andu, the capital of Xilin Kingdom, it caused widespread panic.

He worries about when it will be their turn.

It's unclear exactly what kind of in-laws the Northern Desert and the Li Chao dynasty are, considering that the Li Chao princess was the emperor's most beloved daughter. How come during Emperor Chengde's reign, nothing ever happened to the Northern Desert?

If his wife were also a prominent woman in the imperial court, even if she wasn't a princess, she would be like Fu Jiujiu, a lucky star in the eyes of the common people of Li Chao.

Things won't become this difficult.

Thinking this, he grew to detest Deng Wan'ying even more.

"Fetch that vile woman for me."

Deng Wan'ying was dishevelled, her clothes torn and bearing marks of violence. Her eyes were now filled with a seductive gleam, it was unclear whether she had been drunk or drugged.

Andu saw her, naturally he had no interest. A woman who had been slept with by soldiers, and also played with by those ministers, how could he touch her.

Deng Wan Ying took a while to see where she was, and when she saw the man before her, she hated him. But she also knew he was her only lifeline.

"Your Highness, allow me to serve you."

"Get out of here!" Andu kicked her hand away with disgust, as if she had touched something foul. "With your body that has been ridden by a thousand men and slept with by ten thousand, you dare to serve me? I find you repulsive."

Tang Wan'er's eyes were glazed over as she stared at the man. She truly wanted to bite his neck, but she knew that before she could even get a taste of him, he would kill her.

She wants revenge more.

All the humiliation she's suffering now is caused by those people, she wants revenge.

"Your Highness, I am your woman. Whatever you ask me to do, I will do. Whoever you want me to serve, I will serve."

Andu let out a cold snort, disdain welling up in her eyes. "The women of Li Chao, one by one, look so pure on the surface, but deep down they're all very cunning. Those few ministers all praised you for your abilities, saying they'd never met a woman like you."

Those several ministers, the young ones were all older than her father.

Dang Wanying thought of the savagery and ferocity of the people of Xilin, and the terror of those ministers, a flicker of fear passed through her eyes.

"Your Highness, I am doing this for you. You are the bravest man. To help you ascend to the throne quickly, I would be overjoyed."

Andu scoffed, raising her foot to nudge the woman's lower back. "Really?"

"Nature is real!"

Andu pursed her lips, "Alright, then I've found a few more men for you. They're all brave as well and want to witness the charm of Lord Li's young mistress. Don't disappoint me."

How many?

Deng Wan'ying cursed An Dao in her heart as a beast, but all she could do was smile and nod.

To have gone through so much, to die in such a humiliating way, it's simply not worth it.

……

The army sets off, Fu Sanjin will be back soon.

Jiang Yao's belly has grown quite large. At this time, her smile is gentle and kind.

There wasn't much fuss in Jiang Wangfu anymore. Jiang Yao would occasionally bring her son to the Fu family, where life was so good. He had loving parents and a little sister, Fu Jiu Jiu, to talk to.

She wished she could move back in.

"Mother, is that it then? The marriage between Tianfu and Miss Miao's family is settled?" Jiang Yao exclaimed after hearing this, "Fate has brought them together! There isn't anyone in the entire capital as well-matched as Tianfu and that girl. He just eats, and now he has a wife."

Tian Guihua smiled, pursing her lips. "Who says otherwise? Jiejie is really amazing. She saw that the two children were interesting and just put them together like that. Who knew this would actually work out!"

"What about Tianfu? Where is he?" Jiang Yao asked.

Fu JiuJiu let out a laugh. "Third Sister-in-Law, does this even need guessing? You want me to teach him how to make roast duck first thing in the morning? It'll be gone as soon as it comes out of the oven!"

Jiang Yao guessed that it was sent to the Miao family girl.

They two were playing house, but it was quite nice.

Not everyone has to be exceptionally outstanding. There are countless ordinary people in the entire capital, even among aristocratic families. Yet, most people feel they are not mediocre and keep messing around.

This time, Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law should be here soon. When Sanjin and Sijin come back, our family will have something to celebrate again.

"It's already done." Fu Jiaojiao smiled. "Seventh Brother and Princess Mingyue already had their wedding in Bei Mo. It was according to Bei Mo customs, but Mingyue wrote back saying that even though she returned to Li Chao, she still wanted to be a bride for a day and ride in a flower palanquin."

"<"This… huh…" Jiang Yao laughed.">

She wanted to say that they had already slept together, but thinking that her younger sister was still unmarried, she decided against it.

Then, Guihua smiled. "Mingyue is just like that, curious about everything. Our daughters-in-law each have their own personalities, none alike. I worried they wouldn't get along, but now it seems fine."

Fu Jiujiao raised an eyebrow, "Mother, this is called a hundred flowers blooming, how good is it? It's lively and fun. If everyone was quiet like a gourd, everyone wouldn't speak, and that would be uncomfortable too. And if everyone was always noisy, the house would be chaotic. Now this is just right, some talk, some listen, some think."

Tiany Guihua nodded, "Indeed, only a young girl would speak like that."

Jiang Yao also thought so, "Chirp chirp, how else could you say that everyone likes you? Your mouth, it's impossible not to like you with the way you talk. You're too good at talking."

Fuju was blushing and a little embarrassed to be praised.

"Chirp chirp, everything's settled for everyone else, so is yours with Tang Qi going to be next?"

The Fu family was accustomed to calling Tang Xian "Tang Qi" at home. However, when outside, they would naturally address him respectfully as "His Highness the Crown Prince."

Fu Jiujiu's face flushed slightly, "Third Sister-in-law, you're talking about my brothers again! Why bring me into this? Oh well, I have to go now. My godmother asked me to check the pulse of the eldest sister-in-law from the Zou family."

After Fu Jiujiu finished speaking, she gave Nianxia a wink. The master and servant hurriedly slipped away.

There is one more chapter, being written, wait a moment!

First published on the Traditional Chinese Novels Network

(Editor in charge:novel peter pan)