The Prince Wants to Assassinate Me Every Day-Chapter 1011 - 602: An Ning Chooses to Stay (First Update)
"I am willing to accompany Your Majesty on the expedition!" Song Yanqing hurriedly volunteered.
"No need, return and assist Xiao Hezhen in governing the country." Xiao Jinxing directly refused.
"Your Majesty!"
"Xiao Wu." Xiao Jinxing did not give Song Yanqing a chance to argue, and ordered Xiao Wu, "The Bai Family colluded with foreign traitors and committed treason, an unforgivable crime. Bai Moyi and Bai Mowan have been detained and are to be escorted to prison to await punishment."
"Understood, Your Highness!"
"The crime of treason is unforgivable. Today, Bai Mowan and Gu Xingchuan have committed such grave offenses that their nine generations will be implicated. Take them all down, and wait for punishment!" Xiao Jinxing spoke again.
"Understood," Xiao Wu continued to obey the orders.
"Xie Ruotong, follow me to the border!"
"I obey the decree," Xie Ruotong responded resolutely.
Song Yanqing looked at Xie Ruotong, feeling reluctant, but in the face of national affairs, he could only endure.
"The entire Bai Army will follow me to the border, and the local troops are to be ready at my command to assist in dispatch!" Xiao Jinxing continued to instruct.
No matter how urgent the situation, everything was in an orderly fashion.
Even when forced into such a situation by Gu Xingchuan, even when heartbroken by An Ning’s departure, he would never lose his sanity.
"Move out!" said Xiao Jinxing.
He rode his warhorse ahead.
Xie Ruotong quickly caught up.
"Ruotong!" Song Yanqing called out to her from behind.
"Shut up!" Xie Ruotong didn’t even glance back, her attitude towards him was still very harsh.
"..." Song Yanqing watched as Xie Ruotong left majestically with the emperor, feeling both proud and slightly lost.
Xie Ruotong was too indifferent to him.
Facing the dangers of war, couldn’t she say a proper goodbye?!
The last time she went on an expedition, she was not this indifferent; she was clearly very... affectionate.
Could it be... she really regretted not being the one to rebel?!
Regretted not being able to rationally and reasonably cut him into pieces?!
Song Yanqing looked at Xie Ruotong’s back, his face full of frustration.
The Bai Army departed.
The local troops withdrew.
Xiao Wu led Bai Moyi and Gu Xingchuan away.
Song Yanqing also intended to return to the palace with Xiao Wu.
At that moment, he suddenly turned to look at the Empress.
It was in that moment he realized, the emperor made arrangements for everyone, except for the Empress.
In fact, he hadn’t even laid eyes on her since everything settled.
So what exactly is the emperor’s attitude towards the Empress?!
The one who was to leave him.
The one who was willing to take risks for his empire.
How will their relationship unfold next?
An Ning naturally noticed Song Yanqing’s gaze.
She raised her eyes to look at him.
Song Yanqing sat on his horse, while An Ning stood on the ground.
The sky was bright.
Sunshine cast down on her, the world was silent.
After all, everyone had left.
Everyone had their place to find solace.
But she seemed to have been forgotten.
Perhaps not forgotten.
Just deliberately ignored.
Just no longer cared.
An Ning lowered her eyes and asked Song Yanqing, "Do you think I can still return to the palace now?"
"What else?" Song Yanqing retorted.
"Aren’t you going to scold me a bit? For letting things develop into this kind of situation?!" An Ning laughed, a cold and indifferent laugh.
"It’s not what you wished for, and it’s obvious you tried your best." Song Yanqing sighed softly, "You have your obsessions, your pursuits. If one doesn’t endure the hardships others have faced, one shouldn’t criticize their choices. Moreover, I have experienced some dealings between you and the emperor, and given the past hurts the emperor inflicted on the Empress, anyone else would find it hard to accept again. So the Empress ultimately choosing to leave is understandable. However, the Empress showed no hesitation in the face of national duty, unconditionally choosing to preserve the overall situation. This magnanimity and decisiveness, I admire immensely, what complaints could I have."
An Ning laughed again.
She suddenly understood why Xiao Jinxing valued Song Yanqing so highly.
At this moment, she couldn’t help but like him.
"I will escort the Empress back to the palace," Song Yanqing offered.
An Ning did not refuse.
This time, she had to return.
Gu Xingchuan was taken back, she had to wait for Xiao Jinxing’s return and await his orders.
As for leaving again...
Perhaps not anymore.
Sometimes, one must accept fate.
...
Daxuan Kingdom, Jingyan Year Six.
Who could have imagined that for the selfish desires of the Bai Family, a war would be incited between the Daxuan Kingdom and the Tatars, lasting half a year.
In the Daxuan Kingdom, snow fell heavily.
One couldn’t even tell which snowfall of the season it was.
An Ning sat by the window watching the white snow cover the Imperial Palace, watching the Palace Attendants sweep away the snow, watching Youyou and Anqi play carefreely in the palace, having snowball fights, and watching Luming quietly sit by the furnace in the courtyard, learning to read and recite.
Yes.
In the end, she brought Xiao Luming and An Youyou back to the palace.
Since she didn’t plan on leaving again, naturally they would stay with her.
"Mother." An Youyou was tired from playing.
She held Anqi’s hand and returned to the pavilion.
Her face was flushed from the cold, yet she couldn’t hide her joy.
"You’re all wet, go back and change clothes," An Ning instructed.
"Okay." An Youyou nodded obediently.
"Anqi too."
"Yes, Mother." Anqi responded respectfully.
"Mother, when will Father return?" An Youyou suddenly asked as she was leaving.
An Ning pressed her lips together.
She didn’t know how much longer the war would last.
When Xiao Jinxing left for a month, news came that the battle at the border was intense, the Tatars aggressive, and the Daxuan Army, due to internal divisions, repeatedly suffered defeats. Morale was severely affected, almost to the point of collapse. The court was worried, and during those days, she saw Xiao Hezhen and Wu Xufan return from court with furrowed brows, reflecting the gravity of the situation.
Yet she wasn’t too worried. She believed Xiao Jinxing could control the overall situation. The current setbacks were temporary, only due to Bai Mowan and Bai Moyi’s rebellion, affecting the Bai Army’s unity. With time, Xiao Jinxing would regain control and restore the army’s might!
However, the second month’s war reports brought little improvement. Defeats continued, Xiao Jinxing’s forces retreated to the border city, barely holding the fort, unable to confront the enemy head-on.
In the third month, the Tatars attacked the city for the first time but left in failure, unable to conquer it yet causing massive casualties and a loss of morale in the Daxuan Army.
By the fourth month, An Ning could no longer contain herself and requested to support at the border. But the reply was a refusal from Xiao Jinxing, without any reason, just two words: "Not allowed."
Then in the fifth and sixth months, she received no news of the battle.
She was very aware that it was on Xiao Jinxing’s orders not to inform her.
So she didn’t know the current status of the border battles.
But sometimes, encountering Xiao Hezhen, seeing his never-relaxed brows, she could surmise that the situation was dire.
She didn’t quite understand. With Xiao Jinxing’s capabilities, although unable to directly defeat the Tatars’ fierce advances, he shouldn’t be in such a constant state of retreat. What exactly happened at the border?!
