Volume 1: The Hero's Halo

  "Then go into the city." She wanted to enter the city, so let her in. The original wind sighed and smiled with his eyes downcast, he could heal her wounds, but as a person who was as perceptive as him, how could he not see through her distrust?

  "The wind has stopped, you said this time Tongguan's crisis, is it possible for the Crown Prince to resolve it?"

  "What about you?" he asked back, his eyes, tinged with a hint of a smile, casually sweeping past the car window.

  Yun Yi shook his head slightly: "The time is too rushed. Even if it's seven days, the possibility of tens of thousands of troops rushing a thousand miles is not great."

  "No." He smiled, his expression calm and serene, with a hint of laziness, leaning against the car window, one hand supporting his cheek, the other resting on her hair. "No need for a large army. As long as Li Junzhao goes to Tongguan to preside over the situation, with his abilities, he can naturally make those who collude with the enemy have nowhere to hide. Moreover, the combination of Bei Han Yu Zhiyong and the Second Prince Ling Cikong is quite subtle. The two men's faces are harmonious but their hearts are not, and although Yu Zhiyong has military talent, he has already taken a stand early on and is opposed to Ling Cikong. The Second Prince is nominally in charge of the army, but in reality, he is being restrained. This gives people room for maneuver, as long as it's operated properly, this battle may not necessarily be fought."

  She slightly paused, pushed open the car window with a wave of her hand, and exchanged a faint smile with Autumn Di outside the window for an instant. "General Autumn said, is it or isn't it?"

  Autumn Di was quite embarrassed to be caught eavesdropping and glared at him fiercely.

  "General Autumn, let's enter the city."

  "No entry." Qiu Di coldly snorted, turned around and was about to leave, but his footsteps were halted by a sentence from him.

  "If I enter the city, I can provide His Highness the Crown Prince with a list of traitors."

  "Do you have a list?" Chudi immediately turned around, walked up to the car, and looked at him with half-doubt, then glanced at Yunyi's complacent expression, his face suddenly turning cold and stern. "This traitor is actually the Left Prime Minister!" Now that he was in a desperate situation, he was trying to curry favor with the Crown Prince by doing this, truly sinister and shameless.

  Her slender jade hand brushed against the window frame, her icy face suddenly stern. "How much loyalty does General Qiu have? How much love for his country? He has always claimed to be working for the nation and its people, but now he is willing to abandon all that for personal revenge? Staying in the city for a day or two would be a trivial matter for him, yet it could help his lord achieve great things that benefit both the country and its people. And yet, he refuses... His heart is punishable!"

  His voice was soft and warm, but it struck his heart like a heavy hammer. Autumn Di was shocked, his face turned slightly pale, he gritted his teeth and stared at him for a while, then stretched out his palm: "You can enter the city, hand over the list."

  Yu Fengxi smiled and hooked his lips, like a cloud breaking through the moon, shining brightly on people. Autumn Di was stunned, but saw him casually closing the car window, and his words came out: "Wait until we enter the city, brush and ink will serve, Yu Fengxi will write for the general himself."

  "Original Wind Style!" Each word was enunciated clearly, almost biting through silver teeth. Autumn Di's anger was uncontrollable, yet he could do nothing about it.

  The Sui River is the fief of King Xiang, and now that the rebellion has just been quelled, there may be remnants causing trouble. He bears the heavy responsibility of escorting two prisoners back to Kyoto, and is afraid of making a mistake along the way, so he does not plan to enter the city.

  As if to verify his worries, the city tower of Suzhou was seen in the distance, with waves of bloody smells wafting over. A small-scale battle had just ended here, where Xiang Wang's old troops came to avenge their master. Under the city wall, there were still bodies that had not been dealt with, soldiers were moving back and forth carrying bodies, or flushing bloodstains on the city wall and gate, someone was directing the scene with a calm tone.

  The man was slender and tall, with a lake-blue long shirt fluttering in the wind, which was the only bright color in the bleak and desolate dusk scene.

  Seeing a familiar figure, Qiū Dí was almost unbelievable. "Right Chancellor?!" The Right Chancellor was actually here, it was an unexpected joy. He immediately stepped forward quickly, clasped his fists and bowed, "Qiū Dí has seen the Chancellor!" His attitude was respectful and overjoyed, his emotions overflowing from his words.

  Youxiang? Wō zài mǎ chē nèi de yún yì dǒu rán yī zhàn, pō wéi jī dòng, "fēng xī, jiāng chē chuāng dǎ kāi, fú wǒ zuò qǐ."

  English Translation:

  "Right? The cloud intention in the carriage suddenly shook, and it was quite exciting. 'Wind rest, open the window, help me sit up.'"

  The wind died down as soon as she spoke, and she hastily leaned out of the window and looked around.

  "General Autumn, it's you!" The man turned around, but his face was plain and unremarkable. However, the corners of his mouth hinted at a faint smile, making him appear approachable and leaving a good impression.

  "Yes, I didn't expect to see you here, sir." In response to the gentle and refined smile, Akira scratched his head, seeming a bit flustered, looked around, and asked, "Sir, you're not in the capital, how did you end up here?"

  He smiled slightly and said vaguely, "I'm on a mission." His gaze swept over the man's shoulder, but he didn't see the familiar figure, and couldn't help but wonder: "Isn't Lord Qiu following the Crown Prince to quell the rebellion? Why isn't the Crown Prince here?"

  "Ah? Your Highness..." Autumn Di was not good at telling lies, especially in front of the adults he respected. His eyes wandered and he muttered vaguely, "Your Highness still has matters to attend to, so Autumn Di will take his leave first."

  The right side smiled and turned to make excuses for him, "Your Highness stayed in Xiangcheng to deal with the aftermath of the King of Xiang's rebellion?"

  "Hmm, yes." Akito let out a sigh of relief, thinking that it was fortunate that Lord Ukon didn't press the issue further.

  In the carriage, Yun Yi's cold eyes suddenly smiled coldly. What a gentle and considerate Right Prime Minister! Staring at that plain and kind face, a surge of disgust rose from the bottom of his heart.

  Unlike the left prime minister Yuan Yun, who was notorious for his cruelty and violence, Right Prime Minister Ji Youchen was erudite, talented, and renowned throughout the court. Moreover, he was affable, approachable, and kind-hearted, enjoying not only a great reputation in the imperial court but also being deeply loved by the common people.

  This person is the original political enemy of Yun Yi, although he is young and inexperienced, but because he is good at management, he has a lot of power in the court, and is the only one who can counterbalance Zuo Xiang.

  Naturally, these were not enough to make her detest him so much. The most important thing was that in the end of the story, Zuo Xiangyuan died at the hands of You Xiang.

  There's a term called "arch-nemesis". At first, when reading the script, I inexplicably disliked this person. Now that I've become a part of the story and even serve as cannon fodder to pave the way for the protagonist's glory, I naturally dislike Ji Yunzhen, the protagonist, even more.

  A soldier carrying a bucket of water passed by, and suddenly his body swayed, Ji Yunzhen's eyes were bright and her hands were quick, she hurriedly supported him, "Be careful!"

  "Thank you, ah... sir." The soldier hastily put down the water bucket and looked at her wet hem, apologizing sincerely, "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to. I..."

  "Don't panic." Ji Yunzhen raised her hand and gently pressed it on the soldier's shoulder, full of concern and comfort. "But your clothes are a bit wet, never mind. As for you, if you're not feeling well, explain to the leader, no need to force yourself."

  The soldier was overjoyed and tearfully thanked him, "Thank you, sir, for your concern. I'm fine." After thanking him a thousand times, he immediately picked up the water bucket and worked even harder.

  "The great man truly loves the people like his children." Qiu Di sincerely praised, Ji Yunzhen just shook her head and smiled while standing. The clouds in the sky were reflected behind him, casting a faint golden light on that slender yet elegant figure.

  It's a pity that in her eyes, only two words can be used to describe this woman: hypocrite.

  Yes, "this woman". Ji Yunzhen and Yuan Yunyi are similar, a woman disguises herself as a man and mixes in the imperial court! Heaven plays tricks on people, who would have thought that two important officials of a country are both women?!

  Digression

  Wishing you a happy and auspicious new year of the horse!