Chapter 90

"Miss, it's Lord Mirror Keeper Chen Yan!"

Rong'er nodded, confirming it.

After a pause, she continued: "He pacified the rebellion in Qinzhou and dealt the rebel army a crushing defeat!"

"The news of the victory has already spread throughout Chang'an!"

Between her brows, there was an undisguised excitement and admiration.

"Rong'er, quick, tell me the details!"

Pei Suiwan, who never lost focus when reading, could no longer sit still. She hurriedly set down the book in her hands, lightly bit her red lips, and urged her.

Since the poetry gathering, she had been keeping a close eye on Chen Yan, knowing he had been sent by the Grand Chancellor to pacify the rebellion in Qinzhou.

Yet, no news had ever come back, and she had been very worried about his safety.

She never expected that the next time she heard news of her beloved, it would be a report of his great victory...

Rong'er knew her mistress cared, so she had listened carefully while watching the excitement. After a moment of recollection, she said: "Lord Chen first broke an army of thirty thousand rebels with two thousand men beneath Longji Mountain in Qinzhou, achieving a great victory in the first battle!"

"Then he set an ambush at Yingsun Valley and completely annihilated fifty thousand rebels!"

"Two battles, two complete victories!"

"The people of Chang'an are all singing Lord Chen's praises, calling him the God of War!"

Pei Suiwan nodded, gave a light, shallow smile, and said calmly: "He comes from a family of military Pillar States; that he possesses such military attainments is only to be expected..."

"If the Grand Chancellor can announce it to the public like this, he must be safe and sound!"

Having said that, she picked up the forgotten book again.

Although she spoke so lightly and indifferently, pride flowed between the lines.

The man she, Pei Suiwan, had set her heart on was truly excellent!

The heart that had been hanging in suspense also settled down.

"Miss, set your heart at ease. Lord Chen is no ordinary man; the rebels cannot hurt him!" Seeing this, Rong'er pursed her lips and said playfully.

As a personal maid, she naturally understood her mistress's thoughts...

A blush crept onto Pei Suiwan's pretty face. She tapped Rong'er with the book in her hand and scolded coquettishly: "You glib-tongued girl!"

Just then, she saw a man in official robes walking in quickly from afar. She asked: "A Xiong, shouldn't you be at the office at this hour?"

"Why have you suddenly returned to the mansion?"

"And why are you in such a hurry?"

The person who arrived was Pei Suiwan's eldest brother, Pei Yanshao.

This sudden "dereliction of duty," combined with that hurried and anxious look, made her smell something unusual...

"I have no choice but to hurry; the Grand Chancellor has ordered me to take up a post in Qinzhou!"

"I must depart immediately!"

Pei Yanshao stopped, looked at his precious sister who was asking the questions, and replied: "Isn't that why I'm rushing back to the mansion to pack?"

"The carriage and horses are already waiting outside..."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed toward the direction of the main gate.

Pei Yanshao didn't want to rush either, but the Grand Chancellor's transfer order had come suddenly, and it had specifically noted that there must be no delay.

He understood the deeper meaning behind it, so once he finished packing and said a few words of farewell and instruction to his family, he had to set off without a moment's rest, not daring to delay for even an instant.

"Taking up a post in Qinzhou?"

When Pei Suiwan heard the name of the place, she seemed to think of something. She stepped forward quickly and instructed: "A Xiong, after you arrive in Qinzhou, you must get along well with Lord Mirror Keeper Chen; please, do not have any friction with him..."

As his own sister who had grown up with him, Pei Suiwan knew her eldest brother extremely well...

Outstanding talent.

Eccentric temper.

Eyes higher than the top of his head.

When at the office, he had often had conflicts with those mediocre colleagues who were just wasting time.

"Sigh~"

Pei Yanshao let out a long sigh, shook his head helplessly, looked at Pei Suiwan, and said gloomily: "My sister hasn't even set a marriage contract yet, and she's already starting to plan for him?"

"A daughter grown up is truly not to be kept!"

"You didn't even have a word of concern for your brother heading to Qinzhou..."

His words were full of sour jealousy.

How could Pei Yanshao not know his sister's purpose?

Wasn't it just to fear that he wouldn't get along with her future husband...

And to provide a preventative measure?

"That's not it!"

Pei Suiwan held her head high, her expression unchanged, and corrected him defensively: "I'm afraid that if you two don't get along, it will affect the Grand Chancellor's instructions and delay state affairs!"

After a pause, she emphasized: "It's all for your sake, A Xiong!"

"Is that so?"

Pei Yanshao looked with interest at this sister of his, who was lying through her teeth yet still stubborn, and asked with a smile.

"Of course it is!" Pei Suiwan said without any hesitation, firmly.

"Fine, fine, fine."

Pei Yanshao suppressed the corners of his mouth that wanted to turn up and teased: "Your brother will get along well with his future brother-in-law!"

"A Xiong!"

Pei Suiwan was so embarrassed that her earlobes turned red. She stamped her foot and scolded coquettishly: "I won't talk to you anymore..."

Immediately, she took Rong'er and fled the scene.

"This girl Suiwan..."

Pei Yanshao watched Pei Suiwan's retreating figure, full of doting, and muttered: "Chen Yan, a seventeen-year-old master of both civil and military arts, a favorite minister of the Grand Chancellor—he is truly quite intriguing!"

After arriving in Qinzhou, he would have to carefully vet this future brother-in-law.

The timeline reverts to after the ambush at Yingsun Valley.

Shanggui City.

Governor-General's Office.

"Old Niu, something terrible has happened!"

Xin Zhenghui pushed the door open and entered, his expression panicked, shouting anxiously.

"What happened?"

Niu Shounian, who was studying the troop deployment, looked up and said: "Speak slowly..."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he seemed to realize something and asked tentatively: "Don't tell me it's about the reinforcements...?"

In the current situation, the only thing that could make Xin Zhenghui lose his composure and run about in such a panic was the possibility of this...

But Niu Shounian still held onto a final shred of hope.

"It is the reinforcements!"

Xin Zhenghui clenched his fists, his eyes wide and bloodshot, and shouted hysterically: "Ba Guwu led his army to provide reinforcements, and they were completely wiped out at Yingsun Valley!"

He shouted it using almost his last bit of strength.

He looked utterly devastated.

"What?!"

Niu Shounian stood up abruptly, unable to believe his ears, and asked for verification: "Is this source reliable?"

He had originally thought the worst-case scenario was that the reinforcements were blocked and couldn't arrive in time to support them...

But he never expected that the reinforcements were gone, and completely wiped out at that!

"How could it not be reliable?"

Xin Zhenghui said with a mournful face, bitterly: "The corpses of Ba Guwu, Liu Feng, and the others have already been displayed by the Court army outside the city..."

"Even though some are mangled beyond recognition, there is no doubt that it is them!"

Xin Zhenghui didn't want to accept this reality either.

But the main generals of the reinforcements were all dead, and even their corpses had been displayed to intimidate them—could it still be fake?

"It's over!"

"Everything is over!!"

"How on earth did that Chen Yan manage to do it!!!"

Niu Shounian collapsed to the ground, feeling as if the sky had fallen.

With his last shred of hope shattered, he instantly seemed to age several decades.

He deeply understood what despair meant...

What awaited him next was likely the fate of those who met their ends in history...

【A list of historical figures and their tragic ends】.

Xin Zhenghui grabbed Niu Shounian and asked anxiously: "The reinforcements are gone, leaving Shanggui as an isolated city..."

"What should we do now?"

Niu Shounian sighed and asked in return: "What else can we do?"

"Holding the city is meaningless; we can only fight to break through the encirclement..."

"And head toward Tianshui Commandery!"

Bang!

Just as the two were discussing, the door was kicked open.

"Look, I said these two would definitely be here..."

Lv Rui raised his hand, pointed at the two inside the room, and laughed loudly at those beside him.

"Lv Rui!"

"What are you doing!"

Seeing this, Niu Shounian questioned him sternly and scolded: "And you even brought people in with weapons!"

A bad premonition began to grow in their hearts...

A flash of darkness crossed Lv Rui's eyes. He planted his sword on the ground and said fiercely: "Of course, it's to capture the two of you as a letter of allegiance to Lord Chen Yan!"