Chapter 258: Ready for battle!

Miss Mu!

Pei Di spotted Mu Yuanzhi from afar and ran over, holding several doses of medicine, sweat covering his face.

Mu Yuanzhi: "Pei Di, you went to fetch the medicine yourself?"

"Exactly, I don't trust others; fetching it myself puts me at ease." Pei Di said, "Miss Mu, is there something you need?"

Mu Yuanzhi: "Nothing much, just out for a stroll."

"Alright, you go ahead. I still need to have someone send medicine to my mother, so I'll take my leave."

"Go."

The scene of their conversation took place on the second floor of a nearby tavern; A Zi stood in the room, observing through a crack in the window.

Mu Yuanzhi and the Prince Jia's son seem to be on very good terms?

A Zi played with the dagger in her hand, a sly smile forming as she thought of a clever plan!

Suddenly, A Zi sensed movement and quickly darted away.

By the time that person arrived, the upstairs room was already empty.

Once again, she was a step too late!

When the kill order came down, A Zi, who should have had nowhere to hide, managed to slip away repeatedly right under their noses!

Frost Descent is Frost Descent—many talented people exist, and each time A Zi tries to evade, it takes considerable effort.

She went to find Pei Shangyan and told him her plan.

Pei Shangyan heard it and was strongly opposed.

"No way—I, as the princess, cannot let my sister fall into danger." He flatly refused.

A Zi hadn't expected Pei Shangyan to refuse, although she had previously learned from Gu Rongjin just how eager he was to mend his brother‑sister bond with Mu Yuanzhi.

But now we're at a critical juncture, and yet he's still clueless about priorities?

"Your Highness, you're overthinking—this won't hurt your sister; it's merely a divisive plot." A Zi urged, "Our goal is to understand the relationship between Prince Jia and Gu Rongjin; Prince Jia will surely prioritize saving his own son, and Gu Rongjin will prioritize saving his wife, so they will inevitably clash and turn against each other!"

Pei Shangyan didn't even think twice: "Kidnapping itself is risky; we can't guarantee the hostage's safety one hundred percent."

Furthermore, A Zi had once gone through something like this; he didn't want her to recall that incident, or how they had sacrificed her rescue to save Pei Yunxi.

He didn't want her to face another "choose‑one" situation where she'd be the one left unchosen.

A Zi was utterly exasperated with Pei Shangyan.

This court is truly beyond saving!

As the current commander, he's actually still considering the traitorous enemy.

He's simply indecisive!

A Zi somewhat regretted coming here to cooperate with Pei Shangyan.

But without Pei Shangyan, how could she carry out her plan?

"Alright, no need to discuss this further—you may go now." Pei Shangyan said.

A Zi nodded and took her leave.

But in her mind she was calculating another method.

Since Pei Shangyan is such a blockhead, she had no choice but to take matters into her own hands!

A Zi curled her lips.

The war was at a stalemate; in the capital, the atmosphere inside the palace gates was never good.

The Cloud Mirror Tower finally uncovered some leads; the gains were slow, but at least there was progress.

But Prince Jia's side was just as slow!

They're still locked in a tug‑of‑war to this day!

"Your Highness, you're here—the Emperor summons you to Xuanshi Hall." Palace servants searched everywhere and finally found the person the Emperor urgently wanted to see.

The Cloud Mirror Tower turned and smiled at her: "Got it."

After that palace servant left, he summoned his trusted aide, reported his findings to the National Teacher, who would then pass the information to Prince Jia and his entourage, urging them to hurry up—delaying only makes the situation worse.

As the saying goes: "One burst of effort, then weakening, then exhaustion."

He believed Prince Jia was aware of that principle.

When Prince Jia received the message, he was indeed thinking about advancing the front.

They can't keep draining themselves against the court's army; they must continue the northern expedition!

"Your Highness summoned me?" Qi Shihuai pushed the door open and entered.

"Please sit." Prince Jia waved a hand for Qi Shihuai to sit, adding, "I also summoned Heir Jin and Miss Mu, but they're out on the street and may not arrive quickly."

Qi Shihuai nodded, took a sip of tea, then said, "Your Highness had the subordinate come first to ask about Pei Di, right?"

Prince Jia also sat down and said, "General Qi, don't take offense—this child has never been close to me since childhood."

"It's just a rebellious phase; Your Highness needn't worry overly. Pei Di is naturally bright, picks up anything quickly—after just a few days following the subordinate, he's learned a lot." Qi Shihuai laughed.

Seeing Qi Shihuai's expression, Prince Jia knew he wasn't being flattered.

Moreover, he knew Qi Shihuai never liked engaging in flattery.

"So, General Qi, are you satisfied with Pei Er as your disciple?"

"Who wouldn't be satisfied? He's quite a handful." Qi Shihuai shook his head in annoyance, "He's truly smart, but also truly hard to teach, and though small in stature, he has a big temper."

Prince Jia sighed, "Thank you, General Qi, for your trouble."

Qi Shihuai curled his lips in a smile, "Your Highness, rest assured—I have my own way of teaching people."

At that moment, Gu Rongjin and Mu Yuanzhi arrived.

Prince Jia also got down to business.

"Everyone, you surely know the war is at a stalemate and morale is flagging. I, the prince, intend to keep raising the banner and marching north—no matter the enemy, we'll press forward, not stand still."

The Prince Jia glanced at them, then continued: "Young Master Yun wrote, saying he already has a lead, believes he can soon find solid evidence; we must also coordinate inside and out, and in one move take the capital!"

"Good!" Gu Rongjin was the first to respond!

He clapped his hands, lifting the atmosphere to its peak.

Mu Yuanzhi certainly had no objection; she was just a complicated logistics officer, and besides, what the Prince Jia said made perfect sense, so she said: "Everything will follow the prince's orders."

Qi Shihuai: "The subordinates are always ready."

"Good! With you here, this prince believes we will surely achieve victory right from the start!"

The Prince Jia filled their cups with wine, saying: "Let's toast to our invincibility in battle!"

"Cheers!"

The next day, the Jia army began its northern expedition, advancing all the way; the troops grew larger and larger, and with the newly conscripted soldiers and the surrendered troops from the imperial army, they now numbered a full three hundred thousand.

Yet compared to the imperial court's million-strong army, they still appeared weak, but their momentum surpassed that of the imperial troops, unstoppable in every direction.

The imperial army led by Pei Shangyan was forced to retreat step by step by them, and morale began to fall again.

He felt they could not continue like this; retreating further would truly be embarrassing, and it would be hard to explain to everyone!

"I decide to send a vanguard unit to meet the enemy!"

Upon hearing this, the officers below first reacted with cheers and joy.

Finally we can wipe away our previous shame!

They simply did not believe they could lose to those rebel troops!

The imperial court's troops are the finest; those rebels are either new recruits or surrendered enemy soldiers—what use could they be?

They felt the allied forces could be so arrogant only because they hadn't taken action!