"King Rui is utterly shaless to the extre. He usurped the throne and now vilifies the Empress Dowager to maintain a good reputation. The Empress Dowager was gentle by nature and never treated him harshly. Even in death, she’s slandered. Isn’t he afraid of divine retribution?" Bai Ruozhu cursed angrily.
"He secretly organized a clandestine group before, even wearing a mask and naming himself Chiyou. Chiyou was at least a heroic figure, but what is he?" She continued to scold.
Jianqi bowed slightly beside her, "Master, please don’t be upset. Consider the child in your womb. No matter how high King Rui jumps now, there will co a day when he falls."
Bai Ruozhu took a few deep breaths, chanting to herself, "Yes, I can’t get angry. I need to stay calm, calm..."
It took her a long while to regain her composure, and she felt sorrowful again. Such a kind Empress Dowager had passed away, left with a bad na. Indeed, history is written by the victors. They must help the Emperor reclaim the throne and restore justice for the Empress Dowager.
"Master, there’s more news," Jianqi reminded.
"Keep going," Bai Ruozhu rubbed her aching temples. She couldn’t think too much; the deceased was gone. She couldn’t always wallow in grief and risk affecting the health of her unborn baby.
"The Northern nomadic tribes were originally leaderless and never posed much threat. With An Beihou guarding the North Pass, they dared not invade. But recently, the Yueqiu Tribe saw the rise of a strategist calling himself the Celestial Wolf, who sohow managed to unite several tribes and repeatedly attack North Pass," Jianqi said.
Bai Ruozhu frowned, "With An Beihou leading the troops away, it gives them an advantage. But this matter is no longer our headache. The North is not far from the Capital, and they might just invade the Imperial City."
The previous dynasty also suffered invasions from Northern barbarians who looted treasures and concubines before leaving. For the reigning Emperor, it was a great humiliation, and he passed away in depression less than half a year due to the shock and anger.
Jianqi sighed lightly, "Who knows if King Rui can hold off the Northern barbarians? If they invade, the ones who suffer will be the common people. It’s said that they burn, kill, and plunder wherever they go, taking not just gold, silver, and jewels but also won, even sparing not young girls."
Bai Ruozhu was stunned for a long ti before recovering. The Northern barbarians were fierce, marching and fighting without won, so they looted money and won wherever they went, even sparing young girls when won were insufficient.
She took a deep breath, "The Emperor won’t deploy troops soon, and I hope King Rui has the capability to keep those Northern barbarians at bay."
However, this was a contradictory matter. If King Rui dispatched forces to block the Northern barbarians, he could establish a good image among the people, showing his love for the people as his children and proving his capability for the position.
At least in the hearts of the people in the Capital and the North Pass area, their impression of him would change.
But if he failed to resist the Northern barbarians, a large number of people would suffer, which Bai Ruozhu didn’t want to see.
After all, King Rui had the advantage of the Capital, which distinguished him from Prince Duan. Although Prince Duan raised the flag of rebellion, he couldn’t break into the Capital, aiming directly at Tang Yin’s rear base, Beiyu City, but ultimately failed.
But King Rui was much smarter; he broke through the most dangerous place and took the Imperial Palace at once, gaining a favorable position.
"Additionally, news from the Comrce Association is that the Northwest Turkic is restless, perhaps wanting to take advantage of the chaos in Danliang to seize so cities," Jianqi added.
They couldn’t interfere with the North Pass, but they couldn’t ignore the Northwest Turkic. If they marched straight in, they would soon reach Beiyu City.
"Forget it; these aren’t things I can think too much about. The Emperor and the court officials will arrange it," Bai Ruozhu said tiredly.
Jianqi observed her and exited respectfully. Bai Ruozhu lay down in her clothes and rested for two hours, feeling sowhat better.
In Beiyu City, after listening to King Rui’s newly issued announcent, the Emperor appeared calm, even instructing the writers below to draft a rebuttal condemning King Rui’s ten cris, before discussing defense strategies in the Northwest with An Beihou, Tu Lie, and other generals, then returned to his bedchamber to rest.
He hadn’t even sat down when he began to cough violently, and Wang Shun hurriedly offered him tea, shocked to see him coughing up blood onto a handkerchief.
"Your Majesty!" Wang Shun put down the tea and knelt on the ground, "You must take care of your dragon body. I’ll summon an Imperial Doctor imdiately to examine you."
Tang Yin nodded, "Don’t make a fuss; I don’t want people to panic."
Wang Shun nodded hastily, feeling distressed. Hadn’t the Emperor improved over the past few days? Why was he coughing up blood again? It must have been the anger from that dispiriting news.
The Emperor’s offspring were still young, effectively leaving no successor. If he fell ill at this mont, it would undoubtedly disrupt military morale.
Wang Shun secretly instructed a clever Little Eunuch to fetch an Imperial Doctor and then re-entered, saying, "Your Majesty, why not let Doctor Bai examine you?"
Bai Ruozhu was a trustworthy person, skilled in dical skills.
The Emperor shook his head, "I promised Yichun to let her rest and care for her pregnancy. Why call her from so far away? I’m aware of my body; it’s just a result of frustration and anger."
Seeing the Emperor’s firm attitude, Wang Shun dared not say more, lest he anger the Emperor further. He calculated the days, thinking it had been over a month since Doctor Bai returned to her hotown. Perhaps he could discuss with Minister ng privately?
Shortly, the Imperial Physician arrived and examined the Emperor, concluding essentially what the Emperor himself thought. The Imperial Physician prescribed dication, and Wang Shun privately instructed him to keep silent before allowing him to leave.
Bai Ruozhu was unaware of the situation in Beiyu City. The next day, the family received a letter from Zhang Liliang, which made everyone happy. Bai Ruozhu heard about it from the maidservant and hurriedly went to the front hall to read the letter, only to find the atmosphere at ho unusually somber, with her mother’s eyes slightly red.
"What’s the matter?" Her heart skipped a beat. Had sothing happened to Uncle Zhang and the others?
At her inquiry, Lin Ping’er burst into tears, sobbing, "Poor Ruolan got lost on the way, and Uncle Zhang and the others can’t find her. If we had known this would happen, we shouldn’t have sent her back halfway. It’s all my fault for not taking good care of her."
Bai Ruozhu’s heart sank to the bottom, but she forced herself to stay calm and comforted her mother by saying, "Mother, this isn’t your fault. If you had kept her with you from the start, with so many people, it would’ve been even more chaotic, and she might have gotten lost then. Didn’t she run off by herself twice before?"
Lin Ping’er cried even harder, "That child is truly unfortunate. Who knows how she is now."
Bai Ruozhu took the letter from her elder brother’s hand and began to read it. It ntioned that Guizhi had been taken out of the city by Wa San ahead of them to Beiyu City, while in their escape from the Capital, many city officials nearby had pledged allegiance to King Rui.
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