However, it unfortunately affected the father, the emperor, the queen and the entire people of Western Chu.

Her hand suddenly touched a hard object. When she lowered her head, she saw that it was the ancient mirror in her sleeve. She didn't think much about it at the time. She just felt that this ancient mirror had a lot to do with her, so she took it with her. But she

But she didn't expect that such an unintentional mistake almost caused her to lose her lover forever.

However, this is a story for later.

*

"Master, what do you think?"

Leng Su handed the freshly cooked medicine to Xia Houlie. He squinted at the dark concoction in the bowl and swallowed it in one gulp.

This medicine was obtained for him by his treasured mother with great pains, and no matter how hard it was, he still enjoyed it.

But the medicine was too bitter. He frowned slightly, then handed the bowl back to Leng Su and said calmly:

"After taking medicine for a few days, I'm almost feeling better. Call General Fu and the others to come in."

Leng Su saw that his complexion had indeed improved a lot and that he no longer suffered from cold and high fever these days, so he felt relieved and walked out with the empty bowl.

Fuyuan and others quickly came in to report the battle situation. The armies of Helian Hengzhi and Murong Chen were stationed five miles outside Liangcheng with eager eyes and might launch an attack at any time. Although Xiahou Lie had enough soldiers, most of them were

They were from the north, and they became acclimatized as soon as they entered the country. Almost half of them were infected with cold and fever. Although they already had Mu Qingwan's prescription, it would take several days for the medicine to take effect. If Helian Hengzhi and the others took advantage of the situation, the soldiers

If the efforts of healing and self-cultivation are taken advantage of, the consequences will be disastrous.

Therefore, in the past few days, he had to discuss with Mu Qingrong, the king of Western Chu, and ask Xichu to send soldiers to guard the surroundings of Liangcheng to prevent any unexpected events.

But things didn't go as smoothly as he expected.

Mu Qingrong and Queen Min were getting weaker and weaker, and major affairs in the court were basically left to Qingwan's brother, Prince Mu Zhongqing.

Mu Zhongqing already had a feud with Xia Houlie, and now that Helian Hengzhi and Murong Chen's joint attack had already made him frightened, he was afraid that this time Xiahou Lie was obviously here to help Xi Chu, but secretly he was trying to devour Xi Chu.

Chu's idea.

Therefore, from time to time, he would secretly or openly hint to Mu Qingrong that Xia Houlie might have bad intentions, and asked him not to lead a wolf into the house.

Mu Qingrong was also worried about Xia Houlie's attempt to hide his power and bide his time escaping from Western Chu. He knew that his deep scheming should not be underestimated. What's more, he later used force to force him to lose his favorite daughter. Naturally,

He also had a grudge against him, but now Helian Hengzhi and Murong Chen's troops were watching him outside, so he had to rely on this powerful help.

On the surface, he and Xia Houlie cooperated well, but in his heart, he was always wary of Xia Houlie, and secretly sent secret guards to monitor his every move in Liangcheng.

"These Mu family father and son are really scornful of Lu Dongbin and don't understand good people. We came all the way to fight for them and suffered countless casualties. As a result, not only did they not appreciate it, they also distrusted us..."

General Fuyuan, who originally had objections to the dispatch of troops, became even more furious when he learned that Mu Qingrong had sent secret guards to monitor him. He did not care about Xia Houlie's presence and lost his temper.

He didn't understand that whatever happened to Xi Chu was their own business, so why did the emperor send troops to help them?

Now most of his soldiers have contracted cold and fever, and a small number of them have died from it. In his opinion, as a soldier, if you want to die, you have to die on the battlefield. It is honorable to wrap your body in horse leather. However,

Now his beloved generals have all died of this inexplicable disease. How can this not make him feel distressed and angry?

"General, have a drink of water to calm down." The deputy general next to him quickly poured him a glass of water. Fu Yuan took it angrily, but did not drink it. He just looked at Xia Houlie with a deep look:

"Your Majesty, I wonder if you can explain to us the reason for sending troops to help Western Chu this time? We Beiyan and Western Chu have always been in harmony with each other, so there is no need to sacrifice so much for them! Today I must do something for my people

Brothers who died, please give me an explanation, otherwise even if the emperor wants to remove me from office and remove me from my post, my soldiers and I will never appear on the battlefield again!"

"General Fu..." Leng Su subconsciously wanted to scold him for his unreasonableness, but was stopped by Xia Houlie's faint wave of his hand.

"Fuyuan, you have been marching and fighting for so many years, so you must not be ignorant of the truth of the cold. Yes, we and Xi Chu have always been on the same page, but now, Helian Hengzhi of Dongmo and Murong Chen of Nanling have formed an alliance.

, although they are fighting against the poor and weak Western Chu, once they annex Western Chu, expand their territory, and strengthen their power, who knows that their next target will not be Northern Yan? Once the situation of the four kingdoms is broken, then

The entire Xiling Continent will never have a peaceful life again. Is the end of life the end you want to see?"

Xia Houlie's few words made Fuyuan speechless. To be honest, he was a rough man. He only knew how to march and fight. He knew nothing about political strategy. He was loyal to the country and the people. He loved and cared for his subordinates because he was a man.

A general should fulfill his responsibilities and duties, so after losing several beloved generals, his hot temper flared up.

"You go down and rest first. I will take care of the Mu family." Xia Houlie rubbed his brows tiredly and waved his hand to signal Fu Yuan and the other lieutenants to leave.

General Fuyuan knew that although the fourth prince was indifferent and taciturn, he had his own way of doing things, and there was no doubt about his ability. Now that he had an explanation, he was not a messy person, so he retreated with his lieutenants.

.

"Master, should we send a letter to Master Wan and ask her to make peace with her? After all, she is the daughter of the King of Western Chu, so she is easier to talk to..."

Seeing Xia Houlie's tired face, Leng Ji poured a cup of ginseng tea and handed it to him.

Xia Houlie took it, took a sip and put it on the table. Then he lay on the recliner and closed his eyes to relax. Before his eyes, Mu Qingwan was stroking her belly and smiling happily.

Their baby is now more than four months old, and her belly should be obvious. I wonder if she is eating well? Is she sleeping well? Is she suffering from severe nausea?

Such longing wrapped around him like maggots clinging to his bones, leaving him unable to rest for a moment. If possible, he really wanted to fly back to her, stay with her and the baby and never leave her.

However, he knew that no matter how much he missed at this moment, he had to suppress it. He wanted to save her motherland and her father, the emperor, and her empress for her, and he could not let her have any regrets in her life.

He thought for a long time, and then he opened his eyes again, and his eyes were already clear:

"Don't bother her with this matter. She's already had a hard time getting pregnant. I don't want her to worry anymore. The matter with the King of Western Chu... A road can tell a horse's strength, and time can tell a person's heart. As long as we are sincerely helping

, they may not be fools. What's more, now they have no other way to go except relying on Beiyan's reinforcements, unless they really want to seek death."

*

"Is the news accurate?"

Helian Hengzhi placed a piece on the white jade chessboard and looked at the Biying beside him indifferently.

"It's absolutely true. Beiyan's General Fuyuan caused a big fuss in Xiahou Lie's military camp because of this incident. Master, what should we do?"

Helian Hengzhi did not answer immediately, but turned his attention back to the chessboard. Opposite him, Murong Chen was still dressed in red. After he landed a piece, the smile on his face became smug and excited, as if he had made the right decision.

I will definitely win this game of chess.

"you lose."

Just in the next second, Helian Hengzhi dropped a ball in an unexpected place, and then quietly announced his defeat.

Murong Chen stared at the chessboard in disbelief for a long time before he realized what he was doing and couldn't help but bow his hand to Helian Hengzhi:

"Brother Helian's chess skills are indeed exquisite. I am really amazed at how good he is."

Helian Hengzhi smiled sarcastically, with a dark look in his eyes, "To defeat the enemy with one move, the best strategy is to win by . Now Xia Houlie is just like you just now. He is sure that he will win, but he forgot about my next move.

As long as I drop one piece in a key place, he will lose everything!"

"Oh? From the look of Brother Helian, you must be confident?" Murong Chen took the handkerchief handed over by the maid next to him and wiped his hands. He chuckled and picked up a grape and put it into his mouth.

"Bi Ying." Helian Hengzhi smiled and said nothing. He just called Bi Ying and said a few words in her ear. Bi Ying's eyes suddenly brightened up and he quickly followed the order and left.

Murong Chen next to him was a little dissatisfied, "Why should it be so mysterious that even my ally, like me, can't know about it?"

Helian Hengzhi leaned back on the recliner and looked at the dark clouds gradually gathering in the sky and smiled lightly, "Don't be impatient. You will know when the time comes."

*

Queen's Hall of the Imperial Palace of Western Chu

Queen Min had just drank a cup of soothing tea and was about to take a nap when her personal maid, Ling Yan, suddenly came over with a beaming face and said:

"Mother, there is news about the princess."

Queen Min stopped lifting the quilt and turned her head to look at Ling Yan. After a while, she realized what she had heard and quickly urged:

"Seriously? Please tell me clearly!"

Ling Yan comforted her and helped her sit down on the bed, then raised her voice and said outside:

"Biying, come in."

"Biying?" Queen Min was d. She didn't expect to see this little maid whom her daughter trusted most again.

But now that she has returned to Xichu, where is Qing'er?

While she was thinking anxiously, Biying had already walked in, still looking as weak as she had remembered. Her face was pale at the moment, which made Queen Min's heart skip a beat.

Biying bowed respectfully and said, "I wish you to meet the Queen. She may be a thousand years old!"

Queen Min had already excitedly gone to help her and said repeatedly:

"Get up, get up. Biying, why did you come back to Xichu? Where is the princess? Where is she? Is she okay?"

Ever since the last fire that shocked the entire Xiling continent made her think that she had completely lost her daughter, she had been crying all day long, but she was stubbornly unwilling to believe that her smart little daughter was really no longer alive, so she and the emperor

Many secret guards were still sent out to look for news about Qing'er, but until now, her whereabouts are still unknown.

The more she thought about it, the more sad she felt. The face of the old-looking Furong was already stained with tears.

Biying also shed tears. Regardless of the distinction between superiority and inferiority, she excitedly held Queen Min's hand and cried:

"Empress..."

Seeing that she was just crying bitterly, Queen Min calmed down. She quickly wiped away her tears and pulled her to sit down and said, "Biying, don't cry yet. What exactly happened? Please tell me in detail."

Biying said: "The princess is actually not dead. She is now in Beiyan. She learned that Helian Hengzhi from Dongmo and Murong Chen from Nanling had joined forces to attack Xichu. She was very anxious and begged Xiahou Lie to send troops to aid Xichu.

Although Xia Houlie openly agreed to her, the slave girl overheard that he actually sent troops here to monopolize Western Chu, so that he could reap the benefits when both sides were hurt. The slave girl was horrified after hearing this.

He told the princess, but the princess didn't believe it. She had been blinded by Xia Houlie's sweet words and couldn't listen to the slave's advice at all. So out of desperation, the slave came to Xichu to find the empress, in order to prevent Xia Houlie's death.
To be continued...