Chapter 39: The Weight of Filial Piety

Tong Lian couldn’t afford to oppose Yan Ziqi at this moment.

Back when the Tong family first came to take control of the Iron Cavalry Army, it had been a tremendous challenge.

However, the Iron Cavalry Army had been led by the Yan family for generations, and they naturally felt a close bond with Yan Ziqi.

Especially since Vice General Ge had been saved by him.

Because of this single battle, Yan Ziqi was now able to stand on equal footing with Tong Lian within the army.

Half a month passed, and Yan Ziqi realized that there were still soldiers in the Iron Cavalry who were loyal to the Tong family.

Although he had successfully rescued Vice General Ge and his men, when it came to dealing with General Tong’s capture, Yan Ziqi’s efforts had slowed.

He had already sent a letter to Beiyue, inviting the Second Prince of Beiyue to visit the Great Qi as a guest.

However, there had been no response, and they had made no mention of returning General Tong.

Tong Lian, knowing Yan Ziqi was reputed to be a playboy fond of beauty, secretly arranged for someone to invite him to a brothel.

To his surprise, Yan Ziqi was instead drinking with Vice General Ge.

He would rather share a tent with men than spend a night in a brothel.

Vice General Ge had originally worried that Yan Ziqi had given up on himself and feared that Tong Lian’s schemes might bring harm to him.

Fortunately, Yan Ziqi hadn’t let it affect him.

“What a shame that kid Ji Bai went home to get married. Otherwise, you’d be able to see him,” Ge lamented.

The political intricacies in the capital had been handled, thanks to Ji Bai.

Inside the tent, Vice General Ge and Yan Ziqi drank together.

Yan Ziqi wasn’t truly a lustful man; his playboy persona was merely for show.

Ling’er and Shuang’er were merely there for appearances.

In fact, Drunken Spring Pavilion was one of Yan Ziqi’s intelligence gathering spots.

Yan Ziqi was also eager to see Ling Ji Bai again, even though they had been in secret communication. It had been many years since they had met in person.

He envied Ling Ji Bai, who had the opportunity to fight alongside his father on the battlefield.

All Yan Ziqi had were the military strategies left behind by his father and the teachings of the past.

Once on the battlefield, however, things could change in an instant.

Yan Ziqi saw through Tong Lian’s little tricks and naturally didn’t fall for them.

“The Second Prince of Beiyue has been reluctant to hand over General Tong, likely because he wants to make a deal with us.”

After all, General Tong was the commanding officer. They wouldn’t release him without securing some benefits for themselves.

Yan Ziqi’s task was to make them feel that General Tong wasn’t all that important, at least to ensure that future negotiations wouldn’t favor Beiyue too much.

In the distant Beiyue camp, the Second Prince found himself puzzled by this Yan heir.

According to the spies’ reports, Yan Ziqi had been in a slump ever since his parents passed away, often frequenting brothels.

But now, his actions were completely different from what they had expected.

He even dared to invite the Second Prince to the Great Qi military camp.

Naturally, the Second Prince declined.

After drinking with Uncle Ge, Yan Ziqi returned to his tent.

He had received a stack of letters from Li Ning’an but hadn’t read them. If he didn’t respond to any of them, she might just rush to the border herself.

The news from the capital reached the border slowly.

Yan Ziqi opened the first letter, which began with the words “Dear Yan Lang.”

Every letter from Li Ning’an expressed her longing for him and detailed what she had done each day.

Of course, she hadn’t mentioned a single thing about the incident at Manxuan Tower.

The letters always ended with a wish for his safety and a swift return.

After reading, Yan Ziqi wasn’t sure what to feel.

He had always found Li Ning’an’s affection for him somewhat inexplicable.

It was as if she had suddenly had an epiphany—or perhaps someone else had taken over her body.

After a moment of silence, Yan Ziqi picked up his brush and wrote a reply to Li Ning’an.

Unfortunately, by the time the letter reached Li Ning’an, she was still under house arrest.

Attempting to assassinate a high-ranking official was no small crime.

However, Li Ning’an’s intent was to defend her uncle, unwilling to see him falsely accused.

Emperor Mingde had ordered her confinement in Changle Palace for the time being. No one was allowed to visit her, and she couldn’t leave without his permission.

Even though the Empress had visited Qiankun Palace, she had been unable to help Ning’an.

She couldn’t understand why Ning’an would do such a thing.

But Li Ning’an had her reasons.

Although she was under house arrest, it was the Imperial Guards keeping an eye on her—essentially, her own people.

After two days, Li Ning’an decided to act. She changed into a palace maid’s attire, took out a banknote worth a thousand taels of silver, and walked to the gate.

“I’ll be out for just one hour, and it’ll be dark soon. If I keep my head down, no one will notice,” she said, handing the silver banknote to the guard captain at the door.

The guard captain didn’t dare accept it. Because of Princess Ning’an, their daily drills had been intensified—especially the part where they were unexpectedly attacked with swords.

The emperor had specifically instructed them not to let Princess Ning’an leave the palace, nor to allow anyone in.

He couldn’t accept the silver, nor could he agree to let her out.

Li Ning’an knew the situation was serious this time. She had no choice but to act as she did.

She put the banknote away and asked, “Can you at least tell me how Senior Censor Ji is doing?”

This was not something the guard captain had any reason to hide.

“He’s stable now. They’ve sent him back to the Ji residence, but he’s still unconscious. His life is no longer in danger.”

Had something happened to Senior Censor Ji, Princess Ning’an likely wouldn’t have just been confined to Changle Palace.

Over the past two days, many memorials had been submitted, requesting severe punishment for Princess Ning’an.

People were saying that today she dared to kill Senior Censor Ji, and tomorrow she might dare to kill the Prime Minister. And the day after that, she could… commit treason.

How could they allow a murderous demon like her to remain?

As for Prince Jing, people weren’t paying much attention to him.

He was merely a prince living in seclusion, with three beautiful daughters, all married off to husbands who held low-ranking official positions.

It seemed he only had a newborn son, still in swaddling clothes.

Not even as significant as the Ninth Prince.

When Fu Minglang learned of the situation, he was greatly shocked.

He couldn’t believe that Princess Ning’an would harm Senior Censor Ji without reason.

But he couldn’t meet with her, so he couldn’t find out more.

Wen Di wanted to enter the palace, but even the empress was unable to see Ning’an, so it was even less likely for him.

Grand Tutor Wen told him to stay home and behave.

The wife of Duke Dingguo and Shui Yuerong were both worried about Princess Ning’an.

Shui Yuerong’s husband, Ling Ji Bai, wasn’t present, and she had no influence in court. The wife of Duke Dingguo, however, asked her husband to speak on Ning’an’s behalf.

Duke Dingguo was mindful that Ning’an had been instrumental in getting the emperor to decree for so many doctors to treat Mingxi’s illness, giving him a glimmer of hope.

It was only right for him to speak up for her.

However, pleading for leniency was tricky for Duke Dingguo, as he represented the entire Dingguo household.

When Fu Mingying heard the news, she only thought that Ning’an had brought this trouble upon herself.

Despite her noble status and the emperor’s favor, she had done something so foolish.

She relayed the news to her mother, who was pleased.

Princess Ning’an had once liked Minglang, and although she now claimed to love Yan Ziqi, many noble families were still hesitant to arrange marriages with the Fu family, fearing that Ning’an might still harbor feelings for Minglang.

They all wanted to wait and see.

If something happened to Princess Ning’an, those families would likely no longer be concerned.

However, Old Madam Fu, who was also aware of the situation, called Fu Minglang to her side.

“You must help Princess Ning’an. She’s deeply in love with you, and you can’t let her down.”

“Besides, if you help her out of this dangerous situation, she’ll be forever grateful and will reward you generously.”

“Grandson, you wouldn’t be so unfilial as to disobey your grandmother, would you?”

Fu Minglang stood before his grandmother, and with the weight of filial piety pressed upon him, he couldn’t refuse.

He had studied diligently all these years, all in hopes of bringing glory to the Fu family.

Yan Ziqi was far away at the border and probably didn’t even know what was happening.