On the night of July fifteenth, indeed, they received news that the Regent had escaped from prison.

The dark guards in the prison had held out for eight days but ultimately couldn’t keep the prison secure. However, the delay was enough for Feng Yao and the others to transport the newly developed cannons to the southern region.

After all, even if the Regent’s message was sent at top speed, it would still take three to five days to reach the Zhang Kingdom. The commander of the Zhang Kingdom would then need another three to five days to launch an attack. This timing was perfect; as soon as they attacked, they would taste the power of these new cannons.

When Duan Changchuan received the news, he was lying in Bai Su’s hall.

The pregnant Omega was awoken and had a bad temper, “Got it. Causing trouble in the middle of the night. Let the guards return, we’ll discuss the rest tomorrow.”

With that, he lay back down again.

Bai Su held him in her arms to comfort him, and whispered to Chang Le, “Do as His Majesty says. We’ve already deployed. Even if he attacks now, it won’t be a problem.”

Chang Le quickly bowed and responded, “Yes.”

Just as he was about to leave, Yi Man reported, “Your Majesty, Lord Jiang of the Supreme Court requests an audience. He said he worked day and night and finally sorted out the case. He came to present them to Your Majesty.”

This time, the young emperor was completely woken up.

The timing …

It just so happened the case was sorted out on the night the Regent escaped. Even one day earlier would have left no room for Duan Jing’an’s antics.

But the entire Supreme Court worked day and night. It was very tiring …

Thus, he could only resign himself to fate, get dressed, and go to the front hall. He couldn’t dampen the spirits of the dedicated and hardworking officials.

Thus, he vented all his anger on the Regent.

“Duan Jingan simply disregards national law! Today he escapes, does he plan to rebel tomorrow?”

“How infuriating!”

“Minister Jiang, pass on my decree! Arrest the Regent at all costs. Anyone who provides clues will be rewarded with ten thousand of gold!”

As he spoke, he wanted to throw things, but upon realizing that everything in the palace was valuable … he retracted his restless hands.

And continued to vent.

After exhausting himself, he dismissed everyone and sat at the table sulking.

There was a creak outside the door, followed by Chang Le’s very soft voice, “Your Highness, watch your step.”

“Mm, give me the lamp and you may leave.”

“Aye.”

Turning around, he saw the woman in silk clothes, holding a lamp. The light swayed as she walked.

“You’ve looked at the files and asked the questions. Why aren’t you back to sleep yet?”

The woman put the lamp on the table and sat down beside him.

“The moment I think of Duan Jingan, I get very angry. I’m so angry that I’m not sleepy anymore.” The young man said, pouting.

Bai Su was stunned at first, then leaned in close, lifting the Omega’s chin, her long beautiful eyes gazing into his, “Oh, you’re angry at Duan Jing’an? Why do I feel … Your Majesty is throwing a tantrum because he was woken up?”

At her words, the young man’s body stiffened.

His beautiful eyes subconsciously dodged, “No … no way. I’m not that childish.”

The Alpha smiled and patted his head, “Really? Then Your Majesty, please calm down and accompany this concubine to sleep, okay? I’m sleepy.”

The next moment, the Omega with the scent of gardenias nestled into her arms. His arms tightly wrapped around her, and she heard a long inhale at her shoulder.

“… Baby?” Bai Su patted his back.

She heard the young man’s muffled reply, “Sister …”

“Hm?”

“I … want to eat spicy sticks^[1]辣条 (Là tiáo) – Chinese snacks. It taste good. :D.”

???

She was amused and exasperated.

She immediately gave a light smack on his little butt, “I see you need a bit of discipline.”

After speaking, she directly picked him up horizontally and carried him back to the bedroom, throwing him onto the bed.

“Sleep. Now, immediately!”

“You spoiled brat.”

–

The Regent’s attack was launched three days later. On July eighteenth, just after 3 o’clock, the sound of drums could be heard outside.

Chang Le hurried over and said, “Your Majesty, the Regent has led troops to surround the estate.”

Once again woken up, Duan Changchuan, “…”

He turned to look at Bai Su, “Why doesn’t he sleep every night? Does he sleep during the day? It’s so hot during the day, I can’t sleep on the mountain even while pregnant, I don’t believe he can sleep during the day.”

Bai Su was amused by him, “He might not be able to sleep at all times.”

The young man got up to dress, “Of course, he can’t sleep after doing something against his conscience.”

Bai Su directly pressed him back to the bed, “Guess what would happen if you don’t get up and the whole estate remains quiet?”

Duan Changchuan blinked and instantly took off his clothes again, lying down obediently, “That makes sense.”

The Regent was naturally suspicious. He was very likely to think that this was an empty fort strategy, but he still had to weigh it carefully: whether this was the real empty fort strategy or not.

By the time he figured it out, it would be noon. By then, his troops, wearing heavy armor, would be half dead just from standing in the heat. Meanwhile, the reinforcements from the National Uncle had already been stationed in the cool, well-supplied valley behind the estate for days, well-rested and ready for battle.

When the time came, one side would be exhausted and one side would be full. It would be clear who had the advantage.

So Duan Changchuan slept soundly, instructing Changle to tell everyone in the estate to sleep well and not give the enemy any clues.

As a result, life in the estate went on as usual, and even at dawn, the kitchen’s food smelled wafted out.

Meanwhile, Duan Jingan’s face was dark as he led his troops who had rushed through the night without sleep or food for twenty-four hours, standing under the scorching sun with growling stomachs.

“Your Majesty, they’re still standing outside. The Prince Cheng seems to have gone to discuss matters with someone and can’t be seen now.”

Chang Le reported while setting the table.

After stripping Duan Jing’an of his regent title, everyone referred to him as Prince Cheng.

Duan Changchuan picked up a pickled cucumber with his chopsticks and asked calmly, “Has Prime Minister Bai made any movements?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, the Prime Minister’s residence is quiet per your instructions.”

“Well, his silence is our greatest advantage this time. Otherwise, I would have to divert my attention to see if he was plotting against us.”

“Your Majesty is right.”

“…”

They chatted idly as they ate. Once the servants cleared the plates, Duan Changchuan set up a chessboard.

He invited Yun Xie and Feng Yao to join, and the four split into two teams, engaging in an intense battle on the chessboard.

Before they knew it, it was noon.

Chang Le came over to ask, “Your Majesty, shall I serve the meal? The imperial kitchen has prepared roast goose, steamed shrimp, steamed pork, chilled fish jelly salad, and vinegar-sautéed bok choy. You insisted that it be especially fragrant, and I made sure to check—it smells really wonderful.”

The four exchanged glances and stood up together.

Duan Changchuan dusted off his clothes and said, “Serve the meal but make sure to inform the kitchen that I am in a good mood today and want to dine on the city wall. Have them send everything up there.”

Afterward, he leisurely walked towards the city walls with Bai Su and the others.

Therefore, the soldiers who had been guarding outside the manor since the middle of the night were already starving to the point of dizziness. They had to maintain their morale without any food, under the scorching sun. When they saw a group of well-dressed people suddenly appear on the city wall, they almost thought they were hallucinating.

The rich aroma of meat wafted down with the wind, causing quite a commotion.

These soldiers were all deployed by deputy generals loyal to the regent. Many of them had no idea why they were there, but due to military discipline, they couldn’t communicate with each other and could only guess while standing in formation.

Seeing the emperor feasting on the city wall left them even more confused.

While they were still in a daze, a well-dressed man on the city wall suddenly dropped a large bronze ‘morning glory’ tied to a rope. The morning glory was hanging on a string, and it suddenly emitted a coughing sound. Not only did it cough, but it could also speak!

“Criminal Duan Jing’an, you have committed treason and rebellion! You intended to spread the plague in Huainan and destroy our Da Tong’s country! To seize the throne, you disregarded the lives of countless commoners. His Majesty, considering the unborn royal heir, spared your life and imprisoned you in prison, but you escaped and led a rebellion, adding to your crimes!”

After these words, the soldiers were in an uproar. Everyone turned around to look at the tent behind them.

Inside, the regent and their general, who had been discussing military strategies since the morning, finally emerged.

Hearing the youth’s proclamation from the city wall, their steps hastened noticeably.

“Utter nonsense! Since I became regent, I have been diligent and loyal to Da Tong and its people! It is the emperor who, to seize the throne, fabricated a fake plague in Huainan and blamed everything on me! This is an unjust accusation without a cause!”

He looked up at the well-dressed people on the city wall, shaking with ‘rage’.

He turned around and calmly looked at the tens of thousands of soldiers behind him.

“The general could not bear to see Da Tong fall into the hands of a foolish ruler and rescue me from the dungeon. After much reflection, I have taken on the infamy of rebellion for the sake of Da Tong’s future prosperity and the well-being of its suffering people. For thousands of years, this treasonous label will be mine to bear!”

“Even with the enemy at our gates, the emperor still feasts on the city wall! Even King You of Zhou, who lit beacons to amuse his vassals, would be ashamed! Such a decadent and tyrannical ruler—today, I will eradicate evil for Da Tong and restore peace to the people!”

After his speech, the soldiers began to murmur among themselves.

At this moment, the horn sounded again. This time, a calmer voice said, “Although I can’t hear what Duan Jing’an is saying, I can guess he is accusing me of wrongdoings. I will ask only three questions: First, during the Huainan drought when crops failed, the court sent forty million taels of silver and millions of stones of grain for relief, yet the people still suffered. The silver was exploited, the grain was hoarded, and countless starving people were on the road. During this period, who was in charge then, was it me?”

“Second, when the Huainan plague raged like a fierce tiger, Imperial Uncle had been in power for thirteen years with countless capable men under him, yet did he take any action? I was concerned for the people and with my lack of talent, so I could only urgently summon the old officials to the palace to consult for epidemic prevention. It was also my empress who went to Huainan to take charge of the situation! Imperial Uncle, what did you do? And why did you secretly send the heir and his wife to Huainan when Imperial Physician Sun announced the epidemic was under control? You have ulterior motives and deserve to be punished!”

“Third, I have the imperial guards inside and the Northern Army patrolling outside, but Imperial Uncle dared to privately mobilize troops to besiege me in the manor. Who gave you the courage to only have the tens of thousands of soldiers? Was it the promise of ten cities to the Zhang Kingdom?”

After these three questions, all the soldiers started discussing.

“His Majesty makes a good point! The famine in Huainan happened around this time last year! And the regent was in power then.”

“The regent was imprisoned for his mistakes, yet he still commands military power. Looks like His Majesty hasn’t even fully taken control yet … but he handled the Huainan situation so well!”

“I heard that the floodwaters in Huainan and Jiangzhe are higher this year than in the past decade, yet there were no casualties among the common people.”

“Even if there were casualties, would they tell us? We didn’t know about the mass graves in Huainan beforehand either.”

“I don’t know, but there were rumors. So many people died in Huainan and there were countless rumors back then. The scholars of Jiangsu and Zhejiang discussed politics in the teahouses every day, and they were all furious. But this year? Nothing!”

“Could it be that we’ve been deceived?”

“This is treason, brothers!”

While they were discussing, the bronze ‘morning glory’ at the base of the city wall was smashed to pieces by a boulder hurled by the general.

The clanging of metal silenced everyone.

“Utter nonsense! Twisting the truth, calling black white! Utter nonsense! Nonsense!”

The general fumed …

But in the next second, an overwhelming number of pages floated down from the city wall, fluttering like snowflakes.

Most of the men in the army were illiterate, but some could read. Those who could read began to read aloud one after another, only to discover that these were all letters between the regent and the court officials and even the Zhang Kingdom!

Everything the emperor had said was true!

“Brothers, we have been deceived!” Someone waved his weapon and stood on a high ground, shouting, “Brothers! The regent has the heart of a treacherous official. He is the scourge of Da Tong!”

Just as he finished speaking, an arrow pierced through his heart … He completely fell to the ground and could not get up.

The bow in the regent’s hand had not yet been put down.

“So what if it’s true? So what if it’s treason? Tens of thousands of people present have besieged the emperor for twelve hours. Whether willingly or not, the crime of rebellion is already committed. If we succeed today, you will be heroes aiding in the emperor’s ascent! If we fail, he, Duan Changchuan will not spare a single one of you! It’s useless to judge right and wrong … Survival is what matters. Think about your wives and children, and think about your old mothers at home. They are all waiting day and night for you to return home in glory.”

These were truly heart-wrenching words.

Regardless of whether they were horizontal or vertical, death awaits. There was still a glimmer of hope if they fought.

Though the soldiers still looked grim, they strangely calmed down after this ‘persuasion.’

Their eyes were full of resentment towards the Regent, but they had no choice but to pick up their swords and spears…

Amid the stalemate, a clear female voice came from among the camp commanders, saying, “His Majesty would never! His Majesty is benevolent and will never execute tens of thousands of innocent soldiers! When the people were displaced, His Majesty was bedridden with grief for months. During the Huainan plague, His Majesty stayed in the palace until June 15, when news of a great victory came before he went to the mountains to escape the heat. A king who rejoices only in the happiness of his people could never order the execution of thousands of soldiers!”

It turned out to be Duan Qinxue, who had followed them all the way, dressed in a pale yellow dress, who lifted the curtain and stepped out.

“What His Majesty said is true. I’m also the one who presented the evidence to His Majesty. Father, please stop. So many people have died in Huainan, Father, don’t you feel guilty? His Majesty is controlling the plague in Huainan, but you sent my brother and sister-in-law to steal the patients’ clothes and poison the inns outside the city. Without His Majesty’s intervention, how many more people would have died for your ambition in Datong?”

She continued, “The day I saw the letter, I came to His Majesty and begged him to spare you, considering you had not yet committed a great crime. But what about you?”

“When a girl named Bai appeared in Huainan, you wanted to kill her and let my sister-in-law replace her. Huainan had a hard time controlling the plague, but you wanted to undo the hard-won control over the plague for the sake of your political achievements, intending to let it ravage the country again before addressing it anew. To rebel, you even colluded with the generals of the Zhang Empire and let them restrain the military power of the southern border, leaving His Majesty alone and without help. You even promised to give them ten cities after the matter was completed! Qinxue grew up in the northwest military camp, watched countless civilians’ homes being trampled by the enemy’s cavalry, and many soldiers died to stop them outside the pass, ensuring they couldn’t set foot on our land! The current prosperity and peace were all exchanged with human lives, but what about you?”

“Aren’t you afraid of the vengeful spirits of Datong’s soldiers and civilians? Aren’t you afraid our ancestors will come for your life at night?!”

The young girl said in a tearful voice. Every word was from the bottom of her heart.

She looked around at the circle of soldiers and shouted, ‘Everyone, stop resisting! As long as we surrender, His Majesty will spare us! If he can spare me, he will spare you too… mm! mm!”

Before she could finish, her mouth was covered.

“A young girl like you, what do you know! Imperial strategies are about winning hearts! Do you think he spared your life out of kindness? You’re too naive.”

As the Regent spoke, he looked back at the four people who were still eating calmly on the city wall. He directly drew an arrow and shot at the head of the person at the top.

“He even uses women; he is at his wits’ end. Charge in for this king, kill!”

With a command, the general sounded the military drum to attack.

–

Duan Changchuan sat on the wall, watching the arrow come, only to be caught steadily by a shield from the general behind him.

Hearing the sounds of battle below, he pressed his lips together in silence.

“Your Majesty … it’s time to give the order. It’s a battlefield now. They were once Datong’s soldiers, but now they are all enemies … every moment of hesitation means more of our brothers will die!”

“Give the order, Your Majesty!”

The general pleaded earnestly. Only then did the young emperor withdraw his gaze from the fighting crowd and slowly, say, “Move the chess pieces!”

“As you command!”

“His Majesty has decreed to move and attack! Surround the rebels! Kill them all!”

The troops had already been deployed in the palace immediately sounded the military drum to attack. The general at the top of the city tower raised the flag representing the royal family high up.

Once the flag fell, it would take away the lives of the tens of thousands of soldiers below.

Duan Changchuan could no longer bear to watch. He turned and took Bai Su’s hand, descending the steps from the high wall, “The situation is settled, let’s go back. Leave this meal as the victory feast.”

After he finished speaking, he was about to leave when there was a commotion behind him.

The sound of arrows raining down suddenly stopped, followed by silence. On the entire palace wall, only the crackling sounds of burning wood could be heard.

In the next moment, a girl’s cries could be heard from below the city wall, “He’s dead, he’s all dead! You’ve completely lost! Do you still want to fight?!”

Then, the sound of weapons clattering to the ground.

Duan Changchuan and Bai Su exchanged glances and rushed back to the edge of the wall.

They saw all the soldiers fighting below were all looking in one direction. And the place they were looking at, in the middle of the crowd, lay a person covered in blood.

An arrow was lodged in his chest — the same man who had just been ranting, Duan Jing’an.

And a girl dressed in light yellow was lying on his chest, crying so hard that her body was trembling.

“What happened?” Duan Changchuan turned his head and asked.

The general guarding the gate hurriedly gestured a signal to withdraw the flag and then knelt before him.

“Just now, it was the Princess who shot an arrow into Prince Cheng’s body and killed him … on the spot.”

Everyone was dumbfounded.

They had planned for days and nights, using all their resources, but they didn’t expect … that it would end like this.

“Open the gates. Ordinary soldiers who surrender will join the southern army. Those with military ranks are to be beheaded and their families executed.”

After Duan Changchuan regained his senses, he hurriedly gave the order.

“Yes!”

Then the command was passed down layer by layer:

“His Majesty has given the order! Open the gates!”

“His Majesty has given the order! Open the gates!”

“The imperial edict has arrived! Ordinary soldiers who have surrendered are to join the southern army!”

“The imperial edict has arrived! Ordinary soldiers who have surrendered are to join the southern army!”