Chapter 5: My Home Ah Rao

Feng Yuqing opened the letter and immediately paled. After a moment, she burst into laughter.

The vice general stepped forward and asked, "Your Highness, what does the letter say?"

The letter was from General Wen Ping, who was secretly working for the Crown Prince, inciting the rebellion of the Rongping Army. The Crown Prince used this as a pretext to take control of the army.

The Crown Prince chuckled. This letter put him in a difficult position. Wen Ping was originally his spy, and now the dirty water had been splashed onto the Crown Prince's residence. The Crown Prince was willing to sacrifice this long-buried pawn in the game of deception.

If this letter were to reach the palace, the Crown Prince's residence would never be able to wash away the stain of rebellion. However, Xiao Jingxi, instead of sending the letter to the palace, delivered it directly to him. It was as if the Crown Prince was using someone else's hand to commit the murder.

The Crown Prince said with a smile, "Xiao Jingxi is quite something."

After midnight, the noise at the city gate finally subsided. The Crown Prince Feng Fuli returned to his residence. That night, he reported to the Emperor that the Crown Prince had stationed troops in Liangdu City with the intention of rebellion. Unable to refute the accusation, the Emperor relieved him of his military duties and confined him to his residence.

As the sky began to lighten, the rain started to fall lightly. The lights outside the Crown Prince's residence were dimmed, and the attendants withdrew from the hall.

"Bang!"

A sound of tearing fabric and breaking jade echoed through the room as a teacup on the table was smashed to pieces. Kneeling on the ground, a man looked terrified as he said, "I have failed, Your Highness, please forgive me."

This man was Zhang Xian, a strategist in the Crown Prince's residence. He had previously served as the governor of Jiangzhou and was later promoted by the Crown Prince for his exceptional strategic abilities. Few people knew that Zhang Xian was the Crown Prince's top strategist.

Feng Fuli's face turned extremely ugly, devoid of his usual warmth, and was filled with anger and hostility. "Useless! Now, not only have we lost the support of the 200,000 Rongping Army, but even Father has begun to doubt me. Is this your idea of killing two birds with one stone?"

After the death of the Marquis of Weiping, the 200,000 Rongping Army was left without a leader. Zhang Xian had suggested that Wen Ping, under the Crown Prince's orders, incite the Rongping Army to rebel. This was intended to both help the Eastern Palace regain control over the rebellious army and to bring trouble to the Crown Prince's brother, the Prince of Jin.

However, at this point, the Rongping Army remained unharmed, and the Crown Prince had ended up biting the bullet. How could the Crown Prince swallow this bitter pill?

Zhang Xian was unable to defend himself. "Your Highness, I cannot deny my fault. However, there must be someone behind the scenes orchestrating this. Please give me another chance, and I will find that person—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a gust of wind blew, the candle flickered, and then a sharp sound rang out.

"Whoosh!"

A swift arrow flew through the air and struck the screen to the left, with a bloody head attached to it.

Zhang Xian was shocked. "It's, it's Wen Ping!"

In a moment, chaos erupted in the Crown Prince's residence. Wave after wave of guards patrolled the area, completely sealing off the residence.

"Ha, are you scared now?" Zi Xiang sneered, got into a carriage, and lowered the curtain. "Master, the grand gift has been delivered to the Crown Prince."

Zi Xiang was the daughter of the deputy commander of the Rongping Army stationed in the north. She had been close to Xiao Jingxi since childhood and had returned to Liangdu to protect her after the defeat of the Marquis of Weiping. Having been raised in the military, she was an exceptional equestrian and archer.

The carriage was lined with luxurious silk and embroidered quilts. Xiao Jingxi leaned lazily against them and said, "Let's go."

"Is the master returning to the Duke of Wengu's residence?"

Xiao Jingxi shook her head. "To the palace."

Zi Xiang hesitated for a moment. "Master, there's something I don't understand."

Xiao Jingxi raised her eyes.

"How did you know that the person behind Wen Ping was the Crown Prince, not the Prince of Jin? Even though Wen Ping had been in contact with the Prince of Jin for a long time, and even if he was a pawn planted by the Crown Prince, there was still a possibility of betrayal. Moreover, all the evidence pointed to the Prince of Jin's residence." Zi Xiang had been with Xiao Jingxi since she was ten years old and was her close attendant, but she found it difficult to fathom the depths of her master's mind.

Xiao Jingxi smiled but did not answer, closing her eyes to rest without responding.

How did she know? The memories of her previous life were vivid in her mind. How could she forget the deep-seated enmity?

In the 29th year of Daliang, during the Battle of Yiling Pass, her grandfather, the Marquis of Weiping, died on the battlefield. With the Rongping Army left leaderless, Wen Ping incited rebellion within the army. Even when the Crown Prince personally led the troops to quell the rebellion, Wen Ping had already prepared all the evidence to lead to the Prince of Jin's residence.

He said, "You help me ascend to the throne, and I will help you avenge your blood feud."

From then on, the seventh Miss of the Duke of Wengu's residence joined the Crown Prince's camp. She helped him subdue the Rongping Army and ensnare the royal princes in unjust situations, ultimately placing Feng Fuli on the throne.

On the day of her coronation, Feng Yuqing presented Wen Ping's head to her as a gift, congratulating her on her marriage. He said, "Empress, this is the wedding gift I present to you."

After that, the Prince of Jin was exiled to the border.

She threw Wen Ping's head in front of Feng Fuli, shouting hysterically in front of all the court officials, "Feng Fuli, was it you who orchestrated the Battle of Yiling Pass?"

Feng Fuli did not deny it but dismissed the courtiers, saying to Xiao Jingxi, "If you are content to stay in the harem, I will grant you the position of Empress and ensure the prosperity of your Xiao family."

His words were chilling, and it was only then that she realized how hypocritical and cunning the once gentle and humble Crown Prince was in his strategies.

"Haha..." She had laughed and shouted, and then calmly removed her phoenix crown and shed the phoenix-patterned palace attire, throwing them onto Feng Fuli. Each word was spoken with extreme composure, "Today, if you spare my life, I will one day overthrow your reign. If I could help you ascend to the throne, I can certainly bring you down."

In the end, didn't she achieve that? Feng Fuli had underestimated her and failed to eliminate the threat at that time. "Jingxi, don't give me a reason to kill you again. I won't hesitate," he had said.

He still couldn't bring himself to kill her. Perhaps he was also reluctant, after all, she had accompanied him through all the blood and storms to the Dragon Throne.

On that day and night, the newly appointed Empress Xianmin was sent to the cold palace. The next day, the Emperor married a woman from the Xiao family. The new and old people smiled, as if nothing had ever begun.

The memories of the previous life are still vivid...

On this day and night, the Rongping Army returned to the fief, and the legitimate heir of the Weiping Marquis Mansion, Xiao Jingsi, entered the palace to pay respects. Claiming that women in the boudoir were not capable of leading troops, she took the initiative to hand over the military power of the Weiping Marquis Mansion. The Emperor was pleased and appointed her as the lord of Xincheng County.

Rongjingnan is the fief of the Southern King, Chu Mu.

The southern region is rainy and humid. At this time of year, there has been continuous drizzle for several days. Since the last high fever that didn't go away, the Crown Prince has been suffering from a chill, and combined with the natural sleepiness of the cat clan, in this clear autumn of July, the Crown Prince has been bedridden and unable to get up, sleeping in a daze. However, when Jinghua mentioned the seventh Miss Xiao from the Xiao family just now, the Crown Prince immediately became alert.

Jinghua approached and reported in detail, "Miss Xiao's strategy of protecting herself with wisdom is quite impressive. After the death of the Weiping Marquis, not to mention the several princes of the Feng family, even the Emperor is eyeing that piece of fat. Now, by handing over power, I wonder who has the ability to swallow it whole."

The Crown Prince, who had just been drowsy, now looked spirited, "My sister's army naturally cannot be cheapened by others."

My sister, A'rao...