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The Unstoppable Lady: Fortune Meets Power (Web Novel) - Chapter 1998: Reunion with an Old Friend (Jing Kong Side Story)
Chapter 1998: Reunion with an Old Friend (Jing Kong Side Story)
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
Gu Jiao murmured, “He’s Yuan Tang’s cousin, and his army entered Chen Country; Yuan Tang would do him this favor. But, Zhan Country’s military strength is not to be underestimated, why has it fallen to this extent?”The guard sighed, “Speaking of which, he happened to be lucky, Xuanping Hou was visiting Princess Xinyang’s fief and not in the court, old Lord Ding’an was already advanced in years. The most suitable leaders to fight were the newly appointed Gu Family Army commander Gu Changqing, and the Grand Marshal of the world’s army, Tang Yueshan.”
Gu Jiao furrowed her brow, “The odds for those two are very strong.”
“Indeed they are very strong, the problem doesn’t lie with them. The emperor of Zhan Country imitated Yan Country, letting the crown prince lead the campaign as a substitute for the emperor to boost troop morale. Who would have thought…”
“Who would have thought the crown prince would be a blockhead, falling into others’ deceptive schemes, blindly commanding and disastrously leading the military officers.”
“That’s right.”
“Who is the traitor?”
“The fourth prince… King En.”
In Gu Jiao’s memory, there was almost no trace of this person, she only remembered meeting the fourth prince briefly upon first arriving in Zhaodu.
Liu Yisheng fell ill, and dissatisfied with Gu Jiao’s treatment of Liu Yisheng, the fourth prince caused trouble in the street, later inadvertently encountering Xuanping Hou, and thus the fourth prince ceased his disturbances.
However, the presence of this person wasn’t strong, nor did it pose a significant matter; Gu Jiao soon forgot about him.
Who would have thought, after lying low for ten years, he would eventually stab the crown prince so deeply.
Gu Jiao asked, “He colluded with the Wei army?”
The guard replied, “Yes.”
Gu Jiao said indifferently, “He used to despise Liu Yisheng the most, and now he’s colluding with Liu Yisheng, how ironic.”
“Isn’t it so?” the guard sighed, “But he didn’t gain anything good either, after the incident occurred, Prime Minister Liu immediately exposed him, and sent all the evidence of collusion to Zhaodu, handing it over to the emperor. The emperor fell ill with rage at that very moment, and now it’s Empress Dowager Zhuang dealing with state affairs.”
Speaking of this, the guard couldn’t help but sigh in awe, “Liu Yisheng is really ruthless!”
First by seducing the fourth prince to collude and betray the country, then captivating the crown prince through the fourth prince, disheartening the military officers, disappointing the people.
Finally, a dagger right into the emperor’s heart.
No wonder he could assist the King of Wei in unifying thirteen units, these methods, this strategy, are truly terrifying.
The guard sighed again, “After this great battle, regardless of whether Zhan Country perishes, the futures of these two sons are equally ruined.”
The populace won’t accept a prince who colluded and betrayed the country, nor will they submit to a crown prince who lost half the country.
“Who are the accompanying generals?” Gu Jiao asked.
The guard said, “Gu Changqing. The crown prince was captured, he desperately rescued the crown prince, sustaining severe injuries himself.”
He paused, hesitating.
Gu Jiao continued for him, “If the emperor wants to preserve the crown prince, he must find a suitable scapegoat to claim it was all that person’s unauthorized decision. No one is more fitting than the Gu Family Army’s commander. And if the emperor really does this, it would make the Gu Family Army estranged from him, leaving him utterly isolated.”
The guard thought deeper and felt an increasing chill, “This Liu Yisheng… calculates too deeply!”
…
Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Xi rushed into Gu Jiao’s study room without delay, “Jiaojiao! I will confront them! Retake Zhan Country’s cities!”
He grew up in Zhan Country, it was his home too.
“Wait for my news in Shengdu!”
However, this time, Gu Jiao didn’t let him go alone.
…
In February, Zhan Country painfully lost another city.
Gu Changqing fought despite being wounded, and together with Gu Chengfeng, led the Gu Family Army in fiercely retaliating, reclaiming two cities.
Yet the Wei army seemed completely indifferent to their rear plunderings, only focused on advancing into Zhan Country’s heartland, you capture one city, I’ll conquer another, let’s see who is faster!
It was under such circumstances that Gu Jiao confronted the Wei army.
That was a chilly spring morning, the sky was overcast and gloomy, dark clouds gathered, and the two armies glared at each other on the banks of Li City River.
Gu Jiao, clad in red Black Armor, coldly sat on the back of the mighty Hei Fengqi, beside her were Little Shiyi and Xuanyuan Xi, also clad in armor.
Speaking of army, it was actually only the two of them.
The rest were still on their way; their warhorses could not run as fast as Hei Fengqi and Little Shiyi.
The Wei army was thrilled; capturing two people when they had a dignified force of five thousand was child’s play!
“Who are you?” asked a Wei army officer, his surname was Mo, a young general not even thirty.
Xuanyuan Xi rode forward a step and arrogantly said, “You’re not worthy of asking my sister’s name! Bring out Liu Yisheng!”
Gu Jiao and Xuanyuan Xi had strong auras, but unfortunately, they were too young—Gu Jiao was already twenty-four but looked less than twenty.
Not to mention Xuanyuan Xi, just a thirteen-year-old child, hardly able to pose as an adult.
Moreover, the two were practically alone, hence General Mo took them lightly.
Gu Jiao said calmly, “I want to see Liu Yisheng.”
General Mo sneered with disdain, “Is Prime Minister Liu someone you can meet just because you say so? Who do you think you are? Let me tell you right here, even if your country’s prince came, our master wouldn’t see them!”
As he finished speaking, a white shadow flitted over from behind the Wei army, swooping straight towards Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao did not dodge.
Xuanyuan Xi’s first reaction was to think it was an ambush, ready to shoot it dead with an arrow, but Gu Jiao gently held down his wrist.
The little white shadow happily pounced into Gu Jiao’s embrace.
Gu Jiao embraced the chubby little bundle and asked in surprise, “Xiaoshi?”
“Meow~” it nuzzled against Gu Jiao.
Nine years ago, Gu Jiao had entrusted it to Liu Yisheng’s care; back then it was just a little kitten, now it had grown several times larger, heavily filling Gu Jiao’s embrace.
“Ah, it’s Xiaoshi?” Xuanyuan Xi was dumbfounded.
He had only heard of Xiaoshi from Jiaojiao but had never met it before.
The Wei army was even more astonished.
They already recognized the cat as their prime minister’s beloved pet, which the prime minister adored like life, always bringing it wherever he went. It was the only one daring enough to shred the prime minister’s documents to pieces without fear of punishment.
It was exceedingly pampered.
Extremely fierce, very hard to serve, not fond of human contact.
Aside from the prime minister, no one else could touch it.
The Emperor of Chen Country was reportedly scratched by it too.
Now it actually… embraced a stranger?
Were they seeing things?
Or did that young person use some means to lure it?
General Mo unsheathed his sword, “Release the prime minister’s beloved pet at once! Or face the penalty of death!”
“Hold your hand!”
A cold voice rang out from behind, stunning General Mo.
The Wei army automatically parted to make way, and a man donned in Wei army armor slowly rode forward.
Xuanyuan Xi did not recognize him.
But Gu Jiao found him familiar, after a few seconds of staring, she frowned, “Jun Xiuhuan?”
Jun Xiuhuan was a student of Yan Country’s Jianan Academy, eight years ago during the selection for Hei Fengqi’s leader, he was Gu Jiao’s competitor.
He advanced to the final round but voluntarily handed his bamboo scroll to Gu Jiao in the bamboo forest, saying, “I owe someone a favor, now I’m returning it to you.”
Gu Jiao always wondered who the person he owed a favor to was.
Could it be—
Jun Xiuhuan rode up to Gu Jiao, Xuanyuan Xi blocked him with his spear, “Don’t get too close to my sister!”
Hearing the word ‘sister,’ Jun Xiuhuan showed no surprise in his eyes, calmly looking at Gu Jiao and saying indifferently, “Commander Xiao, we meet again, Master Liu wishes to see you.”
