At this time, people shouted and horses neighed. Everyone was busy dodging, only to hear the iron arrowheads heavily hitting the shields, making a series of crisp sounds. Occasionally, someone would be hit by an arrow, let out a shrill cry, and then their soul would return to the Yellow Springs, never to return to their hometown in the Central Plains again.

  Yuan Qi was enraged, and could no longer endure it. He stood up from behind his shield, disregarding the arrows and stones flying around him like locusts, and shouted loudly: "Where are the generals in the army? Each of you should lead your own troops well!"

  He had just finished speaking when a huge black arrow appeared out of thin air, its feathers whistling as it shot towards him like lightning. He didn't even have time to dodge, and his hand instinctively raised the "Tai'a" to meet it. A loud "clang" was heard as the arrow was deflected, but it still flew off at an angle without falling to the ground. However, Yuan Qi felt a numbness in his arm and was unable to move for a moment.

  A crystal clear and white soft feather stretched over from the side, seemingly not very fast, yet gently picked up that broken arrow and held it in hand to examine.

  Morning, 'Revelation' dressed in casual attire, without armor, just like this leaving the world independent, standing in the midst of this chaotic and bloody road, as if strolling through a leisurely courtyard, carefully playing with the feather fan in hand.

  Yuan Qi was shocked and angry, thinking that swords had no eyes. No matter how high her martial arts were, she was still a flesh-and-blood body. Someone pulled her over without saying a word and handed her a large shield: "You hold this - I'm going to the front to take a look!"

  He sprang up, grasped the reins, and galloped towards the front of the formation, where the fighting was most intense. The attendants beside him hastened to follow, but couldn't keep up with his horse's divine swiftness, and soon fell behind by several yards.

  Chen 'Lu' didn't care about him, but stood still, admiring the black large arrow in his hand, with deeper doubts in his heart----

  She had been in the northern border for a long time, and was very familiar with the emblem and armor of the twelve tribes of Tartars. Looking at this black arrow, it seemed to be from the Chuluote tribe, rather than being shot by the brave warriors of the royal camp.

  She gazed intently ahead, but all she saw was a haze of dust blocking out the sun. The sounds of battle raged on incessantly, and nothing could be seen clearly. Without further hesitation, she mounted her horse and galloped off in that direction.

  The battle is still ongoing, but the scales of victory have already tilted in favor of the Heavenly Dynasty. The 30,000 armored soldiers were originally strong and powerful, with excellent weapons. It was only natural that they would defeat these few thousand Tartar warriors, but at the beginning of the war, no one had seen such a formation, so they were caught off guard.

  The emperor personally supervised the battle, and from top to bottom, they had all forgotten their initial fear. For a time, morale was high, and these barbarian tribes were surrounded and annihilated one by one.

  Morning 'dew' stood in front. Already seen clearly, a piece of snow in the heart is bright. See Yuan Qi slightly excited. But he was poured a basin of cold water by him -

  "Your Majesty, these Tatars were not lying in ambush. They were hiding in the mountains to avoid pursuit and were startled by our army's passage - this is just a group of defeated and scattered remnants, winning against them would be nothing remarkable!"

  Yuanyi suddenly realized and was startled, hearing this, as if splashed with cold water, he exclaimed: "How did you know?"

  Morning "dew" played with the arrow feathers in her hand, and said: "The Tartars attach great importance to the wolf flag. Every time they go into battle, they must hold it up at the front of the formation. But look at that banner, how tattered and worn out it is! This must have been through intense fighting before!"

  Yuan Qi raised her eyes and looked into the distance, and indeed, just as she had said, upon closer inspection, the enemy general's leather armor was also tattered and worn out, with some parts still bearing colorful decorations.

  "It was the Northern Expedition Army's previous bravery that left them wounded to this extent... What a pity, Lin's single mistake allowed these injured wolves to infiltrate our Heavenly Dynasty's interior!"

  The emperor gritted his teeth in anger, thinking of his uncle, and was so furious that his face turned pale.

  The expeditionary force encountered this surprise attack, but the capital was quite peaceful.

  Before the emperor's expedition, he had a long talk with the empress dowager. From then on, the empress dowager lived in the inner court and occasionally summoned several cabinet ministers to discuss matters of state governance, which were handled in an orderly manner.

  The queen didn't say anything, but she was extremely puzzled in her heart - since the day she saw the empress dowager and King Jing having a secret conversation, she knew that she had suspicions about Yuan Qi. *** between them had already become like ice and charcoal in different stoves - how could their attitude change so completely this time?

  She made several indirect attacks, and finally got a meaningful sentence from the Empress Dowager: "Under the overturned nest, are there any intact eggs? ---- The Emperor is fighting against the Tartars in the front line. If someone is pulling the back, it would be to give up this vast territory to those barbarians!"

  The empress had vaguely heard that the empress dowager, when she was young, was almost abducted by the Tatars, and from then on, she had a psychological barrier against them. Listening to this, it also made sense.

  Today she went to the Cining Palace again to pay her respects, and the two of them talked about some old family matters and trivial things in the harem. The Empress then said angrily: "Mother, I followed your orders and diligently managed the harem, but those two 'women' just stood by and watched with a smirk on their faces, not helping me at all - didn't the Emperor order them to assist with the affairs of the six palaces? Now neither one is anywhere to be seen!!"

  The empress leaned slightly on the couch, wearing a moon-white cool silk dress, with only one pomegranate red pearl 'flower' pressed between her temples, showing off her elegant and beautiful demeanor.

  She listened to her niece's complaints and said with a smile, "This is no wonder... The father of Princess Zhou has just suffered a defeat, she has always been proud and unwilling to show her face----As for Qi Shi, her father had just visited Yunqing Palace, this child got a cough and couldn't get out of bed!"

  She glanced at the queen's awkward expression and said slowly: "As the master of the six palaces, don't be so sharp-tongued and petty. Take care of the people below you more often. Only then will you have good relationships with others and win their hearts. Don't look down on these people who call themselves slaves and servants. When it comes to Jing Er, they can easily tarnish your reputation!"

  The queen nodded in agreement, but secretly sneered: No wonder people say you're virtuous, with a tongue as sweet as honey and a heart full of malice - you must have mastered the art!

  She thought of Empress Zhou Qiong, who was not in a position to point fingers at the moment, and since the Emperor was not in the palace either, for the first time in this magnificent harem, she could do as she pleased. Her heart fluttered with excitement, and a hint of a smile appeared between her eyebrows.

  Two people were chatting, and He Gu Gu, who had just recovered from a long illness, came forward and said: "Several cabinet ministers have arrived!"

  The queen observed his words and appearance, and hastily excused herself to leave. Before long, under the eunuch's announcement, several cabinet ministers entered in a line.

  The empress dowager was very polite to them, and after granting them seats, they began to discuss state affairs.

  The emperor has now arrived at the 'Jade Gate' nearby...

  She looked at the officials below, smiling warmly: "This time, the expedition is nothing more than mediating between the Northern Army and King Xiang. As the commander-in-chief of all the troops in the world, the Emperor will surely win with a flourish!"

  "I'm just an old woman, and I'll only be staying in the capital for a few days on his behalf. You all don't have to be so formal!"

  She smiled and said with a hint of cleverness, "Qizhong's family, how is the security in the capital? What are the people talking about?"

  Zi Rong was worried about his daughter's illness, when he was suddenly called out. After a moment of contemplation, he said: "Everything is calm in the capital, the people are all discussing the emperor's heroic appearance that day, there is no fear or avoidance of war... As for the security of the capital, it has always been jointly managed by the Jingzhao Yin and the Jiumen Tidu..." He trailed off, his eyes cast downward.

  "Long live the Emperor, fearing there are treacherous elements at work. Before leaving Beijing, an edict was issued to the newly appointed garrison commander of the capital, instructing him to take control with military law, and temporarily transfer all major policing powers to him."

  The empress dowager's face immediately fell, her heart coldly snorting in response, but she refused to speak again, merely using a painted fan to gently sway back and forth, as if wanting to dispel the early summer heat.