Autumn days are dry, and by the time the sun rises, the thick fog has already dispersed. The black horse outside the government office stamps its sturdy hooves and lets out a few loud snorts.

  Qin Miao stood beside the carriage, gazing at the golden plaque above the entrance of the Marquis's mansion. The deafening sound of firecrackers on their wedding day involuntarily echoed in her ears.

  I thought three bows would seal our fate as lifelong companions, but now I have no choice but to return to being strangers.

  "Miss, if you really can't bear to part with the young master, then let's go back..." Li Auntie looked at her worriedly. The miss didn't say anything out loud, but in her heart, she still had thoughts of the marquis. She had been quietly watching him by his side for so long, and this much was also understood.

  "Never mind, let's go."

  Qin Miao silently pursed her lips, and the next moment she walked straight into the carriage. Until the carriage drove far away, she didn't even lift the curtain to take a look back.

  Life's path has countless twists and turns, once chosen, don't look back. Hesitation and indecision will ultimately lead to regret. Let the past be the past, the road ahead is long, but there will eventually be a shore.

  At this time, the atmosphere in the imperial court was heavy. On the throne of the Golden Hall, Emperor Xuanwu heard the report from the Ministry of War and was so angry that he knocked over all the pens and ink on his desk, making a mess. The officials were terrified and remained silent, gritting their teeth.

  "One by one, they're all speechless! Normally, I see that your mouths are quite sharp, how come when bandits come to commit a crime, you've lost your guts!" Emperor Xuanwu glared at those heads wearing red and green robes, wishing he could drag them out and behead them.

  "Crown Prince, what about you?"

  The emperor's sharp eyes turned to his son, who was standing at the forefront of the officials, wearing a majestic dragon robe, and his tone was slightly more critical than usual.

  The crown prince clenched his fists, trying to calm himself down, and slowly spoke of the countermeasures he had discussed with his staff the day before. "I humbly report to Your Majesty, I believe that the Ministry of War's proposal to send reinforcements is unavoidable. However, all the major armies have their own tasks, and it is not convenient to divide troops from the capital's defense. Therefore, I have a suggestion: we can mobilize the Yu Zhang army north of Jiangxi and the Qing Feng army stationed south of Hubei, and the court can appoint another capable deputy general to lead the reinforcements."

  Everyone's face changed color upon hearing this. Who doesn't know that the fief nearby where these two troops are stationed is now in whose hands? The deposed Crown Prince, the current Yu Zhang Wang, to be exact. Transferring this portion of troops is clearly an attempt to take advantage of this war to weaken Yu Zhang Wang.

  "I humbly report to Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's suggestion is indeed well-intentioned. The Minister of War was not a fool and understood the Crown Prince's scheme after listening carefully. Although he had tolerated the Crown Prince's interference in personnel matters in the Ministry of War on ordinary days, the old minister did not want to make another compromise when it came to the overall situation at the border."

  "The Yuzhang Army and the Qingfeng Army are both located in the southern border, I'm afraid it's difficult for them to adapt to the northwest battlefield. Moreover, withdrawing troops from these two places is too far away, and the long journey will exhaust men and horses, which may not be beneficial for rapid reinforcement. I hope Your Majesty will consider this carefully."

  Many generals also nodded in agreement, quite approving of the old Shangshu's words, with several obviously showing a supportive attitude.

  Xuanwu Emperor narrowed his slightly swollen eyes, staring at the Minister of War who was respectfully kowtowing below him, and for a long time couldn't figure out what he meant.

  The crown prince did not refute the emperor, but was somewhat flustered in his heart. He stepped forward again, intentionally raising his voice: "Your Majesty, looking at our dynasty's military deployment, the closest to the northwest is the Northern Border Army, but this time the Qiang tribe has come to offend, and it is hard to guarantee that the Hu people in the north will not take advantage of the fire. If we withdraw troops from the northern border to the northwest, we will ultimately be unable to take care of both ends. Therefore, only by dispatching the Yuzhang Army and Qingfeng Army, which currently have no heavy defense responsibilities, can we take care of the overall situation. I hope Your Majesty will make a wise decision."

  Everyone nodded in agreement after hearing the crown prince's words, and many even praised him for his wisdom. The old minister saw that public opinion had shifted, and when he looked at Emperor Xuanwu's expression, he knew that it was likely too late to change the course of events.

  Lao Shangshu returned to the Ministry of War after the court session and directly found the heads of various departments for discussion, until the lights were lit up and the moon was above the treetops before everyone dispersed.

  In the following days, the Ministry of War was on high alert, and discussing matters under the lamp had become a normal state. Xie Lin let Po Feng go to the government office to collect some clean clothes and simply live in the yamen.

  Xie Yun walked out with his hands behind his back, his expression solemn. The fatigue of the past few days had left his face somewhat haggard, and a faint stubble was visible on his chin. As soon as he left the government office, he heard the distant cry of a crow flying over, and immediately furrowed his brow, urging his horse to hurry back to the mansion.

  As soon as he entered the mansion and changed his clothes in the front yard, he went alone towards the direction of the Imperial Court.

  "Where's the lady?" The courtyard had already lit up the wind lanterns, and under the autumn night, it looked a bit desolate. Seeing Yulü sitting on the threshold, not even serving inside, Xie Yan frowned in doubt.

  Xiao Yu saw that it was Xie Xuan who had arrived, and hastily got up to pay her respects. Summoning up the courage to answer, she said: "The mistress has gone to the Fahua Temple to pray for blessings, saying that she will be staying there for a few days before returning."

  Upon hearing this, Xie Yan's eyebrows furrowed even more tightly. "What's the point of going to pray for blessings when everything is fine?" He lifted his foot and headed inside.

  "Madam said that recently the house has been quite restless, so we invited a Taoist priest to perform some rituals and pray for peace."

  It's unclear whether it was the strange cry of the crow he had encountered earlier when he went down to the courtyard, or some other reason, but from the moment he stepped into the Choulou Inn, he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease in his heart. He hastily made his way to the inner room, and upon seeing that the cosmetics on the dresser were neatly arranged, and everything else was as usual, the anxiety in his heart gradually dissipated a little.

  Since he was not there, waiting around was also dull and uninteresting, so I went back to Tingyu Pavilion in the front yard.

  "Po Feng, you said I was wrong, didn't you?"

  After nightfall, Po Feng waited for Xie Yun to clean up. Today, the master didn't know what was wrong with him, and he refused to let Anzhi wait on him, so he had to relive his old nights of many years ago.

  "What is Master talking about?"

  The blue curtains had been lowered, but the man inside was wide awake. "I thought her heart was big enough to hold many things, perhaps she could tolerate..."

  Xie Xuan wasn't unaware, Qin Miao said to stay at Fahua Temple for a while, but in fact, she still couldn't get over it in her heart and couldn't forgive herself for what she did at the scene of the fire. Even though his apology was sincere. She just wanted to avoid him and have some peace.

  If things were to happen all over again, would he still make the same choice? Xie Yun thought about it carefully and perhaps he would. Only that afterwards, he would be more timely in explaining and making amends, unlike now, when it's a bit too late.

  At this moment, he had never been so disgusted with his own temperament and made a decision to explain and confess to Qin Miao when she returned. As his wife and the lady of the Hou Mansion, she should understand everything that needed to be understood. He really didn't want to let Qin Miao misunderstand him again because of Xing Xiang or other people. As for the part where he had already made mistakes, he could only treat her with sincerity in the future, believing that over time, clever as she was, she would understand.

  After figuring it out, Xie Yun's uneasy feeling in her heart slowly dissipated, and she had a good night's sleep.

  The deployment of the Yu Zhang Army and the Qing Feng Army is already set in stone, and the debate over the past few days has been about who will lead the troops to the northwest. The person leading the troops this time holds a somewhat embarrassing position, only as a deputy general, and high-ranking generals in the court are unwilling to take on the role of deputy general. Many young generals have ranks that fit, but who is willing to get involved with the demoted crown prince's troops?

  Xie Xian silently watched, not expressing many opinions. He had learned to avoid trouble and seek benefits several years ago, and he had been through it all before. He still went on duty every day, participated in discussions, and returned home honestly after work. In fact, he was waiting for a message.

  The news finally came tonight. A black shadow flashed by outside the window and left a copper pot on the windowsill.

  "Master, Xia Ying has arrived with news." Baofeng hastily handed the copper vase to Xie Yun and tactfully closed the door as he exited.

  Not too many nor too few six words, come what may, then welcome it.