The ministers, civil and military alike, wiped the cold sweat on their foreheads, trembling as they knelt to express their loyalty, "We love our country and our king, and we would never betray His Majesty."
Observing the ministers kneeling on the ground, Pei Changying no longer trusted them.
He scrutinized each of them, suspecting every single one to be a spy.
Suddenly, he was terrified. It seemed like there was no one in this world he could trust.
Out of the blue, he thought of Gu Sang, who had risked her life to save him twice.
Only Gu Sang was worth his trust.
Gu Sang, come help me!
System!
Damn this system; I want to contact Gu Sang!
Connect me to Gu Sang!
"Ding!"
"Connection is being established!"
The familiar cold voice echoed in Pei Changying's mind, and his eyes immediately lit up.
Of course, he was the chosen one.
Even the system chose to help him!
In the grand hall above, Gu Sang's face appeared on the screen. Pei Changying was so moved that he almost cried, "I knew it. In times of crisis, you are the one who cares the most about me."
Gu Sang: "......"
"Sang, Sang, I need you. Will you come back?"
Gu Sang was sitting in a brightly lit classroom, taking notes. Her expression was gentle, but it turned icy when she saw him.
Upon hearing Pei Changying's plea, the corner of Gu Sang's lips twitched.
In a mocking and sarcastic voice, she spoke, "Pei Changying, I don't repeat myself. If you keep professing your love for me..."
"This connection is unnecessary."
Pei Changying, whose intense emotions had been building up, was cut short by Gu Sang's indifferent attitude.
He stared at Gu Sang, his face showing a succession of emotions; shyness, anger, pride, yet Gu Sang didn't even bother to lift her head to look at him.
A few seconds later, fury boiled over.
Pei Changying shouted at Gu Sang, "Unnecessary? I am your husband. A day of marriage means a lifetime of commitment. How long are you going to keep being unreasonable?"
"Gu Sang."
"Do you know how much carnage you have caused?"
"Thousands of people on the border died because of you. No one could escape. They were all killed by the Xiongnu. Their corpses are hanging on the city walls."
"Do you hear their cries? You can still study peacefully? Do you dream of them seeking revenge when you sleep at night?"
Gu Sang paused her writing, and in surprise and disbelief, she looked up at Pei Changying.
"What happened at the border? Speak clearly. What do their deaths have to do with me?"
Pei Changying finally saw other emotions on Gu Sang's face.
He laughed coldly and accused her, "Were it not for you instigating Pei Weiqi's rebellion, would I have sent a large army to kill that damned concubine?"
"If I hadn't deployed a large army, would the Xiongnu have been able to take advantage of the situation?"
"You were the cause of this, and the deaths of the people at the border were also because of you."
"You better return and take care of this mess for me."
Gu Sang finally understood. She had always maintained contact with the Elder Princess and was aware of General Guan's reassignment away from the frontier.
When she connected all these happenings, Gu Sang figured out what was going on.
The frontier's defence was left vacated, and the Xiongnu took advantage of this to infiltrate the Central Plains.
The thing Gu Sang worried about most during this period was the frontier defence being breached. She hadn't expected this day to arrive so soon and was just about to ask about the detailed battle situation.
But when she saw Pei Changying's gleaming eyes, she abruptly became silent.
With a change in her tone, Gu Sang coldly sneered,
"How laughable, isn't this your idea?"
"Unprecedented and unsurpassed, this is your world, not mine! It's my first time hearing about dispatching generals guarding the frontier to suppress rebels."
"Had you not moved soldiers from the frontier to the plague city, how could Xiongnu take advantage of the situation?"
"Are you brainless? Have you never considered the consequences? What's truly important, your power or the lives of the billions of common people?"
As the emperor standing high above, how could Pei Changying admit to his mistake?
He hadn't expected General Guan to be so incompetent.
It had been half a month, and he still hadn't captured the Elder Princess.
Immediately, Pei Changying said coldly, "Hmph, My strategy can't be wrong. If there weren't Xiongnu spies within the court, how would the Xiongnu know that the frontier's defence was void?"
All ministers being suspected: ......
They were disheartened, not just for a day or two!
For Heaven's sake!
Although they were a bit corrupt and evil, they could never betray their country!
"Don't push every issue onto the ministers, it's a pity being your minister."
"Do you think the Xiongnu are as brainless as you? Anybody, barring the blind, would notice a gap in the defence over time."
"You're just blaming me, blaming the Elder Princess, blaming all the court officials, but in reality, you're just incapable."
"Pei Changying, you're contacting me and informing me about this, isn't it to ask the Elder Princess and me to clean up the Xiongnu's mess! You made a mistake and now millions of common people have to pay with their lives, don't you feel ridiculous sitting on your throne?"
"What an idiot! Deal with the mess you created yourself!"
Before Pei Changying could say anything else, Gu Sang ruthlessly ended the call.
And the ministers kneeling on the ground trembled in their hearts.
They stealthily raised their heads to look at their gloomy-faced emperor seated high above, and reminded of all recent events, they suddenly sat on the ground in despair, their hearts broken into pieces......
With his face streaked with tears, the Premier cried out, "It's over! It's completely over!"
"Our Central Plains is in danger!"
"Heavens above!"
"It's all over!"
Yet, after ending the call, Gu Sang didn't ignore the lives of millions of common people, "System, help me contact the Elder Princess."
'Ding!'
'connection established!'
The moment Gu Sang saw the Elder Princess appear, she explained everything to her.
In the grand hall, she ruthlessly mocked Pei Changying. But after ending the call, she still needed to step in and resolve this situation.
She saw through Pei Changying's scheme.
He knew the Elder Princess's heart was invested in the wellbeing of the kingdom. Upon hearing of the massacre of the people at the frontier, she would surely deploy troops to aid them.
Awaiting the Elder Princess to dispatch her forces to the frontier, that would be the time for Pei Changying to seize the opportunity and invade the deserted city.
If the Elder Princess should happen to win, the foundation of her city would have been occupied once she returns, leaving her hard-pressed to find another city to settle in on short notice.
Should the Elder Princess lose, her loss would be no great concern. As rebels, they would be no great loss, and they would also have exhausted the strength of the Xiongnu in the process, resulting in gain for the kingdom.
The Elder Princess also realized this was a win-win strategy for Pei Changying. Yet the suffering would fall upon the common people when the Xiongnu invaded from the north. It would result in rivers of blood through the Central Plains, an unavoidable outcome for all.
Even though they knew they were walking into a trap, the Elder Princess and Gu Sang had no choice but to step in.
Closing her eyes, the Elder Princess responded quickly without hesitation. “If that beast Pei Changying cannot recognize friend from foe at this point, he might as well be damned to hell right now!”
