Pei Changying's gaze, venomous as a snake's, fixed on Gu Sang, a cold smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
For some time now, no matter how he tried to contact Gu Sang, it was useless!
He could only gamble, bet that Gu Sang would surely be keeping an eye on the Elder Princess's battle situation.
So he had come to lead the troops in person!
This grand show must be opened by him personally!
Gu Sang couldn't be bothered to speak to Pei Changying, and addressed the Elder Princess directly:
"Since Pei Changying has come out from the capital, if we have the chance today, let's leave his life here in South City!"
If the Emperor were to be publicly shot dead, it would surely throw the army into chaos, the entire court would panic, and their troops could march straight into the capital without any further obstacles.
They were too far away for Pei Changying to hear what Gu Sang was saying to the Elder Princess, but he could guess their intentions easily enough.
Pei Changying, with feigned sincerity, called out to Gu Sang in a voice dripping with false emotion:
"Sang Sang, how cruel you are, to conspire with rebels to kill your own man."
"Though you are so heartless, I cannot forget our past feelings."
"I promised last time to help you find—"
"Whoosh!"
A sharp arrow cut through the air, flying straight for Pei Changying's forehead, interrupting his nauseating speech.
"Your Majesty, look out!"
A general stepped forward with his sword, blocking the arrow aimed at Pei Changying.
Pei Changying's expression instantly turned cold, the pretense of deep affection dropping from his face.
He snarled through gritted teeth: "Gu Sang, since you show no mercy, don't blame me for being merciless in return!"
"Gu Sang, open your eyes wide and look who this is!"
Pei Changying took a step back, to a distance where the surrounding soldiers could quickly shield him from arrows.
Two soldiers escorted a kindly-looking old woman to stand on the city wall. A cloth was stuffed in the old woman's mouth, preventing her from speaking. She could only look down below, shaking her head incessantly.
She seemed to be gesturing for the people below not to worry about her.
"Gu Sang, if you have the guts, shoot her dead!" Pei Changying shouted at Gu Sang.
Upon seeing the person standing on the city wall, both Gu Sang and the Elder Princess were stunned – the former in shock, the latter in alarm!
Was that Grandmother?!
"Sang Sang, is that your grandmother on the wall?" Even the usually calm and composed Elder Princess couldn't sit still, and couldn't help but ask.
Gu Sang dared not speak, as the distance was too great. From afar, the appearance did look similar.
But if someone were to find an impersonator, it wasn't impossible either!
At such a distance, Gu Sang had no way to determine if this was truly her grandmother. Originally, she hadn't been worried at all, with Gu Qingrou and Consort Li's warnings, she had been quite certain Pei Changying would play some tricks!
But then what happened?
That damned system actually said her grandmother might have been resurrected in ancient times!
What if...
And Pei Changying had gagged her grandmother, making it impossible for Gu Sang to verify.
"Gu Sang, Pei Weiqi, why aren't you shooting?!"
"Continue the attack on the city!"
"Come on! I'm waiting for you to attack!"
Seeing that Gu Sang and the Elder Princess had been intimidated by the person he had brought to impersonate, Pei Changying became increasingly arrogant, continuously provoking the two with his words.
He gazed at Gu Sang with feigned affection and said: "Gu Sang, I'm truly heartbroken. I searched the whole world for your grandmother, yet you conspire with rebels to kill me."
"Although you are so heartless towards me, I still love you."
"I will forgive all your misdeeds, as long as you admit your mistakes now and return to my side. I won't blame you."
"You will still be my Imperial Consort!"
Gu Sang stared back at Pei Changying expressionlessly, her heart boiling with murderous intent. If she had a gun in her hand, she would truly want to execute this idiot on the spot!
At this crucial moment, if Gu Sang really rebelled, how would the soldiers behind the Elder Princess react?
The Elder Princess's warhorse whinnied beneath her as she glared at Pei Changying with murderous intent.
This disgusting fool, seeing that they dared not act rashly, actually tried to drive a wedge between them and shake the army's morale.
The Elder Princess pressed her lips tightly together, and finally raised her hand, about to give the order to retreat.
Gu Sang spoke up with a cold gaze: "Weiqi, we can't retreat!"
At this moment, whichever choice Gu Sang made carried risks. She couldn't be one hundred percent certain that this old woman wasn't her grandmother.
She could only trust her instincts.
Gamble on her instincts, betting that this grandmother wasn't her real grandmother!
Betting that Pei Changying had found an impersonator!
According to the system's hint, her grandmother's resurrection shouldn't have happened too long ago, Pei Changying surely couldn't have found her so quickly... or so she hoped!
"Weiqi, the army is ready to march. Once we take South City, all of the Central Plains will be within our grasp."
"If we retreat now, the soldiers' morale will be affected."
"In war, it's either don't fight at all, or push forward with all our might. We can't stop halfway."
Gu Sang stood firm, refusing to back down.
The Elder Princess spoke reluctantly: "Sang Sang, but that's your grandmother!"
"It's alright if we retreat today, we'll have another chance!"
"You've helped me so much, I can't disregard your feelings. I may win this battle, but if that's your grandmother up there, you'll lose her forever."
"If I were such a selfish person who only cared about myself, I wouldn't be fit to be an Empress!"
"I can be cruel to others, but I can't be heartless to you! We'll withdraw this time, and I'll find a chance to test whether this old lady is real or fake. Don't worry, this land will be ours sooner or later!"
Gu Sang looked into the Elder Princess's earnest and unyielding eyes, feeling deeply moved.
But to retreat just like this, Gu Sang was truly unwilling.
Before she could say anything to persuade her, the Elder Princess had already turned around and addressed the army with unwavering determination: "All troops, retreat!"
Retreating would indeed mean losing a hard-won opportunity.
But if they had listened to Gu Sang and attacked, the Elder Princess would have lost her most precious promise. Everyone in the plague-stricken city knew how much Gu Sang had helped her.
Whether that grandmother was real or fake, if she put her own interests first at their first meeting, she would become just like Pei Changying in the eyes of the soldiers – a selfish and self-serving person!
So retreating didn't mean they had truly lost!
It meant the Elder Princess had first kept her integrity. After all, some things might be used as a threat once, but could they be used twice?
Pei Changying, standing on the city wall, saw the army begin to retreat and couldn't help but smile, speaking with feigned affection: "Sang Sang, I knew you were a person who values feelings and righteousness. I'll be waiting for your return."
"The position of my Imperial Consort will always be vacant for you."
Gu Sang, with a cold expression, directly closed the communication.
The Elder Princess led the army back to last night's campsite. Zhou Qichen, General Qin, and others first stabilized the troops, then came to the command tent to discuss strategies with the Elder Princess.
Zhou Qichen's face was red with anger: "How can this dog emperor be so shameless? He came to power relying on Sang Sang in the first place."
"Now he's using Gu Sang's grandmother as a threat. He has truly lost all dignity as a man, and can only hide behind women to disgust people for the rest of his life."
