The next day.
The Minister of Works and military commanders arrived in Lingnan together, a group of people marching towards the city gate in a grand manner.
Zhou Qichen, who had been waiting on horseback at the gate, saw the arrivals and spoke politely before they could draw their swords: "General Qin, honorable ministers."
"The Elder Princess has prepared fine food and drinks for you gentlemen at the tavern."
The military commander and the Minister of Works exchanged glances, momentarily unsure how to confront the situation.
What was Zhou Qichen up to?
Instead of fighting, scolding, or making threats, he directly opened the city gates and invited them to dine. They could hardly respond with harsh words!
In the end, they decided to try diplomacy before force.
After all, the relationship between the Emperor and the Elder Princess had not reached a point of irreconcilable conflict, especially since the Elder Princess had saved the citizens of an entire city. They might as well try courtesy first!
Finally, the military commander cleared his throat and coldly questioned: "Zhou Qichen, why are you committing treason? The Zhou family has been loyal to the throne for generations!"
"By doing this, are you honoring your ancestral integrity and loyalty?"
This biting and harsh questioning was met, unexpectedly, not with remorse from Zhou Qichen. Instead, he raised his eyebrows and responded with unwavering conviction: "What treason? Is opposing Pei Changying considered treason?"
"What about when Pei Changying plotted to usurp the throne from the Former Emperor? What was that called?"
"Or does this land, this nation, only bear the name of Pei Changying? The Elder Princess is also a descendant of the Pei family, the Former Emperor's eldest daughter!"
Zhou Qichen's eloquent words struck the commanders and ministers speechless.
They opened their mouths but could not refute his arguments.
It was the military commander who finally retorted: "The Elder Princess may be surnamed Pei, but she is a woman! Throughout history, when has a woman ever ruled as an emperor?"
"Zhou Qichen, have you lost your mind?"
How infuriating!
Clearly, Zhou Qichen had been brainwashed by modern ideas.
It was all Gu Sang's fault for constantly preaching about equality for all people, men and women alike. Now even the once-loyal Zhou family had turned against tradition!
Fine, they could rebel, but how dare Zhou Qichen try to place a woman on the throne?
Preposterous!
Zhou Qichen: "Pei Changying disregarded the lives of the people, leaving an entire city plagued by disease. It was the Elder Princess who risked her life to seek a cure. Who truly cares for this land?"
"Loyalty does not mean blind devotion to one person, but should be to this entire nation!"
The ministers: .......
They were done.
Inexplicably, they found Zhou Qichen's words to be reasonable.
But this went against all propriety!
In the end, the military commander could not out-argue Zhou Qichen. He glared at Zhou Qichen and angrily led his one thousand soldiers into Lingnan city.
At the tavern.
The Elder Princess sat with dignified grace.
Seeing the military commander and ministers arrive, she remained calm and composed, elegantly sipping her tea.
"Elder Princess!"
The military commander approached her forcefully, staring her down as he boomed: "The Emperor, in his benevolence, orders you to disarm and return to the capital with us!"
"If you comply, the Emperor will not pursue charges of treason against you. Otherwise, we have the authority to execute you on the spot."
As he spoke, the military commander placed his hand on his sword hilt.
It seemed that if the Elder Princess refused to return to the capital, he would immediately draw his sword against her.
Beside him, General Zhou stepped forward to stand guard by the Elder Princess's side!
The Elder Princess raised her eyes, a faint smile on her lips, and gestured to a seat beside her: "No need to rush, General Qin. You must be weary from your journey. Please, have a seat first."
The military commander refused: "I will not sit! The Elder Princess must return to the capital!"
The Elder Princess sighed: "General Qin, I recall when my late father was still alive, he spoke of your martial prowess and your ambition to serve the greater good."
"Now that my father is gone, does General Qin's heart still hold the nation, or only Pei Changying?"
The military commander felt conflicted as he stared at the unflinching woman before him.
Her composed demeanor;
Her fearless expression!
And the way she calmly met his gaze, every word spoken with conviction - he could not bring himself to kill her!
He could not kill her!
Suddenly, the Elder Princess let out a light laugh and said: "Very well, I know General Qin has the ability to discern right from wrong."
"Let us do this: we will not discuss this matter further today. In a few days, we shall revisit it."
"General Qin must have other matters to attend to in Lingnan. After you have handled your affairs, come find me again, and I will give you my answer then."
The military commander and ministers looked at the Elder Princess, then at General Zhou.
Then they noticed the shadows lurking in the darkness, the archers with their bows and arrows trained on them from the ground.
The ministers' faces turned ashen.
General Qin took a deep breath, weighing his options inwardly for a moment, before sheathing his sword: "Very well!"
"I did indeed come to Lingnan with other matters to attend to. Since the Elder Princess wishes to delay this for a few days, then I shall not press the issue out of respect for the late Former Emperor."
"But I have one word of advice."
"This is the Emperor giving the Elder Princess a chance. If the Elder Princess does not return to the capital with us..."
"Then the Emperor will soon announce to the world that the Elder Princess has rebelled, and he will call upon all loyal subjects to suppress this rebellion."
"No matter how noble the Elder Princess's status, once branded a rebel, the consequences could be dire!"
"I have said my piece. Farewell!"
After delivering those firm words to the Elder Princess, General Qin turned and left the tavern.
After their departure, the military commanders and ministers headed straight into the mountains, ordering their soldiers to search Lingnan for sweet potato vines and leaves as quickly as possible.
But three days passed!
They not only failed to find any sweet potatoes, but not a single leaf!
After some investigation, they were horrified to discover...the Elder Princess had monopolized all the sweet potato vines a week ago??
The military commander and Minister of Works were furious, left with no choice but to return and confront the Elder Princess again.
But this time, it was not a cordial meeting at the tavern!
When General Qin and the others arrived at the city gates, their eyes widened in shock: "You—"
"You! You dare to recruit troops and purchase arms?? And you! Noble Consort Gu, as the Emperor's consort, how could you commit such treacherous acts?"
"Elder Princess, must you persist in this delusion? Do you realize the consequences of rebellion?"
"If you come to your senses now, hand over the sweet potato vines and other resources, we will pretend to be unaware of your military preparations, and we will not report this to the Emperor!"
Before them, a massive screen projected live footage onto the city walls.
Gu Sang sat calmly at her desk, facing the camera and meeting the gaze of the military commanders and ministers.
And below the live broadcast screen!
Thousands of soldiers stood imposingly behind Elder Princess, exuding an aura of formidable might.
After a period of combat training, the soldiers had undergone a transformation, their eyes resolute and powerful, their bearing no less intimidating than the imperial troops facing them.
Thousands of soldiers against a thousand?
This Elder Princess had clearly come prepared! She was determined not to go back with them!
Gu Sang smiled faintly. "How have I committed any wrongdoing? Perhaps you could enlighten me."
"Moreover, do you truly have the right to make demands of the Elder Princess at this juncture?"
