Upon returning to the manor, Feng Yexuan received an imperial decree.
The Rouyi tribe was in rebellion, and in three days, he was to march to Yitie City to defend the border.
Yitie City had always been garrisoned by Feng Yexuan's Xuanwu Army, currently numbering a hundred thousand troops.
The Rouyi tribe had attacked multiple times before, but Feng Yexuan's army had repelled them each time.
However, the Rouyi people were naturally warlike, possessing the ferocity of werewolves.
Both Feng Yexuan and the current emperor knew that as long as the Rouyi tribe could not be eradicated, they would remain a constant threat to Yitie City.
But in this Cangqiong Continent, while the surface appeared calm, in reality, there were undercurrents of tension between the various nations.
The Northern Ming Kingdom had not launched a full-scale campaign to eliminate the Rouyi tribe because they knew that once troops were dispatched, the defenses in other regions would become weak.
If neighboring countries were to attack at this time, they would be unable to attend to both matters.
Therefore, it was not impossible to annihilate the frequently attacking Rouyi tribe, but it required a very opportune moment for a decisive blow!
They had to conquer the Rouyi tribe in a very short period.
Otherwise, if the war dragged on, it would be greatly disadvantageous to their Northern Ming Kingdom.
It was just that they had not expected the Rouyi tribe to attack again before they could even set out.
After the imperial decree arrived, Feng Wuya and Feng Jinrui immediately rushed to the side hall. Qin Xiao had heard the news earlier and arrived in advance.
He had waited in the manor for a day and a night.
When they went to the side hall, Qin Xiao was also there.
"Yexuan, last time you let the Rouyi Crown Prince go, didn't they promise not to raise troops for three years?"
Qin Xiao had also read the imperial decree.
Indeed, he was to march out in three days.
"But we haven't heard any news of the Rouyi tribe attacking. Why would the Emperor issue this decree?"
"I heard that people from the Emperor's side intercepted a message, knowing that the Rouyi tribe's King Qi had secret dealings with Fusang..."
"Fusang?" Chu Qianli was startled, somewhat surprised. "Is that the Fusang... with that Eastern Ying hidden arts?"
"Fusang is Fusang, and Dongying is Dongying; they are two different countries." Qin Xiao looked at her. "You know Dongying?"
"I thought Fusang was Dongying." Chu Qianli rubbed her temples. The history of this dynasty was completely different from what she knew.
She still didn't understand which continent Cangqiong Continent was.
Secretly, she couldn't help but leave a message for her senior brother on WeChat: "Help me check if there's ever been a Cangqiong Continent in history, the Northern Ming Kingdom, the Dragon Ascending Kingdom, and also, there's Fusang and Dongying here, which are two countries."
After sending the message, she looked up and met Feng Yexuan's deep gaze.
Chu Qianli suddenly felt a pang of guilt. His gaze seemed to see through all her secrets.
Did he really know the secret of her bracelet? What had he said when he gave her the wooden box last time...
Chu Qianli rubbed her temples. When she thought about many things, her head would start to ache.
In the end, she could only try her best to stop herself from overthinking.
When she looked up at him again, Feng Yexuan had already withdrawn his gaze and was drinking tea, as if he hadn't paid attention to her at all.
However, his words were clearly explaining to her: "Fusang and Dongying were originally one country, later divided into two by two princes. In fact, they are of the same lineage."
"I understand," Chu Qianli nodded.
Of the same lineage, meaning it would be normal for them to eventually unify and return to one country.
She was just unclear whether this Fusang and Dongying referred to the same country as the one she knew.
Feng Wuya looked at Feng Yexuan and asked softly, "So, Fourth Brother is leaving for Yitie City in three days?"
Qin Xiao glanced at Feng Yexuan, a hint of anxiety in his eyes.
He spoke first, "The Emperor's decree cannot be disobeyed. Not going would be defying the imperial order."
"Moreover, it is currently Feng Yexuan's Xuanwu Army stationed at Yitie City. If the Emperor were to send another prince or a great general at this time, where would the Xuanwu Army be placed?"
Everyone understood.
If the person sent as commander was on good terms with Prince Xuan, it would be considered fortunate.
If they were unlucky and someone from Prince He, Prince Nan, or even Prince Xu was sent as commander, the Xuanwu Army would suffer.
They would definitely be assigned all the dangerous missions.
The most feared thing was that if someone wanted to weaken Prince Xuan's power, they would inevitably try to eliminate his Xuanwu Army first.
Then, the Xuanwu Army stationed at Yitie City would become lambs to the slaughter, absolutely destined to be sacrificed.
Prince Xuan could not refuse!
...
That night, the three Feng brothers closed their doors and chatted about something unknown.
Chu Qianli returned to her room early. Having kept vigil for two days and two nights, she was now tired and sleepy.
She soon fell asleep.
However, in her dream, her heart felt somewhat uneasy, as if something was pressing down on her heart.
It was heavy.
It felt like unhappiness.
Yet, she didn't know why she was unhappy.
In the latter half of the night, she felt as if someone was standing by the bed, staring at her.
That gaze, as deep as ever, so deep that it was impossible to fathom.
She tried hard to open her eyes, to see who was watching her without speaking.
But her eyelids felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds, unable to open no matter what.
Although having someone standing by the bed was a terrifying thing, for some reason, after sleeping restlessly in the first half of the night, it was his presence that made Chu Qianli sleep soundly.
When she woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.
When she went out, Fu Ning said, "I heard Prince Xuan went to the military camp outside the city early this morning to select elite troops to depart."
"Oh," Chu Qianli replied, not paying much attention.
She went to the backyard.
Fu Ning followed behind her. "Miss, aren't you sad? Prince Xuan had promised to accompany you and Fifth Prince to the Dragon Ascending Kingdom."
"An imperial decree has been issued. Can he defy it? I can't possibly ask him to disobey the Emperor's orders just to accompany us, can I?"
Chu Qianli seemed to truly not care, even smiling at Fu Ning. "Besides, I never intended for him to go with us."
"He is a dignified God of War Prince. For him to accompany us on such a small matter and travel to a faraway land, don't you think it's strange?"
"What's strange about it? Prince Xuan is willing to accompany you..."
"Don't talk nonsense!" Chu Qianli interrupted her and changed the subject. "Have you found the carriage I asked for?"
"There are plenty of carriages in the manor, all meeting your requirements, large and sturdy!"
Fu Ning was still persistent. "Miss, can't you think of a way? How can you and Prince Xuan be separated?"
They were still together now, and Miss's heart had already gone to Fifth Prince.
Once they were truly separated, and for several months at that, could the relationship between Miss and Prince Xuan be mended?