Chapter 514

News from the royal court soon pa.s.sed to the Zhu family. When Zhu Yanghong heard of the imperial decree, he said nothing in public. However, he sighed upon returning to his study.

He was once the main General of the station, but as of now, he had been transferred back to the central government and served as a crucial part of the royal force. Things became so chaotic after that which led to the capital even being seized instead. He brought up his concerns to the royal court several times but was ignored in the end. And now, all Zhu Yanghong could do was watch as the forbidden troops marched ahead.

Zhu Yanghong sighed and fell into a deep despair. Did he perhaps make a mistake in giving orders during battle or did he feel the need to escape to save his life when things went bad? It was neither! He had done everything in his ability to try and make the best decisions for the country, but they were never heeded by the royal court. So, what else was he expected to do?

Zhu Yanghong intended to fight till the end with the barbaric Beirong people, so the news from the north was a surprise to him. Xie Xuanchen managed to recapture King Dongdan, who had escaped, and used him to threaten Ye Luyan to take his men and leave. When Zhu Yanghong heard Xie Xuanchen relay those harsh words to the enemy, even though he knew that Prince An was correct, he still broke out in a layer of cold sweat for the royal prince.

Later, Ye Luji retreated from the country before Zhu Yanghong could let out a sigh of relief. Then, his opinions towards Xie Xuanchen’s boldness also increased significantly.

So when Zhu Yanghong heard the order that pa.s.sed on today, his heart almost seemed to have stopped for a brief moment. His intuition had indeed come true. 

Xie Xuanchen had brought his men along to seize Lizhou, but it was not that far from Youzhou. This was the farthest they had come among all attempts in regaining Youyun’s Sixteen Prefectures throughout the past 30 years. However, the Emperor demanded that Xie Xuanchen return to the capital and even ordered his Generals to relinquish their status one by one.

Zhu Yanghong was filled with regret after hearing the order. After 30 years, granted with the best opportunity to recover their land right on their doorstep, this chance was going to be missed out just like that. 

Zhu Yuqing saw that Zhu Yanghong had an uneasy expression, so she secretly asked her mother, “Mother, what happened to father these days? Why does he always seem like he’s so unhappy?”

Madam Zhu hurriedly looked around, covering Zhu Yuqing’s mouth, “You don’t have to know about these things because you’re just a child. These days, your father isn’t in a good mood, so behave and don’t cause more trouble for him.”

When Madam Zhu finished talking, she also let out a weary sigh, “Think of it as helping him out as well.”

Zhu Yuqing didn’t know what was going on. The capital was obviously safe now, so why was her parents always putting on a sad expression? She couldn’t understand no matter how hard she thought about it and started leaning on her mother and acting coquettishly, as if she was an clingy infant, “Mother, I heard the royal court announce that His Highness Prince An will be returning. If so, does that mean that Princess An would come back as well?”

When Madam Zhu heard the familiar names, she sighed once more. It had only been 4 months, but it almost felt like yesterday when Mu Mingtang was still staying in the capital.

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