Chapter 419: The Imperial Will

Chapter 419: The Imperial Will

Hua Qingyun, known as the "big fool," fell silent for a moment before suddenly jumping off the carriage and pulling Shu Mo to his feet.

Just as Chu Xiaozi was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he returned to the carriage.

Chu Xiaozi's face darkened, and just as she was about to curse, he came out again, holding a stack of books.

The refugees were not interested in the books, so there was no immediate commotion. However, as soon as the two left the carriage, the refugees swarmed over it like locusts.

Shu Mo, frightened out of his wits, hid beside Hua Qingyun, his legs trembling. Looking at the young man he previously disliked, he now saw him as a godsend.

"Thank you again, young brother, for your help. But do you know where these refugees are from?" Hua Qingyun's white silk clothes were now marked with black handprints and had some tears. Yet, his graceful appearance remained untarnished.

Chu Xiaozi put away her fire starter, threw her basket on the ground, and didn't care when refugees came to grab it. Cursing, she said, "Damn it, Prince Rong has rebelled!"

"Rebelled?" Shu Mo was stunned, his trembling legs forgetting to shake.

A rare look of astonishment appeared on Hua Qingyun's face.

"Why would Prince Rong suddenly rebel?"

"If I knew, I'd tell you. Who do you think I am?" Chu Xiaozi was annoyed by this mess.

She wasn't heading to Ning City this trip but had taken some odd jobs along the way. She didn't want to exhaust her savings and, being literate, clever, and good at pleasing others, she easily found odd jobs and had a smooth journey.

Who would have thought she'd run into a rebellion!

"Young master, what should we do? Maybe… we should return to Jiuyuan Town first!" Shu Mo, pale-faced, didn't expect such a significant event and was thrown into chaos.

Chu Xiaozi sneered, "Go to Jiuyuan Town? These refugees are heading there. How long do you think Jiuyuan Town can hold out? Moreover, Jiuyuan Pass is close to Ning City. Prince Rong could attack at any time."

Upon hearing this, Shu Mo turned even paler. "Then… what should we do? Lord Xie will certainly not stand by and do nothing about Prince Rong!"

"Lord Xie has just arrived and hasn't entered the military camp as a supervisor. It's said he only has a hundred men, while Prince Rong has an army of a hundred thousand. Moreover, there may be other rebel leaders in Liao Dong siding with Prince Rong. Even if Lord Xie were a war god, he'd have no chance of winning."

Hua Qingyun's usually gentle eyes darkened.

"We don't know how many leaders in Liao Dong have sided with Prince Rong. If Lord Xie tries to gather scattered troops now, it could be troublesome if there are spies sent by Prince Rong."

Seeing that his young master's outlook was not optimistic, Shu Mo's face fell completely. "Young master, what should we do?"

Hua Qingyun remained silent, his expression grave.

Chu Xiaozi, however, had no mood to care about the two and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Shu Mo hurriedly called out to her, "Hey, young brother, where are you going?"

"I'm heading back to Jiuyuan Town to settle my bar tab first, then I'll go to Yanjing." Chu Xiaozi glanced at the two. "Or are you going to pay for my drinks?"

Hua Qingyun snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Shu Mo, who hurriedly reached for his money bag, only to find it missing.

"The… money bag is gone!" He realized belatedly and looked where he had fallen, but even the horse was taken, leaving nothing behind.

Chu Xiaozi, having expected this, crossed her arms and waited. Seeing Shu Mo's embarrassed look, she raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me neither of you has any emergency money hidden on you?"

"Emergency money?" Shu Mo looked confused.

Chu Xiaozi sighed, not wanting to deal with these two troublemakers anymore. She took a few steps away but turned back, seeing the white-clad young man looking at her from afar. Her feet paused involuntarily.

Forget it, consider it doing good for the master's sake!

She turned back.

"Consider yourselves lucky to have met me. Come on, follow me."

"Ah? Where to?" Shu Mo asked.

Chu Xiaozi shrugged. "Where else? You two, with your delicate skin, might end up as two-legged sheep in this war-torn place! Come with me to Yanjing!"

Shu Mo's eyes lit up instantly. "Yes, yes, yes, to Yanjing, young master, let's go back to Yanjing…"

He turned back, delighted, but saw that Hua Qingyun's expression was not one of joy.

"Thank you for your kindness, young brother, but we'll go to Jiuyuan Town first. We won't go to Yanjing." Hua Qingyun cupped his fists. "But young brother, rest assured, we are from Yanjing. I'll give you some proof. When you reach the Hua Grand Tutor's residence in Yanjing, you can claim the money for the drinks. If convenient, please also deliver a message for me."

Chu Xiaozi, not knowing what the Grand Tutor's residence was, said incredulously, "In this chaos, you're planning to stay in Liao Dong?"

"With the country in crisis, how can I turn a blind eye?" Hua Qingyun's tone was resolute, as if he had made up his mind to stay.

Chu Xiaozi looked at him, unable to understand. He looked handsome but seemed foolish to want to stay in this war zone.

Is he tired of living?

What a fool.

But since he didn't want to go, she didn't bother persuading him. After all, you can't save someone determined to die. But something stirred in her heart, and she couldn't help but ask, "Are you from Yanjing? Do you know Miss Su?"

Hua Qingyun was slightly stunned before nodding slightly. "Of course, but we rarely interact."

Seeing Chu Xiaozi's eyes light up, he followed up with a question. "Young brother, do you know Miss Su?"

Previously, he had indeed mentioned Lady Xie and seemed to care a lot about her.

Chu Xiaozi lifted her chin proudly. "Of course, she gave me some favors before. Although she doesn't remember someone like me, I remember her kindness. Since you know her, I'll forget about the drinks. I'll deliver your message for free."

She almost let it slip that the master was her master.

Her status couldn't afford to be associated with the master, as it would damage his reputation.

Hua Qingyun noticed something unusual in her words, but he didn’t ask any further questions. He simply expressed his gratitude and insisted on paying for her drinks at the Hua Mansion in Yanjing.

Chu Xiaozi exchanged a few words of protest with him but soon relented. She then hurriedly led the two of them on foot toward Jiuyuan Town.

Upon arriving in the town, the two finally received confirmed news of Prince Rong’s rebellion.

To everyone’s surprise, Prince Rong suddenly produced a last will and testament from the late emperor, which stated that the throne was to be passed to Prince Rong. It also mentioned that the late emperor had been forced in his final moments by the Crown Prince.

The moment this testament was revealed, the entire Ning City was shaken. Prince Rong immediately issued orders on the spot to several generals in the surrounding areas, rallying their support to ascend the throne in Ning City. A day later, he led a hundred thousand troops southward, claiming to be restoring order, eliminating traitors, and advancing toward Yanjing with unstoppable momentum.

When the new emperor ascended the throne, there were already rumors among the people that the deposed crown prince had been overturned too quickly, and the late emperor’s sudden death seemed suspicious. However, because the new emperor had worked diligently to govern well over the past six months, these suspicions had gradually quieted down, though some still doubted the legitimacy of the new emperor’s claim to the throne.

This time, when Prince Rong suddenly produced the testament, many immediately believed it to be genuine.

As a result, the speed at which Prince Rong rallied the border generals was unstoppable. In just a few days, he had gathered one hundred and thirty thousand soldiers under his command.

This urgent military report even reached Yanjing before Su Youyue did.

When Su Youyue had just returned to the Xie Mansion, she was greeted only by a few female relatives. Nearly all the men who held official positions had been summoned to the palace.

“Nuan Nuan.”

“Yue’er!”

“Miss…”

A large group of people ran toward Su Youyue. As soon as she stepped off the carriage, she quickly went forward.