Chapter 40 Princess Beifeng goes south to negotiate peace [Empresses in the harem, relatives of the emperor, and wives of officials. ] 【Amid the singing of birds and dancing of swallows, all kinds of flowers compete for beauty, just like a hundred flowers blooming. 】 [The leader of the group is the current queen, the second prince's biological mother.] [Beside the queen, a bright and beautiful woman attracted attention. She was tall, noble, and heroic.] [This is Princess Beifeng.] [Perhaps it is because of the nourishment of the northern soil and water that she has the tallest figure among all the women, and she also stands out among the crowd. ] [It is said that she is skilled in horse riding and archery, and is no less skilled than any man.] [Since marrying into this prosperous capital four years ago, she has established a firm foothold in Kyoto in just four years as a bride from a distant place. ] [The second prince loved her deeply, and to show his loyalty, he divorced all his concubines.] [Although Princess Beifeng pleaded for them many times, the Second Prince had made up his mind.]

[Those concubines had tragic endings, some became slaves, and some drowned.] [The reason is unknown.] 【Therefore, the second prince was given the name of "heartless".】 [She was very comfortable in the Daqing royal family. The queen treated her as her own daughter. She also had close contacts with the wives of officials in the court and they were like sisters and best friends.] [This Princess Beifeng is quite skilled!] [After greeting the Queen and the concubines. ] 【You quietly step aside and watch in silence. 】 【Lu Yu was just looking at his nose and his heart, showing no interest at all.】 [Among these beauties, there are some with twinkling eyes, faintly revealing their curiosity and exploration of you. ] [After all, you were once at the height of your fame, famous all over the world, and granted the power to open three prefectures. It seemed that you were only one step away from soaring to the top. ] [At that time, countless beauties were obsessed with you and devoted their beauty to you. ] [However, things are unpredictable, and in the end, I only waited for the news that you retired to Zhongnan, lost all your former glory, and became a commoner. ] [This news was like a cold wind blowing across the lake, instantly extinguishing the passion in the hearts of countless women, turning them into cold disappointment.] [In the torrent of power, even heroes who have made great military achievements will be nothing more than passing clouds and smoke once they lose power. ] [Your once glorious achievements have become insignificant as your power has dissipated, even less than those of the peddlers walking the streets.] [Now, the Second Prince advocates peace, the Queen is his biological mother, and you are no longer the hero famous throughout the world.] [Naturally, no one dared to offend the Queen, and risk offending the Second Prince and the Queen by associating with a former war-advocating general like you.] [In this palace vortex, who dares to challenge the dignity of the queen and question the decision of the second prince? Everyone avoids you as much as possible, fearing that they will be implicated by you. ] [Now, you are in this palace, no one greets you, leaving you alone in loneliness.]

[I will keep a distance from you, leaving a space for you. 】 [The wives and sons of the officials were mostly full of sarcasm and sneers.] [The former Grand Guardian Lu Shenzhou, today’s Taoist priest Lu Chen. 】 [It’s the same person, but everything has changed. 】 【At this moment, someone walks towards you. 】 [The Princess of the North Wind.] [With her noble status, naturally no one dared to say anything!] [“Jinyu has met Shao Bao?” She whispered softly, making people intoxicated. ] [Her voice is even more delicate than that of a southern girl. ] [After she married into Daqing, she requested to change her name, and the emperor was very pleased and gave her the imperial surname Zhou.] 【The name is Zhou Jinyu. 】 [This name is both her new identity and the beginning of her new life. ] [The second prince was given the title of King of Han.] ["Lu Chen, meet the Princess of Han."] [Zhou Jinyu's eyes flow over you like autumn water.] 【“Shao Bao, is this actually the second time we meet?”】 [You are confused. I don't remember ever seeing this Han princess.] [Zhou Jin smiled and said, "Back then, Shao Bao led the cavalry to attack Huanglong Mansion. I saw your figure from afar on the city gate, but the distance was too far and I couldn't see it clearly."] [She paused, then continued, "At that time, I always thought that Shao Bao was a brave and heroic man, but I never thought that when I saw you again today, you were actually... a Taoist priest."] [Perhaps they were not far away, so the women and noblemen behind him heard it. ] [Ever since the Han princess started talking to Lu Chen, everyone has pricked up their ears and listened carefully.] 【Speaking of this!】 [Someone behind him was already laughing, and it seemed that someone was leading the way. The voices became louder and louder, causing everyone to turn their heads. ] 【“Hero…Taoist priest, haha.”】 [“What he said is true, and the metaphor is wonderful.”] [Even the queen, who was the mother of the country, couldn't help but smile. However, the smile was fleeting.] [The Queen frowned slightly, feeling that something was wrong.] [The noisy sounds around you gradually died down, and everyone's eyes were focused on you again, eagerly waiting for your reaction. ] [After listening to this, you seemed nonchalant, as if these words had nothing to do with you.]

[Zhou Jinyu's eyes were also fixed on your face, trying to catch the slightest fluctuation of your emotions.] 【However, you are like an outsider, unmoved. 】 [She continued: "When the young guard was in Huanglong Mansion, it was like a dark cloud pressing down on the city, threatening to destroy it..."] [She shook her head gently, with a complex light in her eyes: "Forget it, those are all things of the past, and should not be mentioned again."] 【You nodded.】 [You no longer want anyone to remember what happened back then, and now you just want to practice Taoism in peace.] [This Beifeng woman saw your expression and suddenly said, "Jinyu didn't want to say this, but since you don't want to listen, I feel it is necessary to say it."] [You look helpless.] [The northern woman recalled briefly and said slowly:] [“When the Lu family army reached the outskirts of Huanglong Mansion, our Beifeng soldiers were all terrified.”] [“At that time, there were more than 200,000 troops stationed in Huanglongfu City, while the Lu family army only had 80,000 people.”] [“I was just thinking, with an army of more than 200,000 soldiers waiting for the opportunity to tire themselves out, how could they not be defeated by the 80,000 Lu family soldiers?” [She paused and continued:] [“My brother Tuoba Shuyi, who has been a hero since childhood, doesn’t even have the courage to fight. He is just waiting to die in the city.”] [“At that time, I really wanted to scold him for being unworthy of being a man.”] [“As a general, he should lead his soldiers to fight the enemy bravely instead of running away.”] [“Looking back now, it seems like that was the best decision.”] [She spoke slowly, as if she was talking to herself, but also as if she was asking for your opinion.] 【Zhou Jinyu turned to you, with a hint of expectation in his eyes: "Shao Bao, do you think going south to negotiate peace was the best decision?"】 [Just as you were about to answer, a clear and firm female voice suddenly came from behind Zhou Jinyu, interrupting your conversation.] [“Daqing should not negotiate peace. Shao Bao should attack Huanglongfu directly.”] [For a moment, the whole audience was shocked. ] [You look towards the sound!] PS: It’s a bit late to update tonight. I will correct some typos and sentences later. The pace has been accelerated, and there should be no such plot later. Thank you for correcting the typos!! (End of this chapter)