"Brother Jingtian means for me to go with you?" Su Wan'er was shocked by this idea, yet she actually hesitated. Yes, at this moment, her elder brother had fallen. If there was no one from the Su Family to hold down the fort, what would happen to the Su Family Army in the Southern Border?
If it were before, not to mention acting as the general, even leading the troops on her own would have been no problem at all. But now she was the queen.
"Let General Gu go there quickly first. General Su will arrive soon. I think the Su Family Army will be fine. How can a woman like Wan'er go to the battlefield? I can't feel at ease about this," Si Junlin interrupted Su Wan'er's thoughts just in time. He didn't care what kind of relationship the two of them had. Whether they were childhood sweethearts or innocent playmates. Even if Gu Jingtian knew Su Wan'er better than him, but now she was his queen. Whether she could go to the battlefield or not depended on whether he, the emperor, agreed!
He thought this idea was extremely absurd. If someone else had proposed such an idea on a normal day, he would probably have wanted to behead that person with a single sword. But at this moment, not to mention that Su Wan'er wouldn't allow him to hurt Gu Jingtian. Just the fact that Gu Jingtian was going to the battlefield to stabilize the morale of the troops meant that this person couldn't be touched.
"Your Majesty is right. Then this subject will set off. I can't delay any longer," Gu Jingtian said as he mounted his horse. He looked back at Su Wan'er, and she smiled and waved at him.
"Don't worry. It'll be okay. After General Su arrives, he just needs good treatment," Si Junlin seemed to want to pull back that gaze that was fading away with the sound of the horses' hooves.
It'll be okay...
However, just when the two of them were waiting for news from General Su, they suddenly received a piece of shocking news!
General Su had been assassinated and was now seriously injured. He probably couldn't travel day and night anymore. Otherwise, the wound might get infected and he would easily be left with a serious injury. Moreover, General Su was old. That was why the people in the army had written the letter. He really couldn't lead the troops there. He left a small squad on the road by himself and then let the main army march towards the capital on its own.
How could even Father encounter such a thing? The Southern Border had actually sent people deep into the heartland of the Jin Kingdom. Even Father...
However, since Yu Wenshan had the audacity to assassinate Si Junlin, it was natural that she had the audacity to assassinate Father. This wasn't really strange. Fortunately, Father had only suffered an ordinary sword wound. It should be fine after some recuperation.
But in this way, wouldn't all the troops marching towards the capital be leaderless?
"I know what you're thinking. Don't even think about it. You're the queen of the Jin Kingdom. How can you leave the harem?" Si Junlin immediately saw through her thoughts. Now the Southern Border was unstable, and General Su had been assassinated. The Su Family Army on both sides was in a precarious situation. It would be good if someone from the Su Family could go to stabilize the morale of the troops. But if that person was Su Wan'er, he would rather not have this morale.
"Your Majesty, please listen to your subject. Your subject promises that once the morale of the troops is stabilized, I will definitely not want this military power," Su Wan'er subconsciously thought that Si Junlin must be afraid that she would hold military power and then he would lose the bargaining chip to restrain the Su Family.
"I said no, and that's final," Si Junlin flatly refused.
What military power, what morale of the troops? You're a queen. How can you go to the battlefield? How could I bear to let you go to the battlefield?!
"Why? Si Junlin, you can't be unreasonable," Su Wan'er was extremely anxious at this moment. Her elder brother and father had both had accidents one after another. Now the war in the Southern Border was going on without a break. What should she do?
"I'm the Son of Heaven. What I say is the law," Si Junlin seemed to be avoiding the issue. He was well aware that the situation was critical at this moment, but he just wouldn't allow Su Wan'er to go to the battlefield. He couldn't imagine the consequences of such a thing. Su Wan'er had been clamoring to be a female general every day. If she went this time, with her family and childhood sweetheart there, fighting side by side, would she still come back?!
"You!" Su Wan'er was so angry that she was speechless.
Time didn't slow down at all because of the war or people's hearts. Su Wan'er stared at the hourglass alone in the palace.
"Your Highness, there's a letter from General Gu!" Qingcao exclaimed in surprise as she untied a note from the leg of a carrier pigeon.
"Quick, bring it here quickly," this was undoubtedly the best comfort for Su Wan'er.
"Wan'er, don't worry. Your humble brother has arrived. Fortunately, your elder brother had made proper arrangements before. The situation in the army is still good. However, the Southern Border is recruiting soldiers again. I've decided to promote some people in the army. The emperor has also issued an order allowing me to act without waiting for the emperor's orders when on the battlefield. Don't worry."
Since it was just a message from a carrier pigeon, there were only a few short sentences. Brother Jingtian's words were all meant to reassure her, but she knew that the more such words were, the less reassuring they were.
People in the army had different intentions. It wasn't that easy to promote someone. If you weren't careful, it would arouse the jealousy of others. If a conflict was triggered, it would even affect the morale of the troops. Her elder brother was the eldest son of the Su Family back then, and with the support and assistance of his father, he was able to win the hearts of the people and firmly hold the position of the commander-in-chief in the army. But now Brother Jingtian was still so young. It was really difficult for him to convince the crowd.
"Your Highness, don't worry. It seems that everything in the army is fine. It'll be okay," Qingcao comforted her on the side.
"Qingcao, I must go to the front line now. The Southern Border has changed its ruler this time. The Yu Wen Family is coming on fiercely," Su Wan'er urgently grabbed Qingcao's sleeve. She firmly believed that if she didn't go, something big would go wrong as soon as Brother Jingtian took office.
But Si Junlin on the other side had always flatly rejected her decision.
"Your Highness..." Qingcao looked at her and hesitated. "But after all, you're the queen. How could the emperor let you go to the battlefield?"
"Yes, except for the Su Family, there are hardly any useful military generals in the court. But Si Junlin has always been wary of the Su Family," Su Wan'er murmured to herself.
"He finally managed to get a person from the Su Family like me to be the queen. How could he let go so easily?" She had made so many efforts and spent so much thought just to dispel Si Junlin's concerns about the Su Family. But Si Junlin was still like this. Why was he still like this?
"Your Highness, actually... Maybe the emperor doesn't let you go because he's worried about you and doesn't want you to take risks," Qingcao always heard Su Wan'er say like this. It seemed that she was convinced that the emperor was just afraid of losing the means to threaten the Su Family. But she could see that the emperor really cared about her. Why couldn't the empress see it?
"Qingcao, what should I do? I must go. The Su Family Army that Father and elder brother have managed for so many years and guarded the border for so many years. I can't let it be destroyed..." Su Wan'er seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw.
"Your Highness..." Maybe there was a way. "It might not work if it's just up to you, Your Highness. But the emperor doesn't want you to go. In this palace, there are many people who want you to go."
"Do you mean those women?" Su Wan'er put down the Sutra of Calming the Mind that she had been holding upside down.
Yes, now she couldn't count on her friends. Maybe she could count on her enemies.