The national advisor was originally from the Long family in Southern Border, but he was an unimportant collateral descendant. He was extremely intelligent and worked hard, which caught the attention of the grand elder of the Long family at that time. However, later on, for some unknown reason, some villains slandered his background. First, they smeared his mother, claiming that she had an affair and that he was not a member of the Long family. Back then, being young and hot - tempered, the national advisor naturally retaliated fearlessly. As the situation escalated, he wrongly identified his enemies and was beaten up at his own home by the real culprits. Eventually, the grand elder thought the matter was extremely serious as it had caused discord within the family. So, the national advisor was inevitably punished, and all his half - life efforts vanished in an instant. His achievements from his youth were also taken away one by one.
The national advisor refused to accept these punishments, and that was when he decided to fight against the four major families. Naturally, outnumbered, he was expelled from Southern Border by the united four major families and was not allowed to stay for a single moment.
"Who told you I'm from the Long family? I'm the national advisor of the Jin Kingdom and the longest - serving prime minister in the history of the Jin Kingdom. I have nothing to do with the Long family," the national advisor said.
"What if... what if among the people you're about to kill now there are your siblings or their descendants?" Su Wan'er tried to arouse his long - lost family affection and compassion.
"That's impossible. Back then, I only had an elder sister in the family, and she never married because of me. Now... her whereabouts are unknown." Sure enough, a look of sadness flashed across the national advisor's eyes.
"I'm just saying if. If there were your relatives here, you would surely feel reluctant to kill them, right?" Su Wan'er looked at him, feeling that she was gaining the upper hand in this negotiation and slowly starting to fight back.
"What about others? If they're just like me, collateral descendants with little connection to the four major families, only sharing the same surname, and they have to suffer the tragedy of family extermination just because of their association with the four major families, how heart - broken would their relatives and friends be? Aren't they innocent? Can the grand elder feel no remorse?"
"Don't try to persuade me anymore. Why didn't they think about my relatives back then? Why didn't they feel remorse when they separated me from my family and my homeland?"
"It was indeed their fault, and you should resent them! But it's precisely because of their mistakes over the years that the grand elder can openly express his resentment. However, if one day the grand elder makes the same mistake and becomes the wrongdoer himself, can he still claim to the world that Southern Border has wronged him?"
Sure enough, the grand elder was left speechless.
"In the eyes of the world, I've long been a nameless and strange person. If it weren't for my power, who would say a good word about me? I've long stopped caring about these vain names. What do I have to fear? If I can't avenge my great hatred in this situation, Marshal, you can imagine what I might do." He had made up his mind before coming, and there was no way he would give it up easily. Moreover, how could he let go of his hatred that had been building up for so many years?
"Otherwise, national advisor, why don't you stay here and think for a few days? You can also teach the young people in the army for me. Now the emperor is in Southern Border. His plan coincides with the grand elder's in some ways. The emperor also intends to expel all the evildoers from the Yuwen family and other families. How about you wait and see the results?"
Just then, they arrived at the military camp. Su Wan'er immediately treated the national advisor with courtesy in the name of the emperor, giving him the highest - level accommodation, setting up a separate tent for him, and assigning special servants to attend to him. This was not to appease the national advisor's anger, as Su Wan'er knew it was useless, but to buy time. Maybe when the national advisor calmed down, there would be a turning point.
The half - month long, absurd and secret journey in Southern Border made her miss the military camp very much. Now, acting in the capacity of the emperor and using the methods of a marshal to train the troops, many soldiers were not used to it. The soldiers all speculated whether their emperor was also a good general and strategist in the past.
Su Wan'er took a rough look at the current distribution of the troops and found that Gu Jingtian had really put a lot of effort into it. This formation was both offensive and defensive. Although they were currently staying put, they had already gained the upper hand. Maybe Brother Jingtian still didn't believe that this war could be avoided. After all, he had risked being disrespectful to the emperor by asking her countless times when his Wan'er sister would come back and whether she was in danger.
As the real Wan'er sister, Su Wan'er was naturally touched when she heard such words, but she couldn't answer. Brother Jingtian must be thinking that they could wrap things up in a dozen days. However, her plan with Si Junlin was to minimize conflicts and casualties. It would be best if the grand elder of the Yuwen family could lead Southern Border to voluntarily submit to the Jin Kingdom. In that case, it would at least take a few months.
"Qingcao, have you received any letters from Xiaojiu?" After the morning drill as usual, Su Wan'er hurriedly asked Qingcao.
"Miss, don't worry. Xiaojiu can surely send letters now. I've already arranged for a maid who can pass on messages there. It's just that it may take a couple of days."
Su Wan'er continued to drill the troops as the emperor, doing everything a marshal should do. She also went to comfort and persuade the national advisor every day, learning from his unique experiences accumulated over the decades. After three days like this, the national advisor's attitude towards her became more sincere.
However, Su Wan'er was even more worried about Xiaojiu's situation.
"Miss! A letter!" Qingcao finally brought what she had been longing for day and night.
!!!
But when she read the content, the smile on Su Wan'er's face disappeared. Xiaojiu... she actually said that she was willing to be controlled by the grand elder.
This silly girl, was she actually setting a trap for the grand elder? But was she so sure that her position in the grand elder's heart was more important than the power in Southern Border? Could she really guarantee that she wouldn't be completely controlled by the grand elder without any means of resistance?
In this psychological battle, if things went smoothly, Xiaojiu would need to truly gain a part of the ruling power in Southern Border. If it was slow, they might have to wait for a new heir to be born.
"Is this... a letter from the Long family?" The grand elder had intended to continue the chess game from yesterday. When he entered the tent and saw Su Wan'er holding the special letter paper of the Long family.
"How do you know..." Only after looking at the beige square paper did Su Wan'er understand. She used to think it was just Xiaojiu's habit, but now it seemed that it might be a mandatory rule of the Long family.