It has been five days since the execution of the Grand Master in Luoyi City and the escorting of the Yulin soldiers.
If General Mu Man truly intended to resolve the matter peacefully, he would not have plotted to have the Seventh Prince escort the Yulin soldiers.
Grandfather once said that fighting a war is different from practicing medicine.
Practicing medicine requires observation, inquiry, listening, and pulse-taking, proceeding step by step, to achieve a cure.
War, however, is about strategy and interlocking schemes to achieve victory.
If the execution of the physician and the escorting of the Yulin soldiers were part of the plan, then the day General Mu Man declared his departure from Luoyi would likely be the time for the successful culmination of his scheme.
At that point, all hidden dangers would surface, and survival would be uncertain.
Therefore, transporting the remains of the Ji family back to the imperial city safely was the best course of action.
Lian Ju, accompanying the Elder Master Ji, had experienced dozens of battles, big and small. Although her foresight was not as thorough as her young lady's, she understood that this situation was extremely perilous.
However, seeing her young lady's dark eyes resolute and unmoved, she could only give her a deep look before turning and leaping out the window once more.
That evening, Lian Ju secretly left Luoyi with the remains of the Ji family men.
Han Jingyu, also informed, was restless. He ordered his men to be extremely vigilant and secretly protect the citizens of Luoyi, as no one knew what the Tujue might do before their departure.
Several days passed in the blink of an eye, yet Luoyi City remained calm.
As the Tujue soldiers gradually withdrew from Luoyi, the citizens no longer lived in constant fear. Some young and strong men had already gathered to begin rebuilding houses.
Every day, the bustling scene of the citizens working energetically could be seen throughout Luoyi City.
Faced with such a vibrant scene, Han Jingyu even felt a sense of his own pettiness.
Ji Zizhao, accompanied by Qing Zhu, stood by the window, gazing silently at the busy scene of the city's residents.
The calm before the storm is often the most harmonious.
Only in this way can people be blinded, leading them to believe that peace prevails throughout the land.
"Knock, knock, knock..." A sudden knock on the door.
Immediately after, someone outside announced, "Our general is about to depart for Tujue. Before leaving, he invites the esteemed guests from Yulin to gather in the hall."
Ji Zizhao's thoughts snapped back to the present. She looked towards the door, narrowing her eyes slightly, "Understood."
Qing Zhu accompanied Ji Zizhao towards the door, her hand subtly reaching for the dagger hidden in her embrace.
As doors continued to open within the inn, everyone proceeded to the ground floor.
In the hall, General Mu Man and Mu Shizhen had been waiting for a long time.
Seeing everyone slowly arrive, General Mu Man rose with a smile and said, "Thank you to all the esteemed guests from Yulin for gracing us with your presence."
Ji Zizhao subtly scanned the hall, "Why is the Tujue Princess not present?"
General Mu Man smiled and replied, "Princess Asha is extremely pampered by the Khan. The thought of a long and arduous journey back made her throw a tantrum. Fearing it would dampen everyone's spirits, I had someone accompany Princess Asha in a carriage beforehand."
If not for the vivid memory of the Ji family men's corpses hanging from the city walls, and if not for the ruins scattered throughout Luoyi City, anyone would have mistaken the smiling Tujue general before them for an exceedingly amiable elder.
Ji Zizhao's intention was merely to point out a detail, and she saw no need to waste energy exposing anything further.
It was precisely under Ji Zizhao's reminder that Han Jingyu noticed that not only was Princess Asha absent from the hall, but the Tujue envoys who had negotiated peace with Yulin were also nowhere to be seen.
The Second Prince seemed unwilling to waste any more time. As he sat down, he urged, "Let's begin the feast."
Xie Jingqi cast a deep glance at the Tenth Prince, who was seated beside General Mu Man. His usually uninhibited demeanor was replaced by a rare silence.
The Tenth Prince knew that his seventh brother was worried about him. He quickly flashed his seventh brother a broad smile.
Seeing that smile, Xie Jingqi felt even more uneasy.
General Mu Man, seeing this, put an arm around the Tenth Prince and said, "Do not worry, Seventh Prince of Yulin. We Tujue will surely take good care of the Tenth Prince. Five years will pass quickly, and after five years, Tujue will undoubtedly return a healthy Tenth Prince to Yulin."
Xie Jingqi did not believe General Mu Man's words. He picked up the wine cup before him and drained it in one gulp, "Nonsense."
General Mu Man did not get angry. He merely called out to the soldiers outside the door, "Guards! Serve the wine!"
Soon, someone entered carrying a wine jar.
And the one carrying the wine was none other than Ji Zixiu, whose shoulder had not yet healed.
Han Jingyu, seeing the familiar figure, immediately stood up, "What is the meaning of this, General of Tujue?"
General Mu Man calmly glanced at Ji Zixiu, "Our Tujue soldiers have already withdrawn from Luoyi City, so it is not appropriate for us to move about Luoyi freely."
Han Jingyu frowned, "So the General of Tujue can casually order our Yulin soldiers around?"
General Mu Man smiled thinly, "Are Yulin soldiers incapable of performing such trivial tasks as serving tea and water? Or is this soldier different from others, a special existence?"
A surge of anger welled up in Han Jingyu's chest, but he did not know how to explain.
Ji Zizhao, however, calmly said, "Thank you for your concern, General of Tujue. This soldier is my second sister, from the Ji family."
General Mu Man had brought the person before him, so he had already investigated the second sister's identity.
If that were the case, to continue hiding it would only indicate Yulin's guilt.
General Mu Man feigned surprise, "I heard that there were women serving in the Yulin army, so I brought this person here out of curiosity. I did not expect this woman to be the sister of Princess Ronghe."
Han Jingyu, "..."
You old scoundrel, could you be any more fake?
Ji Zizhao remained composed, "My family's women were able to join the army due to the appreciation of the Supreme Ancestor and the Emperor's profound wisdom."
General Mu Man stood up, seemingly astonished, and quickly beckoned Ji Zixiu to sit, "So you are truly the second daughter of the Ji family. The mouths of the Yulin army are so tight. Look at the mess this has caused. Second Daughter Ji, please sit down quickly. We would not dare trouble you with such menial tasks."
Ji Zixiu stood still.
She was impulsive, but not foolish.
If she were to sit down now, it would not only bring shame to the Ji family but also tarnish the reputation of the Yulin army.
Han Jingyu sat back down on his stool with a measured tone, "By advising my soldiers in this manner, does the General of Tujue wish for outsiders to deliberately misunderstand my soldiers as pampered young ladies? Or does he wish for Tujue to believe that our Yulin army lacks any military discipline whatsoever?"
Even when exposed, General Mu Man showed no embarrassment. He merely looked apologetically at Ji Zixiu and said, "I meant no harm. Since that is the case, second daughter Ji, you cannot blame me for my lack of etiquette."
He paused, then his face suddenly darkened. He threw the wine cup in his hand at Ji Zixiu, "Serve the wine!"
The wine cup, with half its contents remaining, struck Ji Zixiu's face, splashing the remaining wine all over her.