She Came to Heal, Stayed to Conquer

Yang Qi Quan nodded solemnly: "Rest assured, Prince, I will do my best and won’t let the brothers down."

Han Lei looked at the sky and gently reminded: "It looks like it’s going to rain soon, let’s head back. Leave the matters of the cemetery to Mr. Yang, no need to worry too much."

Zhao Zun nodded, took one last look at the orderly mound of graves, and waved to everyone.

"Let’s go, head home."

The group slowly made their way down the mountain path.

The clouds hung low, heavy black clouds gathered from all directions, the wind began to weave through the mountains, carrying a damp smell, swirling the dried leaves and dust on the ground, making a rustling sound.

Trees swayed in the wind, branches and leaves moved uneasily, as if whispering the impending storm, or perhaps bidding farewell to Zhao Zun from the spirits of Ma Cheng and his trusted aides...

...I am the lazy dividing line...

At this moment, in the Capital City Imperial Palace.

In the imperial garden, at the end of March, cherry blossoms clouded the sky like rosy clouds, pink and white petals gently swayed in the breeze, as if delicate wings dancing in the wind.

Fragrance pervaded, refreshing one’s heart, the whole imperial garden seemed wrapped in a light pink veil, appearing particularly dreamy.

Today, Emperor Jing had especially summoned the concubines to join in viewing the flowers, and after court, he went straight to the imperial garden.

The concubines had long been waiting in the garden, dressed in magnificent palace attire, sitting in the pavilion sipping tea and admiring flowers, laughter surrounded, their luxurious and enchanting outfits seemed to merge with the beauty of the garden.

On the stone table in the center of the pavilion, an exquisite birdcage sat, holding the myna bird Zhao Zun had sent.

This myna bird had become the "joy-maker" for the beauties of the harem ever since entering the palace.

Not only could it mimic human speech, but it often came up with unexpected remarks, causing the concubines who have long resided deep in the palace to burst into laughter constantly.

When Emperor Jing walked into the pavilion, the myna bird was happily bouncing in the cage, seemingly excited by the surrounding bloom of cherry blossoms.

Emperor Jing strode over and sat by the stone table, playfully teasing it with interest.

He tapped on the birdcage lightly and asked with a smile: "You little rascal, what are you doing today?"

The myna bird tilted its head, blinked its eyes like black beans, and replied in its hoarse voice:

"I’m waiting for an idiot."

Emperor Jing was taken aback, his brows furrowed slightly, evidently not understanding the modern term.

Several concubines’ expressions turned odd upon hearing this. Some quickly turned away, pretending to admire the flowers, while others pursed their lips, seeming to hold back laughter with all their might.

Emperor Jing did not notice their expressions but instead curiously asked: "What is an idiot?"

The myna bird quickly answered: "An idiot is you!"

Upon hearing this, the concubines directly bit their lips and closed their eyes, suppressing laughter even more.

They had been often "cursed" by this myna bird over the past three months, never expecting it to target the emperor today.

"Oh? So I’m the idiot?"

Emperor Jing continued to look bewildered. He thought this was a special nickname the myna bird had given him.

"This name is quite unique, but the word ’idiot’ is unbecoming, can we change a letter?"

The myna bird replied promptly: "Certainly, let’s change it to ’dumb idiot.’

"Pfft—"

A concubine had just raised her teacup to drink, couldn’t resist upon hearing "dumb idiot," and sprayed the tea out.

"Ah! I have sinned."

Impropriety in front of the emperor considered a sin. The concubine was so frightened she quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief, left her seat, and knelt down to plead guilty.

Though she claimed to have sinned, her face turned crimson, yet her shoulders continued to shake uncontrollably.

The other concubines hurriedly bowed their heads, biting their lips tightly, afraid any laughter might escape from their lips.

This wasn’t the court hall; just a few people from the family enjoying the flowers and amusement, thus Emperor Jing had no intention of reprimanding the concubine.

He turned and glared at the concubine, but his face was a mix of red and white, finally realizing its meaning.

This wasn’t a name; it was clearly an insult!

He, a dignified ruler, actually publicly humiliated by a bird, feeling both embarrassed and angry.

Yet, facing this articulate myna bird, he didn’t know how to act.

Actually, he wanted to strangle this foul-mouthed myna, but being a dignified ruler, he couldn’t let people say he stooped to argue with a bird, could he?

At this moment, the sudden sound of hurried footsteps broke the awkward atmosphere in the garden.

Only to see the head eunuch Li Zhongxin holding a horsetail whisk, lowered his head as he hurriedly approached, followed by two messengers with small black flags inserted.

Black flags?

Emperor Jing’s heart sank suddenly, and his previous awkward expression promptly replaced by a serious one.

In Da Jing, yellow flags signify good news, blue flags an ordinary governmental report, while black flags are urgent distress signals. Moreover, they denote military reports.

The two messengers, dusty from travel, each holding an expedited letter, walked over urgently and knelt before Emperor Jing, presenting the urgent reports.

"Your Majesty, Yong’an City sent an express delivery over 800 miles."

"Your Majesty, Ling’an City sent an express delivery over 800 miles."

Emperor Jing stood up and took the letters, quickly opening them to read.

As his gaze swept over the letter, his brows furrowed into a ’川’ character.

As it turned out, due to the long journey, Zhao Zun and his team had already returned from ambushing the Turkic army. However, the Emperor had just received the memorials reported by Cao Xiong and Li Gang.

The concubines, seeing this, hurriedly put away their smiles, dared not breathe, and the atmosphere in the garden instantly became solemn.

Moments later, Emperor Jing closed the letter with a snap, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice: "Quick, pass my decree, immediately summon the ministers, to discuss the Beiguan Army situation!"

The concubines looked at each other, feeling a vague sense of unease. The urgent letters from Beiguan evidently meant significant border issues.

And that myna bird seemingly sensed the change too, no longer speaking, just stood quietly in the cage, with its black bean-like eyes spinning, as if observing everything around.

Emperor Jing spoke while turning away quickly, the concubines dared not remain long, stood up and bowed deeply to see off the emperor.

In the imperial garden, cherry blossoms continued to bloom, fragrance still permeated, yet the light-hearted atmosphere had completely vanished.

That modern myna bird indeed became spirited, knowing to assess the situation. Only when Emperor Jing was far away did it gently shake its black feathers, muttering to itself.

"The dumb idiot left, it’s finally quiet."

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