Xiao Shijing leaned sideways against the side of the bed, his thin gown falling to the ground. He propped up an arm, the palm of his hand resting on the side of his face.

His wide sleeves spread out on the bed with his movements, like a brush of ink splashing onto the ground.

Suddenly, he heard the soft sound of the wind. It turned out that the window was not closed tightly, so the wind outside had blown it open a crack.

He had been sleeping with his eyes closed, but he seemed to have been startled by the sudden noise and suddenly opened his eyes.

Xiao Shijing's eyes were clear, without the slightest trace of sleepiness. It was clear that he had not fallen asleep.

He subconsciously looked to his side.

The woman on the bed looked delicate. Her figure was thin, like a withered flower on a branch that was about to fall after being hit by the wind and rain. However, her eyebrows were flat and gentle. Her jet-black eyelashes remained closed quietly, without the slightest ripple. Her breathing was shallow and steady, as if she was having a good dream. Even her expression was gentle.

But the unnatural blush on her face had not faded, showing that she was sick. He touched her forehead, where the back of his hand touched, it was still hot. It was impossible not to worry.

He pressed the space between his eyebrows, gathered his sleeves, and stood up. He walked to the window, intending to close it tightly.

A gust of wind suddenly blew the window wide open, and the window and door made a banging sound.

His heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

In the dark sky, the faint light of dawn had broken through somewhere. Only a small corner of the light appeared, dark and abrupt under the cover of the dense clouds.

Unknowingly, the bright moon slowly hid its tracks, leaving only a faint, almost gray silhouette.

It seemed to be drizzling. Through the faint light in the sky, he could vaguely see the thin and continuous rain gradually falling.

He reached out and opened his palm to touch it. The rainwater pierced his palm, bringing with it the slight chill of autumn.

He closed the window that had been blown open by the wind again, and after confirming that the cold wind and rain outside would not leak out, he turned around.

The room was quiet, and it seemed lonely against the sound of the wind and rain. The candle flame was weak, burning all night. At this time, only a full candle was left, drowning out the last of the flame.

He looked at the person lying on the bed. She was sleeping obediently, so quiet that there was not a single sound, as if …

Suddenly, a trace of fear appeared in his heart. Then, it grew densely and suddenly wrapped around his entire heart.

Frightened by the sudden terror, he hurried to her side.

"Ruan Ruan, get well soon."

He bent down and hugged her gently, as if he wanted to hold on to her and not let her go, but he couldn't bear to use force.

His tired and red eyes were filled with gentleness. His voice was hoarse, but his tone was gentle, as if he was coaxing his beloved girl to wake up.

But the sleeping person did not respond to him.

His expression darkened. Then, as if he had thought of something, a ray of light flashed across his eyes.

***

In the imperial court.

The atmosphere was heavy, and none of the ministers looked good.

"The Ethnic North has been harassing the border towns recently, and even seized Jade City and Fuyan City. This time, we must teach them a lesson. Otherwise, they will think that our Great Cheng Empire has no one." An official said angrily, his face red.

Hearing this, the surrounding officials all nodded in agreement, showing indignant expressions. Some carefully looked up to see the attitude of the person above.

The Emperor sat upright, wearing a luxurious court robe. Hearing this, he said, "Minister's words are reasonable." He nodded. "I wonder who is willing to lead the troops?"

His expression was dignified. As his voice fell, his gaze swept across the hundreds of officials standing below.

"This official thinks that the suppression of the Northern Jade Tablet rebellion should be led by Li Yan, General Li." An official stepped forward and said, "General Li is familiar with the Northern Lands. It would be best for him to lead the troops."

Hearing this, the Emperor's expression did not change, and he did not comment.

Others could not tell what he was thinking.

Some of the ministers below unconsciously looked at Li Yan, who was standing among the military officials.

He had a rough appearance and a tall figure. Standing among the military officials, he was quite conspicuous.

At this time, being mentioned, Li Yan did not appear surprised.

But before Li Yan could reply, someone interrupted.

"This official has an objection." Xiao Shijing, dressed in a black official robe, stepped out from the ranks of the military officials.

Seeing Xiao Shijing walk out, the officials were shocked and looked at him in surprise.

"Previously, General Li and the Ethnic North were evenly matched. However, this time, the Ethnic North first seized Fuyan and then Jade City. Their ferocity and grasp of timing clearly show that they came prepared.

General Li has not recovered from his old injury, and I am afraid that it will be difficult for him to defeat the Ethnic North. "

Xiao Shijing had already noticed that the gazes on his body had changed as he spoke, but he acted as if he had not noticed and continued to speak.

It was no wonder that the ministers were so surprised. Ever since the Emperor Xiaoyou had put an end to the rebellion of the military officials of the previous dynasty, he had pursued a policy of favoring the civil over the military. In recent years, there had been very few military officials with high positions. Most of them were old generals from the past or puppets pushed into their positions by the great clans to occupy military power.

Over the years, there had been very few changes, and the division of power in the military was very clear. If it were not for the God of Slaughter, Xiao Shijing, who had relied on his merits to squeeze his way up, the military power would probably still be firmly held by the great clans.

But even so, the division of power was still very clear. Allowing Xiao Shijing to insert himself into the military affairs of the west was already an unchangeable accident, and Xiao Shijing's actions were undoubtedly a slap to the face of the Zhao Clan. How could the Zhao Clan allow him to act so arrogantly?

There's going to be a good show to watch.

Everyone thought to themselves.

Zhao Yan was surprised at first, and then his expression darkened, revealing his displeasure.

He and Xiao Shijing came from different backgrounds. He came from a family of generals, and his path had been smooth sailing. When he was young, he had been led into battle by his father and brother. In addition, he himself was not a useless idiot. Later on, he had won several beautiful battles and smoothly climbed to his current position.

Because he and Xiao Shijing were similar in age, and because they had both become famous at a young age, their statuses were similar. Bystanders liked to compare the two of them.

However, they governed different areas and rarely interacted with each other, so bystanders could only say a few words.

But in the end, he was still somewhat dissatisfied. Who did Xiao Shijing think he was? He was just a peasant who had learned some small tricks. How could he be compared to him?

He was sick of people comparing him to Xiao Shijing. At this time, seeing that Xiao Shijing intended to compete with him for power, he sneered in his heart. He thought that Xiao Shijing was overestimating himself. Did he really think that he could seize military power in the north with his own strength? What a delusion.

Zhao Yan had thought it through and did not intend to speak up to stop him. He only watched coldly from the side.

"Oh, since that's the case, do you have a candidate in mind?"

Hearing this, the Emperor glanced at him and asked with interest, as if he did not notice the undercurrent below.

Xiao Shijing faced the Emperor's probing gaze, his expression did not change as he stepped forward.

"I recommend myself to lead the army to the north."

***

The rain grew heavier. When he left court, it was pouring down. Pitter patter, patter, patter, patter, on the umbrella. It was so noisy that people were irritated.

The manservant held the umbrella and carefully protected the lord beside him. However, in the end, the splashes of rainwater still wet the tops of his shoes.

Xiao Shijing did not care about this and continued walking.

Suddenly, he stopped and looked up. The sky was already bright, and his deep eyes seemed to be illuminated.

He reached into his sleeve and took out a small white jade bottle. Holding it tightly in his hand, he seemed to have calmed down.

"Lord, the rain is going to get heavier," the manservant reminded him softly.

"Yes, let's go." Xiao Shijing nodded.

***

Xiao Shijing had just arrived at the residence and wanted to see if Si Yue had woken up.

Just as he was about to walk out, he paused and ordered someone to bring him a set of dry clothes.

The manservant made a sound of acknowledgment and was about to leave when suddenly, someone rushed in from outside and almost bumped into him.

The manservant steadied himself and was about to point at the person and say something when he focused and looked over. He could not help but keep quiet and quickly walked away.

He secretly thought that it was fortunate that he did not offend this person.

Xiao Shijing heard the commotion and looked up.

Who else could it be but Yan Yi, dressed in blue and unrestrained?

He seemed to have come in a hurry. Many parts of his body were wet from the rain, and there were spots of slightly darker color.

Xiao Shijing saw his rare disheveled appearance and could not help but smile. "What are you in such a hurry for?

What business do you have with me? "

"You want to lead an expedition to the North?" Yan Yi asked directly.

"Your news came quickly."

Xiao Shijing smiled and sighed. Then, under Yan Yi's intense gaze, he replied, "That's right, I want to lead an expedition to the North."

"What are you doing?" Yan Yi heard that he was going to lead an expedition to the North, so he came to find him for confirmation.

Yan Yi really did not understand why he would take on such a task for no reason. "The war in the North has always been Zhao Yan's territory. Do you think you can gain anything by rashly interfering?

If he wants to play tricks on you, it's a simple matter. If you lose, the world will scold you for overestimating yourself. If you win, do you think the other aristocratic families and the Emperor will allow you to gain momentum? "

Xiao Shijing put down the brush in his hand. His smile faded and his brows did not move. "I know."

"Since you know, why are you doing such a stupid thing?

Xiao Shijing, what's wrong with you? "Yan Yi saw his calm and composed appearance and could not help but mock him.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. He realized something and paused.