Li Qing spoke with utmost sincerity, and everyone else hastily echoed her sentiments, as if Lu Qingwan would depart if they didn't pledge their loyalty immediately.
Lu Qingwan found their pitiable yet desperate gazes both amusing and exasperating. "What are you all thinking? I'm being open with you to let you know I owe Liu Hanyan nothing. If she insists on being my enemy, I will fight her to the end. If Twelve Moons wishes to leave, they are free to do so at any time. And you don't need to worry about me bearing the pressure of matricide, what are you all doing?"
Even Feng Xiwu's seemingly calm face showed a hint of relief. He chuckled and shook his head. "None of them want to leave. They're just afraid you'll want to leave."
Li Qing and the others nodded enthusiastically. Twelve Moons also chimed in, "His Highness is right, Mistress. We won't leave."
Lu Qingwan laughed helplessly. "You're all crazy. You'd best stay put by my side. With this kind of intelligence, don't go out and harm others!"
Li Qing and the others inwardly thought that the Princess Consort wasn't much smarter, but they were wise enough not to voice it.
Duan Yue said, "I had always thought Mistress disliked us contacting the Hall of Reincarnation and deliberately avoided them, which inadvertently delayed such an important matter. Mistress, I beg to personally investigate Liu Hanyan's experiences over the years, to find out why she, as your birth mother, disowned you and even tried to kill you."
Duan Yue knelt and volunteered, "If she makes any further moves against you, I will report it truthfully to the Hall Master. If the Hall Master does not uphold justice for you, Twelve Moons will from this day forward have no ties with the Hall of Reincarnation."
Li Jin raised his hand. "Half Moon Pavilion and Without Wind Hall can assist Twelve Moons in the investigation."
"Then go," Lu Qingwan said, her gentle demeanor contrasting with words that chilled the heart. "I am inherently strong-willed and unintentionally offend many people. If someone wants my life, I will resist but not be angry. But the original Lu Qingwan was born weak and kind, and never did evil to anyone. Those who wanted to harm her, such as Feng Qingheng and Lu Siwan, deserved their deaths. As for Liu Hanyan, neither the original Lu Qingwan nor I ever wronged her. If she wants my life, then like Feng Qingheng and Lu Siwan, she must die."
Lu Qingwan's attitude was clear: her own enemies, for various reasons, could be negotiated with regarding their life or death. But the enemies of the original host must die. The others understood that only when the original host had no regrets could the soul from another world, Lu Qingwan, remain at peace in his body. Thus, they readily agreed, "Princess Consort, please rest assured, if we find definitive evidence that Liu Hanyan harmed you, we will not show any mercy."
...
During their stay in Wulan City that night, Lu Qingwan revealed her biggest secret to the people she trusted most in this world. As night fell, she told Feng Xiwu, "From this moment on, I have no more weaknesses in this world."
Feng Xiwu's response was a fiercely tight embrace. "Though it may be unfair to the original Lu Qingwan, Ah Wan, I am so fortunate. Fortunate that it is you, and even more fortunate to have met you."
His entire life had gained warmth and meaning because of Lu Qingwan's appearance. To the extent that when Lu Qingwan confessed her transmigration secret and said she wouldn't leave, Feng Xiwu felt he was the luckiest person in the world.
Feng Xiwu just smiled. He didn't tell Feng Xiwu that being able to meet a devoted lover who loved and trusted her unconditionally in another world, and to have a group of subordinates who were unswervingly loyal to her, also made her feel like the most fortunate person in the world.
Leaving Wulan City, Lu Qingwan and her group wasted no time, rushing to Tianxuan City at full speed. By then, the thirty-four thousand strong Xuanjia Army had long since departed the Northern Frontier and retreated into Tianxuan City and the Cloud Forest. Standing on the Cloud Pavilion and looking out, smoke and fire were everywhere. The Beixiao Pass, which had changed hands multiple times and returned to the Xuanjia Army, now flew a foreign wolf banner once again.
Lu Qingwan turned to Feng Xiwu and asked, "You didn't seem to intend to withdraw all the garrisons and leave Beixiao Pass wide open before. What made you suddenly decide to withdraw the Xuanjia Army?"
"The current state of Daqian is the result of Emperor Yan's decades of meticulous planning. Naturally, I don't want him to easily become Nie Wuming's stepping stone to the throne. However, that scoundrel Feng Qingheng is too tactless." Feng Xiwu, rarely, displayed his disgust for Feng Qingheng openly on his face.
Shen Qingzhou, seeing this, stepped in to explain, "Princess Consort, you may not know, but His Highness initially had no intention of taking the Xuanjia Army away. But that scoundrel Feng Qingheng insisted on courting disaster. After you and His Highness left, not only did he withhold provisions for the Xuanjia Army, but he also forced our brothers to mine. Several old generals, unwilling to cause trouble for His Highness, obeyed him and went to mine. As a result, that despicable villain Feng Qingheng treated our brothers like convicts, whipping and kicking them. Even when they were injured, he didn't provide medical treatment. When the mine collapsed, he didn't allow any rescue efforts."
Although Shen Qingzhou had a delicate appearance, he was a stalwart soldier of the Xuanjia Army. Speaking of the past, he was so angered by Feng Qingheng that tears welled up in his eyes. "In just half a month, we lost over two hundred brothers in the mine. The strategist sent a memorial requesting grain and medicine, but he deceitfully demanded the military tally. When the strategist refused, he directly said that the Xuanjia Army only recognized His Highness, so he told our brothers to go to His Highness for money, grain, and medicine. So, our brothers listened to him and came to find His Highness!"
Lu Qingwan frowned, "You went mining when he ordered you to? When did Lian Yu become so agreeable?"
"Princess Consort, please do not blame me. I acted under His Highness's orders." A young man in a blue robe strode over, cupped his hands at the two, and said, "Welcome back, Your Highness, Princess Consort."
Lu Qingwan furrowed her brows and turned to look at Feng Xiwu. "Were you doing this on purpose?" She had long been prepared to take the Xuanjia Army away, but she didn't want them to be branded as rebels. So, she waited for that fool Feng Qingheng to force the Xuanjia Army away.
Feng Xiwu blinked, offering no explanation. Lian Yu, however, chuckled, "Princess Consort, please don't misunderstand His Highness. His Highness didn't want to take the Xuanjia Army away; he wanted to take Daqian away. He just needed a justifiable excuse, but he didn't expect it to get out of hand. Your Highness, am I right?"
Feng Xiwu bared his teeth at his best troublemaker friend with no emotion. "I heard Miss Chi was doing well in Tianxuan City. Some people deliberately angered her, causing Miss Chi to be captured by Feng Qingheng and that mad poisoner. Miss Chi is about to wake up. Has anyone thought about what posture they will use to beg Miss Chi for forgiveness?"
Lian Yu's calm smile suddenly froze. Feng Xiwu seized the opportunity. "A friendly reminder: Miss Chi got lost on her way back to the capital. She was captured by Feng Qingheng's men only because she was trying to find you. So, your posture for begging forgiveness might have to be very, very low for Miss Chi to forgive you."