The drum and bell tower was the highest point in Xindu City.
Its vermilion pillars glowed with a warm golden light in the twilight. Seventy-two bronze bells hung from the eaves, chiming melodiously in the wind, yet they couldn't quite drown out the city's clamor.
Yun Shu sat quietly on the ridge of the drum and bell tower, propping her chin with one hand, her legs dangling casually over the eaves.
The little fox curled up beside her knees, its nine fluffy tail tips trembling slightly, occasionally brushing against her skirt.
Her moon-white skirt spread over the weathered glazed tiles, yet not a speck of dust clung to it.
“Host, why don’t we just skip going south? That way, everyone won’t have to be separated, and they won’t have to sacrifice time with their families. Li Chong’s wife is so pitiful, and his daughter is too. I saw her hiding in bed, secretly crying several times, afraid for her mother to know…”
The more the little fox spoke, the sadder it became.
Yun Shu's eyelashes lowered slightly. “System, if I were truly a deity, capable of having my words carry the weight of law and directly achieving my goals, then I wouldn’t need anyone to follow me south.”
Her voice was very soft, almost scattering in the wind. “But I am not a deity after all. I am just a person. I cannot manage dozens of cities by myself simultaneously.”
“I need people to stay behind, pacify the populace, and manage the livelihoods after I conquer a city.”
As she spoke, she hugged the little fox close. “Compared to conquering a realm, governance is the greatest challenge.”
The little fox drooped its ears, looking dejected. “If only I could be a little stronger…”
“You’re already very strong,” Yun Shu said, gently stroking the little fox’s head.
As she spoke, her gaze drifted downstairs again.
Ever since the southern expedition was decided, a sense of impending separation permeated every household in the city.
Feng Chunya returned to Yecheng. Pushing open the gate, she saw her mother sitting under an old tree in the courtyard, meticulously sorting vegetables on a bamboo chair, her movements as slow and careful as ever.
“Mother.”
Mother Feng paused her hands without looking up, merely saying, “You’re back? Dinner’s almost ready.”
Feng Chunya walked over.
She squatted beside Mother Feng’s feet, took the handful of green beans from her, and meticulously snapped off their ends. “Mother, I just came back to say hello. I’ll be leaving soon.”
She had originally intended to send a letter home, but realizing her parents were illiterate, she had returned overnight instead.
Mother Feng was clearly accustomed to this. “Where are they sending you to quell rebellions this time?”
“Mother, the southern court has offended the Divine Lady. I’m going to teach those bastards a lesson,” Feng Chunya said. “I asked Miss Pei and the others; this southern expedition might mean I won’t be back for a year or even a year and a half. You and Father at home…”
“Chunya, your mother and I don’t need you to worry,” a middle-aged man said, walking out from the inner room, leaning on a cane.
It was Father Feng. He had injured his leg in the previous war to unify the north, forcing him to retire and recuperate at home.
“Your father, at least, once helped the Divine Lady slay a wicked dragon. Even if he can’t walk easily now, he can still butcher pigs. Your mother and I are fine at home, so go south with the Divine Lady without worry.”
Mother Feng caressed Feng Chunya’s face, her eyes welling with tears. “Your father is right, Chunya. You are destined for great things. Your father and I cannot hold you back. Go without worry.”
Feng Chunya dropped to her knees with a thud.
She said nothing, only kowtowed three times deeply to her parents, then stood up and left.
“Chunya, wait.”
Mother Feng turned, took a bag from the kitchen, and tucked it into Feng Chunya’s arms. “These are pancakes Mother made this morning. Take them with you, eat them on the road, don’t go hungry.”
Feng Chunya put the bag away, then silently mounted her horse, cracked her whip, and rode away from home.
Mother Feng leaned against the doorframe, watching her daughter’s figure disappear into the distance, tears finally streaming down her face.
She raised her sleeve to wipe them, but the more she wiped, the wetter her sleeve became.
Father Feng turned his face away, not wanting Mother Feng to see his reddened eyes. “Chunya is strong; she’ll be fine.”
Under the system’s surveillance, Yun Shu saw far more than just the joys and sorrows of the Li and Feng families.
Ten thousand people were participating in this southern expedition to quell the rebellion, and Sun Er was one of them. He wasn't from the north but had fled from the south. Because of his daring and diligent nature in the army, he had settled down in Xindu City with his military achievements.
The boy sat on his father’s lap, his grape-like eyes wide with curiosity, asking, “Daddy, what are you going to do in the south?”
In a child’s world, there was no war. They didn’t know how far south was, only that their father was going on a long trip, just like always.
And he just needed to wait obediently at home for a few days, and his father would return with all sorts of delicious treats and fun toys.
Sun Er vaguely replied, “Many people in the south don’t have food. Daddy is going to the south to bring them grain.”
“Will you come back?”
“Yes,” Sun Er said, lifting his son onto his shoulders. “When everyone in the south has eaten their fill, Daddy will come back. I’ll bring you southern candy then, though Daddy only tried it once as a child, and it wasn’t very good. It’s not as tasty as the cane sugar you usually get tired of.”
“I don’t want candy,” the little boy said, his eyes darting around. “Daddy, bring me a pony.”
“A classmate at my school told me his sister is also going south, and she promised to bring him a pony.”
His eyes were full of longing.
“Sun Wang, are you itching for a beating again?” A woman emerged from the house, holding a rattan cane.
Soon, only wailing and howling remained in the courtyard.
“System, let’s go research the plan again. Maybe we can come up with an even better way to take the south and let them return home to their families sooner.”
Yun Shu slowly stood up, gazing down from the height of the drum and bell tower at the increasingly prosperous Xindu City. In her eyes were the bustling long streets and narrow alleys, filled with people of all kinds.
These three days.
Everyone was busy preparing for the southern expedition, the only one idle being the awkward Child Emperor.
“Honestly, why are you such a coward?” Shen Ying asked, looking at the Child Emperor who stubbornly refused to step out of his room.
The Child Emperor instinctively shrank his neck. “Sister, if I secretly sneak into the military camp with you, General Shen will surely punish me with military law without mercy. Please spare me.”
Having grown up in the palace, he was adept at reading people. Shen Ying’s elder and second brothers were not to be trifled with, and he truly saw no need to loiter around them.
“You’re such a wimp!”
Shen Ying pouted in dissatisfaction. “What’s there to be afraid of with my elder brother? He just has a harsh tongue but a kind heart.”
The Child Emperor: “???”
He was truly speechless. He racked his brain but couldn’t understand how the phrase “harsh tongue but a kind heart” could ever apply to Shen Jue.
“Fine, I’ll go myself,” Shen Ying said, turning her head, her high ponytail swinging behind her.
“What are you going to do?” the Child Emperor asked, chasing after her.
“I’m going to have my brother take me south to attack your hometown.”
The Child Emperor: “…”
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