The fool has become a spirit, and she can speak

Chapter 1773 Armistice

Upon hearing this, Shang Xi dismissed it all as mere excuses and unrealistic fantasies. Sending someone to the Hong residence to fetch him was a simple matter of a word; why would they need to consider the auspicious date? He ranked thirty-fifth in the last provincial examination, and the whole family celebrated, considering it an outstanding achievement! This ignorant fool dares to dream of taking the top spot in the metropolitan examination? Are all the students in the Imperial Academy's advanced class ignorant? Every single one of those students is more diligent than Cheng Youning, each one putting in a lot of hard work. Cheng Youning, on the other hand, spends his days catching pheasants in the mountains and fishing for big fish in the water, yet he still manages to be in the advanced class. That's because of his status; he's the Crown Prince, a foolish Crown Prince. He would have been in the advanced class as soon as he entered the Imperial Academy. Otherwise, with his grades, he'd be at most in the intermediate class. To put it bluntly, Cheng Youning's grades are at the bottom of the advanced class, yet he still can't recognize his own abilities, and now he's spouting nonsense. Shang Xi simply doesn't want to listen to a word he says.

"Studying hard every day? It seems you went out to play football today!"

"Mother, I'm just doing what you want. Don't you always tell me to balance work and rest?"

Shang Xi felt stifled. She was the one who said those words, but she didn't want her son to shut her up with them! "You're only ten years old. You can always find a way to talk back to me. When you grow up, will you stop listening to me?"

"How dare I, your son? I'm just stating the facts. I know what's going on with Hong Jiutong, Mother. You don't need to concern yourself with it!"

"You've grown too big for your britches, and I can't even interfere anymore. If you don't go to pick him up, Jiu Tong will have to come back on his own in the next few days. Since you said you would send someone to pick him up, you should keep your promise. You Ning, you are the Crown Prince, how can you go back on your word and break your promise!"

Seeing Shang Xi's displeasure, Cheng Youning immediately changed his tune, "Mother, look at you, your temper is getting worse and worse. I didn't say I wouldn't bring her back, just later. She's the concubine my great-grandfather chose for me. Her father is a senior official in the court who made immortal contributions to my beggars. Her brother is the Prince of Nie, who is also my brother. From any perspective, I can't let her live in her parents' home for a long time! I will bring her back!"

Shang Xi said decisively, "When will you answer?"

"I'll send someone to pick you up tomorrow. Mother, now I can finally eat!"

If Cheng Youning had behaved earlier, she would have already eaten this meal.

Shang Xi nodded, "Eat up! From now on, you must keep your word!"

Cheng Youning picked up her chopsticks, picking food from the plate as she smiled and replied, "Son knows!"

Under Shang Xi's pressure, Cheng Youning sent someone to bring Hong Jiutong back the next day, giving Hong Jiutong ample face. The Hong family's goodwill towards the Crown Prince also increased. Hong Jiutong's mood at the Crown Prince's residence gradually improved, and she became even more respectful to her mother-in-law, Shang Xi. She knew that if she had any problems, her mother-in-law would definitely stand up for her, but she never asked for anything easily. As long as she could treat the Crown Prince with respect, she would be content and dared not ask for anything more.

However, this good fortune didn't last long. Less than a month and a half later, Ge Dongqing, the envoy to the Southern Yan Kingdom, sent a letter saying that the marriage alliance had departed and would arrive in Fengqi in the first month of the lunar calendar. To everyone, including the people of Fengqi, this was good news. But Hong Jiutong felt the princess had arrived too quickly. He had heard she was young—no, not much older than Hong Jiutong, but older than the Crown Prince. This princess from the Southern Yan Kingdom was fifteen years old. Envoy Ge Dongqing, upon meeting her, remarked that she was stunningly beautiful, possessing unparalleled charm, and was also incredibly talented.

Meanwhile, the envoy Ge Dongqing was on his way back. The mission had gone very smoothly, and the two countries had reached a ceasefire agreement and established an alliance.

In the camp where the bugle calls had not yet ceased, the cold winter wind swept dust across the banners scarred with sword marks. Suddenly, the sound of galloping hooves shattered the silence, and a messenger, holding a document aloft, roared: "Ceasefire! The enemy has surrendered. Return to base immediately!"

In an instant, the entire camp fell into a deathly silence, followed by a cheer that shook the open field. Veterans wiped the sand from their eyes, their fingertips tracing the worn-out hilt of their swords, while new recruits embraced each other as they leaped onto the ramparts, gazing towards home.

The general, who had been stationed here for several years, was exceptionally tall. His bronze armor gleamed with a deep, cold light. Tempered and polished by the fires of war, faint scratches had appeared on the armor plates. When the sunlight fell, the gilded patterns subtly surged. The beast heads on the shoulder armor were ferocious and chilling. He held the document that the messenger had just handed him. It contained only a few words, but he read it twice. His expression was solemn, and his eyes revealed neither joy nor sorrow.

At this moment, a man stretched out a calloused hand. As he raised his hand, the nail plates clashed together with a clanging sound. He casually said, "They really have a ceasefire. Let me see the documents!"

Suiming handed the document to Suixin, who read it twice and then cursed, "Damn it, they really have a ceasefire!"

"The people of the Southern Yan Kingdom are cunning and have repeatedly surrendered and begged for peace. I fear they are merely cutting their losses to survive, and will return one day." Sui Ming's words revealed his distrust of the Southern Yan Kingdom.

Sui Xin disagreed, saying, "If he doesn't cherish the opportunity to survive, then he will suffer the same fate as Da Lang, leaving him without a single soldier."

After saying this, he jumped onto the high platform and shouted to the tens of thousands of soldiers: "Those bastards from the Southern Yan Kingdom couldn't withstand my relentless pursuit and have sued for peace. We will return to the capital immediately and let everyone go home for the New Year."

The joy that had just filled the military camp hadn't yet dissipated when another burst of jubilation and cheers erupted. The tattered battle flags fluttered in the wind, and smoke began to rise in the distance, signaling the imminent return of their troops.

On the other side, at the dragon desk, Wan Lianxing was diligently reviewing memorials, while the obsequious Cheng Youning was grinding ink for him. One look at his eyes revealed what he was scheming for: "Grandpa, you seem very happy today!"

Wan Lianxing turned to look at Cheng Youning. This child had been helping him grind ink for a while before finally speaking; he was quite composed! "Grandson, how did you figure it out?"

Cheng Youning was also good at reading people. He had studied Wan Lianxing, who suppressed him. "Whenever Grandpa reviewed memorials, he always had a solemn expression and could not be seen smiling at all. Today, Grandpa's lips were twitching very high. There must be some happy news!"

"Weren't you there during the morning court session? The war has ended in the south."

"Grandson knows, this was decided a long time ago!"

Wan Lianxing said with a smile, "The soldiers at the front can go home now, and Suiming Suixin will be back soon too!"

Cheng Youning tilted her head and glanced at Wan Lianxing, immediately understanding, "Grandpa misses the two generals, doesn't he!"

Mentioning the two generals, Wan Lianxing's smile deepened. "It's been many years since we last met. I miss them dearly! It's a pity that Yato in the north has been causing trouble repeatedly, requiring the Sha family father and son to guard it. Otherwise, they could have returned to the capital."