The eldest sister was reborn and the younger sister traveled through time. I just want to survive.

The news of the death of the fifth prince and the eldest princess and the Dingbei army's recapture of Yancheng soon reached Luodu.

At the grand court meeting, all the ministers knelt on the ground and begged Emperor Yuanjing to withdraw the peace treaty signed with North Vietnam.

Before the treaty was signed, two imperial envoys rammed the pillar, trying to force Emperor Yuanjing to change his mind.

After several battles a year ago and in spring, the North Vietnamese army was clearly losing, and it was just a matter of time before Dafeng recaptured Yancheng.

Even if Dafeng wanted to sign a truce treaty with North Vietnam, it should take the lead and would never cede territory or pay compensation in return.

However, Emperor Yuanjing insisted on his own way and agreed to the unreasonable demands of the North Vietnamese envoys. He not only promised to compensate North Vietnam with tens of millions of taels of silver, but also allocated Yancheng to North Vietnam.

Now that Yancheng has been recaptured by the Dingbei Army, there is no reason to give the country to the enemy again.

Faced with the pressure from all the ministers in the court, Emperor Yuanjing simply turned away, and his attitude was obvious that he would still insist on fulfilling the treaty.

The ministers looked at each other with helpless and sad expressions. Even an honest minister who was dedicated to the country could not help but shed tears, worrying about the future of Dafeng.

In the imperial study, Emperor Yuanjing rubbed his forehead tiredly. He caught a glimpse of Yan Yongchen coming in from the corner of his eye, and frowned without saying a word.

After a while, seeing that Yan Yongchen had no intention of speaking up to persuade him, Emperor Yuan Jing asked in confusion, "Why don't you say anything? Could it be that Lord Yan also thinks that I am getting old and confused?"

"Your Majesty is wise! Although I don't know what Your Majesty is thinking, Your Majesty must have his own reasons for doing so." Yan Yongchen still spoke in his usual indifferent tone.

Emperor Yuan Jing sighed deeply, "Alas~ Lord Yan really understands me! Those people outside only know how to force me, and are unwilling to stand in my position for a moment. What use do I have for them?"

After a pause, Emperor Yuan Jing asked about the business, "Can the North Vietnamese envoy leave safely?"

"The group secretly left Luodu at midnight last night. If all goes well, they should be able to return to North Vietnam within half a month." Yan Yongchen said truthfully.

Emperor Yuan Jing said tiredly, "Make sure they return to North Vietnam safely. Don't let anything go wrong."

"Your Majesty, rest assured. The head of the Tianji Pavilion will personally lead people to escort us, so there will be no mistakes." Yan Yongchen lowered his eyes, suppressing the sarcasm in his eyes.

Emperor Yuan Jing glanced at him and asked, "Has there been any movement in the East Palace in the past two days?"

"There is nothing special. It's just that Su Huachang, the youngest son of the Su family, has become closer to the eldest grandson of Grand Tutor Xue." Yan Yongchen said truthfully.

Emperor Yuan Jing snorted coldly, "Old foxes are really cautious, and they are more cunning than the other. How can they be so patient?"

Yan Yongchen hesitated for a moment, "I think they will be unable to hold back any longer."

Emperor Yuan Jing raised his lips in sarcasm, "I want to see how they can't hold back. Please don't let me down."

"I'm afraid Your Majesty is destined to be disappointed! I would like to congratulate Your Majesty in advance for removing the thorn in his eyes and the thorn in his flesh." Yan Yongchen bowed and performed the etiquette between the emperor and his subject.

Emperor Yuan Jing was flattered, "Hahahaha... The one who understands me best is Lord Yan!"

The imperial court deliberately suppressed the war situation in the northern border, but some people deliberately spread the news. After a few days, the news that the Dingbei Army had recaptured Yancheng spread to every street and alley, and almost everyone knew about it.

Before the people had a chance to celebrate the return of Dafeng's territory, rumors began to spread in teahouses, bookshops, and streets that the fifth prince and the eldest princess were tortured to death by the North Vietnamese army, and that Emperor Yuanjing insisted on signing a peace treaty with North Vietnam and would compensate Yancheng to North Vietnam.

The government offices went around trying to arrest those who spread rumors, but they were unable to stop the torrent of spittle. The rumors became more and more outrageous, saying that Emperor Yuanjing was assimilated by the North Vietnamese when he was a hostage in North Vietnam, that he only had the North Vietnamese people in his heart, and that he ascended the throne for the sake of the North Vietnamese people.

The rumor spread from Luodu City, and within half a month, it reached all the prefectures in Dafeng.

All parts of Jiangnan, where scholars and writers gathered, took the lead in launching protests. A large number of students paraded through the streets and shouted, asking the court to abolish the peace treaty with North Vietnam.

Soon after, students also paraded through the streets in other prefectures, including Luodu. The government tried to drive them away, but later directly deployed the Imperial Guards to garrison the city and patrol every street twelve hours a day.

The people were in a panic and every family closed their doors for fear of getting into trouble.

Taohua Town is fifty miles away from Luodu City.

At dusk, Yan Muyun and her son were taken by more than a dozen men in gray to the inn at the end of the town.

After nearly twenty days of sleeping in the open air, both mother and son were dishevelled and looked listless. Apart from their wrinkled silk clothes, they no longer looked wealthy.

The leading man in gray put a five-liang gold ingot on the counter. The waiter's eyes lit up instantly, and he hurriedly and attentively led the group to the private room upstairs.

Yan Muyun and her son were assigned a separate room. When they were the only ones left in the room, Qing Ge'er dared to ask in a low voice, "Mother, it's been so long. When will father come to save us?"

Yan Muyun gently stroked her son's head and asked softly, "Qing'er, how do you know that your father will come to save us?"

Qing Ge'er puffed up his little face and said in a baby voice: "Dad is an invincible general, the most powerful, Dad will definitely come to save us!"

Not wanting to break the child's wish, Yan Muyun forced a smile, "Yes, your father is the most powerful man in the world, and mother and Qing'er will be safe... With mother here, Qing'er doesn't have to be afraid."

After escaping Jincheng, the group rode their horses at full speed without stopping for a moment on the road. Even if Gu Yunting left his affairs in Northern Xinjiang to rescue them, it would be difficult for him to catch up.

Qing Ge'er broke free from Yan Muyun's arms and patted his chest, "I'm not afraid. When Qing Ge'er grows up, he wants to be a general like my father and protect my mother!"

Yan Muyun is both relieved and sad that her son is more sensible than his peers.

After so many days of running around, they spent almost all their time on horseback except for eating, drinking, defecating and urinating. As an adult, she could not bear it. However, Qingger, who was not even three years old, persisted without crying or making a fuss. Many times, he comforted her in a baby voice like an adult, asking her not to be afraid and that her father and uncle would definitely come to rescue them.

When it got dark, a man in gray brought the food to the door of the house, closed the door and left without saying a word.

Yan Muyun tried to communicate with them many times, but except for reasonable requests, all other conversations received no response.

The group of people never joked or even spoke. They were like cold and emotionless robots, just pushing them to hurry on their way.

The food placed at the door was one meat dish, one vegetable dish and two bowls of white rice. The dishes and rice were still hot, but the taste was bland and average.

Qing Ge'er didn't need Yan Muyun to feed him. He ate the rice sweetly and advised Yan Muyun, "Meat is delicious, mother, eat more."

"Okay, Qing'er, eat quickly too. Mom is an adult and can take care of herself." Although Yan Muyun was relieved, she couldn't help but sigh that her son was really easy to raise. He would eat whatever was given to him and was not picky at all. He inherited the good character of hard work and perseverance from Gu Yunting.

When she thought of her current situation, her heart sank. Yancheng had just been recovered and the situation in the northern border was unstable. Was Gu Yunting afraid that he would not be able to come to rescue her and her son in time?