After Chu Cen and Kapok Hong died in battle, Yunzhong County fell into deep sorrow.While the Chu Dynasty was taking care of the military affairs, it also blocked the details of his father's poisoning to prevent Xiao Xun and Xie Yanfang from making further fuss.But the news still spread back to the capital, and Grand Tutor Deng Yi took the opportunity to spread rumors that Xie Yanlai had brought Qianji Ranxue to Chu Cen, which led to the death of the old general from poison.Xie Yanlai was already feeling extremely guilty because of what happened to her brother. After hearing these words, she had no intention of defending herself and actually walked onto the long street to plead guilty, carrying a thorn stick on her back.

Both sides of the long street were crowded with civilians and military families.Some people believe that Xie Yanlai saved the whole city in Wangcheng, while others are resentful because of Chu Cen's death.Xie Yanlai took three steps and knelt down, and his body was quickly bruised with blood from the thorn sticks.He did not ask for forgiveness from the Chu Dynasty, but only wanted to bear all the resentment on himself, so as to prevent the old Yunzhong County tribe from completely turning against the Xie family due to the poison incident.When Chu Chao arrived, he saw him almost kneeling in the snow and mud, and the anger and pain in his heart surged up at the same time.

The Chu Dynasty did not clean up everything for Xie Yanlai in public, nor did they let everyone beat him to death.She recounted Chu Cen's last battle, Xie Yan's arrival to rescue the army, Wangcheng's burning of food, and Cangmu Village's escort, and other achievements one by one. She also asked the medical officer to explain that the opportunity to burn blood had been lurking for a long time, and it was not Xie Yan's sudden arrival.She admitted that Xie Yanlai was being used by Xie Yanfang, but she did not allow the real murderer to hide in the dark and watch them kill each other.The long street gradually became quiet. Xie Yanlai looked up and saw Chu Chao, and finally understood that she had not forgotten the death of her parents, but was unwilling to swing the knife at the wrong person.

At the same time, the defeated Xiao Xun did not stop.He intercepted and killed the messengers conveying military information, forged an urgent report that Yunzhong County was out of control, and cooperated with Deng Yili to mobilize troops to attack the Chu capital in the name of escort.What Xiao Xun wants is not a city or a place on the border, but to seize the center of Chu again while the Chu Dynasty is in mourning and the court is out of balance.On the surface, Deng Yi protected the young emperor, but secretly he kept paving the way for Xiao Xun, hoping to exchange chaos for his own power.

The little emperor Xiao Yu has already seen that the situation is not good.Although he was young, he knew that once the palace guards fell into Xiao Xun's hands, he would never have a chance to stand up again.In times of crisis, he privately entrusted the Imperial Guard token to Xie Yanfang.Xie Yanfang accepted the order and outwardly assisted the young emperor, but she had other plans in her heart.He took advantage of the chaos to coax Xiao Yu into writing an abdication edict, hoping to turn the young emperor, Xiao Xun and the Chu Dynasty into pawns in his scheme.A storm is coming in the capital of Chu. The Chu Dynasty has not yet gotten over the grief of its parents in Yunzhong County, but the capital's sword has already been raised on the imperial power.

After the Chu Dynasty rescued Xie Yanlai, he did not let him return to him immediately, but ordered him to be sent to a military doctor for treatment.Xie Yanlai knelt for too long, the wound on his knee split open, and the thorns on his back were embedded in his flesh and blood.Chu Chao glanced through the curtain and turned to leave. She was afraid that if she stayed for a moment longer, all her suppressed emotions would come out.There are still many people outside waiting for her to make a decision. Chu Cen’s old subordinates want to appease her, Kapok Hong’s funeral affairs need to be dealt with, and the military intelligence in the capital is urging her to return.She could only put her selfishness to the end for the time being.

Xiao Xun's method of forging military intelligence soon showed negative results.Several channels of messengers came back with conflicting news. Some said that Yunzhong County was defeated, some said that the Chu Dynasty had troops and would not return, and some claimed that the young emperor was kidnapped by traitorous ministers.The Chu Dynasty saw at a glance that this was to confuse the judgment of the defenders everywhere, so that the localities did not know whose orders to follow.She personally wrote the military report and issued it simultaneously with the old seal of Chu Cen and the order of the eldest princess, requesting that only official military symbols should be recognized at the passes along the way and not be transferred by rumors.After Xie Yanlai heard this, she stood up and asked to be followed back to Beijing.Chu Chao did not refuse, but only asked him to remember that returning to Beijing was not to plead guilty, but to drag out the person who really killed his father.