tallest building

Chapter 376 is attached to the book.

Snow has already fallen in the northern border region in September.

Princess Zhao huddled in the tent, coughing occasionally.

"Your Highness, please have some milk tea! It's really warming, much better than regular tea," a maid gently urged from the side.

"I already told you I won't drink it, this stuff has a strong muttony smell." Princess Zhao frowned in disgust.

She hated this place, hated the sandstorms, hated the weather, hated the food, and hated the people.

If she hadn't come here, her youngest son wouldn't have died of illness. That poor child, she still dreams about him all the time.

He always cried and wanted to be held by himself, and he kept saying, "Mother, let's go back to the capital!"

Yes, Ying Song kept talking about returning to the capital before he died.

He didn't like it here, and naturally, his mother, Princess Zhao, didn't like it either.

"My lady, the weather is getting colder now. If you don't eat more every day, your health will suffer," the maidservant pleaded anxiously. "Please, I beg you."

Princess Zhao hadn't had a proper meal since arriving here. She was heartbroken for her son and also couldn't adapt to the new place, so she had become very thin.

"If you don't like the food here, we'll make it for you the way it's served in the capital," said the nanny beside Princess Zhao. "Please try to eat as much as you can."

Just then, King Zhao walked in from outside, and the servants who were attending to him hurriedly greeted him.

"Is the princess refusing to eat again?" King Zhao's tone was somewhat subdued. "This place is not like the capital; once you fall ill, there are no good doctors here."

"Where is Tong'er?" Princess Zhao looked outside, thinking of her eldest son.

"He's still practicing riding and archery outside," King Zhao said, sitting down and drinking the cup of milk tea in front of Queen Zhao.

He's gotten used to this place, drinking milk tea, eating beef and mutton, and having a strong drink every day.

Princess Zhao frowned in disgust. Even now, Prince Zhao always had an unremovable fishy smell about him.

She picked up the sachet in her hand and took a deep sniff; it was a gift from Wen Mingqian before she left the capital.

Arriving in this wild and untamed place made her feel as if she had become half a savage herself.

Only when she came into contact with this precious spice did she recall the wealthy days she had spent in the capital.

"Luoying, go and call the Crown Prince back. It's cold outside right now, don't let him get cold." Princess Zhao still cared a lot about her eldest son, who was her only child.

The current Ying Tong is very different from before. He is no longer reckless and willful. He knows that it was his impulsiveness that caused trouble, bringing his whole family to the desert and causing his young brother to lose his life.

So he spent his days either studying hard or practicing riding and archery, hoping that one day he could make up for his mistakes.

"Yes, let's call the Crown Prince in! With him persuading the Princess, she might be able to eat something." King Zhao said, letting out a burp.

Ying Tong walked in! He had grown half a head taller than before. His skin was dark, and he looked strong and muscular.

Despite the cold weather outside, his forehead was still covered in sweat.

"Take a break!" Princess Zhao said tenderly, wiping his sweat. "Persistence is key. Why sleep at midnight and get up at dawn? Just practice every day. You don't need to work so hard every day. Too much of a good thing is bad."

“Mother, I can handle it,” Ying Tong said. “You still don’t want to eat today? Eat something! When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Actually, the mutton here isn’t so gamey when you put wild chives on it, and once you get used to it, it tastes quite good.”

“Then you should eat with your mother,” said Princess Zhao. “Mother likes to watch you eat.” “Then tell them to bring over the charcoal brazier and grill the meat right there,” said King Zhao. “We need fresh, tender mutton, with scallions as a base; it will have a unique flavor.”

But they had only eaten half of their roast meat when they heard the sound of horses' hooves outside.

Immediately afterwards, someone dismounted and ran out of the tent.

"The messenger has arrived." Ying Tong could tell. "It must be a letter from the capital."

The letter was handed in, still carrying a chilly scent.

“It’s my father.” Princess Zhao recognized the handwriting of Grand Tutor Dong on the leather bag.

King Zhao dared not delay, wiped his hands clean, and opened the envelope.

The more he looked, the more horrified he became, and his eyes widened.

"What did the letter say?" Zhao Wangfei was also very curious to know what her father had written in the letter.

"You may all leave now." King Zhao waved his hand forcefully, dismissing all the servants.

Seeing his reaction, Princess Zhao became even more nervous.

"The contents of this letter..." King Zhao looked up at Queen Zhao and handed her the letter, "I don't know how to say it right now, you can read it yourself!"

Princess Zhao took the letter and read it with her son.

"What?!" Ying Tong almost jumped up. "Grandpa said this Gong Chang'an..."

He couldn't believe his eyes. He looked at the letter again, and the words were clearly written in black and white.

"How is this possible?" Princess Zhao was completely dumbfounded after reading it. "This is too unbelievable."

“The Grand Tutor never speaks without certainty. He specifically wrote to inform us of this matter, which shows how important it is.” King Zhao unconsciously clenched his fist. “We must return to the capital. Once the fighting starts over there, we can surround the capital and stage a military coup.”

"Should Tong'er and I go back too?" Princess Zhao asked.

“Of course you must go back, otherwise what if you stay here and get captured and taken hostage?” King Zhao said.

"If we're going to set off, won't Qisihe stop us?" Princess Zhao asked.

"The Grand Tutor has already come up with a plan." King Zhao said, taking out another letter from the envelope. "Didn't you see what it says at the end? The Grand Tutor has ordered someone to imitate Princess Duanmin's handwriting and write a letter to the King of Fenye. He is to ask him to come to the capital on a chosen day to meet with his mother and daughter, and then return here together next spring."

“In that case, we will have a good reason to return to the capital with King Fenye,” said Queen Zhao. “I hope everything goes smoothly.”

"Whether things go smoothly or not, we have to fight this battle." King Zhao had a clear understanding of the situation. "Don't you think about how many things have happened to the Dong family in just the past six months? Do you really think these are all coincidences?"

"So what do you mean?" Princess Zhao dared not continue.

"His Majesty has already decided to kill the Dong family. If that child is indeed a prince, none of us will survive." Prince Zhao's eyes were cold and menacing, like a wolf on the grassland.

Ying Tong remained silent. He still couldn't believe that the child prodigy Gong Chang'an was actually the emperor's child.

So his purpose in entering the palace was quite clear: he was after the throne.

Back when I was with him, I didn't notice anything unusual at all.

It seems I was too naive; Gong Chang'an might be laughing at me to myself.