The seductive princess is no longer being pursued; the aloof prime minister is facing a crematorium.

Chapter 284 Jiang Jinshuang is the most important
Jiang Biechen narrowed his eyes, and veins bulged on his forehead.

The oppressive feeling of the enemy at the gates was so strong that even he felt an unprecedented sense of unease.

Jiang Biechen had never been on a battlefield before, nor did he know what a real battlefield was like.

He had only heard about it from the Grand Tutor and those letters. At that time, he was dismissive of it and always thought that he could command the country and make plans.

But the real battlefield is not like that.

Strategic planning and decisive victory were achieved at the cost of countless soldiers' blood and lives.

People who have never been to the battlefield, even if it is their first time seeing such a bloody scene, will feel uncomfortable.

—When Jiang Jinshuang first went to the battlefield, she vomited for an entire day.

At this moment, Jiang Jinshuang was able to easily see through Jiang Biechen's bluff.

She chuckled lightly, her tone nonchalant: "Since Your Majesty is afraid, you might as well retreat back to your Eastern Palace as soon as possible."

"I am the Crown Prince, the heir apparent. Now that the enemy is at the gates, it is my duty to shoulder the responsibility!"

As Jiang Biechen said this, he turned to Pei Du and said coldly, "Pei Du, what are you doing here? Take her away immediately!"

Jiang Jinshuang raised an eyebrow slightly, not expecting Jiang Biechen to say that.

Pei Du did not make a move, but simply stood behind Jiang Jinshuang, making his meaning very clear.

He obeyed her.

"Rebellion! Utter rebellion!" Jiang Biechen's voice was loud and sharp. "Pei Du, I am the Crown Prince. As a subject, don't you know who you should obey?!"

Pei Du stood tall and straight, with a graceful waistline: "I may take off this official robe and admit my fault."

"Pei Du! Do you really think that with a formidable enemy at hand, I dare not punish you?!" Jiang Biechen shouted. "Take her away! I don't want to see her right now!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinshuang chuckled softly.

She stepped forward and stood directly in front of Jiang Biechen: "Brother, why don't you bear with it? Or if you really can't stand it, you can leave."

Jiang Biechen grabbed Jiang Jinshuang by the collar and, through the mask of a killing god, growled at her, "Jiang Jinshuang, what exactly do you want to do!"

His voice was cold and sharp, clearly a roar, but the surrounding wind and wails completely blocked their conversation.

"Do you know that if you are exposed now, the death of Prince Ruiyang back then will have been in vain!"

"Get out! Leave Chang'an! With me, the Crown Prince, here, it's not your place, a princess, to make decisions on the battlefield!"

Jiang Jinshuang looked at the angry man in front of her, her dark eyes sweeping over his face.

In the end, he just gave a casual, light laugh.

"Jiang Biechen, why do you still like to bluff so much?"

For a moment, it seemed as if all was silent.

Under layers of dark clouds, a few crows howled mournfully, their cries mingling with the barking of dogs in the city, creating an exceptionally desolate scene.

She looked at Jiang Biechen like this, even though the mask of the God of Slaughter covered all her features, leaving only a pair of eyes with a hint of a smile.

Just like many years ago, Jiang Jinshuang would take out all sorts of ugly masks she found at the market and wear them to scare Jiang Biechen.

Jiang Biechen is actually quite timid.

No matter what kind of mask she wore, as long as she came out from the shadows to scare him, she could always make his pupils dilate and his hands tremble.

He turned around abruptly, forcing a smile as he faced Jiang Jinshuang's ugly masks: "Why are you playing these childish games again, Shuang'er? You didn't scare me."

He's good at bluffing.

In fact, both the pupils and the fingers were trembling.

Just like it is now.

Jiang Jinshuang saw Jiang Biechen's trembling pupils and finger bones.

The hand gripping her clothes trembled slightly.

He tried his best to hide his fear.

Jiang Jinshuang knew Jiang Biechen all too well. She didn't know how much time had passed.

Finally, Jiang Biechen slowly released his grip on Jiang Jinshuang's clothes and looked at her with a furrowed brow.

Jiang Jinshuang still wore that killer mask on her face.

Now, she is even half a head taller than Prince Ruiyang back then.

She wore no armor and carried no sword, but simply standing under the dark clouds gave one the feeling that even if the sky collapsed, she could hold it up again.

Pei Du looked at the red-clad girl rising against the light, her features clear and gentle, without uttering a word.

Jiang Biechen didn't say anything more, but took a few steps back and consciously stood behind Jiang Jinshuang.

He glanced at Pei Du beside him and whispered, "You really trust her to do this?"

Pei Du did not even glance at Jiang Biechen beside him.

He simply looked at Jiang Jinshuang at the highest point, his tone cool and aloof: "Years ago, this humble subject had the honor of meeting His Highness Prince Ruiyang once."

Jiang Biechen frowned slightly, wondering why Pei Du had suddenly brought this up.

"At that time, His Highness Prince Ruiyang returned to the capital to celebrate the princess's birthday. After His Highness got drunk at the princess's residence, I was responsible for entertaining and taking care of him."

After a pause, Pei Du continued, "His Highness Prince Ruiyang was talking to me about the Princess at that time."

"He said that on his way here, all he heard was insults and hatred directed at Princess Zhaoming. She seemed to have become his shadow. He enjoyed the admiration and praise of the people, while she bore the insults and stigma."

Taking a deep breath, Pei Du said slowly, "His Highness Prince Ruiyang said that this is unfair."

He said, "My Shuang'er is the best woman in the world."

He said that the world vilifies and slanders her, yet she still has to wear a mask and go on to save these people.

"He said--"

“She is my clever and quick-witted Shuang’er, not the wicked Zhaoming.”

At this point, Pei Du finally moved his eyes and turned to look at Jiang Biechen, who had been stunned for a long time.

He gave him a smile, his eyes full of indulgence and composure: "Your Majesty, I trust her to do whatever she wants."

"Your Highness, I pledge my loyalty."

He is utterly rebellious.

He overstepped the bounds of propriety.

He was neither humble nor obsequious.

He said, "Your Majesty, I am not loyal to the Emperor or the Crown Prince, but to my Princess from beginning to end."

Jiang Biechen's mouth was slightly open. He stared blankly and bewildered at the solemn-faced Prime Minister Pei Du in front of him, and for a moment he was speechless.

Pei Du was a loyal and righteous man, a refined gentleman.

No one ever doubted his loyalty to the emperor.

And now, he's saying such "treasonous" things!

After a long while, Jiang Biechen looked at Pei Du and finally found his voice: "You...you indulge her like this, haven't you thought about the country and the people?"

"The country and its people are not important, nor are the common people."

The man, who was always clear-headed, upright, and alone, calmly said, "Jiang Jinshuang is the most important."

Jiang Biechen opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

Then the man in front of her continued to speak.

“But Jiang Jinshuang said that the country and its people are very important, so I became the chief minister.”

"I will guard her place."

Ahhhhh, I've never given an extra chapter before, but Teacher Qing has been so generous! There's one more chapter today! But it might be after midnight, so readers who think it's too late can wait until tomorrow morning~
Thank you again to Teacher Qing (Qingmu Jin) for the generous donation! It scared me to death! TVT~~