I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 221 So that’s it
The Turkic royal palace.

Consort Dolan waited outside the Empress Dowager's palace for two full hours, only to be dismissed with the words, "We will send more people to search for the Eighth Prince."

Despite her worry and anger, Consort Dolan, with tears of gratitude on her face, respectfully performed a grand ceremony before returning to her own chambers.

"Your Majesty," came the nanny who had been waiting in the hall.

Consort Dolan strode into the inner palace, her sorrowful expression vanishing instantly. She calmly and collectedly asked, "Is there any news of Xiao Ba?"

The old woman sounded anxious. "We lost some of the people we sent out, and the rest are still searching. We can only confirm that the Eighth Prince is in the northwest of Chongqing, but we are still investigating where exactly he is."

Seeing her master's face grow increasingly cold, the old woman couldn't help but advise, "Now that the two countries are in peace talks, even if Dayu captures the Eighth Prince, they won't dare to harm him. At most, he'll suffer some physical pain."

"You dare not harm Xiao Ba's life?" Consort Dolan sneered. "What if you did? Would the Khan and the Empress Dowager wage war against Dayu for Xiao Ba's sake?"

How could that be? The master and the eighth prince have always been neglected, and now the empress dowager and the khan treat them like they're invisible. If Dayu really kills the eighth prince, the empress dowager and the khan will at most use this to blackmail Dayu for some benefits.

"What should we do then?" the old woman asked worriedly. "The Northwest Army is stationed in the Northwest, and our people dare not openly search for anyone. The longer the Eighth Prince stays in the Northwest, the greater the probability of him encountering misfortune."

Consort Duolan was well aware of this. She was even more afraid that Xiao Ba would fall into Tang Zhao's hands. That little bitch was not like her mother; she was a ruthless character.

If one learns even a fraction of the inside story of the Song family's annihilation through Xiao Ba...

Dolanfei grew increasingly uneasy. She took out a pearl the size of a longan from a hidden compartment by her bedside. "Take this to Luoyang personally and tell him that he must rescue Xiao Ba!"

The old woman carefully put away the pearls, her figure disappearing into the night.

A month later, Emperor Sheng'an dispatched an envoy to the northwest.

At this time, Tang Zhao was completely unaware of this; she was looking at the information she had collected about Ashina Bolu's mother.

Dolan Fei, whose surname is unknown and whose nickname is Aqing, was a singer from Jiuquan Prefecture. She was sent to the Turkic palace by a local official. Because of her beauty and voice, she was chosen by the first Khan to be his concubine. Later, she gave birth to the eighth prince and was given the surname Dolan, hence the name Dolan Fei.

Later, due to the machinations of a palace concubine, his voice was ruined, and he was disliked by the First Khan. From then on, he was neglected and lived in seclusion in the inner palace with the Eighth Prince, a fact little known to the public.

Tang Zhao asked discontentedly, "That's all?"

"There's another portrait," Wu Shiyi hurriedly took out a painting of a lady.

Tang Zhao:. . . .

Who the hell can tell what kind of monster it looks like?

Tang Zhao sighed, "Where is he?"

Who is it? Wu Shiyi was completely confused.

"Idiot, that old woman who has seen Consort Dolan!" Wu Jia exclaimed in exasperation.

As expected, fate is fair; it gave Wu Shiyi unparalleled skills, but took away his brains.

"Oh, oh, I'll settle her in the front yard and bring her here right away!" Wu Shiyi ran out like a shot.

Tang Zhao shook his head, "Prepare charcoal pencils, steamed buns, and Xuan paper."

After Wu Shiyi brought the old woman over, Chunfeng had prepared everything Tang Zhao wanted. "Tell me, and I'll draw it."

"Oh, oh!" The old woman was over seventy years old, but still in excellent health and spoke clearly, "Ah Qing, she was a beauty from a young age, with almond-shaped eyes and a high nose bridge..."

Tang Zhao listened to her while drawing, checking the details from time to time. By the time the portrait was finished, two hours had passed.

Tang Zhao rubbed his aching wrist. "Look, is she the same as the Qingyi you remember?"

The old woman's eyes widened. "Same, exactly the same!" It was as if the real person had appeared on the paper.

"I understand, thank you for your hard work," Tang Zhao stood up. "As agreed, from today onwards, your family will settle down in the Protectorate General's Mansion and work for a monthly salary." "Thank you, Princess! Thank you, Princess!" the old woman said gratefully.

“Young lady,” Wu Jia’s finger trembled, “this Consort Duolan bears a seventy percent resemblance to the eldest young lady!”

"More than that, I think they're 90% similar!"

Tang Zhao had never met the original owner's mother, but Wu Jia and the others had. Since they all said so, it was clear that Consort Duolan was indeed related to the Song family.

“The entire Song clan of the Protectorate General’s Mansion was wiped out,” Wu Jiayi murmured. “Could it be that Consort Duolan was a member of the Song clan who was separated from the main branch?”

Tang Zhao gave him an approving look.

This would explain why the Duke of Wei would collude with the enemy and betray his country.

The saying "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" is absolutely true!

Furthermore, the relationship between Duke Wei and Consort Duolan was not limited to this. Tang Zhao looked at Consort Duolan's portrait, first as the original owner's mother, and then as that concubine Qingyan. Duke Wei's taste was quite consistent.

However, this is just speculation, and evidence is needed to confirm it.

Chunfeng brought a charcoal brazier, and Tang Zhao personally lit the portrait of Consort Duolan and threw it into the brazier, watching the portrait slowly burn to ashes.

"Princess," Chao Yi hurriedly reported, "The imperial court has sent an envoy to read out the imperial decree of commendation. The master has instructed his subordinates to invite the princess to the Northwest Army's garrison."

As Tang Zhao stood up and straightened his clothes, he asked, "Who is the envoy?"

Chao Yi cautiously raised his head, "Duke of Wei."

Tang Zhao paused in his steps and suddenly smiled.

Very good, now it's certain that Consort Duolan and Duke Wei are having an affair.

"You go ahead, I need to take care of some personal matters," Tang Zhao interrupted Bai Chaoyi. "If anything goes wrong, I, the princess, will take responsibility."

Chao Yi choked on his words and had no choice but to bow and retreat.

Tang Zhao slowly descended into the dungeon, approaching Ashina Bolu, who was tied to the frame, step by step. He pinched Ashina Bolu's chin and looked him over from left to right, but he couldn't see a trace of the Duke of Wei.

Well, after all, one is in the Turkic royal palace and the other is in Dayu, so it's quite difficult for them to cause any trouble.

"Eighth Prince, oh no, perhaps I should call you cousin."

Ashina Bolu's eyes widened suddenly, a hint of panic flashing across his face.

Tang Zhaoxin understood. "Your mother and my Song family are of the same clan. We should help each other. I never expected that she would join forces with outsiders to destroy the Song family. It is truly disheartening."

Ashina Bolu visibly panicked. "I don't know what you're talking about?"

"If you don't know, you don't know. I never expected that after more than 20 years of not seeing each other, our first meeting would be a fight to the death."

Tang Zhao slowly drew the sword from his waist and plunged it into Ashina Bolu's heart without warning.

Ashina Bolu's eyes widened, blood flowing from his mouth. "You, how dare you?"

Tang Zhao twirled his sword, smiling as he watched Ashina Bolu's face contort in pain. "Your mother conspired with the Duke of Wei to harm my Song clan. They dared to do that, so I dare to do the same!"

Ashina Bolu breathed his last, unwilling to accept his fate.

Tang Zhao sheathed his sword, saying, "The mountains are full of wolves and tigers; poor Eighth Prince."

Wu Jia bowed his head in agreement.

"Let's go, it's been so long since I've seen my father, I miss him terribly."