I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 307 Reprimand
The portrait depicts a young man, severely wounded and covered in blood, lying on his back with a pained expression, his eyes wide open in death.

Tang Zhao asked, "Is my painting lifelike?"

Gu Ci nodded as he looked at the man in the portrait, whose face clearly showed obvious pain.

Tang Zhao was very pleased with himself and ordered Dongmei to hang the portrait on the wall outside the prison, directly opposite Song Qinglan's cell. "Does my aunt know why I painted it so lifelike?"

Song Qinglan wanted to look at the portrait but dared not, so she could only stare intently at Tang Zhao's face.

Tang Zhao gave a slight curtsy, meeting Song Qinglan's gaze for the first time, and said with a smile, "Because the Eighth Prince died at my hands."

Song Qinglan's eyes widened, and then she roared, "Tang Zhao, you bitch, I'm going to kill you, I'm going to kill you!"

Tang Zhao glanced at Song Qinglan, who was rolling around on the ground like a maggot, smiled contemptuously, and turned to leave.

"To kill someone is to destroy their spirit." Gu Ci glanced at Song Qinglan with pity before following Tang Zhao out of the dungeon.

Gu Ci glanced at Tang Zhao's cheerful expression, "Are you feeling better now?"

"So-so," Tang Zhao said, stroking the princess's gold seal at his waist. "Song Qinglan has suffered everything, but compared to my mother and maternal grandparents' family, she is nothing."

Gu Ci hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Tang Zhao smiled at him, "Don't worry, I won't let revenge cloud my judgment."

Seeking revenge for the original owner's mother and maternal grandparents was only a small part of her life; her ultimate goal was to become the richest man in the world, comparable to Shi Chong and Shen Wansan.

Gu Ci felt relieved and changed the subject, "When are you going back to the General's Mansion? Your mother has been waiting for you for several days."

Princess Xuan is too persistent. Tang Zhao's head was throbbing. He quickly made an excuse, "I need to go to Ningzhou to check on the sales of fine salt. My return date is uncertain."

Gu Ci reached out and pulled Tang Zhao over, "My mother has given me a strict order to bring you back to the Protector General's Mansion."

Tang Zhao struggled, but to no avail, and was taken back to the Protector General's Mansion by Gu Ci with a sorrowful expression.

Princess Xuan looked at her son and daughter-in-law, her face unusually stern.

Tang Zhao shook off Gu Ci's hand, trotted forward, and smilingly served tea and water to Princess Xuan, massaging her shoulders and back, being extremely attentive.

Princess Xuan's anger, which had been building up for a month, suddenly dissipated. She held Tang Zhao's hand and sighed, "I know you are no ordinary woman, but who doesn't only have one life? Even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about those of us who care about you."

Tang Zhao nodded obediently.

Seeing Tang Zhao like this, how could Princess Xuan bear to say anything more to her? She immediately reached out and pulled her into her arms, saying with heartache, "My poor child."

"It's not difficult," Tang Zhao whispered, nestled in Princess Xuan's arms. "As long as I can protect the people I want to protect, I'm willing to do it."

Ming sat to the side, secretly wiping away the tear stains from the corners of her eyes.

Gu Xuan cautiously stole glances at Tang Zhao, and when Tang Zhao's eyes swept over her, she immediately put on a pitiful look like a puppy.

Hehe, Tang Zhao looked away, pretending not to see it.

After the meal, Princess Xuan personally hung the peace charm she had obtained from Qing'an Temple around Tang Zhao's waist before saying with satisfaction, "Go."

Tang Zhao left happily.

Gu Xuan made an excuse and hurriedly bid farewell to her mother and sister-in-law.

Princess Xuan shook her head, "This child, even after getting married, is still so impetuous."

Madam Ming glanced at Gu Xuan's retreating figure, a guess forming in her mind. "Seventh Sister should have gone to find Fifth Sister-in-law." "Why didn't you say something during dinner?" Princess Xuan cursed inwardly for her daughter's troublesome nature. Didn't she know how busy Zhao Zhao was?
Ming heard some rumors, but seeing that Princess Xuan looked exhausted, she didn't say anything. She simply helped Princess Xuan to her inner room to rest.

In the front courtyard of the Protector General's Mansion, Gu Xuan finally caught up with Tang Zhao and timidly said, "Fifth Sister-in-law."

Tang Zhao pretended not to hear and walked past Gu Xuan.

Gu Xuan reached out and grabbed Tang Zhao's sleeve, "Fifth Sister-in-law!"

Tang Zhao snapped impatiently, "Spit it out!"

Gu Xuan's eyes reddened. "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean it. I swear, I will listen to you from now on and never do anything stupid again."

"Not do anything stupid?" Tang Zhao sneered. "So, you weren't the one who secretly sent people to Tibet to investigate the whereabouts of Zhuoma's brother?"

Gu Xuan was dumbfounded. How did Tang Zhao know about this when she had kept it so secret?
Tang Zhao sneered and shook off Gu Xuan's hand that was holding her sleeve.

Gu Xuan felt extremely wronged. "I had no choice. Da Hua begged me to save her brother before she died, and I had no choice but to agree."

She was taught from a young age to do her best to keep her promises, especially since she and Da Hua were like sisters.

"I was thinking that now that the crisis has passed, I'll secretly send someone to Tibet to investigate. If we can find them, that would be great; if not..."

Tang Zhao, suppressing his anger, asked, "What if we can't find it?"

"After things settle down in the Northwest, I will personally go to Tibet to find them!"

Tang Zhao laughed, "Have you ever thought that if you fall into the hands of the Tibetans, your father will be hindered, and it might even ruin the great situation that the soldiers of the Northwest Army have fought so hard for!"

Gu Xuan was dumbfounded.

"At that time, will Father agree to Tibet's conditions for your sake, or will he abandon you, his daughter, for the sake of the Northwest?"

Gu Xuan covered her mouth and took a step back. "I, I don't know, I..."

"Yes, you don't know, but that's no excuse for you to do something stupid and cause trouble for others!"

For the first time, Tang Zhao disregarded the presence of Prince Xuan and his wife, and rebuked them mercilessly, "If Gu Ci hadn't returned in time, do you know what would have happened to Wuwei City and the Northwest Army?"

Gu Xuan seemed to be so frightened that she even forgot to cry.

"Massacre!" Tang Zhao said. "Go ask the elderly people. They all experienced the massacre of Wuwei City in the 30th year of the Kangzhi reign. Wherever the Turkic soldiers went, they burned, killed, looted, and caused widespread suffering. Nine out of ten houses in Wuwei City were empty!"

"I was being held hostage by Geshu Yong while I was standing on the city wall of Wuwei. In order to prevent the Turks from entering the city, I was prepared to die with Geshu Yong!"

"And all of this is thanks to you and your best friend, Da Hua!"

"She almost ruined Wuwei and Dayu, and yet you still cling to her last words, willing to cause trouble for the Northwest again!"

"I'm also puzzled. In your heart, is sisterhood so important that it's more important than the lives of Wuwei City and hundreds of thousands of Northwest Army soldiers?"

Gu Xuan collapsed to the ground.

Tang Zhao couldn't bear to see Gu Xuan looking so dejected, and he didn't want to waste any more words on her. He bypassed her, mounted his horse, and led his men all the way to Ningzhou.

Gu Xuan sat on the ground and wailed. She didn't know how long she cried, but then a pair of men's black boots appeared in front of her.

Gu Xuan looked up and saw Gu Ci looking down at her expressionlessly. If you looked closely, you could see that Gu Ci's eyes were full of helplessness and heartache.

"Fifth Brother!" Gu Xuan threw herself into Gu Ci's arms. "I'm so sorry, I really didn't know it would cause such serious consequences, I really didn't know."