Remarried to a top-tier playboy, her reborn ex-husband is filled with regret.

Just as the two were at their wits' end, dust suddenly rose from the distant official road.

The patrolling scouts reported back on horseback.

"Sir! A large number of grain wagons are heading towards the camp!"

Zhou Chong and the quartermaster were both taken aback and strode toward the camp gate.

In the distance, long lines of grain transport wagons were heading towards the border army camp.

The escorts were all men from various prefectures and counties, including soldiers, constables, and hired laborers.

Upon reaching the camp gate, the leader dismounted and respectfully handed over the list.

"I have come to deliver grain on the orders of Lord Liu of Pingzhou."

Three hundred cartloads of grain have been delivered; please inspect them, General.

The quartermaster took the order, his hands trembling slightly.

More people kept coming forward from behind.

"I have come to deliver grain on the orders of the Prefect of Xuzhou."

"The prefect of Qingzhou sent me to deliver grain, along with a hundred pigs."

"We have come on the orders of Commander Xiao to deliver grain to the border troops."

Not a single person uttered a single unnecessary word.

No one dared to put on airs.

Everyone was respectful, even somewhat ingratiating.

After putting down the grain and verifying the quantity, they stepped aside and waited to receive the receipt.

Zhou Chong ordered his men to open the granaries and receive the grain.

They carried the bags in one by one, piling them up neatly.

The quartermaster personally opened several bags, grabbed a handful of rice, and carefully separated them.

The grains are plump and full; they are all top-quality rice.

There was no musty smell, no stale grain, and it was far superior to any military rations he had seen in recent years.

"This quality."

The quartermaster's voice trembled.

Zhou Chong stood at the warehouse entrance, remaining silent for a long time before finally letting out a heavy sigh.

"The young master... he just lost his father, and on his way back south, he still remembered that our border troops were running out of food."

The quartermaster's eyes welled up with tears.

"We've followed the Prince for half our lives. Now we're following the Heir Apparent, we're truly blessed."

Zhou Chong nodded and said nothing more.

He turned and looked south.

The official road had already disappeared into the twilight.

But the grain carts kept going into the camp, as if they would never stop.

As soon as Xiao Fang stepped out of the state border, the quartermaster's men rode up on horseback and reported back in a low voice.

"Your Highness, the Lord sent me to deliver a message to you, saying that there is enough food and provisions to last until the imperial army's supplies arrive."

Xiao Fang hummed in agreement.

He looked towards the end of the official road to the south and tugged on the reins.

"Full speed ahead, escort the Prince of Zhenbei back to the capital!"

Kyoto, the city gates are wide open.

The area outside the city gate was already packed with people.

At the very front is a wooden wheelchair.

The Crown Prince Long Yuanqi sat in a wheelchair.

He is only in his early thirties, but he is already so thin that he is emaciated.

The heavy python robe hung loosely on her body, and when the wind blew the hem, it revealed her frighteningly thin wrists.

His face was pale with a bluish tinge, and his lips were completely bloodless.

Only his eyes remained warm and clear, as if they had been polished by wind and sand for many years, yet remained unblemished.

The Crown Princess stood behind him, one hand gently resting on the back of the chair.

She was dressed very simply, with a slight weariness on her face, but she kept her back very straight.

His other hand was always on the prince's shoulder, as if he were ready to support him at any time.

Yun Shuyao was also there.

Standing below the Crown Princess, she saw the dust rising from the official road in the distance, and her heart clenched.

She saw him.

Xiao Fang rode on his horse, his face roughened by the wind and sand of the northern desert, and he looked much thinner.

His robes billowed in the wind, and although his shoulders remained straight, his back seemed to be weighed down by something extremely heavy.

Behind him was that thin coffin.

The character "Xiao" on the coffin lid caught Yun Shuyao's eye from a great distance.

Her eyes welled up with tears, and she almost burst into tears on the spot.

Xiao Fang saw the wheelchair under the city gate from afar, so he dismounted and walked step by step toward the city gate.

The Crown Prince sat in his wheelchair and leaned slightly forward as Xiao Fang approached.

"Xiao Fang."

Long Yuanqi spoke first, his voice soft and weak, yet still gentle and warm.

"It's good that you're back."

Xiao Fang knelt down on one knee.

He knelt before the prince's wheelchair and whispered.

"Your subject, Xiao Fang, is here to escort the coffin of the Prince of Zhenbei back to the capital."

At this point, Xiao Fang choked up for a moment before lowering his voice to continue:

"I failed to protect my father; I am guilty."

The crown prince reached out and gently patted his shoulder.

"Get up, you have done very well."

The Prince of Zhenbei was loyal to his country and died on the battlefield. He was a pillar of the Liang Dynasty.

"You are his son, you shouldn't be kneeling."

Xiao Fang looked up and glanced at the Crown Prince.

The crown prince was also looking at him, his gaze complex.

There is love, there is heartache, and there is also a deep, indescribable regret.

"With the prince's departure, the northern frontier has lost a pillar of strength."

Everyone on and around the main beam is filled with grief.

The prince said softly.

"But as long as you are still there in Daliang, the Zhenbei Army will still have a soul."

This is also what the Northern Hu people fear most.

As he spoke, he looked at the thin coffin again, a very faint red tinge appearing in his eyes.

"I have come today as the Crown Prince to see the Prince off on his final journey."

I've come to take you home, also as your older brother.

Xiao Fang's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't speak, because he was choked up and couldn't utter a word.

Only then did the Crown Princess step forward half a step and curtsy to Xiao Fang.

"Commander Xiao, please accept my condolences."

Xiao Fang nodded in return.

Yun Shuyao had already walked over.

She first bowed to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess before walking to Xiao Fang's side.

She glanced at the thin coffin, then looked up at Xiao Fang.

He had injuries on his face, dark circles under his eyes, and his jawline was so thin it was angular.

Her hand gently grasped his hand.

Xiao Fang almost immediately gripped his hand back.

His fingers were cold, but his strength was terrifying, as if he was desperately trying to draw warmth from his family.

Yun Shuyao didn't say anything, but moved a little closer to him.

Xiao Fang closed his eyes, as if he had finally borrowed a bit of warmth from her palm.

The crown prince observed all of this without saying a word.

He sat in his wheelchair and slightly raised his hand toward the inside of the city gate.

"Please bring the coffin of the Prince of Zhenbei into the city."

The people of the city have been waiting for a long time, all wanting to see the prince off.

Xiao Fang nodded.

He turned around and walked back to the coffin.

He didn't speak, but simply placed his hand back on the coffin lid.

The line began to move slowly.

Yun Shuyao followed closely behind him, never leaving his side.

As soon as he entered the North Gate, Xiao Fang was stunned.

Both sides of the street were densely packed with mourning tents.

The mourning tents varied in size, some were made of silk cloth, while others were temporary structures made of straw mats and wooden frames.

When the wind blows, the white banners flutter, and the whole street is filled with the rustling sound of paper flowers.

The people stood by the roadside, and no one pushed their way up.

They simply stared quietly at the coffin, and an elderly man knelt down shakily.

A woman was leading a child and placing the fruit from her basket by the roadside.

A man lit several incense sticks at his door, and the ashes fell to the ground.

Some impoverished families, unable to afford to build a mourning shed, simply laid a white cloth at the base of the wall.

On the white cloth were several steamed buns that I had made myself.

A thin stick of incense is stuck into the steamed bun.

Xiao Fang paused in his steps.

He turned to look at the steamed buns and incense sticks at the base of the wall.

When the family saw him looking over, they hurriedly knelt down.

Xiao Fang didn't say much, only nodded slightly to them.

He walked very slowly along the way.

Every time he passed a mourning tent, he would turn his head and nod earnestly to the person who set it up.

There was no perfunctory attitude, nor the slightest impatience.

Some people called out to him while wiping away tears.

"Your Highness, please accept my condolences!"

"The prince was a good man; a good man shouldn't die like this!"

Xiao Fang did not answer.

He simply nodded again and continued walking forward, supporting the coffin.

Yun Shuyao followed behind him, just like Xiao Fang.

Whenever someone offered their condolences, she would give a slight curtsy in return.

Once inside the city, the scene became even larger.

Almost all the officials of the imperial court were mobilized, and every household set up a mourning tent along the roadside.

The banners on the canopy read "Respectfully offered by the Li family," "Respectfully offered by the Zhao family," and "Respectfully offered by the Zhou family."

All the curtains were black and white, stretching as far as the eye could see.