It seems that the villain is targeting me.

Combined with those rare eyes, Gwen secretly guessed in her heart that perhaps Prime Minister Butcher was not entirely an imperial citizen, but had a certain foreign bloodline.

Thinking that this person was now sitting obediently in her own tent (what her father allocated to her was also hers), sharing the same piece of bread intimately (a very large piece, baked for more than twenty people to share), Gwyneth felt as happy as a child who had hidden a treasure, and even tasted the sweetness of honey from the dry bread.

She really hoped that days like this could last longer and longer.

It’s a pity that the matter of the captives has been almost dealt with. In a few days, they will probably set off back to the capital.

------

-

For Charles, these few days have been extremely difficult.

He didn't want to leave the tent and be within anyone's sight.

Lawrence I's message was delivered by a belated messenger on the third day after the decisive battle, and all the senior generals basically knew the emperor's decision.

They whispered to each other, either boldly or covertly observing the expression of the empire's eldest prince.

This kind of prying gaze made Charles feel very uneasy, but this time he didn't even have the courage to lose his temper. He just hid in his tent silently.

The gazes from the lower-class soldiers made him feel even more ashamed.

The Royal Griffin Knights had 148 official knights when they were fully staffed, of which nearly two-thirds were square-flag knights.

The Knights could not even form a small reconnaissance formation.

The remaining knights still faithfully followed the emperor's orders. They stood silently outside Charles' tent without complaining or neglecting their duties.

Most of the loyal knights were silent, but the eyes looking at Charles seemed to be silently questioning:

"Why should we choose you?"

"Why did we choose you in the first place?"

Those dead young people questioned him in his dreams, causing Prince Charles to wake up from nightmares again and again. He tossed and turned at night, unable to find a moment of peace.

Apart from these knights who are responsible for protecting Charles' safety, no one else will come to see him.

Even the nobles with the dullest political sense could sense the emperor's disappointment and disgust with his eldest son. Everyone was speculating that after returning to the capital this time, Lawrence would probably choose another heir.

Anyone who had a bit of a future and was eager to make a fortune was busy at this time severing ties with Charles, avoiding him like the plague for fear of being tainted by the so-called "Grand Prince Faction".

Before this, although everyone knew that Prince Charles was just there for show, there were still many senior generals in the army who tried to curry favor with the future heir to the empire.

But now that the situation has changed, these guys who are used to currying favor with the powerful have naturally changed their faces quickly, making Prince Charles, who has never been bullied since childhood, experience the fickleness of the world and the unpredictable human heart.

What made the eldest prince even more desperate was that there was nothing left for him to do.

He no longer needed to do training and preparation, logistics and military affairs, or even the night patrol work that he had previously disdained to do because he thought it was too tiring.

Due to his status, General Banur did not intentionally criticize him, and none of the attendants around him would neglect him. However, no important work was assigned to Charles anymore, and he had nothing to do all day long, going crazy with boredom.

Prince Charles realized that he was gradually being pushed into a corner, from the center of everyone's attention to a marginal person who was ignored by everyone - this made him feel more uncomfortable than killing him.

It's like a piece of raw meat placed outside the refrigerator. Even if you do nothing, it will spontaneously mold and deteriorate in the air until it rots and maggots appear.

Charles suddenly recalled the day when he fought against King Jialan in front of the battle formation.

In fact, they didn't walk very fast that day, nor did they return to the camp immediately, because Charles had not eaten or drunk anything for the entire day of being captured. After the crisis of death was lifted, he could no longer bear it.

The knight escorting the eldest prince was very cold to him. After handing him the water bag, he ignored him. Charles did not care about the other party's attitude. He drank water in big gulps and sat on the ground to rest, panting.

It was probably at this time that a huge cheer broke out from the infantry phalanx.

The eldest prince's ears were buzzing, and it took him a long time to hear the names that the soldiers were shouting.

It was not until this time that he realized that the person representing the imperial army was actually his fiancée, whom he had never even looked at.

Charles couldn't describe how he felt at that time.

The eldest prince looked up in panic, listening to the enthusiastic shouts that seemed to turn the world upside down.

Each sound was like a hammer hitting his soul.

Chapter 55: The Future She Doesn't Want to Face

The weather was getting colder. When Xiao Niao walked out of the tent, she could clearly feel the north wind getting stronger and stronger, trying to penetrate into her thick clothes.

The morning cold is always the most unbearable. She blew into her palms and saw a fleeting hazy white mist.

Before traveling to this world, Xiao Niao was from the south and had rarely seen snow. Even in winter in her hometown, as long as the sun was in the sky, there would be people wearing short sleeves and going out.

It was still early, and the only people walking around in the camp were soldiers on night patrol. Little Bird breathed in the icy northern air, and for a moment it felt like even its lungs were about to freeze.

Today is the day the army returns. She has already dealt with the last batch of slave soldiers. As for the remaining surrendered Galan people, they need to be escorted by the army personally because there is still a possibility of riot.

Xiao Niao relaxed his stiff muscles and bones, and when he shifted his gaze slightly, he saw the very familiar figure not far away.

There is a saying that when you start to notice someone, you will see her more frequently in your daily life.

Gwyneth was in the camp in a simple stable made of long logs. The army was about to set out to return to the capital today, so she got up early and went to the stable to check the condition of her mount.

In front of the girl stood a beautiful chestnut horse with broad shoulders and long legs. Its fur, like molten copper, was dotted with a few light-colored spots, and its physique looked exceptionally light and agile.

She really likes horses, Xiao Niao sighed in his heart.

Most people who are good at riding love horses, although this is actually a rather luxurious hobby - even in modern times, the money required to raise and care for a horse is quite terrifying, and it is definitely not something that ordinary families can afford.

Xiao Niao looked at it for a while and suddenly felt something was wrong:

Wait, wait, wait, wait, Gwen is now feeding... my mount, right?!

Yes, that's right, hers was specially trained

The docile and intelligent pony actually stood there obediently, letting Gwen take care of its mane, and even lowered its head with great trust, allowing the girl to touch its face.

That's my pony!

Although Xiao Niao was not a good rider, he secretly loved his psychic pony. Seeing it happily accepting the touch of a "stranger", this half-baked Hermes immediately lost his patience.

Xiao Niao walked over with a fierce look on his face, as if he was going to call someone to account.

On the other side, Gwyneth was holding a brush in her hand and gently combing the neck of the chestnut horse.

She seemed to be concentrating on combing the pony's mane, but in fact she was secretly keeping an eye on the Imperial Prime Minister's tent out of the corner of her eye.

Seeing the Prime Minister himself coming this way, Gwyneth turned around very coincidentally, as if she had just noticed a little bird, and said in a surprised tone: "My Lord? You are up very early."

As she spoke, the girl's eyebrows curved like crescent moons, as if she was in a good mood. "I just got up and wanted to check the condition of the horses before leaving. I didn't expect to meet you here."

——This is a lie.

The girl tossed and turned all night and couldn't sleep well when she thought about returning to the capital soon and the days when she could openly interact with the Prime Minister on official business would come to an end.

So she got up before dawn and waited in the cold wind for at least an hour.

It is said that you should not hit a smiling person. When Xiao Niao saw Gwen's sunny and harmonious smile, his anger disappeared before he could express it, and he became hesitant.

The Prime Minister suddenly felt a little foolish for rushing over like that, so he looked at the bay pony with a slightly awkward expression, a little aggrieved: "This is my mount."

"Ah, this kid is tied to my mount. I saw its fur was a little tangled, so I combed it out," Gwyneth said calmly. "I didn't expect it to be yours. It's so beautiful! I've never seen such a beautiful pony."

——This statement was half true and half false. Gwyneth ran through several simple stables in the camp before she found Xiao Niao's mount, and then she insidiously switched the stall next to the pony.

But our Prime Minister is not aware of this.

Xiao Niao was no longer angry at this point. She nodded happily in agreement with Gwen's words: "Well, it is very beautiful."

Here Gwyneth used a very simple technique to build closer relationships: if you want to please someone, it will seem more natural and sincere to praise something that the other person cares about rather than complimenting the person himself.

The pony seemed to understand what the two were saying. It neighed happily and rubbed its head against Xiao Niao's arm.

Xiaoniao touched the pony's flapping ears lovingly, obviously fond of it too.

Gwyneth, with ill intentions, thought the atmosphere was just right, so she patted the pony's pretty neck and asked with a smile, "What a clever child... Have you named it yet?"

Xiao Niao nodded: "Yes, I'll take it. It's called Huahua."

Gwyneth thought she had misheard. She smiled and said, "Huh?"

Xiaoniao: "Huahua."

A crack appeared on Miss Gwyneth's perfect smile.

She had only known Xiao Niao for a short time and had never experienced the Prime Minister of the Empire's extraordinary naming skills, so she felt a little confused.

It’s been a while since Xiao Niao was not good at naming, but she never had the chance to reveal it in front of Gwen. In fact, we can get a clue from her own name: Xiao Niao probably inherited this problem from her father.

In a split second, Gwyneth relied on her powerful intuition to make an accurate judgment: she'd better not make any negative comments about the name "Huahua".

Gwen then laughed stiffly and complimented him against her will, "Hahaha...it's a really cute name. Ma, Ma lives up to its name."

The heroic and majestic Huahua was not happy about this. He was already dissatisfied with the unfortunate name given by his owner, and now he even heard from others that "the horse lives up to its name", so he shook his head in dissatisfaction.

While comforting Xiao Ma, Gwyneth secretly made up her mind: No, I must not let Butcher name the child in the future, I must do it myself.

Although the girl looked embarrassed and had forgotten her words, she was already worrying about something that happened so long ago. It was obvious that she was a very far-sighted person.

Xiao Niao had no idea how many thoughts flashed through Gwen's mind in that instant.

She glanced up at the sky and felt it was almost time, so she said to Gwyneth, "Let's go. The main force is about to start preparing. We should set off when it's completely light."

Gwyneth had no objection. She had already prepared her horse for departure. Because she got up too early and didn't wait for Xiaoniao for a long time, she also prepared Huahua's saddle.

The two men then walked out of the simple stable side by side, each following their mount, looking particularly harmonious.

They met many soldiers along the way, and everyone greeted Gwyneth warmly.

Gwyneth Tudor is now known to everyone in the Imperial Army.

At first, these soldiers might have had some complaints about letting a girl be a cavalry general, but after that siege, such whispers became much smaller.

After Gwyneth defeated King Galan with amazing swordsmanship in front of everyone, her personal reputation soared to the peak.

Whether it was a soldier from the lower class or a knight from a noble family, almost everyone wanted to have a word with this promising eldest daughter of Tudor.

Even if it's just to make you familiar to me, I can brag about it at the dinner table for half a year!

This phenomenon is a bit like the celebrity effect or idol worship mentality of later generations: "You know that so-and-so? We were in the same class in junior high school, and we used to chat and laugh a lot!"

Gwyneth responded seriously to everyone who greeted her, without any arrogance or aristocratic airs.

Xiao Niao was secretly observing from the side, somewhat amazed at the girl's character: after her reputation and status suddenly rose, she was still able to maintain a humble and peaceful attitude, which was not something that everyone could do.

Many people, after suddenly gaining power, forget their relatives and act recklessly. This is how the sayings "a villain who succeeds" and "a wolf from Zhongshan" came about.

Gwyneth Tudor might really become a remarkable figure in the future. Xiaoniao suddenly couldn't imagine what this girl would look like in a few years.

She secretly wondered: Maybe Gwen would become a great general like her father?

The two of them walked like this, and their planned route would pass by where prisoners of war were held.

As he walked over, Gwen noticed with his sharp eyes that the defeated and surrendered Galan people had been driven away and were lined up in a long queue with drooped heads.

This was a common method of escorting prisoners of war. The hemp rope was soaked in oil and was difficult to cut even with a knife. All the prisoners were tied together, so anyone who wanted to escape would be dragged down by the people around them.

In addition, these captives had been hungry for quite some time, and most of them had only been given enough food and water to sustain their lives. If the soldiers in charge of escorting them had not whipped them vigorously, these Jialan people would not even be willing to get up from the ground.

Gwyneth had witnessed too many human tragedies in the past few days, so she had no sympathy for the miserable plight of these Jialan captives, and even felt a faint sense of pleasure.

But it was also the first time for Gwen to see such a large number of alien captives. Although it was not a problem she needed to worry about, Gwyneth still felt a little worried.

She turned her head and whispered to the Prime Minister standing beside her, "What will happen to these people? Will His Majesty order them to be killed?"

Xiao Niao shook his head: "We are not yet so extravagant as to kill such valuable strong laborers at will."

"They will be separated and forced to work in mines or quarries," Xiao Niao said. "If there's a shortage of people during the spring land reclamation, they'll probably be dragged into the mountains to open up wasteland."

This is a simple principle of the victor being the king and the loser being the bandit. Even if the victorious imperial army wanted to kill them on the spot, these Jialan people could only passively accept it.

"...Actually, they're still quite lucky," Xiao Niao added, "luckier than the horse slaves they abducted. At least they're still alive. If they're lucky, they might even be able to return home."

"Back to their homeland?" Gwyneth looked at the bird in confusion. "How is that possible? If we let them go back one day, wouldn't that pose a threat to the empire?"

Xiao Niao patiently explained to Gwen: "The situation you are talking about will only happen if Jialan is still our enemy."

"But as long as the Empire annexed and unified Jialan, it wouldn't matter if some of the docile and obedient Jialan people were released," Xiao Niao said. "After all, they were born here and have feelings for the land, so they'll work much harder."

Gwyneth's heart sank, she felt that what he said was so reasonable and she was speechless.

But she is also extremely proud of the fact that the country is strong and powerful hidden behind this logic - if it were not a prosperous and powerful country, no one would dare to make such big claims.

Her heart moved slightly, and she continued to ask, "Will Your Majesty continue to conquer the north in the future?"

Xiao Niao shook his head.

She said hesitantly, "There shouldn't be any major wars in the next few years. Perhaps this will be accomplished during His Majesty Lawrence's reign, or perhaps the next emperor will complete this work."