Chapter Sixty-Seven: Jiang Hu's Rebellion

“Miss! Miss! Something terrible has happened!” Bai Shao rushed in from outside, her face pale with fear as if she had seen a ghost.

Bai Shao was always prone to panic, so Mo Nian Nian didn’t even lift her head. “What is it this time?”

“Miss, Jiang Hu has rebelled! He’s leading seven hundred thousand elite soldiers toward us!”

Mo Nian Nian’s fingers trembled twice. “Don’t panic. It’ll be fine.”

Fine? She doubted that very much.

The male lead was always the most favored by fate in this small world. According to its rules, whatever he set out to do would eventually succeed, after some trials and tribulations. Jiang Hu’s original destiny did indeed include unifying the realm, but Mo Nian Nian recalled that wasn’t supposed to happen for another two years.

She hadn’t expected the plot to advance so quickly.

Bai Shao continued, her voice rising in alarm, “But Miss, it’s Jiang Hu! Your former slave!”

In just three years, Jiang Hu had achieved the unimaginable. Bai Shao could only marvel at his rise, her emotions a mixture of shock and awe.

“Where is he now?” Mo Nian Nian forced herself to remain calm.

“Jiang Hu has subdued the army of Northern Yue, over a hundred thousand strong, and joined forces with fifty thousand troops from Southern Ming. Nearly seven hundred thousand soldiers have seized six cities and are nearly at the palace gates!”

Southern Ming was rotten to its core, from top to bottom lost in debauchery and excess. Sometimes, the absurdity of it all left even Mo Nian Nian speechless.

The Regent had long admitted he was powerless, warning that Southern Ming wouldn’t last much longer.

Yet Jiang Hu’s rapid approach to the capital was something Mo Nian Nian hadn’t foreseen.

“What do we do, Miss? Are we about to lose our country?” Bai Shao was beside herself, stomping her feet in distress.

Southern Ming had been doomed for ages, and Mo Nian Nian felt little regret for its impending downfall. But the thought of Jiang Hu unsettled her.

While Bai Shao fretted, the Regent strode in clad in military attire. He seized Mo Nian Nian’s hand. “Nian Nian, come with me.”

His expression was grave, and Mo Nian Nian frowned. “What’s happened?”

“Just gather your things and follow me. If we don’t leave now, it’ll be too late.” The Regent cast anxious glances toward the courtyard.

Something was clearly amiss, and Mo Nian Nian refused to leave without an explanation. “Father, you have to tell me what’s going on.”

“That dog Jiang Hu is at the city gates. You need to come with me and lie low for a while.”

Truth be told, he admired Jiang Hu. Whether in martial arts, strategy, or command, Jiang Hu was a rare talent. He had even secretly mentored him, hoping to groom Jiang Hu as his successor.

But now that traitor had turned against them?

“Nian Nian, don’t worry about all this. Just come with me. I would never harm you.”

He had barely finished speaking when a eunuch’s shrill voice sounded at the door. “The Emperor is here!”

The Regent shoved Mo Nian Nian into her room and hurriedly closed the door.

The Emperor entered, his face drawn with worry, his steps hurried. The Regent bowed. “Your Majesty.”

“So the Regent is here as well. Good, I have matters to discuss with Nian Nian.”

The Regent lied smoothly, “Nian Nian has gone out and hasn’t returned yet.”

The Emperor glanced at Mo Nian Nian’s room, hesitant to push further. Still, both he and the Regent knew perfectly well whether she was home. The Emperor didn’t bother with pretense and spoke plainly.

“Regent, you know the situation. Jiang Hu is at the gates, and there’s no way we can hold him off. He’s demanded Nian Nian by name.”

“There’s nothing to negotiate,” the Regent replied firmly.

He was deeply angered. Once, he had been quite satisfied with Jiang Hu, but now Jiang Hu’s standing in his eyes had plummeted.

Even if it meant his own death, he would never let Nian Nian be sent away for a political marriage!

“Nian Nian is my niece. If there were any other way, I would never send her out.” The Emperor spread his hands, helpless. “But you see how things are. I truly have no choice.”

He had nothing left—Jiang Hu was unstoppable, conquering city after city.

He was ready to surrender.

Now Jiang Hu had made this demand, and the Emperor welcomed it. Trading Mo Nian Nian for his throne—he could do the math.

The only obstacle was the Regent.

But…

The Emperor’s gaze narrowed. He had been on the throne for as long as he’d felt threatened by the Regent, whose power was overwhelming. No one wanted to be a puppet emperor.

If the Regent refused to hand over Mo Nian Nian, and Jiang Hu’s army breached the walls, perhaps the Emperor could seize the opportunity to ensure the Regent’s family never rose again.

He didn’t want to confront the Regent until the very last moment, so he kept up his facade, forcing a bitter smile. “I don’t want this either. Nian Nian grew up under my care.”

“There’s nothing to negotiate,” the Regent said, gripping his sword at his waist. “Even if I die, I will never let Nian Nian suffer.”

The Emperor and Regent continued their argument outside.

Inside her room, Mo Nian Nian was fuming.

The dog of a male lead had grown bold—now he dared to threaten the palace?

Did he really think this would change her mind?

Ridiculous. She wasn’t some self-sacrificing saint; she refused to give herself up for others.

What she detested most was being threatened. Her gaze grew colder. “I refuse to complete this task. I’ll move on to the next world.”

System: ???

“No! This is absolutely forbidden. There’s never been such a precedent.”

“Contact your superior. I’ll speak with him myself.”

Where did that little brat who called himself the Heavenly Way get all these arbitrary rules?

Mo Nian Nian’s expression was serious. The system, timid as ever, quietly contacted its superior.

It wasn’t qualified to participate in such high-level negotiations. It had no idea what Mo Nian Nian discussed with the upper ranks.

It felt a little sorry for Jiang Hu. The first world was bad enough, and now in the second, things were even worse—its host would rather abandon the mission than end up with him.

Jiang Hu was truly pitiable. Why couldn’t he see clearly and avoid falling for this host?

The system shed a silent tear of sympathy for Jiang Hu.

It hoped that in the next world, the male lead would be smarter and not fall for the host, sparing himself the heartache.

Ready for the mission to fail, the system hung its head in defeat.

Mo Nian Nian’s consciousness returned, her eyes tinged with oddness.

Outside, the tension had reached its peak. The Emperor was determined to take Mo Nian Nian away, while the Regent refused to allow it.

The Emperor’s eyes were red with anger. “Mo Lin, you dare defy me?”

“Today, no one will take Nian Nian from me.”

He wasn’t indifferent to the sacrifices of war, but his heart was small, big enough only for his family. To him, Nian Nian was the most precious of all.

No matter what happened, she would always come first.

This was the agreement he had made with his wife.

As for the people of Southern Ming, he could only apologize. He had done much for them over the years, but now, his only wish was to protect Nian Nian.