Had the Second Prince not sent men to stir up trouble, things would have been fine. Instead, their interference acted like a catalyst, pushing the situation straight to its climax.
More and more people gathered before the palace in protest, demanding that the Royal Family immediately revoke its unfair treatment of Jiang Hao and the Self-Defense Army. They even demanded that Jiang Hao and the Self-Defense Army be decorated and their names cleared.
Seeing things taking a bad turn, Han Su came up with another scheme after his first failed: pull the firewood from beneath the cauldron. He proposed directly to King Han that Han Qing be married off to Xiao Lin. As long as Han Qing could win Xiao Lin over, the Northern Barbarians' withdrawal would follow naturally.
Strangely, the proposal to send Han Qing into a marriage alliance actually won the support of almost every minister. To coerce Han Qing into handing over Han Jing, King Han did not outright agree, but gave her three days to consider it.
On one side was her younger brother, bound to her by blood thicker than water; on the other was her own marital happiness. Han Qing had been driven into a dead end, and her inner struggle and torment had left her utterly exhausted. Beset by troubles within and threats without, the only person who could still bring her a sliver of hope was Jiang Hao, far away on the horizon.
Jiang Hao had not disappointed her. His two victories had filled her with excitement and anticipation that kept her awake all night, hoping that one day, that man would lead thousands upon thousands of troops to meet her and rescue her from fire and flood.
And Heaven seemed to have heard her prayers. Less than an hour after King