From cute to empress

Chapter 160 The Mystery of the Death of the Mysterious Leader

Zhen Youcai strode in, his usually high-spirited face now clouded with gloom. He knelt on one knee and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Please forgive me for my late arrival."

"My dear, please rise quickly," I quickly stood up and helped him to his feet. "The fighting at the border is intense. There's no need for us to be bound by these empty formalities. Is there any change in the situation at the border?"

He looked up at me, about to speak, but stopped himself. Finally, he sighed deeply, "Your Majesty, although the border war hasn't started yet, I'm afraid it won't be far away."

My heart sank suddenly. Just as I expected, the sudden appearance of unknown forces in the border area was no accident.

"Go on." I tried to remain calm, but my tone unconsciously became a little heavier.

"I have ascertained that the unknown force does not originate from any of our neighboring countries. They are well-equipped, well-trained, and operate in secret. They are definitely not ordinary bandits." Zhen Youcai paused, his brow furrowed. "More importantly, I suspect that this epidemic was very likely caused intentionally by them!"

"Intentional?" I gasped, a chill running from the soles of my feet to my heart. "What on earth do they want to do?"

Zhen Youcai said nothing, simply handing me a secret report. I unfolded it, and my expression suddenly darkened. The report detailed various signs of unknown forces and their connection to the spread of the epidemic.

"What a way to take advantage of trouble!" I slammed my fist on the table, seething with anger. If someone was truly manipulating this epidemic, their purpose was definitely more than just creating chaos.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. The most urgent task is to investigate the origins and goals of this unknown force, as well as their relationship to the epidemic." Zhen Youcai said in a deep voice, "I implore Your Majesty to allow me to remain in the capital to assist in the investigation."

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. Now was not the time to panic. I had to quickly uncover the truth, find the mastermind behind this, and protect my country and its people!

"No, I want to go to the border myself." I raised my head, with a determined light in my eyes.

"Your Majesty! Absolutely not!" Zhen Youcai and Divine Doctor Sun said in unison, "The situation at the border is unclear. Your Majesty is so precious, how can you risk your life so easily?"

"I have made up my mind. No need to persuade me." I said firmly, leaving no room for doubt. "As the ruler of a country, how can I sit idly by and watch my people suffer?"

"Your Majesty..." Zhen Youcai wanted to persuade him again, but I interrupted him by raising my hand.

"I know you're worried about my safety, but I've made up my mind." I looked at Zhen Youcai with a firm gaze. "Pass the order down, prepare the carriage, I will set off for the border immediately!"

"As you wish..." Zhen Youcai had no choice but to obey the order.

I sat on the imperial chariot, watching the palace recede into the distance, feeling a mixture of emotions. I knew that this journey to the border would be an adventure filled with unknowns, but I also knew that my people were waiting for me, and my country needed me.

Upon arriving at the border, I immediately summoned local officials and generals and inquired in detail about the epidemic and the unknown forces. However, the more I learned, the more uneasy I felt.

"Your Majesty, we have found out that this unknown force seems to have had contact with envoys from neighboring countries recently..." a general whispered.

My heart moved. Could it be that there is a bigger conspiracy hidden behind all this?

The atmosphere at the border was even more grim than I'd imagined; the air seemed filled with unease and panic. Suppressing my unease, I carefully questioned the local officials and generals.

"Your Majesty, according to the spies' reports, that unknown force has been in frequent contact with envoys from neighboring countries recently and seems to be plotting something." A general stepped forward, clasped his fists and reported, his tone solemn.

An envoy from a neighboring country? My heart tightened. Could this epidemic really be related to a neighboring country?

"Do you know which country the envoy is from?" I asked.

"Your Majesty, it is..." The general was about to speak when he was interrupted by a burst of hurried footsteps.

"Report—" A soldier quickly ran into the tent, knelt on one knee, and presented a secret letter with both hands, "Your Majesty, urgent news from the capital!"

I took the secret letter and quickly unfolded it. It was written by Dr. Sun. It described in detail the latest progress of their investigation into the epidemic in the capital, as well as some speculation about unknown forces.

"Your Majesty," Zhen Youcai said, his expression becoming serious after reading the secret letter. "It seems that our previous speculation was correct. This epidemic is very likely just a cover, and their real purpose..."

He paused and didn't continue, but I understood his point. If this epidemic is truly man-made, then the conspiracy behind it is probably far more complex than we imagined.

"Pass the order down, strengthen border patrols, guard against them strictly, and never let unknown forces take advantage of any opportunity!" I gave the order in a deep and firm voice.

"According to the order!"

In the next few days, the atmosphere on the border became increasingly tense. Zhen Youcai and I patrolled the border day and night and deployed defenses, for fear of missing any clues.

"Your Majesty, look!" One night, Zhen Youcai and I were discussing countermeasures in the tent when a soldier suddenly rushed in, pointed in the direction of flames in the distance, and exclaimed, "Enemy attack!"

I stood up suddenly, a cold light flashed in my eyes: "Finally!"

……

"Tell me! Who are you? Why are you attacking our border?" I looked down at the tied-up man in front of me and asked in a cold voice.

He lowered his head and said nothing, but from the cold aura emanating from him, I knew that he was no ordinary person.

"Your Majesty, this man seems to be the leader of that unknown force." Zhen Youcai stepped forward and whispered, "I found a token on him. It looks like..."

Before he finished speaking, the leader suddenly raised his head, a barely perceptible panic flashed in his eyes, and he pounced on Zhen Youcai, trying to snatch the token from his hand.

"How dare you!" Zhen Youcai was prepared and dodged sideways, kicking him to the ground.

"Tell me quickly, what is the origin of this token?" I asked sternly, with a bad feeling in my heart.

The leader struggled to raise his head, a strange smile on his face: "Want to know? I won't tell you..."

"Want to know? I won't tell you..." He suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter full of sarcasm and disdain, as if he was laughing at my arrogance.

"You!" I was furious and was about to step forward, but was stopped by Zhen Youcai.

"Your Majesty, calm down!" he whispered. "Since this person refuses to speak, there's no need to force him. The most urgent task is to understand their purpose."

I took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in my heart, and looked at the leader coldly: "Tell me, what is your purpose?"

He raised his head, his eyes glancing coldly at Zhen Youcai and me, a sneer curling up at the corner of his mouth: "Our goal? It's simple, to overthrow your rule and plunge this country into chaos!"

"Don't even think about it!" I shouted angrily, "Who do you think you are? How dare you say such nonsense!"

"Haha, of course I'm qualified!" He laughed arrogantly, "Because behind me stands the entire neighboring country!"

"Neighboring country?" I was shocked. Could this epidemic really be related to the neighboring country?

"That's right!" he said triumphantly. "We've long coveted your wealth, but we've never found a suitable excuse. Now, with your emperor incompetent and your government corrupt, it's the perfect time for us to invade!"

"You're talking nonsense!" I was furious. "My father is so wise and powerful, how could he..."

"Enough!" Zhen Youcai suddenly interrupted me, staring sharply at the leader. "You said your emperor is incompetent and corrupt, but do you know who sits on the throne now?"

The leader was stunned for a moment, and seemed a little confused: "Isn't it..."

He suddenly stopped, as if he had thought of something, and stared at me in disbelief with his eyes wide open: "You...you are..."

"That's right!" I took a step forward, staring at him fiercely, "I am the current emperor, Niu Mengmeng!"

He opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but his face suddenly changed. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, then fell to the ground and died.

"Oh no, he committed suicide by taking poison!" Zhen Youcai stepped forward to check and said in a deep voice.

My heart sank and an ominous premonition came over me.

"It seems we've stirred up a hornet's nest this time," Zhen Youcai said solemnly, "This neighboring country may be more difficult to deal with than we imagined."

I remained silent, the leader's dying words echoing in my mind.

"Neighboring country...invasion..."

I raised my head suddenly, a hint of determination flashing in my eyes.

"Pass the order down..." I said in a firm tone, leaving no room for doubt.

"Pass the order down, reorganize the army, and set off back to Beijing immediately!" There was a firm light in my eyes, and my tone was sharp and unquestionable.

"Yes!" The guard took the order and left, quickly disappearing into the night.

"Mengmeng, what's wrong?" Zhen Youcai noticed my strangeness and asked with concern, "Are you worried about what that person said?"

I forced a smile and said, "It's okay. I just feel that this matter is more complicated than we thought. We must find out the truth as soon as possible."

"Well, don't worry, I will get to the bottom of it!" Zhen Youcai held my hand with a firm look in his eyes.

We packed up briefly and set off overnight, galloping back to the capital. Along the way, my heart was heavy. The invasion of the neighboring country, the emergence of a mysterious force, and the leader's dying words all weighed on my heart like huge rocks, making it difficult for me to breathe.

When we were less than half a day's journey from the capital, a secret guard suddenly appeared, knelt on one knee, and presented a secret letter with both hands.

"Your Majesty, this is a secret letter that the Shadow Guard just intercepted. It seems to be related to General Zhen."

My heart tightened, and I quickly took the envelope, opened it, and my face turned pale. The letter contained little, but every word was shocking, and every sentence was like a sharp knife, piercing my heart.

"Mengmeng, what's wrong?" Zhen Youcai noticed that something was wrong with me and asked worriedly.

I took a deep breath, trying to suppress the turmoil in my heart, and slowly handed the letter to him, "Take a look for yourself."

Zhen Youcai took the letter, read it quickly, and his expression gradually became solemn.

The letter said that he was actually a long-lost prince from a neighboring country...