Early in the morning, Zhou Ming had just finished breakfast and was sitting on that stool in the corner of the Kitchen.

Holding a cup of tea in his hand, he was shaking his head and savoring the brew.

Just then, the Kitchen door was pushed open, and Dongmei walked in nonchalantly.

She wasn't carrying her short sword today, and in her neat, dark blue martial attire, she looked a bit less sharp and a bit more capable than usual.

Without beating around the bush, she walked straight up to Zhou Ming and said, "Eldest Miss wants to see you," before turning around and leaving.

Zhou Ming hurriedly put down his teacup, quickly stood up, and followed her.

Following Dongmei, he crossed the veranda and entered the inner courtyard's flower hall.

Empress Su Mingyue was still sitting at that yellow pear-wood table, having just finished breakfast, with a cup of steaming clear tea placed on the table.

Today, she was wearing a moon-white, silver-trimmed plain jacket, and only a mutton-fat jade magnolia hairpin was pinned in her hair bun; she looked no different than usual.

But Zhou Ming noticed there were a few more sheets of paper by her hand, and the one on top was densely packed with writing.

Zhou Ming stepped forward and bowed, "Eldest Miss, I hope you are well."

Empress Su Mingyue gave a hum of acknowledgment. Without any pleasantries, she directly extended two fingers, as white as scallions, picked up the top sheet of paper from the table, and handed it toward Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming took it with both hands and, utilizing the morning light filtering in from outside the window, began to read it carefully.

The content on the paper was similar to what he had overheard in the alley yesterday, but far more detailed:

The Zongsheng Sect gathered hundreds of thousands, coercing refugees to break through the city of Cang Prefecture; the prefect died in the line of duty, and the defending troops scattered and fled.

The Zongsheng Sect is currently gathering in Cang Prefecture, their numbers continuing to grow, with new refugees joining every day.

Everyone in the sect Cultivates a mysterious Cultivation Technique; the speed of Cultivation is extremely fast, and men, women, young, and old can all practice it. Now, over a hundred thousand sect members have already reached the Skin Refining Realm.

In less than a month, the Zongsheng Sect has already raised a force that rivals a regular army, and this force is continuing to expand like a snowball.

At the end of the message, there was a line of small text:

The Zongsheng Sect's slogan is "All living beings are equal, strike down the noble families, distribute land, and distribute grain"; the local noble families of Cang Prefecture have already been slaughtered to the last man.

After Zhou Ming finished reading the content on the paper, Empress Su Mingyue picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said leisurely:

"What is your take on this?"

Zhou Ming was speechless upon hearing this.

What is my take? I'm looking at it with my eyes.

I'm just a small manager in charge of the Kitchen and cooking; you're asking me to analyze world affairs—isn't that nonsense?

Zhou Ming opened his mouth, wanting to gloss over it: "Eldest Miss, this humble servant is shallow in knowledge and talent, this… this…"

"If I tell you to speak, then speak. Why so much nonsense?"

Empress Su Mingyue set her teacup down on the table; the porcelain base hit the mahogany, emitting a crisp sound, her tone carrying an unrefusable coldness.

Zhou Ming had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak: "May I ask, Eldest Miss, when did this happen?"

"It happened just a few days ago."

Zhou Ming lowered his head and scanned the content on the paper again. After a moment of silence, he gritted his teeth:

"Reporting to Eldest Miss, if this news is true, then… then… then Great Xia is in danger."

After finishing, Zhou Ming raised his eyes to steal a glance at Empress Su Mingyue's expression.

Her face remained indifferent, but she nodded slightly at Zhou Ming, signaling him to continue.

"Cang Prefecture is only six hundred li from the capital, An Province. The members of the Zongsheng Sect all possess cultivation; a forced march of three days and two nights would bring them to the city walls."

As Zhou Ming spoke, he mentally flipped through the Geography of the Nine Provinces he had read in the Library.

"Since the Zongsheng Sect possesses such a Cultivation Technique, able to bring hundreds of thousands of people into Cultivation in a short time, and gather several times that number in followers, their next step will inevitably be to attack An Province."

"Even if An Province has clouds of experts and the Imperial Guard is strong, they may not necessarily be able to hold the capital."

"The numbers of the Zongsheng Sect are right there; hundreds of thousands of people, relying on this Cultivation Technique, are no longer just rioting mobs—they are all Martial Artists now."

"Using hundreds of thousands of Martial Artists to storm the walls of An Province—even if Great Xia's capital is reputed to be iron-clad, it is only a matter of time before it is breached."

"And the only way to prevent all of this is to behead their leader before the Zongsheng Sect's army can encircle the city."

"But someone who can possess such a Cultivation Technique and raise a force of hundreds of thousands in such a short time must be difficult to kill."

"If one wants to mobilize local troops to guard the capital, fewer troops are useless, and mobilizing many troops takes time; furthermore, local garrisons have their own defenses to maintain."

"Moreover, the Zongsheng Sect may not give Great Xia much time. It is possible that within these few days, news will surely come from An Province."

Empress Su Mingyue listened without speaking.

She picked up her teacup, used the lid to brush aside the foam, and took a sip.

The flower hall was quiet for a long while, with only the occasional sound of birds chirping from outside the window.

Empress Su Mingyue set down the teacup and raised her eyes to look at Zhou Ming, her gaze as calm as a deep pool, asking a question that made Zhou Ming's scalp tingle.

"If Great Xia falls, what do you think the Marquis's Estate should do?"

This question made the hair on the back of Zhou Ming's neck stand up.

You are a young lady of the Marquis's Estate waiting to be married; first you ask me about world affairs, and then you ask me about the path forward for the Marquis's Estate.

Shouldn't this be something your father, the Marquis of Yongning, or your elder brother, Su Mingli, should be considering?

Eldest Miss, why are you considering these things?

He suddenly remembered a while ago, at the Martial Arts Training Ground, when he told Empress Su Mingyue the story of the Empress ascending to the throne.

When he spoke of the coronation ceremony, the burning light in Empress Su Mingyue's eyes seemed as if it would set things on fire.

Could this young lady be thinking of…

Zhou Ming hurriedly suppressed this thought, not daring to think any further.

He lowered his head and was silent for a good while, then raised his head and, gritting his teeth, spoke.

"In this humble servant's foolish opinion, if the capital is besieged, Your Majesty will surely summon the Marquis back to the capital to save the throne."

"Although You Province is far from the capital, the troops under the Marquis's command are all elite frontier forces capable of fighting tough battles."

"Perhaps the Marquis has already received news of the call to defend the king and is already on the way."

He paused, his voice lowering involuntarily:

"Once the Marquis leads his troops south, Great Yuan will absolutely not let this opportunity pass."

"Although there haven't been any major battles on the border these years, friction has been constant. Great Yuan has wolfish ambitions and has been waiting for this day when the Northern Territory is empty."

"The moment the Marquis leaves, Great Yuan's light cavalry will be able to break in right behind him."

"Although there are remaining troops in You Province, without the Marquis to hold the fort, they will become a scattered mess."

"Once the Marquis starts fighting the Zongsheng Sect in An Province, or as soon as the Marquis leaves the territory of You Province."

"The Great Yuan Dynasty will surely dispatch troops immediately to invade You Province."

"At that time, I fear… I fear this You Province… will be eaten by Great Yuan without even the bones left."

After Zhou Ming finished speaking, he closed his mouth, lowered his hands and head, and did not say another word.

He had already spoken very bluntly; if everything developed in the worst possible direction, with the Marquis leading the troops south to defend the king.

You Province would inevitably fall into the hands of Great Yuan, and the entire Marquis's Estate would either have to betray the country or face certain death.