If Ye Shikai truly raises an army to "rebel," regardless of whether he can save these civilians, he and his subordinates will become "traitors." Moreover, with a hundred thousand troops right beside them, if a fight does break out, no matter how skillful Ye Shikai’s command, his twenty thousand men are destined to suffer heavy losses, and their families would also be implicated by their actions.

Ye Shikai certainly wants to save lives, but he also has to consider his twenty thousand men under him. If he goes to "rebel" without consulting them, wouldn’t it be like betting the lives of the soldiers and their families? Ye Shikai won’t do such a thing.

"Old Ye, when do you think those troops will arrive?" Shangguan Jian asked.

"According to Xue San’s information, they depart from various county towns in the two counties, even with a forced march, it would take at most three days for them to all arrive." Ye Shikai estimated roughly and came to a tentative date. Now Han Hao has dispatched soldiers to strictly guard the nearby villages. It’s likely that once the remaining troops arrive, he’ll take action. The situation is urgent, leaving Ye Shikai even less time. At this moment, he is anxious and conflicted.

"Shangguan, you command the troops here for me, I have urgent matters to attend to in Pu Yang." After pondering for a while, Ye Shikai uttered a sentence.

"Alright, leave it to me then." Shangguan Jian understood Ye Shikai’s thoughts. Given how urgent the situation is now, his need to return to Pu Yang must be for one thing only.

Ye Mansion.

"Husband, why have you returned?"

Ye Shikai walked into the courtyard, He Linghan was watering the flowers and plants in the garden, appearing quite at ease. Seeing Ye Shikai’s sudden return, she curiously asked.

"Ling’er, I..." Ye Shikai started to speak but swallowed his words.

"Husband, what’s the matter?" He Linghan asked puzzledly.

"No, it’s nothing, Ling’er, I’m just fine." Ye Shikai turned his head away, preventing He Linghan from seeing his expression.

"Husband, what’s really the matter?"

"It’s nothing."

"Alright then, since you’ve come home, don’t leave. Take a good rest for a while. I’ll cook tonight, how about that?" He Linghan leaned against his back, laughing softly. Usually, he would have felt happy, enjoying He Linghan’s delicate and dependent manner, but at this moment, his heart was being torn apart.

Watching He Linghan disappear from view, Ye Shikai pondered over many things, slowly sitting down in a chair. Previously, when he was in Yanjing, he often imagined leading such a life, filled with mutual love and living on without major troubles. Now he’s in the Qin Dynasty, met He Linghan, and finally lives the life he dreamed of. If he ignores the matter of Ying Huo Shou Xin this time, this life could continue uninterrupted. Even if Qin Dynasty’s downfall proceeds historically, he could take He Linghan to an unknown place, live secluded in the mountains, and embrace a pastoral life.

"Husband, try this roasted meat, I’ve improved the recipe. It tastes even better now." At the dining table, He Linghan thoughtfully picked up food for Ye Shikai. Recently, East County has been quite "chaotic," with Ye Shikai frequently out, spending little time at home, yet He Linghan hasn’t uttered a word of complaint.

"Mm, okay." Ye Shikai hadn’t shown a smile for a long time. Only at home can he let go of the stress and not think about anything.

"You may leave now." He Linghan waved her hand, signaling the nearby servants to leave.

"Yes, madam."

"Husband, was there something you wanted to say this afternoon in the garden?" He Linghan suddenly asked.

"Nothing," Ye Shikai’s hand trembled, a hint of nervousness flashing across his face, but he quickly concealed it.

"Liar, you clearly had something to tell me, and it must be important, right?" He Linghan put down her chopsticks and reached out her hands to hold Ye Shikai’s arm.

"Husband, whatever it is, just tell me."

"Didn’t I say? There’s nothing." Ye Shikai smiled wryly, though feeling uncomfortable inside, he still mustered a smile to show He Linghan.

"Husband, if you keep hiding it, I’ll get angry. We’ve been married so long, is there anything you can hide from me? In the past, you didn’t want to say, so I didn’t ask. But this time, I can see you truly encountered something. Why can’t you truthfully tell me?" He Linghan pressed him. This time she appeared resolute, seemingly, unless Ye Shikai spoke, she would persistently question him.

"Sigh, do you know about the meteor falling?"

"I know, recently I’ve heard Hehua talking about it, mentioning Ying Huo Shou Xin, indicating something major is going to happen."

"Indeed, something major is happening. The Emperor has issued a secret order to eliminate all civilians within fifty miles of the meteor site, leaving no one alive." Ye Shikai said flatly.

"What?" He Linghan’s expression changed drastically upon hearing. She is merely a woman, naturally feeling terrified upon hearing such.

"Within fifty miles, even Shangshui Village is included." Upon saying this, Ye Shikai had lost all appetite, pushing the meal aside. The meteor site is at the junction of the two counties, and Shangshui Village happens to also lie within their boundary. Although Shangshui Village and the meteor are in different counties, they are only thirty miles apart. On the day the meteor fell, many villagers from Shangshui went to watch.

"Then Grandpa is..." He Linghan’s tears began to flow instantly, and Ye Shikai quickly embraced her.

"Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. I’ve already arranged for him to be brought to the military camp." Ye Shikai softly reassured, despite the Emperor’s order to kill all civilians within fifty miles, as General, he had this "privilege."

"Ling’er, since you wanted to know, I won’t hide. Thousands of civilians are implicated, witnessing so many perish before me is unbearable, so I want... to stop them."

"If I truly do this, I will immediately become a traitor and be hunted down, and you will be implicated; treason is a capital offense, I..."

"Husband, you need not speak further," He Linghan already understood Ye Shikai’s intention.

"Husband, if I advised against doing this, what would you choose?"

"Then I wouldn’t raise an army." Ye Shikai answered decisively. He was indeed selfish. He understood the consequences of raising an army; if He Linghan didn’t want to take that risk, Ye Shikai would side with her. After all, as a man, he couldn’t drag his wife into "danger." If it led to the massacre of those civilians, he could only silently endure the inner torment.

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