Based on Feng Yuan’s tone, he seemed to look down on Meng’s army. Yan Xiaoying probed: “If they know how to use troops, how can they be a mere rabble?”

Hearing this, Feng Yuan glanced at Xiaoying and suddenly smiled.

Having spent entire days with him by now, Xiaoying could distinguish the depths of the Grand Prince’s smiles.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Feng Yuan said, striding forward while speaking calmly: “Their numbers aren’t large, but they rely on their familiarity with the terrain and clever troop deployment. They can’t amount to much—it’s just that the local troops are incompetent, and with refugees everywhere, it’s allowed them to grow stronger, drawing Chen Nuo’s forces here from where they should be guarding the Dafeng and Wei Country border. It’s using a cleaver to kill a chicken!”

Although everything Feng Yuan said was correct, hearing a royal family member who had never experienced the battlefield mock Meng’s army was truly asking for a beating!

“Then, where do you think General Chen’s forces should be directed to avoid waste?”

Feng Yuan didn’t want to answer, but instead picked up a bundle of firewood from the ground and, carrying the bucket they had brought from Xin Xin Garden, walked toward the riverbank.

Seeing he wouldn’t answer, Xiaoying changed the subject: “Wasn’t General Chen your uncle’s old subordinate? Why is he so unkind to you?”

Hearing this, Feng Yuan was silent for a moment, then said: “When my mother was suppressing a rebellion at Feng Tail Slope years ago, she was ambushed by enemy troops. Chen Nuo was ordered to rush to her aid but arrived half a moment late, resulting in my mother’s capture. General Ye severely punished Chen Nuo according to military law. If not for his previous illustrious military achievements and the pleas of fellow soldiers, he might have been beaten to death with military canes. Even so, Chen Nuo was demoted from Right General to Military Sergeant. Fortunately, he was skilled at cultivation and managed to attach himself to the great tree of the Mu family. Now he’s a military commander, yet still ranks below Ye Zhong in military achievements. How could he show me a pleasant face?”

Xiaoying suddenly understood—so this was the reason. But Feng Yuan’s resentment toward his uncle still seemed quite strong; he didn’t even use a proper title, just directly called him by name!

Feng Tail Slope was not far west of the Lian River.

When Ye Zhanxue was alive, Feng Tail Slope was still Dafeng territory, but seven years ago, during a conflict between the two countries, that small piece of land became part of Wei Country.

Just then, Feng Yuan led her to the riverbank, lit a bonfire, and began roasting the fish from the wooden bucket.

Xiaoying asked in confusion what he was doing.

Feng Yuan skillfully skewered the fish: “Didn’t you say you wanted to eat grilled fish? These fish have been marinated with coarse salt. Though we don’t have plum and sweet pepper for seasoning, they’ll still be fresh and delicious.”

It was just something she had mentioned casually during the day, yet Feng Yuan still remembered.

This man, who had just been humiliated in the military tent, was now calmly roasting fish for her?

Even if he was just cultivating a chess piece, she had to admit the Grand Prince was truly attentive.

When the fish was ready, Feng Yuan handed the branch-skewered fish to Xiaoying.

After taking a bite, Xiaoying asked Feng Yuan, “You’ve been so good to me these past few days. Is there something you want to ask me?”

In the flickering firelight, Feng Yuan tilted his head slightly, asking with a trace of seriousness: “When… have I not been good to you?”

This…

If their relationship could be described as hostile, it hadn’t yet reached the point of life-and-death calculation.

But if described as friendly, this man restricted her freedom, and might eventually conduct a bloody purge of Mount Ding, becoming an enemy to her adoptive father, hardly benevolent.

Watching Feng Yuan looking at her, earnestly asking where he had fallen short, Xiaoying inexplicably felt a strange sense of guilt. Even the fish in her mouth seemed less flavorful!

She didn’t want Feng Yuan to be too good to her—since it was a transaction, there was no need for too much sentimentality.

After all, there would eventually come a day when the transaction would end, and accounts would be settled harshly.

If they dwelled on this topic, it would be like a boat entering a dark whirlpool, uncertain where they might emerge.

So she appropriately changed the subject, gazing at Mount Ding, shrouded in mist in the distance, and asked as if casually: “Once you’ve achieved your wish, will you release me as promised?”

Feng Yuan seemed to dislike this question and, after a moment of silence, asked: “Is there a place you wish to go?”

Xiaoying smiled: “The world is vast, with countless places I’d like to visit. If I could roam with a sword, I’d want to travel all over, north and south! What about you?”

Just after asking, Xiaoying shook her head with a smile: “Listen to my question—you’re a prince, naturally headed toward the pinnacle of wealth and glory. When that day comes, you can do whatever you wish!”

Feng Yuan was about to speak when he heard someone calling him from behind.

It turned out that a mare in the stables was having a difficult birth, and the men below were calling the Grand Prince to take a look.

Feng Yuan left, and not long after, someone else came to Xiaoying’s side.

Mu Hanjiang looked at the fish roasting over the fire, raised his eyebrows, and said to the Crown Prince: “The night air is breezy; one shouldn’t eat too much. Please take care of your health, Your Highness.”

Xiaoying picked up a fish and offered it to Lord Mu, but he waved it away in refusal.

She had forgotten—the sober Lord Mu was quite particular about food and naturally wouldn’t eat this kind of self-made wild fare.

Xiaoying couldn’t be bothered with further attempts and contentedly continued enjoying her meal.

Mu Hanjiang lifted his white robe and slowly crouched down beside Xiaoying, saying: “This subject… wishes to say something presumptuous to Your Highness. In the future, if the Grand Prince invites Your Highness again, I hope Your Highness will cherish the heir apparent’s reputation and decline.”

Xiaoying wiped her mouth and whispered to Mu Hanjiang: “But… it was too much fun! What if I can’t resist?”

The youth’s eyes sparkled as he said this, and there was a savoring smile that suggested the “fun” had truly been enjoyable.

Mu Hanjiang stared at the Crown Prince’s eyes, his brows furrowing high again as he said coldly: “Does Your Highness not value yourself? Have you considered what would happen if you were harmed to the point of being deposed? How would you handle that?”

These words sounded quite loyal and sincere, as if he had never deliberately framed the Crown Prince by feigning lameness!

Xiaoying smiled, throwing the branch back into the river, and called out: “When life is joyful, one must enjoy it to the fullest. Lord Mu, you live too tensely! Come with us someday, and I’ll teach you how to have a good time.”

From these words, it seemed the young Crown Prince was already an expert, with an unmistakable air of impropriety in his speech.

Finding no connection in their conversation, Mu Hanjiang struggled to suppress his anger and rose to leave, but the Crown Prince grabbed his sleeve: “What’s wrong? You can’t take a joke at all. Sit down, I’ll show you something good!”

Mu Hanjiang didn’t want to engage in frivolous talk with the Crown Prince, but he still paused, curious to see what improper thing the Crown Prince wanted to show him.

Xiaoying took out a map from her bosom, unfolded it, and handed it to Mu Hanjiang.

In the flickering firelight, Mu Hanjiang was shocked to see it was a map of Mount Ding.

“Where did Your Highness obtain this?”

Xiaoying didn’t bother with fabrications, telling the truth: “I stole it from the Grand Prince. He seems to have suffered quite a bit of indignity from General Chen and plans to establish a remarkable achievement to wash away his shame!”

Mu Hanjiang carefully examined the map again, then turned to ask Xiaoying: “You steal the Grand Prince’s map and give it to me—do you want me to stop the Grand Prince?”

Xiaoying glared at him: “Of course, I want to help the Grand Prince! Do you think I’m like the Second Prince, always setting traps for others behind their backs?”

Mu Hanjiang stared at the Crown Prince, seemingly trying to gauge the true meaning behind his words. After some thought, he asked: “How does Your Highness wish me to assist?”

“He has no troops, while Lord Mu has elite Dragon Scale Shadow Guards at his disposal. I asked the locals, and the dry season is about to arrive. The rebels at Mount Ding could break out at any time. The Grand Prince also mentioned that the western side would be a good breakthrough point. If you wait there, you’ll surely reap great rewards. If you help him, he won’t be looked down upon by General Chen anymore.”

Xiaoying repeated the strategy she had originally suggested to Feng Yuan, then admonished.

Mu Hanjiang didn’t agree immediately. Xiaoying stood up and stretched: “The Grand Prince seems to have a grudge against General Chen and isn’t content to be his deputy. He’s determined to establish his base. Lord Mu, with the Emperor’s command, you should support one side. Don’t let it end up like Tian Dong Village, where, due to poor communication, the Mount Ding rebels escape…”

At this point, Xiaoying didn’t forget to remind him: “However, no matter which side you help, don’t tell him I stole his map. You know how proud he is, similar to His Majesty, disdaining others’ assistance. If he knew I meddled and struck me with a punch, I couldn’t withstand it.”

After reviewing the map, Mu Hanjiang didn’t return it to Yan Xiaoying but folded it and placed it in his sleeve, saying only: “This subject understands, please rest assured, Your Highness.”

Just then, Feng Yuan returned, and Xiaoying turned with a smile: “Hurry, the fish is about to burn!”

Feng Yuan’s gaze shifted, surveying them both before striding over and sitting between Xiaoying and Mu Hanjiang to continue roasting fish.

Looking past Feng Yuan, Mu Hanjiang observed the youth unobtrusively. He was laughing and talking with the Grand Prince as they shared the fish.

That somewhat immature face, framed by the jade beads and golden crown on his head, appeared noble yet with a youthful charm that was quite captivating…

The Lian River’s dry season came sooner than expected.

The shallow river area that Xiaoying had originally pointed out to Feng Yuan gradually revealed its riverbed ridge at some unknown time.

When the water path first appeared, Mu Hanjiang personally went to inspect it and saw Feng Yuan already there.

Strangely, beside Feng Yuan… was Shang Youdao!

Shang Youdao wasn’t alone either; he had brought elite troops from the Salt Prefecture. According to the Crown Prince’s explanation, Feng Yuan had no one to use and had finally borrowed local forces. By coincidence, he had found this crafty Shang Youdao!

It seemed the Crown Prince had been truthful—the Grand Prince had indeed grasped the key point but hadn’t reported it to General Chen. He preferred to contact the corrupt official Shang Youdao and borrow his troops rather than let Chen Nuo claim the credit!

Seeing Mu Hanjiang approach, Shang Youdao was sensible enough to merely smile and say he was pursuing fugitives from Salt Prefecture, had tracked them here, and happened to encounter the Grand Prince.

Mu Hanjiang turned his gaze to Feng Yuan, his tone slightly cold: “Grand Prince, is there anything you need to tell me?”

Feng Yuan held up his fishing rod: “The water is shallow here. The Crown Prince invited me to fish. Would you like to join?”

Mu Hanjiang looked at him with disappointment but said nothing more, turning instead to head to Chen Nuo’s military camp.

Feng Yuan was being too willful; with national affairs at stake, how could he let personal interests jeopardize the greater good?

The Crown Prince was also naive, actually believing Feng Yuan’s words and thinking such military intelligence could be used as a bargaining chip!

Although Feng Yuan was martially skilled, his thoughts were unstable, making him unfit to command. Moreover, to seize credit, he had allied with someone like Shang Youdao!

Even though Mu Hanjiang also disliked Chen Nuo’s character, at this point, principles had to take precedence over friendships.

Feng Qiyuan had been right—Mu Hanjiang had received the Emperor’s command and could not fail his sacred trust.

Between Chen Nuo and Feng Yuan, he could only—and must—choose General Chen, who was appointed by His Majesty, rather than his childhood friend!

The military map that the Crown Prince had given him was ultimately handed over to General Chen by Mu Hanjiang…

Thus, that day, Feng Yuan, who was still fishing with the Crown Prince, was taken away by General Chen’s guards and escorted to the main camp.

Those guards were intimidating in their demeanor.

As he put down his fishing rod, Feng Yuan seemed to sense something and gave Xiaoying beside him a deep look, asking softly: “Why did Shang Youdao come here today?”

Xiaoying didn’t look at him, merely shaking her fishing rod: “You should ask Magistrate Shang about that.”

Feng Yuan suddenly threw his fishing rod forcefully into the river, splashing water droplets all over Xiaoying, then rose and left with the guards.

Watching Feng Yuan’s broad shoulders recede, Xiaoying inexplicably felt a rare sense of guilt: Grand Prince, I’m sorry!

She had no choice; he was too clever, noticing even the slightest clue with keen perception.

When rescuing Mount Ding, Feng Yuan would be the biggest variable in this chess game!

Since she couldn’t shake him off, she had to find a way to restrict his freedom.

No matter how angry Chen Nuo might be, he wouldn’t harm a prince; he could only make Feng Yuan endure some scolding, at most restricting him for a few days.

Once she rescued her adoptive father from Mount Ding, she would arrange everything properly and return to being Yan Xiaoying.

From then on, she and Feng Yuan could each return to their paths, forgetting each other in the vast world.

However, Chen Nuo’s actions were more outrageous than Xiaoying had anticipated.

When she leisurely gathered her fishing rod and returned to the military camp with her guards from the riverbank, she saw a tall, bare-chested man standing by the punishment post in the most conspicuous part of the camp.

He wasn’t tied up, nor was anyone holding him down, but the disciplinary canes struck him repeatedly, the dull sounds making one’s heart jump and flesh crawl.

When Yan Xiaoying recognized that the person being punished was Feng Yuan, she immediately waved her hand and loudly asked what was happening.

It turned out Chen Nuo was furious that Feng Yuan had concealed military intelligence, colluded with local officials without authorization, and vainly attempted to steal military achievements. He had summoned Feng Yuan for questioning.

Originally, it was just meant to be a stern reprimand, exposing Feng Yuan’s small scheme.

Unexpectedly, the Grand Prince didn’t admit to anything and instead talked back to General Chen, questioning why he was using the Mount Ding rebellion as an excuse to delay recapturing Feng Tail Slope, accusing him of cowardice and being an opportunist seeking fame and profit.

Chen Nuo was infuriated and naturally didn’t spare Feng Yuan’s feelings, cursing him harshly. In the heat of the moment, he even brought up the incident regarding his mother’s humiliated reputation.

Feng Yuan’s madness happened to manifest at that moment! He lunged forward, tightly gripping General Chen’s neck.

This was a military camp, and such an offense against the commander naturally required punishment according to military law; otherwise, how could discipline be maintained? Even a royal prince couldn’t be an exception.

However, considering his status as a prince, the death penalty was commuted to fifty military canes.

Now, just ten strokes had been delivered, with the majority still to come.

Mu Hanjiang had just heard about the commotion in the camp and immediately rushed over, waving his hand to stop the punishment before hurrying toward the commander’s tent to plead for Feng Yuan.

After all, the Grand Prince’s scheming had been revealed to Chen Nuo by Mu Hanjiang.

If Feng Yuan was punished for this, his conscience would be scorched as if by a hot stove, utterly unbearable.

Equally tormented by the fiery internal burning was Yan Xiaoying.

She didn’t move, standing not far from Feng Yuan, looking at his severely wounded back—the bear claw marks from before hadn’t yet faded, and now new injuries were added, making it unbearable to watch.

Although it was Mu Hanjiang who had betrayed Feng Yuan, all of this was within Yan Xiaoying’s calculations.

She understood Mu Hanjiang’s character; the majority of his life had been spent in military camps, where the concept of “commander first” was deeply ingrained.

No matter how close he was to Feng Yuan, he couldn’t tolerate such self-serving, underhanded credit-seeking.

By telling Mu Hanjiang about Feng Yuan’s plan and deceiving Shang Youdao into coming, creating a misunderstanding for Mu Hanjiang, this outcome was inevitable.

Using Chen Nuo’s hand to temporarily restrain Feng Yuan, she could ensure her plans proceeded without oversight.

She just hadn’t anticipated that Feng Yuan’s reaction to being wronged would be so extreme, leading him to the rash action of attacking the commander.

She silently reminded herself never to pity this madman, yet still walked over and asked: “Why did you suddenly go mad? Don’t you know this is a military camp, and you can’t just throw tantrums?”

Feng Yuan half-raised his head, staring intently at Xiaoying but saying nothing, only giving a resigned, cold laugh before turning his head away.

Just as Xiaoying was about to say something more, General Chen’s order was delivered.

Considering Educational Official Mu’s plea, the remaining cane strokes could be temporarily waived, but the Grand Prince would be confined to his tent in the military camp for ten days as a warning to others!

Xiaoying let out a relieved breath and ordered people to help Feng Yuan to his tent, then said softly: “I’ll have Jin Zhong bring you some medicine for your wounds later…”

Feng Yuan slowly raised his head, his eyes seeming encased in a thousand-year-old ice. Sweat beads rolled down his high nose bridge as he endured the pain: “Was it you who told Mu Hanjiang that I wanted to secretly find local troops to compete with Chen Nuo for achievements?”

Xiaoying was silent for a moment, then nodded.

Feng Yuan smiled, his handsome face covered in cold sweat, with indescribable gloom: “Why?”

Xiaoying took a deep breath, knowing she couldn’t completely tear apart her relationship with Feng Yuan now.

He knew her secret, and if angered to the point of revealing it, all would be lost.

So, according to her previous plan, she spoke insincerely: “I originally thought Mu Hanjiang would help you, but who would have thought…”

“The third time…” Feng Yuan suddenly interrupted coldly before she could finish her explanation.

Xiaoying was slightly startled, immediately understanding his meaning.

Feng Yuan had said he would only give her three chances to betray him without consequences, and this time counted as one.

But this man was bringing suffering upon himself—did he expect her to take responsibility for his madness in strangling the commander and receiving military punishment?

She wanted to say more, but the words on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back.

When she had been repeatedly manipulated by him before, she had warned herself not to soften toward him!

Moreover, her most fundamental reason for doing this was to prevent Feng Yuan from participating in the encirclement of Mount Ding, avoiding a situation where they would be at swords’ point with each other.

As for why she didn’t want this, Xiaoying couldn’t quite understand at the moment.

But if someday it truly developed to the point of armed confrontation and irreconcilable opposition, she would not be lenient with Feng Yuan!

Given the circumstances, there was no need for empty, hypocritical words. She said softly, “Eat well, sleep well, take care of yourself. I’ll… go now.”

“Crown Prince…” Hearing Feng Yuan speak, Xiaoying turned to look at him.

Sitting in the tent, Feng Yuan, with his sword-like eyebrows and cold eyes, said in a deep voice: “Don’t you regret it!”

Xiaoying saluted him with clasped fists, making a slight bow. At this point, there was no time for regret. In any case, she owed Feng Yuan a debt that she would repay if possible in the future.

Upon leaving the military camp, Yan Xiaoying remained silent, walking rapidly toward the shipyard. Mu Hanjiang, walking beside her, seemed hesitant to speak but finally said: “Your Highness’s silence—are you blaming me for giving the military map to General Chen?”

Xiaoying came to her senses, looked up at the sky, feeling that fog should arise in the next couple of days, but her words were light: “How could I? His killing intent was too strong, making him unsuitable for battle. It’s good for him to rest now. I should thank you on behalf of the Grand Prince for choosing General Chen.”

Mu Hanjiang halted his steps, feeling a mix of emotions as he watched the Crown Prince’s retreating figure, uncertain whether she was mocking him.

As Yan Xiaoying prepared to board the boat back to the relay station, Jin Zhong, who had just returned from delivering medicine, came running over and whispered: “That Shang Youdao has again sent someone to give this servant a bank note for one hundred taels of silver, asking whether there was any reaction from the Crown Prince now that the Grand Prince has been severely punished by General Chen?”