When she emerged from her tent again, no one else noticed, but only Rong Pu raised his eyes to look over.
She smiled faintly.
Rong Pu caught on with one glance. After the patients seeking treatment had dispersed, he paced over and said: “Brother Rong has left?”
“Mm.”
“You needn’t worry about his safety. He left on his own. That day when we went to request Chen Tuntian’s help, he had a private conversation with him.”
“Mm.”
“Shiba,” Rong Pu suddenly said softly, “I deceived you before. Now do you want to know his identity?”
“Why didn’t you tell me before? Why do you suddenly want to make it clear now?”
“Before, I was jealous. I didn’t want you two to be together,” Rong Pu said frankly. “Now I feel his identity and his stance are important issues. If you keep avoiding them, it might be detrimental to you in the future.”
“Then let’s continue not talking about it. If it was truly going to be detrimental, it would have been so long ago.” Tie Ci stood up and walked away. “I hope to hear it from his own mouth. I don’t want to hear any advice or persuasion that might carry personal bias.”
Rong Pu gazed at her retreating figure, smiled, and turned away. He said to the newly recruited medicine boy following behind him: “Go tell Master Bayi that this illness is very troublesome. The medicines are extremely hard to find—we need to go up snowy mountains, down into deserts, searching in the most bitter cold places. Tell him to prepare to spend half his family fortune. Also, he needs to stock up on bird’s nest, snow lotus, and ginseng as supplements.”
As he spoke, he casually rummaged on the ground, pulled up a section of commonly found local bitter thorn grass root to prepare that “miraculous medicine requiring great effort to obtain from snowy mountains, deserts, and the most bitter cold places” for Master Bayi.
…
Qiu Wujiu’s main army was forced to leave their camp and head to the royal city to cause trouble for the eldest prince.
Upon hearing this news, Tie Ci immediately set off for the Hanli Khan Desert.
Qi Yuansi had already brought a group of academy students to wait there. Walking northwest from the Hanli Khan Desert for a day, you would see a gray stone mountain.
In the mountain’s crevices, you could see a thin gray-black stream with an oily sheen—the river smelled terrible, but the students’ eyes lit up when they saw it.
The academy taught practical studies. Though most students had never seen it before, they could guess this was probably the legendary fierce fire oil.
That is, petroleum.
Petroleum had been discovered very early and was used for lighting, warfare, and even medicine. But at that time, people could only collect petroleum flowing on the surface. Until hundreds of years ago, petroleum extraction machinery appeared. Using ox power to drive the machinery, drill bits could reach hundreds of zhang underground. Petroleum deposits were also discovered in places like Chuannan, and extraction volumes increased considerably.
But because Da Qian didn’t produce much petroleum, and extraction was controlled by the court once discovered, it was mainly used for military equipment.
Now discovering petroleum in the Hanli Khan Desert made the students very excited.
Tie Ci had also thought of petroleum when Chen Tuntian mentioned seeing black water underground.
Not only was there petroleum, but also…
Her gaze fell on the distant snowy mountains.
Long ago, when she was still studying in the imperial study, she liked to imagine Da Qian’s landscapes while looking at maps.
On the maps, the borders between countries were clearly defined, except for one place marked with a dotted line encircling a pale yellow area.
She asked the emperor why there was this dotted line.
The emperor said this indicated territory that Da Qian once owned but later separated out.
There was only one dotted line—the Hanli Khan Desert.
The emperor said it was because a certain incompetent emperor of the previous dynasty, to appease rebellious remote small countries, gave away the Hanli Khan Desert that he thought would eventually turn to sand anyway. A hundred years later, it indeed became desert, so Da Qian never thought to reclaim it.
The emperor also said proudly that fortunately the territory remained intact with undivided mountains and rivers. As emperor, he didn’t have to bear the heavy pressure of great unification. Even so, future history books would inevitably lack some glory of territorial expansion.
Listening then, she only felt the emperor seemed to lack ambition.
Why not reclaim what was separated out? Just because it seemed useless? Even if useless, it was still one’s own territory—why give it to those little brats?
Even without separated territory, if those foreign little brats weren’t obedient, absorbing them into one’s own territory would be territorial expansion, wouldn’t it?
Not to mention those foreign little brats—strictly speaking, even domestic Liaodong and Yannan weren’t really one’s own anymore.
Did they really have to wait until others declared independence before righteously condemning them?
Unfortunately, she was constrained and had to first strive to preserve the imperial house. Otherwise, given her temperament, she would have long since arranged to govern Yannan and Liaodong.
Those casual words in the study were spoken without thought and heard without intention.
This time, choosing Western Rong and stepping into the Hanli Khan Desert also had the meaning of personal inspection.
Now it seemed this place gave her great surprises.
The students chattered about how to extract petroleum if there were oil fields here, and how to build machinery.
When Tie Ci initially used the authority given by the Academy Director to select training students, she had Shen Mi manipulate things to choose all those who were excellent and skilled in practical matters. Da Wu and Xiao Wu loved researching machinery and equipment.
Qi Yuansi poured cold water on this, saying Western Rong’s economy and livelihood were far inferior to Da Qian’s—it would be very difficult to build drilling machines locally.
Tian Wu said they could contact Da Qian merchants to provide parts. Extracting oil for sale could help Huyin solve military funding.
Yang Yixiu shook his head vigorously, saying the most crucial problem was: once machinery was built and oil wells drilled, who would own these oil wells? If they belonged to Western Rong, helping Western Rong people solve military funding—what would that make them? Whether oil was sold to Da Qian or Liaodong, being discovered either way would be the death penalty for traitorous spies.
Everyone immediately fell silent.
What they were doing now—if Di Yiwei did it instead, it couldn’t be done. One careless move would be collaborating with enemies.
Tie Ci’s identity was special, with the world in her heart, so she dared make additions and subtractions on territorial maps.
But she ultimately hadn’t yet seized control of the court and walked on thin ice at every step.
Since ancient times, crown princes faced the greatest difficulties.
Listening to their discussion, Tie Ci’s mood improved somewhat.
What she loved most was young people caring about people’s livelihood, strategizing broadly, constantly sparking intellectual fires in their struggle for family, country, and great enterprise.
Only with thinking could there be progress and a future.
Only then could more talent emerge to benefit Da Qian, making her training meaningful in bringing people out.
As for right and wrong, that wasn’t so important.
She smiled and didn’t answer everyone’s doubts, pointing to the distant snowy mountains: “The Hanli Khan Desert has another advantage. Who can answer this?”
Everyone was momentarily confused. After a long while, Qi Yuansi tentatively said: “The plains at the foot of the snowy mountains?”
Tie Ci looked at him with appreciation.
Qi Yuansi was somewhat bewildered by her look.
Though the Crown Princess was warm and generous, she actually looked at everyone with clear eyes, rarely showing personal emotion.
Especially toward him, she was even more stern and cold.
He had nothing to say either—after all, given his numerous past offenses, her not holding grudges was already magnanimous.
Now being looked at with such eyes, he suddenly felt warmth in his heart and surging ambition.
So being valued or expected by her was also a very wonderful thing.
He somewhat understood Rong Pu’s persistence.
She was different from ordinary women, broad as the ocean, able to contain men’s aspirations.
Following her was also affirming oneself.
His smile became gentler as he spoke eloquently: “That plain at the foot of the snowy mountains—I heard my father mention it. It’s been washed by floods year-round and is very fertile. It’s also very close to our border. Because it’s separated by desert and lacks water, and Western Rong people aren’t skilled at farming, it’s been wasted for nothing. If there could be water… if there could be water…”
He stopped, gazing toward the snowy mountains.
“If there could be water and people were mobilized to clear wasteland, that place would become thousands of qing of fertile farmland.”
“But this water… channeled down from the snowy mountains? The method is good, but it would require massive manpower and very precise calculations…”
“I remember Brother Qi was the academy student who learned mathematics best.” Tie Ci patted his shoulder. “This heavy responsibility is entrusted to you.”
Qi Yuansi was bewildered again by her pat and confusedly accepted this task.
Yang Yixiu watched with amusement, thinking: Very good, the boss has recruited another former fiancé.
“Congratulations to Your Highness on gaining talent, congratulations to talent for meeting Your Highness. But I’d like to remind that the previous question remains unsolved—whose would the cleared wasteland belong to? Are we helping to feed another country’s people? Does Your Highness plan to lead us to defect to Western Rong? That seems rather unworthy.”
Though he spoke jokingly, everyone’s expressions were serious.
Following Tie Ci was trusting the Crown Princess—confidence forged through various events from academy to frontier.
But that didn’t mean there were no bottom lines and boundaries.
Appropriately helping Western Rong classmates, stirring muddy waters, paving the way for the future was acceptable.
Nurturing tigers as a menace was not.
Tie Ci just smiled and said: “Prepare to go to the royal city. The oil drilling machinery can only be resolved in the royal city. We can also gather intelligence about the royal city’s situation.”
She turned and descended the mountain, meeting Deputy Yu at the foot with several soldiers looking at her seriously.
Tie Ci frowned slightly.
“Ye Ci, are you going to help Western Rong extract fierce fire oil?”
Tie Ci thought: Not just that.
“You’re confused.” Deputy Yu looked at her disappointedly. “Last time I told you this might implicate the commander. Helping Western Rong fight is one thing—we could still say it was stirring muddy waters. But helping them extract oil—what’s that about? Don’t tell me you’ll worry about Western Rong people’s food and drink in the future too? Aren’t you afraid others will say you want to be Western Rong’s king?”
Tie Ci smiled and patiently said: “Naturally we won’t make wedding clothes for others. I’ll negotiate with Eagle Lord shortly. We’ll help him take Western Rong, and he’ll give the Hanli Khan Desert to Da Qian. It’s a good place that shouldn’t be abandoned.”
Deputy Yu’s eyes widened, looking Tie Ci up and down as if he didn’t recognize her.
“What arrogance,” he said. “Since when can children from the capital determine national territory with a single word? Is this something you and I can meddle in?”
“Hey, what are you saying?” Qi Yuansi quickly approached, his face dark as water. “We aspire to the world—what’s wrong with caring about national affairs?”
“Soldiers and generals are swords—they cannot have their own thoughts!” Deputy Yu usually had a good temper, but seeing academy students seemingly brainwashed by Ye Ci and daring to do such audacious things, he became anxious. “Don’t follow Ye Ci into confusion!”
Qi Yuansi, with his usual young master’s temperament, sneered coldly: “Who knows who’s truly confused. Short-sighted.”
“Enough, stop arguing. Deputy Yu…” Tie Ci thought that since it had come to this, she might as well reveal her identity to reassure Deputy Yu. After all, team division wasn’t good. “Actually, I am…”
“I don’t care who you are—such arrogance is unacceptable. Your world-spanning aspirations can’t be played with the commander’s life!” Deputy Yu stepped back. “Ye Ci, I trust you have no ill intentions. But I can’t continue traveling with you. I fear continuing like this will harm the commander… I’m sorry. Until we meet again.”
He turned and waved his hand. The group of soldiers silently followed behind him, leaving toward the Hanli Khan Desert.
Qi Yuansi angrily threw down the hoe in his hands.
Tie Ci chased two steps but was held back by Yang Yixiu, whose round face was lowered: “These past days I’ve been watching them. I heard someone inciting Deputy Yu, saying you especially favor academy students—all the talking falls to academy people while all the hard work falls to them. When we return to camp and merits are recorded, everyone will probably get leftover scraps. Better to split off and work alone, saving their achievements from being swallowed… Shiba, once people’s hearts turn different, they’re not easily brought back together. We’re in a foreign country doing life-risking work. Those with crooked thoughts—let them go if they want to go.”
Tie Ci watched those small black dots in the distance.
Academy students weren’t strong in martial arts—she brought them to gain experience and naturally was closer to them daily. But she had forgotten soldiers’ desire for military merit.
They hadn’t done scouting missions but ran off to help Western Rong people. Soldiers lacked broad perspective—they only looked at immediate gains and losses. Their patience lasting until today before erupting was already quite decent.
Since Yang Yixiu said this, they truly couldn’t be brought back.
Human hearts were indeed the most complex thing.
Tie Ci sighed, turned to mount her horse, and rushed back to Huyin’s main camp. Huyin and Eagle Lord were eating—each drinking a bowl of meatless mutton soup, sharing a palm-sized flatbread split in half.
Recently, food was tight. The military camp had halved supplies from top to bottom.
In normal years, Western Rong survived winter through partial farming, autumn storage, border trade, and Da Qian’s support. This year, even if there was Da Qian support, it would only be in the eldest prince’s hands. Tie Ci suspected that if not for her group in the military camp, Huyin would have long since led raids on the border.
Seeing her enter, both simultaneously pushed their palm-sized flatbreads toward her.
Huyin glanced at Eagle Lord, Eagle Lord glanced at Huyin. Huyin stood up, said she was full and going to a meeting, then left.
Eagle Lord, wearing his conspicuous baby-faced mask, sat there looking at her.
Tie Ci sat before him and said directly: “Do you want everyone to eat their fill? Do you want to defeat the eldest prince without worrying about food supplies?”
Hope kindled in Eagle Lord’s eyes.
“I want the Hanli Khan Desert.”
The tent fell into silence.
Eagle Lord naturally understood the weight of this single word “want”—heavier than a thousand jun. It meant territorial cession, territorial division.
Even if Hanli Khan was just a desert Western Rong people couldn’t use, the significance was different.
Witness how the monarch who gave away Hanli Khan years ago left a foul name in history.
Tie Ci wasn’t anxious. This was a major matter—she would give Eagle Lord time to consider. She stood to leave when she heard Eagle Lord’s deep voice behind her: “Agreed.”
Now Tie Ci was surprised. She blinked and turned back, meeting Eagle Lord’s gaze directly.
His eyes were deep yet fervent, like a pool of accumulated fierce fire oil—appearing like still water on the surface but actually capable of igniting towering flames in an instant.
That gaze was locked firmly on her alone.
He said: “The Hanli Khan Desert is given to you, only to you. I want anything the Hanli Khan Desert can possess in the future to be named with both your and my names. Otherwise, I’d rather starve to death with the whole army.”
Tie Ci’s first reaction was guilt.
From his tone, he wasn’t entirely ignorant about the treasures in the Hanli Khan Desert.
So he knew about her taking advantage of the crisis?
The guilt passed in an instant. She said: “Named together? Then what’s your name? Eagle Lord?”
He said: “My name is yours to dispose of.”
Tie Ci’s heart trembled slightly again.
What did he mean by this?
However, in the Crown Princess’s view, names were just codes. Such a light request—when else to agree if not now?
She smiled broadly: “Deal.”
“To say you want the Hanli Khan Desert, you must first become king. For the Hanli Khan Desert, for the future of friendly relations between our two countries, for peaceful borders between our two nations, I’ll go to the royal city now and kill Wuliang He for you.”
…
Chi Xue opened her eyes from darkness.
Her head was covered in cold sweat.
She seemed to have had a nightmare just now, but upon opening her eyes, she immediately forgot it completely. Only the feeling of terror remained, and in the quiet night she could hear her own heartbeat.
She pressed her hand to her pulse but still couldn’t detect anything.
That day she drank Cui Shi’s soup, and since then dark clouds had covered her heart. She understood some poison arts and medicine. After returning, she induced vomiting, prepared detoxifying prescriptions, and checked her pulse daily, but nothing unusual ever occurred. This almost made her doubt whether she was being too suspicious.
That disgusting thing Cui Shi had even asked her to come to his tent that night. Chi Xue did go, but deliberately made noise to let sentries discover her. The military camp didn’t allow casual visits. Immediately an officer came to scold them, and Cui Shi reluctantly gave up.
But Chi Xue always remembered Cui Shi’s look at that officer—gloomy and sticky like a snake writhing in mud. Just thinking about it made her nauseous, and she hadn’t slept well these past days.
Suddenly there was some commotion outside. She turned over and got up. The main camp was still sleeping. Night patrol sentries walked past in formation, their footsteps making soft crunching sounds on unmelted snow.
Firelight dimly illuminated low tents, looking from afar like a vast silent cemetery.
Then she saw a large patch of dark clouds moving from the horizon. Sentries at the front gate and watchtowers seemed disturbed, but that group quickly entered the main tent and headed straight for the command tent.
Chi Xue’s heart began pounding. Just as she was about to go out, she was suddenly covered at the mouth. She reflexively threw back an elbow strike. The person cried out softly, and only then did she recognize Zhao San’s voice.
Zhao San hissed and sucked air beside her ear: “Don’t make noise, don’t go out… there’s trouble outside.”
Author’s Note: This chapter is one I set myself. I can finally get up, but still can’t sit for long. My manuscript reserves are already withered—I don’t know how much longer I can struggle on.
Recently discovered I have diabetes. To control blood sugar I started exercising—just eight to ten thousand steps daily—and ended up destroying my back. This old back of mine flared up once at the end of last year. When it flares up, I go straight down and can’t get up. Last time I was bedridden for three days before getting up; this time four days before I could move. I suspect it’s a disc problem, but now I don’t dare go to the hospital. The pandemic hit Nanjing then Yangzhou—Zhenjiang caught between them is trembling.
I’m quite ashamed. Just writing a book with so many problems—dozens of chapters of reserves not enough to sustain it, yet I still dared start a story. Really had no self-awareness.
Finally, sincere advice: eat less greasy food, exercise moderately. These days, health is most important.