“The Prince’s incident occurred on the tenth day of the seventh month,” said White Feng. “Twenty days before that, General Jiang He Ying of Qian Prefecture had left the military garrison, destination unknown. He took with him the White Tiger Brigade that he had reformed in Qian Prefecture. This White Tiger Brigade was similar to our Divine Machine Brigade—all elite soldiers from the Qian Prefecture garrison, trained for years. Each elite soldier could fight ten men!”
“His Majesty sent Left Vice Minister Yu Wen Xian of the Ministry of Revenue to Liang Prefecture. Yu Wen Xian was over fifty years old and hardly noticeable in the Ministry of Revenue. Word was that he was preparing for retirement. Yet for this investigation, His Majesty didn’t send anyone from the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry of War, but instead chose him from the Ministry of Revenue. Although the Revenue officials understand grain quantities, military provisions are quite different from the imperial granary.”
“Xiao Cheng is safe now, and General Chu has been rescued. The most dangerous situation now is with General Huo. Zheng Xin Cheng and Lin Xu Gui are there—if anything goes slightly wrong, they could be executed on the spot. Once these people fall, if others start causing trouble, it’s a dead end for everyone…”
White Feng had followed Yan Chi for many years. Though he appeared to be just a guard at the Rui Prince’s mansion in the capital, in Xi Region, he was capable of leading troops himself. Speaking of these familiar names, White Feng felt waves of distress. It had been less than a year since they parted, yet now, thousands of miles apart, knowing they were suffering but unable to help was truly frustrating!
White Feng carefully organized the letters into categories. When he looked up, he saw Yan Chi’s gaze fixed on the map of Xi Region—the same Xi Region that Yan Qi had called “a mere speck of land.”
This small piece of land had consumed Yan Lin’s lifetime of effort and occupied ten years of his own time. Even if Yan Lin hadn’t fallen there, he wouldn’t have been willing to let it go.
Yan Chi had examined this map countless times. The ink lines showed the terrain, with many annotations written by his hand. After studying it briefly, he suddenly picked up his imperial brush and began writing letters.
White Feng glanced at them—they were military strategy documents. Though thousands of miles away, Yan Chi was still planning for victory!
These letters were longer than any before. After finishing one, Yan Chi began writing a second. One was for Qi Yu, the other for Yu Qi—these two were now watching over the vast Xi plateau on his behalf.
After completing both letters, Yan Chi reviewed them thoroughly before having White Feng seal them with wax. They were sent out by express courier, traveling eight hundred li per day. Just as the letters were dispatched, Qin Wan arrived.
Writing the two letters had drained much of Yan Chi’s energy. Seeing Qin Wan arrive helped him relax slightly.
Qin Wan immediately noticed the letter envelopes on the desk. “Is there news from Xi Region?”
Yan Chi nodded. “Our previous predictions were correct.”
Qin Wan’s heart suddenly began beating faster. Though Yan Chi spoke calmly, there was much meaning behind his words!
“What do you plan to do?”
“One step at a time.” Yan Chi led Qin Wan to a seat. “With Master Qi and Yu Qi there, I can rest assured. There’s no use rushing—I’ve already given orders, focusing on saving people for now!”
Xi Region was too distant for Qin Wan, and military camps were unfamiliar to her. She didn’t feel it appropriate to ask more questions or offer strategic advice, so she simply nodded and said, “I came from the Yi Prince’s mansion.”
Yan Chi asked, “How is Third Brother doing?”
Qin Wan sighed, “We thought he would be better by now, but he still can’t see. Divine Physician Sun says he needs a trigger—perhaps he’s right.” She paused briefly. “Yue Ning has feelings for Prince Yan Ze. The Grand Princess already knows.”
Yan Chi’s eyebrows didn’t even twitch at this news. “I noticed when Third Brother returned. They would make a good match.”
Qin Wan smiled bitterly. “I originally thought Wei Qi Zhi wasn’t bad…”
Yan Chi seemed to understand what Qin Wan was thinking and shook his head. “Yue Ning has An Yang Marquis’s temperament in her bones. Third Brother saved her life—that gratitude is greater than heaven. Besides, Third Brother is courteous and gentle, he’s been our generation’s role model since childhood. She must admire him. Unless someone else moves her heart later, they are indeed well-matched.”
“What kind of person do you think Prince Yan Ze is?”
Qin Wan didn’t know why she asked this, perhaps out of concern for Yue Ning.
Yan Chi gathered his thoughts briefly. “Third Brother… has always been steady and measured since childhood. In our younger years, he was the most studious among our generation. When Yan Li and I got into fights, he was the one kneeling in punishment with us…”
Yan Chi’s tone was even, showing that these past events gave him some brotherly closeness to Yan Ze. But he quickly changed his tone, “However, I haven’t seen him for ten years. Now he appears the same as when he was young, except… he’s more steady than before. Even blindness cannot disturb that steadiness.”
Qin Wan caught his meaning. “Yes, I feel the same way.”
Seeing Qin Wan lost in thought, Yan Chi couldn’t help but tap her nose. “Yue Ning has the Grand Princess, her parents, and siblings. You needn’t worry.”
This reminded Qin Wan, and she hurriedly asked, “Can you contact the An Yang Marquis’s heir in the Xi Region military?”
Yan Chi frowned and quickly shook his head. “At this time, we can only rely on the most trusted people. It’s not that Yue Jia isn’t trustworthy, but it’s not appropriate to involve him. A Yang Marquis sent him there for experience—it wouldn’t be good to drag him into these matters.”
Qin Wan understood this reasoning. She had wanted to tell Yan Chi about Yan Ze’s nightmares, but thinking of Yue Ning’s guilt, she ultimately didn’t say more. Instead, she asked, “Is Wang Han willing to help us?”
Handing Wang Han over to Yan Qi was a dangerous matter, but Yan Chi said he would arrange everything properly, and Qin Wan naturally trusted him.
Sure enough, Yan Chi said, “Everything has been arranged. If anything goes wrong, it would be my fault.”
Qin Wan raised an eyebrow. “I trust you, but I’d like to know how you arranged it…”
Yan Chi smiled and looked at White Feng. “Bring the person to show the Princess.”
White Feng complied and left. Qin Wan was puzzled. After a moment, White Feng returned with Wang Han. Qin Wan had only seen Wang Han once, and that was when he was blindfolded. Seeing him in person now, she was slightly surprised. Wang Han was much more composed than she had imagined. He followed behind White Feng without any trace of timidity. Though his eyes were downcast, his whole demeanor was very calm, not at all like a prisoner. Had Yan Chi reached some agreement with him?!
While Qin Wan was thinking this, Wang Han knelt and greeted them.
“Greetings to Your Highness, greetings to Princess—”
—Something was wrong!
Qin Wan’s brows furrowed immediately. This person’s voice was wrong!
Though she hadn’t seen Wang Han’s full face, she had heard his voice. The voice of the person before her was completely different from Wang Han’s voice that day…
Qin Wan looked at Yan Chi in surprise. Seeing her expression, Yan Chi smiled and nodded toward the newcomer, “Princess noticed—you failed.”
The kneeling person looked up in surprise, showing some panic.
Yan Chi gestured to Qin Wan, “The Princess has met Wang Han and heard his voice. Your voice gives you away!”
At this point, Qin Wan understood—this person wasn’t Wang Han at all!
“This is… the art of disguise?”
Yan Chi nodded, “Yes, it’s disguise. I wasn’t comfortable sending the real Wang Han, so I sent one of our people instead.”
Qin Wan’s eyes widened as she suddenly realized that Yan Qi might have lost both the prize and the game!
“Hmm… the appearance is very similar, at least not noticeable to those who don’t spend time with him daily. I consider myself observant, and I didn’t notice anything particularly strange just now, except for the voice being wrong. There’s one more thing—Wang Han has been hunted and imprisoned for days, he must be psychologically unstable by now. You’re too calm and confident, which isn’t like him at all. Your eyes, too, shouldn’t be as bright and intimidating as they are.”
Qin Wan didn’t know who this young man was, but he appeared to be only in his twenties, likely one of Yan Chi’s secret guards. His build was similar to Wang Han’s, and he was well-trained. His appearance and dress showed no flaws, except for his unusually bright eyes. This would normally be a good thing, but not when impersonating Wang Han!
Wang Han was guilty and afraid of death, having been hunted and imprisoned for many days—he wouldn’t have such firm, bright eyes. The kneeling young man naturally understood this point. He hadn’t fully started his performance today, and Qin Wan’s words seemed like praise to him. He quickly glanced at Qin Wan, suddenly showing an awkward shyness.
Yan Chi, watching his soldier dare to show such an expression because of Qin Wan’s few words, immediately felt dissatisfied. He narrowed his eyes, his voice suddenly becoming stern, “Did you hear? What the Princess said—fix all of it.”
“Yes, I understand—”
With a sharp gaze hanging over his head, the young man’s heart trembled as he suddenly realized he had lost composure moments ago!
His heart became anxious—they all knew their master’s temperament…
Yan Chi made a sound of acknowledgment. “You may leave!”
The young man was nervous, but hearing these words felt like a great relief. He stood up and retreated.
Qin Wan hadn’t noticed any undercurrents and just remarked incredulously, “You have such remarkable talents under your command!”
Qin Wan’s eyes sparkled with admiration for that person’s disguise skills, which only intensified Yan Chi’s dissatisfaction. He glanced at White Feng, who understood and left, closing the door behind him.
Qin Wan looked at White Feng, then at the suddenly closed door, not realizing she had said anything White Feng shouldn’t hear.
While she was thinking this, Yan Chi suddenly pulled her into his embrace. “Don’t you think you praised him a bit too much just now?”
“Your eyes shouldn’t be as bright and intimidating as his.”
These were Qin Wan’s original words. If such words were exchanged between people of equal status that Qin Wan knew, perhaps it would be genuine praise. But just now, Qin Wan was merely stating a fact.
Qin Wan blinked. “I… what praise was too much? I only called him remarkable after he left!”
Qin Wan was puzzled. “That I said he was calm and confident? That his eyes were bright?”
Qin Wan felt helpless. “Isn’t that just the truth?”
This response only made things worse. Yan Chi narrowed his eyes, thinking: you’ve praised my soldier so much he became shy—a grown man suddenly acting like a young girl, isn’t that excessive praise?!
Qin Wan frowned at Yan Chi, her eyes full of confusion, innocence, and righteousness. Seeing her like this made Yan Chi’s frown deepen.
When leading troops, he never showed favor to these men. That disguise performance was just normal capability, not deserving praise. Especially that soldier…
Yan Chi felt an odd discomfort in his heart. Though that soldier wouldn’t dare harbor any thoughts about Qin Wan, that moment felt like someone else had glimpsed his treasure. Not only saw it but perhaps caught a whiff of its fragrance. His treasure shouldn’t be seen by others, let alone sensed—all six senses and five perceptions should be blocked!
Yan Chi suddenly understood what others meant about treasuring someone too much—afraid of suffocating them in an embrace, afraid of them melting in one’s mouth. He felt exactly this way about Qin Wan!
Once again, he felt their wedding date was set too late!
Yan Chi remained silent, his gaze shifting constantly. Sometimes it made Qin Wan nervous, sometimes it burned with intensity. Finally, Qin Wan couldn’t help but ask softly, “Could it be… you’re… jeal…ous… because of what I said?”
Qin Wan asked carefully, word by word. At this question, Yan Chi couldn’t answer—jealous? How could he be jealous of his subordinate?! But if not jealousy, what was this discomfort in his heart?
As Yan Chi struggled internally, Qin Wan suddenly couldn’t help but laugh. “You are…”
At her laugh, Yan Chi tightened his arm and leaned in to kiss her. Qin Wan let out a surprised “Ah!” as the rest of her words were swallowed by Yan Chi. She felt both helpless and amused, but Yan Chi’s embrace grew tighter. Qin Wan sensed the kiss growing hotter and silently thought “This is bad!” She pushed hard against him and finally managed to break free, panting as she said, “You… you can’t do this… I didn’t mean to…”
Yan Chi narrowed his eyes, full of unsatisfied desire. “You think I’m jealous?”
Yan Chi’s voice carried a dangerous tone. Qin Wan instinctively leaned back. “I, I think…”
Yan Chi pulled her back. “I’m not jealous. I just think you’re particularly enchanting when praising others. Those words of yours—ordinary people don’t deserve them. Do you understand?”
Qin Wan’s eyes darted. “So I can’t praise people casually?”
Yan Chi raised an eyebrow. “Not exactly…”
Qin Wan looked at Yan Chi, waiting for him to continue his twisted logic. Yan Chi said, “Even if you’re enchanting, you should only enchant me. As for those words of yours—who else but me deserves them?”
Qin Wan laughed at hearing this. Since setting their wedding date and his emergence from the shadow of Rui Prince’s death, he had become increasingly uninhibited. Now he was even concerned about his subordinates.
Though Qin Wan privately found this amusing, she felt as if fine, warm sugar powder was falling through the air. Looking into Yan Chi’s eyes, she suddenly cupped his face in her hands. “I remember saying your eyes were the most beautiful.”
Qin Wan was still smiling, and her words, along with her slightly curved brows and eyes, burrowed into Yan Chi’s heart, making it tingle. “When did you say that?”
Qin Wan’s eyes widened slightly. Yan Chi pulled her even closer. “Since I don’t remember, you’ll have to say it again.”
Qin Wan didn’t want to indulge him so much, but he held her so close, his hot breath falling on her face and nose, making her feel somewhat dazed with desire. Qin Wan bit her lip. “I did say it… I said I’d never seen any man with such beautiful eyes… The beacon fires of Xi Region, the stars of winter nights, the lantern lights of the Autumn Festival in Jin Prefecture—they’re all in your eyes. Of course, that’s only when you’re not angry…”
A drowning tenderness flooded Yan Chi’s heart. He glanced at Qin Wan’s crimson lips, which he had just kissed heavily, now moist and red. His throat bobbed, and just as he was about to give in to temptation, suddenly, there was an abrupt knock on the closed door. “Master! Prince Cheng has arrived!”
With their lips just inches apart, Yan Chi froze at these words. Qin Wan’s eyes widened as she tried to push him away. Yan Chi hesitated between continuing and stopping, then pulled her into his embrace for one more deep, heavy, slow kiss that left her breathless. When Qin Wan was dizzy and struggling to breathe, Yan Chi picked her up, turned, and placed her on the bed in the inner chamber. Before Qin Wan could react, he had already left.
In the outer room, Yan Chi opened the door with composure and asked coldly, “Where is he?”
White Feng glanced inside, saw Qin Wan wasn’t in the outer room, and quickly replied, “In the main hall. We didn’t dare bring him here.”
Yan Chi snorted, as if to say “smart of you,” then gave White Yu an instruction before heading to the main hall. When Yan Qi left the mansion, he had said there would be news within two days!
In the inner chamber, it took Qin Wan quite a while to catch her breath. A thin blanket covered her, and she found it somewhat amusing. After a moment, she sat up, her clothes slightly disheveled. She quickly tidied herself up, feeling a slight burning sensation on her lips. Qin Wan instinctively wanted to find a mirror, but looking around, she discovered there wasn’t a single mirror in Yan Chi’s room!
Qin Wan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. After some thought, she walked forward and opened the window facing the water. She stood closer, leaning out with her hands on the windowsill. Her reflection immediately appeared on the water’s surface. She saw her lips were as red as blood, and her usually cool, unpainted face had somehow acquired a bewitching charm. Qin Wan’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly stood straight and shut the window.
Her heart felt both moved and helpless. After a while, she raised her hand to touch the corner of her lips and smiled slightly.
…
…
Meanwhile, Yan Chi arrived at the main hall, carrying his dissatisfaction at being interrupted.
Yan Qi turned and immediately noticed Yan Chi’s expression was even colder than that night. He raised an eyebrow, feeling that choking sensation again. Wasn’t it because Yan Chi was certain he would return that he dared to show such disregard?
“Fourth Brother comes in broad daylight, it seems you’ve made up your mind.” Yan Qi’s daytime visit, showing no fear of being discovered by the Crown Prince, revealed that he wanted more than just Wang Han from him.
Yan Qi smiled ambiguously. “Seventh Brother, you want quite a lot. If I continue to be hesitant, wouldn’t I be losing out greatly?”
Hearing this, Yan Chi raised his chin, gesturing for Yan Qi to sit, while taking the host’s seat on the other side. He leisurely pulled out a list from his sleeve. “These people were Father’s beloved generals—some are elderly now, some seriously ill. It’s not easy for them. The matter with Zheng Xin Cheng is straightforward, I’ll trouble Fourth Brother with it.”
Yan Qi narrowed his eyes, stepped forward to look at the list, and immediately furrowed his brows.
Before he could speak, Yan Chi quickly added, “To be honest with Fourth Brother, the Crown Prince and Empress now believe this Wang Han definitely won’t be found. If I spread just a little news, even if Fourth Brother gets Wang Han, it won’t be very useful. Changing sides requires speed, decisiveness, and precision. If the other party is prepared, wouldn’t that be unfortunate?”
Yan Qi gritted his teeth. “What do you mean?! Are you saying you might go back on our agreement?”
Yan Chi smiled. Though his expression didn’t show any menace, his whole being emanated an intimidating aura that made others unable to relax. “If Fourth Brother won’t go back on his word, I’ll naturally keep my promise. If Fourth Brother does, I must have a backup plan.”
Yan Qi gave a cold laugh. “These aren’t just old generals on your list. These young ones are rising stars in the Xi Region army, with limitless future potential. Keeping them—aren’t you planning to return and take command one day?”
Yan Chi looked at Yan Qi. “Didn’t Fourth Brother just say I could never go back? What are you worried about?”
Yan Qi scoffed. “These people—I can protect them temporarily, but not forever. The future of the Xi Region army is uncertain…”
“Then Fourth Brother should act quickly.” Yan Chi said casually. “The sooner Fourth Brother succeeds, the fewer concerns there will be.”
Yan Qi knew this without Yan Chi saying it, but Yan Chi’s words somehow pressured him, as if Yan Chi had nothing to fear and wasn’t worried about him going back on his word!
Yan Chi knew too much, while Yan Qi knew nothing about what Yan Chi had built over these years besides his reputation in the Xi Region army. Know your enemy and know yourself, and you’ll win every battle—Yan Chi understood him, but he was completely in the dark about Yan Chi. This feeling was terrible, but having come this far, what could he do besides taking Wang Han?
“Where is he?! I want to see him—”
Hearing this, Yan Chi knew the temporary deal was struck, so he ordered, “White Feng, bring him in!”
Yan Qi remained standing, somewhat gloomily waiting. A moment later, a young man with a frightened, shrinking demeanor covered in blue-purple bruises walked in. Upon seeing Yan Qi, the man’s expression changed slightly.
Yan Qi had seen Wang Han’s portrait before, so he looked the man up and down, smiling with satisfaction.