After returning from the Northern Camp, Qin Wan took a thorough bath before retiring. As she lay down, she was still conversing with Yan Chi, “Are there people among the Rong who look similar to those from Zhou?”
While holding Qin Wan’s waist, Yan Chi explained, “Yes, there are. Years ago, when the Rong crossed White Wolf Pass, they committed every conceivable atrocity – killing, burning, and looting. Moreover, they kidnapped Zhou women to bear children for their tribes. In their view, Zhou women were the best vessels for producing offspring. That’s why many among the Rong share similar features with Zhou people.”
Qin Wan frowned, “When do the Rong typically begin their raids?”
“March,” Yan Chi replied. “When the heavy snow melts in March, the frozen plains beyond White Wolf Pass become less treacherous to traverse. That’s why I’ve been sending messages to White Wolf Pass daily these past few days. However, the reports coming back indicate no unusual activity at the pass.”
Lying in Yan Chi’s embrace, Qin Wan pondered before asking, “Could it be that they know White Wolf Pass is heavily guarded, so they truly intend to come from the north?”
After a moment’s contemplation, Yan Chi responded, “That’s possible. However, if they don’t use White Wolf Pass and choose another route, they’ll pay a heavy price. The White Wolf Mountains extend to the northeast. Except for the area around White Wolf Pass, the terrain everywhere else is extremely steep and treacherous. If they attempt to cross the mountains, accidents are bound to happen. Take these two dead men, for instance – they likely fell into the snow valley because they were unfamiliar with the terrain.”
Qin Wan furrowed her brow, “If that’s the case, what were these two men doing? Were they merely scouts?”
Yan Chi smiled helplessly, “Let’s wait for news. You should sleep now – you’ve had a long day.”
Qin Wan was indeed tired. Upon hearing this, she nestled closer into Yan Chi’s embrace and soon fell asleep.
After a peaceful night’s rest, Yan Chi first met with his new subordinates the next day, then waited for news about the bodies. By evening, Ancient Ling arrived at the Prince’s Manor carrying a package.
Yan Chi received Ancient Ling in the study and had White Feng notify Qin Wan. When Qin Wan arrived, she saw the package placed on the table. Inside were several pieces of dried food and various bottles and containers of miscellaneous items, but no clear identification markers.
Yan Chi said, “These are highland barley cakes, unique to the Rong people.”
Qin Wan picked up the bottles and containers, smelled them, and examined their contents. “These are definitely from the Rong,” she declared. “These contain medicinal salves with snow lotus, cold ginseng, and other ingredients. Such formulas are typically used by people from the Western Regions, and cold ginseng grows in the extremely cold plains, most commonly found among the Rong tribes.”
Yan Chi and Ancient Ling exchanged glances, and Ancient Ling reported, “We only found these scattered items in the snow valley where the bodies were discovered, along with two horses that had died and decomposed. We found no other military-related markers or insignia.”
Yan Chi frowned at this news. If this was the case, the identity of these two men remained questionable. Their attire wasn’t Rong military uniforms, so whether they were ordinary Rong people or military scouts remained unknown. Even if they were ordinary Rong people, such a risky venture into Great Zhou was extremely suspicious.
Yan Chi then said, “I sent a message to White Wolf Pass this morning. When you return today, continue deploying more troops for patrol. If the Rong makes any moves, they’ll certainly leave traces in the north. Once I receive news from White Wolf Pass, I’ll inform you. If you discover anything on your end, report to me immediately.”
Ancient Ling accepted the orders, and Qin Wan had him stay for a meal at the Prince’s Manor before departing.
That night, Yan Chi didn’t receive news from White Wolf Pass but instead got a letter from the north.
Yan Chi and Qin Wan sat in the warm pavilion, reading the urgent letter together. As soon as he opened it, Yan Chi’s brows furrowed, “The Empress and Crown Prince have taken Feng Prefecture.”
The letter stated that the Empress and Crown Prince had seized Feng Prefecture ahead of schedule, using the head of Feng Prefecture’s garrison commander to demonstrate their authority. Under the Empress’s thunderous prestige, the civilians in Feng Prefecture dared not resist. Duke An Yang Yue Qiong had arrived too late – by the time he reached there, Feng Prefecture was already under the Empress’s control. Feng Prefecture was a northern stronghold, easy to defend but difficult to attack. With the Empress in control, implementing strict defenses, she was now in a standoff with Yue Qiong.
Although the Empress had secured Feng Prefecture, Zhao You had failed to take Chong Prefecture.
The reinforcements sent by Duke An Yang had proved effective, stopping Zhao You outside Chong Prefecture’s walls. After learning that Feng Prefecture had fallen to the Empress, Duke An Yang dispatched another thirty thousand troops to Chong Prefecture, determined not to let it fall into Zhao You’s hands. Thus, the current situation in the north had evolved into a stalemate: the Empress holding Feng Prefecture against Yue Qiong, while Zhao You faced off against Chong Prefecture’s forces to the north. Both sides had similar numbers, and neither was willing to easily give up their current positions, resulting in this deadlock.
After reading, Yan Chi gave a bitter laugh, “I never expected such a situation. No wonder there’s been so little news from the north lately.”
They had thought Yue Qiong’s northern campaign would likely result in defeat for the Empress and Crown Prince, but unexpectedly, they had captured Feng Prefecture.
“Feng Prefecture is an ancient city with particularly solid fortifications. Years ago, when the barbarians broke through Canglong Mountain and bloodied Cang Prefecture before heading south, they were ultimately defeated at Feng Prefecture. The civilians and garrison troops held out inside the city for half a month, relying on the sturdy walls, until reinforcements from the court finally arrived to break the siege. The Empress’s preemptive capture of Feng Prefecture was indeed clever. Now, Duke An Yang is temporarily without options.”
Qin Wan asked, “What if Duke An Yang turns his forces to attack Zhao You at Chong Prefecture?”
Yan Chi smiled, “Then the Empress would continue south, possibly even attempting to encircle them.”
Qin Wan frowned, “So the northern situation will truly remain deadlocked.”
“It should be this way. The Northern Garrison has never been easy to defeat, and Duke An Yang’s total forces amount to only about a hundred thousand. With both sides having similar numbers and neither being weak in combat strength, this standoff makes the outcome truly unpredictable. Surely Duke An Yang dares not be careless now.”
After some thought, Qin Wan said, “However, this northern situation benefits us.”
Yan Chi nodded, “Without a clear victor in the north, the court cannot spare resources to attack the Northwest. This gives us time to recover and build strength.”
With this understanding, the tension in Qin Wan’s heart eased somewhat. Having received this letter, Yan Chi no longer needed to worry about the court and could focus his attention on the north. The Rong were not easy to deal with – if they truly planned a major offensive this spring, he needed to prepare early. Perhaps this year, they should teach the Rong a severe lesson to buy more time for the Northwest.
With this thought, Yan Chi increased his messages to White Wolf Pass and the Western Camp. Though the Eastern Camp was newly established, with Xiao Cheng and others overseeing it, everything proceeded smoothly.
Three days later, Ancient Ling returned to the Prince’s Manor, this time bringing news from the patrol teams.
“Your Highness, we dispatched five hundred patrol troops in five batches to patrol the northern White Wolf Mountain area for two days. All returned empty-handed – apart from those two men, there were no traces of other Rong entering our territory. The area is rarely visited by humans; besides occasional birds and snow wolves, there are virtually no living creatures.”
This news from Ancient Ling could be considered good, but what about those two men?
Upon hearing this, Yan Chi said, “White Wolf Pass has also sent word – Fang Qin’s side hasn’t detected anything unusual either.”
Ancient Ling frowned, “Then… could it just be a coincidence? Were they ordinary Rong people trying to enter our territory?”
Yan Chi shook his head, “That assumption is too simple. We must prepare for the worst. Continue sending patrols. I’ve given orders to White Wolf Pass and the southwestern border – we cannot allow the Rong to enter through any point.”
Ancient Ling quickly agreed, not daring to be the least bit negligent.
This news temporarily relieved both Qin Wan and Yan Chi. While Yan Chi continued busy with military and administrative affairs, Qin Wan, seeing the pleasant spring weather, began coordinating with various city nobles to establish porridge stations outside the city. After Yan Chi took up permanent residence in Xi Lin City, several new government offices were established and taxes were reduced, attracting more people wanting to settle there. New areas outside the city were opened for housing construction, followed by many poor people seeking work. The area outside the city became overcrowded. A few days ago, when Yuan Shi visited, he mentioned that many workers outside the city had nowhere to live and lacked food and clothing. Qin Wan took note of this, and after her mediation, porridge stations were quickly set up. When the people outside the city learned that the provider was the Wise Prince’s Consort, they naturally expressed profound gratitude. Within days, Qin Wan’s reputation as a living bodhisattva grew even stronger.
Meanwhile, in Feng Prefecture, Qin Chao Yu was also busy distributing porridge to soldiers and troops who had labored throughout the day.
Feng Prefecture had just entered spring but was still three degrees colder than the Northwest. Qin Chao Yu wore a plain cloak with a hood covering most of her face. She had been distributing porridge here for many days, surrounded by the acrid smell of blood and rough soldiers. These men were surprised to see a woman busy with such work, but they didn’t know her identity. When someone finally gathered the courage to ask, she used the Crown Prince’s banner, ensuring everyone knew of the Crown Prince’s benevolence.
As dusk approached, Qin Chao Yu finished distributing the day’s porridge. She left the porridge station with her maid and boarded a small blue cloth carriage parked nearby.
Although Feng Prefecture was under the Empress’s control, their authority was technically illegitimate, so the city remained under martial law. Their small carriage hadn’t gone far before being stopped by a street patrol. The maid quickly presented the Crown Prince’s token to proceed. Following the city’s main road, the carriage finally stopped in front of the Prefecture Governor’s Office.
This had originally been the Feng Prefecture Governor’s office and residence but was now requisitioned by the Empress. As for the governor himself, he had died on the city walls two days ago.
Qin Chao Yu disliked bloodshed, but she was an extremely calm and rational person. In their current situation, if deaths benefited them, she didn’t object. Entering the compound, Qin Chao Yu headed straight for the rear residence. Just as she reached the back entrance along the corridor, she saw Crown Prince Yan Che standing under a tree in the courtyard.
In the courtyard stood an apricot tree, its flowers just blooming in pink and white. Yan Che wore a deep blue straight-cut robe, appearing elegant yet somewhat desolate.
Qin Chao Yu called out “Your Highness” as she approached. Yan Che turned around, and seeing her attire, knew what she had been doing. He stepped forward and took her hand, “You went to distribute porridge again? You needn’t do such things, especially in such a chaotic place.”
Qin Chao Yu smiled, “Though the city is newly settled, Duke An Yang’s army waits outside, and everyone feels unsettled. I know nothing of military matters and can’t help there, so I’ll distribute porridge instead. When people see me there, they’ll know the Crown Prince cares deeply about them, which should provide some comfort.”
Seeing Qin Chao Yu’s noticeably thinner face, Yan Che felt uneasy. He pulled her into an embrace and, looking down, noticed the wounds on her hands.
Qin Chao Yu, born as a marquis’s eldest daughter, had lived a life of nobility and comfort, never experiencing hardship. But now, following him, she engaged in such laborious tasks. During New Year, her hands had developed chilblains, and now from distributing porridge, she had new injuries. Yan Che sighed, “From tomorrow, I’ll accompany you.”
Qin Chao Yu quickly stepped back from Yan Che’s embrace, saying urgently, “That’s impossible. If Your Highness goes, people will only become more anxious.”
Yan Che frowned, and Qin Chao Yu explained, “Your Highness need only remain in the government office, accompanying Mother Empress and the generals in coordination. If you truly went among the troops, they would inevitably ask when we’ll attack, whether we can achieve victory, and such questions. Your Highness would find it awkward to either answer or not answer.”
Qin Chao Yu considered everything from Yan Che’s perspective, and over these six months, Yan Che had seen this. His heart softened at her words, “If that’s the case, we’ll do as you say.”
Qin Chao Yu smiled and looked up at the tree full of apricot blossoms, “What was Your Highness thinking about while standing under this tree earlier?”
Yan Che gave a bitter smile, “I was wondering when we could return to Lin’an City.”
Only then did Qin Chao Yu realize that Yan Che had been facing south earlier. She took his hand, “Don’t worry, Your Highness. We’ll certainly return.”
Just as she finished speaking, a figure appeared at the door, saying, “Crown Prince, the Empress requests your presence in the front hall for discussion.”
Yan Che released Qin Chao Yu, “Go rest. I’ll return shortly.”
Qin Chao Yu nodded, and Yan Che turned to leave. She watched until his figure disappeared before heading to her quarters. As she walked, her maid softly said, “My Lady, when your servant went out this afternoon, she seemed to hear news from the west.”
Qin Chao Yu’s steps faltered, “News from the west?”
The maid nodded, “Yes, they say the Wise Prince has now reached the west. They say he’s established his small court in the Northwest, where everyone respects him as king. Even people from other regions call him the Western Zhou King. Ninth Young Lady also went with the Wise Prince.”
Qin Chao Yu paused briefly at these words. Since leaving the capital, these names had become so distant. The Crown Princess of Great Zhou was dead, and she followed Yan Che, nameless in their difficult defense of Feng Prefecture. As for Qin Wan, she had reached the Northwest. Having heard of the Northwest’s fierce customs and harsh conditions, could someone of such noble upbringing endure it?
Qin Chao Yu shook her head, once again feeling the impermanence of life. Looking down at the mud and porridge stains on her dress hem, she couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
Now everything had changed, and Lin’an City remained so distant. On the road to Lin’an City, a hundred thousand or more soldiers waited for them.
At this thought, Qin Chao Yu’s body trembled slightly.