Chun Tao knelt tearfully beside the carriage, holding Bai Qingyan’s Sun-Shooting Bow in her arms. Watching Bai Qingyan finish fastening the last of her wrist guards, tears immediately streamed down her face: “Young Miss, you must be careful on this journey!”

Chun Tao’s heart was filled with hatred—hatred for herself for not being like Miss Shen Qingzhu. If she had Miss Shen’s martial skills, she could follow the Young Miss’s side and go together to the Anping Grand Camp to protect their Young Miss.

Hearing the sound of horse hooves in the distance, Bai Qingyan lifted the carriage curtain to look outside. Seeing Lu Ping leading troops galloping toward them, she took the Sun-Shooting Bow from Chun Tao’s arms and slung it over her shoulder, saying: “I’ll leave behind a few Bai family guards to escort you back to Shuoyang…”

“Young Miss, the guards must stay with you! I’ll just follow the Crown Prince’s convoy to the capital! Young Miss needs not worry about Chun Tao. Although Chun Tao cannot help Young Miss, I absolutely cannot hold Young Miss back! Young Miss must trust me!”

Chun Tao was already blaming herself for being unable to protect Bai Qingyan—how could she let Young Miss divide the Bai family guard army to protect her?

Seeing Chun Tao’s solemn expression, Bai Qingyan did not insist further and only said: “Take care of yourself!”

Having said this, Bai Qingyan alighted from the carriage.

The Crown Prince had also changed into protective armor, with a dragon-embroidered cloak draped over his shoulders and a sword at his waist. He was being helped down from the carriage by Quan Yu.

Though Old Fang was advanced in years, he too had donned armor and mounted his horse alongside the Crown Prince. He uncomfortably adjusted his helmet, inwardly breaking into a cold sweat over his old bones.

“Your Highness!” Bai Qingyan strode quickly to the Crown Prince’s side and cupped her hands, saying: “Please mount up, Your Highness! When the Dengzhou army arrives, we must not delay—straight to the Anping Grand Camp!”

The Crown Prince nodded.

Quan Yu hurried forward to help the Crown Prince mount his horse, his eyes reddening as he urged: “Your Highness! Princess! You must be careful!”

Bai Qingyan, clad in battle armor, leaped onto her horse with a single bound. Grasping the reins, her formidable presence was immediately apparent as she called out loudly: “Crown Prince’s mansion guards and Bai family guard army, follow me on swift horses straight to the Anping Grand Camp—we depart immediately!”

As her commanding voice fell, Bai Qingyan squeezed her horse’s flanks. The steed neighed angrily, reared up on its hind legs, and charged out first.

Qin Shangzhi’s throat worked as he watched Bai Qingyan’s cloak billow, her heroic bearing magnificent. He quietly clenched his fists, remembering the first time he had seen Bai Qingyan mount her horse in the southern frontier and give orders to Bai Jinzhi—a scene that had stirred his blood and made him wish he could follow Bai Qingyan into battle.

Bai Weiting had once said that Bai Qingyan was a born general—Qin Shangzhi believed it!

The same command spoken by different people would have different effects. Though Bai Qingyan was a woman, she had been through countless battles and remained undefeated. Even her commanding voice was filled with resolute backbone, making people feel her sharp yet burning killing intent and passionate battle spirit.

Bai Qingyan possessed the bearing to command others and the strategic wisdom to deploy troops. She was more than just talented as a general…

The Crown Prince’s guards and the Bai family army all followed in galloping pursuit. The Crown Prince gritted his teeth, grasped his reins, and spurred his horse into a wild gallop.

Old Fang, wearing his helmet, clenched his teeth and endured. Today, it was not that he was forced by Bai Qingyan to follow the Crown Prince—rather, he needed to be by the Crown Prince’s side to prevent Bai Qingyan from bewitching the Crown Prince.

Bai Qingyan rode at an extremely fast pace. Both the Crown Prince and Old Fang struggled to keep up, feeling nothing but the whooshing wind in their ears and the thundering of their heartbeats. Even breathing was laborious.

But the Crown Prince knew he could not cry out that he couldn’t keep up. Bai Qingyan led the Bai family guard army and the Crown Prince’s mansion guards ahead, and the three thousand Dengzhou troops behind—all were working to ensure he, the Crown Prince, could safely return to the capital!

Others were suffering hardship for his sake—how could he show cowardice and complain at this moment?

The Crown Prince gritted his teeth and shouted: “Charge!”

Just as they were about to reach the Anping Grand Camp…

“Lu Ping!” Bai Qingyan called back loudly.

Hearing his name, Lu Ping accelerated, cracking his whip as he rode forward: “Lu Ping is here!”

“I command you to take a thousand men for concealed support. Station men to guard the passages from the Anping Grand Camp toward the capital. Whether someone is bringing messages to the Anping Grand Camp or the Anping Grand Camp is sending messages out—detain them all!”

“Lu Ping receives the command!” Lu Ping responded, slowing down to relay orders and leading a thousand men to split off.

·

Inside the Anping Grand Camp.

Fu Ruoxi sat in the main commander’s tent, having dismissed everyone around him. Standing under the lamplight in the tent, he finished reading the letter sent from the capital, gritted his back teeth, and set the letter ablaze.

The flames slowly consumed the paper filled with characters, casting half of Fu Ruoxi’s face in flickering light and shadow.

The Empress had sent a secret message saying that the Emperor had fallen from his horse and was unconscious—now was the perfect opportunity to support Prince Xin’s enthronement. As long as Prince Xin ascended the throne, she could protect the child in her womb. Otherwise, if the Crown Prince succeeded to the throne, he would not spare this child in her belly, who was called the reincarnation of the divine deer. If the Emperor was fortunate enough to wake up and people discovered her pregnancy timing was wrong, both she and the child would die.

The Empress claimed she had already gained control of those serving around the Emperor. As long as Fu Ruoxi dared to lead the Anping Grand Camp army straight to the capital, the Empress would publicly declare that this time the Crown Prince, having been scolded by the Emperor and sent to Dengzhou to escort grain and supplies, harbored resentment and wanted to kill the Emperor, then enthrone his legitimate son Prince Xin.

Fu Ruoxi’s fists clenched tightly at his sides. Although the Empress had not explicitly stated in her letter whether that child was… the one conceived that day when he lost control, the Empress’s mention of wrong timing implied the child was his.

However, Fu Ruoxi was not a fool who would be blinded by romantic feelings. Though he was stationed at the Anping Grand Camp, the Fu family would continuously send him intelligence. He knew the Emperor did not entirely trust the Empress either, so before falling unconscious, he had requested Imperial Teacher Old Tan and the Grand Princess—one to assist Prince Liang in governing, the other to manage the inner palace.

Imperial Teacher Old Tan had always been an upright minister, and the Grand Princess had been instrumental in supporting the current Emperor’s ascension. Both were people the Emperor could trust.

Not to mention Imperial Teacher Old Tan—the Grand Princess was no ordinary woman of the inner quarters. Could the Empress manipulate things under the Grand Princess’s watchful eyes?

Fu Ruoxi felt trapped in a dilemma. If he remained inactive and something happened to the Empress and her unborn child, Fu Ruoxi would never forgive himself for the rest of his life.

“Report…” A scout suddenly rode in swiftly, kneeling outside the commander’s tent and calling loudly: “Reporting to the Commander, from the direction of Dengzhou, someone bearing the Crown Prince’s banner is approaching the Anping Grand Camp!”

Fu Ruoxi’s palms tightened. He turned and strode quickly to the center of the main tent, asking: “How many have come?”

“Approximately two to three thousand men!” the scout replied.

“General…” Fu Ruoxi’s deputy general also came hurrying over upon hearing the news, entering the tent directly with his hand gripping his sword hilt, breathing somewhat heavily: “His Highness the Crown Prince must have learned of His Majesty’s unconsciousness and, fearing danger traveling alone back to the capital, has come to the Anping Grand Camp. He likely wants the General to escort him back to the capital.”

Fu Ruoxi pressed his lips tightly together, his thick brows furrowed: “The Anping Grand Camp cannot mobilize troops without His Majesty’s imperial decree. Otherwise… we would not have dared to send reinforcements when Dengzhou was under attack.”