Amidst the flickering candlelight and the crackling sounds of charcoal fire, some unfamiliar emotion that made one unable to control themselves was on the verge of erupting.

Her arms around Xiao Rongyan’s neck unconsciously tightened.

“How is there no one guarding the entrance to Princess Zhenguo’s main tent? Where is everyone?”

“Let’s go in and take a look!”

Outside the tent came the rough voices of military generals Zhao Sheng and Yang Wuce.

She panicked and tried to push Xiao Rongyan away, but Xiao Rongyan’s thin lips were tightly pressed together, refusing to cooperate.

Xiao Rongyan had just felt his entire body’s blood boiling, completely unaware that someone was approaching the main tent. Being suddenly interrupted in romantic affairs, he inevitably felt displeased.

“Is Princess Zhenguo not here?”

Hearing that Yang Wuce and Zhao Sheng had already stepped into the main tent, Bai Qingyan’s palm pressed against Xiao Rongyan’s wound in her panic, causing Xiao Rongyan to cover his chest and grunt in pain.

Yang Wuce and Zhao Sheng heard a man’s voice from behind the screen, froze at the entrance of the main tent, exchanged glances, and cautiously gripped the swords at their waists, their thumbs pushing out the blades with cold light flashing.

Behind the screen, Bai Qingyan could no longer care about Xiao Rongyan. The crimson flush had not yet faded from her face as she straightened her clothes and emerged from behind the screen. Suppressing her heartbeat that seemed ready to leap from her throat, she put on a serious appearance and cupped her hands toward Yang Wuce and Zhao Sheng, asking: “What brings you two generals here?”

Yang Wuce and Zhao Sheng saw Bai Qingyan emerge from behind the screen and quickly sheathed their half-drawn precious swords, cupping their hands in salute to Bai Qingyan: “Greetings to Princess Zhenguo!”

Zhao Sheng noticed there was still someone behind the screen, and by the candlelight, could vaguely see what appeared to be a man with an upright posture inside, fastening his garment buttons.

Yang Wuce was very excited as he spoke to Bai Qingyan: “Princess Zhenguo, the defending general of Daming Prefecture…”

Zhao Sheng’s old face immediately flushed red. He quickly lowered his head, feeling that he and Zhao Sheng had come at an inopportune time, and hastily tugged at Yang Wuce.

This interrupted Yang Wuce, who was about to report to Bai Qingyan that Daming Prefecture’s defending general Cao Renyi wished to surrender with his troops, only asking that Princess Zhenguo could bestow medicine to treat the common people.

“If Princess Zhenguo still has matters to attend to, we two shall withdraw first! We’ll come report to Princess Zhenguo early tomorrow morning!”

Saying this, Zhao Sheng pulled Yang Wuce to leave…

“I haven’t finished speaking yet. Such a major matter as Daming Prefecture’s willingness to surrender without battle—how can it wait until tomorrow?” Yang Wuce shook off Zhao Sheng’s hand, anxious to inform Bai Qingyan of this matter, unable to wait until tomorrow.

Seeing Zhao Sheng gritting his teeth and using his gaze to signal Yang Wuce to look toward the screen, Bai Qingyan’s hands clasped behind her back tightened. If this matter couldn’t be explained clearly… Zhao Sheng and Yang Wuce might regard her as a debauched person.

She cleared her throat, and before Yang Wuce, who was staring toward the screen, could react, she said: “The person behind the screen is Mr. Xiao, a righteous merchant of Great Wei who once showed kindness to my Bai family.”

To avoid greater misunderstanding, she tightly gripped her sweaty palms and added what she thought was damage control: “Mr. Xiao was injured… when you two arrived, I was changing Mr. Xiao’s medicine.”

After speaking, Bai Qingyan realized this statement only made things worse.

Wasn’t there a military physician in the camp? Did she, a woman, need to personally apply medicine to a man?

Zhao Sheng was quite cooperative, putting on a very sincere appearance and nodding.

Hearing Bai Qingyan introduce him to Zhao Sheng and Yang Wuce, Xiao Rongyan fastened his plate buttons and calmly emerged from behind the screen, his brows and eyes containing a smile. He nodded in salute to Yang Wuce and Zhao Sheng, his entire bearing noble and steady: “Rongyan… greets the two generals.”

Looking at Xiao Rongyan, who walked to Bai Qingyan’s side, the man’s features were handsome and resolute, possessing both masculine vigor and scholarly refined bearing, with the dignified aura of one in a high position. This imposing presence could even match Princess Zhenguo’s, completely lacking the fawning and flattering manner that merchants should have.

Zhao Sheng had originally thought Bai Qingyan had taken a fancy to some soldier in the military camp and summoned him over on New Year’s Eve night, never expecting it to be the famous wealthy merchant of Great Wei, Xiao Rongyan.

Beyond his surprise, Zhao Sheng felt a chill down his spine. When and how had Xiao Rongyan infiltrated the military camp without anyone discovering?

Or… had Xiao Rongyan been in the military camp all along, and he simply didn’t know?

Zhao Sheng looked toward Bai Qingyan, seeming to seek confirmation.

Bai Qingyan spoke calmly: “I won’t hide it from you two generals. Mr. Xiao and I… with the Crown Prince as matchmaker, are already betrothed. Today being New Year’s Eve… Mr. Xiao specially rushed here to reunite with me. I had people bring Mr. Xiao into the main camp. Mr. Xiao suffered some minor injuries, and today being New Year’s Eve… it wouldn’t be proper to trouble the military physician, so I roughly tended to Mr. Xiao’s wounds.”

Zhao Sheng and Yang Wuce looked enlightened. Zhao Sheng quickly saluted Xiao Rongyan even more respectfully: “We have greatly offended Mr. Xiao.”

“No matter…” Xiao Rongyan’s smile deepened between his brows and eyes because of Bai Qingyan publicly calling them betrothed, his entire aura of killing intent completely concealed without a trace by his gentle smile.

“Mr. Xiao!” Yang Wuce also quickly saluted Xiao Rongyan, though he couldn’t help but wonder if Xiao Rongyan, being from Wei, had come to ask Princess Zhenguo to save his motherland, since Wei was currently being beaten by Yan with no ability to fight back.

“General Zhao, General Yang, please sit and tell me in detail about Daming Prefecture’s defending generals’ willingness to surrender.” Bai Qingyan calmly gestured for Yang Wuce and Zhao Sheng to sit.

“Yes!”

Zhao Sheng and Yang Wuce clasped their fists in acknowledgment.

Since Xiao Rongyan was already Bai Qingyan’s betrothed, he did not avoid the discussion and sat beside Bai Qingyan.

After saluting Bai Qingyan, Yang Wuce said: “Cao Renyi had a fairly good relationship with my father’s generation, so after taking Yong’an City, I discussed with General Zhao whether I could first enter Daming Prefecture to persuade Cao Renyi to surrender. But General Zhao worried that my rash trip to Daming Prefecture would be dangerous, so he had me try sending a letter first! These past days, Daming Prefecture has been completely quiet. I thought this time we would need considerable effort to take Daming Prefecture.”

Sitting beside Bai Qingyan, Xiao Rongyan’s gaze fell on the stack of bamboo slips on Bai Qingyan’s desk, then looked at the half-opened bamboo slip in front of Bai Qingyan… unexpectedly, it was “The Book of Lord Shang.”

“The Book of Lord Shang” written by Lord Shang Yang was banned by all states, with only Great Yan possessing the complete version. Also called the Emperor’s Book, it wrote precisely about the art of controlling the people.

Xiao Rongyan looked toward Bai Qingyan, who was earnestly listening to Yang Wuce speak…

Now, seeing Bai Qingyan reading this book, Xiao Rongyan understood that Bai Qingyan indeed had imperial ambitions.

Xiao Rongyan picked up the bamboo slip on the right side of the desk that Bai Qingyan had not finished writing, and was even more surprised.

Bai Qingyan was writing a military strategy. Still unfinished, Xiao Rongyan took the bamboo slip and browsed through it roughly.

In the military strategy Bai Qingyan had written so far, the first chapter… spoke of taking the people’s hearts and military morale as fundamental, heavily emphasizing that attacking the heart was paramount, not only against enemy forces but also for one’s soldiers, as morale was extremely important.