Xuanyuan Lige, seeing this, gave Nanny Gu no chance to argue. His voice turned suddenly harsh. “Get out, or don’t blame me for being rude!”

Nanny Gu had already snuck out on her own accord, and she had no wish to cause trouble here in Mobei. Anxious, she abruptly pinched shut the mouth of the five-colored venomous lizard and warned coldly, “Get to work, or I’ll starve you for three days!”

The five-colored venomous lizard had no way to struggle free. It could only swing its tail rapidly, and soon it settled, pointing in one direction.

That direction was exactly toward the person on the bed.

Heaven only knew what this five-colored venomous lizard actually meant.

The direction of the bed was southeast.

“Southeast… back again?” Nanny Gu muttered to herself, stuffing the five-colored venomous lizard back into her sleeve. Carefully she pushed aside the foot Xuanyuan Lige had pressed against her body, and said with a smile, “Young master, calm your anger, calm your anger, we’ll leave right away!”

Xuanyuan Lige’s foot hung in midair, ready to kick out at any moment. Nanny Gu truly did not delay — she scrambled up and led her group of followers out, not even bothering to say farewell, as if she were in a great hurry.

Xuanyuan Lige watched silently until the group’s retreating figures vanished into the wind and snow, and only then did he let out a slow breath.

He didn’t know whether his suspicions about the old nanny were right or wrong. Perhaps the old woman had merely been passing through and wasn’t here for Ziqing at all — perhaps he was being overly cautious. But being overly cautious was still better than being careless.

He closed the door and returned to Ziqing’s side, recalling the venomous lizard’s reaction just now. It seemed this old Xiongnu nanny had been using that lizard to search for something.

The Xiongnu had nothing to do with poison arts — so what was she looking for?

Xuanyuan Lige didn’t know, nor did he care to think about it further. What concerned him most was still Ziqing.

His fingertip lightly brushed across Ziqing’s lips as he mulled over what the old nanny had said — whether it was true or false. If it were true, then who could have administered the poison?

The only people who had been in contact with Ziqing were the Yu women — mother and daughter — and the old witch doctor.

A flash of cold intent crossed his eyes. He immediately turned and fetched some charcoal ash, then drew a few drops of blood from Ziqing’s fingertip, mixed them together, and gently applied the mixture to her lips.

Whether or not someone had drugged her would be known by the third night.

All that remained was to wait…

Meanwhile, on the other side, Jun Beiyue could wait no longer at all.

Since the last report had come in, no new news had arrived — only word of Situ Haonan fighting alone against the enemy.

Jun Beiyue led the Three Great Tiger Armies, the Three Armies of the Western Frontier, driving straight into the heartland of Dongqin, sweeping all before him almost without resistance. And yet he felt not the slightest joy of victory.

He, who never drank during a campaign, had already spent three nights alone in the central command tent, drinking heavily.

Tonight, once again, he was drowning his sorrows till dawn.

Not for any other reason — only because he wanted to leave.

In the empty central camp, only a single oil lamp burned, casting a dim and feeble light. His solitary figure sat hunched over the map-covered table, lifting the wine jar to his lips.

If only he could get drunk — sleep through till dawn, then rise and keep fighting, keep advancing.

But he could never quite get drunk. The moment he had a spare moment, worry crept in, and thoughts followed.

Where on earth was that woman?

As a prince, as the general the common people regarded as an unshakable pillar, he lived up to the title “War God.”

But as a husband, he was utterly unworthy.

He wanted to leave. Right now.

“Crash!” The wine jar shattered violently against the ground. He barked out suddenly, “Someone, summon the Three Great Tiger Generals and the Second Prince!”

But the first to enter was Imperial Physician Gu.

Hongyi’s condition had grown steadily worse. Every army physician had examined her, all to no avail — only when Imperial Physician Gu was called back did her pulse show any improvement.

Imperial Physician Gu’s medical skill truly could not be denied.

Yet in the several days since his arrival, Jun Beiyue had never once summoned him for a private audience — until tonight, when he came on his own.

Jun Beiyue looked at him coldly and was about to speak when Imperial Physician Gu, having learned his lesson this time, respectfully reported, “My lord, the army lacks medicine, and there is nothing more I can do here. Now that Hongyi’s condition has stabilized, I wish to take her back to the capital for treatment.”

Jun Beiyue was somewhat surprised, but he had no extra thought to spare for the matter and said only flatly, “Granted. The Shadow Guards will escort you.”

“Thank you, Your Highness!” Imperial Physician Gu said, glancing at the pile of wine jars on the ground, then withdrew at once.

Once outside the tent, he shook his head and sighed repeatedly. Prince Baxian had been right — a beautiful woman truly was a disaster, incapable of amounting to anything good.

He had thought that with Princess Consort Yao gone to the Western Frontier, the prince would be free of worries at home. Who would have guessed she’d stir up more trouble for him even from a distance!

Knowing Prince Yao as well as he did, Imperial Physician Gu understood: summoning the Three Great Tiger Generals and the Second Prince for no reason meant he was determined to leave.

This time, Imperial Physician Gu didn’t dare stop him to his face. He thought it best to hurry back to the capital and discuss the matter properly with Prince Baxian — they absolutely had to come up with a solution.

Someone of Han Ziqing’s standing could never become the future empress of Da Zhou. And now, she must not be allowed to influence Prince Yao any further!

Jun Beiyue truly did intend to leave. The moment the Three Great Tiger Generals and Jun Beichen arrived, he came straight to the point and declared he was leaving.

“Your Highness, this… sneaking off like this isn’t proper!”

“What’s improper about it? Would you have me announce it to every soldier? That would only throw the army into chaos!”

“No, it’s just… this is rather sudden! Your Highness, even though we currently have the upper hand in the battle, if Minhan Mude’er learns you’re not with the army, then…”

…

The three generals each held different opinions, and the argument nearly came to blows, when Jun Beichen suddenly slammed the table, silencing them all. “I think Fourth Brother should go himself, personally.”

Jun Beichen and Consort Yi had colluded not only with Xichu but also with Xijing. Yet ever since the negotiations at the Three Western Cities, when Jun Beiyue had shown him both severity and mercy, Jun Beichen had truly turned toward him wholeheartedly — not to mention that Consort Yi’s life remained in Jun Beiyue’s hands all along.

“The Three Armies of the Western Frontier are all stationed here. If anything unexpected happens, the few remaining small garrisons won’t be able to resist at all. And most critically, Yelu Qianqian is still in Dongqin’s hands. Right now, the Western Frontier is more dangerous than the Northern Frontier. The situation on the Northern Frontier is basically stable — as long as we push all the way to beneath the Northern Frontier plateau, Fourth Brother can come back. I don’t think it’ll be a real problem.”

Jun Beichen’s analysis was sound. With their current military strength, taking the Dongqin heartland was only a matter of time. Minhan Mude’er wouldn’t take the initiative to attack — he would simply wait at the Northern Frontier plateau.

Moreover, since Minhan Mude’er had rescued the Dongqin Empress, he was likely also waiting for news of Yelu Qianqian from the Western Frontier.

As for the Northern Frontier, Jun Beiyue could set his mind at ease.

Jun Beiyue raised an eyebrow at Jun Beichen, looking at him with a touch of newfound respect — at least this fellow was no longer just talking theory on paper.

Only then did the Three Great Tiger Generals finally understand — the prince wasn’t actually discussing the matter with them at all. He was saying goodbye.

“My lord, if that’s the case, then set out tonight. Leave the Northern Frontier to us — you may rest assured!” General Baihu said earnestly.

Jun Beiyue took a drink of wine and smiled broadly. “Drink up — no need to see me off!”

“As you command!” the group replied in unison, each draining their cup to the last drop.

And indeed, no one saw him off. Jun Beiyue, clad in black riding gear, leapt onto his horse, and in moments his figure vanished into the night, without disturbing anyone else in the camp.

Though Jun Beichen’s analysis had been sound, for a supreme commander to abandon his army and leave like this — heaven only knew how much resolve it had taken him. After all, analysis was one thing, but everything still hung on variables, and this army here represented the entirety of Da Zhou’s military strength.

If word got out, how many soldiers’ hearts would he lose?

But having held on this far, having fought this far, he felt it was enough.

The realm — he wanted it. The woman — he would not let go of her either.

Mobei — Jun Beiyue had arrived!