On the dark blue canopy of sky, the cold moon hung silent, casting down its chilly light. The desert under moonlight stretched endlessly. Between heaven and earth lay complete stillness, with only the clip-clop of horse hooves echoing.
So lonely, so desolate.
The northern frontier sky became extremely cold at night. The night wind howled past her ears, making the endless grass cry out with whooshing sounds.
Hua Zhuyu wore no warm clothing. To avoid exposing her identity, she had long since discarded the armor and mask from her body. At this moment, with her black hair loose and wearing only a blood-stained white robe, she looked like a frail woman who had escaped from a pile of corpses—no one would associate her with Yinmian Xiuluo.
After traveling for two days, there were no more pursuers behind her. However, in this desert, human habitation was also rare. Hua Zhuyu was extremely familiar with the terrain of the western frontier and knew that passing through the forest stretching several li ahead would bring her to Northern Dynasty territory. There would be herding nomads from whom she could seek warm clothing to replace her blood-stained robe.
Actually, Hua Zhuyu had never imagined she would return to the Northern Dynasty so soon. That day, in order to return to the Southern Dynasty, her agreement with Xiao Yin was merely a spur-of-the-moment expedient. And Xiao Yin clearly had never intended to rely on her, because he was so proud—what was there that he couldn’t accomplish himself? It was only a matter of time.
However, she ultimately still had to return. Now, the Northern Dynasty was the nearest and safest place. And she always kept her promises to others—she never liked owing debts.
Hua Zhuyu didn’t know if she could still make it to the Northern Dynasty. She felt waves of cold, and though she had simply treated her wounds, after two days of running, the wounds seemed to have torn open again, causing piercing pain. She could even feel blood seeping out. Her vision kept going black, her limbs gradually becoming cold and numb—she thought she must be ill. Traveling desperately through such a cold night while injured, she was certainly ill.
She had to hold on. Perhaps after crossing this forest and reaching the Northern Dynasty, there would be nomads’ tents. Thinking this, Hua Zhuyu lay prostrate on her horse, letting it carry her forward. Soon, the horse had emerged from the forest, and suddenly her ears were filled with human voices and horse neighing, along with countless torches like brilliant stars in the sky, instantly illuminating the vast grassland ahead.
Hua Zhuyu’s heart jumped as she quickly pressed her legs against the horse’s flanks, but her rouge horse only paced in place without running. After such desperate flight, perhaps this horse was also extremely tired and could no longer run. Unexpectedly, not only did the horse refuse to run, it also neighed toward the front. She was somewhat surprised and looked up to see dozens of cavalry approaching solemnly, their stern torches illuminating silver armor so brightly it nearly blinded the eyes.
Those people heard the neighing of Hua Zhuyu’s rouge horse and all raised their torches to look over. Countless sharp gazes fell upon her, and upon seeing her, they were all extremely astonished. In her current state, she must look neither human nor ghost—anyone who saw her would be shocked.
Another round of horse neighing came from the crowd ahead, and a jet-black steed galloped toward Hua Zhuyu. She squinted and recognized this big black horse as Xiao Yin’s mount.
Since Xiao Yin’s horse was here, these soldiers must be his troops? Hua Zhuyu felt relieved. She had never imagined that one day, encountering soldiers of the Northern Dynasty’s Crown Prince—who should have been mortal enemies—would feel more reassuring than meeting Southern Dynasty soldiers.
The big black horse galloped to Hua Zhuyu’s side and suddenly lowered its head, nuzzling intimately with the rouge horse beneath her.
Hua Zhuyu couldn’t help but smile. So the rouge horse Xiao Yin had lent her was actually paired with his big black horse. After not seeing each other for days, the two horses were quite affectionate. The soldiers had originally held their swords defensively against Hua Zhuyu, but now knowing she rode His Highness’s horse, they all politely requested her to dismount.
Under the soldiers’ guidance, Hua Zhuyu stumbled forward a few steps.
The soldiers parted, and suddenly her view opened up. She saw the grassland ahead covered with thick felt carpets, upon which sat a long table, and behind it sat a person.
It was Northern Dynasty Crown Prince Xiao Yin.
He wore a golden crown and jade belt, light robes and wide sleeves. His long eyes were half-closed as he reclined leisurely on a couch, calmly savoring wine.
“Reporting to Your Highness, the person…” a soldier was about to report when Xiao Yin raised his hand, stopping his words. He slowly sipped the fine wine in his cup, his handsome face wearing an intoxicated, faint smile as he turned leisurely around, casually casting his gaze upon Hua Zhuyu. The firelight was dazzling, making his purple eyes narrow slightly to hide the shock within them.
Hua Zhuyu smiled self-mockingly. Looking down at herself, she saw her plain robe had been torn by swords, revealing streaks of bright red blood, with fresh blood still flowing from the tattered seams. Actually, for Hua Zhuyu, this wasn’t her most severe injury. Though it hurt, she was accustomed to it—it was nothing remarkable. However, someone like Xiao Yin who had been through hundreds of battles should be used to such carnage. There was no need to be so shocked, right?
“You’ve returned so quickly—is the matter resolved?” Xiao Yin raised his wine cup and asked coldly.
“Why are you here?” Hua Zhuyu didn’t answer Xiao Yin’s question but calmly asked her own.
“This Crown Prince is here hunting. What a coincidence to encounter you!” Xiao Yin took another sip of fine wine and said coldly.
Hui Xue at his side couldn’t help but twitch her lips, holding back for a long time before saying nothing.
Hunting?! What a coincidence?!
Running hundreds of li from the capital to hunt, and in the dead of night—besides wolves, what other animals were there? Could he be hunting wolves? And wasn’t it someone who had dispatched dozens of soldiers to search for the person riding the rouge horse? Later, it was the gyrfalcon that found the person, and they waited here peacefully for an hour and a half. Waiting in the dark night for an hour and a half, just waiting for her to pass through here—this was called a coincidence?
Such words—probably no one would believe them! But Hua Zhuyu believed them. If someone said Xiao Yin had come here specifically to meet her, she wouldn’t believe that! But whether she believed it or not, Hua Zhuyu had no leisure to think about it, because she could no longer stand steady. Her vision blurred, her body grew colder, her legs gave way, and she collapsed on the grassland as profound darkness surged toward her.
Hua Zhuyu dreamed of many faces—familiar and unfamiliar ones floating and swaying before her eyes. Finally, they all wove together into a crimson-toned painting, so tragic, so sorrowful.
When she awoke, Hua Zhuyu found herself once again in Xiao Yin’s Crown Prince Manor, residing in the side hall where she had lived when serving as his bed companion.
In such an unfamiliar place, even grief was impossible. She could only bury all past events and sorrows deep in her heart. Only when night was deep and quiet, in unobserved corners, could she alone taste that agony like slow torture.
Her injuries weren’t particularly severe—mainly she had caught a cold, combined with stagnant qi and blood in her heart. This illness dragged on for quite some time. When her condition finally recovered, it was already mid-April. Originally spring should have been in full bloom, but the weather turned cold again, and it began to snow.
The fierce north wind mixed with thick sand had blown for two days, and on the third day, snow began to fall—first snow pellets pattering down, then gradually transforming into drifting snowflakes, falling like flowers and dancing like butterflies. After snowing for two days, everywhere was covered with scattered jade and chaotic crystal, no different from winter.
People in the Crown Prince Manor all donned cotton robes and fox furs, and braziers were lit indoors.
Hua Zhuyu couldn’t help but sigh—the Northern Dynasty’s weather was truly like an unfathomable human heart. Originally warm and pleasant, it suddenly became an icy wasteland.
When Xiao Yin had gone to the Southern Dynasty to select a crown princess, Southern Dynasty people had all said the Northern Dynasty’s climate was unsuitable for Southern Dynasty inhabitants. This statement was indeed correct. How could deep-palace young ladies from the Southern Dynasty’s Yu Capital, accustomed to pleasant climates since childhood, endure such unpredictably hot and cold ghostly weather? No wonder everyone had avoided it if possible.
Since Hua Zhuyu’s recovery, she hadn’t seen Xiao Yin’s shadow. However, on the day it snowed, Hui Xue brought her a fox fur cloak as a gift. Now Hui Xue accompanied her daily, practically becoming her personal maid. Hui Xue still called her Dan Hong and never asked a word about her going to Liang Zhou to disrupt the execution.
This sudden heavy snow greatly affected the Northern Dynasty. Many nomads’ livestock froze and starved to death. Xiao Yin had been away from the manor these days, reportedly busy with disaster relief efforts.
This afternoon, while Hua Zhuyu and Hui Xue warmed themselves by the fire indoors, Hua Zhuyu learned from Hui Xue that three tribes on the grassland that refused to submit to the Northern Dynasty—the Heqiang tribe, the Keerku tribe, and the Duosen tribe—had united and taken advantage of the sudden wind and snow to attack nomads from multiple Northern Dynasty tribes. Xiao Yin had personally led twenty thousand troops to suppress them.
“His Highness is determined to subdue these three tribes this time,” Hui Xue sat by the brazier, weaving something unknown.
Hua Zhuyu leaned against the bed and couldn’t help but smile self-mockingly. Xiao Yin indeed hadn’t taken her promise to heart. A man as proud as him was unwilling to rely on women, or perhaps simply didn’t believe her. If so, why had he agreed to let her return to the Southern Dynasty that day? Hua Zhuyu was somewhat puzzled.
“How is the war situation at the front?” Hua Zhuyu asked casually.
“This servant doesn’t know clearly, but these three tribes are large grassland tribes with fierce cavalry. To subdue them will require a hard battle,” Hui Xue said quietly.
Hua Zhuyu nodded. Reportedly, these three tribes often harassed nomads of other northern frontier peoples and were the Northern Dynasty’s greatest concern. Xiao Yin probably thought about subduing them day and night. However, since they hadn’t been subdued for many years, these three tribes were probably not easy to deal with. Moreover, Xiao Yin had just fought a great war with the Southern Dynasty and his strength was somewhat weakened—victory would probably not be easy.
“Hui Xue, I want to go to the battlefield!” She had promised Xiao Yin to help him subdue the tribes that refused to surrender. Though he disdained seeking her help, she still had to keep her word. She never liked owing debts to others.
“Very well, I’ll send someone to prepare horses!” Hui Xue agreed and went to prepare horses. Before His Highness left, he had instructed her to obey Dan Hong in everything. So if she wanted to go to the battlefield, she could only comply.
That afternoon, Hua Zhuyu set out with Hui Xue and over ten guards toward the battlefield.
They rode from afternoon until evening.
The north wind still howled, the sky was overcast with heavy black clouds, and both moon and stars had hidden behind the clouds. They didn’t reach the battlefield because they encountered retreating Northern Dynasty soldiers halfway.
This battle—they had lost.
When Hua Zhuyu met them, they had already retreated to a place two hundred li from the capital and made camp there.
The north wind raged fiercely, the moon showed its crescent face through the clouds, and the snow-covered earth was white as deep winter.
Hua Zhuyu rode the rouge horse, following closely behind Hui Xue through rows of soldiers, and saw Xiao Yin. He rode his big black horse, surrounded by soldiers as he galloped over. His black armor gleamed with cold, murderous light in the dark night. His handsome face seemed covered with frost.
“What are you doing here?” Seeing Hua Zhuyu, his deep gaze focused, his handsome face remaining unruffled.
Hua Zhuyu dismounted from the rouge horse and was about to speak when she saw the tall figure on horseback sway slightly. Xiao Yin seemed to tremble, then fell heavily from his horse into the snow.
“Your Highness…” Hui Xue collapsed before Xiao Yin, her face pale with shock. Qing Yun and Bi Yue hurriedly dismounted and carried Xiao Yin into a tent. In the newly erected tent, a maid lit candles, casting warm yellow light throughout.
Xiao Yin lay on the couch, his handsome face pale as snow in the lamplight. He seemed to be enduring great pain, his originally cold purple eyes now deep as night.
Hui Xue carefully removed his black armor and loosened his battle robe, only then discovering an arrow shaft embedded in Xiao Yin’s chest. Blood flowed down the broken arrow shaft—a shocking sight.
“His Highness is injured, and none of you knew? How exactly are you protecting His Highness?” Hui Xue said with a pale face.
Hua Zhuyu glanced at Liu Feng, Qing Yun, and Bi Yue kneeling before Xiao Yin. These three were in no better condition, covered in blood—whether their own or the enemy’s was unclear. This showed how fierce that battle had been.
“His Highness was injured and broke off the arrow shaft himself, instructing us not to reveal his injury for fear of damaging morale. He endured the wound and continued fighting,” Liu Feng’s voice grew lower and somewhat choked.
Xiao Yin coughed lightly and said coldly, “Liu Feng, circulate your internal energy and force out the arrow from my chest!” Though his voice was low, his sharpness and dominance were undiminished.
Everyone’s hearts tightened upon hearing this, and someone hurried to summon the military physician. Liu Feng solemnly agreed, stepped forward, and used his qi to press three acupoints on Xiao Yin’s chest, slowing the blood flow. Liu Feng channeled qi and struck Xiao Yin’s back, forcing out the broken arrow. The military physician arrived, sprinkled medicine on the wound, and bound it with bandages.
“All of you withdraw! Dan Hong, you stay!” Xiao Yin leaned against the bed, squinting as he spoke. Everyone immediately withdrew completely.
“What are you here for?” Xiao Yin closed his eyes, lying on his side on the bed, asking coldly.
“I came to fulfill my promise,” Hua Zhuyu said quietly.
“Then tell this Crown Prince—how should this battle be fought now?” Xiao Yin turned his head to look at her, his purple eyes hidden beneath thick lashes, proud and sharp. He had originally been confident of victory in this battle, but during the night raid, they had fallen into the enemy’s ambush.
Hua Zhuyu smiled slightly and said quietly, “Actually, turning defeat into victory isn’t difficult.”
“Oh?” Xiao Yin raised his eyebrows and focused his gaze.
In the candlelight, the woman wrapped in fox fur appeared serene and unruffled, beautiful like a perfect sculpture without expression. Only in those exquisite ink-dark pupils did glimmers of sharpness flash.
He clearly noticed she had changed.
After her serious illness, she had obviously grown much thinner, her chin more pointed, evoking immediate pity. However, her change wasn’t only in appearance. Those rippling black eyes now contained something that hadn’t been there before—deep, concentrated grief. Though she concealed it well, he still glimpsed it. Her entire being now carried a “keep away” aloofness. It seemed nothing could move her anymore. He felt her help was merely due to her promise—nothing else.
This feeling made Xiao Yin very uncomfortable. Actually, since meeting this woman, he had never felt at ease. But somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to truly resent her.
“What good strategy do you have? Speak freely,” he said, lying on his side on the couch, a smile appearing on his pale face, unfathomable as the dark night outside the curtains.
Hua Zhuyu looked into his cold eyes and said calmly, “It’s not really a good strategy—just attacking their hearts!”
On the way here, Hua Zhuyu had learned about the three tribes from Hui Xue. As they say, know yourself and your enemy and you’ll never be defeated. Though the information wasn’t particularly important, it was more than sufficient to repel the enemy.
The north wind continued raging outside the tent, making it flutter loudly. The snow light on the ground reflected the thin moonlight, illuminating the dark cavalry being reorganized. Inside the sheepskin tent, oil-soaked candles burned, filling everywhere with the fragrance of oil.
Several of Xiao Yin’s generals walked steadily into the tent—Right Captain Da Qi, Left Captain Zhang Xi, and several other soldiers Hua Zhuyu didn’t recognize. Each wore tattered armor with blood on their robes frozen into icicles outside, now melting upon entering the tent. Immediately, the room filled with the smell of blood.
With Hui Xue’s support, Xiao Yin half-reclined on the bed, calmly surveying his soldiers. These soldiers thought Xiao Yin had summoned them to discuss battle strategy and began speaking eloquently upon entering. This was their first major defeat while subduing grassland tribes, and each was furious.
A dark-faced general couldn’t help cursing, “That old thief Turhalan is truly despicable! Knowing we lost nearly half our forces fighting the Southern Dynasty and are currently reorganizing and recovering, he conspired with the Keerku and Duosen tribes to launch a general attack. Tonight’s battle cost us many good brothers. If they survey the battlefield at dawn and learn we’ve lost many soldiers, they’ll certainly launch a general assault. Our current forces are still weak—what can we do? According to the present situation, if we clash with them directly, it would be foolish courage. Your Highness, why not negotiate temporarily and attack again later?”
“Absolutely not! These three tribes are fierce and savage—how could they have any intention of negotiation? Besides, if our great Northern Dynasty negotiates with mere tribes, wouldn’t we be a laughingstock?” Zhang Xi frowned and said.
“Better to retreat! The capital has strong walls and thick fortifications—we could hold out for a while. Then we could seek reinforcements from the Southern Dynasty or Eastern Yan and turn defeat into victory.”
“How can we retreat? Would our Northern Dynasty warriors become cowards? I refuse to believe we can’t defeat those bastards—let’s attack at night!”
Xiao Yin coughed lightly, and the arguing immediately stopped, the tent falling silent.
“We cannot retreat, nor can we negotiate—only fight. And how to fight…” A series of coughs made Xiao Yin frown, his pale face making his features appear even more profound and handsome. He stopped coughing and turned to Hua Zhuyu, “Dan Hong, you deploy the troops.”
The generals were instantly speechless. So His Highness had gathered them not to discuss strategy but already had a plan to repel the enemy. But what most astonished them was that His Highness wanted this woman to command the troops.
His Highness had never trusted an outsider like this, especially an unknown woman—how could this not shock them greatly? But they couldn’t disobey His Highness’s words. For a moment, everyone turned to see what capabilities this woman possessed.
Hua Zhuyu had already taken out a silk handkerchief to cover her face, revealing only her clear, bright eyes. After this matter was resolved, she had more important things to do—she couldn’t let more people see her true appearance. She walked steadily before the generals, sharp light flashing in her ink-dark pupils.
In this moment, she seemed to return to the battlefield, facing thousands of soldiers waiting for her address, waiting for her to deploy troops. Her heart felt momentarily dazed as she looked up, seeing unfamiliar gazes filled with complex emotions—confusion, hostility… But her soldiers, those familiar comrades she had lived with day and night, would never return to hear her commands again.
Hua Zhuyu’s mind was somewhat confused. So when familiar people were missing, it was like withered flowers and fallen leaves. She clenched her fists and said, “Dan Hong is unworthy, but because His Highness is injured and unwell, I convey his orders. Actually, you all understand that neither negotiation nor retreat is feasible. Only battle is the sole path. But since we must fight, victory is the only way—absolutely no defeat.” Her voice was very gentle yet filled with an authority that made people want to submit.
“Easy to say, but how can you guarantee no defeat?” Someone quietly muttered, emboldened. They indeed didn’t accept Hua Zhuyu, but before Xiao Yin, they dared not shout loudly.
“If everyone does as I say, I believe we’ll definitely win this battle.” Hua Zhuyu’s cold eyes narrowed. After a moment of silence, she commanded coldly, “Right Captain Zhang Xi, tonight you’ll lead ten thousand soldiers to attack the Heqiang tribe’s stronghold. Turhalan’s son Butu is there with eight thousand elite troops—defeat them in one strike. Each soldier takes four horses, rotating mounts. Besides weapons, bring nothing else, including military rations. You must depart with light cavalry and intercept those eight thousand elite before the fourth watch. Can you accomplish this?”
Zhang Xi pondered for a moment. Actually, Northern Dynasty people excelled at lightning raids. For a two-hundred-li distance, they could not only reach there but possibly return before dawn. Ten thousand against eight thousand, plus a surprise attack, would surely result in victory. But what would victory accomplish? What would destroying the Heqiang stronghold achieve? If their ten thousand soldiers attacked the Heqiang tribe, only three thousand would remain here—how could they face over ten thousand elite troops from three major tribes? If they couldn’t hold fast, they might lose the imperial city.
“This captain can accomplish it! But…” Zhang Xi said gravely.
Xiao Yin opened his long eyes slightly and said calmly, “Zhang Xi, just follow orders.”
“Yes.” Zhang Xi agreed and left to carry out orders.
“Right Captain Da Qi, organize the remaining three thousand troops. Remember, no blood stains on battle uniforms—if there are new uniforms, wear those instead. Half the soldiers should tie tree branches to their horses’ tails.”
Da Qi was stunned. Could changing into new military uniforms and tying tree branches to horses’ tails enable their three thousand troops to defeat over ten thousand from three tribes? Though puzzled, seeing His Highness’s calm expression, he dared not question and received orders to depart.
The next day, dawn broke. Northern Dynasty soldiers engaged in fierce battle with the three major tribes. Hua Zhuyu and Xiao Yin sat in the tent playing chess while scouts continuously entered to report battle conditions.
The two seemed to hear nothing, their full attention apparently on the chess board. Only when a scout reported that Turhalan showed no panic upon seeing reinforcements disguised as Northern Dynasty Imperial Guards did Hua Zhuyu smile and place a piece, saying, “It seems your troubles extend beyond this single battle.”
The Northern Dynasty Imperial Guards were jointly commanded by Consort Ye’s father Ye Di and Crown Prince Xiao Yin. Since Turhalan was so certain Ye Di wouldn’t aid Xiao Yin, he must be colluding with Ye Di.
Xiao Yin frowned, “You can still smile? If this battle is lost, what then?”
Hua Zhuyu placed her white stone with a “snap,” “If we lose, I’ll be at Your Highness’s disposal.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yin’s eyes narrowed, “You said this—if I make you…”
Before finishing his words, a scout loudly reported, “Report! Our army is victorious!”
On the third day, Xiao Yin pressed his advantage, successively subduing the three major tribes. Thus, all of the northern frontier fell under Northern Dynasty rule, with no more tribal conflicts.