They heard the sound of commotion outside the military encampment. Fortunately, the Qingyun Guards were well-trained. Upon becoming aware of the enemy attack, no matter how far they were from the main tent, their first reaction was to throw down whatever they were doing, draw their weapons, and converge toward Wen Yu to defend against the enemy.

Zhao Bai, who had gone to patrol the camp after the tents were set up, also quickly rode back in disarray. Seeing Wen Yu protected in the middle by the Qingyun Guards, she felt relieved. She dismounted and walked toward Wen Yu, saying, “Princess, there’s an enemy attack. Please come with this servant to take cover first!”

As she spoke, she handed over a dark-colored cloak for Wen Yu to put on first. A female Qingyun Guard with a similar build to Wen Yu then changed into her previous wedding garments to divert the attention of the attackers.

When Tongque pushed Wen Yu to the ground, her back hit the sand and stones on the ground. She must have been bruised, as the area hurt with a burning pain. Fortunately, when she was in Pingzhou, because of handling government affairs for long periods and her health suffering, she had begun setting aside half an hour each day to practice martial arts to strengthen her body. Now a little bruising and minor injuries didn’t affect her movement.

After being helped onto horseback by Zhao Bai, she calmly gripped the reins and asked amid the chaos, “What about the Chen army’s side?”

Zhao Bai held the horse’s bit and turned the horse’s head around, answering, “I don’t know. Everything here in the camp is in complete chaos. I didn’t have time to go find Commander Jiang from the Chen army’s side.”

Firelight and the sounds of fighting erupted in the camp not far away. As the group was hurriedly escorting Wen Yu away, someone suddenly came galloping from behind. Zhao Bai led the Qingyun Guards in drawing their swords and forming a defensive formation. The person on horseback raised his sword still in its sheath from afar to show he had no ill intent.

When the person and horse galloped near, they could see clearly that the person on horseback was Jiang Yu. Upon seeing Wen Yu, he also visibly breathed a sigh of relief and said, “The Xiling army has launched a surprise attack. I will immediately dispatch people to escort the Princess to a safe place!”

Wen Yu pulled her cloak tighter, her brows furrowing, “Xiling?”

The sounds of fighting in the distance grew more intense. Jiang Yu raised his arm to wipe the blood and sweat from his face, saying, “Now is not the time for detailed explanations. I will explain to the Princess later.”

After speaking, he placed his index finger to his lips and blew a sharp eagle whistle. The surprise attack troops that had broken out from the camp and were pursuing them were immediately held back by Chen troops that appeared from who knows where.

Jiang Yu summoned a Chen army soldier and gave him some instructions, then said to Wen Yu, “This is the best scout in my army. He will first lead the Princess to Half Moon Bay. After I finish breaking off the pursuit, I’ll hurry to rendezvous with the Princess.”

The scout quickly cupped his fists deeply toward Wen Yu.

Wen Yu knew the situation was urgent and didn’t say more, only saying, “I’m grateful to Commander Jiang. I earnestly hope Commander Jiang takes care.”

After Jiang Yu hurriedly cupped his fists toward Wen Yu, he turned his horse around and headed toward the camp where the battle was most fierce. The two civil officials Fang Mingda and Sikong Wei were escorted by a small detachment of Chen Kingdom troops to join Wen Yu for evacuation first.

Sikong Wei, with his old bones, was naturally terrified by this fright. After a night of bumpy escape, his skeleton was nearly jolted apart. Fang Mingda was in better condition along the way, but the escape was so urgent that he had to share a horse with Sikong Wei. Being the junior, he naturally had to look after Sikong Wei somewhat. By the time they reached Half Moon Bay, Sikong Wei had vomited all over him.

When Zhao Bai helped Wen Yu down from horseback, Fang Mingda was at the water’s edge washing his outer robe that had been soiled with vomit, daring to complain yet not daring to show anger. Sikong Wei, with a deathly pale face, was leaning against a large rock resting, cushioned by a bundle.

The Chen army soldiers clearly didn’t know how to care for this elder. They only held a water bottle they had just filled and quietly asked Sikong Wei if he wanted to drink some water to settle his stomach.

But Sikong Wei was dizzy and his stomach was churning with nausea. He didn’t even dare open his eyes to look at people. The moment he opened his eyes, he felt the world spinning, and opening his mouth meant vomiting. He only listlessly waved his hand, indicating he wouldn’t drink.

Seeing this, Wen Yu said to Tongque beside her, “There should be some calming pills in my personal bundle. Take one and give it to Minister Sikong.”

Tongque quickly retrieved the medicine and brought it over. After Sikong Wei was helped by a soldier to take the medicine, he slowly regained some strength. He looked weakly toward Wen Yu: “I’ve made the Princess laugh at me.”

Wen Yu said, “The Minister was frightened. However, this palace has doubts in my heart. The Xiling Kingdom’s border is very far from Bairen Pass. How could Xiling’s army bring heavy equipment and appear in the Gobi?”

From the moment the first fire stone ball fell above her main tent, she had sensed something was wrong. She had anticipated that this journey to the Chen royal court for the marriage alliance might encounter obstruction from various small nations and tribes, but she hadn’t expected the surprise attack troops to bring heavy equipment directly.

The other side had accurately locked onto the location of her tent and launched the surprise attack while avoiding the Chen army’s scouts. No matter how one looked at it, it seemed far too incredible.

After hearing Wen Yu’s question, Sikong Wei’s already miserable face showed a trace of shame. He gripped the water bottle tightly and said, “Our Chen Kingdom and their Xiling could be said to have accumulated grievances for a long time. Back when the usurping Former Jin traitors forced our Chen Kingdom’s monarch and ministers beyond the pass, Xiling was far from being as powerful as it is now. Between the two countries were many small nations and tribes, so we could be said to not interfere with each other. But the Former Jin traitors, relying on the prosperity of the national treasury left by our Chen Kingdom, engaged in militarism and spent extravagantly, repeatedly conquering and forcing surrounding small nations and tribes to pay tribute. When the Xiling barbarian tribes saw this, they inevitably also developed the intention to imitate.”

Sikong Wei’s words were full of sorrow: “After Former Jin squandered the national treasury empty, they scraped the people’s fat and ointment from the scalps of common people to maintain court expenses. However, the provisions allocated to the border garrison troops decreased year by year, eventually causing the border defenses to weaken. The surrounding small nations and tribes not only no longer paid tribute but from time to time attacked within the pass to plunder the common people. Former Jin internally had already fallen apart, with popular resentment everywhere and no ability to wage war. Just at this time, the new Xiling Emperor ascended the throne, conquered many surrounding small nations, and used this to intimidate the powerful tribes in the Gobi. From then on, Xiling imitated Former Jin in demanding tribute from surrounding small nations and tribes.”

“Our Chen Kingdom’s Emperor Xiaoping, who relocated beyond the pass, once took a princess from the Gobi Huiyan tribe as empress. To prevent Xiling from oppressing the surrounding tribes, he united with the Huiyan tribe and many other tribes to resist Xiling. This situation has continued until now. But Xiling has grown increasingly powerful. A few years ago, before our king ascended the throne, Xiling launched a major attack on our Chen Kingdom’s border, demanding that our Chen Kingdom henceforth submit as a vassal state. The previous king was unwilling to suffer such humiliation, so he issued an edict to the princes saying whoever could greatly defeat Xiling would be made heir.”

Sikong Wei didn’t elaborate further, but Wen Yu already understood that the Chen King had rushed to the Central Plains at that time to borrow troops from her father.

Sikong Wei said earnestly, “Xiling has wolfish ambitions and to this day hasn’t given up on devouring our Chen Kingdom. Our king’s marriage alliance with the Princess is feared by Chen and Great Liang—that we will henceforth be shield and spear for each other, not only no longer fearing that Xiling, but even sending troops to conquer that Xiling. This is why they would stop at nothing, wanting to kill the Princess to eliminate future troubles forever…”

Hearing the last sentence, Zhao Bai’s expression turned cold.

Wen Yu’s expression was calm, and she had no intention of interrupting Sikong Wei.

When Sikong Wei spoke of Chen Kingdom’s difficulties, he wept sorrowfully: “Xiling’s side has for years sent envoys to lobby the many tribes in the Gobi. Tonight, that the Princess encountered danger was because nearby tribes that originally submitted to Chen Kingdom have already been turned by Xiling.”

Wen Yu’s face showed neither anger nor lack thereof. She only took the handkerchief offered by the Qingyun Guard behind her, handed it to Sikong Wei, then stood up and said, “Your Chen should have informed this palace of this matter earlier. After all, when the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold, don’t they?”

To secure the negotiations back then, Chen Kingdom had hidden their conflict with Xiling extremely tightly. Wen Yu had never gone beyond the pass, and the generals of Pingzhou, relying on the natural barrier of Bairen Pass, had never ventured deep into the Gobi. They truly didn’t know the dispute between Chen Kingdom and Xiling had already become so intense.

As for Xiling and their Great Liang, with Chen Kingdom and numerous small nations and tribes between them, the two countries had no contact whatsoever.

The small nations that originally paid tribute to Former Jin, after Former Jin’s collapse, did change to paying tribute to Xiling. However, the Liang Emperor who had unified the Central Plains heartland deeply understood that the root of Former Jin’s national destruction lay in militarism—fighting wars until the entire national treasury was depleted, then through increased corvée labor and taxes oppressing the common people at the bottom until they rose up in rebellion. So he decided to first recuperate and replenish the national treasury. Thus he only strengthened border defense but did not send troops to intimidate surrounding small nations into paying tribute.

Who would have thought that before Great Liang could recuperate, the Liang Emperor’s centralization of power and suspicion in his later years would again plant the seeds of disaster for the Central Plains.

Hearing Wen Yu’s words, Sikong Wei’s face couldn’t help turning green, then red, then white in succession. He stammered, not knowing what else to say.

The words he had originally prepared to exonerate their Chen Kingdom and persuade Wen Yu to share a common enemy—when Wen Yu said them, they made their previous concealment seem all the more unseemly, which was quite infuriating.

Fang Mingda was also extremely clever, playing deaf and dumb on the side while scrubbing his own clothes, not rushing forward to be a punching bag.

Afterward, Wen Yu casually told Sikong Wei to rest well, then took Zhao Bai and Tongque to the other side of the riverbank to sit down and take a temporary rest.

Tongque was someone who couldn’t keep words in her heart. As she massaged Wen Yu’s calves that had gone stiff and sore from riding, she couldn’t help but complain: “The people on the Chen Kingdom’s side have hearts with more holes than a wasp’s nest. Everything there is a rotten mess, yet back in Pingzhou they put on such airs with you?”

Wen Yu’s expression was calm: “The overall situation being unfavorable to Chen Kingdom may actually be more advantageous to us.”

Tongque was completely confused: “Aren’t we supposed to borrow Chen Kingdom’s troops? Chen Kingdom is already like a clay Buddha crossing the river—how can they help us fight Pei Song?”

Zhao Bai took water that had been boiled and cooled and gave it to Wen Yu, explaining for her: “Chen Kingdom facing the threat from Xiling—forming an alliance with us is what’s safe for them.”

She took out some flatbread from the bundle, tore off half and handed it to Tongque, continuing: “It’s like two hyenas. Even though Xiling may be more powerful than Southern Chen, in a short time they can’t kill Southern Chen. And after Southern Chen forms an alliance with our Great Liang, they gain a great support. When eliminating Pei Song and then contending with Wei Qishan, with Southern Chen having an external enemy present, they absolutely won’t dare turn their backs on us.”

Just as they were talking, the sound of galloping horses suddenly came from the distance. Zhao Bai poked her head to look and said to Wen Yu, “Princess, that fellow surnamed Jiang has returned.”

In a moment, Jiang Yu rode his horse to Wen Yu. He dismounted, covered in dust from the journey. However, because his features were handsome, it added more of a cold and resolute flavor. Holding the horse’s reins, he bent his arm across his chest and saluted Wen Yu: “Tonight I’ve caused the Princess to be frightened.”

Wen Yu’s own traveling carriage and the hundred or so carts loaded with dowry had all been brought back with the troops. Knowing that Jiang Yu must have repelled that Xiling army, she slightly raised the corners of her eyes. Her ink-dark pupils were as unfathomably deep as the boundless night spread across this vast desert. She said with unclear meaning, “This palace has experienced assassination attempts quite frequently. It can’t be called being frightened. I only wonder how many matters your esteemed Chen has concealed from this palace.”

Even though Jiang Yu tried his best to maintain his facial expression, his half-clenched fist pressed against his shoulder in salute had suddenly tightened, and his gaze also unconsciously stabbed toward Fang Mingda.

Fang Mingda hurriedly gave Jiang Yu a look and came out laughing to smooth things over: “What the Princess says—our Chen Kingdom has laid bare our entire foundation for the Princess to see. What could we be hiding from the Princess? Tonight’s surprise attack by Xiling occupying the nearby tribes was also completely unexpected by our Chen Kingdom. Look at Minister Sikong—he nearly lost half his life…”

He was about to continue chattering on when Zhao Bai glanced at Wen Yu and deliberately interrupted him: “My Princess has not slept all night and is somewhat tired. Let’s set up camp and rest first.”

Fang Mingda hurriedly agreed. Jiang Yu also ordered those below to set up camp on the spot.

After Wen Yu led the Qingyun Guards away, Jiang Yu ordered those below to take Sikong Wei to rest in a tent.

With no one around, he then darkened his face and questioned Fang Mingda: “You didn’t let slip anything you shouldn’t say, did you?”

Fang Mingda glanced around left and right before crying out his innocence: “Before you came, I didn’t say a single word. What would I let slip?”

Only then did Jiang Yu’s expression ease somewhat. Before leaving, he still issued a warning: “Since you’ve chosen to work for Aunt, if you want your head to remain securely on your neck, control your tongue.”