With Shuzhou City having surrendered, the changing of guards inside and outside the city naturally created a flurry of activity. The Emperor’s retinue was injured, so his Imperial Army made camp to rest and recuperate temporarily.

As daylight brightened, troops in the various camps began their drills, with shouts and commands constantly filling the air.

He went to meet those former officials without asking her to accompany him. She complied with his wishes and remained in the central command tent, confident that with his many tactics, she had no concerns about his ability to win over those men.

She went to check on Qingyun and then visited Liu Dezhong to inquire carefully about his wound. Upon returning to the tent and finding he had not yet returned, she couldn’t help but allow her thoughts to wander.

Suspecting all his memorials and edicts would be kept in this large tent, she began searching everywhere for that enfeoffment edict he intended to send to the two government offices in the capital.

General Chai’s words from early morning had remained impressed upon her mind. She had always vaguely worried that he might be doing things she wasn’t aware of for her sake. If she asked him directly, he would certainly conceal it from her, so she couldn’t blame herself for these less-than-virtuous thoughts.

To her surprise, after searching every possible storage place in the large tent, she still couldn’t find the edict she wanted to see. With her brow sweating profusely, she felt slightly annoyed, thinking that he was truly meticulous, leaving her not even the slightest gap.

With no alternative, she returned to the desk to draft the imperial decree of rewards to be sent to the northern front.

As she wrote, she thought about how Di Nian would again be promoted and rewarded, and wondered how delighted Shen Zhili would be in the capital upon hearing this news.

She only hoped that the northern campaign would end quickly, allowing all those in love to be united with their beloved.

As noon approached, cooking fires had been lit throughout the camp. After waiting for a long time without seeing him return to the tent, she simply took the decree and went to find the dispatch officer at the military courier station.

After instructing the dispatch officer about the decree to be sent to the northern border, her eyes caught sight of the stacks of letters and memorials on the desk. Suddenly struck by a thought, she asked the dispatch officer, “Are you aware that the Emperor’s edict to the two government offices in the capital must be sent out in the coming days?”

The dispatch officer honestly replied, “His Majesty instructed me about this when he came by earlier.”

Seeing that the edict was indeed there, she smiled slightly and said, “The Emperor forgot to add something and asked me to take it back for revision. I’ll return it to you later this evening.”

The dispatch officer considered this for a moment, not daring to refuse, then turned to retrieve it. He respectfully presented it to her, saying, “I await Your Majesty’s revision before sending it on.”

Her heart raced rapidly as she accepted it. As soon as she left the tent, she opened it to read, walking faster and faster. Upon reaching her tent and lowering the curtain, she sighed softly, lit a long candle, and burned the edict.

She had known all along that her suspicions would not be wrong.

He had told her not to worry, yet he had made the court and the world believe that she had committed those treasonous acts under his secret decree, washing away her name as a great traitor. He attributed his decision to establish her as Empress and grant her the northern territories to his own stubborn and arbitrary judgment.

She was the imperial descendant of the previous dynasty. Not only had he not executed her, but he had granted her such extensive enfeoffments. Even if it was to spare the common people from the suffering of war, who could guarantee that these enfeoffed lands would not breed trouble again? He trusted that she harbored no ill intentions, but which officials in court or important administrators in the various regions would dare to trust her sincerity?

If this matter were presented as his initiative to establish her as Empress and grant her territories, it would appear that he was acting arbitrarily, disregarding court protocols, indulging in female charms, and neglecting national interests.

Although his feelings for her ran deep, she absolutely could not allow his brilliance to be tainted in the slightest because of this matter.

It was nearly evening when he finally returned.

Upon entering the tent, he saw her locked in the inner tent, sleeping on the couch. Her soft hair curled over her shoulders, her breathing light, her appearance sweet and fragrant.

He smiled silently, went inside, and bent down to kiss her face.

Disturbed from her sleep, she slowly opened her misty eyes. Her small face showed a lazy expression as her two hands entwined around his neck, nestling into his embrace. She said softly, “You haven’t eaten all day, have you?”

He shook his head, one hand encircling her waist. “I haven’t.” Then he asked, “What about you?”

She looked up at his face. “I wanted to wait and eat with you, but I’ve been waiting since noon and you’ve only just returned.” She pouted slightly. “Why were you gone so long? Didn’t anyone think to send some food over to you?”

“Those former officials are quite stubborn,” he said. “Negotiating military authority with them took until nearly noon, and issuing orders to various rebel military strongholds in the three northern routes took considerable time. Afterward, we also established a written agreement that you are the only surviving bloodline of the previous imperial family.”

She raised her eyebrows slightly, not expecting him to be so thorough in his considerations.

With this in place, there would be no fear of anyone falsely claiming identity to rebel again, nor would anyone question her lineage.

His large hand caressed her body through the thin clothing as he lowered his head slightly. “On my way back, I had someone send the edict to the capital. I heard you visited there this afternoon?”

She felt somewhat guilty and, resting against his shoulder, muttered, “The reward decree you asked me to draft—I had them send it to the northern border.”

Seeing her expression, he knew immediately that she was hiding something, but since she was unwilling to speak of it, he did not press her. This wasn’t the first time, after all.

As for what she was concealing from him, it was surely something done with his interests in mind, and sooner or later, he would discover it anyway.

Ten more days passed before his right arm showed signs of improvement.

News that Shuzhou City had been captured by the Great Peace Imperial Army and that the northern rebel forces had surrendered had been dispatched to various military camps in the north to inform the Imperial troops. However, coordinating the combined forces of rebel and imperial troops to march northward proved extremely difficult.

First, the states, counties, cities, and fortresses occupied by rebel forces on the three northern routes were countless, particularly in remote small counties. With the rebel forces surrendering, the selection and reappointment of officials, the division and stationing of troops, and other matters were numerous and complex. Additionally, according to the agreement, many soldiers from farming backgrounds in the rebel army wished to lay down their arms and return to civilian life, and arranging for their settlement was also quite taxing.

The flames of war on the northern border had not yet been extinguished. They needed to simultaneously mobilize troops from various routes to march north while reorganizing civil and military officials for the three routes. The central command tent was lit with candles night after night, with memorials and military reports from all over the country arriving without cease.

He was busy with various military and political matters day and night without rest, so naturally she did not fare much better, often staying up with him until late at night before retiring to the couch for a brief rest.

Previously at court, she had managed the Personnel Department’s Internal Appointments Division, so she was quite familiar with the task of selecting and reassigning officials. He simply handed over all these matters to her to decide, focusing his energy entirely on merging armies, deploying troops, and the various battles in the north. His one-track mind sought to capture the capital of Northern Jian as soon as possible to bring this widespread chaotic war to an earlier conclusion.

At first, she was reluctant, thinking that acting on his behalf to approve memorials was already overstepping. Who would have thought that he would now entrust all these matters to her judgment? He had participated in court politics and military affairs early in his position as heir, which gave him his current decision-making capacity. Although her rise had been swift, she had only been in court for four years—how could she shoulder such heavy responsibilities? But he did not care, simply saying that since the northern territories would eventually be her enfeoffed lands, she should be capable of handling something as minor as the selection of officials.

Having no choice, she complied with his wishes. Gradually, seeing no major errors in the handling of the states and counties along the three northern routes, she finally felt somewhat relieved.

As various matters began to settle, his subordinate Imperial troops in Shuzhou were also preparing to march north to join the numerous forces deployed to the northern border. Then would come the major military push across the border, striking directly at the capital of Northern Jian.

He did not ask if she wanted to accompany the army’s march, and she did not take the initiative to make such a request. Understanding that military matters took precedence, although she was reluctant to part from him, she could not allow him to neglect important military and political affairs because of her.

Two nights before the army’s departure, they received an announcement from the two government offices in the capital, issued on behalf of the court to all the people under heaven. Her identity as the imperial descendant of the previous dynasty and the matter of her installation as Empress and enfeoffment were finally revealed to the world.

When a junior officer presented the confidential memorial from the two government offices to the central command tent, he was at his desk approving memorials. Upon seeing the confidential document, he opened it and glanced over it, but after this brief look, his body gradually stiffened.

The confidential memorial naturally included a copy of his edict sent to the capital. At first glance, this copy appeared no different from what he had written previously, except for the final sentence, which left him speechless:

“…Although Meng has an agreement with Us, she has long coveted the position of Empress. Upon reaching Shuzhou City, she used the rebel forces to demand the position of Empress and territories. We, not wishing the northern common people to suffer from prolonged warfare, acceded to her request. Due to the urgent circumstances, this was a decision of expediency. However, now that the installation ceremony has been conducted, the position of Empress cannot be altered. You may draft a decree to announce these matters to all under heaven.”

He sat rigid for a long time, then turned his head to look at the person reading a scroll intently in the inner tent.

She seemed to sense something and immediately raised her eyes to meet his burning gaze. She bit her red lip lightly, used the scroll to cover half her face, and turned away.

He felt both angry and amused. Though he understood her intentions, his heart ached at how she constantly thought of him. After a long while, he withdrew his gaze, looked at the white paper on the table, and heavily wrote several characters with his brush.

She pretended to read on the couch. Hearing him approach, her heart began to pound uncontrollably, thinking he was coming to reprimand her. To her surprise, he asked softly from behind, “Would you like to accompany me as the army marches north?”

She suddenly turned around, her bright eyes fixed on him. “Yes.”

He pressed his body against hers, forcefully embracing her in his arms. His voice carried a slight edge: “If there is a next time, I will not forgive such bold and reckless action.”

She breathed lightly, yielding to his strength, accepting him, accommodating him, satisfying him, her lips unable to suppress a slight curl.

That night, she got up to drink water and noticed that a candle in the outer tent had not been extinguished. Walking over to blow out the flickering flame, she suddenly saw ten bold and unrestrained characters written on the white paper on the desk. She looked closely, then pressed her lips together in a smile:

“Riding northward to expand the borders, with tender love for your heart.”