News from the border arrived day after day, and the atmosphere in court grew increasingly heavy. Western Ling’s forces had taken three cities in half a month, pressing toward Xinyang. On the ninth day of the ninth month, word came that the hundred thousand troops led by Leng Qingcang and the Marquis of Nan’s heir, who had just rushed to provide support, were ambushed midway by the King of Zhengnan’s force of fifty thousand. They suffered heavy losses, with the remaining forces retreating to defend Xinyang. On the tenth, Xinyang was surrounded. Meanwhile, Western Ling’s army split into three routes advancing simultaneously north, south, and center, with urgent calls for aid coming from every border pass. Yet at this time, Prince Ding, who had protected Da Chu for a century, remained nowhere to be seen, though Prince Ding’s mansion saw a constant stream of visitors daily.

“Princess Consort.”

In the study, Ye Li raised her head to look at Steward Mo at the door and asked, “Who else seeks an audience?”

The steward said gravely, “The Duke of Hua and the Marquis of Nan request to see you. The Marquis’s heir has gone missing in the chaos of battle.”

“Missing?! How could…” Ye Li’s delicate brows furrowed deeply. She somewhat understood why the Duke and Marquis had come, but this truly put her in a difficult position. With a light sigh, Ye Li said, “Please show the old Duke and the Marquis in.”

Soon after, the Duke of Hua and the Marquis of Nan arrived at the door. Ye Li personally rose to welcome them, stopping them from bowing as they tried to pay respects: “There are no outsiders here, let’s dispense with formalities. Old Duke, Lord Marquis, please be seated.” After the two had expressed their thanks and sat down, a maid brought tea, and only then did Ye Li ask, “The old Duke and Marquis have come together – is this about the border situation?”

The Marquis looked haggard as he let out a long sigh and said, “Truly, we are troubling the Princess Consort.”

Ye Li shook her head and said, “The young lord is not an outsider to me. Marquis, do not worry. I will immediately order people to search for him at the border.”

The Marquis shook his head and sighed, “My son serves the country loyally – his life or death is in heaven’s hands. However… Princess Consort, Prince Ding’s household surely receives news from the border faster than we do. If this continues, I fear that before Prince Ding returns, our hundreds of thousands of border troops will be completely wiped out!”

Ye Li also sighed softly and said, “The King of Zhengnan of Western Ling has spent over a decade building his strength – how could his return be simple? Although Prince Ding’s household sent word to the Northern Rong long ago, we still have no news from His Highness. I too… am at a loss…”

The Duke of Hua sighed heavily and said, “For a mere marriage escort mission, how could His Majesty have sent Prince Ding away? And now, of all times, when General Murong who could lead troops in battle is far away in Yongzhou, and General Jing guards the Northern Rong border. This old man…” With another long sigh, the Duke suddenly stood up and made to leave, saying, “This old man will go to the palace now to request an audience with His Majesty. Let this old fossil lead troops into battle!”

Ye Li and the Marquis quickly held him back. The Marquis smiled bitterly and said, “Old Duke, even if we must lead troops into battle, it should be us – how could we let you exert yourself at your age?” Looking at the two elderly men before her whose ages combined exceeded a hundred and twenty years, Ye Li smiled helplessly in her heart. She understood their purpose in coming and couldn’t blame them. Unlike Mo Jingqi, Chancellor Liu, and the Marquis of Muyang, they truly worried about Da Chu and the soldiers and civilians at the border. Because she had once been a soldier herself, she could not resent them for this alone.

“Old Duke, Lord Marquis…”

The Duke turned back to see Ye Li’s clear, calm eyes that seemed to penetrate all mysteries. He started slightly and sat down again. The Duke said somewhat apologetically, “Princess Consort, please don’t blame this old man for coming to trouble you at such a time, it’s just…”

Ye Li shook her head and said, “The old Duke’s words are too heavy. I understand.”

The Duke said, “With Xiuyao absent, it’s already not easy for you as a woman to support the great Prince Ding’s household. How could this old man not know? But I fear the border crisis truly cannot wait for Prince Ding’s return. This old man has heard something of the Princess Consort’s abilities – please, for the sake of Da Chu’s people and the border troops’ lives, lend your strength. When I spoke just now of leading troops into battle, that certainly won’t be necessary. This old man understands the Princess Consort’s concerns well. If the Princess Consort trusts this old man, I will personally lead the troops – at least we can hold out until Prince Ding returns. No matter how anxious His Majesty is, he surely wouldn’t try to seize military power from this old man at such a critical moment. Once Prince Ding returns and rushes to the border to retake command of the army, everything will be settled. What does the Princess Consort think?”

Ye Li smiled bitterly and said, “Is the old Duke so certain that I can mobilize the Mo Family Army?”

The Duke’s white eyebrows lifted as he looked sidelong at Ye Li and said, “Well, can the Princess Consort or can’t she? If the Princess Consort says she cannot, this old man will leave immediately.”

Ye Li remained silent for a moment before raising her head to say, “I cannot give military authority to the old Duke – not because I don’t trust you, but because even if I gave you the military seal, you likely couldn’t easily command the troops.” As disappointment flashed in the eyes of the Duke and Marquis, they heard Ye Li say calmly, “I will accompany you to the border. However, the old Duke is advanced in years and likely cannot endure such a long journey…”

The Marquis said joyfully, “If the Princess Consort trusts me, I will immediately request His Majesty’s permission to lead troops into battle – no, I can serve as vice commander, leaving the position of commander-in-chief open for Prince Ding’s return!”

The Duke looked at Ye Li with some surprise, his eyes showing clear admiration as he nodded and said, “Good, Xiuyao truly has an eye for talent. We’ll trouble the Princess Consort this time.”

Ye Li shook her head with a smile and said, “Don’t rejoice too early, old Duke. No matter how well we plan, His Majesty may not agree.”

The Duke said gravely, “If His Majesty is truly a ruler of the nation, he will naturally agree.”

Hearing this, the Marquis started and glanced outside the study, saying softly, “Old Duke, such words cannot be spoken.”

The old Duke gave a light snort and said no more.

After seeing off the Duke of Hua and the Marquis of Nan, Ye Li had just returned to her study when she saw Feng Zhiyao standing by the bookshelf, looking down at a book. Hearing her footsteps, he turned back with some worry and said, “Princess Consort truly agreed to go to the border with the old Duke and Marquis?”

“You heard?” Ye Li smiled faintly, walking back to sit behind her desk as she said, “Western Ling comes with overwhelming force. The Mo Family Army can’t stay uninvolved, even with His Highness absent. Now people may still understand my withholding military power, but once the war situation worsens further, no reason will suffice. All the world will see is that Da Chu faces foreign invasion while the Mo Family Army remains indifferent. Moreover, since we must deploy troops sooner or later, entering the battlefield earlier means gaining control of the situation earlier. Besides… though I agreed, His Majesty may not necessarily approve.”

Feng Zhiyao laughed coldly and said, “If he doesn’t agree, future discussions among the people will have nothing to do with us.”

Ye Li nodded and said, “So much time has passed – if things are going smoothly on His Highness’s side, he should return by the time our army reaches the border.”

At the mention of Mo Xiuyao, Feng Zhiyao couldn’t help but frown and say, “It’s been so many days – how could there still be no news from His Highness?”

“Perhaps someone doesn’t want him to return. Complete silence at least proves he’s still right for now. Go make preparations, and tell Steward Mo that if the Marquis’s heir’s wife comes, ask her to return home first.”

“Yes.” Feng Zhiyao nodded, hesitated for a moment, then added, “Princess Consort, let Feng San accompany you to the border this time.”

Ye Li frowned and said, “With both myself and His Highness away from the capital, though nothing may happen at Prince Ding’s mansion, we still need someone to stay and maintain overall control.”

Feng Zhiyao said, “Having Uncle Mo is enough. Though Prince Ding’s mansion is heavily guarded, it’s not very important to the Mo Family Army. Moreover, Steward Mo has managed the mansion for decades – he’s far better than an amateur like me.”

Ye Li pondered for a moment and said, “I understand. You may go first – I’ll consider it. Since you’re preparing to join the campaign if there are people you need to bid farewell to, go say your goodbyes.”

Feng Zhiyao started, a bitter smile spreading across his face as he said, “What farewells would a wanderer like me need to make…”

Ye Li looked at him with a smile and said, “There’s no point in deceiving yourself. Don’t wait until it’s too late to regret it.”

Feng Zhiyao seemed dazed for a moment, then came to his senses and walked out somewhat absent-mindedly.

As expected, Mo Jingqi flatly rejected the Duke of Hua and Marquis of Nan’s proposal at morning court without even hearing it through. Ye Li paid this no mind, but as soon as morning court ended, both Xu Hongyan and Xu Qingze rushed to Prince Ding’s mansion. Xu Hongyan didn’t say much – though he held no important position, he saw the situation more clearly than those involved in it. After giving some advice, he left with a sigh. Xu Qingze was as silent as ever, only saying as he prepared to leave, “If you insist on going, I’ll petition His Majesty tomorrow to let me go to the border as well.”

Ye Li smiled faintly and said, “Second brother is about to be married. If your wedding is delayed because of me, won’t Aunt Qin and Aunt be angry with me? Prince Ding’s mansion has many guards – the second brother need not worry.”

Xu Qingze frowned slightly and said, “If I go too, Uncle, Father, and Grandfather will be more at ease.” Without waiting for Ye Li’s response, he turned and left.

Bad news from the border arrived day after day. Though people in the distant capital couldn’t see the bloodshed, the numbers of lost cities and casualties were still shocking. Calls for Prince Ding’s household to deploy troops grew louder in the capital. People had grown accustomed to having that black army always protecting their safety, but this time, nearly a month into the war, there was still no news from Prince Ding’s household or the Mo Family Army. This made many commoners and even officials increasingly uneasy. The entire capital was restless with anxiety.

When news somehow spread that Prince Ding was far away in Northern Rong and His Majesty had rejected the Princess Consort’s offer to lead troops in her husband’s place, the court fell silent while discussions gradually arose among the common people. Though they naturally expressed much dissatisfaction with the emperor’s decision, Mo Jingqi lacked the resolve to suppress such talk at this time. This led to a flood of petitions from citizens in the capital and various regions, nearly burying half the Imperial Study. Three days later, Mo Jingqi finally announced at morning court, with a dark expression, an imperial decree appointing the Marquis of Nan as vice commander and the Princess Consort of Prince Ding as accompanying supervisor for the campaign to meet Western Ling’s invasion at the border. Upon receiving the decree, Ye Li inwardly twisted her lips and turned to return to her chambers to prepare.

News that the Mo Family Army would deploy excited the entire capital as if people believed Western Ling’s forces would scatter like fallen petals and collapse like a mountain as soon as the Mo Family Army appeared. Watching this, Ye Li couldn’t help but sigh – Mo Xiuyao was right. Over all these years, Prince Ding’s household’s strength had directly led to a scarcity of truly capable generals in Da Chu. If anything happened to Prince Ding’s household, Da Chu’s situation would be truly worrying.