Tuoba Keyan rode his horse away, and at the foot of the mountain, only Feng Qingyin and Linlong remained.

“Miss, let us head back first — we shouldn’t let His Highness the Crown Prince worry.” Linlong said softly.

“Mm.” Feng Qingyin nodded, turning her horse around.

Linlong rode alongside her, the two of them in no particular hurry.

Feng Qingyin felt a little reluctant to return too soon. If she didn’t stay away a while longer, how would her Crown Prince Brother realize that he was missing her?

“Miss, do you truly intend to cooperate with Tuoba Keyan?” Linlong’s voice rose beside Feng Qingyin.

Feng Qingyin composed herself and gave a nod.

“If he is genuinely sincere, it would be a perfect opportunity for us to eliminate Feng Jiu’er.”

“What a pity that this fellow has no sincerity at all — wanting to help me swap back the token and demanding one hundred thousand taels of silver for it. How infuriating!”

“Miss, I do not see it that way.” Linlong looked at Feng Qingyin, her expression unusually serious.

Feng Qingyin turned to meet her gaze, her willow-leaf brows faintly furrowing. “Linlong, what do you mean by that?”

“Miss, I believe that Tuoba Keyan asking us for money is precisely what proves his sincerity.”

“How so?” Feng Qingyin’s brow creased.

“According to what he said, he lost his memories and was brought back by Feng Jiu’er — so right now, he has neither money nor men to speak of.” Linlong replied.

“To destroy the Ninth Prince, let alone restore his kingdom, he would need a great deal of money.”

“If he hadn’t made any demands at all and immediately agreed to Miss’s requests, it would be far more likely that he was a spy sent by Feng Jiu’er.”

“So I believe Tuoba Keyan is genuinely sincere and truly wishes to cooperate with us.”

Feng Qingyin gazed into the distance, her brow lightly furrowed.

Seeing her give a nod, Linlong continued, “Miss, if Tuoba Keyan truly brings the real token tomorrow, we may consider working with him.”

“What he wants is the Ninth Prince’s life — and isn’t that exactly what we want as well? As long as the Ninth Prince lives, His Highness the Crown Prince’s position on the throne will remain threatened.”

“What Tuoba Keyan wants is the city of Muhe, currently in the Ninth Prince’s possession — even if it means letting the Muhe Kingdom be restored, we would lose nothing.”

“And moreover, once we wipe out the Ninth Prince in one decisive move and reclaim every city under his control, would we still have any cause to fear a single Tuoba Keyan?”

Feng Qingyin’s composure slowly gave way to a look of pleasure.

After a moment, she said quietly, “When Tuoba Keyan came to find me, I was already thinking of cooperating with him.”

“A prince of a fallen kingdom — especially one as competitive as Tuoba Keyan — how could he ever forget the hatred of a lost nation?”

“It’s just that the matter is weighty, and I did not dare trust him too readily. But thinking about it now, what you’ve said makes sense.”

Turning to glance toward the other side, where the faint outline of a war encampment could be glimpsed, Feng Qingyin clenched her fist tightly.

“What Tuoba Keyan wants is not only the city of Muhe — he also wants Feng Jiu’er.”

“Ha… a city, I couldn’t care less about. But that wretched woman Feng Jiu’er — there is no way I will ever allow her the chance to leave with her life.”

“Miss, please calm your anger!” Linlong cupped her hands respectfully. “Don’t let that vile woman trouble your mind any further. The more people who set their sights on her, the better it is for us.”

“When Feng Jiu’er has been disgraced before all men, His Highness the Crown Prince will surely forget her in time.”

“That would be far more satisfying than simply having her die, wouldn’t it?”

“Indeed.” Feng Qingyin smiled and gave a nod. “How could Feng Jiu’er have ever imagined that someone loyal to me is right there at her side?”

“Ha… She still thinks she is forever the most perfect one — still believing that her false, fabricated kindness can buy anyone’s loyalty.”

“Those wretched men, one and all, are merely drawn to her beauty. And yet she goes about fancying herself some great benevolent soul!”

Spotting the riders hurrying back in the distance, Linlong gave a soft cough.

“Miss, they are coming this way.”

“Let them come. Tell them my mood is poor and I wish for some quiet — have them report to His Highness the Crown Prince that I do not wish to see anyone for the time being.”

“After tomorrow, once I have the real token in hand, my Crown Prince Brother surely won’t be so eager to send me away.”

“Men are all the same under the heavens — if you don’t let them worry over you, they truly won’t think twice about you.”

“Yes, Miss.” Linlong gave a nod and rode ahead.

Night fell, and the military encampment and its surroundings grew very quiet, leaving only the occasional whinny of horses.

Inside the tent, everyone gathered once more to deliberate over their plans.

Tuoba Keyan did not return until the Hour of Hai, stepping into the tent.

Seeing him enter, Zhao Yusheng rose and stretched lazily.

“Keyan, you’ve worked hard!”

Tuoba Keyan gave a nod but said nothing, taking a seat in one of the chairs.

“Jiu’er, I’m heading off to stand watch — send someone out for me if anything comes up.” Zhao Yusheng said softly, looking at Feng Jiu’er.

“Mm.” Feng Jiu’er waved him off.

As Tuoba Keyan came in and Zhao Yusheng departed, everyone’s attention returned to Feng Jiu’er.

“As Xing Zizhou said, the relief troops will notice something is amiss within a day at most.” Feng Jiu’er’s voice rang out.

“A round trip takes two days — we must make our move within that window.”

“Jiu’er, counting the forces from Desert City, our military strength now matches the Crown Prince’s. Let’s just fight — there’s nothing to fear.” Qiao Mu opened the booklet in her hands.

“Based on what everyone discussed just now, I’ve drawn up a battle plan. Let me show it to you all.”

Qiao Mu tore the pages from the booklet one by one, and Xiao Yingtao rose and came to her side.

Xiao Yingtao took the pages Qiao Mu handed her and distributed them to each person present.

Once everyone had their copy, Qiao Mu looked down at the booklet in her hand.

“This time, we will attack in five divisions.”

“The first division under Xuegu’s command, the second under Keyan’s command, the third under my command, the fourth under Xing Zizhou and Xiao Yingtao, the fifth under Zhao Yusheng and Bai Xue.”

“Jiu’er will remain at the war encampment and deploy troops as the situation demands.”

“According to our scouts’ reports, the enemy’s right flank — which is our left — is comparatively weak, so the forces assigned to Xuegu and Keyan will be relatively fewer.”

“The troop distribution is outlined on the sheet. Everyone take a look and feel free to share your thoughts.”

Ever since Feng Jiu’er had handed the command over to Qiao Mu, even after Feng Jiu’er’s return, Qiao Mu had continued to handle matters herself.

Given Qiao Mu’s capabilities, she had saved Feng Jiu’er a great deal of trouble.

Everyone held the pages Xiao Yingtao had distributed and studied them carefully.

The tent fell silent.

After a moment, Xuegu was the first to speak. “I have no objections.”

“Nor do I.” Tuoba Keyan shook his head.

One by one, everyone voiced no objections, and Qiao Mu moved on to the next topic.

Half an hour later, the specific details of the battle plan had reached full consensus.

Qiao Mu closed the booklet in her hands and swept her gaze across those present.

“Since there are no objections, it is settled. Lastly — when do we begin the assault?”

“Once the time is confirmed, everyone should lead their respective divisions to their designated positions and be ready for battle at a moment’s notice.”