Seeing that his advisor hadn’t finished speaking, the Prince of Donghai frowned. Hearing the irritating voice from outside, he asked, “Is that Ji Yuan still outside?”

“Yes, he’s still outside.”

The Prince of Donghai said impatiently, “Drive him away. What qualifications does he have to advise me? Tell his master to come instead.”

The advisor agreed and went out to drive away the still chattering Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan boarded the boat with a face full of regret and sorrow, taking two personal guards to cross the river back to camp.

The moment he got on the boat and turned his back, the grief on his face disappeared, and the tears brimming in his eyes receded. His expression became somewhat cold and hard. He narrowed his eyes looking toward the opposite shore and asked his guard, “Why is our camp so lively?”

The guard had been following him the whole time—how would he know the reason?

Ji Yuan didn’t expect him to answer. He stared at the camp in contemplation, murmuring, “Could it be that the Lady has returned?”

As soon as he went ashore, a soldier immediately came to meet him, saying happily, “Master Ji, the Governor has returned and is going to reward the three armies.”

Ji Yuan’s eyes brightened slightly. Supporting himself on the soldier’s hand, he jumped ashore and hurried toward the camp.

Zhao Hanzhang had already made arrangements and just returned to her tent. While removing the armor from her body, she asked, “Why don’t I see Master Ji returning? Which army did he go to persuade?”

Wu Erlang outside the tent bowed and replied, “Today it was his turn to go to the Prince of Donghai’s camp on the opposite shore.”

Zhao Hanzhang’s hand paused. She dropped the armor and lifted the curtain to go out, asking in surprise, “He went to the opposite shore?”

“Yes,” Wu Erlang said. “One day he persuades the Prince of Donghai, one day he goes to persuade General Gou. Although the soldiers on both sides aren’t polite, they won’t harm Master Ji.”

Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help but sigh in admiration, “Master Ji really knows how to play this game.”

She looked up to check the time and felt that Master Ji would probably still be talking for a long while before returning. So she had Ting He bring hot water for bathing, washed her hair as well, then changed into a fresh set of clothes. While having Ting He dry her hair, she sat dozing.

Her eyes were already half-closed in sleep, drifting in dreams, when the tent curtain was suddenly lifted open. Light shone on her face, making her struggle to open her eyes and look. Hazily, she saw a figure walking toward her.

Zhao Hanzhang’s hand moved abruptly, pressing to the side, but she didn’t touch her sword. Her eyes then opened, and before she could see who it was clearly, a hand pressed down on hers.

Zhao Hanzhang caught a familiar scent and heard a familiar voice. Her just-opened eyes slowly closed again.

Fu Tinghan pressed one hand over hers while his other hand touched her hair, feeling it was mostly dry. He picked her up in his arms and placed her on the bed.

Ting He followed step by step, pulling the blanket over Zhao Hanzhang. Seeing that she hadn’t woken up and only shifted her body before falling back into deep sleep, she breathed a sigh of relief. “Young Master, you should go rest too. I’ll take care of the Lady.”

For over a month, everyone had either been fighting or on the road to battle. Only at this moment could they relax slightly.

Fu Tinghan nodded and looked down at the sleeping Zhao Hanzhang before turning to leave. “Remember to wake her at the Hour of You. She needs to appear this evening to reward the three armies.”

Ting He acknowledged.

As soon as Fu Tinghan stepped out, he ran into Ji Yuan, who was hurrying over.

Ji Yuan saw that his hair was still slightly damp and knew he had just bathed. He couldn’t help but stop and glance at the tent behind him. “Greetings, Young Master. Young Master, the Lady…”

“She’s asleep,” Fu Tinghan paused before asking, “Do you have urgent business? If it’s not urgent…”

Hearing this, Ji Yuan knew he was being protective of Zhao Hanzhang. He smiled slightly and said, “Not urgent. I can see her later. Are you going to rest too, Young Master?”

Fu Tinghan nodded but still invited Ji Yuan to sit in a tent. Both sides exchanged the information they had.

Learning that Fu Zhi had taken the conscripted twenty thousand troops back to Luoyang and would petition the Emperor to officially appoint Zhao Hanzhang as Governor, his eyes flashed. He smiled at Fu Tinghan, “If we can obtain an official document from the court, then the Lady will have proper legitimacy.”

Coincidentally, Governor Zhang thought the same.

So he secretly sent someone to contact the Prince of Donghai. “Zhao Hanzhang foolishly interfered in the conflict between the Prince of Donghai and Gou Xi. Yuzhou can no longer have peace. She’s a woman—the Prince of Donghai definitely won’t appoint her. In Yuzhou, under Governor He, I should be the one to succeed as Governor.”

Although Lu Xiyuan agreed with this assessment, he didn’t support Governor Zhang doing this. He advised, “Master, we’re still in the same camp right now. Once the Prince of Donghai grants you this appointment, Zhao Hanzhang will react immediately. This puts us at a disadvantage.”

In terms of numbers, they couldn’t match the Zhao Family Army. In terms of commanding troops in battle, they were even less a match for Zhao Hanzhang. So there was no need to provoke Zhao Hanzhang at this moment—their personal safety couldn’t be guaranteed.

Lu Xiyuan said, “If the Prince of Donghai promotes you to Governor of Yuzhou, that openly places you in opposition to Zhao Hanzhang. Turmoil in Yuzhou’s army only benefits the Prince of Donghai, but for you, Master, the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages.”

Governor Zhang had been obsessed with the position of Yuzhou Governor for years. How could he listen to Lu Xiyuan? He said, “With the Prince of Donghai’s recognition, we can compete with Zhao Hanzhang on equal footing. Do you think Xun Xiu and the others truly want to take orders from a mere woman?”

He continued, “It’s only because Governor He entrusted Yuzhou to her on his deathbed. But if the court appoints another Governor, then Governor He’s dying words no longer count.”

Governor Zhang had operated in Yuzhou for many years and was quite confident. “My relationship with Xun Xiu, Mi Ce, and the others is fairly good. As long as I gain the Prince of Donghai’s recognition, I can legitimately take over Yuzhou. Xun Xiu, Mi Ce, and the others will also acknowledge me.”

“Then I’ll lead the Yuzhou army away myself,” Governor Zhang snorted coldly. “Yuzhou has just experienced war and turmoil—it’s precisely the time when it needs rest and recuperation. At this time, Zhao Hanzhang is involving herself in the conflict between the Prince of Donghai and Gou Xi, putting the common people in fire and water. I cannot sit by and watch!”

Lu Xiyuan thought: Others may not know why Zhao Hanzhang got involved in their conflict, but how can we military officers of Yuzhou not know?

This was the condition for Gou Xi sending troops to help them drive out the Xiongnu.

How could they refuse to acknowledge this? They might end up offending the Prince of Donghai while also angering Gou Xi.

And it was really hard to say who was stronger between Gou Xi and the Prince of Donghai.

Lu Xiyuan pondered this. So the key issue now was really which side the Yuzhou army would support.

If the Yuzhou army sided with Gou Xi, then Gou Xi had the better chance of winning. If they sided with the Prince of Donghai, then the Prince of Donghai would have the upper hand.

Lu Xiyuan swallowed hard. If it were that simple, he would agree with Governor Zhang’s choice—after all, as long as their chosen side won, that would be fine.

But the key issue was that Zhao Hanzhang had already chosen Gou Xi. Moreover, within the Yuzhou camp, Zhao Hanzhang’s power was far from weak.

Honestly, Lu Xiyuan didn’t have much confidence in his master. He didn’t think he could outmaneuver Zhao Hanzhang. So he strongly tried to dissuade him, “If Master truly wants to take the Prince of Donghai’s path, you should make some preparations. Once we’re properly prepared, it won’t be too late to contact the Prince of Donghai.”