Traveling north from Xi Lin City, it took nearly half an hour to reach the northern camp. Throughout the journey, Qin Wan lifted the carriage curtain to look outside, treating it as a continued spring outing.

When they reached the northern camp, soldiers were already waiting at the entrance. Seeing Yan Chi arrive on horseback, they immediately knelt in greeting. Yan Chi nodded from his horse, dismounted, and turned to help Qin Wan. As Qin Wan emerged from the carriage, the soldiers’ eyes widened slightly. Many of them had never seen Qin Wan before, and only now realized how strikingly beautiful Rui Wang’s wife was. Seeing Yan Chi’s attentive gentleness toward Qin Wan, they found it even harder to believe.

After helping Qin Wan down from the carriage, Yan Chi noticed her cloak was slightly loose and adjusted its ties. His expression was full of tenderness – where was the former stern Demon Young General? The soldiers stared dumbfounded until Yan Chi led Qin Wan into the camp, at which point they lowered their heads like guilty thieves, not daring to look further.

Gu Ling followed behind them and said, “The bodies were discovered in a snowy valley to the north. There’s still snow there, and when found, these two were frozen stiff. However, during transport back, the weather warmed up and the bodies decomposed. They’re quite unsightly now.”

Seeing Yan Chi bringing Qin Wan along, Gu Ling offered this explanation as a warning, hoping Yan Chi wouldn’t subject her to such a horrific sight.

Unexpectedly, Yan Chi merely grunted in acknowledgment and continued leading Qin Wan forward.

Seeing this, Gu Ling had no choice but to step forward and suggest, “Your Highness, the bodies are horrifying. Perhaps the Princess Consort could wait in the command tent for a while?”

Gu Ling didn’t understand why Yan Chi had brought Qin Wan, nor what he meant earlier about possibly needing her help. He assumed Yan Chi was merely indulging his beloved wife’s wishes. However, he felt that the scene would disturb not only women but even battle-hardened soldiers.

Though Gu Ling meant well, Yan Chi smiled at his words and turned to look at Qin Wan, seeking her opinion.

Qin Wan naturally shook her head, so Yan Chi said, “No need, just take us there directly.”

Gu Ling sighed inwardly, thinking he must have understated the situation. Once they saw the corpses, the Princess Consort would understand the gravity.

Soon they arrived at a large tent in a remote area. It was originally an armory, now cleared out to temporarily hold the two bodies.

At the entrance, Qin Wan detected a strong corpse stench and covered her nose and mouth with a handkerchief.

Seeing this, Gu Ling sighed inwardly again, thinking such a noble lady indeed couldn’t handle this.

The soldiers in front opened the door, releasing an even more pungent stench. Yan Chi waved his hand in front of his nose before entering. Gu Ling thought Qin Wan would retreat at the smell, but surprisingly, she walked in without hesitation.

Inside, Qin Wan immediately saw the two bodies lying on felt blankets.

These were bodies that had been frozen, then thawed, quickly developing corpse green, and now decomposed beyond recognition.

Both deceased were men, five feet tall with seemingly robust builds. They wore Zhou people’s clothing with weapon belts, though the weapons had been removed by Gu Ling. Their moldy cotton robes clung to their bodies, and all exposed areas were covered in purple-green lividity. Their heads were especially swollen from decomposition, features unrecognizable, with brownish fluid seeping from all seven orifices – a sight to turn one’s stomach. Under the felt, corpse fluid had collected into a small meandering stream, and the stench inside was ten times stronger than at the door.

Qin Wan still covered her nose and mouth, but her expression remained composed. Unlike a mere spectator who would turn away in fright after one glance, she carefully studied the details of the corpses. Soon, she instructed, “Open the windows to disperse the smell. The corpse odor is toxic and shouldn’t be inhaled for long.”

Hearing this, Gu Ling was startled. He waved for soldiers to open the windows while his gaze fell on Qin Wan. The more he looked, the more amazed he became. Qin Wan maintained a calm demeanor and steady voice, her eyes bright as snow with scrutiny. Her bearing clearly showed she wasn’t just unafraid – she was investigating the corpses!

While Gu Ling struggled to contain his astonishment, Yan Chi asked naturally, “Were the weapons removed?”

Gu Ling nodded and gave an order. Soon, soldiers brought two long sabers.

The sabers were wrapped in cloth. Gu Ling warned, “Be careful, Your Highness. The blades are poisoned. The soldier who retrieved them developed a rash on his hands.”

Qin Wan shook her head at the brownish marks on the scabbards, “It’s not poison on the blades, but corpse toxins. These two died at least a month ago. During transport, decomposition fluid leaked out and became toxic. Have the soldier with the rash wash his hands with water boiled with Atractylodes, and it will heal in three days.”

Gu Ling stared at Qin Wan in amazement before acknowledging.

Yan Chi took the weapons through the cloth and drew one from its scabbard, frowning slightly, “This is fine steel.”

Gu Ling nodded, “Yes, that’s why I suspected imperial scouts. Where else would such fine steel come from? Ordinary garrison offices wouldn’t be equipped with such blades!”

Yan Chi narrowed his eyes, “We recently received news that the Emperor wants to launch a western campaign, but his ministers disagree, and they haven’t gathered enough supplies. They won’t deploy troops anytime soon. Could it be that while the Emperor appears inactive, he’s planning to strike through Meng Prefecture?”

Gu Ling pondered, “Your servant had the same suspicion. For an imperial campaign, coming through Meng Prefecture would be more brilliant than through Ding Prefecture. Though Ding Prefecture is closer, the route to Shuo Xi is extremely difficult, easy to defend, and hard to attack. Through Meng Prefecture, while slightly roundabout, there are fewer natural barriers for the advancing army.”

Yan Chi handed the weapons to a nearby soldier and ordered, “Send a small unit to Meng Prefecture to check the location of their garrison troops.”

Gu Ling acknowledged. Yan Chi prepared to leave, but Qin Wan remained still. Yan Chi looked at her, “What’s wrong?”

Qin Wan frowned, “Though their features are hard to distinguish, these two seem to have barbarian features. Do you remember the corpse we found in Prince Jin’s back courtyard?”

Yan Chi nodded, “Of course. What about it?”

Qin Wan said, “When I examined that corpse, I noticed barbarians have particularly prominent brow ridges and deeper nasal bridges than Zhou people. Looking carefully at these two bodies, they seem similar. Could these men be barbarians?”

Yan Chi frowned, “You mean the Rong people?”

Qin Wan affirmed, “Earlier you mentioned the Rong might come from the northeast, which is why you ordered sentinel camps established. Could these be Rong people disguised as Zhou people acting as scouts?”

At these words, both Yan Chi and Gu Ling’s hearts jumped!

The bodies were so swollen and hideous that neither Yan Chi nor Gu Ling had noticed anything strange about their features. Now that Qin Wan mentioned it, Yan Chi also frowned. While he couldn’t discern bone structure, these men’s tall stature did match the naturally robust build of the Rong people.

Yan Chi suddenly grew alert. The Rong had been quiet all winter, and recent reports from White Wolf Pass indicated all was peaceful beyond the border. Could it be… not that the Rong were inactive, but that they planned to invade from the north?

Yan Chi’s expression instantly turned serious, “Wan’er, what you say is very possible. I’ll send men to investigate northward immediately.”

However, Qin Wan calmly replied, “I’m just speculating. There might be inaccuracies. In the bodies’ current state, it’s hard to determine by sight alone whether they’re Zhou or Rong people. I’ll know after examining the corpses.”

Yan Chi hesitated slightly, reluctant to let Qin Wan endure such an ordeal, while Gu Ling stared in shock with widened eyes.

Examine the corpses. Had he heard correctly?!

Knowing Yan Chi didn’t want her to tire herself, Qin Wan smiled and said, “It won’t be tiring. I’m skilled at this. You can give orders after I’ve examined the bodies.”

Yan Chi couldn’t help but take Qin Wan’s hand, “If that’s the case, proceed with the examination. Just tell me what you need.”

Qin Wan nodded and turned to the stunned Gu Ling. Seeing the usually mature and reserved Gu Ling staring at her with widened eyes, Qin Wan couldn’t help but laugh, “General Gu, please get a set of knives from the camp medic, and prepare some Atractylodes, soapberry, ginger, clean water, and two jars of white wine. If you can find hand protection, that would be even better. I trouble you with this, General Gu—”

Gu Ling belatedly came to his senses and hurriedly said, “Yes, I’ll arrange it right away. Please wait in the command tent, Your Highness, Princess Consort.”

Qin Wan nodded and went with Yan Chi to the command tent, where he fell into deep thought.

Seeing this, Qin Wan said, “It’s just a sudden thought, not a certainty.”

Yan Chi held Qin Wan’s hand and smiled slightly, “You’ve alerted me to something. Gu Ling and I were prejudiced. With frequent news from the imperial court, we’ve been expecting their troops but overlooked that the Rong people have been quiet all winter. Now that spring has arrived, the Rong will surely start stirring. Even if these two aren’t Rong people, I should still send men to patrol the north thoroughly.”

This reassured Qin Wan somewhat. After waiting in the command tent for about two cups of tea’s worth of time, Gu Ling returned quickly. He had found everything Qin Wan requested. Though the protective gloves weren’t as fine as those Yan Chi had given her, they were usable. Gu Ling explained, “These belong to an old blacksmith in the armory camp. He usually wears them to prevent burns while forging. They’re old and might not fit well. Please forgive the inadequacy, Princess Consort.”

Since Qin Wan needed the gloves to protect against corpse toxins, seeing they were made of leather put her mind at ease.

“If they’re usable, that’s fine. The rest doesn’t matter.”

Seeing everything was prepared, Qin Wan returned to the corpse tent. She first burned the Atractylodes and soapberry, letting them smoke for half a cup of tea’s time, then sprinkled white wine over the two bodies. She did all this herself, while Gu Ling watched with extremely complex emotions.

After sprinkling the wine, Qin Wan put a slice of ginger in her mouth, donned the protective gloves, and approached the corpses. With one motion, she pulled off the cotton clothes clinging to the bodies.

The flesh under the clothing was even more decomposed than the exposed areas. As Qin Wan removed the clothes, revealing the rotting flesh beneath, not only was it decomposed, but maggots covered the bodies and the lividity was grotesque. Seeing this, even Gu Ling couldn’t help turning away to retch.

Yan Chi’s brows furrowed sharply, but Qin Wan stood calmly beside the bodies, using white wine to wash away the maggots, then clean water to thoroughly rinse away the surface filth. Only then did she pick up her tools. Meanwhile, though Gu Ling hadn’t vomited, he was extremely uncomfortable. When he turned back, he saw Qin Wan making an incision along the corpse’s brow ridge. The rotted flesh split easily, immediately revealing the bone beneath. Though Gu Ling had taken many lives, seeing this scene, he couldn’t help but turn and rush out of the tent. Outside, he dry heaved for a while, and when he recovered, he was somewhat dazed.

Previously, he had only thought their lord had married a noble lady of equal status as his Princess Consort and deeply loved her. Now, Gu Ling finally understood this Princess Consort’s capability. Dead people weren’t frightening, nor were decomposed corpses. What inexplicably disturbed him was the sight of Qin Wan getting so close to the rotting corpses and methodically cutting away decayed flesh. Perhaps because Qin Wan’s beauty was so striking, it made the decomposed corpses seem even more horrifically repulsive…

After recovering outside for a long while, Gu Ling approached the tent entrance with a lowered head. Looking at the entrance, he wanted to go in but couldn’t move his feet. As he hesitated, Yan Chi’s voice came from inside, “If you can’t handle it, stay outside. This scene is much more disturbing than the battlefield.”

Yan Chi spoke with some helpless complaint, clearly also uncomfortable with the scene, but since Qin Wan was inside, he had to stay with her no matter what.

Gu Ling’s face reddened slightly, and he dejectedly remained outside the tent.

He, the Fourth-Rank Xuanwu General of the Shuo Xi army, couldn’t match up to a woman – this feeling was even worse than losing a battle!

Inside the tent, Qin Wan had already cut open the left ribs of the corpse. She examined it from head to toe before deciding to perform a full autopsy. Yan Chi watched her work the whole time, and seeing thin beads of sweat on her forehead, quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe it for her.

Qin Wan completed the autopsy of the first body, then cleaned and thoroughly examined the second body from head to toe without dissecting it.

Soon after, Qin Wan straightened up, “Done.”

She spat out the ginger slice and removed her gloves before walking out. Once outside, Qin Wan exhaled deeply, looked at the pale-faced Gu Ling, and seeing it wasn’t appropriate to talk by the tent, said, “Let’s discuss this in the command tent.”

In the command tent, Qin Wan spoke directly, “These two died over a month ago, around early March. External injuries are no longer visible, but both show signs of bone fractures. The cause of death was freezing – they likely fell into the snow valley, lost consciousness, and froze to death. Earlier I suspected they might be Rong people, and the examination has strengthened this belief.

Not only do they have prominent brow ridges and lower nasal roots, but their hip bones are also more robust than Zhou people. If not Rong people, they must be from other Western tribes.” She paused, then continued, “When these two were brought back, they only had weapons, nothing else. I suggest searching the snow valley where they were found – you might find horses or their personal effects, which could reveal their identities and purposes!”

After Qin Wan finished speaking, Gu Ling found it even more incredible, but Yan Chi remained normal, “That’s exactly what we should do. Gu Ling, send men north immediately.”

Gu Ling nodded and turned to leave to give orders. In the tent, Qin Wan felt her back aching and was about to massage it herself when Yan Chi pulled her into his embrace. Qin Wan was momentarily surprised, “What’s wrong?”

Yan Chi said nothing, just letting Qin Wan lean against him. Qin Wan blinked and laughed, “This is no different from treating patients for me. It’s truly not tiring.”

Yan Chi sighed, his large hand falling to Qin Wan’s lower back, gently massaging it. Qin Wan felt both the warmth of his palm and a strange embarrassment. In their bedroom, Yan Chi particularly loved caressing her waist this way. Though the current situation was completely different, Qin Wan’s body seemed to remember, and as Yan Chi continued his caresses, she trembled slightly. She glanced outside at the sky, saw it was getting late, and quickly grabbed Yan Chi’s hand, saying, “Quickly finish discussing matters with General Gu so we can return. It will be dark soon.”

Yan Chi noticed the slight blush on Qin Wan’s cheeks and smiled, kissing her twice before calling Gu Ling back in to talk.