Gao Quan, upon hearing this, was nearly drenched in cold sweat.

It was a summons for her to return to the capital, but it didn’t say anything about her bringing back an army of 200,000 soldiers, along with all her trusted generals.

He hadn’t yet received any word from the capital, but he could tell that no matter what, they absolutely couldn’t let Wen Yuesheng return in this way.

Wasn’t that just looking for trouble!?

“Well, there’s no rush…” Without a formal imperial decree, he racked his brain for an excuse and could only come up with this clumsy reason.

“If the peace talks are to be finalized, it’ll take at least seven or eight days. The princess might as well return to the city lord’s manor and wait for a few days. Once the imperial decree is received, it won’t be too late to head back to the capital.”

His mind was working quickly, trying to think of a reason to keep Wen Yue Sheng here.

Before he could think of anything, someone hurriedly reported: “A letter from the palace!”

Upon hearing these words, Gao Quan felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his chest.

The contents of the letter were nearly the same as what Gao Quan had just said.

It stated that the peace talks were not yet settled, and Wen Yue Sheng should delay her return to the capital.

Gao Quan breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the letter had arrived in time.

But to his surprise, Wen Yuesheng, after reading the letter, showed no intention of dismissing the soldiers.

She held the letter in her hand, slowly folding it.

Gao Quan watched this, his heart sinking.

Before he could react, Wen Yue Sheng handed the letter to him.

He froze for a moment, confused, and asked, “What is this, Princess?”

Wen Yuesheng’s expression remained indifferent as she said, “Please, Master Gao, write a reply for me.”

“Say that the peace talks are of great importance, and I am deeply concerned about His Majesty’s safety at the border. Therefore, I wish to bring 200,000 troops to the capital to assist with the negotiations.”

Gao Quan’s face stiffened.

Previously, they had insisted that Wen Yue Sheng return. Now, the situation had reversed. They didn’t want her to return, but she insisted on doing so.

Not only did she want to return, but she also wanted to bring all her troops with her.

This move completely turned the tables, and now, the ones in a hurry were them, not her.

Wen Yue Sheng gave him no opportunity to respond and coldly stated, “If there’s no response from the palace in seven days, I will lead my army north.”

“Before then, Master Gao, please remember to pack your bags.”

Gao Quan, hearing these words, felt his legs nearly give way.

He couldn’t care about anything else and hurriedly left, instructing someone to send word back to the capital.

As soon as he left, the Marquis of Zhongyong arrived.

The Marquis of Zhongyong had also received word. With a solemn expression, he said, “The princess is correct. The reason for summoning her back to the capital is to strip her of her military power and appoint another general.”

He paused before continuing, “This is to prevent the princess’s achievements from overshadowing the emperor.”

After these words, everyone around felt a weight in their hearts.

The war wasn’t even fully won yet, but they were already in a hurry to weaken Wen Yuesheng’s power. If that were all, it might have been acceptable, but not only were they weakening her power, they still wanted to use her.

After all, the frontier had been at war for many years, and Da Hui had never won a victory like this. Wen Yue Sheng was indeed a brilliant strategist.

But the emperor’s actions showed that he was unwilling to let go of her talents, yet he didn’t want to give her too much power.

For nearly twenty years, the people of Da Hui had suffered under the war with Hao Zhou.

After Wen Yue Sheng won the battle, she became famous, and the people of Da Hui, even though she was a woman, already made the emperor feel uneasy.

Lu Zhenguo said coldly, “Though the princess is told to delay her return, His Majesty has not rescinded the order.”

It was an imperial edict that summoned Wen Yue Sheng to the capital; the delay was just a message for the time being.

“What should we do now?” the Marquis of Zhongyong asked, looking at Wen Yue Sheng.

Now was truly not a good time to leave the frontier, and if there were any instability in Da Hui, Hao Zhou, lurking nearby, would undoubtedly retaliate fiercely.

A small mistake could, instead of completely defeating Hao Zhou, open the gates of Da Hui to them.

Like the saying goes: While the clam and the snipe are fighting, the fisherman benefits.

The surroundings fell silent as all eyes turned to Wen Yue Sheng. She looked indifferent and emotionless as she spoke, “Since they fear a powerful subject might overshadow the throne…”

She raised her hand lightly, pressing it on the table, her fingers tapping rhythmically. “Then I should not disappoint them.”

After the letter delaying her return to the capital was sent out, many people thought the matter was settled.

However, the ripples caused by this event were far greater than anyone had imagined.

First, Wen Yue Sheng’s popularity soared among the people.

After her victory over Hao Zhou, her name had already become well-known. The people of Da Hui all knew that a war goddess-general had emerged from the frontier: Princess Sinning of Da Hui.

Then, a scholar in the capital wrote a lengthy article that spread quickly.

The article’s wording was precise and catchy, and once it circulated, even children who didn’t understand the content could chant a few lines.

The children didn’t understand the article, but the adults who heard it knew exactly what it meant.

The article praised the hero, but it was more than that.

The hero was likened to a sharp sword unsheathed, a sword that could eliminate all evil in the world.

This sword cut down corrupt officials, evil people, and protected the people of Da Hui, defending the borders.

Exhausting every effort, never stopping, even when the sword’s edge became dull, the hero would not hesitate.

But just as the sword was about to strike down the evil wolf harming the common people, someone stepped forward.

They said the sword was too sharp, feared it might harm the innocent, and that the blade’s edge was too glaring.

They wanted to find all kinds of ways to break this sword.

The article concluded, “Achievements are made, but bones are worn thin. To establish oneself, one must first sever the soul.”

“Power returns, and the hero faces the end.”

Although the people didn’t understand what “power returns” meant, they knew what “slay the donkey once the millstone is off” meant.

This article, though it never mentioned Wen Yue Sheng by name, contained everything she had done.

It was adapted by those with ulterior motives into a ballad, and it soon became a children’s rhyme.

The innocent children sang it every day, and the people passed it on from mouth to mouth.

This made both the frontier and the court targets of public ire.

Especially the frontier.

Countless people there had been protected by Wen Yue Sheng, and many had been saved from chaotic battlefields.

Though the people in the frontier might not know who the current emperor was, they certainly knew who had brought them peace.

Thus, the people of the frontier only recognize one commander.

The frontier is like this, and so is the entire Great Wei.

Under such an imposing show of force, the court was inevitably affected.

The court ministers looked at the emperor’s increasingly dark expression, day by day, and privately shook their heads.

However, some believed that this situation might not be good for Wen Yue either.

Her brilliance was too exposed.

Looking at the previous dynasties, which minister could easily surpass the emperor?

Some even thought that under such circumstances, whether Wen Yue wished for it or not, if she were sensible, she should take off her armor and weapons, go to the capital alone, and admit her guilt to the emperor.

When Prince Jingkang spoke of this matter to his advisors, he found it rather amusing.

“Father is already suspicious by nature, and now with this situation, he’ll probably become even more intolerant of her. If she were wise, she should find a way to prove her loyalty at this moment.”

“She still doesn’t understand Father’s character,” Prince Jingkang sneered. “The more the common people support her, the less Father will trust her.”

“If this goes on, even if she really takes off her armor and returns to the capital, it won’t make a difference.”

At the beginning of the Great Wei dynasty, there were countless meritorious officials. After the country was stabilized, all of them kept a low profile and dared not claim too much credit.

This was due to the saying “excessive merit shakes the ruler.”

Even current officials followed this pattern. For example, the Lu family, with three generals holding power at the frontier for many years, all of them achieved great military feats.

The greater their achievements, the more careful they became in their actions.

Otherwise, Lu Tingyu, who married into a family of humble origins, would not have married a woman of lowly background.

Nor would Lu Qinghuai and Lu Hongying have delayed their marriages for so long.

The path of a minister is to be loyal and humble, to have merit, but never surpass the emperor.

The current emperor already resented this, and now that the situation had stirred up so much turmoil, he would naturally grow even more displeased with Wen Yue.

However, the people in court came up with many ideas for Wen Yue to prove her loyalty to the emperor, such as marrying an ordinary man, voluntarily giving up half of her military power, or submitting a memorial to declare that she had no ulterior motives.

But they never imagined that Wen Yue would act this way.

She did not present a petition for herself, nor did she attempt to dispel any doubts.

Early in the morning, when the court session began, some officials were still half-asleep.

Outside, the palace guards delivered three letters to the court.

The three letters all came from the frontier, written by Wen Yue, but they were dictated by Gao Quan.

After the officials carefully listened to the contents of the letters, they were directly shocked into full wakefulness.

In these letters, Wen Yue did not explain herself or attempt to clear the emperor’s doubts.

Instead, she wrote:

In the first letter, she said, “Send 200,000 troops to ensure the peace of the capital.”

In the second letter, she said, “Worrying for His Majesty’s safety, I wish to lead the troops to protect His Majesty.”

If these two letters could still be considered somewhat normal, the third letter was like a thunderbolt, shocking everyone into confusion.

In the third letter, Wen Yuesheng said, “Zhang Fuhai, Qiu Yize, and others are traitors and slanderers. Because I am not in the capital, they have repeatedly slandered me before His Majesty.”

“These despicable people who ruin the relationship between the emperor and his ministers, who disregard the safety of the frontier, should be executed in the court. If His Majesty does not believe me, I am willing to lead 300,000 troops back to the capital to clear His Majesty’s side.”

When these last three words were spoken, the entire court immediately fell into a dead silence.

At the head of the court ministers, Wang Jinzhī suddenly widened his eyes.

He stared at his long-time friend, Lu Ge, who, to his surprise, had a faint smile in his eyes.

They had been friends for decades, and Wang Jinzhī knew him too well.

So, he could almost be sure that Lü Ge was in a good mood.

Wang Jinzhī: …

They’re all mad.