Chapter 100: A Personal Reward from Her Highness – Removing the Mask Means You’re Mine

Although the movements were urgent and rough, the person was still well taken care of.

Ever since that slap on the palm last time, everything seemed to be clear between them. In the past few days, Yun Chu had been particularly clingy, as if he had been suppressing himself during the march without a carriage to sit in.

Li Yunli had no doubt that if they had used a spacious carriage like the one they had taken to Yongzhou before, Yun Chu would have offered himself up right on the road.

This time, he lasted particularly long.

But since there was a war ahead, Li Yunli refused the final request, washed up, and went to sleep peacefully.

However, Yun Chu, who was forced to stop, held onto him tightly, as if afraid he would run away.

The grip made it uncomfortable for her to sleep.

Li Yunli let out a long sigh.

“I originally thought that if the other generals looked at you differently, you would be ostracized and pitiful. But now, I see that you don’t care at all. I was overthinking it.”

Yun Chu pressed his forehead against the back of her head and muttered, “I don’t care about them.”

“Mm.” Li Yunli remained calm and serene. “I see that now.”

Yun Chu chuckled softly.

Li Yunli elbowed him. “Hey, have you ever gone up against Prince Changling before? In terms of battlefield tactics—although you understand Chu’s military, he’s never actually fought against you on the battlefield before, has he?”

“…I can’t hear you.”

Yun Chu whispered in her ear, cutting off her attempt to discuss military matters while lying in bed.

He closed his eyes. “I’ve gone deaf.”

Li Yunli: “…”

Fine, no military talk. But did he really have to pretend to be deaf?

Recently, Li Yunli had started noticing that he disliked discussing official matters during their private time together. She sometimes couldn’t help herself, leading to moments like these where he threw a little tantrum.

It was a strange but amusing experience.

She chuckled and playfully threatened,

“If you can’t help me quell this rebellion, I’ll have to bring Yun Chu with me and…”

“I’ve fought against him before.”

Yun Chu, who had buried his face in her back, answered honestly.

Li Yunli raised an eyebrow.

Fought before?

“Not a real battle with swords, but we’ve crossed paths.” Yun Chu spoke in a muffled voice. In Li Yunli’s memory, they shouldn’t have met before, but now that she asked, he had to recall something. “When I was gathering my old subordinates, things went too smoothly. Sometimes, it felt like I had unseen assistance. Later, one of Prince Changling’s advisors showed up, and I realized that he had secretly helped me. His goal was to use me to overthrow you and clear his path.”

Li Yunli’s brows twitched slightly.

Yun Chu quickly added, “But I didn’t make any deals with him this time! I rejected him! And given the current situation, Your Highness must already understand his true intentions.”

Li Yunli nodded. “I do.”

She pressed her lips together and smiled subtly.

After everything they had been through, she no longer doubted him.

Maybe he was still undergoing his own rebirth, but eventually, he would realize that the trust he wanted was already his.

So, she said, “In Yizhou, we will launch an attack within seven days. Prince Changling can be taken down. Right now, my key commanders are just you and General Ji.”

“I understand Your Highness’s strategy,” Yun Chu replied. “I will not fail.”

—

Seven days later.

Two generals stationed outside Yizhou City made a silent fortune—what started as a few thousand troops had grown to twenty thousand.

Most of the recruited soldiers were bandits and vagrants who were initially skeptical about the call for surrender. Sun Jing openly declared: those who surrendered on the first day would receive four hundred copper coins, on the second day, two hundred, and on the third, one hundred.

By the time Li Yunli heard about this recruitment strategy, it was too late to feel distressed about the money—because by then, the bandits had already flocked to surrender. The city’s soldiers were shaken, and many even disguised themselves as bandits to sneak out and defect.

Prince Changling was furious and attempted to impose strict punishments, but within days, he lost control of his army’s morale.

On the seventh day, the siege began.

Prince Changling defended the city desperately, but he was caught off guard by a valiant young general in silver armor who launched a fierce assault.

At the final moment, that young general removed his mask and faced the enemy head-on.

Among the defending soldiers, some had fought in the Chu-Wei war and recognized him immediately.

“It’s the third prince of Wei who rebelled days ago!”

“How is he still alive?!”

“Princess Regent didn’t kill him?!”

“He’s actually fighting for the Princess Regent?!”

The city’s troops were in shock, murmuring amongst themselves.

Outside the city, Yun Chu led the charge, and the soldiers chanted in unison,

“Her Highness is merciful! Those who surrender will not be punished!”

The cries echoed, shattering the morale within Yizhou. The defending army collapsed like a mountain sliding down.

Prince Changling, realizing all was lost, attempted to take his own life by slamming into a wall, but General Liu stormed the city and grabbed him.

As Li Yunli ascended the city wall, she clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“No wonder I don’t remember my royal uncle ever accomplishing anything great. Turns out, he just can’t take a loss. If he can’t win, his solution is suicide? What, if Chu faces a crisis in the future, your grand strategy is to leave a corpse behind?”

“You filthy, lust-driven woman! You let a traitor stay by your side! The heavens are blind!!”

“Lust-driven?” Li Yunli tilted her head and smirked. “A traitor?”

She stepped forward, sneering.

“You conspired with Zheng Siyian. How is that not treason? Or have you spent so much time with him that you actually believe his nonsense about destiny favoring only men, and women being born inferior? A few disgraceful words aren’t enough to tarnish my name. I’ll brush them off, but Uncle, you shouldn’t start believing them yourself. In Chu, we only believe in one thing: the victor is king. Take him away!”

Prince Changling continued cursing, but General Liu gagged him and dragged him off, bound tightly.

“Treat him well. We still have to interrogate him about his dealings with Zheng Siyian.”

Li Yunli clapped her hands and gave a brief order.

Turning back, she saw Yun Chu standing at the side, his silver armor dusted with battle grime. He was holding the mask that had been on his face, looking at her hesitantly.

Li Yunli’s smirk lingered. She glanced at the gray-blue city walls and said, “I still prefer being called a venomous woman.”

Yun Chu frowned. “Why choose such vile words?”

“‘Venomous woman’ is a compliment, not an insult.”

Li Yunli chuckled.

She reached out her hand. “Now that you’ve taken off the mask, you don’t need to wear it again.”

“Mm.”

Yun Chu slowly extended the mask.

But just as Li Yunli reached for it, he suddenly stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.

Their armor clanked lightly. Li Yunli, caught off guard, stumbled into his embrace and heard his uneven breathing.

His voice was solemn.

“Only now do I truly understand Your Highness’s intentions.”

Li Yunli smiled. “Now that you’ve removed the mask, you’ve admitted it yourself—you’re mine now! General Yun, our next battle must be fought with honor!”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Yun Chu buried his face in her neck, inhaling deeply, as if trying to imprint her into his soul.

“I will personally eliminate Zheng Siyian.”

Li Yunli laughed, her fingers tightening around his.

“You’ve earned your reward.”

Then, she pulled him down and kissed him.