The closer he got, the harder it became to control his emotions. The more he realized, his chances were few.

Not just him, but all of them.

Yu Shun felt the same, as did Xiao Jin.

If they tried to force her to be theirs, either by dominating her or offering her a hand of mercy, it would not work.

In Yan Ling’s eyes, Wen Yuesheng was cold and hard.

Not ice, not stone, not plants or trees, but far more indifferent than any of those.

So, his approach was different from theirs.

Even if he wanted her, even if he stayed awake every night, he intended to move slowly.

He wanted to win her over with patience, and unlike the others, he only wanted her to treat him a little differently.

For Wen Yuesheng, those who were close to her, who she regarded as companions, would receive all her warmth.

As for more, they had all the time in the world.

It had been quiet outside for a long time.

Her decisive refusal left Yu Shun in a daze for quite a while.

This matter was indeed beyond his control, and after hearing her emotionless refusal, his mood was greatly affected.

Yu Shun lowered his gaze, his hands at his sides, and for a moment, he was more curious about why she rejected him than about the urgent summons from Hao Zhou.

But clearly, time was running out.

As dusk fell, Tai Lan couldn’t hold back any longer. He hurried to Yu Shun’s side and whispered, “Your Highness, we must leave now.”

Yu Shun’s gaze lowered slightly, concealing all the complex emotions within. After a moment of silence, he finally stood up.

His expression remained the same, and he gave Wen Yuesheng the most courteous bow, saying, “Yu Shun takes his leave.”

There was one thing he did not say, which was…

Next time they meet, he hoped it would not be on the battlefield.

But deep inside, he knew after Wen Yuesheng’s direct rejection, this matter could only remain as a beautiful hope.

He turned and walked away, each step seeming ordinary, but in truth, it was difficult.

Yet, before sunset, he led his men away, riding swiftly out of Da Hui’s capital.

The last bit of gold in the sky faded, and Yu Shun suddenly stopped his horse.

Tai Lan and Nulie halted as well, watching him turn to look at the massive, silent Da Hui capital in the dark.

After a long pause, he laughed softly, “Do you think if I turn back now, I could just take her with me?”

His eyes shone with intense light.

Tai Lan and Nulie exchanged glances, unsure how to answer.

But it was obvious that Yu Shun wasn’t expecting an answer when he spoke those words.

In the stillness of the dark night, he suddenly burst out laughing. “Gentlemen of Haizhou, follow me, and within three days, we will return to Haizhou!”

“Yes!” The soldiers around him responded in unison, all spurring their horses and cracking their whips.

The group galloped out of the night.

After Yu Shun left, Wen Yuesheng sat quietly for a while.

The door of the room was pushed open from the inside, and Yan Ling, wearing a blue robe, tall and handsome, walked slowly to Wen Yuesheng’s side.

Wen Yuesheng said softly, “Lord Yan, are you waiting here because you fear I’ll leave with him?”

Yan Ling’s deep eyes paused slightly, and he replied quietly, “If the Princess wishes to leave, Yan Ling can assist her.”

Yan Ling’s subordinate: ?

He thought their master had gone mad!

Not only was he helping the court, but now he could help someone betray their country!

“If the Princess needs Yan Ling, he can accompany her to leave.”

…

If he hadn’t heard it with his own ears, he would have thought he was dreaming.

Wen Yuesheng chuckled lightly and glanced at him. “What if I really decide to marry him?”

The surroundings fell silent.

The usually aloof and detached Lord Yan said, “Yan Ling can serve and be at your disposal.”

Because he knew, even if Wen Yuesheng made such a choice, it wouldn’t be out of love.

What he desired was neither a title nor anything else.

Since the moment she entered his dreams every night, he had begun using the cleverness of his mind, which he usually reserved for national affairs, to try and win her heart, to make himself more valuable to her.

Fortunately, up until now, no one around her had been able to replace his usefulness.

Meanwhile, inside the imperial study, the ministers were in heated debate, but in the end, they decided that the Crown Prince of Haizhou should leave the capital.

The reason was simple: the current situation in Dahui was unprepared. They could not afford to lose this battle.

If the Crown Prince of Haizhou were detained, causing the Haizhou army to approach, the losses would be too great for anyone in the capital to bear.

It might even send a signal to Haizhou to launch an attack.

Both sides knew that sooner or later, this war was inevitable.

But now was not the right time.

Haizhou’s momentum was strong, but Dahui’s military strength was much weaker.

The 200,000 border soldiers might sound like a lot, but they could easily collapse under Haizhou’s aggressive assault.

If the border line were broken, the nation would be at risk.

Thus, the Crown Prince of Haizhou had to be let go.

But this decision placed the entire capital under tremendous pressure, especially with the upcoming military drills, which received the most attention.

Every soldier in the Imperial Army was under immense tension, with their drills echoing through the training fields.

With such pressure, the military exercises could not afford any mistakes.

The Emperor had even increased the reward for the exercises to the highest level in history.

In such circumstances, soldiers in the capital were training almost every day.

Except for one place…

That was the City South, West, and East garrisons, previously under the command of Marshal Wu An.

The commanders of the West and East garrisons had originally been the loyal and diligent General Zhongqin, but after being severely injured by Princess Sining in a martial competition, he had to be carried off the field.

Although the imperial physician treated him, his right hand was left severely damaged.

“What did you say?” Marshal Wu An’s expression changed drastically when he heard the report. “Zhong Qinbu’s hand is crippled!?”

He had seen General Zhong Qinbu’s hand being struck by Wen Yuesheng’s whip during the martial competition, but that blow had seemed weaker compared to the last one.

With the imperial physician standing by, they hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

But now, he never expected Zhong Qinbu’s hand to be so easily crippled!

The messenger’s face also looked grim.

Marshal Wu An had many soldiers under his command, but in terms of martial arts, General Zhong was the strongest.

Now that his hand was ruined, it was almost like he was rendered useless.

This was a disaster not only for Zhong Qinbu but also for the entire Wu An lineage.

“Is that so?”

After hearing the report, Marshal Wu An’s face twisted for a moment before he spoke in a low voice. “What about the officer at the northern garrison?”

The messenger replied, “The officer, Li, was sent to the imperial physician. The physician said his right hand would be difficult to recover, and it’s unlikely he’ll ever hold a sword again.”

Marshal Wu An’s face softened slightly at this news.

But it was still grim. “Tell General Zhong to rest and recover. Also, issue an order to all three garrisons: if anyone dares to approach Princess Sining, I’ll have them chopped into pieces and feed them to the army flags!”

The messenger hesitated. “But that princess is ruthless…”

“Ruthless? What can she do?” Marshal Wu An sneered. “She wants to use the military. If even the ordinary soldiers don’t listen to her, how can she use them?”

“Tell them clearly, three days from now, she will inspect the three garrisons. I want to see her return in defeat, with all the armies united in resistance!”

The messenger, though conflicted, responded, “Yes.”

In these three garrisons, almost all the commanders were loyal to Marshal Wu An, and his control over them far exceeded what others imagined.

Even if General Zhong was absent, with just a word from him, the soldiers would still comply.

So, on the day of the inspection, Wen Yuesheng arrived at the East City Garrison early in the morning.

Among the four training grounds, the East City Garrison was the largest, with over ten thousand soldiers and the strongest military force.

With the military exercises approaching, each of the Imperial Army’s garrisons had tens of thousands of soldiers participating, but the three garrisons combined only had about 20,000 soldiers.

As the newly appointed commander, Wen Yue Sheng had to take advantage of the time to train all three garrisons to prepare for the upcoming military exercise.

If the garrisons were to finish last in the exercises, it would be embarrassing for her, and the Emperor might not take kindly to it.

Although her northern garrison had become much stronger, time was still limited, and the Imperial Army’s strength far surpassed the garrisons, so victory seemed almost impossible.

Thus, the soldiers at the garrison became bold.

Wen Yue Sheng arrived at the training ground and sat on the high platform for a while before one of the officers arrived late.

The vast East City training ground, which could hold tens of thousands of people, was almost empty except for a few soldiers.

The autumn wind blew, making it seem particularly desolate.

Zhang Yulin, who had come with Wen Yuesheng, had already darkened his expression.

Having spent so much time in the military, Zhang Yulin could easily tell what these soldiers were planning.

They wanted to give Wen Yuesheng a warning.

Although Wen Yuesheng had the imperial token and could punish anyone, she couldn’t punish tens of thousands of soldiers.

Military law didn’t punish the masses, and it was especially true in the barracks.

If one or two soldiers were reprimanded, it was their fault, but if everyone was uncooperative, it was the commanding officer’s problem.

If the commander lacked the authority, there was no way to punish tens of thousands of soldiers.

Zhang Yulin soon realized that the newly arrived officer, Zhang, had no intention of being intimidated.

“General, what are your soldiers doing?” Zhang Yulin asked, his face cold.

Zhang, the officer, seemed momentarily taken aback before responding, “Your Highness, the East City soldiers are undergoing heavy training. They’re currently carrying weights for their drills. Afterward, we can proceed with the inspection.”

“I was unaware of your arrival, so there was some oversight. Please wait a moment until they finish their training.”

His attitude seemed courteous, but his words didn’t make sense.

Did the commanding officer have to seek permission from the soldiers before leading them?

Zhang Yulin’s face grew even darker, and he stared at the officer.

“This isn’t a military exercise; this is about my authority as the commander. Do you understand?”

As Zhang Yulin spoke, he could see the officer’s arrogance in his expression.

But before he could respond, Wen Yue Sheng stood up, her voice icy, “No need to leave.”

The officer turned back, startled.

Wen Yuesheng, holding a jade Buddha bead in her hand, looked coldly at him. “Take all the officers here and arrest them.”

At her command, the officer’s face changed dramatically.

“Princess, what is the meaning of this? This training was ordered by His Majesty. I’m not targeting you. If you want to arrest me over this, I can’t comply!”

Wen Yuesheng’s expression remained cold, and she didn’t argue. Instead, she slowly sat in the chair the officer had arranged for her.

Under the scorching sun, her figure seemed to glow, almost as if she were unscathed by the heat.

With a command, soldiers flooded the training ground, swiftly overpowering the remaining officers, pressing them to the scorching ground.

The officer, his skin burning from the heat, cried out in pain.

Before he could recover, he looked up and saw a group of soldiers from the Northern Garrison, led by Li Qingyuan, galloping toward him.

Behind them, dust billowed, and…

The soldiers had been ordered by Marshal Wu An to leave their posts for training, leaving the training ground empty for Wen Yue Sheng’s officers.

All of them were bound and dragged across the desert sands, their faces filled with shock and pain.

As they struggled, Wen Yuesheng’s cold voice rang out, “Withholding military pay, humiliating soldiers, seizing their wives…”

She gazed at him, her eyes as cold as ice, as though she were staring at a lifeless body.

“Tell me, which crime should I start with?”