When Wen Yuesheng first visited the three major training fields, the first thing she did was to arrest all the officers who had committed offenses within the guard troops.

And today, they wondered who would be the next to fall.

“I wondered why Zhang Shizi hasn’t been seen recently, seems like he’s been up to something big.”

“Unbelievable! How could he do something like this without telling me?”

“Princess’s orders are military commands. Do you want to go?”

The guard troops’ rules were clear: the princess’s words were orders.

The officers who had been eager to go earlier instantly fell silent.

The personal guards standing by couldn’t help but murmur in awe.

Before long, Zhang Yulin reached the bottom of the high platform, holding the person he had captured.

He reined in his horse and loudly announced, “Report to the princess, I have brought the person.”

The officers on the high platform and the officials behind Wen Yue Sheng looked up at the new face in confusion.

“Who is this?”

“Never seen him before.”

They had expected to see a military officer, but instead, a stranger stood before them.

Under the bright sunlight, Wen Yuesheng’s expression remained cold as her eyes fixed on the man Zhang Yulin had casually tossed to the ground. Her voice was cold as she said:

“This person’s name is Yang Wei.”

A name no one had ever heard.

The soldiers below and the officials on the high platform were all confused.

“He is the son of Yang Gu, a key figure in Haozhou,” Wen Yue Sheng continued.

At that moment, the hall erupted into noise.

Yang Gu was a well-known name among the military, as he was the prime minister of Haozhou.

His role in the spy operations during the military exercises had been crucial.

“How did Yang Gu’s son end up here?” someone asked, shocked.

Indeed, while Yang Gu was far away in Haozhou, Wen Yuesheng had somehow managed to capture his son.

“What’s the meaning of this?” asked King Jingkang coldly.

Prince Wei Yangwang immediately added, “Does second brother mean that this person was just brought in to make an example?”

He paused and then said, “If so, this is an act of treason. Second brother, don’t tell me, go directly to Father to report it.”

Prince Jingkang’s piercing gaze turned to him.

Prince Wei Yang smirked: “What’s wrong? Am I wrong?”

Before their conversation could continue, Wen Yuesheng’s voice rang out, “To plant spies in Haozhou, Yang Gu sent his own son to Great Wei, disguised as a merchant, to contact people like Duke Wu’an.”

“For years, he recommended a large number of Haozhou spies to our military. After the military exercise, Yang Wei fled with money, intending to leave for Haozhou.”

“He was captured by Zhang Yulin in Eastern Wei,” Wen Yuesheng paused before adding, “Furthermore, we found a list of Haozhou spies on him.”

As she finished speaking, someone rushed into the hall to report.

“Your Majesty, an urgent report from the border!”

It was from Lu Tingyu.

The report was simple: Yang Gu had sent a small team to the border army, and Lu Tingyu had initially suspected they were preparing for an attack. However, they were there to deliver a message.

For years, Yang Gu had been the main figure behind the war in Haozhou, and his first contact with Great Wei had been to ask for his son back, offering a generous exchange.

Duke Zhongyong shook his head in disbelief. “… General Lu said that due to internal strife in Haozhou, Yang Gu and his second son were executed by the new emperor. Only his third son remains in Great Wei.”

“Now, Yang Gu has allied with his former subordinates and wants to crown the third prince of Haozhou as emperor, so they can resist the new Haozhou emperor. He has even promised that if we release his son, he will support us.”

The hall fell silent.

Those who had questioned Yang Wei’s identity earlier were now quiet.

“The princess truly is a princess; her move has forced Yang Gu into this position,” someone whispered.

“Fate is cruel; Yang Gu had three sons, now he has lost two. Yang Wei is his only surviving son. After years of scheming in Haozhou, he ends up with no one to bury him.”

“The emperor, so what about this…” Some were moved after hearing the report.

All they needed was to release one person, and Yang Gu would help them in the future.

Although Yang Gu had been pushed back by the new emperor of Haozhou, he still held significant power.

Before anyone could voice their thoughts, Wen Yuesheng spoke again.

Her face was cold, devoid of emotion, “Yang Gu and his son have long been plotting spies in Haozhou, killing over a hundred of our soldiers.”

“Yang Wei has been infiltrating the capital for years. Thanks to information from Duke Wu’an, he caused the loss of thousands of soldiers on the border.”

Her eyes were as dark as ink. “Today, Yang Gu has been reduced to a dog, and yet he still dares to make insignificant promises to save his son.”

Her voice turned icy: “Today’s military assembly shall use Yang Wei’s head to honor the Great Wei military banner!”

“Those who collude with Haozhou to harm our soldiers,” she said with finality, “they will die without mercy!”

As her words fell, the soldiers who had been quiet until then suddenly shouted, “Kill! Kill! Kill!”

The atmosphere was fiery.

Those who had hesitated before, tempted by Yang Gu’s promises, had no time to respond.

Before they could speak, Zhang Yulin had already raised his blade and executed Yang Wei.

With Yang Wei’s fall, the high palace hall immediately fell into silence.

Wen Yue Sheng’s actions were more decisive and ruthless than anyone had imagined.

And it wasn’t just that.

She stood on the high platform of the hall, her gaze cold, her voice devoid of any emotion as she spoke, “From today onwards, only military discipline will be observed in the military camps.”

“Those like Yang Wei, captured by the soldiers of Da Hui, will have their fate decided solely by the soldiers of Da Hui.” She raised her eyes and scanned the officials in the hall, those who had spoken earlier and still harbored illusions about Hao Zhou.

“If anyone wishes to interfere in military affairs, they may,” Wen Yue Sheng said expressionlessly, “but according to military discipline, they will first receive forty lashes with a military cane.”

The hall was deathly silent.

She had started with forty lashes, which, for the officials in the court, was equivalent to a death sentence.

“If they are fortunate enough to survive, they may participate in military matters.” Wen Yuesheng’s cold eyes swept over the group of officials. “Do any of you have objections to today’s matter?”

The entire hall was quiet.

If someone else had said this, it might not have had such a strong impact.

But the person before them was Wen Yuesheng, the Wen Yuesheng who could kill without hesitation.

She had even gone so far as to target Duke Wu’an, so how could she be afraid of these civil officials?

At the same time, the soldiers below were stirred by Wen Yuesheng’s words.

Many in the hall had flashing eyes as they glanced at the Emperor’s expression, but saw that the Emperor’s face remained unchanged.

Wen Yuesheng now held real military power.

What she set as military discipline would be carried out.

Since power had already fallen into Wen Yuesheng’s hands, it was her authority to decide.

The Emperor did not speak, so no one could defy her.

But Yang Wei’s death had not only established Wen Yuesheng’s reputation in the military but had also established her authority in the court.

Anyone who knew her methods would not dare to act rashly now.

Amid the cold autumn winds, Wen Yuesheng stood in the wind, no longer giving the spineless officials a single glance. Instead, she raised her eyes and looked below, speaking in a low voice, “Zhang Yulin.”

Below, Zhang Yulin answered loudly, “I am here.”

“Send someone to take Yang Wei’s head and send it to the frontier.”

While some were still hesitating about whether Yang Wei should be killed or how he should be used, Wen Yue Sheng not only killed him but also planned to send his head to the frontier soldiers to bolster their morale.

At this moment, when the military morale was in disarray, nothing was more convincing than directly executing the mastermind.

With this act, Wen Yue Sheng aimed to inform all the frontier soldiers that they had her support. Anyone who tried to sever the military’s back would die at her hands.

She could kill Yang Wei, and she could kill Yang Gu.

In the future, on the battlefield, she would never abandon any soldier.

At this moment, countless soldiers were fired up.

But that was not all.

Among those captured with Yang Wei were many spies from Hao Zhou infiltrating the palace guard.

One by one, these spies were bound in front of the military.

Wen Yuesheng slowly walked down from the high platform and approached these people from behind.

“This person entered Da Hui in the fourth year, plotted the death of seven Da Hui soldiers, occupied their properties, and even killed their family members.”

Wen Yuesheng walked up to the first person and said coldly, “Kill.”

As soon as she spoke, the person’s head fell.

“This spy, Tai Jiang, from Hao Zhou, repeatedly moved between the east and the capital, transmitting military defense maps of Da Hui and killing soldiers in the same barracks.”

She said emotionlessly, “Kill.”

In just a few days, she had already gathered information on the Hao Zhou spies, and those captured today were all notorious traitors.

Within fifteen minutes, over ten spies and traitors were executed.

Compared to when she first arrived at the three major military camps, she had killed even more people.

Yet, in the entire hunting ground, including the Emperor and various ministers, no one voiced any objections.

At this point, there was no avoiding a war between Hao Zhou and Da Hui. Whether the final victors were the Third Prince, Yang Gu, or the new Emperor, this conflict was inevitable.

These Hao Zhou spies, who had hidden in Da Hui for so long and committed countless crimes, would not be shown mercy. Showing mercy to them would be cruelty to Da Hui’s soldiers.

They had to die.

But Wen Yuesheng’s method of execution was still shocking.

Standing in front of the formation, before her stood countless Da Hui soldiers, their eyes dark.

She stood with her hands behind her back, holding white jade Buddhist beads in her right hand, her black hair contrasting with her pale skin. Her face was cold, and in front of this solemn army, she looked slender and fragile.

But she spoke, “Today, we execute a total of seventeen Hao Zhou spies.”

“From Hao Zhou’s actions, it is clear they have worked for a long time, all to disrupt the military’s morale. Starting today, the military will conduct self-checks. Anyone who is found to be undermining the morale, whether external enemies or internal traitors…”

She paused briefly, then coldly said, “After investigation, they will be executed on the spot!”

“Kill one external enemy, reward fifty; kill one internal traitor, reward one hundred!”

She swept her gaze over all the soldiers and said in a deep voice, “Da Hui’s land will not allow anyone to take even a single inch!”

“Yes!” The entire room of soldiers responded in unison.

The atmosphere was mighty, and the energy was overwhelming, completely different from the previous somber and weak atmosphere.

Wen Yuesheng stood under the high wall, her voice cold, “Da Hui soldiers, listen to my orders.”

Her voice was not loud, but as soon as she spoke, a thousand voices responded in unison, and the atmosphere filled the hall, reaching the skies.

This grand military roll call became the largest in six years, and even after a long time, it was still talked about with excitement.

Since Wen Yuesheng took over the palace guard, she had cleared away corruption, disciplined the troops, and worked tirelessly day and night.

Since she had Yang Wei’s list of spies, it was not difficult for her to handle this task.

By the end of the year, she had completely eliminated Duke Wu’an’s old faction and the Hao Zhou spies.

In December, the weather grew colder.

At the end of the month, several heavy snowstorms hit the capital.

The heavy snow continued for days, causing many areas to freeze.

The bitter winter wind blew for days, dyeing the endless mountain range with frosty white.

In this endless snowfall, the long winter felt especially difficult to endure.

Before the eve of the New Year, the weather finally cleared for a few days, and the Emperor ordered a break from the court and a sacrificial ceremony, hoping for a prosperous year with good weather and clear skies after the snow.

The Ministry of Rites was heavily involved in the ceremonies, and they were extremely busy.

Originally, the entire court’s attention was on the upcoming grand sacrificial ceremony.

But unexpectedly, urgent news arrived from Fuzhou.

Fuzhou had also suffered from the snowstorm, with the common people suffering from the cold. During this time, someone had caused trouble.

Fortunately, the assistant governor of Fuzhou, Zhou Yuandu, acted quickly and captured the troublemaker.

Upon interrogation, it was discovered that the person was also from Hao Zhou and had once been part of Duke Wu’an’s old faction.

He had been reassigned to Fuzhou three years ago, so no one in the court had noticed.

This news caused a great stir in the court.

However, due to the break from court, the news had not yet reached the Emperor.

The ministers in the court, however, were already debating this matter.

The next morning was the sacrificial ceremony, so today the nobles of the court had already arrived at the royal temple.

Inside the temple, there was a vegetarian feast, but many people were not interested in the banquet and focused on discussing the Fuzhou matter.

“…It has already been more than a month since the princess took control. Yet, there are still fish slipping through the cracks, causing trouble. If we talk about this matter, the princess may also find it difficult to escape responsibility.”

“But it can’t all be blamed on the princess. Duke Wu’an’s old faction and its followers are numerous, and a month is still too short a time.”

“However, when the troops were mobilized, the princess did say in front of the entire army that anyone who harms Da Hui’s soldiers will not escape. If she truly cannot do that, why make such grandiose statements?”

Duke Zhongyong sat in the great hall and could not help but glance at Lu Qinghuai beside him: “Where is the princess?”

Lu Qinghuai replied, “The princess is at Tian Ci Temple.”

“What time is it, and she’s still praying?” The nearby Wei Yang Wang said with surprise, “I say, this matter isn’t that big of a deal. It’s just that recently, Sining has been a bit busy, and some people think she can’t handle a blade anymore.”

Just as Prince Wei Yangwang finished speaking, a report came in that Wen Yuesheng had arrived.

The heavy snow had blocked the roads, making travel difficult.

Since the snowstorms began, Wen Yuesheng hadn’t left Tian Ci Temple, and the people here hadn’t seen her for several days.

Now hearing this, everyone raised their eyes to look.

And they saw Wen Yue Sheng dressed in a dark black robe with golden Buddhist scriptures embroidered on it, wearing a snow-white fox fur cloak fastened with a golden chain.

The white fur contrasted with her delicate face.

She clearly had an extremely beautiful face, but her cold expression made her presence even more chilling as she entered the hall.

She had just sat down when the Emperor arrived.

With the court on break and busy with the sacrificial rites, the Emperor only had time to deal with important matters.

And today, the most pressing issue was, of course, the discovery of Hao Zhou spies in Fuzhou.

An official from the Imperial Censorate said loudly, “The matter of the Hao Zhou spies has been ongoing for months, but they have still not been completely eradicated. Someone must take responsibility for this.”

As they were in the royal temple, the proceedings were less formal than the morning court. While speaking, Wen Yuesheng sat quietly below, sipping her tea, her expression indifferent as though this matter had nothing to do with her.