The winter wind howled in his ears, and the sharp tip of the knife was dangerously close to his throat.

What Yu Shun could feel, however, was the cold sandalwood fragrance emanating from her.

In the vast wilderness, amidst the winter winds, he could only hear his own thunderous heartbeat.

“Your Majesty!” Both Tai Lan and Nu Lie behind him changed their expressions.

Before Wen Yuesheng faced Yu Shun, they had not expected him to lose, and to lose so quickly.

The knife was so close to his throat that it made it impossible for them to stay calm.

But before they could react, Zhang Yulin beside them had already raised the purple-gold hammer in his hand, pointing it at the two of them.

The atmosphere in the snowy field instantly became tense.

Yu Shun was silent for a moment, then finally withdrew his gaze from her.

Under countless gazes, Wen Yuesheng finally moved the short knife away from his throat.

On the city tower behind them, Yan Wei let out a sigh of relief.

Li Qingyuan, seeing this, couldn’t help but ask, “Lord Yan, what did you say to her before the princess took the stage?”

Yan Wei, regaining his composure, replied in a low voice, “This new emperor of Haoshu isn’t a rash person. I guessed he must have a backup plan.”

In fact, his guess was right.

Someone quickly reported that reinforcements from the court had already arrived at Qiongshan Pass.

Yan Wei went inside the pass to meet the reinforcements.

As he was joining forces with the Duke of Zhongyong, he heard that Haoshu had left 300,000 troops on the border.

Yan Wei’s expression changed slightly.

It seemed the enemy had come well-prepared.

This new emperor of Yu Shun, to Haoshu, was more important than their conflicting interests.

How could Haoshu easily let him take risks?

If Wen Yuesheng had really killed him earlier, perhaps they could withstand the assault from Haoshu’s soldiers, but at the cost of completely losing control of the border.

Those 300,000 troops would inevitably flatten the entire Da Hui before they stopped.

Moreover, with the recent purge of officials in Fuzhou, it was hardly the time to start a war.

Wen Yuesheng stood in the snow, tossing the short knife to him.

Yu Shun caught it, his eyes flashing.

He wanted to say something but heard an exclamation from the person by his side.

Looking up, he saw a figure standing on the city tower.

The person was tall and elegant, wearing a snow-white fox fur cloak, with a distant and cold expression, their beauty breathtaking.

It was none other than the powerful Da Hui official, Yan Ling.

He stood on the high tower, coldly watching him.

There was no warmth in his gaze.

Yu Shun paused: “It seems today’s contest must end here.”

The Da Hui reinforcements had arrived, and he had lost the contest.

In the freezing cold, he looked at Wen Yues9heng with burning eyes.

Ignoring the oppressive gaze from above, Yu Shun smiled: “Princess, your martial arts are impressive.”

“On the battlefield in the future, I will seek guidance from you.”

But if he won next time, it would be more than just this simple matter.

He wanted everything behind her, and most of all, he wanted her.

Yu Shun’s gaze toward her was intense and direct.

After a long time, he chuckled lightly and led Tai Lan and Nu Lie back to their army, shouting, “Retreat!”

“Yes!” The Haoshu soldiers, under Yu Shun’s command, withdrew from Qiongshan Pass in a mighty procession.

Without losing a single soldier, Haoshu retreated.

The soldiers inside Qiongshan Pass finally relaxed once Haoshu’s army had withdrawn.

The city gates opened again, and Wen Yue Sheng walked in slowly, entering a nearby warm room.

Inside, water had already been prepared for her.

She removed the Buddhist beads from her wrist and submerged her hands into the ice-cold water.

Though it was a winter’s day, the water for cleansing her hands remained cold.

She was dressed in thin clothing, but she seemed impervious to the cold, calmly cleaning her hands.

A clean silk handkerchief was placed beside her.

Wen Yuesheng took it and carefully wiped her hands, speaking softly, “When did you arrive?”

The room was very quiet, but a person dressed in white sat by the table.

Yan Ling, hearing the question, lowered his gaze and replied, “Seven days ago, when Haoshu’s movements were first detected.”

“Who was the general sent to provide support?” she asked in a soft voice.

“Duke Zhongyong.”

Wen Yue Sheng paused slightly upon hearing this, glancing at him.

She had known for some time that Duke Zhongyong was a person close to Yan Ling.

But she hadn’t asked, and he hadn’t brought it up.

He had many connections in the court, and this time, he hadn’t hesitated to join forces with Duke Zhongyong.

The wind and snow outside grew stronger again, and Wen Yuesheng heard Li Qingyuan’s loud voice ordering the soldiers to take shelter from the snowstorm.

Wen Yuesheng took a seat beside Yan Ling.

The familiar cold sandalwood scent surrounded her, and it calmed Yan Ling’s restless emotions.

He lifted his gaze, and his eyes, like vast lakes, focused on her.

“After the former crown prince started the rebellion, he pushed all the way to Fuzhou,” his voice was indifferent, but when mentioning the former crown prince, his eyes grew colder.

“The court sent troops to suppress him, but his army surrounded them.”

Wen Yuesheng raised her eyes to look at him, “The general who suppressed the rebellion… was it your parents?”

“Yes.”

After all these years, Yan Ling had never mentioned this matter to anyone.

His eyes remained indifferent, speaking about his parents’ past as if it were someone else’s story.

“On that day, my parents’ situation was similar to the princess’s today.”

The difference was that the former crown prince did indeed have a few strong armies under his command, and the soldiers of Fuzhou and the border defense were all under his control.

Even though Yan Ling’s father was a master strategist, with only a few thousand elite soldiers, it was difficult for him to break free from the tens of thousands of elite soldiers in Fuzhou.

“Under the siege, the elite troops led by my father were all captured by the former crown prince, and my mother was captured. Only he and about a hundred men were left, barely holding on.”

“Before entering Fuzhou, he had sent his trusted soldiers to send a message to the court.”

At this point, Wen Yuesheng looked at him.

But his eyes, shrouded in mist, made it difficult to discern his emotions.

Without her speaking, he continued, “When the emperor first ascended the throne, the country was in chaos. Haoshu was watching covetously, and during the internal turmoil in Da Hui, they attacked the border, causing great damage.”

“The emperor prioritized the safety of the border and sent his generals there.”

At such a time, the emperor naturally had to focus on the defense of the border.

In this situation, Yan Ling’s parents were abandoned, which was almost inevitable.

It was only natural, but the pain of this situation could only be truly understood by those in the Yan family.

Yan Ling’s father had always been loyal to the country, never hesitating in matters of national importance.

Perhaps he would have died for Da Hui’s safety, without complaint.

But all the cruelty of this world was left for Yan Ling to bear.

Outside, the wind and snow intensified, and the light inside the room dimmed.

Yet Yan Ling, at this moment, raised his eyes.

His gaze, which had always been difficult to read, was now clear and calm.

After shedding the indifference and aloofness, he looked at Wen Yuesheng with eyes full of light.

Yan Ling was born in such an environment, and he was unlike his parents.

He did not like the gloomy court, nor did he want to swear loyalty to the Xiao family.

The things he experienced as a child made it impossible for him to speak of liking this world.

Yet there was one person whose view of the world was completely different from his own.

Since he was young, everyone around him had been willing to do anything for profit, unscrupulously.

Either they sought wealth and honor, bowing and scraping, breaking his proud spirit to make him a person the Xiao family could use.

She was different.

From the moment they met, there was an odd and contradictory aura about her.

Even in the midst of murderous intent, she could still maintain clarity.

She was the one who wielded the sword, standing in the vast yellow earth, cutting down without mercy.

Then he would be the one behind her, guarding her sword, helping it strike with complete freedom, each blow in accordance with her will.

Yan Ling looked at her, his tone rare for its warmth: “Past events are over, and they will never happen again.”

“At any time, the princess will have Yan Ling behind her.”

Her eyes could hold Da Hui, could hold everyone.

He, however, could only hold her alone.

The wind and snow were too heavy in the evening, and the roads were blocked.

Wen Yuesheng did not return to Fuzhou but rested in this warm room.

When Yan Ling came out of the warm room, Di Zhu sighed in disappointment.

Tsk, he had traveled so far and was nearly exhausted.

And yet, their master came out in the end.

This shouldn’t have been the case.

Di Zhu seriously looked at his master.

With such looks and figure, forget about Qiongshan Pass, even the whole of Da Hui would have no one to compare.

Of course, that new emperor of Haoshu was quite handsome as well.

But no matter how one looked at it, their master’s appearance was truly unparalleled.

Didn’t the princess feel anything?

The more Di Zhu thought about it, the more incredible it seemed.

He turned back to look at the closed door of the warm room, shaking his head.

When he looked up, he noticed Yan Ling’s expression was calm, though it was hard to tell, Di Zhu could feel that his master seemed to be somewhat relaxed.

Fuzhou wasn’t a good place for Yan Ling, and everyone who served him knew this.

Yet seeing his master like this, Di Zhu couldn’t help but wonder.

Earlier, on the tower, when he saw Yu Shun confronting the princess, he had a dark look on his face.

But now, it was fine?

He was too easy to appease…

If Di Zhu knew this, he’d certainly be shaking his head and sighing even more.

This time, Hao Zhou gave up on the siege and withdrew his troops.

The 50,000 reinforcements brought by Yan Ling and the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery were not entirely useless.

In a short time, they cleared the rebellious forces from the border.

However, due to the recent bad weather—continuous snowstorms—heavy snow blocked the mountain roads, completely halting their progress.

It was unlikely they would make it back to the capital before New Year’s Eve.

The snow was so heavy that after waiting for several days, they finally managed to clear the road from Qiong Mountain Pass to Fuzhou and returned to Fuzhou.

But to go from Fuzhou back to the capital, they would have to wait for the snow to completely stop.

Such heavy snow was rare in Fuzhou.