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墨書 Inktalez
The facts once again proved that Qing was right. She felt a surge of emotions, perhaps because she had put on Female Attire, and she found herself wanting to embrace her femininity.
Sighing, she wondered what had caused this change in her. It seemed that after waking up this time, she had transformed significantly, and her behavior was more feminine than before.
Upon entering Kou City, the merchant caravan went off to buy goods and sell products while she waited at the inn with Young Master Rong, chatting with him whenever she had the chance.
When she first joined the caravan, her story was that her family had fallen into misfortune, leaving her with nowhere to go and seeking relatives in the city. However, ever since she revealed her skills last time, it became difficult to maintain that story. When Young Master Rong asked her how she learned martial arts, she found herself at a loss for words. In this era, scholars were few, and while there were many martial artists, those who truly understood swordsmanship were rare. Many noble youths struggled to learn martial arts, let alone a woman. Although she couldn't claim to be the only one in the Seven Kingdoms, she was certainly a rare find. Young Master Rong must have sensed her uniqueness, which prompted him to ask.
Unfortunately, she couldn't come up with a reason; she couldn't just say she was the crown prince. Unable to think of anything, she decided not to pursue it further, and fortunately, he didn't press her for more information. She then asked him why he was out doing business despite being unwell. Young Master Rong hesitated and simply said there were matters at home that required his involvement.
Everyone has their privacy; there are pains in their hearts they do not wish others to touch. She chose not to pry further and instead discussed national affairs and the lives of the common people with him.
Through their deep conversations, she realized that Young Master Rong was not an ordinary person. He had grand ambitions and profound strategies; his analysis of the situation in the Seven Kingdoms was insightful, and he understood the hardships faced by the common folk. Such a person should not be a merchant; he should be a military advisor, someone who strategizes for a ruler seeking to dominate a nation.
However, her aspirations were not so grand, and as a woman aiming for dominance, that path seemed nearly impossible. Otherwise, she would have genuinely wanted him by her side to assist her.
Young Master Rong was also astonished by her; among all the women he knew, none were as knowledgeable or unique as she was. He increasingly doubted her identity; she could not be an ordinary woman because ordinary families would not raise their daughters in such a manner. Teaching them so much—would it even allow them to marry?
He shook his head with a hint of amusement; after all, he would never marry a woman stronger than himself.
They spent several days together chatting until his subordinates finished handling their goods and they began their journey. This time they carried few supplies and traveled quickly; before long, they arrived at Jian City. Concerned that wearing Female Attire might lead others to mistake her for someone other than the crown prince, she changed into male clothing on the way there. Young Master Rong once asked why she did this; she simply replied that it was more convenient for traveling.
Upon arriving at Jian City, it seemed that Young Master Rong had no intention of conducting business; he was only accompanying her part of the way before heading off to visit a friend.
She thanked him, and Young Master Rong smiled lightly. "You should be thanking yourself; after all, you are the benefactor of my caravan."
She smiled back. "Then if there's an opportunity in the future, you should repay me well." She felt that they would meet again someday.
Young Master Rong nodded, "Of course."
After the two parted ways, she went alone to the Garrison of the City.
The garrison was located ten miles west of the city. When she set up camp during the city's construction, she had stationed most of the troops outside the city for defense purposes. This way, she could ensure the safety of the city while also being able to mobilize troops from here for battle in the Chu Territory. Of course, there was another more important reason: the city could not accommodate over a hundred thousand soldiers.
When she arrived at the military camp, it seemed much quieter than before. There were no thunderous horns or countless soldiers training; only a few guards at the gate yawning.
Her army maintained strict discipline and would never allow such lax behavior during duty.
Seeing these idle soldiers, seemingly bored and scratching themselves, she felt an inexplicable anger rise within her. She strode over and shouted at them, "What are you doing? The Wei Army is about to attack, and you are actually dozing off?"
The soldiers were taken aback for a moment, then seeing a delicate-looking youth pointing at them, one of them retorted angrily, "Who are you? This is a military camp; how dare you act so recklessly?"
She snorted and grabbed one soldier by his collar, coldly asking, "Is General Pang here?"
"General Pang has already returned to Jicheng."
"How could Pang Wan disregard orders and leave with troops on his own?" Pang Wan was her trusted general; she had commanded him to hold the fort when she left the city. How could he disobey her?
Another soldier came over to help his comrade but was kicked down by her.
He got up and shouted, "Who are you to dare call out the general's name?"
She raised her head, suddenly exuding an imposing aura. "I am Crown Prince Dan. Open the gates immediately and summon the general to welcome me."
As soon as she spoke, several soldiers showed strange expressions. They first looked her up and down a few times, then burst into laughter, saying, "I think this is mostly a madwoman; who doesn't know that the Crown Prince has been dead for nearly three years?"
She exclaimed, "What are you talking about?"
It was hard to believe; if the Crown Prince was dead, then who was she?
In fact, she had already sensed something was off these days, especially during her conversations with Young Master Rong. He had mentioned Chengyang Jun Zhongxue multiple times but never referred to herself, while she had once been someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Zhong Xue. Looking around during her journey, the people of Yan Country seemed to be living peacefully, which certainly did not look like a country at war.
She had tried several times to ask Young Master Rong what era it was now, but for some reason, she felt inexplicably afraid of knowing the truth. Now that she heard from others that she was dead, it was naturally unbearable for her.
She pushed aside the two soldiers blocking her way and strode forward; she needed to see for herself what her camp had become. A few soldiers came to stop her, but she kicked them down effortlessly.
The camp was not empty; many were walking around. However, a camp that could originally accommodate a hundred thousand troops now only had a few thousand left, making it feel too spacious no matter how one looked at it.
A few soldiers hurriedly followed behind, shouting loudly, "Someone has breached the camp! Someone has breached the camp!"
Many soldiers gathered around. She single-handedly faced hundreds of them, perhaps due to the pent-up resentment in her heart; she vented it all on these soldiers. Wielding her Bronze Sword, she cut through them like they were nothing. If she hadn't known these were Yan Ren, many would have likely perished under her sword.
She didn't understand why fate had to toy with her, making her miss two or three years of time. What had happened during these years? She knew nothing at all. She didn't even know who she truly was.
Just as the battle intensified, a voice suddenly shouted, "Stop!"
The soldiers gradually retreated to the sides. She turned to look and saw a person dressed as a Vice Commander standing behind her, next to him stood a frail young man—none other than Young Master Rong.
She hadn't expected that the close friend he wanted to meet would be this Vice Commander in the military camp. Both of them looked at her with astonished eyes, leaving her momentarily unsure of what to do.
Young Master Rong knew she was a woman; with a single word, he could expose her lie. Claiming to be the Crown Prince was simply self-contradictory.
The Vice Commander stared at her for a long time before asking, "Who are you, young master? What brings you here?"
She suddenly felt a bit disheartened. Time had passed, so why cling to her identity? Throwing the sword to the ground, she replied lightly, "Nothing much, just here to find someone."
"Who?"
She pointed at Young Master Rong.
The Vice Commander looked at Young Master Rong, who nodded. "I know this person; she is my savior."
"In that case, let's go inside and talk."
The Vice Commander led the way as they entered the inner tent.
Looking at the familiar arrangement inside, she felt a mix of emotions. The things here had once been arranged by her own hands; this camp was built through her efforts and dedication. But now that the master was gone, it was no surprise that it had fallen into desolation.
She had never seen this Vice Commander before. With so many Vice Commanders in the hundred-thousand-strong army, how could she possibly know them all?
Clearly, he did not recognize her either; how many people could remember what someone who was supposed to be dead looked like?
Perhaps because she had struck too many people upon entering, the Vice Commander kept looking at her with an unusual gaze. He did not blame her for Young Master Rong's sake, but his eyes were clearly unfriendly.
She chose to ignore it; Ji Xun could have a thin skin or a thick one.
Ignoring his cold gaze, she kept asking questions about why only these people remained in the camp. The Vice Commander explained that after the Crown Prince's death, several countries suddenly stopped fighting and took their troops back home, leading to an inexplicable end to the war.
It was well known that General Pang Wan and Meng Da Wang had been recalled to the capital. With no ongoing battles, the camp was no longer needed, and only five thousand soldiers were stationed there.
Her heart trembled at this information, and she hurriedly asked, "Who is the King?"
The other two looked at her with even more astonishment, as if she had just emerged from a mountain valley. They guessed correctly; she indeed came from a remote place.
Despite her confusion, the Vice Commander explained for Young Master Rong's sake, "The current King is the Crown Prince's younger brother. It was not easy for him to ascend to his position today."
Everyone in Yan knew that years ago, when the Crown Prince's uncle rebelled, he attempted to harm the King during the Crown Prince's death. At that time, the King was gravely ill and could not withstand any shock, leading to his demise. It was Young Master Qi who stepped forward and dealt a fatal blow to the rebellion.
Poor Menglin Jun had always looked down on this seemingly weak Young Master Qi. By the time he realized that this young man was merely pretending to be harmless while hiding his true strength, it was too late. Young Master Qi turned the tide and restored order in Yan, ultimately ascending to become the King of Yan.
The words were simple and spoken at a steady pace, but they stirred up a storm in her heart. She knew Qi well; she understood how difficult it must have been for him to gather such courage to stand before Menglin Jun in defiance.
Her heart ached as she thought of Qi, her beloved younger brother, filled with mixed emotions. Now that he had firmly established himself as King, returning would serve no purpose and would only bring him trouble. She had always believed in his talent and foresaw that he would one day achieve great things. Now that he had indeed become the King of Yan as she had hoped, she could finally feel at ease.
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