Coroner's Diary

Since Yan Chi's departure, Qin Guan had been feeling unsettled.

The southwest wind had blown for half the night—though this was favorable, the howling gusts through the largely emptied military camp felt particularly mournful and desolate.

Yue Ning, aware of Qin Guan's anxiety, stayed with her in the central command tent. When it was time to retire, the two lay down together on the bed inside the tent. Even so, Qin Guan tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Yue Ning kept her company in conversation for a long while before they both eventually drifted into a fitful slumber.

Qin Guan drifted in and out of sleep, unsure how much time had passed, when she was abruptly startled awake by a noise.

She bolted upright and called out, "Has the army returned?"

Baiying hurried in from outside and said, "No, Princess Consort. It was just a military flag in front of the tent blown over by the wind!"

Qin Guan let out a sigh of relief. "No wonder—it gave me a fright."

After that, Qin Guan couldn't fall back asleep. Yue Ning also sat up and, seeing the sky outside still pitch black, asked, "What time is it?"

Baiying replied, "It's almost mao hour."

Once mao hour passed, dawn would break. Qin Guan and Yue Ning decided not to sleep any longer.

When they stepped outside, they saw several soldiers re-erecting the fallen flag.

Qin Guan's heart raced as she watched the flag. Though not superstitious about omens, she couldn't shake the feeling that a military flag falling during wartime was an ill sign.

As she pondered this, she noticed the fluttering flag gradually stilling. She reached out a hand, frowning. "The wind is dying down."

Yue Ning quickly reassured her, "It's alright. The battle must have already begun. The wind calming now might even be a good thing."

Qin Guan sighed. "I hope everything goes smoothly."

It was quite cold outside. After speaking, Qin Guan was about to lead Yue Ning back inside when several soldiers hurried over from the direction of the camp gate. The one at the front called out before even reaching them, "Princess Consort! Two people have arrived outside the gate claiming to be the deposed Crown Prince and your elder sister. They say they have urgent business to see you and have brought a middle-aged woman they say is the deposed Empress. She's severely injured. We couldn't verify their identities, so we didn't dare let them in without your permission—"

Qin Guan was stunned. The deposed Crown Prince and her sister? That had to be Yan Che and Qin Chaoyu!

And they brought the Empress? The Empress was injured?!

How could this be? Wasn't tonight the time for the armies to engage?

Frowning deeply, Qin Guan immediately headed toward the camp gate. "I'll go see—"

At a time like this, no one would dare falsely claim such identities. Qin Guan was ninety percent certain the visitors were Yan Che and the others—but how could this be?

Baffled, Qin Guan hurried to the gate and saw Qin Chaoyu and Yan Che on horseback. Slumped over Yan Che's saddle was a person with an arrow wound in the left shoulder blade. A closer look confirmed it was none other than Zhao Shuhua!

"Qin Guan!" Qin Chaoyu cried out upon seeing her, eyes red-rimmed. "Qin Guan, please save Mother!"

Yan Che's eyes were also bloodshot. Though he remained silent, his gaze pleaded with Qin Guan.

Qin Guan made a swift decision. "Bring them in quickly—"

The soldiers, now convinced of their identities, promptly opened the gate. Yan Che and Qin Chaoyu rode into the camp while Qin Guan hurriedly led them to an empty tent. "Help her inside first—"With a quick command, Qin Guan immediately instructed Baiying, "Go to the infirmary and fetch two helpers, along with medicine for external wounds. Just say it's an arrow wound—they'll know what to bring."

Baiying hurried off, while Yue Ning, who had followed them in, stood stunned. She helped lift the curtain and light the lamp, her eyes fixed on the barely conscious Zhao Shuhua.

Zhao Shuhua was carried into the room, already unconscious. Now lying face down on a wooden couch, the arrow shaft embedded in her shoulder and back remained visible.

Though half the shaft had been cut away, Qin Guan could imagine how deeply the arrowhead had pierced through the clothing. Blood had soaked Zhao Shuhua’s entire back, now dried into dark brown scabs. Qin Guan’s gaze shifted to Qin Chaoyu and Yan Che—both looked as disheveled as refugees.

Without wasting words, Qin Guan asked directly, "What happened?"

Qin Chaoyu replied in a muffled voice, "Earlier, the main forces left the camp, leaving only a few thousand soldiers in our garrison. We were supposed to wait for their victorious return, but around midnight, a large force suddenly arrived—Jinzhou troops. They came to capture the Empress and the Crown Prince. We escaped the camp, but the Empress was injured along the way. We split from the other soldiers to evade pursuit. Not knowing where else to turn, we thought of you, Qin Guan. Please save the Empress—"

As she spoke, Qin Chaoyu’s tears fell. She wiped them away, but couldn’t stop the flow.

Qin Guan felt as if struck by lightning.

The three armies had agreed to fight together—how could one force attack the Northern Garrison Army in the dead of night?

"Who led them? Who gave the order? Do you know?" Qin Guan pressed urgently.

Qin Chaoyu glanced at Yan Che and shook her head. "I don’t know, but since it was the Jinzhou army, it must have been…"

Her gaze turned toward Yue Ning, filled with complex emotions.

Yue Ning understood her implication instantly, widening her eyes in disbelief. "Impossible! It couldn’t have been my father’s doing! He was overjoyed about the three-army alliance—he would never resort to such treachery. It must have been someone else!"

That night, the three armies were supposed to fight together. Yue Qiong must have led his troops away from Weixian County. If he had left, who could have stirred up trouble?

A name flashed through Qin Guan’s mind, but she dared not draw conclusions. Seeing Qin Chaoyu and Yue Ning on the verge of confrontation, she interjected, "We don’t know the truth yet. Let’s not jump to conclusions."

After speaking, Qin Guan moved to Zhao Shuhua’s side, checking her pulse and breathing. "She can still be saved. I’ll do my best."

Qin Chaoyu and Yan Che both sighed in relief. Yan Che, who had been silent until now, added, "If we’ve been attacked, the Northwest Frontier Army might also face ambush…"

His words echoed Qin Guan’s own fears. She nodded in acknowledgment and stepped outside.

Baiying was just returning with medics from the infirmary. Qin Guan grabbed her arm and said, "Notify General Xia, who’s guarding the camp today. Tell him to send someone to find His Highness immediately. Report that the Northern Garrison Army was ambushed, the Empress and Crown Prince have arrived, and the Empress is severely injured. Relay all of this to His Highness—and hurry!"

Baiying’s face paled, and she swiftly went to deliver the orders.

Watching Baiying leave, Qin Guan felt a hollow emptiness in her chest, wondering if it was already too late…

Soon, she steadied herself. Now was not the time for worry—someone’s life depended on her.Qin Guan turned and entered the tent, only to see Yue Ning's grave expression. She reassured her, "I believe in my adoptive father. Someone must be deliberately causing trouble in this matter."

Yue Ning couldn't bear to distract Qin Guan at such a time and naturally nodded in agreement without saying more.

The medicine had been brought, and Qin Guan called for strong liquor to be fetched, immediately preparing to extract the arrow from Zhao Shuhua. She first tore open the clothing around Zhao Shuhua's wound, and upon seeing the injury, her brow furrowed deeply. "The arrowhead has penetrated deeply into the flesh, I fear it may have reached the internal organs—"

Yan Che urgently asked, "Could it be life-threatening?"

Qin Guan replied, "Not immediately, but extracting the arrowhead is extremely dangerous. There are two main concerns: uncontrolled bleeding and the wound festering with infection. If either occurs, it would be fatal." After speaking, Qin Guan looked seriously at Yan Che. "I've made myself very clear to the Crown Prince. The decision is yours—do you still want me to proceed with the treatment?"

Yan Che nodded without hesitation. "Of course! If even you cannot save Mother Empress, then it must be her fate!"

This level of trust surprised Qin Guan. She paused for a moment, then nodded. "I will do everything in my power."

While cleaning Zhao Shuhua's wound with strong liquor, Qin Guan instructed, "Yue Ning, take them to rest nearby. We don't need so many people standing here."

Yue Ning, preoccupied with her own worries, immediately responded, "Come with me."

With that, she left the main tent, and Yan Che and Qin Chaoyu naturally followed.

Meanwhile, with the assistance of two physicians, Qin Guan began extracting the arrowhead. Qin Guan's medical skills were now renowned throughout the entire Northwest Frontier Army, and these two held her in high esteem. Knowing the difficulty of arrow extraction, they remained highly tense, not daring to make any mistakes. Soon, cold sweat dripped from Qin Guan's forehead. Though merely assisting, the two physicians watched with bated breath until the arrowhead was successfully removed. They couldn't help but applaud Qin Guan silently, but the most challenging part—stopping the bleeding—still lay ahead...

While Qin Guan raced against time to save the patient, in the adjacent tent, Yan Che and Qin Chaoyu were both restless. Yue Ning simply couldn't believe her father had ordered the assault on the Northern Garrison Army. After restraining herself for a long while, she finally burst out, "It couldn't have been my father! You must have misunderstood. At this very moment, my father is surely also engaged in battle with the Rong barbarians."

Yan Che, solely concerned with Zhao Shuhua's survival, sighed and said, "It was indeed the Jinzhou army, but who gave the order remains unknown. There's no need for you to explain yourself now, Princess."

Yue Ning felt both angry and somewhat wronged. She parted her lips but ultimately said nothing more.

Yet her heart was in turmoil, like being clawed at by a hundred talons, unable to comprehend how things had escalated to this point.

She wanted to go to Wei County immediately to see for herself, but feared causing Qin Guan additional worry if she left. Thus, she could only pretend to remain calm and stay seated.

Before long, Yan Che could sit still no longer and walked back to the entrance of Zhao Shuhua's tent. Qin Chaoyu naturally followed. Standing at the entrance, they saw the two assisting military physicians carrying out basin after basin of bloodied water, which only intensified their anxiety.

Yan Che had never known a person could lose so much blood. Remembering the soldiers who had fallen in pools of blood on the battlefield, he grew even more terrified that Zhao Shuhua might pass away.

Seeing his pallid complexion, Qin Chaoyu stepped forward and took his hand. Yan Che gripped it in return, finally steadying himself.Time passed, the sky gradually shifted from pitch black to azure blue, with the first light of dawn emerging at the horizon. Yan Che grew increasingly anxious as he waited. Just then, the wind suddenly picked up again, and a low rumble of thunder rolled across the sky, followed by a flash of lightning as torrential rain poured down.

Soaked to the bone, Yan Che stood firm while Qin Chaoyu worriedly advised, "Your Highness, we should return to the tent. You might fall ill too."

Yan Che gently pushed Qin Chaoyu away. "You go back. Don't worry about me. I can't rest easy."

Qin Chaoyu stopped persuading him and remained by Yan Che's side. After another half-hour, when the sky had fully brightened, the tent flap was suddenly thrown open.

Qin Guan stood exhausted at the entrance, looking at the two figures in the rain. "The bleeding has stopped. Whether the Empress survives now depends on her fate."

Yan Che's knees nearly buckled. Seeing how weary Qin Guan appeared, he could only manage, "Thank you... thank you... If my mother miraculously pulls through, we will surely repay your life-saving grace..."

Qin Guan sighed at their state. "If you wish to see her, come in briefly. Don't stay long, and don't bring in the dampness."

Yan Che quickly agreed and entered the tent. Zhao Shuhua lay pale and motionless, her eyes tightly closed as if without breath. Yan Che's heart ached at the sight, and thinking of Zhao You still at Fallen Phoenix Slope, another wave of worry washed over him.

Having worked for over two hours, Qin Guan was utterly exhausted and returned first to the central command tent. After washing up and having a few bites of soup and flatbread, Baiying announced that Qin Chaoyu and Yan Che requested an audience. Qin Guan naturally invited them in.

Upon seeing Qin Chaoyu's drenched state, Qin Guan instructed Baiying to find dry clothes for her. When offering the same to Yan Che, he declined.

Qin Guan didn't press him, knowing Yan Che had come to speak about important matters.

Sure enough, Yan Che began, "The Northern Garrison Army's attack was undoubtedly carefully planned. They struck right after the main force left camp, during the deepest sleep of the soldiers, and with numerical superiority—they barely needed to lift a finger."

Qin Guan watched him, having already considered these points herself. Yan Che's main concern lay elsewhere.

Yan Che continued, "Whoever gave the order aims to dismantle the Northern Garrison Army. Since the Northwest Frontier Army shares similar standing, they likely won't spare them either—"

Qin Guan replied, "The camp was secure last night. I don't know about the front lines, but I've already sent messengers."

Yan Che nodded. "I... I'd like to borrow a squad from you, Princess Consort, to send word to Chongzhou. There are still twenty thousand Northern Garrison troops there. Since someone is targeting us, I want to bring them here to prevent being shorthanded."

Having fled with Qin Chaoyu without any subordinates, Yan Che currently had no one to send.

The request was simple, and Qin Guan readily agreed. Yan Che added, "My mother still needs your care, so... I want the Northern Garrison Army from Chongzhou to come here anyway, especially since the eastern camp is destroyed. Also, I'd like you to send someone to find my grandfather, inform him of the situation. If he's safe for now, ask him to come see my mother... she may not have much time left..."At this moment, Zhao Shuhua's life hung by a thread. Forget about taking her away—it was uncertain whether she would even survive the night. Yan Che feared that if the worst happened, Zhao You wouldn't get to see Zhao Shuhua one last time. Qin Guan naturally agreed to this request.

Thus, Yan Che personally wrote two letters—one to be sent to Chongzhou, and the other to Zhao You.

By the time all this was arranged, the heavy rain had stopped, yet the sky remained gloomy and overcast.

Qin Guan calculated the time. If everything had gone smoothly last night, Yan Chi should have returned with the army by now. But even at this hour, there was still no sign of Yan Chi, and the first group of messengers sent out had not returned either...

Thinking of Yan Che's words, Qin Guan's heart tightened with anxiety.

Whoever sought to dismantle the Northern Garrison Army would surely also target the Northwest Frontier Army.

The enemy had used the Jinzhou Army, and last night in Weixian County, only twenty thousand Jinzhou troops remained. Meanwhile, their own Northwest Frontier Army also had twenty thousand soldiers waiting in camp. A direct assault on the Northwest Frontier Army's camp was impossible, and last night had clearly passed without incident. Therefore, the enemy's tactics could only be deployed on the battlefield...

The battlefield was inherently unpredictable. Although the Northwest Frontier Army had devised meticulous plans, if someone were to stab them in the back...

At this thought, Qin Guan's heart clenched painfully.

...

On the plains west of Fallen Phoenix Slope, the downpour continued, and the sounds of mourning had yet to cease.

Just then, a scout team returned from the north. Their leader approached Yan Chi and reported, "Your Highness, five li ahead, the Northern Garrison Army has engaged the Rong barbarians. The barbarians have been completely routed. The Northern Garrison Army has learned of our situation, and Zhao You is leading his men here—"

The last traces of summer heat had been washed away by the sudden torrential rain. All soldiers of the Northwest Frontier Army stood in silence on the scorched earth, their faces etched with heart-wrenching grief. Hearing this, Yan Chi's brow twitched slightly.

He turned his horse to face north and, indeed, saw a unit of light cavalry rushing toward them. Leading them was none other than Zhao You, whom he hadn't seen in years!