Shen You's voice rang out loudly, causing the nearby soldiers to freeze momentarily before someone shouted in response, "General Shen, I'll follow you!"
With that cry, Shen You bellowed his command: "Left Wing Army, heed my orders—follow me into the city!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Shen You sprang to his feet, mounted his horse, and charged toward the city gates. After a brief hesitation, soldiers began to follow him one after another, plunging the battlefield into chaos. Marshal Li Zhao, positioned at the rear, roared furiously, "Deserters shall be executed! Deserters shall be executed!"
But by then, the front lines had already descended into utter disarray. In contrast, the Wei army's morale soared as the thunderous beat of war drums filled the air. Wei Yun leaped onto his horse and led his troops in pursuit of the enemy.
The two forces clashed—one side demoralized and retreating, the other surging forward with unstoppable momentum. Li Zhao, gritting his teeth on horseback, spat out, "That traitor Shen You has ruined everything for me!"
A deputy general beside him, fending off attacks, urged, "Commander, the situation is lost. We must retreat now!"
In battle, morale is paramount. Once unity fractures, even the largest army crumbles like scattered sand. With Shen You's defection and his personal guards abandoning the battlefield, desertions multiplied. Though Li Zhao commanded 200,000 troops—several times Wei Yun's forces—he dared not press the attack under such circumstances.
Clenching his jaw, Li Zhao finally raised his hand to sound the retreat, withdrawing his soldiers. Wei Yun did not pursue further. With only 50,000 defenders in the city against Li Zhao's 200,000, holding their ground was victory enough.
As agreed with Gu Chusheng, apart from seizing Yao Yong's Qing Province, they would avoid unnecessary battles whenever possible. This was Zhao Yue's first major campaign to demonstrate his strength to the realm—winning this battle sufficed.
Watching the enemy retreat in the distance, Wei Yun exhaled in relief. Chu Yu approached him, sword in hand, and smiled. "We won."
Wei Yun returned her smile, studying her for a moment before praising, "Your swordsmanship was impressive."
As soldiers began clearing the battlefield, exhaustion weighed on everyone. Chu Yu and Wei Yun returned together to the city. The governor's residence was a hive of activity, filled with wounded. Wei Qingping had already led physicians to tend to them. After washing up, Chu Yu and Wei Yun headed to Shen You's quarters.
Shen You lay unconscious on the bed, his wounds treated, his breathing heavy but steady.
Wang Lan sat beside him, still dazed. When Chu Yu and Wei Yun entered, she remained lost in thought until Wei Yun stepped forward and asked with concern, "Sixth Sister-in-law?"
Wang Lan snapped back to reality and stood to bow. Chu Yu moved to support her, examining her worriedly. "Are you hurt?"
Wang Lan shook her head. Chu Yu helped her sit and said gently, "You must have been terrified."
Wang Lan sighed. "Indeed, I was."
Chu Yu poured her tea. "How is General Shen?"
"He lost too much blood and fainted, but the princess assured me it's nothing serious."
Chu Yu nodded. Wei Yun studied Shen You briefly, confirming his condition, then turned to Wang Lan. "Sister-in-law, were your words on the battlefield sincere?"
Wang Lan hesitated. Wei Yun frowned. "I hoped you would persuade him to surrender, but not at the cost of your own happiness..."Before she could finish speaking, Wang Lan's eyes welled up with tears. Wei Yun was taken aback, while Chu Yu said gently, "Your Highness, please go rest first. I'll keep A Lan company."
Wei Yun remained silent for a moment before finally saying, "I was too rash. If I've said anything inappropriate, I hope Sixth Sister-in-law will forgive me."
With that, Wei Yun cupped his hands in salute and left first.
Chu Yu sat beside Wang Lan, poured herself some tea, and chuckled lightly, "Honestly, I don't understand why you and A Chun are both so conflicted like this."
Wang Lan pressed her lips together without speaking. Chu Yu looked up at her and asked, "You like him, don't you?"
Wang Lan still didn't respond. Chu Yu held her hand and softened her voice, "Whatever you're thinking, at least give me some idea, won't you?"
"I don't know either..." Wang Lan's tears fell like rain. "Even if you ask me, I don't know. It's true that I like him, but A Rong's death back then was somewhat related to him. If he were truly a bad person, if he had done it intentionally, that would be easier—I could just stab him to death and be done with it. But he didn't even know about it. So many people died, and all these years, has he ever had it easy?"
As she spoke, Wang Lan tightened her grip on Chu Yu's hand. "For five years, I haven't seen him once, haven't spoken a word to him. Sometimes I wonder, what did I do wrong? A Rong is gone, and the person I like turns out to be like this. Is this punishment for me, or for him? I can't love him freely, yet I can't let go either. Today, when I saw him nearly die before my eyes, I thought it might be better if we all just died together."
"Then what," Chu Yu said slowly, swirling her teacup, "are your plans now?"
"What plans can I have?" Wang Lan smiled bitterly. "The words have already been spoken. If I must marry, then I'll marry."
Her voice gradually steadied. "If marrying means fewer people will die, then so be it."
"Will you be happy after marrying?"
This time, Wang Lan didn't answer. After a long silence, she forced a smile. "I don't even want to think about happiness anymore. This is just my fate." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Let it be. Let heaven decide."
Chu Yu said nothing. She couldn't find the words. She wasn't involved in this matter, so she couldn't see it clearly or understand it fully.
After a long while, she patted Wang Lan's hand and said gently, "Go rest. Don't overthink it."
Wang Lan nodded, stood up, and returned to her room.
Meanwhile, on the bed, Shen You's eyelids fluttered, and tears slipped from his eyes.
Chu Yu noticed the change in Shen You's breathing. She stood up and said calmly, "People make mistakes in life—some can be undone, others cannot. Shen You, your mistakes don't warrant death, nor are they beyond redemption." She sighed softly. "Without Zhao Yue, what wrong would you have committed?"
Shen You remained silent, his throat tight with emotion. Chu Yu set down her teacup and left with a final remark: "Rest well." Then she walked out into the corridor.
After leaving the corridor and turning a corner, Chu Yu had just returned to her room when she saw Wei Yun inside, reviewing documents while waiting for her.
Now that they weren't at Bailing, Wei Yun had arranged for personal guards to be stationed in the room, so there was no need to avoid Liu Xueyang. As if already married, Wei Yun stayed directly in Chu Yu's quarters.
When Chu Yu entered, Wei Yun was reading reports from other regions. Hearing her come in, he said calmly, "The Northern Di are making unusual moves again. I fear that if we push Zhao Yue too hard, he might ally with the Su brothers."With that, he looked up and beckoned to Chu Yu: "Come here, let me hold you for a while."
Chu Yu smiled and walked over. Wei Yun wrapped an arm around her as they both looked at the documents together. He said softly, "I don't quite understand Sixth Sister-in-law's thoughts."
"After all, the news back then was spread by Shen You."
Wei Yun sighed lightly: "Shen You did the best he could in his position. It was Zhao Yue who betrayed him. His guilt... was never much to begin with. Even if he was guilty, what he's done these past five years is already enough."
"You're quite forgiving."
"I don't take my anger out on others," Wei Yun said calmly. "Every grievance has its source. Though I may dislike him, I can't act based on personal feelings. Shen You may have been negligent, but in the end, he was also a victim. He had the heart to serve his country, devoted himself to it, yet was schemed against—his ambitions turned to dust, and he became a criminal instead. All these years of remorse... I can let it go."
"But people are different," Wei Yun rested his chin on Chu Yu's shoulder and said quietly. "I won't force it. If Sixth Sister-in-law can't let go, I'll talk to Shen You again about this marriage."
Chu Yu nodded without saying more.
Now that the first battle had been won, the news quickly spread everywhere. Zhao Yue received the report and stared at the battle dispatch with a cold expression.
"Shen You surrendered?"
He clenched his fists. "After all I've done for him, this is how he repays me?!"
"Your Majesty," Minister Xie said impassively, "now is not the time to dwell on whether Shen You surrendered or not, but to consider our next move."
Having lost the first battle, if they didn't defeat Wei Yun, heroes across the land would follow his example—what then?
The question weighed on Zhao Yue's mind. Beside him, Gu Chusheng stood with his hands tucked in his sleeves, listening quietly. Zhao Yue turned to him and said coldly, "What does Minister Gu think?"
Hearing the question, Gu Chusheng lifted his gaze and said, "What's the point of fighting Wei Yun now?"
Zhao Yue understood his meaning and said coldly, "Go on."
"The world is watching this first battle. We've already lost it, and morale is soaring everywhere. Even if we win later, everyone will know the court can be defeated. Nearly a hundred uprisings have broken out across the land. Though Your Majesty commands a great army, it's difficult to suppress the chaos of a hundred warlords."
"Enough of this nonsense!" Minister Xie snapped. "The situation is dire—do we need you to state the obvious?"
"So," Gu Chusheng said calmly, "rather than fight, we should retreat and defend ourselves. With Your Majesty holding a powerful army, the warlords won't dare attack. From now on, the court won't send a single coin to the frontlines—provisions and military supplies will be their own responsibility. Some regions produce abundant grain, while others have fierce soldiers but lack food. Once the money runs out, conflicts will arise on their own without our intervention. Why should we fight them head-on?"
At these words, everyone fell silent. Gu Chusheng walked to the sand table and said calmly, "Now we have troops and provisions. If this were the Spring and Autumn or Warring States period, we would be the Qin state. If the other warlords lack the will for alliance strategies, we can stir discord among them and watch them fight from the sidelines. When the time is right, we can defeat them one by one. The advantage lies entirely with Your Majesty—what is there to worry about?"
"Minister Gu speaks wisely." Zhao Yue brightened at his words. Minister Xie, however, remained uneasy. "What if they unite?"
Gu Chusheng chuckled. "Minister Xie, why do you think alliance strategies fail?"
Minister Xie was taken aback, then saw Gu Chusheng point to his own chest. "Human nature.""The moon remains unchanged for millennia, yet human hearts shift again? Minister Xie worries too much."
Gu Chusheng's voice was calm, putting everyone present at ease. Just as Zhao Yue was about to praise him, darkness suddenly clouded his vision. Zhang Hui quickly supported him, exclaiming urgently, "Your Majesty! Fetch the imperial physician at once!"
The sharp pain flashed by in an instant, and Zhao Yue's sight cleared again. Gu Chusheng stood nearby, his expression composed as he said, "Your Majesty has overexerted yourself."
Zhao Yue sighed and reached out to grasp Gu Chusheng's hand earnestly. "Chusheng, it's fortunate you're not like Shen You."
Gu Chusheng lifted his gaze to meet his.
"Your Majesty speaks true," he replied evenly. "I am indeed different from Shen You."
Unlike Shen You, who never truly understood his own actions in this lifetime.
With that, he lowered his eyes. "I still await Your Majesty's conquest of Wei Yun, so you may bestow upon me the hand of Madam Wei in marriage."
These words were meant to reassure Zhao Yue, and they did. The lingering doubts in Zhao Yue's heart dissipated instantly. He patted Gu Chusheng's hand sincerely. "Thank you, Chusheng."
Gu Chusheng's lashes trembled slightly.
In a quiet voice, he responded, "There's no need for thanks, Your Majesty."
Because in the days to come, you won't wish to thank me.
Author's Note: [Transition chapter, recommended to let it accumulate.]
I'd like to share with you all the writing journey of this story.
In truth, during the writing process of any work, without thorough revisions, there will inevitably be some issues with fluency. And with a story featuring many characters, it's easy to inadvertently touch upon elements some readers might dislike.
When following a story chapter by chapter, these imperfections become magnified.
Readers often instinctively predict a character's fate. Yet the true impact of that fate can only be felt when you reach that moment in the story, when you can judge whether the ending fits.
For instance, early on, the character Chu Jin was heavily criticized, as readers saw her as an out-of-place supporting character. I bore considerable pressure until later, when the drum-beating maiden of Phoenix Tomb City appeared. Only then could Chu Jin be viewed in a new light.
The same applies to Shen You. His ending isn't simply about living happily ever after or anything so straightforward. You'd need to witness his entire life's journey to feel whether this conclusion suits him.
However, I must honestly admit that this story does have its share of issues. Some earlier plot points inadvertently became repetitive, making the pacing feel drawn-out. Certain characters' styles and proportions weren't perfectly balanced. Some subplots were introduced too abruptly or lacked smooth transitions, and the connections between main and side plots weren't always tight enough. For example, the core issues with Wang Lan and Shen You's storyline stem from weak foundational development in the early stages. All I can say is that I'll strive to do my absolute best with what I have.
An author is always in the process of growth. With each story I write, I reflect and learn. Every work will have its flaws and its merits—especially when multiple characters with diverse values are involved. There will always be characters you love and those you don't.If the parts you enjoy in this story can still keep you going, then I'm grateful you're continuing to follow along. But if this work has lost what you originally liked about it, or if its flaws have overshadowed what you loved, then I'm equally grateful for your past support. Hope to see you in the next book, where I'll have improved.
Finally, thank you all for following this far. If you feel it's not as enjoyable as it was at the beginning, you might want to let some chapters accumulate. If you don't have major issues with it, see you tomorrow!!!
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