No title, no marriage? Do you think I'm some kind of lapdog?

The candlelight crackled and sparked, casting a half-light, half-shadow on Ye Qingyue's face.

She leaned back on the soft couch, her silver armor already removed.

She wore only a plain white undergarment, with the collar slightly open, revealing a small section of her snow-white neck.

Yue Xinyang sat beside her, his hand resting on her waist, his breathing a little heavy.

"Qingyue..."

His voice was low and hoarse, filled with urgency.

"Hmm~"

Ye Qingyue responded, not pushing his hand away, but instead leaning closer to him.

As he leaned against her, her soft body pressed against his chest, and Yue Xinyang's mind went blank. His hands immediately became restless, moving upwards along her waistline.

"You...you shouldn't move..." Ye Qingyue's voice trembled, yet it carried a hint of both reluctance and acceptance.

"I didn't move."

Yue Xinyang grinned, the scar on his face distorting in the candlelight.

"I just want to see what kind of saga General Ye has hidden beneath his armor..."

His hand had already slipped inside his undergarment, touching his delicate skin.

Ye Qingyue trembled, her eyelashes drooping down, casting a small shadow under her eyes.

She didn't flinch; instead, she reached out and wrapped her arms around Yue Xinyang's neck, her voice soft and affectionate:

"Brother Xinyang, you have to help me..."

"We'll help, we definitely will!"

Yue Xinyang's eyes reddened, and he lowered his head to kiss her.

In that very instant.

"General!"

A steady voice called out from outside the door, followed by a knock.

Ye Qingyue froze, then abruptly pushed Yue Xinyang away, frantically straightening her clothes.

Yue Xinyang was pushed so hard that he stumbled and almost fell off the couch, his face turning ashen instantly.

"Who?!" he roared.

"This humble general, Zhang Liao, has a military report to report."

The voice outside the door was neither humble nor arrogant.

Ye Qingyue took a deep breath, and the flush on her face quickly faded, returning her to her usual aloof demeanor.

She smoothed her hair and cleared her throat:

"Enter."

The door opened.

Zhang Liao, clad in black armor, strode in, his eyes fixed straight ahead, and knelt on one knee.

"General, there's movement over Wangbeitai."

"explain."

Ye Qingyue's voice was calm, as if nothing had just happened.

"Su Chuang led his troops today and wiped out Black Stone Village."

Zhang Liao paused.

"One hundred and forty-seven people, all wiped out."

"The head of the chieftain Liu Laohei is now hanging on a flagpole three miles outside Wangbeitai."

Ye Qingyue's pupils contracted.

So fast?

Black Stone Village rebelled yesterday, and it was wiped out today?

"How did he hit me?" she asked.

"Specific details of the battle are unknown."

Zhang Liao shook his head.

"The scouts only saw from afar that the Mo Dao Guards blocked the gate of the stockade, while the Flying Tiger Army flanked from both sides, and it was over in less than half an hour."

He glanced at Ye Qingyue and added, "Su Chuang himself did not participate in the battle; he only observed from the rear."

Ye Qingyue tightened her fingers, her nails digging into her palms.

This good-for-nothing...when did he become so powerful?

"I understand." She waved her hand. "You may leave."

"Here you are."

Zhang Liao stood up, turned around and left, without ever glancing at Yue Xinyang.

The door closed.

The study fell silent again.

Yue Xinyang's face was extremely ugly. He walked up to Ye Qingyue and said through gritted teeth:

"Qingyue, Zhang Liao is getting more and more unruly!"

"He came in without announcing himself, and spoke so rudely. Does he even respect you as a general?"

Ye Qingyue remained silent.

She stared at the candlelight, her eyes flickering.

Zhang Liao is indeed becoming increasingly difficult to control.

This person is too straightforward, inflexible, and incapable of flattery.

If it weren't for his exceptional martial arts skills and high prestige in the army, she would have already...

"Brother Xinyang."

Ye Qingyue suddenly looked up, her eyes slightly red, "Zhang Liao...did he see something just now?"

Yue Xinyang was taken aback for a moment, then realized what was happening.

When Zhang Liao entered, Ye Qingyue's clothes weren't completely straightened, and her collar was still open...

"Oh shit!"

Yue Xinyang kicked over the stool next to him, yelling, "That bastard! I'll kill him sooner or later!"

Ye Qingyue lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, as if she were crying.

Yue Xinyang felt sorry for her and quickly went over to hug her.

"Qingyue, don't be afraid, I'm here, he won't dare to say anything reckless."

"But what if..."

Ye Qingyue's voice trembled with tears, "What if he gets out? How... how will I ever face anyone again..."

"He dares!"

Yue Xinyang's eyes were sinister. "Don't worry, leave this to me."

Ye Qingyue buried her head in his chest, but a faint, cold smile appeared on her lips.

idiot.

The capital city, the imperial palace, the imperial study.

The candlelight was bright.

Emperor Wu sat behind his dragon desk, holding a secret report in his hand, his face terribly gloomy.

Three ministers knelt below, none of them daring to raise their heads.

"Bang!"

Emperor Wu slammed his hand on the table, causing the inkstone to jump three inches high.

"What a brilliant Su Chuang! What a brilliant Duke Xin!"

His voice was as cold as ice.

"He amassed a powerful army, colluded with the Xiongnu, kidnapped a princess, and plotted a rebellion..."

"The crimes Ye Qingyue listed for him in this memorial are enough to warrant the execution of his entire family!"

An elderly minister spoke tremblingly, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This matter... there may be more to this than meets the eye..."

"Hidden story?"

Emperor Wu sneered, "Then tell me, is Ru Xue currently at the North-Looking Terrace?"

"Did Su Chuang abduct people from the Xiongnu camp in public?"

The old minister was speechless.

Where is Xu Mengran?

Emperor Wu looked at another minister, "Is she also following Su Chuang's reckless behavior?"

"Your Majesty, General Xu, she..."

The minister was sweating profusely. "She was indeed at the North-Looking Terrace, but... perhaps she was being deceived..."

"Deceived?"

Emperor Wu stood up and paced around the imperial study.

He knew perfectly well that there was something fishy about Ye Qingyue's story.

The problem is that what Su Chuang did was too outrageous!

Kidnapping a princess for a marriage alliance is a slap in the face to the Xiongnu, and also a slap in the face to the emperor!

Xu Mengran is in even more trouble.

The Xu family of southern Xinjiang has guarded the border for generations and enjoys extremely high prestige in the army.

If Xu Mengran really gets involved with Su Chuang...

"deliver an imperial order."

Emperor Wu stopped in his tracks, his voice icy.

"First, summon Xu Mengran back to the capital immediately, without delay."

"If she disobeys the imperial decree, she will be punished for treason."

"Secondly, order Lin Ruxue to depart within three days to travel to the Xiongnu royal court for a marriage alliance."

"This is national policy and cannot be changed."

"third……"

He paused.

"Send a verbal message to Su Chuang, telling him to behave himself."

"I know what's going on in the northern frontier; it's not his place to act recklessly."

The three ministers quickly responded, "Your Majesty, we obey!"

Emperor Wu waved his hand, dismissing them.

He was alone in the imperial study again.

He walked to the window, looking at the night outside with a deep gaze.

Su Chuang...

This kid is even more troublesome than his father.

Looking north from the platform.

Su Chuang squatted under the flagpole, looking up at the human head on it.

Liu Laohei's eyes were still open, filled with fear and resentment.

The blood had congealed, dark and swaying in the wind.

"My lord, the inventory is complete."

Yue Fei walked over, his body still stained with blood.

"All 147 men of Heishi Village have been wiped out."

"Five hundred bushels of grain, three thousand taels of silver, and a number of weapons and armor were seized."

"What about our casualties?" Su Chuang asked.

"Eleven people were lightly wounded, and no one was killed in action."

Yue Fei paused.

"The newly recruited men performed well this time; a few of them dared to fight to the death. I've noted that down."

Su Chuang grinned: "Remember, reward those who deserve it, don't be stingy."

"Here you are."

Yue Fei turned around to make arrangements.

Su Chuang then looked at Jia Xu: "Wenhe, what's the latest news from Wanyan Honglie's side?"

"Not at the moment."

Jia Xu bowed.

"But the men he sent to contact other bandits are already under surveillance by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. My lord, should we...?"

"No rush."

Su Chuang waved his hand, "Let him keep causing trouble. The more he stirs things up, the more we'll reap when we close the net."

He stood up, dusted himself off, and limped toward the beacon tower.

The arrow wound on his thigh has almost healed, but he still has some difficulty walking.

Xu Mengran and Lin Ruxue were both inside the earthen house.

Xu Mengran was sharpening a sword, while Lin Ruxue was sewing a leather armor.

It's Su Chuang's shirt; it was patched up after it was pierced by an arrow in Wild Wolf Valley last time.

"Brother Chuang."

Lin Ruxue looked up and smiled gently, "Are you hungry? There's still some porridge warming up on the stove."

"Hungry."

Su Chuang plopped down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). "But let's not talk about food yet, Sister Xu, news has come from the capital."

Xu Mengran paused, her hand still: "What do you mean?"

"Emperor Wu has issued an edict summoning you back to the capital."

Su Chuang looked at her.

"Depart within three days, without delay. Disobeying this order will be considered treason."

Xu Mengran's face turned pale.

Lin Ruxue was also stunned; the needle pricked her finger, and blood seeped out.

"besides."

Su Chuang looked at Lin Ruxue, "I'm sending you to marry a foreign ruler. You must depart within three days."

The earthen house was deathly silent.

After a long pause, Xu Mengran gritted her teeth and said, "I'm not going back."

"I'm not going either," Lin Ruxue said softly, but her tone was firm.

Su Chuang smiled.

He reached out and pulled the two of them, one in each hand, to sit down beside him.

"What's the rush?" he grinned. "I haven't even said anything yet."

Xu Mengran glared at him: "The imperial decree has been issued, what can you do about it?"

"An imperial edict?"

Su Chuang raised an eyebrow. "That thing isn't as practical as a pancake in the northern frontier."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "Sister Xu, do you really think Emperor Wu truly wants you to go back?"

Xu Mengran was taken aback.

"He's afraid that if you come with me, the Xu family's army will completely side with me."

Su Chuang rubbed his fingers together.

"Of the 200,000 border troops in the southern frontier, your Xu family can mobilize at least 80,000. This is a force that keeps Emperor Wu up at night."

Xu Mengran remained silent.

"As for Ru Xue..."

Su Chuang turned to look at her.

"Marriage alliances are a national policy, and Emperor Wu will not easily change it."

"But he didn't really want to push you into a fire pit—otherwise he could have just issued an imperial decree to escort you away."

Why should I make you "depart within three days"?

Lin Ruxue's eyes lit up: "Brother Chuang means..."

"He's waiting," Su Chuang grinned, "waiting for a step forward, waiting for a change in circumstances."

"What variable?" Xu Mengran asked.

"for example……"

Su Chuang blinked.

"The Xiongnu suddenly fell into chaos, and the marriage alliance could not proceed."

"For example... a rebel army suddenly appeared in the northern border and abducted the marriage procession."

Xu Mengran and Lin Ruxue exchanged a glance, both understanding.

"So," Xu Mengran said slowly, "we need to create a way out for Emperor Wu?"

"right."

Su Chuang nodded, "It also needs to be built beautifully, so that he can get down without losing face."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the night outside.

"Wanyan Honglie wants to play games? I'll play a big one with him."

Three days later.

Twenty miles outside Wolf Valley, there is an abandoned beacon tower.

Ye Qingyue was dressed in casual clothes, wrapped in a black cloak, and only brought Yue Xinyang and four personal guards with her.

She stood on the crumbling earthen wall of the beacon tower, watching a troop of people approaching in the distance.

It was Wanyan Honglie.

He only brought a dozen or so guards, without any banners, traveling light and simply.

The two met inside the beacon tower.

Wanyan Honglie glanced at Ye Qingyue and smiled: "General Ye is indeed punctual."

"How could I dare not come when Prince Wanyan invited me?" Ye Qingyue said calmly.

"Let's get straight to the point."

Wanyan Honglie didn't mince words, "Su Chuang, we both want to kill him. How about we cooperate?"

Ye Qingyue raised an eyebrow: "How will we cooperate?"

"I'll provide the money and manpower, and you'll provide the intelligence and convenience."

Wanyan Honglie said.

"After this is done, Su Chuang's head is yours, and the golden knife is mine. As for the supplies at Wangbeitai... we'll split them equally."

Ye Qingyue remained silent for a moment.

"Okay," she said, looking up, "but I have one condition."

"explain."

"Xu Mengran and Lin Ruxue must die."

Ye Qingyue's voice was icy cold, "Especially Lin Ruxue, she must die by my hand."

Wanyan Honglie laughed: "General Ye is indeed ruthless."

"Same to you."

The two discussed for another half an hour, finalizing all the details.

Finally, Wanyan Honglie took out a small wooden box from his pocket and pushed it to Ye Qingyue:

"It's just a small token of our appreciation, a sign of our sincerity in cooperating."

Ye Qingyue opened the box.

Inside was a pearl the size of a pigeon egg, gleaming with a warm light in the dim light.

Valuable.

"Prince Wanyan, you're too kind."

She closed the box and put it in her bosom.

"Then, three days later," Wanyan Honglie stood up, "we will proceed according to plan."

"it is good."

Ye Qingyue watched Wanyan Honglie leave until the group disappeared into the night before turning around.

Yue Xinyang leaned closer: "Qingyue, did you reach an agreement?"

"Okay." Ye Qingyue nodded. "Have someone keep an eye on Zhang Liao. If he makes any unusual moves in the next few days, report to me immediately."

"Understood!" Yue Xinyang grinned, placing his hand on her waist again. "Now...shall we go back to the manor?"

Ye Qingyue turned her head to look at him and suddenly smiled.

That smile was both cold and alluring.

"Return to the residence."

She said softly.

"Tonight, I'll let you 'help' me properly."