The imperial court is ceding territory from our northern border? Then we'll rebel!

Outside the South Gate, the Imperial Guard camp.

Princess Chang Le, Li Qingluan's tent was brightly lit.

She didn't sleep all night, pacing anxiously back and forth in her tent, straining her ears to listen carefully to the sounds coming from the city.

She is waiting.

Waiting for the sounds of fighting to rise from within the city, waiting for the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion to be engulfed in flames, waiting for the news of Xiao Jingchen's execution.

According to the plan, the gates will open at midnight, allowing the elite troops of the three tribes' allied forces to enter the city. With their combined strength from within and without, the battle should be resolved within an hour.

But now, it's almost midnight, and in Shuobei City, apart from a faint commotion coming from the direction of the east gate at the beginning, there has been no further movement.

It was eerily quiet.

"What's going on? Why is there no sound at all?" Li Qingluan stopped in her tracks, feeling frustrated, and asked her personal maid.

"Your Highness, perhaps... perhaps the Marquis's defenses are too tight, and the allied forces' operation is not going smoothly?" the palace maid guessed cautiously.

"Not going well?" Li Qingluan frowned deeply. "Even if it's not going well, there should be sounds of fighting! This deathly silence is very abnormal!"

An ominous premonition began to spread in her heart.

She always felt that things were spiraling out of her control.

She glanced at Liu Changqing, who was standing in the corner of the tent, looking equally "anxious."

"Manager Liu, do you think something might have happened?"

Liu Changqing bowed and stepped forward, analyzing with a "solemn" expression: "Your Highness, Shuobei City is, after all, Xiao Jingchen's old lair, which he has built up over many years. Its defenses must be impregnable. Although the three-race allied forces are brave, they are fighting on foreign soil and it is a night raid. It is understandable that their operation is hindered."

"In my opinion, we just need to wait patiently. Ashina Sun has sent his most elite wolf riders, whose combat strength is extraordinary. Even if we encounter some trouble, they will definitely be able to complete the mission."

Hearing him say that, Li Qingluan felt a little more at ease.

Yes, those are the fiercest wolf riders on the grasslands, and with their own people in the city to help them, even if Xiao Jingchen is powerful, he has no chance of escaping.

I must have been too nervous.

She picked up her teacup, wanting to take a sip of water to calm her nerves, but found her hands were trembling violently.

Just then.

"Report—!!"

A piercing shout suddenly came from outside the tent.

Immediately afterward, an Imperial Guard soldier responsible for guarding the perimeter rushed in, stumbling and crawling, his face filled with extreme terror.

"Your Highness! Something terrible has happened!"

Li Qingluan's heart sank suddenly, and the teacup in her hand fell to the ground with a "crash" and shattered.

"What's the panic! Speak up! What happened!" she shouted sternly.

The soldier, panting heavily, his voice trembling, cried out, "East...East Gate! The east gate of Shuobei City...fight has broken out!"

"A fight has broken out?" Li Qingluan was taken aback, then a hint of joy appeared on her face. "Did the allied forces succeed? Have they already stormed into the city and started fighting with Xiao Jingchen's garrison?"

"No...no..." The soldier's face showed no joy, only boundless fear.

"It was...it was our scouts who saw that at midnight last night, the east gate opened, and about a thousand barbarian cavalrymen rushed in. But as soon as they entered, the city gate was immediately closed!"

"Then...then suddenly countless torches lit up the city walls, and arrows...arrows rained down like a storm..."

"Those...those thousand barbarian cavalrymen didn't even last half an hour before...they were all shot dead inside the city!"

"What?!"

Li Qingluan was struck dumb, completely stunned. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "You... what did you say? They were all shot dead? How is that possible! Wasn't it supposed to be a coordinated attack from the inside?"

The soldier, terrified, knelt on the ground, trembling as he said, "It's absolutely true, Your Highness! The allied camp outside the city is in chaos! Left Wise King Ashina Sun is like a madman, gathering his entire army, preparing to attack the city at dawn! This...this has fallen into a trap! We've been tricked by Xiao Jingchen!"

"I've been tricked..."

Li Qingluan felt a sudden dizziness, her vision went black, and she swayed, almost falling to the ground.

The palace maid beside her quickly helped her up.

Her mind was buzzing with the words "I've fallen into a trap" and "I've been tricked."

How could this happen?

The plan was flawless, so how did it turn into a trap?

Xiao Jingchen... how did he know?

Her gaze suddenly shifted to Liu Changqing beside her, her eyes filled with suspicion and anger.

The entire plan was known only to her, Liu Changqing, and a few close confidants.

The allied forces of the three races couldn't have leaked the secret; they were still waiting to take Shuobei City.

Then the problem lies with yourself!

"Liu Changqing!" Li Qingluan's voice turned shrill. She pointed at Liu Changqing and demanded sharply, "It was you! You must have betrayed me! Didn't you?!"

Faced with the princess's accusations, the anxious and solemn expression on Liu Changqing's face slowly disappeared.

He straightened up, a mocking smile appearing on his face—a smile Li Qingluan had never seen before.

"Your Highness, isn't it a little too late for you to realize this now?"

Seeing his expression and hearing his tone, Li Qingluan's heart sank to the bottom.

She got it.

Everything is clear.

"You...you are not my royal sister's person..." Her voice trembled.

"Of course not." Liu Changqing's smile widened. "From beginning to end, I, Liu Changqing, have only served one person."

"That is Marquis Zhenbei, Xiao Jingchen."

"boom!"

Li Qingluan's head felt as if it had been struck by a thunderbolt, and it exploded completely.

Liu Changqing... this trusted advisor sent by her elder sister, who was the most trusted of her, was actually Xiao Jingchen's man?

This...this is absolutely ridiculous!

She felt as if her intelligence was being pressed to the ground and repeatedly rubbed against it.

From Zhao Yi's arrest, to using Wei Yong's head as a bargaining chip, to the so-called "borrowing a knife to kill" scheme...

It turns out that from beginning to end, she was just a clown being manipulated!

She thought she was on the third level, scheming against Xiao Jingchen.

Little did she know, Xiao Jingchen was on the fifth floor, watching over all her performances.

"You...you all..." Li Qingluan trembled with anger, pointing at Liu Changqing, unable to utter a single word.

"Your Highness, don't waste your energy." Liu Changqing calmly straightened his sleeves. "You think this is your plan? No, this is a grand gift prepared by my Marquis for you, and also for Her Majesty the Empress in the capital."

"Now, the real show is just beginning. The Marquis has said that you should stay in the camp and watch the show in peace."

"You're dreaming!" Li Qingluan screamed hysterically. "Guards! Guards! Seize this traitor for me!"

She screamed frantically.

However, there was no response from outside the tent.

She rushed to the tent entrance and flung open the curtain.

The scene before her made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

All around her tent, there were now elite soldiers dressed in black and wielding sharp blades.

The three hundred imperial guards she brought had already been disarmed and were being held guarded to the side, dejected and not daring to utter a sound.

Several men dressed as cooks were watching her coldly. One of them was the same "cook" who had taken the wooden box containing Wei Yong's head from Liu Changqing a few days ago.

Her entire camp had been completely taken over by Xiao Jingchen's men without her knowledge!

Li Qingluan's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground.

She finally understood.

What Imperial Guard Commander, what Imperial City Guard Head—from the moment she stepped into the Northern Frontier, everyone around her could already be Xiao Jingchen's man.

She is a complete joke.

Liu Changqing slowly walked up to her, looking down at her with a completely emotionless voice.

"Your Highness, my lord has another message for you."

He said the wind in northern Xinjiang is very cold.

"You, a person of noble birth, should stay in the tent; it's warmer there."