Chapter 581 - 581 578 Got it_1

Chapter 581: Chapter 578: Got it_1 Chapter 581: Chapter 578: Got it_1 Chun Tao knelt by the carriage, tears streaming down her face, clutching Bai Qingyan’s Sun-shooting Bow. She watched as Bai Qingyan finished donning her last wrist guard, and the tears fell uncontrollably: “My lady, please be careful on this journey!”

Chun Tao hated herself immensely. She hated that she was not like Miss Shen, Shen Qingzhu. If she had Miss Shen’s skills, she could follow their lady to Anping Camp and protect her.

Hearing the sound of approaching hooves from afar, Bai Qingyan parted the carriage curtain and glanced outside. She saw Lu Ping leading a group of soldiers riding swiftly towards them. Taking the Sun-shooting Bow from Chun Tao’s arms and slinging it over her shoulder, she said, “I will leave a few Bai family guards to escort you back to Shuoyang…”

“My lady, the guards must stay with you! I’ll follow the Crown Prince’s convoy to Dadu City! You needn’t worry about me, Chun Tao. Chun Tao can’t help you, but she definitely won’t drag you down! Trust me, my lady!”

Chun Tao already felt guilty for not being able to protect Bai Qingyan. How could she allow their lady to divert the Bai family guards for her?

Seeing Chun Tao’s resolute expression, Bai Qingyan did not insist. She merely said, “Take good care of yourself!”

With that, Bai Qingyan alighted from the carriage.

The Crown Prince had also donned his armor, wearing a dragon-patterned cloak and a sword at his waist, aided by Quan Yu as he descended from the carriage.

Elder Fang, though advanced in years, had also put on his armor, following the Crown Prince onto his horse. He adjusted his helmet awkwardly, worried about his own frail body.

“Your Highness!” Bai Qingyan quickly walked to the Crown Prince’s side, clasping her hands in a martial salute. “Please mount your horse! The Dengzhou Army need not halt; we must head straight to Anping Camp!”

The Crown Prince nodded.

Quan Yu hurriedly stepped forward to help the Crown Prince onto his horse, his eyes reddened as he urged, “Your Highness! Princess! Please be careful!”

Bai Qingyan, clad in combat armor, leaped onto her horse, gripping the reins. Immediately, an air of sharp determination emanated from her. She shouted loudly, “The guards of the Crown Prince’s residence and the Hundred Lakes Garrison, follow me straight to Anping Camp; we depart now!”

With those commanding words, Bai Qingyan squeezed the horse’s abdomen with her legs. The steed neighed furiously, rearing up before charging forward.

Qin Shangzhi’s throat tightened as he watched Bai Qingyan’s flowing cloak and heroic demeanor. He clenched his fists, recalling the first time he saw Bai Qingyan mount a horse in the Southern Border. It stirred an overwhelming urge to follow her into battle.

Bai Weiting once said, Bai Qingyan was a born military talent. Qin Shangzhi believed it!

The same command, spoken by different people, elicited different reactions. Bai Qingyan, though a woman, had fought in countless battles and remained undefeated. Even her commands were filled with a resolute and fiery spirit, making others feel her fierce and passionate intent for battle.

Bai Qingyan had the aura of a leader and the strategic prowess of a commander. She was far more than just a talented general…

The personal guards around the Crown Prince and the Bai family soldiers all followed her lead. The Crown Prince gritted his teeth, gripping the reins tightly, speeding his horse forward.

Elder Fang, wearing his helmet, bit down and endured. Today, it was not so much that Bai Qingyan had pressured him into following the Crown Prince, but rather he needed to be by the Crown Prince’s side to prevent Bai Qingyan from bewitching him.

Bai Qingyan’s horse rode at a remarkable speed. The Crown Prince and Elder Fang struggled to keep up, feeling nothing but the whistling wind and their pounding heartbeats, even their breathing became laborious.

But the Crown Prince knew he could not admit defeat or complain. Bai Qingyan, leading the Bai family guards and the personal guards of the Crown Prince’s residence, along with the three thousand Dengzhou Army behind him, was all to ensure his safe return to Dadu!

Others were enduring hardships for his sake. How could he possibly admit weakness now?

The Crown Prince gritted his teeth and shouted, “Hyah!”

Approaching Anping Camp…

“Lu Ping!” Bai Qingyan turned her head and called out.

At her call, Lu Ping accelerated, whipping his horse forward: “Lu Ping is here!”

“I order you to take a thousand men to conceal and support. Station guards on the route from Anping Camp to Dadu City. Whether messages are sent to or from Anping Camp, detain those messengers!”

“Lu Ping complies!” Lu Ping slowed down to relay the orders, splitting a thousand men from the rest.

Inside Anping Camp.

Fu Ruoxi sat in the commander’s tent, having dismissed all attendants. Standing by the light of the tent’s lamp, he read the letter sent from Dadu City, biting his back teeth, and set the letter ablaze.

The flames slowly consumed the paper filled with characters, casting Fu Ruoxi’s face in flickering light.

The Empress had sent a secret letter stating that the Emperor was in a coma after falling off his horse. Now was the opportune moment to support King Xin’s ascension to the throne. As long as King Xin became Emperor, she could ensure the safety of her unborn child. Otherwise, if the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he wouldn’t spare the child she claimed was the reincarnation of the sacred deer. If the Emperor awoke and discovered her pregnancy didn’t align with the timeline, both she and the child would be doomed.

The Empress claimed she had control over those serving the Emperor. If Fu Ruoxi dared to lead the Anping Camp’s army straight to Dadu, she would publicly declare that the Crown Prince, resentful of being chastised by the Emperor and sent to Dengzhou to escort supplies, harbored hatred and sought to kill the Emperor, then support King Xin as the true heir.

Beside Fu Ruoxi, his fists were tightly clenched. Although the Empress did not explicitly state it in her letter, whether the child conceived that night when he lost control was his. However, the Empress implying misalignment of the timeline clearly meant the child was his.

But Fu Ruoxi was not one to be swayed by romantic entanglements. Despite being at Anping Camp, the Fu family continuously sent him information. He knew the Emperor did not fully trust the Empress. Thus, before slipping into a coma, he appointed Master Tan and the Eldest Princess – one to assist King Liang in governance, the other to manage the harem.

Master Tan had always been a loyal minister. The Eldest Princess was a significant figure in helping the current Emperor ascend; they were both trusted by the Emperor.

Master Tan aside, the Eldest Princess was far from an ordinary woman of the harem. Could the Empress truly wield influence under the Eldest Princess’s watch?

Fu Ruoxi felt trapped in a dilemma. If he remained inactive, and the Empress and her unborn child faced any mishap, he would never forgive himself.

“Report…” A sentry suddenly rode in quickly, kneeling outside the commander’s tent, loudly announcing, “Reporting to the Commander, someone bearing the Crown Prince’s banner is approaching Anping Camp from Dengzhou!”

Fu Ruoxi’s palm tightened. He turned, quickly stepping to the center of the tent, asking, “How many have come?”

“Approximately two to three thousand men!” the sentry replied.

“General…” Fu Ruoxi’s deputy general also rushed in, gripping his sword at his waist, breathing heavily, “The Crown Prince likely knows about the Emperor’s coma and fears danger if he returns to Dadu City alone. Hence, he has come to Anping Camp, probably seeking an escort back to the capital.”

Fu Ruoxi tightly pressed his lips, furrowing his thick brows, “Anping Camp is not to dispatch troops without the Emperor’s edict. Otherwise… we wouldn’t have refrained from aiding Dengzhou when they were attacked.”