"You just ran to Ye City like that, what about the capital?" As everything came to a close, I helped apply medicine to Zuo's injured arm while speaking in a light tone.

  The medicine I used was Tian Xin Mai Luo San, the most potent wound medicine in Chinese medicine. Originally, he only had a superficial injury, and ordinary warm medicine could have handled it completely, but I deliberately wanted to teach him a lesson. This Tian Xin Mai Luo San, although its efficacy is excellent, the pain of the injured person during medication is also not to be ignored.

  When I bandaged him, my technique didn't intentionally go easy on him. He was in so much pain that he gritted his teeth, but seeing my deliberately solemn expression, all complaints were suppressed and he said in a low voice: "I'll head back to the capital first to report, then come over. Don't worry, I've already told my family that you're going to Mobei because of your longing for your husband."

  I couldn't help but laugh at him: "In the letter, I entrusted you to stay in Beijing to settle things for me. You came up with such a good excuse, thinking of your husband's kindness, who are you deceiving? If Father and Mother believed your nonsense, that would be strange!"

  He raised an eyebrow and said, "Believe it or not, I've been saying the same thing all along. They can't possibly not take their own daughter's side even if they're suspicious, so to outsiders and even other family members, I'll just say you're staying in a separate courtyard for a while, nothing will come of it. With Father and Mother in the capital, my staying there won't be of much help either, might as well come find you instead, saves me from worrying at home, who knows how many nightmares I've had already."

  I couldn't help but soften my heart, although I still had a stern face, my tone slowly relaxed, and the movements of my hands also unconsciously became gentler: "Don't make excuses for yourself, you probably came this time without telling your family either?"

  He frankly nodded and acknowledged: "Yes, but I've left a book for you to learn from."

  I was choked with anger for a moment, staring at him, and didn't say a word. I just used force to tie the bandage into a knot.

  "Second sister, be gentle..."

  He was wincing in pain, making a strange cry. I knew that the proportion of playing tricks would be even greater now. At this moment, I didn't care about him and just gave him a sideways glance with a smile that wasn't quite a smile: "Now you know it hurts, where's your heroism from before?"

  He fell silent for a moment, but still couldn't help looking at me with discontent. He muttered under his breath, "It was clearly your fault from the start. You rode my 'Wind Chaser' without a word and ran out. All the way to Mobei, just because you're a girl, you think you can get away with it? I originally thought that after finding you, I would scold you severely, but now it seems like I'm the one being lectured instead. You've learned from the Third Prince's cunning and sly ways, haven't you? This expression of yours, as if you're smiling but not really smiling, it's making my skin crawl."

  I was taken aback, and before I could react, he had already smiled again and come over to coax me: "Good sister, even if you scold me, I'll admit it. As long as you're not angry, even if you hit me twice, I'd be willing. You don't know, at home, I've been dreaming about you every day, wondering if you were caught by bandits or something happened to you. Every time I wake up, I'm covered in cold sweat. You also know my temperament, how can I bear it? That's why I couldn't help but come. Just forgive me this once."

  I listened to him like that, and I was already soft-hearted. At this moment, I couldn't hold back my face anymore, and I smiled and sighed: "You, really can't do anything about you."

  He saw me smile, and his expression finally relaxed completely. He looked down at the gauze on his arm, then leaned back against the couch with a casual posture: "You're finally smiling, and this heavenly pulse on my arm that's been hurting also didn't suffer in vain."

  I looked at him with a mixture of amusement and annoyance: "So you knew all along."

  He rushed towards me with a smile: "Having been with you for so long, although I don't understand medicine, I can still know a thing or two about these herbs. You just opened the medicine bottle, and as soon as I smelled that smell, I knew it wasn't good. Looking at your appearance, I could only resign myself to my fate, and let you toss me around, hoping that after you're done tossing me around, my anger will dissipate a bit."

  I smiled and picked up the book on the case, lightly tapping his head: "So to speak, I helped you bandage, but it's actually troubling you." He laughed and stood up from the couch with a flourish: "The ancients often said that only women and petty men are difficult to raise. It seems that not one bit is wrong. Anyway, I can't argue with you, forget it, forget it. Why don't we go see 'Chasing the Wind' instead? If it's starving and thin, I'll come back and settle accounts with you later..."

  He was originally smiling and talking, but his voice suddenly stopped, I was a little puzzled, looked up to see him, but saw that the smile on his face was gone, his eyes were staring at my neck, and his voice also had a hint of tension: "Second sister, are you hurt? How did you do it?"

  I was taken aback, and following his gaze, I couldn't help but feel extremely embarrassed. Looking down from a low angle, on the nape of my neck, the red marks left by last night's lovemaking were faintly visible.

  His face suddenly flushed red as he hastily grabbed his collar, almost with a sense of fluster, then I quickly stood up and turned my back to him, saying: "Nothing's wrong, aren't you going to watch 'Chasing the Wind'? Hurry up and go."

  He saw my movements and was puzzled for a moment, but then he thought of something and his voice became even more tense and urgent, with a hint of anger: "What's going on, who hurt you?"

  I became increasingly embarrassed and didn't know how to explain it, so I just turned around and whispered: "It's nothing, don't ask anymore."

  How could he bear to listen, seeing the question without result, so he simply stretched out his hand and grabbed me. I was scared to death and struggled desperately, shouting at him in a voice that was both warning and entreating: "Mu Rong Yu!"

  He didn't listen at all, one hand firmly grasped my waist, and the other had already gently opened the collar of my clothes to examine the so-called "wound".

  I was both embarrassed and helpless, just looking at the expression on his face, which first froze for a moment, then reacted quickly, and his handsome face suddenly turned bright red.

  No matter how young and inexperienced he was, he wasn't stupid, and being from an official's family, when it came to romantic relationships between men and women, although he had never experienced them himself, having been exposed to such things through stories and observations, he wasn't completely clueless either, so how could he not understand the difference between a love bite and a bruise?

  So in an instant, he understood and his face turned bright red, and he was at a loss for what to do with his hands and feet. He even wished he could find a hole in the ground to crawl into, and forgot to let go of my hand that he was holding onto.

  I was also extremely embarrassed, just wanting to speak up and let him go, but then I heard a light cough outside the door. I looked up to see Nan Chengyao looking at us calmly, his eyes seeming to hold a hint of displeasure.

  I lightly patted Pan's hand, and he immediately reacted, jumping far away like a hot potato, without looking at me, and hastily said to Nan Chengyao: "Sister-in-law, I'm going to see 'Chasing the Wind'."

  Without waiting for his response, her face flushed red, she rushed out the door without looking back, and in no time at all, even her figure was gone from sight.

  Such discourtesy, even the title was used in a hurry under normal household name, fortunately, Nan Xiangyao did not mind too much.

  I watched as the light in Nan Chengyao's eyes changed from slight displeasure to stunned awakening, then became even clearer with a hint of self-mockery, until now, and once again returned to his usual carefree self as he walked towards me.

  I cast down my eyes and smiled faintly, then bowed and said softly: "Since I have already handed over to Your Highness the things that should be given, it is not convenient for me to continue staying here. After two days, when Piao Ying's illness has fully recovered, we will set off back to the capital, and will not trouble Your Highness."

  He gazed at me deeply, and after a moment, he smiled faintly: "You've never made things difficult for me. Now that you're in Ye City, doesn't the princess want to see me defeat the northern barbarians with her own eyes?"

  He smiled and stretched out his hand: "Come on, I'll take you to see the real scenery of Mo Bei."

  The black steed with white hooves is a rare fine horse in this world, its coat is pure black and shiny, its four hooves are snowy white, riding it is like treading on clouds and walking on snow, when it neighs loudly, all other horses become mute, that's why it is extremely precious.

  It was a fine horse, and having followed Nan Chongyue for many years, it was well-trained. Therefore, in the entire Southern Dynasty, the name "盗骊轻骢" was almost a household name, and had already become a synonym for a famous horse.

  Now I and Nan Chengyao are riding a horse together, and this "thief's light steed" has been galloping for hundreds of miles, still prancing like flying, really living up to the name of this fine horse.

  At the Winter Solstice, the northern border was still covered in heavy snow. Nan Xiang used a high-quality fox fur cloak to wrap around me and him, and I leaned into his warm embrace. The fox fur even covered half of my face, leaving only my eyes exposed, so although the cold wind howled by my ears, I didn't feel too chilly.

  Nan Xiangyao took me galloping across the vast and picturesque land north of the desert, while waving his whip to point ahead and whispered in my ear: "Look, where the smoke is rising from the mountain top in front, that's where the Northern Hu people are stationed. In just a few days, I will make them completely withdraw from here. This land cannot be tainted by even a single finger of the Northern Hu barbarians!"

  I listened to his calm and slightly cold tone, with a hint of pride, as we quietly watched the rising smoke together, without saying a word.

  He noticed my abnormality and smiled: "Is the king's wife kind-hearted and worried about the suffering of the people?"

  I shook my head, not turning back, looking at the distance and speaking softly: "When two armies clash, one must win and the other must lose. It's either you die or I perish, no room for even a hint of softness or mercy. Moreover, in this chaotic world, true benevolence is not just about adhering to 'thou shalt not kill', but also about eliminating the treacherous to protect the weak. As for this war, it was the Northern Barbarians who invaded first, and Your Highness fought back to defend our country and people. Everything you did was for the peace and prosperity of millions of our Southern Dynasty's citizens, absolutely nothing wrong with that. I, as a minister, will not have even a hint of untimely feminine mercy."

  "Oh, what was the queen's silence just now?" His words, faintly smiling, came drifting on the wind.

  I hesitated for a moment, then spoke softly: "I recall that in the Art of War, it is said that to win every battle is not the ultimate excellence; to subdue the enemy without fighting is the ultimate excellence. Therefore, the highest form of warfare is to attack the enemy's strategy, next is to disrupt their alliances, and then to attack their army, with besieging cities being the lowest level. I think this battle against the Northern Barbarians will be no exception."

  "Oh?" He leaped down from his horseback with a flourish, extended his hand to me, and a hint of admiration flickered in his dark eyes.

  I handed him my reins, letting him help me down from the horse, and then we wrapped ourselves together in a fox fur coat, gazing northwards. Only then did I speak again in a soft voice: "Your Majesty's servant heard on the way to Ye City that every winter, as soon as it snows heavily, the Northern Hu people will repeatedly invade and plunder our borders due to food shortages, causing trouble for the people. This year, the reason why the entire nation was mobilized to attack Ye City is also because this winter's snowfall is more severe than in previous years, with livestock freezing to death and people starving to death, leaving no food for the Northern Hu people to survive the winter. Even if Your Majesty wins a great victory and forces them to retreat, it will be difficult to guarantee that they will not come again next year when the snow falls. Therefore, I think that using military force to pressure them is only a temporary solution, and it would be better to open up border trade, exchanging goods and supplies to address both the symptoms and the root causes. If we can do this, not only can the current border troubles be resolved, but the people of the northern wilderness will also enjoy eternal peace!"

  He gazed at me deeply for a long time, then slowly curved into a smile, looking into my eyes and said: "Such beautiful eyes can see through all these changes in an instant. The princess was born into the wrong body. Such foresight, except for Qin Zhao, none of the generals under my command thought of it."

  I was taken aback for a moment, then reacted and asked with some puzzlement: "Your Highness has already thought of this, so why insist on this expedition?"

  He looked towards the position where the Northern Hu army was stationed, and opened his mouth lightly. His tone was filled with a careless coldness and determination: "The Northern Hu are arrogant by nature. If we can't win a few battles first, it will be difficult to negotiate trade agreements with them in the future, so this battle must be fought, and it is necessary to achieve a complete victory!"

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