From cute to empress

In the Golden Throne Hall, I spoke in a firm tone, leaving no room for doubt: "My mind is made up. There's no need to persuade me! Pass the order down. Reorganize the three armies. In three days, follow me on my journey!"

The ministers looked at each other, then finally lowered their heads helplessly and left.

I know what they're worried about. I'm the Empress, the ruler of this world. How can I risk my life so easily? But I also know that I can't lose him. He's my pillar of support, my support. I can't let him face this alone.

The three days of preparation felt like ages to me. I forced myself to calm down, attending to government affairs, deploying military supplies, and arranging generals, paying attention to every detail, no matter how big or small, without slacking off. Only in this way could I temporarily forget the worries and fears in my heart.

Finally, the army arrived at the border.

Before I even reached the camp, I could smell a strong smell of blood and hear the soldiers' painful groans. My heart sank suddenly, and an ominous premonition came over me.

"Your Majesty, you are here!" A general saw me and hurried forward to salute, his face full of fatigue and anxiety.

"How is the battle going? General Zhen..." I asked impatiently, but my voice trembled involuntarily.

"Your Majesty, the enemy is advancing with great force and has been attacking fiercely for days. General Zhen... has been seriously injured while resisting the enemy, and now..."

I didn't bother to listen and rushed directly into the tent where Zhen Youcai was.

The scene before me gave me a shock.

Zhen Youcai lay on the bed, his face pale, his breath weak, his body wrapped in white bandages, faintly blood-red. He had his eyes tightly closed, his brow furrowed, as if enduring immense pain.

My tears instantly burst out and I held his hand. His hand was cold, without a trace of warmth.

"Call the imperial physician! Call the imperial physician quickly!" I turned around and yelled at the servant behind me.

The imperial physician arrived quickly and treated Zhen Youcai. I anxiously waited by his side, praying that he would be safe.

"Your Majesty, General Zhen is... seriously injured, but fortunately his life is not in danger, but..." The imperial physician hesitated to speak.

"Just what? Just tell me what you want!"

"It's just that... General Zhen has injured his tendons and veins this time. I'm afraid..."

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down.

"I believe he will get better." My tone was firm and unquestionable.

After settling Zhen Youcai, I immediately began to deploy border defenses. The enemy was coming with great force and was no pushover. I had to be extremely vigilant to deal with this crisis.

"Report——"

A soldier hurried into the tent and shouted, "Your Majesty, the enemy commander, General Hu, is leading a large army less than five miles away and is approaching our main camp!"

My eyes flashed and a chill rose from the bottom of my heart.

It seemed the real battle had just begun… The air froze in an instant, and the candlelight in the tent flickered, as if startled by the sudden news. I took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions in my heart, and my eyes sharpened. "Pass the order, all troops, be on alert, and prepare to meet the enemy!"

"Your Majesty, you are of noble status, you must not take risks easily!" The generals around him tried to dissuade him, their faces full of worry.

I understand their concerns, but I know even more clearly that at this moment, my every word and action determines the outcome of this war, the very survival of our army. "My decision is made, no need for further discussion!" I said firmly, leaving no room for doubt. "Pass the order down, soldiers, listen carefully. Today's battle is a matter of life and death for our dynasty, and it also concerns General Zhen's life! I will live and die with you, and defend our homeland to the death!"

My words resounded loudly, echoing through the tent and reaching the ears of every soldier outside. I saw the blazing fire of war burning in their eyes, a determination to face death with equanimity, and absolute trust in me, the Empress.

"Your Majesty is here in person, and the soldiers of the three armies will swear allegiance until death!" The generals knelt on one knee, tears in their eyes.

I nodded, turned and walked out of the tent.

As night fell, the border wind carried a chill, but it couldn't extinguish the fire of war burning within me. Clad in armor, I stood on the high command platform, gazing down at the vast army below, a surge of heroic ambition welling up within me.

"Soldiers!" My voice echoed in the night sky. "General Hu is attempting to take advantage of our commander's injury to annex our territory. His evil ambitions are clear as day! Today, I will show him that every soldier in our dynasty is a hero. We will not let him succeed!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The soldiers raised their weapons high and let out a deafening roar that shook the mountains and rivers.

In the distance, the sound of enemy war drums was getting closer and closer, and I knew that the time for the decisive battle had come.

"Pass the order, archers, prepare—" I raised my right hand, my eyes as sharp as torches, staring intently at the enemy in the distance, "Shoot!"

A hail of arrows whistled towards the enemy with the sound of piercing the air, marking the beginning of this great battle...

"Report! Your Majesty, the enemy commander, General Hu Di, is personally leading his elite cavalry and is approaching the center of the army!"

I sneered, "It seems this enemy general is coming for me. Pass the order and set up the formation—"

"Arm your troops in a formation of flying geese! Archers, prepare! When the enemy approaches, release!" As soon as I finished speaking, the thunderous sound of horse hooves resounded through the sky, shaking the earth. General Hu led the way, followed by a sea of ​​cavalrymen. Like a black tide, they swept towards our army.

"Shoot!" With my order, countless arrows, with the sound of breaking through the air, cut through the sky and shot towards the enemy like raindrops.

However, the cavalry of the enemy general Hu came clearly prepared. They held up heavy shields, forming an indestructible shield wall. Although our army's rain of arrows was dense, it could not hurt them at all.

"Your Majesty, the enemy is coming in full force. You'd better retreat to a safe place first!" The general beside me advised anxiously, but my eyes were always fixed on the battlefield, with no intention of retreating.

"I've already said that today I will live and die with you!" I drew the sword from my waist, pointing it forward. "Pass the order, all troops, charge!"

I led the charge, charging headfirst into the enemy lines. My swordsmanship, personally taught by Zhen Youcai, wasn't as masterful as his, but it was still incredibly sharp. For a moment, swords flashed, blood flew, and the deafening cries of bloodshed filled the air. I felt as if I were transported to the Asura Hell.

I fought hard and my armor was stained with blood, but I was unaware of it because I knew that there were millions of people behind me and I must not retreat!

I don't know how long I fought, but my strength gradually ran out. At this moment, an enemy general saw me. A greedy gleam flashed in his eyes, and he swung his sword and slashed at me.

I was startled and tried to dodge, but it was too late. At the critical moment, a figure suddenly flashed in front of me and blocked the fatal blow for me.

"Zhen Youcai!" I exclaimed as I saw who it was. Shouldn't he be recovering from his injuries? Why was he here?

"Your Majesty, I have said that I will do my utmost to protect you." Zhen Youcai's face was pale, and there was still a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, but the look in his eyes when he looked at me was still as firm as before. "Your Majesty, I will do what I say."

As he spoke, he endured the pain from his wounds and swung his sword to engage the enemy general. Watching him fight so fiercely, I was deeply moved and even more determined to protect this land and him.

Finally, under the leadership of Zhen Youcai and I, our army's morale was greatly boosted, and we fought bravely and finally drove the enemy back. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the enemy general Hu had no choice but to flee in panic with his remaining troops.

After this battle, our army's morale was greatly boosted, while the enemy generals were completely defeated, and the border fighting temporarily subsided. I took the seriously injured Zhen Youcai back to the camp and cared for him day and night.

"You always disregard your own safety." I scolded him while wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Zhen Youcai held my hand and smiled weakly, "For Your Majesty, I will not refuse death."

I looked at the affectionate look in his eyes, and a warm current surged in my heart. I knew that our relationship had become even more indestructible after being baptized by the fire of war.

However, just when the situation on the border had just stabilized, news came from the capital...

Golden sunlight streamed into the tent through the window lattice, adding a touch of warmth to the originally simple military tent. I sat by the bed, gently holding Zhen Youcai's hand. His face looked much better than before, and his breathing was much more even.

"Your Majesty, I'm fine, you don't have to worry..." Zhen Youcai's voice was still a little weak, but it could not hide his concern for me.

I gave him a reproachful look and said, "It's already this late, and you're still trying to be stubborn. You've done so much for me, it's only right that I take care of you for a few days."

Zhen Youcai's eyes flashed with emotion when he heard this. He held my hand and whispered, "It is my blessing to receive such great love from Your Majesty."

Just then, I heard hurried footsteps outside the tent, and then my personal maid Biyun walked in panic-stricken, opening the curtain.

"Your Majesty, there's news from the capital... the capital!" Biyun said hurriedly with a hint of trembling.

My heart tightened, and a bad feeling came over me. "What's wrong? Speak slowly."

Biyun took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, but her voice still trembled slightly. "The Prime Minister... the Prime Minister... he led a group of ministers to force the palace and support the Third Prince... the Third Prince as emperor. Now... now the capital has been declared under martial law. The situation is critical!"

"What?!" The teacup in my hand shattered to the ground with a thud, splattering my skirt. I was oblivious. Force the emperor to abdicate? Support a new emperor? These words exploded in my mind like thunder, leaving me dizzy.

Zhen Youcai struggled to get up, but I held him down. "Rest well, I'll take care of this." My voice was surprisingly calm, but inside I was already turbulent.

"Your Majesty, no!" Zhen Youcai's face was solemn, his eyes full of worry. "The Prime Minister is cunning and treacherous. This rebellion must have been planned for a long time. You must not take it lightly!"

I took a deep breath, forced myself to calm down, and quickly analyzed the current situation in my mind. My only option now was to rush back to the capital and crush the Prime Minister's conspiracy, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous!

I turned to look at Biyun and ordered in a deep voice, "Pass the order down, pack your bags and set off for Beijing immediately!"

"Yes!" Biyun took the order and left.

I helped Zhen Youcai lie down again, covered him with the quilt, and said firmly, "Don't worry, I will definitely come back safely."

After saying that, I turned around resolutely and strode out of the military tent with a determined light flashing in my eyes. I want to see who dares to challenge me!