Spring arrives and the land smiles

Inside the main tent of the military camp.

Qingyan's pale face looked even more bloodless in Sicheng's anxious eyes. Although she didn't frown or cry out in pain while unconscious, her eyelashes trembled frequently, which worried Sicheng greatly.

Since the bleeding stopped, Qingyan has been unconscious for two hours and has not shown any signs of waking up. Sicheng's regret at this moment is beyond measure. As the best bodyguard of Lingfeng Pavilion, his dereliction of duty to this extent is a capital offense.

But now is not the time to commit suicide to atone for his sins. Si Cheng clenched his fist tightly and summoned the military doctor for questioning.

"Her Highness is a woman, so she is naturally more delicate. In addition, the stab wound is quite deep, so it may take some time for her to wake up," the military doctor explained patiently. These are basic common sense things that someone who practices martial arts should understand; he must have been confused because he was worried.

Si Cheng nodded.

Qingyan was injured and needed someone to take care of her, so when she was unconscious, Sicheng had already sent someone to bring Zhuier from the post station to serve her.

To ensure the medicine's effectiveness, the military doctor recommended changing Qingyan's dressing every two hours. Zhuier carefully attended to her, and after the second dressing change, Qingyan finally woke up.

"Ah, it hurts..." Qingyan cried out softly involuntarily.

Zhui'er quickly helped Qingyan up: "Princess."

Qingyan looked at her with teary eyes, struggling to raise her right hand, but aggravated the wound on her left shoulder, and after a sharp pain, she had no choice but to let it fall down.

"The princess is awake!" Zhuier called out to the door. Sicheng quickly led the military doctor into the tent to take Qingyan's pulse as usual.

The old military doctor remained silent for a moment before cautiously and slowly saying, "The princess's pulse is stable and she is out of danger."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this.

After the old military doctor came out of the tent, Si Cheng knelt directly in front of Qing Yan.

Qingyan glanced at him, and before Sicheng could even apologize, she heard Qingyan's weak voice: "I need to conserve my energy for dealing with external matters. I don't have the strength to talk to you. If you don't know what to say or do, then you don't need to stay by my side. Go back to Lingfeng Pavilion."

Upon hearing this, Si Cheng abruptly raised his head, pondered for a moment, and then stood up: "This subordinate knows his mistake and will certainly not repeat it."

When Chu Shen saw the old military doctor come out, he asked to see him outside the main tent.

Qingyan nodded to Sicheng, indicating her approval.

Chu Shen entered the tent and looked at Qing Yan on the bed. Her face was as pale as frost. His heart sank and he knelt down on one knee: "This humble general has failed in his duty. Please punish me, Princess."

Qingyan weakly raised her eyes. The Supreme Protector General was kneeling in front of her, begging for forgiveness. He did not make excuses, beg for mercy, or say anything else. He simply apologized.

He was indeed upright and honest. Qingyan thought to herself with a slight sense of admiration.

If Chu Shen is a villain, this injury is a good opportunity to get rid of him, or at least force him to fight against Sichuan with all his might.

But if he is loyal... wouldn't he have lost his pure and loyal heart?

While Qingyan was torn, Chu Shen remained kneeling, offering no words, and his attitude towards Qingyan, the eldest princess, was neither advancing nor retreating, neither welcoming nor rejecting.

That Chu Shen is something else, a stubborn and unyielding tough nut to crack.

Well then, the Three Character Classic says that people are inherently good at birth, so let's just assume that Chu Shen's original intentions haven't changed and believe him this once.

Qingyan exhaled a breath of stale air: "Assassination by villains is impossible to guard against, General Chu, there is no need to blame yourself."

Chu Shen paused upon hearing this and looked up at Qing Yan.

Is this the end of the story?

"However, the general's camp is lax in its defenses and should be thoroughly reorganized. This princess cannot afford a next time." Although Qingyan's voice was weak, her words carried an air of authority without anger.

"This humble general is terrified, but will obey your command." Chu Shen bowed deeply and withdrew, his mind now filled with new calculations regarding this princess.

After confronting Chu Shen, Qingyan stopped trying to stay alert. Zhui'er felt sorry for her and quickly said, "Princess, have some porridge."

Qingyan was aware of her condition as a patient and knew she needed to replenish her strength, so she let Zhuier feed her the soft and sticky porridge.

Although Qingyan's injury looked somewhat dangerous, it improved after a few days of rest. However, the wound continued to bleed when the dressing was changed, but Qingyan thought it was because the wound was too deep and didn't pay much attention to it.

In the past few days, Chu Shen has indeed been reorganizing the camp's defenses. Qingyan instructed Sicheng to keep an eye out, and Sicheng then memorized all the visible and hidden sentries he had set up.

Since Si Cheng was the eldest princess's man, Chu Shen naturally knew her intentions, so he simply showed him the garrison deployment as well. Although Si Cheng was not from a military background, he still understood a thing or two and immediately saw through Chu Shen's tactics and remembered them clearly.

"How is it?" Qingyan asked anxiously.

"Princess, Chu Shen's defenses are tight, and there is no indication of any collusion with the enemy." Si Cheng explained the military situation he had observed to Qing Yan in detail, and Qing Yan also felt that the deployment was very secure.

"So, does that mean Chu Shen and Sichuan are not colluding?" Qingyan's question sounded more like a conclusion.

“From a purely defensive standpoint, that is indeed the case.” Si Cheng frowned again. “However, human nature is unpredictable.”

Qingyan looked puzzled and gestured for him to continue.

"The Yushan Mountains run from northwest to southeast. Although they are the boundary mountains between our Great Qi and Sichuan and Southern Xia, stretching for nearly two hundred miles, the border with Southern Xia is only a few dozen miles long, and there is only one official road connecting the two regions. On the contrary, the border with Sichuan is more than one hundred miles long, with more than ten official roads connecting the two regions, including four official roads in the mining area. Yu'an is both a border city and a pass, so it is only natural to guard it heavily. It is also reasonable to deploy defenses at the official roads connecting the two regions. However, there is one official road where Chu Shen's defenses are somewhat suspicious."

"Which one?" Qingyan asked hurriedly.

As soon as she finished asking Qingyan, she knew the answer. She turned to look at Sicheng, who nodded knowingly and continued:

"Chu Shen has deployed a large number of troops on the official road closest to the gold mine, but all of them are stationed at the pass of the mining area. If the pass collapses during mining, the troops will be blocked in the easy-to-mine section of the mining area, while the difficult-to-mine section will be exposed to Sichuan and Shu, making it impossible to send reinforcements in time."

Qingyan immediately replied, "Chu Shen has been guarding the border in Yushan for five years. If he hadn't thought of this, the iron mines would have been mined by Sichuan long ago. It wouldn't have been until the gold mine appeared today that Sichuan racked its brains and took such a risk."

"If there is no backup plan, Chu Shen's actions can be considered as paying lip service while secretly going against the grain."

"Even if they blame him then, Chu Shen can find an excuse that the mine collapse was an accident and be punished leniently." A coldness gradually crept into Qing Yan's eyes.

“Princess, it is too early to conclude that Chu Shen has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country. We need to investigate the other arrangements along the official road in the mining area before we can confirm it,” Si Cheng said thoughtfully.

"Alright, find out the information as soon as possible," Qingyan instructed.

Sicheng immediately took care of it.

Inside the military camp's torture chamber, Chu Shen sat opposite the short assassin, watching him being executed with great interest, his eyes never blinking.

The veteran of the battlefield, accustomed to seeing the mangled bodies beneath the yellow sand, was no longer moved by this level of bloodshed.

Her Highness the Princess rested for three days, while the short assassin was kept awake by the hawk for three days.

The so-called "training the eagle" is a method of training hunting eagles. Because eagles are fierce by nature, they are not allowed to sleep after being captured and are kept awake for several days in a row, so that their wild nature is worn away.

Chu Shen's method of training eagles was even more cruel.

After torture, prisoners in his military camp would receive the best treatment from military doctors. However, once the wounds began to heal, a new round of torture would begin, leaving the prisoners conscious and tormented in a vicious cycle that instilled fear in them.

Chu Shen returned to his tent.

The tent was filled with the aroma of medicine and wisps of steam. The old military doctor sat down beside the medicine stove, staring intently at the medicine pot, not daring to relax for even a moment.

Chu Shen lowered his eyes and frowned as he asked the old military doctor, "How many more days will it take for Her Highness the Princess to fully recover?"

"Her Highness the Princess's external injuries are no longer a problem. However, the dagger was coated with a corrosive poison, and given that women are physically delicate and it is summer, the wound is very susceptible to infection. Therefore, it will take some time for her to fully recover," the old military doctor bowed and apologized, answering truthfully.

Chu Shen nodded and walked to the medicine furnace: "Give me the medicine."

When Chu Shen brought the medicine into the main tent, Qing Yan had just had her external wound dressing changed by Zhui'er.

Chu Shen had been personally delivering the medicine these past few days, so Qingyan couldn't blame him for it anymore.

The medicine was extremely bitter, and with just a glance from Qingyan, Zhuier put it aside.

"General Chu, the assassin has been captured alive. Have you been able to extract anything from his interrogation?" Qingyan asked.

Chu Shen clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general has come for this very reason."

Could it be that the investigation has yielded results? Chu Shen certainly has impressive methods.

Qingyan stared at Chu Shen, eager to confirm her thoughts: "Who exactly sent him to assassinate this princess?"

“The assassin is from Seven Colors. According to his confession, the mastermind behind this seems to be from Southern Xia,” Chu Shen replied.

"Nanxia?" Qingyan was genuinely surprised by this answer, her voice rising several octaves in astonishment.

“According to the confession, it is indeed Nanxia,” Chu Shen confirmed again.

How could it be Nanxia?

Qingyan looked away from Chu Shen, lost in thought, as if afraid of missing any details, carefully going over her interactions with Nanxia in her mind.

Lan Zhen didn't say anything, but in order to help him, he probably offended the eldest prince of Nanxia, ​​Lan Jing, and the Situ family. However, it seemed a bit far-fetched that they would harbor murderous intentions towards the crown prince of the neighboring country because of this open conflict.

Upon reflection, Qingyan realized that the assassin's testimony was somewhat inappropriate.

Could it be that Chu Shen is lying to me?

Qingyan thought to herself, and stared at Chu Shen for a while. Chu Shen looked calm, as if he was waiting for Qingyan to give him some clues about why Nanxia wanted to assassinate her.

If Chu Shen wasn't too cunning, then the assassin must have given a false confession. Qingyan was at a loss for a moment.

Seeing that the Princess could not provide any clues, Chu Shen simply stopped asking.

The wound was still painful, so Qingyan waved Chu Shen away, drank the medicine he brought, and went to sleep.

midnight.

Inside the military camp, patrols were strengthened and the number of personnel doubled due to the assassination attempt on the princess.

The dark figure, hiding in the shadows, waited from the second watch until midnight, but still couldn't find a suitable opportunity.

Perhaps unable to contain themselves, or perhaps because the mission was too important to complete within a limited time, the figure in black ventured in.

Sure enough, what you fear most is what happens. Murphy's Law struck hard and accurately at the figure in black. He was discovered when he was only a step away from Qingyan's main tent.

The fighting outside the tent grew louder and louder, and Qingyan was finally awakened: "Sicheng, what's going on outside the tent?"

"Princess, an assassin has broken in." Si Cheng was already on guard, and when he spoke, he did not put down his long sword.

Who on earth wants me dead so badly? They won't give up even after we've alerted them!

Qingyan frowned, her heart growing heavier.

Before long, the sounds of fighting subsided, and Chu Shen's voice could be heard outside the tent:

"This humble general has arrived late to rescue Your Majesty. Please forgive me, Your Highness. The assassin has been captured."

Qingyan gave Zhuier a wink, and Zhuier understood and invited Chu Shen into the tent.

The assassin who had just been captured also entered the tent.

However, unlike the previous short assassin, this assassin did not rush to commit suicide after the assassination failed. Instead, he seemed to be very afraid of death. When Chu Shen was about to dislocate his jaw, he found that he did not intend to bite through his venomous fangs. Perhaps, he did not have any venomous fangs in his mouth at all.

Could it be that he wasn't an assassin but a spy?

Chu Shen scrutinized the dark-clad figure kneeling before him. When he captured the short assassin, he deliberately spread rumors that the Princess was seriously injured and might not survive. He suggested that if this person was not an assassin, then he must have risked his life to gather information.

The figure in black was pinned to the ground, unable to move. The slightest attempt to resist resulted in a severe blow to his body. Finally, unable to withstand the blow, he collapsed to the ground, pulling a brocade pouch from his robes.

Chu Shen stared at the brocade pouch, and Zhui'er, quick-witted and agile, picked it up and presented it to Qingyan.

Qingyan held the pouch in her hand, looked it over from side to side, then opened the brocade pouch and peered inside.

Inside was half a broken gold locket.

Qingyan immediately understood.

"You may all leave now. I have questions for him." Qingyan dismissed everyone, though it was clear to everyone that this dismissal was primarily directed at Chu Shen.

After everyone who was supposed to leave had left, Qingyan took the gold locket out of the brocade pouch and examined it closely. Sure enough, it was the token she had given to Lan Zhen.

"Did His Highness Prince Zhao ask you to deliver a message?" Qingyan asked directly.

"Your Highness, the Prince said..." The figure in black looked at Qingyan, unable to bring himself to say it, yet forced to continue, "He said..."

Hesitantly, Qingyan's brows furrowed slightly in impatience.

The figure in black felt a tremor in his heart and panicked. He quickly said, "The prince said that the injury is to Xiao Yan'er's body, but the pain is to Brother Zhen's heart. Brother Zhen promises you that he will make Lan Jing repay you twofold."

The figure in black finished speaking in one breath, then knelt there, his face pale, not daring to move.

Qingyan felt that such blatant flirting was both unexpected and reasonable. She had known Lan Zhen for a long time and there was no need to get angry over a playboy.

Meanwhile, Zhui'er and Sicheng beside them were so angry that they were about to draw their swords. If Qingyan hadn't stopped them, they probably would have already given the black-clad figure a good beating.

By combining the useful information from the conversation with the confession of the assassin brought by Chu Shen, Qingyan could draw two conclusions:

First, Chu Shen was not lying; he did indeed get the assassin to confess.

Secondly, the assassin's confession was true; the person who wanted to kill me was Lan Jing, the eldest prince of Nanxia.

But why is that?

Qingyan still had no clue.

Looking at the person kneeling before her, Qingyan pondered for a long time before tentatively asking, "Has your prince offended the First Prince recently?"

The figure in black steadied himself, still not daring to raise his head: "His Highness said that if Her Highness the Princess asks, we should tell her the truth."

This Lan Zhen really thought of everything. Since that's the case, Qingyan is happy to listen attentively.

"Go ahead."

The figure in black spoke tremblingly: "Ten days ago, His Highness Prince Gui, ah, that is, the First Prince, was stripped of his title and reduced to a commoner by the Emperor because the evidence of his plot to harm my lord was conclusive."

What? Such a grand gesture? Qingyan was shocked.

But then I thought, what does this have to do with me? Even if Lan Jing is crippled, he would be driven to desperation and seek revenge on Lan Zhen, so why would I be the one who gets stabbed?

Even if my collaboration with Lan Zhen is exposed, killing me would only mean losing one partner. Lan Zhen can easily find someone else, unless...

My partner is so important to Lan Zhen that it made Lan Jing take a risk.

Thinking about it this way, Qingyan's brows furrowed even more deeply.

Suddenly, Qingyan seemed to have thought of something:

Yes, the culprit should be those ten thousand new weapons. If I die, Lan Zhen will have nowhere to get his weapons, and it will be a pipe dream for him to equip those five thousand elite cavalry.

This Lan Zhen, such an important matter was leaked. Now the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light, and he has even implicated me. I'm afraid he doesn't know what death means.

As Qingyan thought about it, she felt indignant:

"Go back and tell your prince that if he drags me into the domestic squabbles of Nanxia again, don't blame me for being impolite."

Qingyan paused, her eyes hardening: "You must convey the exact words."

The figure in black answered, his body trembling like a leaf.

After the questioning, the figure in black was dismissed from the military camp by Qing Yan. Chu Shen watched from outside the tent, puzzled but not daring to ask too many questions, only sending scouts from the army to secretly follow. Qing Yan had already anticipated Chu Shen's strong curiosity, so she had Si Cheng cut off the tail. The scouts who had been following all the way could only report back empty-handed. Chu Shen was shocked and dared not make any more moves.