Shocking! The actress was dragged to the regent's bedchamber every night.

The tent flap was carefully lifted a crack, and Shadow Falcon walked in quickly with his head down.

He held a thin bamboo tube in his hands, his face solemn.

"Your Highness, there is unusual activity in the north. Their elite troops secretly gathered at the northern pass three days ago, and they may intend to move south."

Shadow Falcon knelt down on one knee and raised the bamboo tube high above his head.

However, after finishing his statement, he did not ask any questions about military matters.

There was only suffocating silence.

Shadow Falcon felt a chill run down its spine and instinctively lowered its head even further.

However, the moment his gaze shifted downwards, his peripheral vision inevitably swept towards the low couch.

The animal hides laid out there were in a mess.

His prince, wearing an outer robe, stood by the couch, his chest heaving.

His shirt was slightly open, revealing a muscular chest.

And there were places that even the black robes couldn't cover.

Shadow Falcon held his breath instantly, staring intently at the ground in front of him, cold sweat soaking through the back of his undergarment.

He interrupted... the prince's good time.

And judging from the situation, this is probably... the most critical moment.

This realization sent chills down his spine, and he tightened his grip on the bamboo tube.

He could even feel the chill in the gaze falling on his head.

"Your Highness...this subordinate..." Shadow Falcon wanted to apologize, but didn't know where to begin.

"Military report." Yu Chen's voice rang out.

Upon hearing this, Shadow Falcon quickly handed the bamboo slip upwards.

Yu Chen reached out and took the thin bamboo tube.

He unfolded the military report and quickly scanned the words on it.

The Northern Barbarians are making unusual moves; the border is in dire need of attention...

The cold, military intelligence text temporarily suppressed the raging fire within him.

But the extreme frustration that had nowhere to go lingered in his heart like a venomous snake, making the already low-pressure atmosphere around him even heavier.

After reading it, he brought the paper close to the oil lamp and lit it.

The flames flickered, reflecting his cold and intimidating profile.

"Order the northern border to strengthen its defenses. Without my personal order, not a single soldier shall move."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a ruthless decisiveness.

"Another 30,000 men will be secretly moved north within seven days and placed on standby outside the city."

"Yes." Shadow Falcon obeyed without the slightest hesitation.

"Get down." Yu Chen waved his hand, no longer looking at him, his gaze falling on the low couch, his eyes changing slightly.

"This subordinate takes his leave." Shadow Falcon immediately stood up.

He practically held his breath as he moved to the tent entrance, his fingers barely touching the curtain.

"Stop!" A voice suddenly came from behind.

The Shadow Falcon immediately stopped moving, not daring to move an inch.

The fabric on my back, still damp with cold sweat, clung to my skin, feeling icy cold.

There was a moment of silence inside the tent.

"A three-month salary deduction."

Upon hearing this, Shadow Falcon's heart sank.

Three months' salary is not a small amount for the commander of the prince's personal guards, but it is by no means a financial blow.

In addition to his salary, he received other rewards on a regular basis, which were much higher than his salary.

The punishment itself was not severe; in fact, one could say it was... too lenient.

However, his own prince had never been so arrogant towards anyone before; when someone made a mistake, it was usually punished.

The mistake I mentioned was in official business, but now it seems that the mistake I made was not in official business...

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

"Yes." Shadow Falcon responded immediately without hesitation, "Your subordinate accepts the punishment."

He kept his head down and waited.

Yu Chen didn't tell him to leave again, and he didn't dare to move.

After a moment, a voice was heard: "Get down."

"This subordinate takes his leave." Shadow Falcon took a deep breath before daring to lift the curtain and go out.

The evening breeze swept over him, and he felt as if he could finally catch his breath.

He stood there for a couple of breaths before walking towards his tent.

Just as he reached a short distance outside his tent, a dark figure silently emerged from the shadows beside him.

It was Feng Xi, the other commander of the secret guards who was on duty with him.

When the other person saw him come out, they immediately lowered their voice.

"What are your orders, Your Highness? The situation in the northern border is urgent; should we act immediately...?"

The conversation suddenly stopped.

Feng Xi looked at Ying Jun's face, which had an indescribable strange embarrassment on it, and was somewhat puzzled.

Shadow Falcon didn't answer immediately. He walked to the horse tied to the tent and took out a water bag from the saddlebag.

He tilted his head back and gulped down several mouthfuls of cold water, then let out a long breath.

"His Highness has given the order: strengthen defenses in the northern border, and 30,000 elite cavalrymen are secretly heading north to await orders."

He succinctly conveyed the military order, emphasizing that this was a serious matter.

Feng Xi nodded and noted it down, then frowned slightly. "Anything else?"

He knew Shadow Falcon; this demeanor was far more than just conveying military orders.

Shadow Falcon paused for a moment, then took another sip of water before saying in a muffled voice, "...I was fined three months' salary."

Feng Xi was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, thinking he had misheard.

"...What?" he asked instinctively, an incredulous look on his face.

A deduction from salary?

Shadow Falcon is one of the prince's most capable personal guard commanders. He is always cautious and efficient and has never been punished for his duties.

Moreover, he had never seen the prince punish someone like this before.

Today is...

Seeing Feng Xi's expression, Yingjun knew what he was thinking.

He still finds it a bit absurd, but the lingering chill on the back of his neck serves as a stark reminder of the reason.

He opened his mouth as if to explain, but then felt that there was no way to explain it.

Could it be that I stumbled upon the prince's "good deed" at the most inopportune moment?

He could never bring himself to say those words, even if it meant his death.

In the end, he simply patted Feng Xi on the shoulder and whispered a reminder in a complicated tone.

"Don't ask anything. Remember, keep your eyes open these days, and don't be too sensitive with your ears, especially when you're near the prince's tent."

After saying that, he stopped looking at Feng Xi's increasingly confused and surprised face, turned around and went into his tent.

Feng Xi stood still, processing Ying Falcon's abrupt and unfounded warning.

Do you need to have sharp eyes, but not very good ears?

This sounds completely contradictory.

After a moment's thought, he looked up and glanced at the large tent not far away.

It seems that the prince's mood lately is even more unpredictable than the ever-changing weather in the northern border.

Inside the tent.

After the Shadow Falcon left, the tent became completely quiet.

Yu Chen stood still.

The restlessness in his chest was forcibly suppressed by half by the cold military intelligence.

The other half, however, is still burning, stuck in a rut.

He walked to the low table, picked up the kettle, and impatiently poured in most of it, filling it with cold water.

In fact, because they were in such a hurry, the cold water even trickled down their lips and down their necks...

The cool water brought a brief moment of relief, but it did nothing to quell the fire burning inside me.

On the contrary, the cold stimulation made the tightness in certain areas even more pronounced.

He put down the kettle, sat down on the low couch, stared at the wrinkles in the animal hide for a while, and then raised his hand to press his brow.

Lie down and close your eyes.

Useless.

When I close my eyes, all I see are those images.

The woman, trapped in the animal skin, with reddened eyes and weak sobs.

Blood rushed through my body, clamoring to complete what had been forcibly stopped in my dream.

My breathing became heavy involuntarily, and I tossed and turned but still couldn't fall asleep.

That restlessness clung to me like vines, tightening its grip.

Yu Chen suddenly opened his eyes, staring at the dim light and shadows dancing on the tent wall.

His jawline was taut.

After a moment, he cursed in frustration.

My palms are burning hot.

He paused for a moment, his brows furrowing tightly.

It's like you utterly loathe this feeling of being out of control, yet you can't shake it off.

Finally, she closed her eyes.

That timid face came to mind.

She cries very easily.

Her eyes were misty and tearful, her lips were slightly parted like peach blossoms, and her waist was so slender that it could be easily grasped in his palm.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently up and down.

He gripped the animal hide beneath him tightly, the veins on the back of his hands bulging.

Sweat soaked the back of his undershirt, clinging tightly to his skin.

The last image that lingered in his mind was of her being pinned down on the grassy slope, panicked yet powerless to resist.

Only his heavy, unsteady breathing remained in the tent, which gradually subsided.

He didn't move, his arm covering his eyes, blocking out all light and his expression.

Only his chest was still rising and falling slightly.

It took a long time before his breathing completely calmed down.