After being reborn, the aloof prime minister was once again forced by a tyrant.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the iron cavalry of the Northern Shuo border were all lined up and ready to set off. This expedition was a grand affair, but the farewell banquet was not held in the palace hall, but instead in the quiet Tingxue Pavilion.

Xiao Zhaoyue had already said beforehand: after the army returns in triumph, a grand banquet will be held for the officials and the whole country to celebrate together; before leaving, the banquet will be simple.

As spring draws to a close, the crabapple blossoms are nearing their end. Pink and white petals flutter down from the branches, carpeting the entire bluestone courtyard like a floral tapestry specially laid out by heaven and earth for those embarking on their journeys.

The wind rustled through the branches, the flowers and leaves whispered, adding a touch of melancholy, yet without a trace of despondency.

Xie Qinglan ordered someone to set up a long table made of pear wood, on which were placed only a few simple home-style dishes, and a jar of strong liquor from the Northern Shuo army was warmed.

The Northern Army has a long-standing tradition of holding a farewell banquet before a campaign. A bowl of hot wine emboldens the soldiers and expresses their comrades' sentiments. Though the cups are simple, the sentiments are worth more than a thousand pieces of gold.

People arrived in the courtyard one after another. Shen Hanzhou walked at the front, his black iron military uniform neatly and smartly dressed, his hair and boots meticulously groomed. He walked with a relaxed gait, his back seemingly almost fully recovered, and he truly looked like a dignified general of the North.

Wanyan Lie followed closely beside him. The young man wore a tight-fitting indigo-blue outfit with narrow sleeves, his long hair tied up high, revealing the distinct features of the Western Rong royal family, his light golden pupils calm and sharp. His usual gentleness had faded, and the untamed spirit of the grassland people was hidden in his figure. He stood silently to the side, his sharpness concealed.

Following closely behind was Xiao Zhaoyue. She had never been fond of formalities; her black cloak was casually draped over her shoulders, not fastened tightly, and the black iron scimitar at her waist clinked lightly against the stone steps with each step. Her stride was broad and her figure valiant; her brows exuded a commanding presence, displaying the air of a female general who had conquered battlefields.

Xiao Jingyuan sat upright at the head of the long table, his usual lazy and playful demeanor gone, replaced by the solemnity unique to an emperor.

He picked up the wine cup on the table and slowly rose, his gaze sweeping over the three men. His voice was steady and powerful, "Now that war is about to break out, you are all ordered to march to the western border. The road ahead is fraught with danger and peril. This cup of strong wine is to encourage you on your journey!"

Xiao Zhaoyue picked up the wine cup with both hands and drank it all in one gulp, then laughed loudly, "I grew up in the Western Frontier, a person who has been through countless battles, how could I fear the dangers of the battlefield?"

Shen Hanzhou also picked up his wine glass, tilted his head back and gulped it down. The wine dripped down his chin and into his collar. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and was about to say something harsh when he caught a glimpse of Wanyan Lie staring at him. His hand trembled and he almost dropped the wine glass.

Xiao Zhaoyue saw it clearly and slowly walked to Wanyan Lie's side, holding her wine cup. Xie Qinglan stood by the table, refilling the wine pot, her lowered eyelashes concealing the deep thoughts in her eyes.

Xiao Jingyuan's gaze fell on Wanyan Lie, and he said solemnly, "That kid Shen Hanzhou never hesitates to fight. If you're traveling with him, you must keep a close eye on him."

Shen Hanzhou's cheeks flushed, and he protested in a low voice, "Your Majesty!"

Wanyan Lie stood ramrod straight. The lingering poison from the throat-locking sand still clung to him, and his speech was slurred, yet each word was exceptionally solemn: "I... will protect him. The Western Rong still have their old troops; this time, they will do their utmost to assist, and will not fail in their trust."

Xiao Zhaoyue smiled slightly, leaned closer, and whispered a few words in the Xirong dialect. As soon as she finished speaking, Wanyan Lie's fingers tightened suddenly, spilling half a cup of wine onto his fingertips. His ear tips turned red, and the blush spread down his neck to his collar.

Shen Hanzhou was completely bewildered. He leaned closer and whispered, "What did the Princess just say to you? Why is your face so red all of a sudden?"

Wanyan Lie lowered his eyes to avoid his gaze, his ears still burning, and mumbled in a low voice, "N-nothing."

"You still say it's nothing? Look at you!" Shen Hanzhou persisted, pressing for an answer.

Wanyan Lie's ears were still burning, and he whispered, "Don't ask anymore, you'll get angry if you hear it."

Sitting in the main seat, Xiao Jingyuan watched the two bicker, his tense lips unconsciously softening, and a faint smile appearing in his eyes. Shen Hanzhou, who was always fearless and had no sense of propriety, finally had someone who could control him; it was quite an amusing situation.

Footsteps sounded again outside the courtyard, their steps leisurely. Prince Qi, Xiao Jingheng, dressed in a moon-white robe, entered, toying with a landscape folding fan, stepping on fallen petals. His scholarly attire seemed out of place in the atmosphere of a farewell banquet for a general.

Behind him followed Prince Rui, Xiao Jingchen, dressed casually in a dark blue brocade robe, his hair in a crooked bun. Before he could even stand properly, his gaze was fixed on Shen Hanzhou and Wanyan Lie, his eyes full of curiosity.

"Your Majesty." Xiao Jingheng closed his fan and bowed, his gaze lingering on Wanyan Lie for a moment before returning to its gentle tone. "Having heard that Your Majesty and General Shen are going on a campaign, I have come to see you off."

Xiao Jingchen, lacking his elder brother's reserve, strode up to Shen Hanzhou, his eyes wide as he pointed at Wanyan Lie: "General Shen! Rumor has it you married a male wife... is this the one?"

"Your Highness Prince Rui!" Shen Hanzhou's face flushed crimson instantly, and he gritted his teeth, enunciating each word clearly, "How did you find out too?"

"It's not just me who knows! It's spread throughout the entire capital!" Xiao Jingchen circled Wanyan Lie twice, tapping his palm with his folding fan, deliberately dragging out his words.

"The whole town was abuzz with the news—General Shen Hanzhou, the General Who Guards the North, on his wedding day, tore off his bride's sleeve and found male hair growing on her arm, which aroused his suspicion. Upon lifting the veil and comparing their hands, he realized that his beloved, with whom he had spent two months, was actually a man. The general's attempt to break off the engagement failed, and he was carried into the bridal chamber by his male bride. That night, cries for help echoed throughout the bridal chamber, but none of the guests offered any assistance. This is known in history as—"

He paused, unable to suppress the smirk on his face: "'A universe within a sleeve'."

The entire room erupted in laughter. Xiao Zhaoyue laughed so hard she slapped the table, and even Xie Qinglan covered her lips with her sleeve. Shen Hanzhou, annoyed, buried his face in his arms, his shoulders shaking violently.

"Oh, by the way, folk tales about you are being published everywhere. I even bought two copies. Do you want one?"

"Ahhhhhh, no!" Shen Hanzhou covered his ears. "Your Highness, please stop!"

Seeing this, Xie Qinglan spoke up to stop them: "Your Highness, this banquet is a farewell feast. Please do not joke about personal matters."

The noise subsided slightly.

Xiao Jingheng walked up to Wanyan Lie, cupped his hands in a salute, and said in a gentle tone, "I have long admired the name of the Third Prince. With Your Highness's assistance on this expedition, the Northern Frontier will be even stronger. I wish Your Highness a resounding victory."

Wanyan Lie stood up, nodded in the etiquette of the Western Rong royal family, and whispered "thank you" in his mother tongue. He then turned around and pulled Shen Hanzhou, who was still burying his head, and coaxed him gently for a long time before finally getting him to eat a few bites of food.

Seeing that everyone had almost finished eating, Xiao Jingyuan glanced at Xiao Jingheng, his eyes darkening slightly. He then looked away, slammed his hand heavily on the table, and said loudly, "It's getting late. The border troops are fully prepared and await your command. I have arranged for eight hundred light cavalry to escort you out of the pass. Let's drink this cup one more time before we set off!"

Everyone in the courtyard rose at once, raised their wine cups, and downed the strong liquor in one gulp. The scalding heat of the liquor flowed down their throats and into their chests and abdomens, transforming into a surge of heroic ambition for the battlefield.

Shen Hanzhou put down his wine cup, wiped his mouth, turned to Xiao Jingyuan, and knelt on one knee in a military salute. He had put away all his embarrassment and anger, and his face only showed the composure of a veteran on the battlefield: "Your Majesty, this humble general is off."

Xiao Zhaoyue also knelt on one knee, her right fist pressed against her chest. Wanyan Lie did not kneel—as a prince of the Western Rong, it was inconvenient for him to perform the Northern Shuo military salute; he simply placed his right hand on his heart and bowed slightly.

Xiao Jingyuan stood up and personally helped the three of them up one by one. He patted Shen Hanzhou's shoulder heavily, nodded to Xiao Zhaoyue, and finally looked at Wanyan Lie, switching to fluent Xirong language and saying in a deep voice, "I await the news of victory. We will hold a celebration banquet when you return."

The three nodded deeply and turned to leave. Their figures passed through the crabapple trees and gradually disappeared around the corner of the vermilion palace wall.

The courtyard returned to silence, save for the evening breeze rustling through the branches and falling petals. Xiao Jingchen, still craning his neck to look towards the palace gate, muttered wistfully, "They're leaving already? I still have so many questions to ask..."

"Your Highness," Xie Qinglan put down her teacup, her tone calm, "General Shen has already gone far away. It's not too late to ask him when he returns."

Xiao Jingchen gave an "Oh," and sat back down dejectedly. Xiao Jingheng got up to take his leave, but paused slightly at the courtyard gate, quickly glancing at Xie Qinglan with a deep, unfathomable look before unfolding his folding fan and walking away slowly. Xiao Jingchen hurriedly followed, the footsteps of the two brothers gradually fading at the end of the palace path.

Only Xiao Jingyuan and Xie Qinglan remained in the courtyard.

Xie Qinglan walked to the stone table and unfolded the map that had been crumpled by the parchment. Her fingertips slid from the Yanran Protectorate to the three prefectures of Hexi, and then to the blank area marked with broken stones in the Han Sea, her brows furrowing slightly.

Xiao Jingyuan walked to his side, placed his hand on the back of his hand, and said in a very soft voice, "Don't worry."

Xie Qinglan didn't speak, but gently turned her hand over and intertwined her fingers with Xiao Jingyuan's. After a long silence, she finally spoke, her voice very soft: "Now that the situations in the North and South, and the Western Rong are entangled, once this move is made, the game of chess for the world is officially set, and there is no turning back for us."

Xiao Jingyuan gripped his hand tightly, looking at the dense markings on the map, and said in a deep voice, "Even if war breaks out, I will protect you and protect Beishuo."

The army had been marching for seven days. The Tingxue Pavilion was quiet in the afternoon. Xie Qinglan sat alone under the flowers, reading military books. The sound of his pen writing as he reviewed memorials could be heard from the study from time to time.

The silence was abruptly broken by hurried footsteps. Shadow Guard Ling Feng rushed into the courtyard, carrying several urgent military reports lacquered in red ink. He knelt on one knee and said, "Thank you, sir. Urgent report from the southern border, eight hundred li away!"

Xie Qinglan closed the book and reached out to take the letter. Her fingertips traced the rough paper, her gaze quickly scanning the handwriting, her brows furrowing slightly.

The letter stated that Pei Nanchi had mobilized 100,000 main troops from the Southern Yue region and stationed them north of Cangwu Ridge, only 30 li away from the southern border city of Beishuo.

One hundred thousand troops—almost all of Nanyue's elite field forces. He lightly tapped the words "one hundred thousand" with his fingertips, and murmured, "Something's not right."

Upon hearing the commotion, Xiao Jingyuan emerged from his study, took the military report, and examined it closely. His expression darkened. "Has Pei Nanchi gone mad? He's committed so many troops to our southern border, leaving our heartland vulnerable. Isn't he afraid of others taking advantage of this?"

"So I feel something is amiss." Xie Qinglan stood up, paced around the courtyard a couple of times, then suddenly stopped, turned around, and said, "Although Pei Nanchi is muddleheaded, he has always been cautious. He knows that the Beishuo cavalry is unparalleled in the world, yet he dares to send 100,000 troops to the border—this is not to fight, but to put on a show for others."

"A feint to the east while attacking in the west." Xiao Jingyuan's face darkened.

"I think so," Xie Qinglan said. "Order the garrison in the southern border to guard the passes strictly, only defend and not fight, and do not provoke any initiative. At the same time, send more scouts to penetrate deep into the heart of Mount Heng and the southwestern mountain passes to investigate the enemy's movements."

Ling Feng accepted the order and left.

Xie Qinglan looked up at Xiao Jingyuan with a solemn expression: "Your Majesty, please secretly mobilize 10,000 iron cavalry to stand by. There may be unforeseen changes in the Western Rong."

"Are you saying that Pei Nanchi is also eyeing the Western Rong?"

"Most likely."