“Really?” Although Qin Yu had been observing Luo Shangyu for weaknesses and constantly thinking of ways to persuade her, she still found it somewhat unbelievable when the moment finally arrived.
“Are we leaving now?” Qin Yu asked, unable to suppress the excitement in her heart.
“No,” Luo Shangyu said, pulling Qin Yu closer, “We need to find a better opportunity. Let’s just sleep tonight.”
Having received the promise that Luo Shangyu would take her away from the Kingdom of Yiyong, Qin Yu’s heart finally relaxed.
She no longer had to constantly worry about how to escape.
That night, Qin Yu slept exceptionally soundly.
Luo Shangyu looked at Qin Yu, who was fast asleep in her arms, her emotions complex.
Qin Yu was originally her prisoner, her trump card, yet now, she was the one who had to rely on Qin Yu.
‘The world is truly unpredictable…’ Luo Shangyu could only sigh helplessly.
What worried Luo Shangyu even more was that the condescending expression she had worn while bullying Qin Yu previously had been a bit excessive.
She could only silently pray that Qin Yu would not punish her for it later…
Carrying a hint of reluctance to leave the Kingdom of Yiyong, two parts worried about the future, and eight parts anticipation, Luo Shangyu drifted off to sleep.
***
Lu Han sat in his tent, looking at the officer before him while lost in thought.
He had just been humiliated by Luo Shangyu because of a lowly maid, and it made him incredibly frustrated.
He had to figure out exactly who that maid was to be worth such protection from Luo Shangyu.
After listening to the officer’s account of Qin Yu’s capture, an idea began to form in Lu Han’s mind.
Like his brother Lu Yun, Lu Han was usually dissolute and ignored state affairs, leaving the Kingdom of Yiyong in a mess, but his actual intelligence was not low.
With a little bit of thinking, he listed several possibilities for the “maid’s” identity.
Among them, he was increasingly certain that the “maid” was actually the consort of the Chengji Empire’s Crown Prince, Qin Yu, who had been captured by Luo Shangyu in the Crown Prince’s tent.
However, he was more willing to believe the deduction that the “maid” was Qin Yu herself.
Even though the “maid’s” gender did not match the official gender of Qin Yu announced by the Chengji Empire, Lu Han still hoped it was the case.
Because if it were true, Luo Shangyu would be guilty of “harboring an enemy general and plotting treason.”
Once such a massive crime was pinned on her, Luo Shangyu would surely face the death penalty, and he would have a reason to eliminate her.
‘When that time comes…’ Lu Han’s wicked mind already began imagining the scene of the commoners cheering as he escorted Qin Yu into the Yiyong Capital.
At that thought, he stood up, dismissed the officer, and summoned his confidants.
If he wanted to snatch Qin Yu away from Luo Shangyu, he had to strip Luo Shangyu of her military power first to prevent any unexpected complications.
“Go and incite all of Luo Shangyu’s troops to defect. Make sure they follow my leadership,” Lu Han told his confidants.
“Yes, sir!” The men took their orders and left.
Lu Han looked at the dark night sky and crawled into his bed.
He could already foresee that a bright future awaited him tomorrow.
***
The next day, the sun was already high in the sky by the time Luo Shangyu woke up.
“What time is it…” Luo Shangyu asked, shaking Qin Yu, who was also just waking up in her arms.
“I don’t know…” Qin Yu responded, opening her bleary eyes.
“It’s getting late!” Luo Shangyu sat up and grabbed the pocket watch from the bedside table.
“9:00 AM?” Qin Yu glanced at it and said, “That’s not too bad…”
She slowly sat up and put on the clothes that had been prepared for her.
“Don’t forget your promise from yesterday!” Qin Yu reminded her.
“What promise?” Luo Shangyu’s hand, which was about to turn the doorknob, suddenly stopped.
She turned her head and looked at Qin Yu in confusion.
“?” Qin Yu was shocked.
‘Did Luo Shangyu forget? Was my persuasion yesterday ineffective?’
“You… didn’t you say you were going back to the Chengji Empire with me?” Qin Yu asked tentatively.
“Hmm…”
Luo Shangyu took on a pensive look, then suddenly laughed and hugged Qin Yu.
“Of course I remember! I was just teasing you.”
“That’s good then…” Qin Yu breathed a long sigh of relief, her heart filled with joy.
Luo Shangyu hadn’t lost her habit of teasing her just because she was going to rely on her.
The two of them walked out of the room and into the outer office.
Breakfast was brought in.
Luo Shangyu drank her porridge slowly, abandoning her usual habit of eating quickly.
“Why are you eating so slowly?” Qin Yu asked.
“I’m leaving soon, so I don’t feel like inspecting the camp anymore.” Luo Shangyu shrugged.
“Fair enough…”
Qin Yu was already looking forward to stepping onto the path back to the Chengji Empire with Luo Shangyu.
Qin Yu was attracted to Luo Shangyu not just because of her beauty, but because she was impressed by her excellent military command skills.
Even more pleasing to Qin Yu was that Luo Shangyu’s strategic thinking was very similar to her own.
Over the past few days, she felt that she and Luo Shangyu had developed a perfect rapport.
In just this short period, Qin Yu could already deduce Luo Shangyu’s thoughts from many subtle expressions and movements.
After finishing breakfast, Luo Shangyu walked to the entrance of the Central Army Tent and looked at the soldiers in the camp.
“I feel like something is a bit strange,” Luo Shangyu said to Qin Yu.
“What’s wrong?” Qin Yu came to her side, looking at the idle troops.
“I have a bad feeling. Their expressions seem a bit odd…”
Following Luo Shangyu’s lead, Qin Yu looked closely.
It was exactly as Luo Shangyu said—the soldiers were idling and seemed bored, but most of their expressions appeared tense, anxious, and unnatural.
“It is a bit off,” Qin Yu said, “Should we go and ask?”
Just as Luo Shangyu was about to agree, the sound of galloping hooves came from outside the camp gate.
She looked up and saw Lu Han riding toward them.
“Let’s wait a moment. Lu Han is here,” Luo Shangyu corrected herself.
Soon, Lu Han sat across from Luo Shangyu just as he had yesterday, though his expression now held a bit more confidence.
“Luo Shangyu, where is that prisoner of yours?”
“Why should I tell you?” Luo Shangyu narrowed her eyes, unsure of what Lu Han was plotting.
“I’m telling you, I’ve already figured out her identity! She is the Crown Prince of the Chengji Empire, Qin Yu!”
Luo Shangyu felt like she had been struck by lightning.
For a moment, she thought the walls had ears and their conversation had been overheard.
But then she realized that the Central Army Tent had excellent soundproofing and was her private space; no one could have been eavesdropping.
Therefore, Lu Han was just blustering.
“Hmph, what nonsense!”
“Luo Shangyu, you are secretly hiding the enemy Crown Prince. Do you harbor intentions of rebellion?” Lu Han completely ignored her words.
“What are you trying to do!” Luo Shangyu realized that Lu Han had come prepared to cause trouble.
Lu Han didn’t answer.
He stood up and pointed the Shangfang Sword directly at Luo Shangyu’s throat from a height and said, “Luo Shangyu, you have received the grace of the state, yet you are so treasonous. You deserve to be executed!”
With those words, Lu Han removed the jade pendant from his waist and smashed it hard against the ground.
The jade shattered with a crisp sound.
The smashed jade was a signal—he was turning against her!
Luo Shangyu drew her staff, intending to parry Lu Han’s Shangfang Sword, but Lu Han immediately retreated several steps back toward the entrance of the tent.
Just as Luo Shangyu was about to kill Lu Han, the entrance to the Central Army Tent was smashed open.
Heavily armed soldiers rushed in, protecting Lu Han.
Looking out from the tent, Luo Shangyu saw several circles of soldiers surrounding them.
‘He’s determined to kill me!’ Luo Shangyu sighed.
She hadn’t expected Lu Han’s resolve to be so strong or his actions to be so swift.
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