Yuan Ye stared intently at her, then couldn't help but reach out to wipe away her tears: "What's wrong with you?"

Jiang Tian quickly wiped away the tears that were still flowing out: "General, I don't know what's wrong with me. Maybe I was frightened. After all, treason is no small crime."

Her pitiful appearance stirred a bittersweet feeling in Yuan Ye's heart.

But he was the crown prince of a country, and not someone who could be easily deceived.

He had never seen Jiang Tian cry before, except for hearing about a general who had colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country. Why would she cry?

There must be something hidden behind this.

Yuan Ye harbored some questions in her heart, but she did not express them.

He hoped the woman in front of him wouldn't betray his trust, after all, this was the first time he had ever been attracted to a woman.

Even though he can still control this attraction, he has never felt this way about any other woman before.

If... she truly betrays his trust, then he will not show any mercy.

After all, he wasn't alone; this vast army was under his command, and he needed to be responsible for them.

However—Yuan Ye slowly let out a sigh of relief.

He believes that, on some level, he has been overthinking things.

Not long ago, Jiang Tian risked her life to expose a traitor, which also led to the discovery of important intelligence. She should have no bad intentions.

Regardless of the circumstances, Jiang Tian's unprovoked crying this time still left a mark on his heart.

He just didn't express it.

Having served as the crown prince for so many years, he was not a good-for-nothing.

After a moment's thought, Yuan Ye suppressed his doubts and gently patted Jiang Tian's back: "Don't cry, you should focus on recovering. I won't be able to stay with you anymore. If you want to stay at my place tonight, remember to tell Li Tie in advance. If you don't want to, that's fine too. There might be quite a few generals there, which wouldn't be convenient for you. I still think it would be better if you moved to the General's Mansion."

Yuan Ye didn't break his promise on purpose. He originally planned to have Jiang Tian stay there so he could take care of her.

But now plans can't keep up with changes, and from now on his camp will definitely be brightly lit as he discusses countermeasures against the barbarian army.

Jiang Tian didn't get a good rest even after she went.

"General, I don't want to go out. I'll wait for you here. Please take good care of yourself."

Jiang Tian's answer was exactly what Yuan Ye expected, and he didn't say anything more.

He gave Jiang Tian a few more instructions, and then went back to arrange the related matters.

After he returned to his tent and finished arranging the trivial matters, he still called out the guard he had originally sent to follow Jiang Tian: "Keep an eye on Jiang Tian. No matter what she does, you must tell me immediately."

"yes."

For the next few days, Yuan Ye did not go to see Jiang Tian.

He is just too busy.

As the commander-in-chief, he had no time to think about personal feelings.

Fifty thousand troops is not a small number for them.

It was no easy task for him to preserve his troops as much as possible while also repelling the barbarian army.

After all, those barbarians were no different from livestock.

The secret guards reported on Jiang Tian's movements every day.

She was very obedient and didn't run around. During this time, she stayed at her residence sewing knee pads for him and occasionally chatted with other cooks. She didn't seem to be acting strangely.

But human intuition doesn't lie.

In that instant, Yuan Ye was convinced that Jiang Tian was hiding something from him, but he just couldn't find out yet.

He was certain that Jiang Tian would never harm him.

But he couldn't easily accept someone who had ulterior motives.

"Keep watching and see if she interacts with people outside the community."

"yes."

After the guards left, Yuan Ye slowly took a sip of tea.

Having finally gotten a chance to rest, Lantern Festival should have been a time for gentle warmth and relaxation.

But he still can't forget the way Jiang Tian looked with tears welling up in her eyes back then.

What was that woman hiding from him? Was it related to the previous commander?

He had already thoroughly investigated the matters concerning the previous commander, and it had nothing to do with Jiang Tian.

Yuan Ye felt somewhat troubled.

He's been so busy these past few days that he hasn't had a chance to get a proper night's sleep in a long time.

The last time I slept so well was at Jiang Tian's place.

At that time, he thought that the woman relied on him wholeheartedly, but he never expected that he would notice her abnormality not long afterward.

Can he still sleep peacefully beside him now?

Can Jiang Tian still provide him with a sense of complete relaxation?

Not wanting to think about these issues anymore, Yuan Ye continued drinking tea and looking at the map with a cold face.

at night.

Jiang Tian was putting the finishing touches on the knee brace when Yuan Ye barged in with a sullen face.

She looked at him with some surprise: "General, aren't you busy?"

He couldn't possibly be so busy that he wouldn't even have time to see her.

After staring at her for a moment, Yuan Ye hesitated for a second, not wanting to make trouble easily. His gaze stiffly shifted to the knee pads she was sewing.

"Is it almost finished sewing?"

Jiang Tian smiled and nodded: "Since you're here, let's give it a try."

After putting on the knee pads, Yuan Ye felt even more uneasy.

For some reason, Yuan Ye suddenly asked, "When you took the poison, didn't you ever think that one day I wouldn't give you the antidote, and you would explode and die?"

Jiang Tian looked at him with some doubt: "When I swallowed the poison, I had already decided that no matter what, I would not refuse whatever you wanted to do to me. I am your person."

When she said that last time, Yuan Ye only thought she was being a bit frivolous.

Looking at her earnest eyes now, Yuan Ye's feelings became increasingly complicated.

"Jiang Tian, ​​I need to ask you, why did you cry last time? You must answer truthfully."

This question caught Jiang Tian off guard. Her mouth opened slightly, and then her face gradually paled.

Yuan Ye's heart also slowly grew heavy.

“I met the previous commander, General Zhao, when he lived in the capital. In my mind, he was a great hero, highly skilled in martial arts, who protected the country and its people. He was young when he was stationed on the border to protect the peace of the people.”

"But not long ago, rumors spread that he had colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, which I cannot accept. From childhood to adulthood, whenever someone asked me which general I liked the most, I would always say his name. His achievements on the border, when told by storytellers in those restaurants, would always elicit cheers from the audience."

Jiang Tian forced a smile: "General...you might think I'm overestimating myself, but I've had a dream of being a chivalrous woman since I was a child. If I weren't a woman and had the opportunity to join the army, I would definitely follow General Zhao's example, go to the battlefield to kill the enemy and protect the people. Even if I die on the battlefield, at least I won't have any regrets."

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face again.