She deliberately acted roughly, pulling the Fifth Prince's face until it turned red. The Fifth Prince grimaced in pain and it took him a while to recover.

Jiang Jiuniang looked at the face and noticed that the features resembled those of the Crown Prince and the Third Prince.

Thinking of the news she had received earlier, that the Fifth Prince of Dongting was leading a large army to support the border, she was certain that the person in front of her was the Fifth Prince of Dongting.

"The Fifth Prince of Dongting, is that all?"

When he saw that she recognized him instantly, the Fifth Prince's face darkened. He had never seen this woman before, but she recognized his appearance.

He remained silent, and Jiang Jiuniang continued, "No wonder your Eastern Court's old emperor has always favored the Third Prince. Compared to the Third Prince, you, the Fifth Prince, are nothing. A general, you want to capture me but don't even bother to find out my background. You just barge in and come to your death. You really are... sigh, it makes me too embarrassed to take action."

She really didn't expect that it would be the Fifth Prince who came. She originally thought he was just a small fry and could be killed without a second thought. But this was the Fifth Prince, a man of great military merit. If she really killed him, the emperor would definitely drag her into the court and make her a female general. At that time, her good days would be over!

This person really shouldn't be killed easily.

So who should receive this military merit?

Her man has been too prominent lately, so she can't let him continue to be so, or she'll really become an enemy. Qin Jian is no less impressive; he's recovered so many weapons on the border and even married the Empress's younger sister, becoming related to the Emperor.

Only Prince Jing, despite his hard work guarding the border, has not achieved any outstanding results, and if this continues, the situation will become unfavorable for him.

She had just tested the Fifth Prince's skills, and he was utterly incompetent; he was no match for Prince Jing at all. This military merit was best given to him.

What do you want?

The Fifth Prince was somewhat annoyed. He hadn't expected this woman to be so powerful. He had only brought three people with him, and he had just instructed his subordinates to keep their distance so as not to let anyone disturb him or take advantage of him.

He was pinned down and couldn't move at all, so naturally he had no way to call for help.

Just as he was getting anxious and frustrated, Jiang Jiuniang let go of his foot and pretended to be heartbroken: "Go away. I have a quirk that I can't bear to kill handsome young men. Although you're not very handsome, you're not ugly in this border region. Never mind, go away."

Fifth Prince: ? ? ?

I feel offended!

But the woman really let him go, and even told him, "Go quickly, and remember to close the door behind you."

She waved her hand impatiently, as if she would change her mind if he didn't leave.

The Fifth Prince had no romantic thoughts left. The suffocating feeling of being trampled on the ground was still vivid in his mind. He knew that even if he called three subordinates, they would not be a match for Jiang Jiuniang. He got up and left quickly.

However, he was quite obedient and closed the door for Jiang Jiuniang when he left.

Jiang Jiuniang was not idle either. She hurriedly wrote a letter to Lu Baichuan, reminding him to give the military merit to Prince Jing, so that someone could help spread the credit and prevent others from being too envious.

After writing the letter, I sent someone to deliver it to Liancheng by fast horse; it would arrive by dawn.

After finishing these matters, she went next door to check on the two maids and found them huddled in a cupboard, trembling. She quickly called them out and asked, "Has no one come over here?"

The maid shook her head: "No, is Madam alright?"

"It's nothing, I'm just a little sleepy. Go get me some hot water, take a shower and go to bed. I'll take care of things here tomorrow and then go back to Tongcheng."

The maidservant responded and hurriedly went to prepare. After taking a bath, Jiang Jiuniang went to sleep.

The letter arrived in Lu Baichuan's hands early the next morning. He breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that his wife was alright. He then summoned Prince Jing and Qin Jian to discuss the matter, planning to have Prince Jing go when they faced off against the Fifth Prince of Dongting.

"Jiu'er said that the Fifth Prince's skills are average and there is no difficulty. Your Highness will definitely be able to take his head directly."

Qin Jian had no objection to this. He knew that some people were looking for him recently, so it was better to keep a low profile. Otherwise, those idle people in the court would start attacking him.

Prince Jing was very excited, feeling that this was indeed his opportunity.

I've been in this border region for over two years, but I haven't accomplished anything substantial. When I was captured by the people searching for the king, they even sent Qin Jian with men to rescue me. The only right thing I did was try my best to escape with the people when the city was under attack, and I never abandoned anyone in the city.

But this is to be expected, not a military achievement, and losing a city is not a glorious thing.

He had vowed to guard the border, but he has accomplished nothing, which is truly shameful.

But now, the opportunity has arrived.

Both are princes, but the Fifth Prince of Dongting is the commander-in-chief. If he can take the Fifth Prince of Dongting's head, he can completely gain a foothold on the border.

"Very well, I will go!"

Prince Jing readily agreed, but he was still somewhat flustered. He knew that this opportunity was of great significance to him, and that he could only succeed and not fail.

Lu Baichuan nodded and said, "Your Highness, please be careful. You can bring with you all the things Jiu'er gave you before. On the battlefield, nothing else matters, as long as we can win."

He won't really ignore everything; if Prince Jing is in danger, he will definitely step in.

Prince Jing laughed and said, "Don't worry, I understand!"

During his time at the border, he carried almost everything Jiang Jiuniang had given him with him, valuing his life more than anyone else.

The Fifth Prince returned empty-handed. Although others did not know the specifics, the fact remained that he had failed.

Upon learning of the situation, the old general immediately came to inquire about it. The fifth prince felt ashamed of his experience and did not want to talk about it, so he said, "Old general, you are overthinking it. I just felt that there was no need to involve women in the war between the two armies, so I came back. I will definitely lead the army to recapture the two lost cities. Old general, please don't worry unnecessarily."

The old general didn't know what to say. The person had already passed away, yet he said such things. Those who understand, understand.

"It's good that Your Highness understands. This old minister will take his leave now."

He sighed, turned and left, while the Fifth Prince snorted coldly and ignored him.

He firmly believed that with so many men, he could definitely defeat Lu Baichuan, reclaim the city, and even take over a few more cities in Beiyan.

At the appointed time, the Fifth Prince led his army to the agreed location.

A man emerged from the opposing team, clad in black armor and wearing an iron mask, clearly terrified of death.

The Fifth Prince scoffed and raised his voice, asking, "So you're Lu Baichuan? Are you that afraid of death?"

"I am the Prince of Beiyan Jing, also a member of the royal family, and I have not let you suffer any losses."

As he spoke, he took off his mask, revealing his face so that the other person could see it clearly.

In other words, let him die knowing exactly what happened.