Chapter 104 Voluntarily Offers to Wear Armor for His Highness
Empress Wu even expressed some regret at this point. Although she had many daughters, most of them were of mediocre talent, and none of them were as accomplished as Yuan Yan, which often made her sigh that there was no one to carry on the throne.
However, this makes it even more crucial to prevent Yuan Yan from being spared.
Emperor Wu thought to himself.
Despite this defeat, she did not give up her plan to attack the Phoenix Kingdom. On the contrary, having lost countless elite troops and suffered a severe blow, she became even more eager to make up for the losses.
Having confirmed that Yuan Yan was no longer a threat, Emperor Wu sent an envoy to persuade King Yelü Chuguang of Liang to join forces in attacking Huang. He promised generous rewards upon success and ceded all four prefectures and twenty-six cities bordering Liang to Liang.
However, shortly after the King of Liang replied, a secret agent brought news that the King of Qin of Huang Kingdom had survived an assassination attempt and was now bedridden and recuperating.
Emperor Wu: "It is truly unexpected that this person could survive after expending most of my Dark Pavilion's best fighters."
Fortunately, Yuan Yan needs time to recover, and it's unknown how long it will take for her to fully recover. During this time, she won't be able to lead troops into battle, so she probably won't be able to have any impact on the war situation.
Although Emperor Wu was disappointed, he was no longer as wary as before. He continued with his previous plan, determined to take over the Phoenix Kingdom, or at the very least, to take a big chunk out of it.
As Emperor Wu predicted, the Phoenix Kingdom is now in turmoil due to news of the two countries joining forces to wage war.
However, Yuan Hao only discussed the matter with his ministers for a short while before issuing an imperial decree, appointing generals to lead troops into battle.
At this moment, Yuan Jing was unsure whether he should be happy that Yuan Yan was still injured and unable to lead troops to achieve further military exploits.
The general in charge of the western front was Yuan Yan's aunt, Lin Tai. However, Yuan Hao hesitated when it came to choosing a commander for the eastern front.
Seeing this, the King of Qi strongly recommended the military general Cao Dexian for the position. This man possessed some ability, and more importantly, he was a member of the King of Qi's faction.
This battle can only be won, not lost, so the choice of the commander-in-chief is of paramount importance.
Yuan Hao wanted to reconsider. But as soon as she had this thought, she felt dizzy, her body became heavy, and her vision became blurry.
This has happened twice recently. The second time he felt unwell, Yuan Hao had the imperial physician examine his pulse carefully, but they couldn't find anything wrong.
The imperial physicians racked their brains but could not find the cause of the illness. They could only attribute it to His Majesty's excessive worry and overwork regarding state affairs and the Prince of Qin, and advised Yuan Hao to rest more.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Hao instructed the imperial physicians to recuperate and take medicine daily. However, he kept the matter quiet and did not reveal a single word to the outside world.
This time, however, the illness broke out in the imperial court.
In order not to cause panic among the court officials, Yuan Hao had no choice but to force himself to stand up and pretend that nothing was wrong, thus ending the meeting early.
When Yuan Yan learned that the war had resumed, he was not too surprised and immediately went to the palace to see his mother, the Empress.
"Your Majesty, my injuries have healed. Please allow me to lead the troops into battle!"
She stayed in the palace for more than an hour, and it is unknown what she said to Yuan Hao. In the end, Yuan Hao ordered Yuan Yan to lead troops to support the western front and set off.
"Host, after waiting for so many days, you've finally got your chance," the system said with emotion.
On the other end.
Upon hearing the imperial decree, Yuan Jing's first reaction was disbelief.
"Yuan Yan volunteered to lead the troops despite being injured... and the Empress actually agreed?"
Yuan Yan's recovery period after his serious injury was short, and he was certainly not fully recovered at this time.
What was the Queen Mother thinking? The Phoenix Kingdom has so many capable generals, why did she have to let Yuan Yan, an injured man, lead the army?
Is Yuan Yan really so irreplaceable in the eyes of the Empress? Yuan Jing's sense of crisis grew stronger.
Yuan Yan's decision to lead the army was now a foregone conclusion. The people were deeply moved upon hearing the news that the King of Qin had volunteered for battle despite his injuries, and Yuan Yan's reputation soared even higher.
Yang Lingyi and Shen Lianzhou knew that Yuan Yan was not actually injured, and were prepared when they heard the news. They busied themselves packing Yuan Yan's belongings. Only Lu Lingyue rushed over immediately after learning the news, requesting an audience with Yuan Yan.
"Ah... Your Highness, your injuries have not yet healed. How can you lead troops into battle at this time?"
Lu Lingyue looked at Yuan Yan and swallowed back the "A-Yan" that almost slipped out.
He came in looking anxious. His usually clear eyes were now filled with heavy emotions, and his heart had sunk to the bottom.
"Your Highness, even for the sake of the Phoenix Kingdom, you must take care of your health. Don't let eagerness for war cause you to fall ill..." Lu Lingyue knew she couldn't change Yuan Yan's decision, but she still couldn't help but say it.
However, before he could finish speaking, Yuan Yan interrupted him.
“Lu Lingyue, I was not injured that day.” Yuan Yan stopped what he was doing and looked steadily into Lu Lingyue’s eyes.
At this point, whether or not to hide her injuries was no longer important, so she just said it directly.
"What……"
Lu Lingyue's mind went blank for a moment, and his pupils widened slightly. But he was a smart man after all, and he understood Yuan Yan's meaning in just a few breaths.
"Does the Chief Minister also know about this matter?" Lu Lingyue asked with some difficulty.
Upon hearing Yuan Yan's words, his first question was about this, which surprised Yuan Yan somewhat.
"Of course I know," she said frankly.
A bitter feeling welled up in Lu Lingyue's heart, but he knew that his current status in Yuan Yan's heart was worlds apart from Yang Lingyi's, so hearing this answer was somewhat expected.
"What, you don't blame me for using you to deceive the Lu family?" Yuan Yan raised an eyebrow slightly upon seeing Lu Lingyue's reaction.
Upon hearing this, Lu Lingyue laughed self-deprecatingly, "...With such a family background, it's only natural that Your Highness doesn't trust me. What right do I have to blame Your Highness?"
He spoke while slowly shaking his head.
A sliver of relief even welled up inside him. At least this meant he was still useful to Yuan Yan, wasn't it?
It's enough that he can still help Yuan Yan even now.
Looking at Yuan Yan's expression, Lu Lingyue had so much to say to her. However, all those words swirled in her heart, and in the end, only one sentence came to mind.
"Your Highness, please allow me to put on the armor for you." He said this almost in a pleading tone.
Yuan Yan agreed.
Lu Lingyue helped Yuan Yan straighten the hem of her clothes. His fingertips were slightly cool, but his movements were very gentle, running through Yuan Yan's hair and smoothing out the folds in her clothes, like a snowflake falling on her.
When everything was sorted out, Lu Lingyue finally let go of her hand.
Just as Yuan Yan was about to turn around, he was suddenly wrapped around the waist by a pair of arms.
Lu Lingyue stood behind her, hugging Yuan Yan's waist, a tear falling down her cheek and wetting Yuan Yan's clothes.
"Ayan, I'm so glad you're not hurt. No matter what, I hope you'll be safe and sound and return home soon."
His arm tightened around her, and the dampness spread across Yuan Yan's clothes, causing her to gasp.
The sound of the door opening interrupted Yuan Yan's unfinished words.
"Sister Yan." Yang Lingyi pushed open the door and entered, and saw this scene as soon as she looked up.
He said he hadn't seen Lu Lingyue in the backyard; it turned out she had come here to bother her sister.
Yang Lingyi pursed her lips, her expression unpleasant. She stared at Lu Lingyue until he lowered his arm from Yuan Yan's, and only then did she speak.
“Lu Shifu, so you’ve been here all along.”
"The people in the side courtyard are looking for you. Your servant has been here so long he's lost track of time. You'd better hurry back."
Lu Lingyue noticed that Yuan Yan's gaze shifted away from Yang Lingyi the moment she entered. Knowing he was the superfluous one, Yuan Yan had long since stopped wanting to see him.
Suddenly, he felt a tightness in his chest, making it hard to breathe, and a sour, astringent pain spread through him, forcing him to force a smile.
Yuan Yan noticed the discord between the two men and interrupted their awkward silence: "Alright, you're all dressed in your armor, Lu Lingyue, you can go back now."
"Yes, I'll take my leave." Lu Lingyue tried her best to suppress the turbulent emotions in her heart, her eyes dimmed slightly, and she bowed and left.
After Lu Lingyue left, Yang Lingyi took Yuan Yan's hand.
"Sister, I know you were prepared and will definitely go to the battlefield this time, so I won't say anything to persuade you otherwise."
"But Yi'er wants to ask her sister to promise me not to take risks and to prioritize her own safety on the battlefield, okay?" He gently pulled Yuan Yan's arm and held it close to his chest, his clear and beautiful eyes looking at Yuan Yan pleadingly.
Don't worry.
Yuan Yan reached out and touched his eyes. Yang Lingyi's long eyelashes trembled in her palm, bringing a tingling sensation.
"Even for Yi'er's sake, I will definitely come back safely," she said.
...
Yuan Yan led his army out.
As usual, she brought along Aman, Yuan Shi, Xue Lang, Yu Liu, and others when leading the troops this time, as well as Duan Xuchao, a surrendered general from Wu Kingdom.
"This humble general, Duan Xuchao, kowtows in gratitude to Your Highness."
"Last time, it was Your Highness who spared my life and brought back my husband, daughters, and children, allowing my family to be reunited. I will never forget Your Highness's kindness, and I am willing to serve Your Highness like a dog in this battle."
Duan Xuchao's attitude towards Yuan Yan became much more respectful, and his previous arrogance of refusing to surrender even at the cost of his life was nowhere to be seen in front of her.
Perhaps it was because he was enjoying his time with his husband and daughter, but Duan Xuchao was in high spirits and his words were full of gratitude.
[Host, Duan Xuchao's loyalty to you has increased again these past few days, currently standing at 74.] the system said.
“Very well, now is the time when we need capable people. I’m waiting to see how General Duan performs,” Yuan Yan said.
...
After marching for several days, the army arrived in the Northwest.
Governor Lin Tai personally came to welcome them.
"Auntie, Yan'er is finally able to see you." Yuan Yan, dressed in battle robes and covered in dust, immediately helped Lin Tai and Lin Ping, who were about to bow, and refused to let his two aunts perform the ritual.
Lin Huan said from the side, "After learning that His Highness was coming, Mother and Aunt have not slept well for several days. They are looking forward to seeing His Highness, but they are also heartbroken that His Highness has to lead troops into battle before his injuries have healed. Mother has secretly wiped away tears many times."
When Lin Ping heard Lin Huan mention that he had shed tears, his old face flushed red with embarrassment. He quickly interrupted his daughter, "Huan'er, you must not speak nonsense in front of His Highness."
"In my heart, Your Highness is still the same as when you were a child. Now, in the blink of an eye, you've grown taller and stronger, protecting your country and fighting on the battlefield, becoming a pillar of strength for your nation... If your father knew this in the afterlife, he would surely be proud of you." As Lin Tai spoke, he couldn't help but get teary-eyed.
Yuan Yan felt a pang of emotion; it was clear that the Lin family truly cared for her.
"Auntie, you don't need to worry about me. I'm actually not hurt."
Yuan Yan glanced around; apart from her aunts, everyone present was one of her own. So she lowered her voice and told Lin Ping the truth, comforting him.
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