The title "King of the Northwest" was given to Shang Shaoyan by the people themselves. She didn't correct it, but she also didn't intend to keep calling her that, because she wouldn't stay in the Northwest for long. Once she left the four cities of the Northwest, she would still be the gentle and weak Princess Heyang.
Shang Shaoyan entrusted all the follow-up work of dealing with the Western Turks to Shang Yunlan and Mo Xing. One was a scholar and the other a warrior. Although Mo Xing could not match Shang Shaoyan's military ability, with Shang Yunlan around, he would not be much worse.
Meanwhile, Mingtan dared not look or listen too much. He was about to take control of the army and was afraid that something might go wrong at the last minute. He almost lowered his head and rushed to Shuocheng with his small army.
As soon as Ming Tan arrived at the Shuocheng camp, he saw Shang Shaoyan chatting and laughing with Shang Yunlan.
Shang Shaoyan was dressed in armor and holding a large bow, as if he had just returned from training troops. Ming Tan's eyelids twitched, remembering the Crown Prince's instructions to him.
"...Heyang is probably just playing around in the Northwest. How could a young woman like her lead troops? She probably wouldn't even dare to carry a knife. You should go to the military camp to take over the Shang family's army first, and then go find Heyang."
Ming Tan frowned, rode his horse and led fifty elite soldiers toward Shang Shaoyan, only to see Shang Shaoyan glance at them, then quickly draw his bow and shoot an arrow that struck his horse.
The horse suddenly collapsed, and Mingtan was caught off guard and fell to the ground, rolling several times. The elite soldiers behind him hurriedly helped the disheveled Mingtan up.
Shang Shaoyan walked over with a bright smile on his face, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "Which team are you from? Didn't I tell you that riding horses is not allowed in the military camp except at the training ground? Didn't you remember?"
Ming Tan glared at Shang Shaoyan resentfully, raised his hand, and someone behind him handed him a long, narrow box.
He opened the box, revealing a bright yellow imperial edict, then looked at Shang Shaoyan and sneered, "Princess Heyang, receive the edict."
Shang Shaoyan didn't move, but just looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Mingtan: "...?"
His face immediately darkened, and he snapped, "Heyang, why aren't you kneeling down yet?"
Shang Shaoyan's smile faded. He glanced at Ming Tan and frowned. "Just listen to it. Hurry up, I need to go home for dinner."
Ming Tan narrowed his eyes: "Someone come here."
The elite soldiers behind him understood and immediately went over to try to pin Shang Shaoyan down and force her to kneel, but to their surprise, Shang Shaoyan only glanced at them lightly and then kicked them away one by one.
After completing this series of actions, Shang Shaoyan looked up at Mingtan and said lazily, "Aren't you going to hurry up?"
Mingtan: "..."
He laughed in anger, pointing at Shang Shaoyan's nose: "Heyang, a domineering woman like you, you want to be the Crown Princess? If you knew what was good for you, I might put in a good word for you with His Highness the Crown Prince; since you're so ungrateful, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Shang Shaoyan frowned, seemingly quite puzzled: "Where have I been ungrateful? I'm already being very kind of you by standing here and listening to your nonsense. I advise you not to be so ungrateful."
She paused, then asked with some confusion, "Also, who told you I was going to be the Crown Princess? Being the Crown Princess is nothing compared to being the Emperor myself."
Ming Tan was taken aback, then his gaze sharpened: "Are you planning a rebellion?"
Clearly, he wouldn't associate a young woman with the title of emperor, still believing that Shang Shaoyan was simply being disrespectful.
Shang Shaoyan didn't bother to say anything more to him and snatched the imperial edict from his hand. Ming Tan tried to take it back, but Shang Shaoyan dislocated both of his arms, and he immediately knelt on the ground in pain.
He looked up at Shang Shaoyan, his eyes filled with hatred and immense fear.
Shang Shaoyan read the imperial edict in one glance, and then smiled sincerely.
She casually tossed the imperial edict to Shang Yunlan behind her, instructing, "Keep it safe; it'll be a good excuse for us to enter Shengjing."
Shang Yunlan smiled and nodded.
The two chatted and laughed, while Mingtan finally came to his senses—the Princess of Heyang really wanted to rebel!
Mingtan quickly reviewed the recent situation in Shengjing in his mind.
The Crown Prince and Zhao Ming were already locked in a fierce battle, with neither side able to gain the upper hand. Logically, the Crown Prince was the rightful heir, but in this world, who cares about legitimacy? Anyone can sit on the throne as long as they can get benefits.
Not long ago, Prince Gong also got involved. He didn't know who was helping him, but he managed to overtake the other two and is now subtly surpassing them.
Looking at Mingtan, Shang Shaoyan naturally understood that he was thinking frantically and questioning his life.
She curled her lips into a smile, looking down at Mingtan. Her shadow cast a wide smudge in front of Mingtan, obscuring her face.
"Ming Nan, right?" Shang Shaoyan said with a smile. "Sorry, you might not be able to go back."
Mingtan: "...My name is Mingtan."
Shang Shaoyan nodded: "Okay, Mingfan."
Mingtan twitched the corners of his mouth, holding back his anger, but now he was "the fish on the chopping block," and he didn't dare to protest at all—in a way, Mingtan was a man who could bend and stretch.
He took a deep breath and said stiffly, "Then lock me up."
However, he had never been a prisoner before, so his tone was rather stiff, sounding almost like a provocation.
As soon as he said this, Mingtan realized the problem. His face stiffened, and he looked cautiously at Shang Shaoyan, only to see that the latter seemed not to have heard him: "Kill him."
Mingtan: "...?"
He was stunned for a moment, and then when he saw someone walking over with a large knife, his mind went blank. He immediately shouted, "Princess, don't kill me! I'm very useful!"
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