Quick Wear: Oh no, the lady is running away with the ball again

Chapter 247 The Living Abandoned Empress of the Cold Palace X The Invading Unruly Buddhist Son 81

Yun Qian was sitting at the table, trimming the candle wick with a knife. Hearing the noise, she looked up at Qi Heyao with a calm expression, her gaze not lingering for long. She lowered her head and continued with her work, as if the person in front of her was just a gust of wind, not worth mentioning.

Qi Heyao coughed lightly and hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Qianqian, this time... you are right."

Yun Qian smiled faintly, her tone calm, "Why would His Royal Highness apologize? If Lu Zheng hadn't silenced everyone with a victory, I would have been cursed for my reckless behavior for the rest of my life, wouldn't I?"

Her tone was neither salty nor bland, but it was just like the cold winter wind, exuding a chill. Qi Heyao frowned slightly and opened his mouth to explain, but found that he had no way to refute it.

"You know, that's not what I meant," he whispered, a hint of discomfort in his tone.

Yun Qian slowly lowered the knife and finally looked him in the eye, her gaze calm as if she saw through everything. "Your Highness, I know you don't mean that. Unfortunately, even if I wanted to benefit the people of Da Qi, my husband couldn't stop me."

Qi Heyao's face was a little stiff. He was not a man who was good at giving in, but now he was refuted by her mercilessly. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

He raised his hand to brush the falling snow from his shoulders and whispered, "His Majesty has already issued an edict regarding this commendation. Lu Zheng has been promoted to captain, and a cavalry unit has been transferred from the southwestern border. Command of the troops will also be under your control. This is considered as recognition of your decision this time."

Yun Qian didn't react much when she heard this, but just nodded lightly, "Thank you, Your Majesty." She had already received these contents in Yun Piao's reply letter to her, and there was no need for Qi Heyao to read it out.

Qi Heyao felt even more upset. He had thought that Yun Qian would soften her attitude somewhat if he came to apologize in person, but the woman before him remained as calm as ice, leaving him with no way of understanding.

"Qianqian, it's not that I don't believe you, it's just..." He stopped talking halfway, as if he didn't even know how to continue.

Yun Qian smiled softly, but without any warmth in her words. "Your Highness, the Crown Prince doesn't believe me, and that's understandable. I'm merely your Crown Princess. We're not related by blood, nor do we have a close relationship. It's understandable that you have reservations. However, there's no need to mention these words anymore. Since the results have proven everything, that's enough."

Qi Heyao was choked by her words and was speechless. He felt vaguely that something was wrong, but he didn't know what the problem was.

After a long silence, he could only sigh, "Qianqian, I have important matters to attend to. I'll take my leave now."

"Goodbye, Your Highness." Yun Qian's emotionless voice sounded behind him, like an invisible knife, cutting the already weak emotions between them even further.

When only the sound of falling snow remained outside the tent, the system finally couldn't help but jump out, its tone somewhat worried: "Host, are you a little too cold to him? According to the mission... you still have to spend another month and a half together..."

Yun Qian scoffed, reached out and flicked the candlelight, and said lightly: "Oh, so what if it's only a month and a half? Does he dare to destroy me? Can he destroy me? Besides, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is very busy. He has a lot of things to deal with every day. How can he have time to be sad? He is busy losing the war."

After hearing this, the system sighed that Yun Qian's words were becoming more and more venomous. Blinking, it asked hesitantly, "What about you? Are you..."

"Me?" Yun Qian smiled softly, but a hint of coldness appeared in his eyes. "I only know that the winner is the king. If I lose this battle, I won't even have the right to give him the cold shoulder."

The system silently shut up, feeling that what the host said made some sense, but it couldn't help but wonder, if it were it, or someone else, would the Crown Prince give it a way out and then just go along with it...

After driving away the disturbing people, Yun Qian picked up the reply letter from Yun Piao in his hand again, and gently stroked the texture of the letter paper with his fingertips. His eyes were deep, as if he was carefully savoring the weight of every word in the letter.

The words "peace can be negotiated" mentioned in the letter were like a breeze that stirred up waves in her heart.

She sighed softly, placed the letter on the table, and looked up at the tent in the distance.

Over the past ten days, what she had seen in the army wasn't the elite and brave generals she'd envisioned, but rather soldiers who had grown lazy and lacked rigorous training. Some had land at home, but were temporarily drafted into battle, missing their homes and lacking the will to fight. Others had been in the barracks for so long that they'd grown accustomed to an overly comfortable life and had long since lost their edge.

There are very few generals who can truly stand alone and lead an army to defeat the enemy. Lu Zheng is an exception. He has won the support of the soldiers with his personal charm and strength, but there is only one Lu Zheng, and he cannot replace the shortcomings of the entire army.

After a long moment of contemplation, Yun Qian summoned Chun Xi and asked her to prepare her writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. She then wrote another letter. It wasn't a long letter, but every word was weighty.

In the letter, she described the current situation in detail to Yunpiao:

"Although the enemy's cavalry is formidable, their forces are limited. They have repeatedly tested the enemy but haven't launched a full-scale assault. Perhaps they also hope to avoid a protracted conflict. If the two armies engage in battle now, even if Lu Zheng uses firearms and strategy to turn the tide, it will only be a temporary measure and will ultimately fail to completely counter the northern border's advantage. Rather than fighting to the death, it is better to use this opportunity to negotiate peace and gain several years, or even decades, of peace."

The people were displaced, the enemy was valiant, and they knew how to win the hearts of the people. A folk song began to rise, praising the Northern King's army for sparing civilians wherever they went. It was, instead, the Great Qi King's army, who, to blunt the enemy's might, fortified their defenses and cleared the fields, leaving them open to criticism. My niece spoke with sincerity, without a single falsehood. Your aunt toiled for half her life, and Great Qi's power grew, and its people prospered. Who wouldn't want a peaceful life? But when war breaks out, it's the common people who suffer.

If peace can be achieved, the dynasty can rebuild its military and mend its people's morale during this period. Once the situation stabilizes, it can then make other plans."

She was so sincere in her words that she even added a line at the end of the letter: "I wish my aunt good health."

After writing the letter, Yun Qian ordered someone to send it out overnight.

However, she knew deep down that peace talks were not something that could be done with a single word. Some of the court officials would certainly strongly oppose it, seeing it as a sign of weakness; and Yun Piao would inevitably be caught in a dilemma.

The next morning, Yun Qian personally inspected the military camp. Standing on the drill ground, she frowned at the soldiers' disengaged training. She summoned Lu Zheng and discussed the possibility of military reform.

"General Lu, why are the Northern Border Cavalry so feared?" Yun Qian asked straight to the point.

"Your Highness, the advantage of cavalry lies in its rapid mobility and flexible tactics. On the other hand, our army has a large number of infantry, but little targeted training. If there are elite cavalry to compete with them, there is still a chance of victory; but if the infantry go into battle, it will only increase casualties." Lu Zheng's tone was calm, but every word hit the nail on the head.