Fighting Bloody Battles To Defend The Border, The Love-Brained Empress Ordered The Troops To Withdraw? - Chapter 5

“Your Majesty, Eunuch Wang Hai has returned!”

Inside the imperial study, Empress Xiao Mingzhao sat draped in her golden dragon robe, completely absorbed in the letters written by Tuoba Hao. Her eyes shimmered with affection.

Hearing the eunuch’s announcement, a flash of joy lit up her flawless face.

“So soon?” she exclaimed with delight. “Let him in!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

As she waited, Xiao Mingzhao could hardly contain the happiness rising in her heart. She could almost see herself now—dressed in brilliant red, hand-in-hand with Tuoba Hao, stepping into the bridal chamber under candlelight.

A soft blush colored her elegant cheeks.

But before the dream could blossom further, it was shattered by desperate, ragged sobbing.

Wang Hai stumbled into the study, fell to his knees, and choked back tears. “Your Majesty, I am unworthy of the kindness you’ve shown me.”

“I failed to fulfill your orders… I failed you!”

His sudden collapse took Xiao Mingzhao by surprise—then her expression twisted into fury.

“You dog!” she shouted. “I’ve already accepted Tuoba Hao’s proposal!”

“I received his gifts—the goose he hunted, the bow he crafted with his own hands. His devotion to me is deeper than the oceans.”

“And you… you delayed retrieving my dowry from the border?”

“How dare you? Do you value your head so little?”

Wang Hai dropped into a deeper bow, his forehead thudding against the floor as tears streamed down his face. “Your Majesty, I would never defy you! I know your marriage is more important than life itself.”

“I raced night and day to Shanhe City to deliver your decree to General Li Yunfei myself.”

“But… but the general refused to obey it!”

“What?” Xiao Mingzhao was momentarily stunned. “Li Yunfei… disobeyed me?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Wang Hai said miserably. “I explained that your marriage is a matter to be celebrated across the realm. I read your edict appointing him General of Chariots and Cavalry.”

“But instead of accepting, he tore it apart right before my eyes!”

“One of the eunuchs who accompanied me tried to correct him—and Li Yunfei executed him on the spot!”

“That man had followed me loyally for years… now he’s dead because of my failure…”

Wang Hai’s voice broke completely, his sobs raw and guttural.

“We rushed back without food or sleep… I deserve nothing but death for my failure!”

Now Xiao Mingzhao could see clearly: the old eunuch was covered in dust, his skin weathered and grimy from exhaustion.

He was not lying.

Anger flickered in her eyes.

A year ago, when a barbarian diplomatic group arrived, she had met Tuoba Hao for the first time.

He stood apart from the others—dignified, proud, radiant like moonlight.

One look was all it took for her heart to fall.

When he returned to his homeland, she hosted a farewell banquet and promised to stay in touch. For the past year, her deepest emotions had poured into her letters. Every line spoke of longing.

And finally—finally—their wedding was within reach.

Only to be blocked by Li Yunfei?

Wang Hai, ever perceptive, noticed the fury building in the Empress and pushed harder.

“Your Majesty,” he said, voice trembling with indignation, “I can accept punishment, but what I cannot bear is that General Li Yunfei, a man raised by your grace, repays kindness with insubordination.”

“He claimed Shanhe City had suffered at the hands of the barbarians, that innocent people had died, and that he would never surrender the city—not even for your marriage!”

Xiao Mingzhao’s anger exploded.

“How dare he?!”

“That city is my betrothal gift to Tuoba Hao!”

“Li Yunfei dares to defy me over some old hatred, some civilian deaths? Do those lives matter more than my heart?!”

“I am heartbroken!”

Wang Hai, seeing her fury, added more fuel.

“Your Majesty is wise beyond compare. But General Li’s actions are tantamount to rebellion. I reminded him of the consequences—that disobeying the imperial will is a crime punishable by the extermination of his entire family…”

He paused for dramatic effect, waiting for Xiao Mingzhao to order Li Yunfei’s death.

But she said nothing.

Wang Hai had spoken the words “exterminate nine clans” loudly, but to the Empress, they fell strangely flat.

“Yunfei… he’s willing to risk everything—his name, his life—just to stop my marriage?”

Her expression softened.

A wave of conflicted emotion rose in her chest.

“He’s doing this because he loves me…”

Xiao Mingzhao’s memories came flooding back.

Li Yunfei, the orphan of a fallen soldier, taken in by her father’s court as a ‘Yulin orphan.’ His diligence and talent had taken him step by step from lowly guard to elite commander—and eventually, her personal protector.

Her admirer.

She had many who adored her, but Li Yunfei’s loyalty ran deeper than most.

And now, here he was—facing death just to stop her wedding.

Was it foolish?

Maybe.

But wasn’t it also… love?

“Yunfei, oh Yunfei,” she whispered inside, her heart aching. “We were never meant to be. What you’ve done will only bring more pain… can’t you see?”

“You don’t know what it means to me… if I lose Tuoba Hao, I lose everything.”

Meanwhile, Wang Hai was still speaking—babbling on about treason and punishment.

It grated on her nerves.

She cut him off sharply. “Enough. Leave us.”

Wang Hai froze, momentarily stunned.

Then he realized: the Empress, while showing no mercy in words, couldn’t bring herself to condemn Li Yunfei outright.

He reassured himself: She’s angry—she just needs time.

“Your Majesty, if I may, Li Yunfei’s actions border on—”

“I said leave!”

Wang Hai flinched.

But as he turned to leave, she spoke again.

“Summon Prime Minister Qin to the palace.”