Fighting Bloody Battles To Defend The Border, The Love-Brained Empress Ordered The Troops To Withdraw? - Chapter 7

et just as Xiao Mingzhao’s emotions surged to a passionate peak, she quickly reined them in.

A trace of shyness surfaced, and she half-concealed her delight with a furrowed brow. “Prime Minister Qin, your suggestion is indeed excellent,” she said, “but the wedding preparations are still far from complete. I’m not ready yet.”

“I can’t meet Lord Tuoba like this… I want him to see me at my most radiant, at the peak of my beauty and grace. Right now… it’s not the time.”

Qin Hui gave a faint, knowing sigh, but responded with admiration, “Your Majesty’s deep affection is as rare as it is noble. I can only imagine how honored Lord Tuoba must feel.”

“But,” he added, “this leaves us with a dilemma—how do we reach General Li Yunfei in the meantime?”

Xiao Mingzhao sighed too. “Yunfei cares for me, that much is certain—but he doesn’t yet understand how to love me. When I dispatched him to the northern frontier three months ago, I should’ve explained more clearly…”

Then her voice caught on an idea, her tone sharpening with inspiration.

“Wait. I’ve got it.”

She turned to Qin Hui with a smile brimming with renewed clarity. “Prime Minister, you truly are my guiding star. Your words have sparked the perfect solution—one that kills two birds with one stone.”

Qin Hui raised a brow, intrigued. “Your Majesty’s brilliance shines again. Please, enlighten me.”

Xiao Mingzhao’s smile deepened. “Why must I go to the frontier myself to guide Yunfei? I can send someone in my place.”

Qin Hui quickly rifled through candidates in his mind. Yet, surprisingly, no one stood out. Many of the court’s eloquent officials were rigid conservatives—men who would likely object to the Empress’s progressive ideals and sabotage the mission.

Before he could respond, Xiao Mingzhao continued, “Yunfei’s devotion is misplaced—he resists because he doesn’t yet know how to love rightly. So I’ll send someone to show him.”

“Someone whose actions will be louder than lectures. Someone who can serve as a living example.”

“And when Yunfei sees that… with his intelligence, he won’t need convincing. He’ll come to his senses.”

The logic clicked. Qin Hui, slightly delayed in comprehension, finally nodded with approval. “Your Majesty is wise. As the sages say: what one sees with their own eyes is more powerful than a thousand scrolls of scripture.”

“May I ask—do you already have someone in mind?”

“I do,” said Xiao Mingzhao, her eyes gleaming like water under moonlight. She glanced at him with a subtle smile. “And this person happens to have a special connection to you, Prime Minister.”

Qin Hui blinked. “Oh? I’m honored. Who is it?”

“Yi Yang,” she said. “The top scholar of that year, now stationed in the north as a grain transport officer.”

“Ah—him!” Qin Hui chuckled in recognition.

That year, Qin Hui had posed the now-infamous exam question: “Describe the Ten Tokens of Love Between Childhood Sweethearts.” Many scholars were baffled, but none dared go off-topic.

Except for Yi Yang.

Rather than write of human lovers, he cast the rivers and mountains as his beloveds—penning a poetic masterpiece in red cinnabar. The Yangtze became the “Longing River,” Kunlun the “Mountain of Yearning,” and Dongting Lake was reimagined as “Lover’s Mirror.”

Xiao Mingzhao had been utterly enchanted.

She had handpicked him as the top scholar, moved not only by his originality, but by the hidden passion woven into every word.

Afterward, Yi Yang had openly declared his admiration for her.

He lit fireworks in her honor.

Commanded soldiers to arrange their armor to spell her name in reflections of sunlight.

Even convinced the Imperial Observatory to add a new solar term—Empress’s Day—into the calendar.

Qin Hui remembered every detail.

He nodded. “Your Majesty’s ability to recognize brilliance is beyond compare. If there’s anyone fit for this task, it’s Yi Yang.”

Xiao Mingzhao beamed. “With your agreement, I’m even more confident. He’s already stationed at the border, which saves time. I’ll send the imperial edict first thing tomorrow.”

“I believe he won’t disappoint.”

“I believe it too,” Qin Hui said, smiling. “He’ll show Li Yunfei what it truly means to love Your Majesty.”

“I hope so,” Xiao Mingzhao said softly, her gaze drifting into the distance. “I hope he can help Yunfei evolve… from a love that clings to me, to a love that lets me go—for something greater.”

“And maybe,” she added, “maybe he’ll give us his blessing.”

After Qin Hui took his leave, Xiao Mingzhao felt noticeably lighter. Her heart calmed, but her spirit stirred with purpose.

She sat at her desk and penned the edict.

But when it was done, she set it aside. There was still time before Yi Yang had to depart. No need to rush it tonight.

Then she pulled out a fresh sheet of silk paper and dipped her brush again—this time, not as a ruler, but as a woman in love.

Gone was the Empress’s solemn expression. In its place bloomed the delicate blush of a young girl, crafting each stroke with tenderness.

She wrote slowly, pausing often, refining every phrase like it were a treasured jewel.

When she finished, she breathed softly over the ink, as if her breath could carry the warmth of her love across the miles.

Then she reached for the jade seal—a symbol of six generations of emperors—and pressed it down with careful ceremony.

She whispered to herself: “Lord Tuoba… this letter is short, but my love for you runs deeper than words.”

“May you feel it in every line.”

Then she called out, “Someone—come!”

“Your Majesty!”

“Deliver this letter immediately. Ride night and day. Get it to the barbarian camp without delay.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“If there’s even a moment of delay… you’ll answer to me.”

“Yes!”

She watched as the messenger disappeared into the night.

Her eyes followed the letter in her mind’s eye, flying across mountains and plains to the one who held her heart.

Under the starry sky, her expression shimmered with affection so bright, it could melt snow.

“Tuoba Hao,” she murmured, “I promised you Shanhe City as a dowry. And I will deliver it.”

“But… wait for me, just a little longer.”