Lan Yan stood on the mountain, observing everything. She ran down and looked at Jun Yelan, who had just dismounted, her eyes filled with tears.
Jun Yelan raised his arm and pulled Lan Yan into his embrace. "We won, we can go back."
"Mmm." Lan Yan didn't want to say anything at the moment, letting the tears flow. She had been watching the battlefield, her heart clenching, fearing she would see something she didn't want to see.
She hugged Jun Yelan's waist tightly, listening to his heartbeat, and finally felt at peace.
Jun Yelan sensed Lan Yan's emotions and said over and over again, "You don't have to worry about anything anymore." He loved her smiling the most; it was so warming.
"If you keep crying, you'll really turn into a little kitten."
"You, you're making fun of me." Lan Yan emerged from Jun Yelan's embrace, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, her eyes red.
Jun Yelan cupped Lan Yan's chin, his lips curling upwards. "My empress is almost turning into a rabbit."
Lan Yan's face flushed, and she turned her head away, not wanting to pay Jun Yelan any mind.
Jun Yelan laughed even more unrestrainedly, taking Lan Yan's hand. "You've waited all day, you must be hungry. Let me take you to eat."
"Okay." Lan Yan's face broke into a smile, and she walked towards the kitchen with Jun Yelan.
At this moment, Xi Chen, on the other side, nearly fainted upon seeing the battle situation.
The commander, with an arm slung over his shoulder, wore a mournful expression. "Your Highness, their surprise troops are too formidable. What should we do next? Our soldiers have already suffered heavy casualties!"
"No, we haven't lost yet." The thought of not capturing Lan Yan this time only fanned the flames in Xi Chen's heart. He had been lurking in Yan Chao for so long, enduring so much hardship, and even colluding with Prime Minister Lin, only for the Hao Kingdom to lose in the end.
He refused to admit it verbally, but he knew it all too well in his heart.
The commander sighed and took out a letter from the King of Hao. "Your Highness, please take a look."
Xi Chen took it and quickly read it, his eyes widening in shock. "Peace talks! My sister has agreed to the suggestions of those ministers. They are currently formulating the terms of the peace talks and asking us to retreat."
He slumped onto his chair, feeling as if his world was about to collapse.
As the losing side, the terms of the peace talks would not be simple.
The commander called out, "Your Highness, hurry and pack up, we need to go back." The terms would likely include Prince Xi Chen himself. Previously, they had demanded a marriage alliance with Prince Ting of Yan Chao, and the Empress would not tolerate such humiliation. Their own King would also consider this.
Royal kinship was not something to be tested lightly.
Xi Chen was stunned, unable to react for a long time. He clenched the letter in his hand and gritted his teeth, shouting, "Back!"
Mounting his horse, he turned to look in the direction of Yan Chao. "Lan Yan, I hope we never meet again."
He would be unable to resist killing her.
Lan Yan received the news of Hao Kingdom's retreat while gnawing on a delicious chicken bone. She wiped her hands, picked up a cup of tea, and said, "Alright, the remaining matters will be left to all the commanders. I will be returning."
She wondered how things were in her palace.
The commanders were still reluctant to part with Lan Yan, their eyes brimming with tears. "Your Majesty, you must take care of yourself and return safely!"
They also paid their respects to Jun Yelan, admiring him from the bottom of their hearts. "Consort, you must take good care of our Empress and bear a little princess or prince soon."
"Pfft!" Lan Yan spat out her tea. How was it that even in the military camp, she was being urged to have children? She gave an awkward laugh. "Alright, thank you all for your kind wishes. You may withdraw."
Jun Yelan looked at Lan Yan's expression, handed her a handkerchief, and a smile played on his lips. "Empress, it seems you care quite a bit about what they said." He moved closer to Lan Yan and smiled faintly. "Empress, shall we agree to their wishes?"
"What?" As Jun Yelan drew nearer, Lan Yan's face grew redder. He took her hand and placed it on his sash, her pupils contracting in shock.
She stood up. "I just remembered I have a letter from home that I haven't read. It's from my eldest brother, it should be urgent. I'll be going now." She walked out of the tent with her feet stumbling, only then letting out a sigh of relief.
It was all the fault of those soldiers for saying such things, which led to Jun Yelan's strange actions just now. When she woke up tomorrow, she would have forgotten everything that happened tonight.
"Yes." Once she figured it out, she happily went back to sleep.
The system in her mind: "..." How did he end up with such a dim-witted host? Just as the mission was about to succeed, it stalled again.
Jun Yelan watched Lan Yan leave. Although he felt a hint of regret, his smile did not fade. His Lan Yan was so pure; he had to protect her even more, and no one could get close to her.
His eyes turned unfathomably deep, revealing a trace of possessiveness.
The next morning, Lan Yan and Jun Yelan returned secretly, leaving the surprise troops at the border. This time, they traveled back to the palace by carriage at a leisurely pace.
Upon returning to the palace, they were greeted by Lan Ting and Mei Dong.
"Imperial sister, you're finally back." Lan Ting had been worried about Lan Yan all this time and was relieved to see she was unharmed. He then looked at Jun Yelan, and seeing that his imperial sister hadn't lost weight, he knew Jun Yelan had taken good care of her.
Lan Yan smiled. "Big brother, I'm fine. By the way, has anything happened in the palace these days?"
Lan Ting hesitated to speak.
Mei Dong, standing nearby, said, "Those ministers were not convinced by King Ting and often treated him disrespectfully. However, it's much better recently." She couldn't stand it any longer and took out the token the Empress had given her, which had intimidated those ministers.
Lan Yan knew those ministers wouldn't obediently listen. The soldiers on the front lines were fighting valiantly, and even she had taken two blows and coughed up blood.
Yet, these ministers who remained in the capital, regardless of their responsibilities, focused on Lan Ting's identity. If this is unbearable, what is?
"Mei Dong, follow my orders and summon those disobedient ministers. Let them make a trip to the border for some tempering."
Mei Dong immediately beamed. "Yes, Your Majesty." It was truly good that the Empress had returned.
Lan Ting also smiled. "Imperial sister, I apologize for troubling you as soon as you returned. Go back and rest. By the way, Hao Kingdom said they would talk peace, and their envoy is already on their way."
"Okay." Lan Yan was indeed a bit tired. She wanted to go back, take a good bath, and sleep.
Jun Yelan followed, not with Lan Yan, but sat at the desk to discuss the terms of the peace talks. If this was not handled well, Lan Yan would be at a significant disadvantage.
Lan Yan, meanwhile, was soaking in the bath in the adjacent room. The pores on her body opened up, and she felt comfortably drowsy. She propped her head up and closed her eyes slightly.
Seeing that Lan Yan had not returned, Jun Yelan got up and walked towards the bath. He called from the doorway, "Lan Yan." But there was no response from inside. His eyes darkened; could something have happened?
He pushed the door open and saw Lan Yan asleep, slumped beside the bath. He breathed a sigh of relief. As he approached, he saw Lan Yan's fair, tender arms and neck, and his Adam's apple bobbed.