The silent Bing Xiao, who had been standing by, slowly opened her mouth.
"If Her Highness trusts Bing Xiao's abilities, this princess will be taken care of by this servant and will not let anything happen to her."
As soon as Bing Xiao finished speaking, Xiao Yu'er immediately cast a grateful glance and added with a hint of arrogance, "Thank you, Sister Bing Xiao."
"Princess?" Bing Xiao felt a little uncomfortable. She was a princess, a mistress, how could she be called "sister"? However, seeing that no one in the hall was paying attention, she let it go. Everyone looked towards Qing Yao. Qing Yao raised her head and scanned the surroundings, her gaze finally settling on Xiao Yu'er. The girl's eyes were red. She had never seen her so insistent before. It seemed she was concerned about her safety, and she couldn't say another word, so she relented.
"Alright, you must behave yourself. Also, bring that wolfhound and the little fox."
The two animals had been with her for a long time and would not easily let just anyone approach her side.
"Thank you, Mother. Thank you, Father Emperor."
Xiao Yu'er immediately let out a cheer, overjoyed. Gone was her earlier sadness. Although her eyes were still very red, the clouds had now cleared.
Qing Yao shook her head, looking helpless. "You, quickly hand over your current work. Things there cannot stop. Hand it over to Xiao Tao, and let her continue production."
"Yes, Mother." Xiao Yu'er quickly darted out, and Bing Xiao left with her. Mo Chou also retreated.
In the main hall, Qing Yao turned to look at Emperor Xian. He was also looking at her, his beautiful phoenix eyes identical to Xiao Yu'er's.
Five days later, the group had packed all the necessary items and set off towards Moon Crescent Pass, on the border of Huang Yuan Kingdom where Xian Yue was located. The people went first, followed by the weapons, as the hundred thousand troops still needed training and were not yet ready to march to Dan Feng Kingdom.
There were two carriages. The front one carried Qing Yao and Emperor Xian, who was disguised as Yin Xuan. The rear carriage carried Xiao Yu'er, Bing Xiao, and Mo Chou, along with Mao Xue Qiu and the white wolf. Behind them were over a dozen horsemen, all subordinates of Mu Rong Liu Zun. The convoy headed towards Moon Crescent Pass.
The journey was smooth. In a time of peace, there were few bandits.
At the Moon Crescent Pass, at the ten-mile ancient road entrance, An Ding Feng, leading several of his deputy generals, came to meet them. As soon as they saw the two carriages approaching, they skillfully dismounted and respectfully announced from outside, "Your subject, An Ding Feng, with his deputy generals, welcomes Her Majesty the Empress."
Inside the carriage, Qing Yao glanced at Yin Xuan beside her. From now on, he was a nobody.
Yin Xuan reached out and squeezed her hand, signaling for her to act as usual.
Qing Yao's cool voice slowly sounded, "Thank you, General An."
"Please follow us into the Moon Crescent Pass camp." An Ding Feng cupped his fists and said. Qing Yao calmly replied, "Let's go."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Empress," An Ding Feng remounted his horse and led the way. Behind him followed several deputy generals, each with a look of curiosity. They were An Ding Feng's trusted confidantes. Although their lord greatly admired the current Empress, they had never personally witnessed her abilities and found it somewhat unbelievable. How strong could a woman be?
Their commanding general actually respected a woman to this extent, even transferring a hundred thousand troops from other camps for her command.
Many disagreed with this northward expedition. If they were to attack Huang Yuan Kingdom, they were confident. But attacking Dan Feng, they truly lacked confidence.
Dan Feng Kingdom was a powerful nation, not much inferior to Xian Yue. Even if they sent out all their forces, they might not win. But now, hearing that the Empress was only taking a hundred thousand elite troops to attack Dan Feng Kingdom, passing through Huang Yuan Kingdom from Moon Crescent Pass to Dan Feng Kingdom's border, Chen Tang Pass, was a city difficult to attack. It was said that the defense of Chen Tang Pass was guarded by five fierce generals. Although they were women, they were not inferior to men. How would the Empress capture Chen Tang Pass?
Regarding this point, those who knew the inside details found it hard to believe. However, as His Majesty had decreed, these soldiers and generals could only obey.
Now that the Empress had finally appeared, they were very curious about what kind of person she was.
The group rode at a gallop and soon entered Moon Crescent Pass.
Qing Yao sat in the carriage, lifted the curtain, and looked outside. She saw the stern and tight security at the Moon Crescent Pass gate. Figures moved on the city walls, and soldiers carrying long spears patrolled back and forth at the main gate. Everyone had a serious and earnest expression. The commoners passing through the city gate were all cautious, not even daring to make loud noises.
Qing Yao lowered the curtain and turned to Yin Xuan beside her. "General An commands the troops with great rigor. It seems we will not need much effort to train these hundred thousand elite soldiers, as their quality is already good."
"Mm, that's best."
Yin Xuan nodded lazily. At this moment, he had returned to his former charming self. On his delicate face, the thousand-petal begonia bloomed with seductive beauty. Looking at his face, Qing Yao suddenly felt curious.
"Your disguise is very impressive. This thousand-petal begonia and your skin... there are hardly any traces of disguise."
As Qing Yao finished speaking, Yin Xuan smiled. Half of his face looked even more inscrutable. A small lock of slanted black hair covered half of his face, and he raised an eyebrow.
"If one looks closely, it can still be seen. Even without disguise, a person's features are naturally more refined. With disguise, no matter how good the technique, when smiling or making facial expressions, it's not as natural, but slightly stiff. If the disguise is poor, the stiffness is even more apparent. Sometimes people think others don't like to smile, but it's actually out of fear of revealing a flaw."
As Yin Xuan finished speaking, Qing Yao let out a breath. So that's how it was. She had always thought he was very cool before, though the real him also didn't like to smile.
Outside the carriage, it was very quiet. This was a strategically important area, and ordinary government officials rarely supported civilians living in such places. Because if war broke out between the two countries, such places would be the most unfortunate. Besides the necessary soldiers, most were family members, and some local residents who were unwilling to leave.
On the streets, patrolling soldiers walked by from time to time. Compared to the fully armed soldiers, the civilians were far fewer. The few they occasionally saw were in a hurry, making their purchases and leaving without lingering.
The carriage moved forward, following An Ding Feng and the others towards the Moon Crescent Pass barracks.
Half the street was occupied by barracks. Once within the barracks' defense perimeter, unauthorized personnel were not allowed to approach. Long ancient roads were flanked by sentry soldiers, guarding them layer by layer. An Ding Feng dismounted from the carriage, followed by his deputy generals. As soon as the soldiers saw their commander, they immediately saluted respectfully.
"Greetings, General An, General Lu, General Zhang, General Huang."
An Ding Feng nodded and, leading Generals Lu, Zhang, and Huang, walked steadily to the carriage and respectfully said, "Please, Your Majesty the Empress, dismount to enter the barracks."
This barracks area, a sensitive military zone, had never allowed women before. This time, the Empress's personal visit caused the entire barracks to be abuzz. The soldiers guarding the ancient roads on both sides looked over in unison, paying their respects, wanting to see what the famously resourceful Empress looked like in her peerless beauty.
Before Mu Qing Yao could dismount, Mo Chou and Bing Xiao from the rear carriage got down first, as did the subordinates who followed behind the carriages. They all dismounted and walked to the front carriage. Mo Chou stepped forward, lifted the curtain, and respectfully said, "Master, please alight."
"Mm." The brocade curtain was lifted, and a gentle breeze blew. Sunlight, as dazzling as gold, streamed onto the brocade curtain.
In the sunlight, a graceful, slender figure quietly emerged, like a spring sprout, moist with dew, breaking through the earth with freshness.
The soldiers watching expectantly, and the deputy generals behind An Ding Feng, widened their eyes. Her Majesty the Empress was elegantly attired, enveloped in a cold, profound chill, with a faint fragrance of orchids permeating the air, a subtle aroma that wafted closer.