Hearing the sound, Xue Zining turned around and saw the Elder General standing behind her. She quickly curtsied, "Elder General."
"Go ahead!"
The Elder General, without waiting for her consent, walked straight towards that direction.
Xue Zining followed.
Finally, at a vantage point, the Elder General stopped. Xue Zining also stopped, and as the Elder General did not speak, she did not initiate conversation.
After a long silence, the Elder General spoke, his voice laced with coldness, "What should I call you?"
The Elder General turned, his gaze icy as he looked at the young girl before him.
He had thought she was merely a spy from the Han Kingdom, but he never imagined this girl had such a significant background.
"What has the Elder General discovered?" Xue Zining asked calmly, her expression neutral.
The young girl before him appeared composed and serene, her eyes clear and unwavering, showing no hint of evasion.
The Elder General chuckled softly, "Should I call you Miss Feng, or the Empress of Huangze?"
There was not a ripple in the girl's clear eyes. She simply looked at him and said faintly, "Empress of Huangze? Elder General, perhaps only you refer to me as such now. Out there, they all call me the fake Empress of Huangze."
The Elder General sneered, "That is because they are short-sighted."
A person's innate nobility and demeanor could not be hidden.
The young girl before him acted with great poise and possessed a unique, outstanding noble aura that could not be imitated overnight. It was undoubtedly something she had been steeped in since childhood.
"Thank you, Elder General." It was not easy to gain someone's recognition.
"I presume you do not wish for anyone to know your identity. Shall I continue to call you Miss Feng?"
Xue Zining smiled faintly, "I couldn't ask for more."
The Elder General said, "Tomorrow, I will have someone escort you back to the city. You can stay there as long as you wish."
"What if I don't want to leave?" Xue Zining asked.
The Elder General was not surprised by her response. "It is very dangerous here, and in emergencies, I may not be able to protect you."
"I can protect myself."
The Elder General had no questions or doubts. "Since you are determined to stay, I will not obstruct you."
"Thank you!"
The Elder General looked into the distance. "Do not thank me. If you wish to thank someone, thank the Crown Prince."
Xue Zining trembled slightly and looked up, "What do you mean?"
The Elder General said, "A month ago, I received a secret letter from the Crown Prince. His Highness instructed me to take in the Empress of Huangze if I ever met her."
He then smiled, "I thought His Highness was joking. How could the dignified Empress of Huangze come to this border region..."
Xue Zining's gaze paused. She, who had always been calm and collected, could no longer maintain her composure. She tilted her head back to look at the moon and said, "I will surely return your Crown Prince to you."
The Elder General sighed, "His Highness is a devoted soul. I am not surprised he has come to this point."
"Don't you hate him?" Xue Zining turned to look at the Elder General.
Upon hearing this, the Elder General burst into laughter. "Whom should I blame? Whom should I hate? If it weren't for the Crown Prince back then, Xue Country would have been a living hell. Now, His Highness has presented Xue Country in its current intact state. My duty is to protect this place, expel foreign enemies, and safeguard Xue Country."
Xue Zining's gaze flickered with determination. "I will protect it in his stead."
"It's late. You should rest early!" The Elder General bowed and departed.
Xue Zining gazed at the bright moon in the night sky, then lowered her head and walked down.
Before she could reach the tent, she heard Chu Ling'er's voice, "Brother Yuan Zhao..."
Xue Zining started and quickened her steps, arriving at Yuan Zhao's tent. Upon entering, she saw Chu Ling'er standing to the side, sobbing, looking towards the bed. The military physician Xing Zhi was examining Yuan Zhao's pulse.
"What's wrong?" she asked Chu Ling'er as she approached.
Chu Ling'er bit her lower lip and said, "I was thinking Brother Yuan Zhao hadn't eaten yet, so I went to the kitchen to get some porridge for him. But I found Brother Yuan Zhao acting strangely, lying there motionless. I immediately asked someone to fetch Brother Xing Zhi."
After taking his pulse, Xing Zhi's expression grew grave. Chu Ling'er stepped forward and asked, "Brother Xing Zhi, what's wrong with Brother Yuan Zhao?"
Xing Zhi shook his head, "There's no wound infection, but he's been unconscious. I can't find the cause."
Xue Zining stepped closer and saw that the young man on the bed had a deathly pale face, with sweat trickling down his forehead. His expression seemed unstable.
"Is he dreaming?"
Xing Zhi started and examined him again. "It seems he's dreaming, but I can't wake him."
Xue Zining reached out to touch the young man's forehead. It was ice-cold, making her withdraw her hand.
"Yuan Zhao, what happened?" the Elder General asked anxiously as he arrived.
Xing Zhi bowed, "It is my fault. My knowledge is too shallow, and I don't know what illness General Yuan has contracted."
The Elder General stepped forward and looked at Yuan Zhao, his expression filled with heartache. "Yuan Zhao..."
"General Yuan might just be caught in a nightmare, unable to emerge for a while."
Everyone looked towards the voice. The young girl looked at them faintly.
Chu Ling'er grasped the girl's hand. "Is that true, Sister?"
Xue Zining nodded. "If it's not due to a wound infection, then it's not life-threatening. Clearly, he's fallen into a nightmare and cannot be woken at the moment. We can only wait for him to wake up on his own."
Xing Zhi's eyes lit up with understanding. "Miss Feng, you are right. I forgot, people caught in a nightmare cannot be woken up."
Chu Ling'er breathed a sigh of relief. "That's wonderful."
Two hours later, the young man slowly opened his eyes. Seeing the crowd gathered by the window, he was momentarily stunned. Before he could speak, someone rushed forward. "Brother Yuan Zhao, you scared Ling'er to death! Ling'er thought you..."
Yuan Zhao reached out and patted Chu Ling'er's shoulder. "Ling'er, I'm fine."
He looked up and saw the Elder General, pausing slightly. "Grandfather."
The Elder General nodded faintly. "Rest well and recover."
Yuan Zhao nodded.
As the young man's gaze met a pair of clear eyes, he faltered slightly, then lowered his gaze.
Seeing this, Xue Zining knew she was not suited to stay there and turned to leave.
The young man looked up, following the girl's departing figure with his gaze.
"Brother Yuan Zhao, you have no idea how worried I was," Chu Ling'er said, her voice choked with emotion.
"Ling'er, I'm tired and want to rest," the young man said faintly.
Chu Ling'er quickly rose. "Brother Yuan Zhao, you rest well. I'll come to see you again tomorrow."
After Chu Ling'er left, only Xing Zhi remained in the tent. The young man asked, "What happened to me just now?"
Xing Zhi replied, "I was about to ask you, were you caught in a nightmare?"
The young man froze, recalling what had happened in his dream. His gaze became flustered, and he lowered his eyes, uttering a single word, "Yes."
"What did you dream about?" Xing Zhi asked curiously.
"Nothing," the young man replied.
Xing Zhi knew he was unwilling to talk about it and did not press further. "How did you wake up?"