Chapter 73

This battle could be considered a great victory.
The Left Wise King’s forces were completely annihilated, and the main Mongol army suffered heavy casualties. The Western Route Army, with forty thousand troops, lost eighty to ninety percent of its men but managed to eliminate seventy thousand Mongol soldiers and capture twenty thousand.
After the tally was completed, the Xia army had suffered over fifty thousand casualties but had annihilated a total of one hundred fifty thousand Mongol troops.
If the previous battle had granted the border five years of peace, then after this war, the Mongols would need at least sixty years to recover, let alone make a comeback.
Shao Jingyu suddenly felt a deep sorrow. No matter how bloody and brutal this battle had been for the soldiers who fought in it, the emperor and his ministers in far-off Jinling could not see the cruelty, they would only praise it as a splendid victory.
Shao Jingyu suddenly understood what Duke of Yuning had meant when he spoke to him. Upon hearing Shao's ambition to serve on the battlefield, the Duke had smiled wryly and called him young and reckless. At the time, Shao had thought the Duke was mocking his ignorance of the dangers of war. Now, having truly witnessed the brutality of the battlefield, Shao Jingyu could only share that bitter smile.
If it were possible, he too wished for an end to all wars.
The brief battle report had already been sent to Jinling by express courier. After making simple arrangements for the aftermath of the battle, Shao Jingyu set off for Beiping with Yan Yiming and a hundred men.
Beiping was under the jurisdiction of Prince Yue, whom the Emperor held in high regard. The Emperor had previously granted Prince Yue several highly skilled imperial physicians.
The army medics could only provide basic treatment for wounds. When Shao had asked when Yan Yiming would wake up, one of them had even said that, by all accounts, Commandant Yan should have died long ago, and it was a mystery how she was still clinging to life.
If Yun Xiao hadn't desperately held him back, Shao Jingyu would have beheaded the man on the spot.
Uncertain whether Yan Yiming might stop breathing at any moment, Shao Jingyu left Yun Little At the camp and hurried to Beiping himself.
Yun Xiao had volunteered to escort Yan Yiming to Beiping, urging Shao Jingyu to stay and oversee the army's affairs.
“The Mongol army is no longer capable of resistance. What affairs are there to oversee?” Shao Jingyu retorted.
Yun Xiao couldn't understand when Yan Yiming had become so important to Shao Jingyu, so important that he would prioritize saving Yan's life over military duties, even at the risk of incurring the Emperor's wrath.
Besides, what was wrong with him escorting Yan Yiming? Were there secrets involved?
Little did he know that when Shao Jingyu had cut open Yan Yiming's clothing and discovered that the young man galloping across the battlefield was not a young man at all, his emotions had been indescribable.
It was only upon realizing that Yan Yiming was a woman that Shao Jingyu suddenly understood many things.
Why she often avoided others and preferred to be alone, why she was so taciturn, why she insisted she would never marry.
Because she was not a man. Because she carried an immense secret.
Shao Jingyu had heard the story of Mulan joining the army in her father's place, but he had always regarded it as just a tale. Now, he had witnessed a woman charging across the battlefield, tying up her long hair for the sake of family and country, picking up a sword, and disguising herself as a man.
Shao Jingyu could not imagine what she must have felt the first time she held a blade, the first time she killed someone, or what thoughts crossed her mind when facing thousands of enemy troops.
For eighteen years, this was the most shocking moment he had ever experienced.
And in that instant, Shao Jingyu completely separated Yan Yiming from all other women in the world.
Her courage and her fiery spirit made all other women pale in comparison, leaving him unable to look away.
Another day passed, and Shao Jingyu still found himself wondering, how could such a woman exist?
How could there be a woman who disregarded her own life and death, caring only for her country and family?
Yan Yiming’s injuries were too severe. Even after simple bandaging, the slightest movement caused fresh blood to seep through. They needed to rush to Beiping as quickly as possible, but the carriage couldn’t be too jolting. Shao Jingyu had no choice but to carefully hold her in his arms.
Gently tidying the strands of hair at her temples, his fingers brushed against her skin, icy cold, like that of a corpse.
It was at this moment that Yan Yiming awoke, or rather, her consciousness did. The body in Shao Jingyu’s arms remained in a deep slumber, while the real Yan Yiming was now squatting in the void, chatting with Little A.
Her injuries were so severe that they even threatened her spiritual consciousness, leaving her in a daze for several days.
If Little A hadn’t shut off her pain receptors this time, she truly wouldn’t have made it. The pain was unbearable, the memory of that spear piercing her waist still sent shivers down her spine. The moment she had drawn the sword, the agony had jolted her awake. Yan Yiming was genuinely grateful she had passed out again, sparing herself further torment.
Now, staying in this void, she really didn’t want to return to that body. Without even thinking, she knew that going back would mean enduring pain again, and she’d likely be unable to move at all.
The two of them watched as Shao Jingyu meticulously tended to her body. Little A reminded her, “Shao Jingyu’s favorability has reached its maximum.”
It had already been close to a hundred percent before. Now that her identity was exposed, whether it was shock, pity, or something else that her being a woman stirred in him, in any case, Shao Jingyu was considered fully conquered.
Since the conquest was complete, leaving now wouldn’t be an issue. However, because of the SSR, Yan Yiming still had to linger for a while longer to fulfill a so-called turning point.
Yan Yiming gazed at Little A gloomily and said, “Given how badly I’m injured, aren’t you going to tell me what this turning point is?”
Little A paused, glanced back at the pitiful state Yan Yiming was in, and after a long silence, spoke helplessly.
“According to the original plot, the Shao family will eventually side with Jian Yuyan. That is to say, in the future, Shao Jingyu will join the restoration cause. Back then, it was Jian Yu’er who moved him and brought him back to the right path.”
Yan Yiming understood instantly. “So this turning point is about making Shao Jingyu change his mind, or perhaps having him break away from the Shao family?”
Little A sighed with relief. “Exactly.”
“Originally, it was Jian Yu’er who persuaded Shao Jingyu, but now Jian Yu’er is gone. So this task falls to you, the host.”
Yan Yiming nodded.
Having experienced the battlefield, looking back now, even the scheming in noble households felt somewhat touching.
But for the next few days, she might as well stay here and play Chinese checkers with Little A while figuring out what to do next.
Shao Jingyu had already sent someone galloping ahead to inform the Yue Prince’s mansion in Beiping. Upon learning that Yan Yiming was severely injured, Nan Gongye hurriedly made preparations.
Thinking of the young man who shared the same name and the identical red mole as A’Ming, there was always an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Yet, in just a few months, he had been injured to such an extent.
Prince Yue’s residence had imperial physicians dispatched by His Majesty back then. Without delay, Nan Gongye arranged for them to wait at the mansion for Shao Jingyu. As soon as he arrived, they immediately began treatment.
Just as several physicians were about to enter, Shao Jingyu suddenly said, “Wait.”
Nan Gongye turned back, “What is it?”
Yan Yiming was, after all, a woman. Shao Jingyu couldn’t bring himself to let a group of men treat her, so he kept only the most skilled physician.
Nan Gongye stared at Shao Jingyu for a long moment before saying, “As you wish, but I’ll need an explanation afterward.”
Nan Gongye was not Yun Xiao; Shao Jingyu couldn’t dismiss him as easily as before. Moreover, the physician was from Prince Yue’s household. Even if Shao Jingyu didn’t speak, if Nan Gongye asked, the physician would reveal the truth.
After a moment of silence, Shao Jingyu replied softly, “I will tell Your Highness the truth.”
With that, he stepped into the room.
With the best physician and the finest medicine, compared to the previous military doctors, this imperial physician remained much calmer. Perhaps he didn’t know that the person lying there was the renowned Commandant Yan of this battle, merely assuming she was an ordinary woman.
The old physician couldn’t fathom why a woman would be injured so severely and couldn’t help but want to ask. However, seeing Shao Jingyu’s grim expression, he swallowed all his questions.
What surprised the old physician the most was that despite such severe injuries, she was still clinging to life. This young lady was truly fortunate. After working for over half an hour, he wiped his sweat and said, “If this young lady can pull through, she’ll be out of danger. Since she’s held on this long, I believe fortune favors the brave.”
Shao Jingyu nodded and hummed in agreement. As the old physician was about to leave, he added, “If the Prince asks, just tell him the truth.”
The physician was astonished, could it be that the Prince also knew this woman?
When he went to report to Nan Gongye, the Prince asked about the injured person’s condition. The physician cautiously replied, “Although this young lady is severely injured…”
Nan Gongye abruptly looked up, “Young lady?”
“Ah… yes,” the physician was puzzled. A young lady… what about it?
Nan Gongye sat back down, “Continue.”
The physician then repeated everything he had told Shao Jingyu. Nan Gongye waved him off, and for a long while afterward, he couldn’t shake his astonishment.
Commandant Yan…was actually a woman?
Afterward, Nan Gongye arranged for Shao Jingyu to stay at Prince Yue’s residence. It was then that Shao Jingyu began drafting the report to be submitted to the Emperor.
The battle report was a simple summary of the great victory, but he needed to detail every minute aspect of the battle.
But when it came time to put pen to paper, Shao Jingyu hesitated.
Because of Yan Yiming's injuries, because of her identity.
Even now, seeing her covered in wounds made Shao Jingyu's heart ache unbearably. The imperial physician had spoken ambiguously, but he understood, Yan Yiming might never wake up. And even if she did, Shao Jingyu didn't want her to return to the battlefield, to suffer more injuries.
Her body simply couldn't endure it anymore.
Moreover, a woman serving in the military was a grave offense, even more seriously, it was a crime of deceiving the emperor. Shao Jingyu already regarded Yan Yiming as the person he would spend the rest of his life with. If that were the case, her identity would inevitably be exposed sooner or later.
And once it was, he couldn't guarantee how the emperor would handle it.
So, what if this secret were hidden forever?
Could there be a way where the emperor wouldn't blame them, and they could be together without any worries?
Shao Jingyu's hand holding the brush trembled slightly, and he finally began to write, word by word.
That evening, however, Nan Gongye came to him holding this memorial, a mocking smile on his handsome face as he said slowly,
“Commandant Yan was severely wounded and died in battle. From now on, there is no Commandant Yan, only Lady Yan. Shao Jingyu, what you're doing is far too selfish.”