AEOGA CH74

As the year-end approached, everyone in the palace grew busy once more, preparing their annual performance reviews.

Helian Xi enjoyed no leisure either, heading to the military camp alongside Qin Yulong every day. He had initially wondered if he should lie low, but Qin Yulong told him that since His Majesty and His Highness had assigned him to train troops, they surely already knew of his capabilities, so there was no need to hide them anymore.

Helian Xi asked suspiciously, “Did you really not tell them about this?”

Qin Yulong raised his hand to swear to the heavens: “I’ve sworn three hundred times already—I haven’t uttered a single word about your affairs. His Majesty and His Highness guessed everything…”

He found it strange as well; how did His Majesty and the Empress seem to know everything?

Qin Yulong was not one to lie, so Helian Xi could only curb his doubts. Every nation had secret agents, so perhaps Changli’s spies had uncovered it privately.

Thinking of it this way, Changli’s intelligence network was truly terrifying.

In any case, Changli’s imperial couple had not punished him for it; instead, they allowed him to display his talents to support his elder sister, which was more than enough to make Helian Xi deeply grateful.

He would do nothing to harm Xifeng Kingdom, but helping his own sister seize the throne brought him zero psychological burden, even if the Empress of Xifeng would brand it as “treason”.

Since the Empress had been cruel and unjust first, she couldn’t blame him for being unfilial and disloyal.

In her youth, the Empress had been mediocre in political achievements, with no major flaws other than her lustful nature. In her old age, however, she grew increasingly paranoid and senile, executing loyal officers, living in extravagance, and obsessing over preserving her beauty and seeking immortality while neglecting state affairs—hardly any better than Changli had been when controlled by the players. Yet she clung tightly to the throne, refusing to name an Heiress Apparent to this day, leaving several princesses to fight each other to the death.

Among the princesses, the First Imperial Princess was hypocritical, the Second was tyrannical, the Fourth was ruthless, and the Seventh… was no saint either. Those without backing or cunning couldn’t even survive to adulthood in Xifeng, let alone qualify for the succession struggle. Someone like the Fifth Imperial Princess, who had a modest maternal clan and a gentle disposition, barely managed to reach adulthood only to end up as a political marriage tool.

The four factions were originally locked in an even stalemate, but the Empress had always harbored suspicion toward military families. The Wen family could be purged at any moment, following in the footsteps of the Zheng family, with the tragic fate of the Third Imperial Princess standing as a bloody precedent. Consequently, every step Seventh Imperial Princess Helian Yu took was like walking on the edge of a blade. When the war between the two nations broke out earlier, the reason Helian Xi took to the battlefield instead of Helian Yu was that both siblings knew the most terrifying thing was not Changli’s open spears, but Xifeng’s arrows in the dark.

When the Empress provoked the war between the two countries, aside from her suspicion of Changli, she also intended to use the conflict to eliminate the Wen family.

If Helian Yu went to the battlefield, the other three factions had a hundred ways to make her die in battle. If she won, the Wen family’s prestige among the people and the military would grow even stronger, provoking greater suspicion from the Empress. If she lost, the Empress would have an excuse to execute the Wen family.

No one wanted Helian Yu to win, including the Empress herself. Even with a foreign enemy at the gates, Xifeng remained fixated on internal strife.

Therefore, after discussing it to protect the Wen family, Helian Yu “accidentally” fell from her horse and was injured, leaving her unable to take the field. When the Empress questioned the Seventh Princess for cowardice and sought to hold her heavily accountable, Helian Xi volunteered to fight in his sister’s place. A prince posed far less of a threat than a princess, so the other factions wouldn’t bother targeting him. Furthermore, if he suffered a defeat, his status as a prince meant that even if he were punished, it wouldn’t critically wound the Wen family.

Despite planning so meticulously, the current situation for the Seventh Princess and the Wen family in Xifeng was still far from favorable. With her military command revoked, the Seventh Princess was extremely disadvantaged in the succession struggle, surrounded by wolves and tigers. Though far away in Changli, Helian Xi worried day and night.

Who would have thought that the Emperor and Empress of Changli would actually offer a helping hand?

His defeat and marriage alliance had unexpectedly brought back Changli’s support. It was truly a blessing in disguise.

Although Helian Xi came to the military camp under the guise of training troops, there wasn’t much he could actually meddle with. The tactics had all been set by Qin Yulong, and the training methods were already highly mature, so he was mostly just joining in on the excitement. Lu Xuechao had mentioned that Helian Xi was the most familiar with Xifeng’s terrain and military affairs, making him the ideal choice to lead the reinforcement troops in the future. However, Changli soldiers would not accept a unfamiliar general—especially a prince of Xifeng—commanding them. Thus, having him enter the military camp early to live, eat, and train alongside the soldiers was meant to foster camaraderie so they would obey his orders.

Lu Xuechao also noted that if his identity as a prince of Xifeng were revealed from the start, the soldiers would inevitably reject him, so his identity had to be kept secret initially. Once he won them over with his own abilities before revealing his true identity, the soldiers would accept it much more easily.

Helian Xi kept the Empress’s painstaking intentions firmly in mind.

When he first arrived, he did not reveal his true status, merely claiming to be a deputy sent from above to assist Qin Yulong in training the soldiers. At the time, the soldiers all eyed him with doubt—Helian Xi’s fair skin, red lips, and delicate, handsome appearance made him look far too much like a pampered scion of a wealthy family who had used connections to get plugged in for prestige.

How could a group of tough men be convinced to follow his orders?

Back then, Qin Yulong had also beaten the entire group into submission before becoming a true leader.

Thus, instead of obeying, they whistled and mocked whether Helian Xi’s slender frame could even lift a spear, laughing that he dared to order them around before his hair had even grown in.

Qin Yulong frowned, just about to step forward and teach them a lesson, when Helian Xi held him back.

The fair and handsome youth stepped forward, cracked his wrists, and uttered the exact same words Qin Yulong had once said: “All of you, come at me together.”

…

After beating down the big men of the entire military camp, lifting the heaviest Jade Dragon Spear, and demonstrating extraordinary marksmanship that could pierce a willow leaf from a hundred paces, Helian Xi conquered these rough soldiers in a single day. Now, whenever they saw him, they stood at attention obediently, even more well-behaved than when seeing Qin Yulong.

Qin Yulong was a “Jade-Faced General,” a handsome and dashing youth with fair skin and a cool demeanor. Though not big and burly like the rough men, he could lift the Jade Dragon Spear that no one else could budge, remaining undefeated across the military camp. That wasn’t too surprising, considering he was the son of the Grand General of Weiyuan and a scion of the Qin family.

Yet this delicate-looking youth turned out to be just as formidable. Looking like a little white rabbit on the outside, he was actually a mighty demon king inside—the contrast was simply incredible.

After accepting everyone’s praise and cheers, Helian Xi offered a faint smile, turned around, and entered the camp tent to rest.

The moment he stepped inside, his legs gave out and he collapsed onto his knees.

Qin Yulong, who had followed him in, moved with swift hands to catch him, helping him sit down before pouring him a cup of water: “You’re injured.”

“Nonsense, can you take on a hundred men single-handedly and come out without a scratch?” Helian Xi casually pulled off his upper garment, revealing a body covered in red bruises. “They wanted to test me, and I needed to establish my authority. If I had collapsed out there, I could forget about ever getting them to listen to me.”

Feeling a pang of heartache, Qin Yulong applied medicine to Helian Xi’s injuries. He understood the logic well, having gone through the exact same thing himself. That was why he had exercised immense self-control while watching Helian Xi take them on alone, forcing himself not to step in.

“You were amazing,” Qin Yulong praised. “When I challenged them back then, they were just ordinary soldiers. Now, after nearly a year of training, every single one of them can take on ten men. For you to fight them to this extent…”

His tone carried a hint of distress.

When he got injured during his own training, he never felt bad for himself, viewing minor injuries as completely trivial.

Yet seeing these wounds on Helian Xi, he felt a sharp pang of pain.

He had heard that men in Xifeng Kingdom were naturally weaker in physical strength. From birth, male infants had to take medicine to gain the ability to bear children, at the cost of having frailer constitutions.

Using a body less endowed than that of Changli men, yet performing better than most of them, required an effort beyond ordinary imagination and perseverance unmatched by common folk.

When he first met the young prince, he had judged him by his noble, delicate looks—he had truly judged a book by its cover.

After applying the golden wound ointment over Helian Xi’s body, Qin Yulong brought out another jar of ointment: “This is a scar-removal cream developed by the Empress. Applying it to your body will make the scars fade without leaving a trace.”

Helian Xi said, “Minor bumps and bruises like these will fade on their own, why use medicine?”

Qin Yulong, however, was looking at the old wound on Helian Xi’s shoulder that had once been pierced by the Jade Dragon Spear: “This place… hasn’t faded to this day.”

“It must have hurt terribly back then.”

Helian Xi glanced down at it, offering a self-deprecating smile: “Yeah, it hurt so much that I cursed you day and night. By the way, thank you, General Qin, for sparing my life on the day of my defeat.”

“You’re welcome,” Qin Yulong replied.

Helian Xi: “…”

Qin Yulong really was something else; he actually dared to take that compliment.

“The Empress invented the Mafeisan anesthetic powder, which can relieve and numb pain. If it had come out earlier, you wouldn’t have had to suffer like that,” Qin Yulong said, feeling guilty in his heart.

“How could there be so many ‘what ifs’? Besides, Mafeisan is only available in Changli; how could Xifeng ever get to use it?” Helian Xi pulled up his half-slid garment. “I won’t apply it. I want to keep this scar. In the future, if I lose an argument with you, I’ll just pull off my shirt and make you feel guilty.”

Qin Yulong was rendered speechless for a moment: “…I won’t argue with you anymore.”

The man was already his spouse now, and the Qin family produced henpecked husbands; none of them ever argued with or beat their wives.

“Don’t do that,” Helian Xi hurriedly said. “If I can’t bicker with you, half the joy in my life would be gone. With your foul temper, you can only put on a proper front for a couple of days. Once the novelty wears off, you’ll surely go back to spitting no ivory from a dog’s mouth.”

Qin Yulong: “…”

No, this was his spouse; he couldn’t talk back, and he couldn’t scold him back.

“Speaking of which, His Highness is truly an immortal being, able to invent all sorts of medicines,” Helian Xi sighed in admiration. “Why couldn’t such a figure be born in Xifeng?”

A treasure belonging to the whole world was something every nation wanted to claim.

Qin Yulong immediately retorted, “His Highness belongs to Changli; other nations shouldn’t even dream of snatching him away.”

Helian Xi narrowed his eyes: “Didn’t you just say you wouldn’t argue with me?”

Qin Yulong stated with righteous severity: “When it comes to territory and national treasures, there can be no compromise.”

Rather than the status of Empress, he preferred to address Lu Xuechao as a national scholar.

Helian Xi didn’t bother arguing with him either. One could only say it was fortunate that Changli was determined to build friendly relations with Xifeng. If the two countries were enemies, he and Qin Yulong would never have worked out.

Neither of them was the type to put personal feelings above state affairs; otherwise, they wouldn’t have earned each other’s respect.

Fortunately, they were going to be allies.

Allowing a foreign prince deep into enemy camp was a risky endeavor. This profound trust was more than enough to demonstrate sincerity in forming an alliance. If Helian Xi had retained even a tiny shred of prejudice toward Changli as an “enemy nation” before, now Changli was his best friend.

With this, Helian Xi—a key plot character—was completely drawn into the same camp as Xie Chongjin and Lu Xuechao.

Feelings were genuine, but shared interest was the sturdiest bond of all.