"Good!" Gao Ziyue agreed readily.

"I will let your army leave," Xiao Jinxing said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Gao Ziyue saluted.

Xiao Jinxing nodded slightly.

He gave a look.

Yuan Wenkang immediately raced over, quickly dismounting.

"Take good care of the Crown Prince for me," Xiao Jinxing ordered.

"Yes," Yuan Wenkang accepted the command.

At this moment, he was full of admiration for the Emperor.

Such a brutal war was thus easily ended by the Emperor!

Yuan Wenkang respectfully said to Gao Ziyue, "Apologies for the Crown Prince’s offense."

Gao Ziyue put down the sword in his hand and left with Yuan Wenkang.

Xiao Jinxing watched the back of Gao Ziyue.

Next... he awaited An Ning’s safe return.

Xiao Jinxing’s fingers clenched tightly.

Without seeing An Ning, he didn’t dare to relax for a moment!

...

Cang Kingdom camp.

The elite soldiers accompanying Gao Ziyue returned.

Du Jianghong had naturally been waiting for news in the camp, with An Ning by his side.

Hearing the sound of hooves, he hurriedly walked out of the tent.

The elite leader swiftly dismounted and knelt, "Greetings, Think Tank."

"Where is the Crown Prince?" Du Jianghong appeared quite agitated.

Although everything was as expected,

he still felt nervous in case something had gone wrong?!

His emotions were unfeigned at the moment.

"Reporting to Think Tank, the Crown Prince was detained by Emperor Daxuan," the leader reported.

"What happened?!" Du Jianghong shouted.

"We charged into the Daxuan Camp, preparing to retreat when we were ambushed and surrounded by Daxuan troops. Emperor Daxuan proposed a duel with the Crown Prince alone and promised that if the Crown Prince won, he would let us return. If the Crown Prince lost, Emperor Daxuan requested the Crown Prince to order a retreat and surrender,"

"And the result?" Du Jianghong asked excitedly.

An Ning was also a bit nervous.

When relaying the message, she hadn’t told Xiao Jinxing how to capture Gao Ziyue; she only informed him that they would lure Gao Ziyue into the camp, knowing Xiao Jinxing would find a way to capture him.

She hadn’t expected him to use himself as bait.

It was indeed the best strategy, as Gao Ziyue’s impulsive character would easily choose to fight to the death!

At this moment, she didn’t know if Xiao Jinxing had been injured?!

She couldn’t help but clench her fist.

"In the end, the Crown Prince lost. He kept his word and agreed to surrender. Now, the subordinate is here to report to the Think Tank and deliver the Crown Prince’s handwritten letter, asking the Think Tank to report back to the Emperor,"

As he spoke, he presented Gao Ziyue’s letter.

Du Jianghong took the letter.

His hand trembled slightly.

He opened the letter, reading its contents.

Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The Crown Prince truly decided to surrender and admit defeat.

At last, there wouldn’t be any more innocent casualties.

Du Jianghong steadied his emotions and asked, "Was the Crown Prince injured during the duel?"

The moment he asked,

An Ning became more nervous.

She looked at the elite leader.

The leader responded, "He wasn’t injured."

"Not injured? Yet lost?!" Du Jianghong clearly seemed a bit disbelief.

An Ning also stared straight at him.

"Emperor Daxuan wasn’t injured either," the leader quickly explained, "Emperor Daxuan possesses outstanding skills; despite not actively attacking with each move, he astoundingly turned the tide at the last moment, leaving neither with any injury. The Crown Prince, after this duel, developed an admiration for Emperor Daxuan, leading to his straightforward submission."

Listening to this, An Ning couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

In that instant, Du Jianghong seemed to have developed some respect for Emperor Daxuan as well.

After all, being able to command the genuine admiration of the arrogant Crown Prince was no simple feat.

"I will immediately head back to report to the Emperor about the battle and, following the Crown Prince’s intention, request the Emperor’s acceptance of the surrender," Du Jianghong said, "You, now go to inform Emperor Daxuan to take good care of the Crown Prince, ensuring no injury comes to the Prince."

"Subordinate accepts the command."

The leader quickly left.

Du Jianghong took An Ning and walked aside.

His eyes couldn’t hide excitement and gratitude, "If not for the strategies of Daxuan Empress, our army of Cang Kingdom would have been annihilated. Please accept my bow..."

"You’re too kind, sir!" An Ning hurriedly assisted Du Jianghong.

"Empress..."

"Despite everything going according to plan, my identity cannot be exposed now. Your actions, if seen by those with ill intent, could bring trouble upon yourself," An Ning frankly said.

She was certainly not in any danger currently, especially since Gao Ziyue was still in Xiao Jinxing’s hands; even if her identity were exposed, nobody would dare kill her.

But if her and Du Jianghong’s covert actions were discovered, it would bring a mortal danger to Du Jianghong.

No matter how the situation ended, Du Jianghong’s actions were deceitful towards Gao Ziyue, and if pursued, it would be a capital offense!

"I truly don’t know how to thank you..."

"You are truly too kind; the lives of all people under heaven are equal, regardless of status, regardless of who they are. Thus, not only are the lives of Daxuan soldiers precious, but the lives of Cang Kingdom soldiers are also precious. Needless casualties are sheer disrespect for human life," An Ning said, "Therefore, ending this continued warfare is not entirely because of you, but also what I wish in my heart."

Du Jianghong was further moved by An Ning’s depth upon hearing this. He said sincerely, "Empress, I am deeply impressed by your stature. Although I do not possess such a lofty vision as you, I swear that as long as I am in the court, and as long as my descendants serve as officials, we will swear loyalty to Daxuan Dynasty, and vigilantly prevent our nation’s emperor from ever invading Daxuan again!"

"Sir, your words are enough."

"Your Majesty, I must soon depart the camp to return to court. During these days, please stay in the camp; I will ensure people take good care of you, without worry. Once I return from court, I will personally escort you back to Emperor Daxuan’s side."

"Okay." An Ning nodded, "Think Tank, be careful on your journey."

Du Jianghong didn’t delay any longer.

He turned, mounted his warhorse, and left with a guard.

The aim was to thoroughly quell the battle.

An Ning watched Du Jianghong’s figure.

Next, she only needed to wait.

Soon, she would be back by Xiao Jinxing’s side.

Soon.

They could return to the court victoriously.

An Ning’s smile involuntarily surfaced.

The future holds promise.

...

Three days later.

Daxuan, Wounded Soldier Camp.

After some time of recuperation, Feng Xiyun’s body had greatly improved.

She thought that the day she was used as bait by the Emperor, she should have died.

Fortunately, her fate was great, allowing her to survive.

Fortunately, her medical skills were excellent, enabling her to heal herself.

That day, though the Emperor did not kill her, he showed no care, leaving her in the wounded camp without any medical treatment, letting her live or die.

Rather than saying the Emperor spared her life, it was more accurate to say he was afraid of sullying his hands by killing her.

Having narrowly escaped death, Feng Xiyun saw through everything.

Her feelings for the Emperor vanished at the moment she fought for life, at the moment when the Emperor ordered "release arrows."

Only hatred remained.

Hatred towards the Emperor, hatred towards An Ning.

And this hatred, she would not swallow it down easily.

Feng Xiyun left the Wounded Soldier Camp.

Once healed, the wounded could freely leave.

She heard bits and pieces of news from other wounded soldiers about the frontline.

She heard the Emperor captured Cang Kingdom’s Crown Prince Gao Ziyue.

She heard Gao Ziyue was willing to surrender.

This war was about to be over.

Over?!

Feng Xiyun sneered.

She didn’t want it to end so soon.

If it ended, how could she retaliate against the Emperor and An Ning for their actions towards her?!