Dressed As a Consort in Ancient Times - Chapter 48

These past few days of marching, Gu Yun knew that Zhang Qi had an issue with her, so she usually avoided seeking him out, lest he think she was troublesome.  

But now that she had arrived at the border, staying in the camp would make her journey here meaningless.  

She still wanted to capture the Second Prince as soon as possible and return to the capital!  

After all, her wife and daughter were waiting for her at home.  

“But General, His Majesty sent me here with the intention that I may fight alongside the troops.” Gu Yun casually glanced at the topographic map spread out in front of Zhang Qi.  

Seeing that he refused to listen, Zhang Qi grew irritated. “Young people shouldn’t be overly ambitious. Everything must be done within one’s abilities. You have no experience on the front lines, nor do you understand military strategy or deployment, so don’t come here to create trouble for me!”  

“I have already dispatched several thousand troops to pursue him. Within three days, the Second Prince will surely be captured! By then, if the Seventh Prince Consort desires military merit, as long as it’s not excessive, I can arrange it for you…”  

Gu Yun felt a headache coming on. “Are you saying you’ve already sent people into the mountains?”  

This Zhang Qi! He sent troops into the mountains the moment he arrived!  

And who knew if things would really go as he said, capturing the Second Prince within three days?  

Gu Yun couldn’t help but feel uneasy.  

Even an experienced general like Gao had fallen victim to an ambush, yet Zhang Qi was treating this matter so carelessly! Was he not afraid that, with no way out, the Second Prince would become desperate and use the mountainous terrain to launch a counterattack?  

According to Zhang Qi’s plan, there were likely fewer than five thousand soldiers left to guard the camp.  

If the Second Prince was smart enough to evade the soldiers in the mountains and launch a surprise attack on the camp…  

But Zhang Qi was the commander. Since he had already deployed the troops, she had no choice but to drop the matter. She could only remind him to remain vigilant around the camp.  

“Since the General has already dispatched troops into the mountains, may I ask if there are at least five thousand soldiers left guarding the camp? If the Second Prince adopts a flanking strategy and attacks the camp, can the remaining troops hold the line?”  

Zhang Qi found these words unbelievable.  

Vice General Song was currently leading elite troops from the border, and the soldiers he had dispatched had already entered the mountains. Soon, they would have the Second Prince surrounded.  

Under these circumstances, how could the Second Prince possibly circle around and attack the camp?!  

He waved Gu Yun off dismissively. “The battlefield is no place for the Prince Consort. You should return to your tent and rest. If you’re bored, I can have someone send a few camp women to serve you…”  

The veins on Gu Yun’s forehead twitched, and her expression turned cold. “No need.”  

After leaving those two words behind, Gu Yun turned and left the tent, unwilling to waste another word on Zhang Qi.  

She knew Zhang Qi looked down on her, but she hadn’t expected him to humiliate her so openly.  

Since he refused to listen, there was no point in staying here any longer.  

Stepping out of the command tent, she glanced at the sky.  

It was already dusk, and before long, night would fall.  

She couldn’t stay in the camp. She had a strong feeling that things wouldn’t go as Zhang Qi expected.  

However, as she was only a nominal figure with no authority and no understanding of the full situation, she didn’t yet know what she should do.  

Walking slowly along the path back to her tent, she pondered her next move.  

“Prince Consort?” A voice called her back to reality.  

She looked up to see Vice General Chen, who had been left behind by General Gao.  

Seeing his presence, an idea immediately formed in her mind.  

“Prince Consort finds the camp dull?” Vice General Chen had no particular opinion of the Prince Consort and didn’t regard Gu Yun as a pampered, incompetent noble.  

Thus, aside from the words themselves, his tone was actually rather respectful.  

Gu Yun glanced around before lowering her voice. “I have something to discuss with Vice General Chen. Do you have some time now?”  

Chen Yu had nothing pressing to attend to, so he was curious about what the Seventh Prince Consort wanted to discuss.  

“I have time, I have time. Why don’t we discuss it in your tent?”  

Gu Yun wasted no more words and led him straight to her tent.

—

As soon as the two sat down, Chen Yu couldn’t wait to ask Gu Yun, “I wonder what the Prince Consort wishes to discuss?”  

Gu Yun stared at him for a moment before speaking in a calm voice, “His Majesty sent me with the army and granted me the position of vice general. I assume that means I have the authority to deploy troops, correct?”  

Chen Yu hadn’t expected the Seventh Prince Consort to bring this up. He opened his mouth slightly, then nodded.  

He decided to first hear what the Seventh Prince Consort intended to do.  

Gu Yun tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, her voice unhurried. “How many troops did General Zhang send into the mountains? I should at least be allowed to know that much, right?”  

Naturally, this was something the Seventh Prince Consort had the right to know.  

Chen Yu extended his hand and signaled a number. “General Zhang sent eight thousand troops into the mountains…”  

Eight thousand?!  

That meant there were only three thousand troops left guarding the main camp?  

Upon hearing this number, Gu Yun felt a renewed sense of unease.  

If she were the Second Prince, upon realizing that he was caught in a pincer attack and learning that the rear camp had only three thousand soldiers left, she would undoubtedly fight to the death. She would set up an ambush in Serpent Valley, strike back unexpectedly, charge down the mountain, and might even manage to break free from the three thousand troops below.  

Thinking of this, she knew she couldn’t afford to wait any longer.  

“If I wish to deploy some troops into the mountains, could Vice General Chen assist me?” There was a hint of urgency in her voice.  

Hearing this, Chen Yu looked at him silently.  

Logically speaking, the Seventh Prince Consort did have the right to deploy some troops. But he didn’t fully trust him…  

Left with no choice, Gu Yun had to briefly explain her thoughts to Chen Yu.  

For a long while, the tent fell into silence.  

Chen Yu also found it somewhat unbelievable.  

But seeing Gu Yun’s serious expression, with no hint of jest, he began to think that perhaps the Seventh Prince Consort’s instincts were correct.  

If the Second Prince really found out that only three thousand soldiers were left in the camp, he might indeed make a desperate gamble.  

The more Chen Yu thought about it, the more anxious he became. He suddenly stood up. “Does the Prince Consort have a plan?”  

Seeing that he had finally relented, Gu Yun felt a weight lift from her chest.  

“This matter cannot be delayed. As soon as night falls, we will take five hundred soldiers into the mountains.”  

At night, many creatures emerge in search of survival.  

If the Second Prince was going to make a desperate move, he would likely wait until nightfall to act.  

“Five hundred… is that enough?” Chen Yu was baffled.  

Taking only five hundred troops into the mountains—what could they possibly achieve?  

Gu Yun did not explain further and simply ordered him to gather five hundred soldiers and prepare to enter the mountains at night.  

Although Chen Yu didn’t fully understand, since the Seventh Prince Consort insisted and wasn’t asking for too many men, he busied himself with making the arrangements.  

Gu Yun kept track of time, waiting for the night to fall.  

According to the information Chen Yu provided, Zhang Qi’s plan was to do the unexpected—he believed the most treacherous path was the one most likely to conceal the Second Prince’s group. Therefore, he first used three thousand troops to draw the Second Prince’s attention, while the remaining five thousand would circle around through Serpent Valley to catch the enemy off guard.  

Logically, this plan seemed sound.  

But Gu Yun couldn’t shake her unease.  

Her intuition told her that the Second Prince, being in the mountains, would become aware of Zhang Qi’s strategy.  

So she had to act before the Second Prince had time to react—and capture him in one decisive move.

—

As the sun set in the west, night descended.  

Dressed in black, Gu Yun silently led her five hundred elite soldiers, also clad in black armor, into the mountains.  

During the day, she had already studied the topographic map in the main tent. With her exceptional memory, she knew how to navigate the mountain paths.  

Since she had brought only a small force, they could move swiftly through the terrain.  

Her objective was clear—to intercept the Second Prince before he could charge down the mountain.  

She ordered two hundred soldiers to quietly set up an ambush at the lower exit of Serpent Valley, using the terrain to their advantage. Another two hundred soldiers were split into two groups of one hundred each, sent to scout the upper areas of Serpent Valley.  

With the remaining one hundred men, she silently advanced toward the upper exit of the valley.  

Once everything was in place—  

The valley was eerily silent at night, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves.  

Shortly after midnight, movement stirred in the distance.  

The sounds grew closer and closer—Gu Yun knew the Second Prince’s forces were approaching.  

The sounds of battle erupted nearby, and Chen Yu’s eyes widened in shock.  

He had originally accompanied the Seventh Prince Consort into the mountains just to observe. Though he had been somewhat concerned, he had never expected the Seventh Prince Consort’s prediction to come true.  

But there was no time for questions now. He turned anxiously to the calm and composed Seventh Prince Consort, hoping for instructions on what to do next.  

Gu Yun gestured for him to stay quiet.  

Flames lit up the night sky, and the sounds of fierce fighting filled the air.  

From her elevated position, Gu Yun used the moonlight to observe the battle unfolding below. The Second Prince’s forces had already entered Serpent Valley, pursued closely by the troops Zhang Qi had dispatched.  

It seemed that the Second Prince had endured a difficult journey—only three to four thousand soldiers remained to protect him.  

No wonder he was taking such a desperate risk. If he didn’t make a final stand now, he would truly be trapped.  

As the Second Prince’s forces neared the end of the valley, Chen Yu grew increasingly anxious.  

But before he could speak, rustling sounds emerged from the trees lining both sides of the valley. Large boulders, previously hidden, were being pushed over the edge—ready to crash into the valley below!  

Yet the ones in the valley now were Zhang Qi’s pursuing soldiers!  

Someone had set up an ambush above?!  

The massive boulders tumbled down with a deafening rumble, crushing soldiers who had no time to escape.  

Chen Yu was horrified. He had never imagined that the Second Prince would have the audacity to prepare such a trap in advance, positioning men along the upper edges of Serpent Valley!  

Just as panic set in, the two hundred men Gu Yun had sent to scout the upper areas arrived in time. They flanked the enemy from behind, swiftly eliminating those still hurling rocks into the valley.  

The Second Prince, hearing the unexpected commotion from above, turned back—only to find that the men he had stationed there had been completely wiped out!  

His plan had been foiled. Panic-stricken, he had no time to think and instead urged his remaining forces to charge toward the valley’s exit at full speed.  

But just as his troops reached the exit, they suddenly stumbled and fell in unison, as if tripping over something unseen.  

Before they could recover, a rain of arrows descended upon them, cutting down another wave of soldiers.  

The Second Prince’s eyes burned with fury as he shouted for his men to shield him.  

Yet in the next instant, fire-lit arrows shot into the chaotic crowd. His panicked soldiers, disregarding his orders, scrambled frantically toward the exit—  

Only to trip and fall again, caught by more unseen obstacles.  

Time passed, and soon, the Second Prince had only a little over a thousand men still resisting.  

After wave upon wave of combat, the blockade at the valley’s entrance was finally breached, and the Second Prince was about to escape.  

He no longer cared about the pursuers behind him or the remnants of his forces—he spurred his horse forward, racing toward the opening.  

Now was the moment.  

Gu Yun waved her hand, signaling her soldiers to rush toward the valley’s entrance and merge with the two hundred troops stationed there.  

Though they only had three hundred soldiers at the valley’s mouth, the surviving pursuers inside the valley could still form a pincer attack.  

Seated firmly on her horse, Gu Yun immediately spotted the battered and desperate Second Prince.  

She signaled her troops forward—charging straight toward him.  

Now, her mission was clear—capture the Second Prince alive!

She nimbly avoided the soldiers surrounding her, wielding her sword. Though somewhat unfamiliar with it, she still used her immense strength to send one enemy after another flying with each strike.

Her gaze remained cold as she took in the thick scent of blood in the air. With a sweeping motion, she moved closer to the Second Prince.

“Protect His Highness! Protect His Highness!” The Second Prince, panicked and disoriented, saw the glinting sword coming toward him and shouted frantically.

Gu Yun struck down the soldiers rushing to protect him and thrust her blade at his lower leg, intending to knock him off his horse and capture him alive.

However, just as she withdrew her weapon, a man behind the Second Prince suddenly made his move—

He ran his blade straight through the prince.

The attack was so sudden that Jiang Shen had no time to react. By the time blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, he turned his head belatedly to look at the strategist who had been advising him all along.

He hadn’t expected that while Gu Yun hadn’t intended to kill him, his own people would do it instead.

After years of glory, the Second Prince met his end with unseeing eyes.

Watching the scene unfold, Gu Yun was greatly surprised, but at the same time, she did not find it strange.

With a sword in hand, she wielded it with increasing ease.

Just as she prepared to capture the one who had assassinated the Second Prince, she saw the man shoot her a cold smile before swiftly slitting his own throat with the same sword that had killed the prince.

His plan had failed. He could not afford to be captured—suicide was his only option.

With the Second Prince dead, his forces were leaderless and quickly fell into disarray. By dawn, they had been completely subdued.

As the morning light broke, everything was finally settled.

A breeze swept through the battlefield, carrying the stench of blood and burnt flesh.

Chen Yu, covered in dirt and grime, was busy overseeing the count of remaining troops.

He approached Gu Yun, eyes full of admiration. “Consort, the Second Prince’s forces have all been captured.”

“Thanks to our timely arrival, General Zhang’s troops in Serpentine Valley suffered minimal casualties—around three thousand soldiers remain.”

Gu Yun did not feel relieved. She looked off into the distance and asked calmly, “And the three thousand troops who took the other route up the mountain?”

At her words, Chen Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

That’s right! How could he have forgotten about them?!

Realizing his oversight, he quickly ordered scouts to investigate that path.

With the battlefield cleared, Gu Yun led the remaining forces back down the mountain.

Inside the main camp, Zhang Qi had just risen and was still in the process of getting dressed when he heard the commotion outside.

Frowning, he prepared to go out and reprimand his men.

Lifting the tent flap, he was met with the sight of Vice General Chen bringing forth the lifeless body of the Second Prince.

Looking down, Zhang Qi confirmed—it really was him.

“What happened?” How was it Chen Yu bringing back the Second Prince’s corpse? What about the troops he had sent?

Though they had successfully intercepted the prince, Chen Yu’s face was heavy with sorrow.

Before descending the mountain, he had received the news—

The three thousand soldiers who had taken the other route had been completely wiped out. Not a single survivor.

Chen Yu briefly recounted Gu Yun’s plan and their execution of it, his voice laden with grief, before delivering the devastating report to Zhang Qi.

At the news, Zhang Qi turned pale with shock and hurried off to handle the aftermath.

With the border crisis resolved, Gu Yun, having achieved her objective, wasted no time in departing. Despite Zhang Qi’s pleas for her to stay, she bid him farewell.

Ignoring his attempts to persuade her otherwise, she mounted her horse and set off toward the capital.

Under the golden hues of the setting sun, her silhouette stretched long upon the ground.

Zhang Qi rubbed his temples and let out a deep sigh.

Turning to Chen Yu, he furrowed his brows. “How do you propose we report the Consort’s achievements?”

Hearing this, Chen Yu chuckled. “How else? You misjudged the situation, leading to the loss of nearly five thousand soldiers—are you still thinking of taking credit for the Consort’s accomplishments?”

“If it weren’t for his keen instincts, do you think any of the eight thousand troops you sent would have returned?!”

“I was there for the entire battle—I know exactly what the Consort did. You’d best not try to cover up your mistakes and steal his credit.”

Zhang Qi found Chen Yu’s warning unpleasant, but he dared not retaliate.

Besides, the troops behind Chen Yu were his men—this was his territory. Zhang Qi could not afford to act recklessly.

Taking a deep breath, he resigned himself to his fate, submitting an honest report and bracing for the emperor’s judgment.

— 

A sweltering day in the capital.

Emperor Yu received the battle report, rushed to him by fast couriers.

His eyes scanned the pages swiftly, his expression unreadable.

His second son, who had harbored ambitions of rebellion—was dead.

The emotions within him were complex. Silently, he folded the report and issued an order:

Dispatch an envoy to the city gates to welcome the triumphant Seventh Consort.

The report stated that the Consort had set out for the capital without delay.

Judging by the timeline, Gu Yun should arrive within the next couple of days.

And indeed—

By the afternoon, a dust-laden Gu Yun entered the capital.

Before she had a chance to return to the Princess’s manor, imperial guards were already waiting to escort her to the palace.

Led into Ganming Hall, she bowed before Emperor Yu.

He noted the dark circles under his eyes and the red veins in them—evidence that he had rushed back without proper rest.

The emotions in his heart eased slightly.

After bestowing Gu Yun with formal praise, he slowly inquired about the events at the northwestern border.

“…Zhang Qi reported that you were the one who sensed something was amiss and anticipated that Jiang Shen would see through his arrangements, prompting you to enter the mountains overnight…” The emperor’s voice was calm, betraying no emotion. “Tell me, how did you foresee this?”

On the journey back to the capital, Gu Yun had pondered many things—this question included.

Pressing her lips together, she did not answer immediately. Instead, she posed a question of her own:

“Father, do you still remember when the Second Prince’s men kidnapped the Princess?”

Emperor Yu nodded. “Of course.”

Gu Yun continued, “At the time, the Second Prince was busy fleeing. Given his personality, he wouldn’t have thought of using the Princess to save his wife and children… Moreover, the abduction took place in the imperial garden. At that point, did the Second Prince truly have the means to snatch someone away from the palace, undetected?”

Her calm voice sent a jolt through Emperor Yu, who narrowed his eyes as he regarded the steadfast figure before him. “Are you saying that someone else was behind the attack on Jia Ning?”

“Yes and no.” Gu Yun was eager to return to the Princess’s manor, so she no longer cared how Emperor Yu might react. She spoke her suspicions plainly:

“I suspect the Second Prince was being manipulated for a long time—guided into making decisions. The incident with the Anyang Earl family, the revelation of his possession of imperial robes, and his impulsive coup attempt… all of it might have been orchestrated by someone in the shadows.”

“But their ultimate goal? I cannot yet discern.”

“I only know that this person holds great hostility toward me. So, upon learning that I was headed for the border, they likely guided the Second Prince into taking drastic measures against me…” This was why she had predicted his decision to abandon strategy and charge down the mountain.

Finally, she recalled the one who had impaled the Second Prince and did not hesitate to share this detail with Emperor Yu.

At her words, the emperor was deeply shaken. “You’re saying Jiang Shen was actually killed by someone at his side?!”

When Gu Yun confirmed it, Emperor Yu felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.

He waved her away. “Enough. I understand. You may go—Jia Ning is waiting for you at the manor.”

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