24 The Imperial Decree Arrives

Hua Tianyou snatched it away in one swift motion.

"What are you doing?" Zhao Zun, flustered and glaring at Hua Tianyou, stood up, ready to grab it back.

Han Lei, panicked, blurted out, "Hey! Give it back! That is a token of love I gave to the Prince."

As soon as these words were uttered, both Hua Tianyou and Zhao Zun froze as if struck by a paralysis spell. Two pairs of eyes locked onto Han Lei.

Han Lei was oblivious to their reactions. She had spent a small fortune on this Omega watch. Snatching her watch was tantamount to stealing her money.

How could she stand for that?

Ignoring the need to act like a lady and forgetting all about the social boundaries between men and women, she huffed as she rounded the table and snatched the watch back.

She shot Hua Tianyou a glare before turning to Zhao Zun, taking his hand, and fastening the watch around his wrist. She continued to hold his hand, admiring her own choice, thinking how well the watch suited his large, strong hand.

The entire sequence of actions was fluid and natural.

Han Lei felt nothing improper about her behavior, but it left the two ancient men standing before her utterly stunned.

"Is she always this bold?" Hua Tianyou muttered to himself. He suddenly felt that all the advice he had been giving Zhao Zun earlier was complete nonsense.

"You said this was a token of love for me?" Zhao Zun asked, his heart racing, letting Han Lei hold his hand as he sought confirmation.

"Yes! I picked it out for a long time!"

"It’s beautiful." Zhao Zun felt as if he were floating on air, and he couldn't help but look at Hua Tianyou with a smug, gloating expression.

He, too, decided that Hua Tianyou’s so-called expert advice was rubbish. Look, what did he tell him? She was simply different from all those other noble ladies.

"Hmph! What’s so special about it?" Hua Tianyou, feeling defeated, rolled his eyes and walked away.

Having received a clear answer, Zhao Zun cast aside Hua Tianyou’s useless guidance and decided to stick to his own tactics, immediately adopting a more intimate form of address to take things further.

"Little one, what is this used for?" Zhao Zun asked, gripping Han Lei’s small hand and pulling her down to sit beside him.

It was a strange turn of events. When Han Lei had arrived, she had been at the door, bracing herself with all sorts of mental preparation, feeling nervous and shy. But after the commotion Hua Tianyou caused, those awkward, strange feelings had miraculously vanished. She found herself sitting right next to Zhao Zun, moving naturally with his lead.

"Your Highness, this is called a wristwatch."

"Don't call me 'Your Highness' anymore. Call me by my name," Zhao Zun pressed on, continuing his aggressive pursuit.

"Hmm?" Han Lei seemed a bit slow to react.

"It’s more intimate that way." Zhao Zun couldn't bear to let go of her hand, his eyes gradually filling with indulgence.

"Uh... alright!" Han Lei finally caught on, but she had no desire to let go of this happiness. With a blushing face, she let him hold her hand as she explained, "This is a watch. You wear it on your wrist to tell time. It also has a compass, so you can check your direction..."

The charcoal in the brazier crackled, and the warmth between Zhao Zun and Han Lei grew steadily along with it.

***

On the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, all matters in Yongan City had been resolved. Just as Zhao Zun and his party were preparing to return to Ling'an City, Cao Xiong arrived with a squad of Imperial Guards and an imperial decree.

As soon as the decree was read, Zhao Zun, who had been kneeling to receive it, stood up and nearly got into a brawl with Cao Xiong, saved only by Hua Tianyou, who pulled him back just in time.

Han Lei was in the tent packing her luggage when she saw Hua Tianyou shoving Zhao Zun inside.

"Get in there! What madness has taken hold of you?"

Hua Tianyou frowned as he forcibly pushed Zhao Zun into the tent. Zhao Zun was still looking back, cursing under his breath.

"Damn it! Did you see that look of smug triumph on his face? They are all a bunch of backstabbing bastards who discard the millstone once the grain is ground."

Han Lei felt a jolt of alarm. She dropped the clothes in her hands and hurried over.

"What happened?" she asked, helping Hua Tianyou usher Zhao Zun further inside.

Zhao Zun’s eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaving violently. He was clearly furious. She had never seen him like this before. Even when they were ambushed, Zhao Zun had remained cold and calm. Who on earth had provoked him to this extent?

"Sit down first," Hua Tianyou said, pushing Zhao Zun onto a stool and pressing his shoulders to keep him from standing up again. Han Lei rushed to pour two bowls of water and handed them over.

Seeing Han Lei standing before him, Zhao Zun took the water and his rage began to subside slightly.

"You look like you're ready to pick a fight with someone. What exactly happened?" Han Lei asked softly.

Zhao Zun was still breathing heavily, unable to answer.

"The imperial court has sent a new marshal to take over Zhao Zun's position," Hua Tianyou said, seeing no reason to hide the truth from the woman Zhao Zun had already chosen as his princess. "In other words, Zhao Zun’s military authority has been revoked and handed over to this new man, Cao Xiong."

"Why would they do that?"

Han Lei was stunned. Hadn't Zhao Zun won both times the Turks invaded? To win such a great victory only to have his power stripped away—no wonder Zhao Zun was boiling with rage.

"Sigh!" Hua Tianyou, shedding his usual playboy demeanor, frowned and sighed, feeling it was deeply unjust for his close friend. "Because Zhao Zun has guarded the Northern Pass for years, his reputation has spread far and wide. The court is now rife with rumors that Zhao Zun’s military successes have made him arrogant, and that he is harboring ambitions to build his own power base."

"Rumors? And the Emperor believes them? But Zhao Zun hasn't done any of that! Isn't this just a trumped-up charge? That Emperor must be truly incompetent!"

Hearing Han Lei criticize the Emperor so recklessly, Zhao Zun quickly tugged at her sleeve.

Han Lei turned to look at him, reaching out to take his hand, as if trying to transfer her strength to him and comfort him.

"Actually, the court has long intended to do this," Zhao Zun said, his anger gradually fading. He patted the back of Han Lei’s hand, signaling he was alright. "The Emperor is suspicious by nature. In the four years since he ascended the throne, he has done nothing but replace the old officials from the late Emperor's era with his own loyalists. The marshals of the Eastern and Southern Passes were replaced long ago. Because of the constant warfare here, I was too busy fighting to be replaced, but the decree naming me Prince Xiaoyao arrived months ago. My replacement was only a matter of time."

"If you knew this day would come, why are you so angry?"

"I'm angry because the Emperor is too impatient and doesn't trust me at all. To revoke my military command the moment the Turks retreated—isn't that just discarding the millstone once the grain is ground?" Zhao Zun smiled self-deprecatingly. "The Northern Pass belongs to the court; I was merely guarding it on their behalf. Whether they take back the command is irrelevant, but they have branded me with the label of 'harboring ambitions.' How can I endure that? It is equivalent to accusing me of treason."

"Exactly!" Hua Tianyou added indignantly. "You didn't see the look on that villain Cao Xiong's face earlier. It was infuriating. How can they have the heart to treat such a decorated hero this way?"

Zhao Zun had been on the front lines, risking his life, while the Emperor and a bunch of sycophantic officials who only knew how to wag their tongues were playing the backstabbers behind his back. How could anyone not feel chilled by that?

As a soldier herself, Han Lei could naturally empathize with Zhao Zun's predicament.