Chapter 138 -
The snow whipped against their faces as Wenzhe’s giant black stallion tore through the winter path, kicking up powdery white clouds behind them.
Instead of putting her in a carriage, Wenzhe had unceremoniously lifted Yueqing up and thrown her right onto the high saddle in front of him. His massive arm was locked like an iron band around her waist, pinning her securely against his chest while his other hand gripped the reins, guiding the powerful beast at a furious pace.
Behind them, Lu Yue rode hard to keep up, her eyes wide as she watched her mistress wriggle and yell the entire way back.
"Put me down, you overbearing brute!" Yueqing screamed over the rushing wind, pounding her small fists repeatedly against Wenzhe’s hard forearm. "I can ride my own horse! I have legs! You have zero manners! You are an arrogant, selfish, overgrown block of wood!"
Wenzhe didn’t say a single word. His jaw was clenched so tight the muscles twitched, his dark eyes fixed dead ahead on the camp gates.
[System Nine, hit him with a lightning bolt!] Yueqing shrieked in her mind, her internal persona throwing a full-blown temper tantrum on the floor. [He dragged me out of a warm teahouse, ruined my snack tour, ignored the Third Prince, and now he’s kidnapping me on a giant horse like some mountain bandit!]
[System 009: Request denied. Lightning strikes require 2,000 Villain Points. You currently possess 850. Also, Target Wenzhe’s grip strength is currently at 120%. Escaping is physically impossible.]
[I HATE THIS NOVEL!] Yueqing fumed, kicking her feet uselessly against the horse’s flank.
By the time the black stallion galloped through the main army gates, half the camp stopped to watch. Soldiers froze mid-step, watching in stunned silence as their fearsome General rode in with his furious, screaming wife tucked under his arm.
Wenzhe pulled the stallion to a sharp halt right in front of his main tent.
Without waiting a single second, Wenzhe swung his long leg over the saddle and dismounted in one fluid, powerful motion. He hit the snow with a heavy thud, adjusted his black cloak... and immediately turned his back, stroking furiously toward the command tent without even looking at her.
Yueqing blinked, left sitting completely alone atop the massive, towering stallion.
The horse shifted its weight, huffing a cloud of hot air from its nostrils. High up on the high saddle, her feet hung nowhere near the stirrups or the ground.
"Hey!" Yueqing gasped, her wide eyes watching his retreating back in absolute, jaw-dropping disbelief. "HELLOOOO?! You left me up here! Wenzhe! Come back here and get me down!"
Wenzhe didn’t even slow his pace. He yanked the thick cloth flap of the command tent open and stepped inside, letting it drop shut behind him with a heavy, final thud.
"YOU UNGENTLEMANLY BLOCK OF WOOD!" Yueqing screamed at the top of her lungs, flailing her arms. "I HOPE YOUR TEA IS BITTER FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!"
A second later, the sound of galloping hooves slowed nearby as Lu Yue pulled up beside the black stallion. She quickly swung off her mount, looking up at her mistress with deep sympathy and a hint of a amused smile.
"Young Madam!" Lu Yue called out, holding her arms up to steady the high horse. "Hold on, I’ve got you. Carefully slide down."
Yueqing huffed, holding onto the leather saddle for dear life as Lu Yue helped guide her safely back down to the ground.
The second her boots hit the snow, Yueqing smoothed down her wrinkled cloak, her face burning red from both the freezing cold and absolute, boiling rage.
"Did you see that, Lu Yue?!" Yueqing huffed loudly, brushing her messy hair out of her face. "He leaves me stranded on a monster horse! He really has no brains! None at all!"
"I saw, Young Madam," Lu Yue said smoothly, holding back a chuckle as she adjusted Yueqing’s hood. "The General seems... extraordinarily jealous today."
"Jealous?!" Yueqing scoffed, folding her arms tight. "He isn’t jealous! He’s just an arrogant bully!"
[System Nine!] she declared internally, her eyes narrowing into sharp, dangerous slits as she stared right at the closed command tent door. [I am going in there, and I am going to make that man regret the day he was born!]
[System 009: Warning: Target Wenzhe’s current emotional state is extremely volatile. Entering now may result in intense arguing... or severe kissing. Proceed with caution.]
[BRING IT ON!] Yueqing marched straight toward the tent flap like a tiny, terrifying storm.
Yueqing pushed the heavy tent flap aside with a loud, dramatic SWISH, her face flushed red with rage, ready to scream at the top of her lungs.
"WENZHE, YOU UNGRATEFUL, OVERBEARING—"
The words froze instantly in her throat.
Inside the vast command tent, it wasn’t just Wenzhe. Standing around a massive wooden table covered in detailed maps, battle flags, and military scrolls were at least a dozen senior generals and high-ranking army officers. The room had been in the middle of an intense, silent war strategy session for tomorrow’s big battle.
At her loud entrance, all twenty-four eyes in the room instantly snapped directly to the doorway. Dead, suffocating silence fell over the tent.
Yueqing’s jaw stayed open, her heart dropping straight into her boots.
[Oh my god... System Nine, open a hole in the ground and let me fall into the earth right now,] her inner voice whimpered in absolute, mortal agony, her internal persona slapping both hands over its face and sliding to the floor. [WHY ARE THERE SO MANY PEOPLE HERE?!]
[System 009: Assessment: Host’s dramatic entrance effectivity: 0%. Host’s embarrassment level: 10,000%. Furthermore, current Host appearance scan complete... You look extremely non-threatening.]
She really did. Because of the freezing northern weather, Yueqing was bundled up from head to toe. She was wearing a giant, oversized white fur coat that made her look like a fluffy little snow bear. Over her head was a plush, padded hood with soft ties knotted under her chin, framing her round, pink cheeks, and her hands were tucked into giant, fuzzy mittens.
To a room full of hardened, battle-scarred war generals, she didn’t look like a terrifying, vengeful wife at all. She looked like an absolute cutie patootie.
A few of the older generals blinked, their stern expressions softening as they tried and miserably failed to hide their amused smiles.
Yueqing’s face burned so hot she thought her hood might catch fire. Squeaking softly, she took a tiny step backward, fully intent on turning around and sprinting back into the snow.
"Ah... wrong tent," Yueqing squeaked out, her voice tiny.
She spun around to escape, but before her boots could even clear the threshold, Wenzhe’s deep, commanding voice rang out from the head of the table.
"Dong Li."
Wenzhe didn’t even look up from the battle map, but he gave a subtle, sharp flick of his fingers.
Dong Li, who was standing near the entrance, let out a silent, pained sigh. He really didn’t want to get involved in the General and Young Madam’s domestic war—he valued his life! But orders were orders. Dong Li quickly stepped sideways, his broad shoulders blocking the exit completely. He bowed his head respectfully to Yueqing.
"Young Madam," Dong Li whispered, looking deeply apologetic. "Please... don’t make this harder for me."
Yueqing glared at him, puffing out her cheeks and leaning in close to whisper furiously back. "Dong Li! Out of my way! Let me leave right now or I’m putting extra vinegar in your food too!"
"I’m sorry, Young Madam," Dong Li whispered back desperately, sweating bullets under her fierce, fluffy gaze. "The General’s orders. If I let you leave, he’ll make me run fifty miles in the snow with heavy armor."
"He won’t know! Just step to the left!" she hissed softly, waving her giant fuzzy mitten at him. "Move!"
"I can hear you both," Wenzhe’s cold, flat voice cut through their quiet argument.
Yueqing froze. She slowly turned her head.
Wenzhe was looking at her now. The intense anger from the teahouse was still simmering under his dark eyes, but seeing her bundled up like a fluffy ball of snow in his serious command tent made his jaw relax just a fraction.
"Sit," Wenzhe commanded softly, pointing a single finger toward a large, heavy wooden supply chest resting against the side wall of the tent.
Yueqing stomped her foot in her soft winter boots, but seeing all the high-ranking officers staring at her with quiet chuckles, she knew she had lost this battle. She huffed loudly, crossing her fuzzy mitten-covered arms, and marched over to the heavy wooden chest.
She plunked herself down right on top of it, pulling her knees up slightly and tucking her fluffy coat around her legs.
[This is kidnapping!] her mind fumed, her inner persona crossing its arms and pouting in a corner. [He’s holding me hostage in a war room! Just wait until these generals leave, Wenzhe! I am going to bite you!]
[System 009: Recommendation: Host should act natural. Pretend you are an elite military advisor.]
[Shut up, Nine! I don’t even know what those drawings on the table mean!]
Wenzhe turned his attention back to the strategy map, his voice deep and stern as he resumed speaking to his commanders. "As I was saying... the enemy’s left flank will push through the valley at dawn. We will divide the cavalry into three squads..."
The generals quickly fell back into serious discussion, nodding and pointing at the map.
From her little wooden chest in the corner, Yueqing rested her chin on her fuzzy mittens, her wide, bright eyes blinking as she watched them talk. They were shouting out military terms, troop numbers, terrain names, and tactical formations things she barely understood a single word of.
As the loud, deep voices filled the warm tent, Yueqing sat there looking like a tiny, grumpy snow princess, her gaze constantly drifting back to Wenzhe’s sharp, handsome side profile as he commanded the room.