Linglong's irritability left her no energy to acknowledge Danchi's complaints. She wandered further along the city wall, craving solitude where she could savor memories of his kindness without confronting visions of him with other women. Perhaps it was a girl's natural instinct to want exclusivity that made this adjustment so difficult.

Ma Xiaowei embodied princess-like diligence and effort. Being with her gave me royal sensations most men never experience - divine pleasures few can enjoy daily. When she raised her chin to kiss me, I recognized the impending intimacy in her closed lips and fled, dragging up my pants as I ran. Her behind me puzzled me; how could a woman find such things appealing? Yet this man would never be exclusively hers, so she chose to be better to him - hoping his memories of her gentleness might bring brief companionship.

The rain intensified against the afternoon's drizzle. Someone had definitely made noise outside my window just now, but Ma Xiaowei forbade me from investigating. Examining muddy footprints beneath the window revealed they matched Linglong's tiny steps perfectly.

It must have been her - watching our affectionate moments with distaste perhaps? While Ma Xiaowei deliberately flaunted my presence despite sensing Linglong nearby, why couldn't these women coexist peacefully like Earthly wives? Why did this world allow polygamy yet forbid female solidarity?

Following the trail, I wasn't worried about Linglong's martial arts skills protecting her. My concern was her potential impulsiveness - an urge to jump from the city wall perhaps? Fortunately Ma Xiaowei wasn't here; otherwise this situation would become even more complicated.

"Hey Minister Zhao, where are you rushing off to?" Danchi approached with a strained smile.

I glanced sideways, "Are you trying to pretend strength you don't have?"

His anger flared, "Minister Zhao, I was about to report that your soldiers without provocation attacked me - clear evidence of personal vendetta and orchestrated violence. This matter will reach the emperor!"

They must have had a reason for attacking Danchi...

"Danchi Commander, accusing officials is serious business. Shouldn't we consult Prince Jia first? After all, you need to identify your attackers before leveling these accusations. Could it be you committed some wrongdoing which now makes you the accuser?"

Danchi would already have evidence if he had any," They vanished after the attack... but my injuries are real! Given your close relationship with the prince, wouldn't he naturally favor you? But don't celebrate too soon - I'll settle old scores and new!"

Did Danchi know something about me that made his threats so bold? Killing him to cover secrets might become problematic in front of Ma Da. Best leave it for now while seeking Linglong.

A small figure sat atop the city wall parapet gazing downward. My heart skipped - could she be contemplating suicide? I sprinted forward ready to restrain her...

Linglong sensed movement and reacted instantly, kicking backward with a sudden leap that caught me off guard. Trying to prevent her fall from the wall, my counter-jump left no room for defense as she struck my face. Grabbing both her legs in mid-air, we tumbled together down the embankment.

Damned superpowers refused activation at this crucial moment! My body's resilience would save us from the fall but Linglong's slight frame couldn't endure it - so I braced myself with my back to cushion her impact.

The splash threw up a cloud of mud. Disoriented, she misidentified me and struck out in anger as we rolled through the sludge together...

"Stop! It's Zhao Qian!"

Linglong stilled abruptly, "You... you were supposed to be with Xiaowei! Why did you sneak up on me like this?"

Releasing her, I asked, "Did you peek outside just now?"

She averted her mud-streaked face stubbornly, "Doing such things in daylight? How improper!"

I soothed her, "Apologies - next time we'll wait until night."

Her anger flared anew, "It's not that! Why must she go first when I met you first? The injustice is unbearable!"

Wiping mud from her face, I promised, "We haven't actually consummated our union yet. Xiaowei is still..."

Ling Iong gasped excitedly, revealing parents knew about us already...

We sprinted to a nearby swollen river, plunging into the current for purification.

She surprised me with unexpected diving skills - perhaps learned from Yun Yao? Need to remind her about privacy precautions against potential peeping Toms...

Her fingers found my ankle underwater then climbed my thigh up toward my waist. Her small hands unfastened my pants under water...

Linglong mimicked Xiaowei's earlier intimacy in the river, surprising herself with this boldness she wouldn't dare show on land. The first time touching a man's arousal was both awkward and calming - if this would anchor our bond...

Her underwater endurance exceeded expectations - over twenty minutes! Eventually surfacing shyly after her aquatic performance...

We found each other again later as Linglong's fingers gently brushed my cheek, the storm still raging above but our journey must continue...

Danchi was determined to cut off all possibilities of Linglong backing out later. He had already convinced himself that his green hat was firmly on, especially after the fifteenth princess had played her flute for that man. It would be strange if he didn't take advantage of such an opportunity. Even without exposing the man, he needed to destroy the fifteenth princess first—this unfaithful woman had brought shame upon the Dan family and deserved punishment.

Mada's face turned ashen. He knew that whether it was Prime Minister Pang or other officials, no one would dare make wild accusations about such serious matters unless there was truth behind them—the princess’s behavior outside court must have truly gone awry. Thinking back to how Ma Xiaoda had twice refused the marriage proposal to the Dan in front of him, and recalling their secluded time together among troops two times previously, combined with his daughter's body type bearing striking resemblance to those foreign beauties... With that man's notorious reputation, there was no telling what might have happened.

At this moment Red Prince stepped forward again: "Your Majesty, the Prince heard rumors that Zhao Qian is merely an outsider. Now his influence in the military grows unchecked with his confidants spread throughout its ranks. He dares to commit such disgrace against the fifteenth princess despite royal dignity through sheer power. Your Majesty cannot ignore this. The fifteenth princess has always been of noble character, so it must be that Zhao Qian used force. Severe punishment is necessary to uphold imperial honor."

Mada's voice trembled slightly but retained regal authority: "The matter is already clear in the Emperor's mind. With them at the front lines you mustn't discuss this further lest it shake troop morale. But if outsiders learn of this, I'll cut off your heads!"

The more sternly Mada spoke, the more evident his concern became. Red Prince and Dan Prince exchanged satisfied glances. Dan Prince nodded to his son toward the ground. Danchi immediately knelt down: "His Majesty is enlightened! The subject believes Your Majesty will surely see justice done. Also there's an odd matter I'm uncertain if it should be mentioned..."

Mada said: "Speak!"

Danchi continued: "Your Majesty, while serving at the front lines I heard some strange rumors about General Zhang Guan's death appearing suspicious. Moreover all his imperial guards disappeared without a trace, making his demise even more enigmatic. Of course I dare not speculate recklessly, but only wish to share what I saw and heard for Your Majesty—after all, given the young Crown Prince's inexperience, certain things might remain unclear."

Mada had grown increasingly irritable. He waved dismissively: "I understand. Don't pursue matters without evidence or you'll risk discord among court ministers. However your thoughtfulness deserves commendation."

Danchi bowed humbly: "As a royal family member it is my duty to ease Your Majesty's burdens. Sire, as the old saying goes 'a snake swallowing an elephant': I beg His Majesty to remain vigilant against scheming villains. The subject shall serve with utmost loyalty until death..."

Red Prince kept observing Mada's expression, knowing now was time to conclude their discussion—further remarks would only backfire. Glancing up he spotted something colorful on the table: "Sire, may I ask what this item is?"

Upon hearing Red Prince diverting attention as planned, Danchi knew it was time to stop speaking and quietly stepped aside. Mada had just grown more annoyed when he casually replied, "It's a map—the Twin Star Continent map drawn by Minister Zhao for me."

Red Prince said: "Minister Zhao certainly shows devotion! Might Your Majesty allow the Prince to examine it closely?"

Mada responded: "Why not? You're reliable family members. This map is extremely detailed—armies would never need fear getting lost or losing geographic advantages in battle with this at their disposal. It even includes terrain details of Jin Kingdom and Wanma Kingdom."

Red Prince and Dan Prince leaned forward to study the map. Indeed, every stream and road was precisely marked down to small towns and cities. Some mysterious lines were annotated by Mada as contour lines representing elevation: "Minister Zhao explained these represent altitude levels. I plan to have the military department duplicate several copies for high-ranking commanders. This truly is a remarkable treasure map."

Red Prince echoed: "Indeed, Majesty! The Prince wishes to relieve Your Majesty's burdens further—may I request additional time with this map to discover potential weaknesses in Wanma Kingdom terrain and preemptively guard against Jin Kingdom invasions?"

Mada said: "I have an extra copy you may take. If everyone served as diligently as you do, the bandits and Jin troops would never dare target our Twin Cities."

Red Prince's eyes briefly gleamed with excitement—such comprehensive maps had never existed before in Twin Cities, not to mention including vast unexplored territories along with critical military routes.

Mada's spirits remained low but he didn't want to prolong his audience. Nor did the four men wish to stay any longer than necessary. With a final farewell Red Prince departed clutching the map, his heart thrilled yet harboring a more important seed of suspicion now planted in Mada's mind. Although no verdict had been passed on their allegations, based on past punishments for palace adultery, this matter would not simply vanish.

In subsequent days court received consecutive victories—Feying Prefecture and Baitong County, Huanglong County all reclaimed! Only three Feying counties remained before fully expelling the bandits from Twin Cities. This news sparked nationwide celebration as repeated triumphs rapidly increased equine numbers in the cavalry camp, strengthening its power.

Yet amidst the jubilation arose discordant voices. First was Grand Chancellor Pang representing Zhang Shouren questioning General Zhang Guan's mysterious death—after all not a single close soldier had returned. Originally dismissed as coincidence, new suspicions emerged after receiving anonymous warnings prompting deeper investigation.

Additionally, continuous petitions accused Eastern Workshop of autocracy and the Hujia Department overexpanding its influence. Though one voice might be ignored, repeated mentions at court forced Mada to feign illness and suspend early morning audiences.

But matters didn't end there as Grand Chancellor Pang proposed establishing a Western Workshop primarily overseeing Eastern Workshop operations through personnel from various departments and the Inspection Bureau. After much deliberation, Mada approved but limited it strictly to civilian oversight without military forces—direct reports only to him. The chief investigator was assigned to Liang Duo of Pang's faction.

From Mada's perspective this remained his balancing strategy. Once upon time Pang Hu had been a counterweight against the Prime Minister faction but lost control due to lax supervision. Now facing new rising powers, persistent court whispers eroded his resolve. Another reason—the Eastern Workshop aside from high-ranking officials consisted mostly of newly promoted junior staff who might become arrogant.

Regarding Hujia Department's continued recruitment he made no response. His plan required leveraging them against the Imperial Guards—suppressing their growth now would leave military authority still in others' hands, preventing him from securing his son's reign.

Frontline victories eliminated public anxiety, restoring previous court infighting. Decisions like establishing Western Workshop proved this as political tensions resumed with Lake Yang's post-war recovery and increased tributes from other prefectures to the Ministry of Revenue gradually reviving imperial strength. Even those disheartened about politics began regaining interest.

One night rain fell softly when a loud horn shattered Twin Cities' slumber, followed by Eastern Workshop operatives bursting through inner city gates delivering an urgent letter to the emperor's study. Though no one dared disturb Mada himself at rest, horns echoing in Middle City awakened him anyway.

"What happened outside? Making such ruckus this late—who still needs sleep?"

Mada dressed and left his empress. The eunuch on duty replied: "Your Majesty please calm down. From what I know these are the Eastern Workshop's nighttime contact horns—daytime they use smoke signals. There was an urgent report just now, but I saw Your Majesty resting so didn't disturb."

Such a disturbance couldn't be trivial. Mada immediately ordered someone to retrieve the emergency letter from his study. Upon opening it he paled—it revealed approximately 10,000 bandits bypassing borders and cities to reach within 100 li of Twin Cities.

Mada stammered in disbelief: "This...this is possible? We have four regiments at Southern Border—why would these bandits appear here? What were those soldiers doing?"

The eunich didn't understand the crisis but remained silent. Mada commanded: "Summon Grand Chancellor Pang and Minister of Military Affairs plus all Guards Commanders to my study immediately!"

Normally inner city gates wouldn't open past curfew, yet with imperial orders they arrived at the study. Hearing horns they recognized their meaning too late—Pang Hu had planned to accuse Eastern Workshop for disturbing rest but upon hearing 10,000 bandits approaching town he paled more than news of 30,000 Red Turban soldiers.

Bandit ferocity surpassed Red Turbans tenfold. Historical records showed they could match ten Twin Cities troops each. Though Twin Cities had 100,000 Imperial Guards, Pang Hu doubted victory in this defense battle either.

After reading the emergency report everyone initially disbelieved it and blamed Eastern Workshop for spreading rumors to destabilize morale. But a second report soon arrived—bandit vanguard had already surrounded Hujia Department's exit aiming to block reinforcements.

With two confirmations panic erupted: "Sire, what should we do? How could border forces let so many bandits cross our defenses? This is grave negligence. We suspect collusion between frontier troops and bandits!"

Mada's expression darkened: "What?! You're accusing my son of colluding with bandits?"

Faces paled across the room—having forgotten this time it was actually Crown Prince Ma Xiaoda leading forces. Their attempt to pin blame accidentally struck Mada.

"Sire, we mean no disrespect! Perhaps the Crown Prince remained unaware..."

Mada said: "I don't want mutual suspicions during critical times. I summoned you all tonight seeking a strategy to repel these bandits."

Gu Qi of Rear Guards Commanders proposed: "Sire, these bandits must have gone to great lengths to bypass our frontline troops. But how did they navigate through multiple fortified cities? Stealthily traversing mountain paths without local guides is impossible. The immediate step should be notifying Crown Prince and Minister Zhao at the front lines immediately."

Mada agreed: "Right! They do have those flying ships for instant travel—send urgent messages to them right away!"

Grand Chancellor Pang argued: "Sire, it's too late now. Bandits will likely gather at city gates by tomorrow morning. We cannot afford delaying reinforcements or disrupting border defense plans. My suggestion is relying solely on the Imperial Guards."

Mada nodded: "The Grand Chancellor speaks wisely. With 100,000 Imperial Guards we should not fear bandits! After all, we have strong walls and high city gates. Can those bandits actually breach our inner city?"

His words reassured everyone who also doubted if victory was possible without Zhao Qian. This time 10,000 versus 100,000—surely they wouldn't let the enemy take another advantage.

The priority became ordering Outer City Imperial Guards to seal all four gates absolutely preventing any bandit entry. Actual defensive strategies required royal decision-making which Mada lacked. He turned back to ministers for debate lasting until dawn as no consensus emerged about facing cavalry enemies.

Throughout Gu Qi repeatedly advised strict defense—avoiding direct confrontations would force the enemy into retreat eventually. With zero experience against mounted troops and inferior weaponry, fortification was optimal strategy.

Yet his suggestions were drowned out by loud voices claiming national prestige demanded a counterattack to show Twin Stars didn't need Hujia Department's help.

At cockcrow morning arrived with no resolution. Then emergency reports from Imperial Guards revealed bandits had already surrounded the city overnight, besieging all four gates while constantly firing arrows and taunting for battle.

Mada and his ministers skipped court instead ascending West Tower to observe enemy forces—rows of sturdy warhorses patrolling outside while thousands galloped together raising choking dust clouds with terrifying momentum.

Military Minister Bai Song, though a general, had never seen such sights. When Mada asked for advice he stammered nervously before falling silent. Pang Hu suggested: "Sire, old subject recommends Zhang Guards Commander to lead the defense!"

Though suspicions existed about Zhang Shouren's son's death without evidence, his hatred toward bandits remained fierce: "Your Majesty! I volunteer to fight these arrogant raiders—these bandits must be made to flee in defeat!"

Mada cheered up: "Good! Zhang Guards Commander is steady. I'll give you 20,000 Imperial Guards—you must repel thousands of Western Gate bandits lest Twin Cities lose face."

Zhang Shouren accepted command despite lacking battle plans—knowing defeating bandit horses first was key with enough numbers to cut down ten riders per horse.

Inside Feying Prefecture I never expected Governor Wu Rong to have spent half a year fighting guerilla warfare in the mountains. Initially thinking him greedy, he proved himself a national hero.

"Brother Zhao Qian! I knew you'd succeed. Now you stand at the pinnacle of court power—second only to His Majesty!" Governor Wu warmly said during my visit.

I replied: "Governor Wu, please don't flatter me. Early delays due to Lake Yang rebels delayed our campaign otherwise we would have freed Feying earlier."

Our friendship wasn't just through my father-in-law Niang's connections—this man was trustworthy and loyal, even risking conflict with Grand Chancellor Pang's son Cai Deng over defending me. Though eventually resolved through Pang's desire for alliance, Wu had genuinely helped at the time.

After drinking until midnight we parted ways as bandit resistance weakened daily. With reinforcements from Lake Yang, five-shot rifles armed large portions of troops while bandit iron-clad cavalry dwindled rapidly—Jin Kingdom couldn't produce enough armor quickly. Without protection their horses were easy targets often destroyed in single volleys without siege weapons.

Plus timely airship support made the four flying ships function like bombers, decimating enemy ranks with each sortie. Meanwhile cavalry units improved greatly—though still inferior to opponents one-on-one, they excelled at exploiting post-battle weaknesses and chasing retreating enemies after infantry and artillery strikes. Under combined pressure bandits faced inevitable defeat.

Drunk half-conscious when telephone ringing woke me up. Naturally I ignored it while Hua Qingqing lazily answered in our private quarters without checking the number.

"Qingqing sister! Where's your husband? He needs to pick up immediately!" Zhou Ni sounded urgently.

Hua Qingqing's mind cleared halfway: "What happened? He's right here next to me. Speak!"

She shoved me awake while I was still dressing, Zhou Ni explaining: "Why did so many bandits suddenly appear outside Twin Cities? They're occupying positions at incredible speed!"

My alcohol instantly sobered: "This can't be possible! Those bandits were clearly in the south. How could such large forces remain undetected?"

Zhou Ni added: "Husband, do you think I'm joking? The report came through Aogou who already sounded horns at Middle City Eastern Workshop. By now it should have reached the Emperor's desk!"

Half-dressed Hua Qingqing said: "Let's go check immediately—we can't believe they flew here either."

Probably Zhou Ni saw Yun Yao on camera and exclaimed: "All three of you...?"

I replied: "Yes, we're sharing one bed right now."

Zhou Ni chuckled: "Didn't expect Qingqing sister would finally give in!"

Hua Qing

```

Ma Xiaoda said, "It sounds feasible the way you explain it. But what if Guqi doesn't volunteer for the assignment himself? Someone else might claim the credit instead."

I replied, "We'll need to nudge him gently. I think entrusting this mission to Ma Xiaorui would be best. Just give her some guidance first and send her to talk with Guqi. With that silver tongue of hers, she can certainly persuade him into playing his part in our plan."

Ma Xiaoda's expression turned anxious, "But are you sure the Imperial Guards can actually handle those bandits? If they get defeated instead of repelling the enemy, it could give others a chance to grab leverage over us. That would mean losing our only influence within the Imperial Guard entirely."

I said, "We can have the East Factory and Yuma Office provide covert support. We absolutely need to gain control of those ten thousand guardsmen. Otherwise our position will grow weaker by the day."