The Princess Is On Top (GL) - Chapter 10

After suffering a loss once, their following operations were naturally carried out with the utmost caution.

Because siege warfare made it difficult for the Black Armor Battalion to bring out its advantages, after staying there for a month, they were transferred back to Huoliaoyuan to rendezvous with the Eastern Route Army. After the Su family army’s numbers gradually grew, it was divided into eastern and western routes to attack Wu. The Western Route Army was led by He Yan, who had followed Su Qian for many years, while the Eastern Route Army was personally led by Su Qian.

Su Luoyang left together with the Black Armor Battalion.

On the day she left, Xiao Le tried to see her off from afar, but unfortunately, she never managed to find the figure that belonged to Su Luoyang.

Xiao Le herself did not know why she cared so much about someone she was not particularly familiar with. Perhaps it was because of that bottle of medicine.

After the Black Armor Battalion left, the war began to heat up.

Both sides launched several probing attacks. Through battle after battle, Xiao Le rapidly grew, like a rising star. After the Western Route Army had been stalled in Youzhou for nearly a year, it finally seized this naturally fortified land. The Wu army was routed and had no choice but to retreat and defend Taiyuan.

The news seemed to grow wings, swiftly spreading in all directions. Among the common people, there were even rumors that the person who had offered the brilliant strategy to break through Youzhou was actually a newly promoted commandant.

And at this moment, the protagonist of these rumors was currently drilling her soldiers on the training ground.

Under Xiao Le’s leadership, everyone in her wu had also been promoted to varying degrees. Now Xiao Le held the rank of commandant and could command two thousand men, while Xiao Kai and Du Fei were the two chiliarchs appointed under her. Liu Yu, meanwhile, served as a centurion under Du Fei. The others were assigned according to ability and merit; even the lowest among them was now a squad leader. As for their original squad leader, Xue Li, he had fallen a step behind and was now a centurion under Xiao Kai.

“Commandant Xiao, the marshal has arranged a welcoming banquet for the Commandery Princess of Luoyang and asks the commandant to attend.”

A soldier came to relay the message.

Hearing Su Luoyang’s name, Xiao Le froze slightly before coming back to herself and asking in confusion, “This kind of welcoming banquet… isn’t it usually only for those at the general rank and above?”

“The marshal specially approved it. He said the commandant rendered great merit in the capture of Youzhou, and the Commandery Princess and the others have also come to reward the army, so this can be considered a commendation for the commandant… Commandant, shall we go?”

Xiao Le looked at the sky, gave a few instructions to Du Fei and Xiao Kai, and only then followed the messenger away.

When they reached the tent, Xiao Le suddenly felt a little nervous. She stopped and straightened her collar and her hair.

“Commandant Xiao?”

“…Um… I don’t look discourteous like this, do I…”

The messenger could not help laughing, thinking Xiao Le was young and inexperienced, and so was a little nervous.

“The commandant is a young talent. How could you possibly be discourteous?”

How could he know that Xiao Le had not seen Su Luoyang in a long time and was afraid of leaving a bad impression on her? After all, the last time they met, she had been disheveled and covered in grime, and that had been weighing on her mind ever since. Would a flower of the motherland raised in modern times be nervous about this sort of thing? Even if the emperor stood in front of her, she would not feel the slightest fear.

“Marshal, Commandant Xiao has arrived.” The messenger led Xiao Le inside, then withdrew.

In truth, the moment Xiao Le entered the tent, she saw Su Luoyang. This time, Su Luoyang was not wearing military attire. She had come on Su Qian’s behalf to reward the army, so she wore palace dress that suited her status as a commandery princess, solemn and dignified. With this different outfit, Xiao Le felt that Su Luoyang had lost a bit of her martial firmness and gained an air of noble splendor.

“Greetings, Marshal.” Xiao Le held her helmet in her left hand and saluted properly.

“Hahahaha, no need for so much ceremony. Xiao Le, you rendered outstanding merit in taking Youzhou this time. His Highness specially sent the Commandery Princess and Staff Officer Qi to reward the troops. Quickly, pay your respects to them.” He Yan valued talent, and seeing her made him appear extremely pleased.

Xiao Le shifted slightly to the side and repeated the same gesture from before. “Xiao Le greets the Commandery Princess and Staff Officer Qi.”

Su Luoyang was seated at the upper seat on the left. While she was conversing with Qi Han beside her, she noticed Xiao Le lift the curtain and enter. After a year apart, the youth seemed to have grown quite a bit taller, and the lines of her face had become clearer and more defined.

Seeing how proper, composed, and dignified she was now, she no longer seemed as awkward as she had been the last time they met. Su Luoyang had not expected Xiao Le to grow so quickly. In just one short year, she had already been promoted to commandant.

“When a scholar has been absent for three days, one should look at him with fresh eyes. Commandant Xiao truly has not disappointed this commandery princess.”

Su Luoyang’s words made He Yan feel a trace of surprise. “Oh? Could it be that the Commandery Princess and Commandant Xiao knew each other before this?”

“Uncle He, have you forgotten? A year ago, when Luoyang led people in a surprise attack on Youzhou, Commandant Xiao was one of the three people we brought back.”

He Yan suddenly understood. “Now that you mention it, I remember. Liu Kun mentioned it briefly when he reported to me back then. So Commandant Xiao was one of those three.” As he spoke, his tone shifted. “In that case, we really should thank the Commandery Princess for her discerning eye. You helped us steal a young talent from the Wu army.”

As the person involved, Xiao Le felt somewhat embarrassed to be praised like this. “Marshal overpraises me. Xiao Le does not dare accept such praise.”

“Commandant Xiao really is very modest.” Xiao Le could feel Su Luoyang’s gaze staying on her, yet she did not dare raise her head to meet her eyes. She only stared at the table in front of her. That inexplicable nervousness began rising again.

He Yan had already intended to properly nurture Xiao Le, and now, he was very satisfied with her behavior.

“It is a good thing not to become arrogant over one’s merits. Xiao Le, don’t stand there foolishly. Hurry and take your seat.” Xiao Le accepted the order, politely greeted all the generals at the banquet, and only then sat down in her own place. She set her helmet on the table, and only then did she realize that her palms were covered in sweat.

She was seated near the very end on the right side, while Su Luoyang sat in the upper seat on the left. Because of that, Xiao Le only needed to tilt her head slightly to see Su Luoyang’s movements. As for Su Luoyang’s position, unless she deliberately looked over, she would not glance in this direction at all. Throughout the entire banquet, Su Luoyang was either discussing military matters with He Yan or speaking quietly with Qi Han beside her. The two did not seem to have merely been paired together temporarily; their personal relationship seemed quite good as well.

From time to time, the others flattered the Commandery Princess, speaking of nothing more than her looks, bearing, and talent. Su Luoyang, however, accepted their praise with polished official courtesy.

Xiao Le hoped that Su Luoyang would at least give her a glance.

She had thought Su Luoyang’s earlier praise might mean she regarded her differently… regarded her talent differently. But now it seemed she had thought too much. From beginning to end, Su Luoyang’s gaze did not even sweep this way.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they left one after another.

Xiao Le walked aimlessly through the military camp. The entire camp was filled with laughter and cheerful voices. Today, the three armies had been rewarded, so everyone was enjoying a rare chance to relax. Without realizing it, she reached her own camp. When her subordinates saw her, they dragged her over without another word to celebrate with them.

“I already ate…” Unable to resist everyone’s enthusiasm, Xiao Le could only say helplessly.

“Of course we know you already ate. Commandant Xiao is now the great favorite of the entire military camp.” Liu Yu was still the same, always loving to joke around and refusing to let go whenever he caught a chance.

“Commandant, I heard the Commandery Princess came too. Is the Commandery Princess really as beautiful as the rumors say?” Taking advantage of the relaxed atmosphere and the lack of so many restrictions, everyone’s topic of conversation grew bolder.

Liu Yu took the lead without hesitation and raised his left hand. “I can answer that. The rumors are absolutely true.”

Everyone viewed Liu Yu’s answer with suspicion, mainly because nine out of ten things he said on ordinary days were lies.

“Hey, don’t refuse to believe me. Du Fei can testify. We saw her together, and the commandant did too.”

“Mm! I can testify this time. This brat is telling the truth,” Du Fei said in amusement.

Xiao Le smiled and let them make a racket, not joining in.

After a while, she thought of the staff officer who had come with Su Luoyang. After hesitating several times, she finally pretended to speak casually.

“There was also someone at today’s banquet who came with the Commandery Princess. He seemed to be a staff officer… I remember his name seemed to be Qi Han.”

Xiao Kai, who was carving meat from a roasted lamb leg, stopped what he was doing and turned his head in surprise. “Qi Han?”

There really is something there! Xiao Le quickly pressed, “You know him?”

Xiao Kai handed the roasted lamb leg to the person beside him to continue carving, then picked up a cloth from the side and wiped his hands.

“I can’t say I know him. It’s just that this person’s surname is very interesting. Don’t you all know about the Qi family, which has been in the limelight recently? It’s said that they are family friends with the Prince of Luoyang. When the Prince of Luoyang first rose in rebellion, he invited the Qi family several times to give him their full support. But the Qi family didn’t want to wade into these muddy waters and feared being implicated, so they severed ties with the Su family for a period of time. Most likely, as the momentum of the campaign against Wu grew stronger day by day, the Qi family thought it over repeatedly before finally leaning toward the Prince of Luoyang.”

“Since they’re family friends, no wonder the Commandery Princess and this person seemed to have a fairly good personal relationship.” Only then did Xiao Le understand. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, a faint discomfort rose in her heart.

“Hehe, it’s more than just a good personal relationship. I’ll tell you all a secret.” Liu Yu deliberately acted mysterious.

Du Fei showed him no respect at all and rolled his eyes. “You have another secret?”

“I’m known as the Jianghu Know-It-All!” Liu Yu patted his chest proudly.

“I think you’re more like the Jianghu King of Bragging,” Du Fei struck him down mercilessly once again.

Liu Yu ignored Du Fei’s attack entirely and went on speaking by himself. “Our Commandery Princess of Luoyang and this Young Master Qi of the Qi family, Qi Han, once had a written marriage agreement.”

Liu Yu was smug, thinking that once these words came out, they would definitely draw gasps of surprise from everyone. Unexpectedly, all around him was silent.

“You seem to know quite a lot about this commandery princess’s private affairs.”

It turned out Su Luoyang had brought Ah Zheng with her and, at some unknown point, had already been standing behind them. It was just that Liu Yu and the others had their backs to her and had not noticed.

“Greetings, Commandery Princess.”

After reacting, everyone knelt down in a great rush. Their hearts were all in turmoil. Randomly gossiping about the Commandery Princess was a serious offense against one’s superior. This was especially true for Liu Yu. For the first time, he regretted being such a gossip. He could even feel Su Luoyang’s gaze lingering on him. Then he remembered how, one year ago on the official road of Youzhou, Su Luoyang had killed people with a rise and fall of her blade as easily as slicing tofu, and he could not help feeling a chill down his back.

Just when Liu Yu thought he could hardly escape disaster, Su Luoyang unexpectedly asked Xiao Le, who was kneeling among the crowd, “Would Commandant Xiao mind accompanying this commandery princess on a walk to aid digestion?”

“Ah… uh… of course… Commandery Princess, please.” Xiao Le was dazed for a moment by Su Luoyang’s sudden question. Just now, she had still been thinking about how to plead for Liu Yu.

Beyond everyone’s expectations, Su Luoyang did not condemn anyone.

Author’s Note:

Xiao Le: I, Fat Tiger, want all this guy’s information in five minutes! He dares compete with me for my wife!