Following Dongmei, she trotted all the way back to the Marquis's Mansion.

Empress Su Mingyue stood in the main hall of the outer courtyard, her back to the door, facing the map of the Northern Territory on the wall.

She was still wearing her black armor, and her cloak hung motionless behind her.

Chunlan and Xiahe stood respectfully to the side, while the second-class maidservants had all been dismissed outside the courtyard.

Empress Su Mingyue was clutching a piece of paper in her hand.

She did not turn around; only after Zhou Ming's footsteps stopped upon entering did she raise her hand and pass the paper behind her.

Zhou Ming stepped forward, received it with both hands, and lowered his head to read it.

The content on the paper was brief, the handwriting so scribbled it was almost illegible, but the general meaning was:

After the various armies supporting the throne gathered in Qing Province, the various factions holding heavy military power all wanted to push the prince they supported to ascend the throne.

No one would submit to another, and in the stalemate, no one knew who first proposed a suggestion.

The various sides agreed that whoever first annihilated the Zongsheng Sect and obtained the head of the Zongsheng Sect leader would have the prince they supported crowned as the rightful successor.

Old Marquis Su Yongning, led his main force of 200,000 troops to head south first, bypassing the several defensive lines set up by the Zongsheng Sect in front, and struck directly at the outskirts of An Province.

He intended to break into the hinterlands of An Province before the main force of the Zongsheng Sect could assemble.

However, just as he was leading his army in a fierce battle with the main force of the Zongsheng Sect, the allied forces of Zhao Chongyuan from Yun Province and Yuwen Shuo from Chong Province suddenly withdrew from the flank defense lines.

Even more fatal was that his supply lines and retreat route behind him were also sealed off by troops sent by these two men.

The 200,000 Northern Territory border troops were attacked from both front and rear, besieged by hundreds of thousands of Zongsheng Sect followers on a barren mountain called Wolf Ridge outside An Province, and fought to the last man.

Meanwhile, Zhao Chongyuan of Yun Province and Yuwen Shuo of Chong Province took advantage of the Zongsheng Sect and the Northern Territory border troops both suffering heavy losses.

They led their armies to attack from both the east and west simultaneously, crushing the already exhausted main force of the Zongsheng Sect in one stroke and capturing the head of the Zongsheng Sect leader.

Now, these two men are leading their armies south, reclaiming the various prefectures and cities previously occupied by the Zongsheng Sect.

At the end of the military report, there was another line of text, the handwriting even more scribbled than before, clearly added at the very end:

A secret report from the Imperial City Department states that Grand Duke Su and 9th Prince Liu Ji have already escaped Qing Province under the escort of loyal death soldiers; their current direction of travel is most likely You Province, and it is unknown if there are pursuers behind them.

Zhou Ming read every single word, folded the paper back up, and returned it with both hands.

Empress Su Mingyue did not take it. Her fingers gripped the wooden frame of the map, and the blue veins on the back of her hand bulged one by one.

Chunlan stepped forward, took the paper, and retreated to the side.

Empress Su Mingyue turned around.

When she turned, the set of pitch-black iron armor on her body made no sound at all.

It was a face devoid of any expression; the lines of her brows, eyes, lips, and jaw were all pulled extremely tight and flat, and even her eyes were not red.

Yet, Zhou Ming felt an aura coming from her—not magic, not Killing Intent, but something deeper and colder.

It was as if she had pressed all her grief, anger, and hatred into the deepest part of her body, pressing them into a bottomless cold well.

The well mouth was sealed tightly, not even a trace of vapor could escape; only the chill, a bone-chilling cold, seeped out from every pore of her body.

"Transmit my order." Her voice was no different from usual, the tone as flat as if she were instructing the Kitchen to make a bowl of noodle soup for the evening.

"All Northern Territory border troops are to enter a wartime state. Blockade all strategic passes and roads leading to You Province; no outsiders are allowed to enter or leave."

"The 100,000 new recruits in Yuyang Commandery are to end their training early. Complete reorganization within three days and mobilize to the east of You Province to attack Chong Province. I want that old scoundrel Yuwen Shuo to pay for this blood debt with blood."

Hearing the military order from the Eldest Miss that carried no emotional fluctuation, Zhou Ming's heart tightened abruptly.

Blockading You Province, assembling all troops, summoning all generals—this posture, was she preparing to strike directly at Yuwen Shuo's old lair in Chong Province?

He knew all too well what state Empress Su Mingyue was in right now.

There was not a single tear on her face, not a tremor in her voice, but it was precisely this appearance of pressing monstrous hatred beneath ice that was the most terrifying.

It was not that she didn't hate; she had twisted all her hatred into a single rope, ready at any moment to tighten it around the neck of her enemy.

Zhou Ming dared not let her send out this order.

Attacking Chong Province now would certainly lead to victory, but it would mean losing an important opportunity.

"Eldest Miss, now is not the time to fight these old scoundrels."

Zhou Ming stepped forward, bowed with his fists clasped, speaking extremely fast yet with every word clear, fearing that if he were half a beat slow, Empress Su Mingyue's military order would be sent out.

Empress Su Mingyue's gaze shifted to him abruptly. There was no expression in those phoenix eyes, only a cold stare, as if waiting for him to provide a reason not to stop her.

Zhou Ming did not flinch, meeting her gaze as he continued:

"Don't Zhao Chongyuan and Yuwen Shuo want to support a new emperor to ascend the throne?"

"They hold the 5th Prince and 6th Prince in their hands, but we also have the 9th Prince."

"The primary task right now is to welcome back the 9th Prince, and before anyone else can act, support the 9th Prince to ascend to the throne, thereby establishing the righteous cause of the world."

"As long as we push the 9th Prince to the throne first, You Province will no longer be a frontier vassal state holding troops in self-respect, but the new capital of the Great Xia supporting the new monarch."

"And no matter how much Zhao Chongyuan and Yuwen Shuo struggle, they have already lost the righteous cause; if they raise troops again, they will become rebels."

"Secure the righteous cause first, then plan slowly."

Listening to his words, the almost uncontrollable cold light in the depths of Empress Su Mingyue's eyes receded bit by bit.

She did not answer immediately; her fingers gripping the wooden frame of the map slowly loosened, the blue-white color on her knuckles gradually fading, revealing their original skin tone.

The main hall was quiet for a long time.

Then she spoke, her voice half a tone huskier than before, yet it had recovered its consistent steadiness:

"Transmit an order to the Northern Territory: send an additional 5,000 elite cavalry to search along the official roads in the south of You Province, and ensure that His Highness the 9th Prince is safely welcomed back to Yuyang."

Chunlan accepted the order and left.

Empress Su Mingyue turned to Xiahe again: "Send messages to all commanderies: blockade all strategic passes and roads in the south of You Province. Only entry is allowed, no exit. Anyone who leaves the pass without authorization shall be treated as colluding with the enemy."

Empress Su Mingyue placed her long sword on the sword rack below the map and turned to sit back in the main seat.

She picked up the teacup on the side table that had long since gone cold, and without bothering to replace it with hot tea, she tilted her head back and downed half the cup.

Tea water slid down her pale jaw in a thin trail, and she wiped it away casually with her cloak.

Then she put down the teacup and looked up at Zhou Ming. The cold light in those phoenix eyes had been suppressed back to its original position in the depths of her pupils, replaced by a nearly cold-blooded assessment.

"After His Highness arrives, arrange for the ascension to the throne immediately."

She paused after speaking and added two more words: "Go."

Zhou Ming clasped his fists to accept the order, turned, and strode towards the Prefectural Governors Mansion.

He had more things to arrange than anyone else; the ceremonial procedures for the new emperor's ascension needed to be drafted. Although everything should be simplified in troubled times, they could not let other factions pick faults in the etiquette and laws.