Chapter LXVII - Take Her to War
Silence crashed through the military hall.
Absolute silence.
Even the Crown Prince stared briefly without speaking.
Because Prince Rui— the empire's coldest military commander— had just calmly suggested bringing his wife onto a battlefield.
Impossible.
Completely impossible.
The Crown Prince finally laughed softly in disbelief. "Royal Uncle truly lost reason."
Prince Rui remained entirely calm. "This prince warned everyone already."
Dangerous man.
Very dangerous man.
Meanwhile Shen Li stared at him quietly from beside the strategy table.
And unfortunately—
he looked sincere.
Terrifyingly sincere.
The Crown Prince rubbed his forehead slowly. "Royal Uncle cannot bring Princess Rui into active war territory."
Prince Rui answered immediately:
"This prince also cannot leave her in a palace filled with poison and conspiracies."
Silence again.
Because no one could argue with that either.
The Crown Prince looked toward Shen Li carefully afterward. "And Princess Rui's opinion?"
Prince Rui's gaze shifted instantly toward her too.
Watching carefully.
Not commanding. Not deciding for her.
Waiting.
Dangerous tenderness.
Shen Li's chest softened painfully.
Because despite all his possessiveness— Prince Rui still respected her choices completely.
Then quietly she answered:
"This daughter will go wherever His Highness feels safest."
Silence.
The Crown Prince genuinely looked stunned.
Because somehow— neither of them even considered separation anymore.
Not emotionally. Not practically.
Just naturally: together.
Prince Rui's fingers brushed lightly against Shen Li's sleeve beneath the table afterward.
Tiny movement.
Yet enough to reveal exactly how deeply her answer affected him.
Dangerous woman.
Then the Crown Prince sighed heavily. "You two truly became troublesome."
Neither denied it.
—
Unfortunately, politics remained crueler than emotion.
The Crown Prince eventually spoke seriously again. "The court would never approve Princess Rui accompanying the army openly."
Prince Rui's expression cooled faintly. "This prince wasn't requesting approval."
The Crown Prince nearly laughed again.
Hopeless.
Absolutely hopeless.
Then Shen Li softly interrupted:
"There may be another option."
Both men looked toward her immediately.
Shen Li lowered her gaze thoughtfully toward the military maps. "The northern territories contain military family settlements."
Prince Rui's eyes sharpened slightly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Shen Li continued calmly: "If this daughter travels under the reason of managing winter medical relief for soldiers' families..."
The Crown Prince slowly smiled afterward.
Because politically— that worked.
Barely.
And more importantly— it transformed Princess Rui's presence from "dangerous attachment" into "noble military support."
Smart.
Very smart.
Prince Rui watched Shen Li silently.
Then quietly:
"Princess Rui prepared this already."
Shen Li almost smiled faintly. "This daughter considered possibilities after the deployment decree arrived."
The realization struck Prince Rui unexpectedly hard.
Because while he struggled emotionally against leaving her—
Shen Li had already calmly begun building ways to stay beside him.
Dangerous woman.
Very dangerous woman.
Then suddenly Prince Rui caught her hand openly atop the strategy table.
Before the Crown Prince. Before military officials nearby.
Absolute shamelessness now.
The Crown Prince looked emotionally exhausted instantly.
Prince Rui ignored him completely.
Instead, his gaze remained fixed on Shen Li.
And very softly— with unmistakable warmth—
he admitted:
"This prince likes Princess Rui's solution greatly."
The atmosphere warmed immediately.
Meanwhile the Crown Prince wondered whether he should simply surrender the empire now and leave these two alone forever.
—
By evening, the capital already buzzed with new rumors again.
Apparently:
Princess Rui planned military relief support,
Prince Rui refused leaving the capital without her involvement,
and the Crown Prince personally approved northern coordination adjustments.
The palace exploded quietly.
Inside Consort Xu's residence, another porcelain cup shattered violently.
The Third Prince looked increasingly frustrated. "Royal Uncle truly intends dragging Shen Li into military matters now?"
Consort Xu's expression remained dangerously calm.
Too calm.
Then quietly:
"No."
"Prince Rui intends keeping her where he can protect her personally."
The Third Prince frowned sharply. "That sounds worse."
"It is worse."
Because battlefield danger was straightforward.
Palace danger was hidden.
And Prince Rui clearly feared hidden knives around Shen Li more than war itself now.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Then Consort Xu slowly smiled.
Cold smile. Terrible smile.
"Which means..."
"If we separate them before departure..."
"Prince Rui may finally lose control completely."
The room cooled instantly.
Because emotional instability before war could destroy everything:
military judgment,
political alliances,
even succession balance.
And Consort Xu intended exploiting that weakness fully.
—
Meanwhile, completely unaware another scheme already formed against them—
Prince Rui and Shen Li finally returned home together beneath falling snow.
The estate quieted softly around them while lanterns glowed warm through the plum blossom courtyard.
And for one brief moment—
peace returned again.
Prince Rui removed his outer cloak slowly once inside the chamber.
Then immediately looked toward Shen Li.
No words first.
Only looking.
Too long. Too quietly.
Shen Li's heartbeat softened instantly. "...Why is Your Highness staring again?"
Prince Rui stepped closer naturally.
Then gently brushed cold fingers against her cheek.
Warmth returned instantly beneath his touch.
And very softly— with frightening honesty—
he admitted:
"This prince keeps imagining leaving you behind."
"Then immediately hates the thought."