In the past, she was known for her straightforward and bold demeanor, embodying the spirit of a General’s Tiger Daughter, unwilling to yield to men. But today, it became apparent that, regarding romantic feelings, Lei Yu was not entirely ignorant.

This single sentence softened Prince Yiasu’s heart.

Sure enough, Prince Yiasu’s eyes brightened, with an uncontainable emotion seemingly surging within. However, he managed to suppress it, though his voice trembled with excitement when he spoke: "Ah Yue..."

It can be imagined that although Lei Yu married him as a wife and is already pregnant, her attitude toward him in the past may not have been so close.

Lei Yu herself said she had come to terms with some things before deciding to keep the child.

And stayed by Prince Yiasu’s side.

So at this moment, her attitude indeed left Prince Yiasu feeling overwhelmed by favor. Overjoyed, he firmly squeezed Lei Yu’s hand in his palm until Lei Yu couldn’t help but gasp and, with a frown and a smile, said: "You’re hurting me."

"Ah!"

Prince Yiasu was startled and hurriedly loosened his grip.

Yet, he didn’t completely let go. Instead, he loosened his fingers a bit, still holding her hand tightly. After repeatedly apologizing, he glanced at Shang Ruyi, who pursed her lips and smiled, then said to Lei Yu: "I understand your intentions, Ah Yue. Only—"

The last two words made the hearts of the two women sink again.

Prince Yiasu pondered for a moment and said: "If it were up to me, I would certainly release her immediately. It’s not just because she’s your friend. I cannot accept my father, or my elder brother, bullying a defenseless woman."

"..."

"But now, the Turkic affairs aren’t under my control." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"..."

"However, I can promise you that as long as I’m here, I won’t let my father or elder brother harm this—Ruyi." As he spoke, he glanced at Shang Ruyi and said: "Once there’s an opportunity, I’ll certainly find a way to ensure you return safely to your homeland, to King Qin’s side."

"...Thank you."

Shang Ruyi nodded in acknowledgment, but also looked up and met Lei Yu’s gaze.

In that glance, their eyes flashed intensely.

What they heard was certainly what they already anticipated Prince Yiasu would do. But the words that moved them most were those seemingly understated ones—

If it were up to me.

Yes, at this point in Western Turks, big or small matters are not entirely up to him.

However, if Ashina Zhuxie’s Heavy Cavalry were truly handed to him, if Shali Khan truly passed the Khan’s position to him, he would be able to control the entire Western Turks. By then, what matters wouldn’t be up to him?

Shang Ruyi took a deep breath and said again: "Thank you, Prince Yiasu."

Prince Yiasu hurriedly shook his head: "Don’t say that, I haven’t done anything yet."

After speaking, he turned his head to look at Lei Yu eagerly: "Then, let’s not disturb your friend’s rest."

Though burdened with heavy concerns, hearing these words made Shang Ruyi unable to resist pressing her lips, and Lei Yu felt somewhat embarrassed but still nodded. She then let Shang Ruyi return to the tent to rest and instructed others to bring her some fresh vegetables and grilled meat, then she and Prince Yiasu returned to their tent together.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the sky turned dark.

After dinner, the wind outside gradually became piercing. A maid, following Lei Yu’s instructions, sent another brazier, warming the entire tent, so Shang Ruyi went to bed early to rest.

Actually, even without the extra brazier, she felt hot hands and feet, unexpectedly not affected by the severe cold of the grassland. So falling asleep wasn’t difficult. However, due to the uncertainty of the situation, her mind was full of thoughts, and although she lay warmly, she barely fell asleep until late in the night, and even then, only lightly.

In her drowsiness, she kept hearing the wind howling outside, as though thousands of soldiers and horses were galloping.

As if the hearts of those here were continually unsettled.

Finally, it was the next morning.

Before dawn, Shang Ruyi had already risen. Since she wasn’t living with Lei Yu, she naturally didn’t have her maids to attend to her, but she wasn’t timid either. Seeing several maids around the campfire with a pot of nearly boiling water not far ahead, she went over to ask for half a basin of water, returned to simply wash up, and then combed her hair herself.

Once she was groomed properly, she walked out of the tent, and the sky was still not yet bright.

Yet, from those familiar tents, there was already a faint glow of firelight—Shang Ruyi even suspected that some tents might have been lit throughout the night.