Chapter 40: Reaching the Pinnacle of Power!!!

At this very moment!

Everything has been said!

At such a moment, everything has come to fruition naturally, like water and fire merging into one.

Inside this hall, the candlelight has been extinguished; everything is understood without words.

The next day!

At the first light of dawn!

Zhao Feng opened his eyes, feeling a slight dizziness in his head.

Once he regained some clarity, Zhao Feng turned his head to look, but no one was beside him. The spot was empty, save for a red stain on the side—a mark that spoke volumes without needing explanation.

Zhao Feng sat up abruptly, a look of reluctance crossing his face: "She really left?"

Last night, Wang Yan had given everything to him.

If Zhao Feng had not been moved, it would have been a lie.

As his gaze swept across the room, he saw a piece of silk left on the table.

Zhao Feng immediately stood up and walked over.

Picking it up, he saw it was a letter left by Wang Yan.

"Let last night be treated as a dream, a fleeting moment."

"Born into a military family, born into the great clans of Qin, one's destiny is not within one's own control."

"To you, I truly have feelings of the heart. If it were possible, I would gladly marry you, my lord."

"But destiny is irreversible. Let last night be my attempt to break through fate, which ultimately failed."

"I hope you can return home soon to fulfill your filial duties to your mother, and more importantly, I hope the rest of your life is filled with peace and prosperity."

"I am merely a passerby. I hope that if we meet again in the future, it will not be like today!"

Upon the silk were Wang Yan's sincere words.

They revealed her resentment toward her destiny, but also showed that after experiencing it all, she had accepted her fate.

Zhao Feng tucked the silk away, a complex expression of coldness surfacing on his face.

Then, Zhao Feng ran straight out of the hall.

He ran into the military camp.

Seeing Zhang Han in the middle of drills, he asked urgently, "Where is Military Marquis Wang?"

Seeing Zhao Feng's anxious expression, Zhang Han was momentarily at a loss.

However, Zhang Han quickly regained his composure: "I have not seen Military Marquis Wang, but there were many of the main camp's guards at the side rear gate earlier. Perhaps she is there handling military affairs."

Hearing this, Zhao Feng did not hesitate for a second. He sprinted toward the side rear gate of the camp with a speed that surpassed ordinary men.

"What is happening?" Zhang Han asked, bewildered.

At the side rear gate of the camp!

A carriage was already prepared. Wang Yan sat inside, looking at the camp before her with a sense of lingering attachment in her eyes.

"Miss."

"We are departing."

The guard commander walked up to the carriage and bowed deeply.

Wang Yan nodded and lowered the curtain. Despite her reluctance, she understood that the time had come to end this.

"Depart!"

At the commander's order, five hundred guards swiftly mounted their horses, escorting the carriage toward the city gates.

Gradually, she left the place where she had once longed to change her destiny, yet found it impossible to do so.

By the time Zhao Feng burst out from the side rear gate, the guards had already escorted Wang Yan away.

"She really... left!"

"She succumbed to that so-called marriage of interest."

A flash of regret flickered in Zhao Feng's eyes.

After a moment of silence, looking at the now-empty street, a sense of determination flashed in his eyes, igniting a fighting spirit unlike any he had ever felt: "If you hadn't given yourself to me last night, your marriage of interest would have been something for an outsider like me to have no reason to interfere with; it wouldn't have been my business. But now it is different. You are mine, and no one can take you away."

"The same goes for the so-called Eldest Prince Fusu."

"Royal power—as long as you give me enough time, I will not fear it."

"Wang Yan, just you wait. I will make you marry into my Zhao family in a legitimate and honorable way."

...

Inside the military camp, in the Council Hall!

"Subordinate Zhao Feng greets General Li."

Zhao Feng entered the hall and bowed to Li Teng.

"You've arrived so early?"

Looking at Zhao Feng, a flash of surprise crossed Li Teng's face.

"Today is the day I take command of the troops; I dare not be negligent," Zhao Feng replied immediately.

Watching him, Li Teng scrutinized him from head to toe, even more surprised: "Only one night has passed, yet why does it feel as though you are different from before?"

"I am unaware, sir," Zhao Feng said with a smile.

"I feel that previously, you seemed extremely resistant to taking command in the main camp, yet now you have become quite eager," Li Teng said with a slight smile.

"Since I am here, I shall make the best of it."

"Now that I have entered the main camp, I shall naturally serve the country, strive for military merit, and earn a position of great power for myself," Zhao Feng replied instantly.

Hearing this, Li Teng smiled with satisfaction: "Good, very good!"

"To be loyal to the country and to strive for glory for oneself—that is how the elite soldiers of Great Qin should act."

"With your ferocity, you will surely become a brave general of Great Qin."

Zhao Feng smiled, cupped his hands, and asked, "May I ask General Li, which Commandant's camp shall I command?"

With Wang Yan's departure, Zhao Feng naturally understood that the camp he would command was the one she had previously led.

"Commandant Wang has other military duties and has already departed for another post."

"Therefore, you will take over Commandant Wang's former camp," Li Teng's expression turned serious.

"I accept the command."

"However, I have one request," Zhao Feng said immediately.

"Speak," Li Teng waved his hand.

"I wish to lead troops into battle against the enemy; I do not wish to be stationed in Yangcheng," Zhao Feng said, lifting his head with a firm tone.

Since he had already walked this path, and since there was no possibility of living a quiet life, Zhao Feng would fight for himself, for Wang Yan, and for his mother.

Relying on the meritocratic system of the Qin state, he would climb upward, step by step!

To reach the pinnacle of officialdom!

To gamble for the future!

Hearing this, Li Teng burst into laughter: "Hahaha!"

"You are a fierce warrior; how could you be left idle here? Once you take command of the troops, there will be military duties for you."

Zhao Feng bowed immediately: "I accept the command."

"Chen Tao!" Li Teng called out.

In response, a commander of ten thousand stepped swiftly into the hall.

"Awaiting your orders, General," the commander, Chen Tao, entered and bowed to Li Teng.

"Zhao Feng."

"This is your direct superior, Commander Chen Tao."

Li Teng pointed to the commander and introduced him to Zhao Feng.

Then, he turned to Chen Tao: "This is Commandant Zhao Feng, who slew the暴鸢 (Bao Yuan) and prevented our army from suffering losses."

"Greetings, General Chen," Zhao Feng immediately cupped his hands.

"Commandant Zhao is too polite," Chen Tao replied with a smile and a bow.

"Very well."

"I will not concern myself with the following matters. Take Zhao Feng to take over the Commandant's camp."

"Once the troops are under command, march toward Han Du immediately."

"You are to manage the specific military affairs as you see fit," Li Teng said sternly.

"Understood."

Zhao Feng and Chen Tao bowed in unison.

At the military camp training grounds!

Five thousand elite soldiers had gathered, standing in five thousand-man formations.

The five military marquises also stood before their respective formations.

"General Chen has arrived!"

With a loud shout, Chen Tao and Zhao Feng walked forward steadily.

...

PS: Seeking recommendation votes, monthly tickets, and follow-up reads. Deeply grateful.

(End of Chapter)