WBSGVS Chapter 207 V1

With the military tally in her possession, Qingli’s status rose once again.

She already held a unique position within the dynasty, but now—with her string of accomplishments and the military tally in hand—no one dared offend her.

The regent prince, now completely stripped of military power, gave a cold, mocking smile and stormed off, just like Sima Heng.

He had anticipated this outcome. Still, he’d come, unwilling to accept it.

If it hadn’t been for that brat from the Fu family trying to assassinate her and ruining his health, he would never have lost his ability to lead on the battlefield, nor would he have had to hand over the tally to someone else.

The court officials exchanged uneasy glances, but all followed Sima Heng out quietly.

Now that the pro-emperor faction had secured the entire military command, even though the regent still held considerable power, he could no longer stir up much trouble. Those who had once sided with him were now bitterly regretting their choices and scrambling to curry favor with the emperor. None of them dared follow the regent anymore.

After winning a battle, aside from receiving the standard rewards, Yi Han—who had risked his life on the battlefield time and time again—got nothing else. All he received were the disappointed eyes of the woman he loved and the grim stares of his old comrades.

Yi Han gave a bitter smile, stood up, and apologized to the soldiers who had accompanied him. The group then dispersed, each returning to their own home.

Naturally, Yi Han returned to the Yi residence.

The matter of the military tally had caused quite a stir, and news reached the Yi household quickly. The moment Yi Han stepped through the door, he was greeted by Yi Yue’s furious shout.

“Brother! Are you out of your mind?! You handed the tally over to her?!”

Others might fear Sima Qingli, but Yi Yue didn’t. She resented her deeply.

That woman hadn’t held back in the slightest—the slap she’d given Yi Yue last time had humiliated her in front of all the nobles. Even the fiancé they’d arranged for Yi Yue lost interest after that. Once Sima Qingli became the State Preceptor, that man even came back just to break off the engagement.

After all, offending the State Preceptor’s family was a serious matter.

Yi Yue hated her with a passion.

But they weren’t on the same level—she couldn’t do anything about it.

And now, to her shock, the brother she’d admired most had handed something as important as the military tally to the person she hated the most. How could she not be furious?

Facing his sister’s accusations, Yi Han kept his head low and said nothing. He walked past her without a word.

Yi Yue was livid, practically stomping in rage.

Then came the conversation between Yi Han and their mother. Yi Yue was shut out to avoid any eavesdropping.

Madam Yi didn’t look pleased. Her brows were tightly knit, and her commanding presence as the matriarch of a family of generals was enough to make Yi Han feel immense pressure. He quickly spoke first. “Mother.”

Her tone was heavy. “Why did you hand over the tally?”

Having the military tally meant everything. Especially with the imperial authority so weak, holding the tally wouldn’t have made them a target for the emperor’s fear and purges, like in other dynasties.

Right now, the Yi family could have climbed even higher.

But the first thing her son did upon returning was drop a bomb like this.

Yi Han said quietly, “The State Preceptor threatened me with Princess Leqin’s life. If I didn’t hand it over, she would’ve died.”

Even when the regent prince had threatened Sima Qinghe, Yi Han hadn’t been this afraid. As a princess, Sima Qinghe had strong protection around her—some from Sima Heng, some from Yi Han, and Sima Chang. She was well-guarded, and it was hard for outsiders to make a move.

But this time, it was the State Preceptor herself.

With just a few words, she could turn public opinion against Sima Qinghe. And she had drawn her sword so swiftly, with such killing intent, that Yi Han hadn’t dared to risk it.

But this excuse didn’t sway Madam Yi. The moment he finished speaking—

Slap! A sharp smack echoed in the room.

Madam Yi’s face was cold. “Ridiculous! You sacrificed the family’s interests for one Princess Leqin? Yi Han, all those years of teaching you duty, honor, and loyalty—were they all wasted?!”

Yi Han’s cheek stung fiercely, but he pressed his lips together and stayed silent.

He knew what he did was wrong. But Sima Qinghe was the one person he would risk his life for. If the Yi family lost the tally, they would still survive—and he still had military merit. But if she lost the tally, she would die.

Madam Yi saw how stubborn he was and turned pale with anger. “Go kneel in the ancestral hall!”

“Yes, ma’am,” Yi Han said and turned to leave.

Outside the door, Yi Yue had been eavesdropping. When she saw her brother come out, she rushed forward to question him again—until she noticed the red handprint on his face. The words caught in her throat. Her eyes welled up with tears of frustration, but seeing him like that, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

It wasn’t just the Yi family that was upset.

There were plenty of others, too—especially Sima Chang, who had pinned all his hopes on his childhood friend.

He never imagined Yi Han would side with the enemy.

Before this, Sima Chang had been fully committed to helping Yi Han marry Sima Qinghe. He wanted them allied.

Now, Sima Chang returned to the Qilin Hall with Fu Cheng and Sima Qinghe.

The whole way back, not a word was spoken. Qinghe didn’t dare say anything, Fu Cheng didn’t know what to say, and Sima Chang was lost in thought, fixated on that last smile from Qingli.

That look was saying: The power is mine. Now the real game begins.

Everything they had once invested in her was going to come back to bite them.

The moment he thought about what Qingli might do, Sima Chang’s vision went dark.

Ever since he was a child, he knew he lived in a brutal and dangerous world. Even though he didn’t want to fight for the throne, others kept pushing him into it. His second brother was the only one who lived freely—because his backer was the regent prince, and his mother was the favored concubine, the regent’s niece.

In the deep palace, Sima Chang struggled to carve out a path to survive. And once he had one, ambition naturally followed. He took one step at a time toward his goal.

When Sima Yan was ten, Sima Qingli had protected him dearly. But when Sima Chang was only seven, he was already planning which companions would be suitable—no sons of the Minister of War, but someone with military connections. No sons of the Chancellor either, but still someone tied to civil officials.

That’s how he carefully selected Yi Han and Fu Cheng to be his study companions.

They were noble but didn’t hold too much real power, so they didn’t pose a threat, and could still offer strong support.

Then, he worked hard to win their loyalty. They liked Sima Qinghe, so he treated her well too. Every step had gone according to plan.

And now—this unexpected variable.

This woman was more terrifying than the regent prince.

At least the regent was old and only held half the military power. He’d been balanced out by Duke Duan for years, unable to make any reckless moves.

But Sima Qingli?

She was the people’s beloved State Preceptor. Half the officials respected and feared her. She was protected by Duke Duan.

And now… she had the other half of the military power too.

If she were allowed to keep rising like this, once Sima Yan grew up, there wouldn’t be any room left for him to speak.

Sima Chang covered his eyes, trying hard to avoid facing reality.

Then came Sima Qinghe’s delicate, hesitant voice: “Third Brother, I’m sorry… I’ll go ask Yi Han tomorrow what he’s thinking—”

“What he thinks doesn’t matter anymore!” Sima Chang snapped, cutting her off mid-sentence. His tone was harsh, laced with irritation.

Sima Qinghe froze, her eyes reddening as she lowered her head.

Fu Cheng gave Sima Chang a disapproving look. “Yi Han was the one who messed up. Why are you yelling at the princess?”

Sima Chang pressed his lips together and didn’t respond. He didn’t argue back, but inside, he was laughing bitterly. Was Sima Qinghe blameless?

No—they all shared the blame.