WBSGVS Chapter 212 V1

As soon as word of Sima Qinghe and Luo Liang’s wedding being officially scheduled reached Yi Han’s ears, he completely broke down.

He had waited for her for years. She had been so close—practically within reach—but because of Sima Chang’s selfish political schemes, she had been turned into a pawn to win over Luo Liang. And now that Qingli had taken power, the marriage was officially set in stone.

How could Yi Han possibly accept that?

But unlike what Sima Qinghe thought, the more devastated Yi Han became, the more the Yi family tried to keep him from going out. Princess Leqin was no longer someone he could freely approach.

Everyone knew that back then, it had been Leqin’s idea to have the national advisor take her place in the arranged marriage. The original marriage proposal from Chu had named her specifically.

Now that power had shifted, she had become someone to avoid at all costs. Yi Han had already made too many mistakes for her sake, and the Yi family wouldn’t let him keep making them. The moment they got the news, they increased security and kept watch on him around the clock.

Unable to leave, Yi Han could only wallow in pain at home.

Then his parents delivered a cruel blow: “The princess you’re so obsessed with? She can’t wait to marry into the Luo family. She even sent word to the Ministry of Rites to push up the wedding date!”

Disheveled and exhausted, Yi Han sat in a slump, his beard unkempt. At the news, he looked up blankly. “No way.”

Impossible.

Why would Leqin willingly marry Luo Liang? And even ask to move the wedding up?

His parents sneered. “You’re the only one who still doesn’t get it. Do you know how many men have pined after Princess Leqin? If you weren’t from the Yi family and hadn’t been chosen as Sima Chang’s companion, do you think you would’ve even had a shot at getting close to her?”

Yi Han pressed his lips together, refusing to speak, though unwilling to accept it.

His father sighed. “I know you’re still young and full of pride, but have you thought about what this means for our family? We earned great military merit, and yet what did we get in return? Because of your insistence on the military command issue, His Majesty deliberately overlooked us and only rewarded lower-ranking officers. The new Grand Advisor won’t reuse you either. If we don’t rack up more battlefield achievements, the Yi family may never rise again.”

He spoke with pained sincerity, full of both regret and disappointment.

Yi Han’s eyes turned red with guilt. Deep down, he wasn’t blind to the truth. He just didn’t want to gamble—between a lifelong path and a fleeting glory, the stakes were too high.

Especially since he’d realized that even if the command was given to Sima Heng, in the end, it would still fall into the Grand Advisor’s hands.

Father and son fell silent. Yi Han’s father could see his son’s stubbornness and left with a shake of the head and a grim expression.

Meanwhile, the Fu family received the news much later. Hoping to keep their son out of the national advisor’s line of fire, they’d already taken Fu Cheng back to their hometown—and the princess, who had never left the capital, went with them.

So when the Fu family finally learned that Sima Qinghe and Luo Liang’s wedding was set, the two had already been married.

Fu Cheng didn’t hesitate for a second. He immediately wanted to charge in and rescue Sima Qinghe from “the flames.”

But his family bound him tight, refusing to let him leave, just like the Yi family had done with Yi Han. Even if not for Fu Cheng’s sake, they had to consider the entire Fu clan. Given what happened to Princess Leqin, getting involved now was tantamount to courting death.

The scandal of Princess Leqin marrying into the Luo family hadn’t even blown over yet when war drums started beating again.

It was obvious to everyone: this was the Jin dynasty’s weakest moment. An eleven-year-old crown prince was overseeing state affairs, and a sixteen-year-old princess was running the court. No matter how capable they were, their combined age was still under thirty, not enough to intimidate others.

The Chu emperor had already been humiliated when he was forced to beg for peace. How could he not harbor a grudge?

Especially when he had always been ambitious.

Now that opportunity was knocking, Chu wasn’t going to miss its chance. Soon, they began to provoke Jin’s borders.

Once again, Yi Han and his father were sent to the front lines.

Yi Han, finally released from house arrest, was overjoyed. He threw himself into this campaign with high hopes. If he could win this war and earn great merit, he believed even the Grand Advisor wouldn’t stop Princess Leqin from divorcing and remarrying him.

Qingli didn’t think that far ahead. She only sent Yi Han because he was still a useful pawn. The court still needed her, and she couldn’t leave yet, so he had to keep working.

To show how seriously she took this war, she sent ample supplies, plenty of soldiers, skilled technicians, and even several imperial physicians from the medical bureau.

Part of the reason was that the medical bureau needed a purge. Qingli had never forgotten how, six years ago, the court physicians had dragged their feet when treating the dying Sima Yan.

They held official posts and took imperial stipends, yet hesitated and shirked responsibility when faced with real illness. They lacked respect for life. So she packed up all the troublemakers and sent them to the front lines as military doctors.

The ones too old for combat medicine? They were sent to civilian towns to start medical academies as teachers.

In the past, masters were revered, pampered by their disciples. But as teachers, they faced dozens of unruly kids, couldn’t accept bribes, had to teach, and were evaluated monthly. These arrogant physicians would surely regret their new assignments.

With war raging at the border, Qingli also reduced spending in the harem to redirect more funds to the military.

Sima Heng had already been sentenced to death. He was still clinging to life by sheer willpower, but the other concubines were useless now. They were moved to other palaces to be “honorably retired.”

But their allowances were slashed, drastically lower than before.

The higher-ranked concubines were furious and tried to make a scene, but Qingli was firm and persuasive. Her reasons for the cuts were solid, so their protests led nowhere. In the end, they stayed quietly in their side palaces.

Next, Qingli trimmed down palace staff—some were dismissed, some retired. Eventually, she did save a significant amount of silver, which she sent to the front lines to ensure the army had what it needed.

But this war wasn’t going as smoothly as before.

With the Jin dynasty still in transition, Chu was determined to take a big bite out of them. They knew that once Jin recovered, another chance might never come—so they fought with everything they had.

Even Yi Han, as capable as he was, couldn’t maintain the string of victories from before. The battle turned into a grinding stalemate.

Last year, the war dragged on for a full twelve months before Chu finally sued for peace.