Chapter 688: Female Sovereign’s Consort Selection 45

By the time Tang Can realized what had happened, it was already too late.

The elite soldiers she had painstakingly trained over five long years were trapped in the Yunhe riverbed, swallowed by mud and chaos. In just a short span of time, more than half of them had been lost. The sight struck her like a blow—her eyes instantly reddened, fury and disbelief crashing through her chest.

“Retreat! Fall back immediately!” she shouted hoarsely.

But the battlefield no longer obeyed her command.

What had seemed like a simple pursuit had turned into a carefully laid snare. The soldiers who had been “fleeing in panic” moments ago suddenly moved with precision and coordination. They laid down long wooden planks across the riverbed—over mud, over bodies—and used them as footing to surge forward once more.

“Kill!”

“Annihilate the rebels!”

The cries rose into the night sky, sharp and relentless. And they did not come from just one direction.

Only then did Tang Can truly understand.

She was surrounded.

From the riverbanks, from the forest they had passed earlier—figures emerged one after another, soldiers descending like shadows from the trees, sealing off every possible escape route.

For the first time, a flicker of real panic crossed her face.

Canglang reacted instantly. Without hesitation, he seized Tang Can by the arm, lifted her onto his horse, and pulled the reins tight. “We have to go—now!”

“No!” Tang Can struggled, her voice filled with rage and unwillingness. “I won’t leave!”

Her eyes burned with hatred.

How could she accept defeat?

How could she lose like this?

But Canglang’s expression hardened. “This is not the time for pride,” he said sharply, and before she could resist further, he lashed the reins and forced the horse forward, breaking through the chaos.

At the same time, figures hidden in the shadows finally moved.

The imperial dark guards, who had been lying in wait, surged forward at once.

“Chase them!”

High above, on the city wall, Lan Xintong stood with his hands behind his back, watching the distant blaze of torches flicker against the night. His expression was calm, but his eyes were cold.

You want to harm her…?

You’ll have to step over me first.

By dawn, the battle was over.

When Tang Wan awoke, everything had already been decided.

Just as Lan Xintong had planned, Tang Can’s elite forces had been nearly wiped out. Though Tang Can herself had managed to escape with Canglang under the protection of her guards, the foundation she had built over the years had been completely shattered.

And those she left behind… had not been so fortunate.

When Tang Wan’s troops stormed the rebel camp, chaos reigned. Lin Zihao, realizing there was no escape and fearing humiliation more than death, chose to end his own life. The young man in green died resisting. As for the King of Chu—only then did the truth come to light.

She had already been killed by Tang Can long ago.

When Tang Wan heard the report, she let out a soft, cold laugh.

“She really is capable,” she murmured.

There was no need for further judgment. Whether ruthless or justified, Tang Can was the heroine of this world—her path was hers alone to walk.

Tang Wan had no interest in commenting.

What mattered more was something else.

—

The system notification came soon after.

The additional mission had been completed.

The reason was simple: this time, Lan Xintong had chosen to protect the Tang Dynasty instead of destroying it.

But Tang Wan found herself strangely indifferent to the achievement.

Because she knew what usually followed.

Once the mission was complete… death was never far behind.

A faint sense of unease crept into her heart.

—

At that moment, Lan Xintong approached her side, his expression gentle once more. “Wanwan, everything here is settled. We should return to the capital.”

To him, the outcome was already clear. Tang Can’s power had been broken, her forces scattered. Even if she remained alive, she no longer posed a real threat.

More importantly, every extra day spent outside meant another day of hardship for Tang Wan.

Tang Wan nodded.

The next day, they set out with the army, beginning their return journey to the capital.

The march back seemed smooth and uneventful.

Day after day passed without incident, the road calm and quiet as though the storm had already passed.

Until the night they camped outside a city.

Seeking a brief rest, Tang Wan and Lan Xintong entered the city ahead of the main force.

They had barely stepped inside—

When the attack came.

Blades flashed in the darkness, figures emerging from every direction with lethal precision. The ambush was sudden, ruthless, and unmistakably targeted.

And the ones leading it—

Were none other than Tang Can and the remnants of her faction.