Within the guest room in the Western Empire's Imperial Palace.
"Well, that went better than I expected." Wei Jingyi examined the items on the desk. He lifted a candle stand and turned it around in his hand before setting it down.
Leaning against the bed frame, book in hand, Rin calmly replied, "The Western Empire is currently against an opponent with a higher power. When one's desperate, they'll often make risky choices."
Wei Jingyi looked up and saw the girl sitting on the bed. Pale eyes moving calmly, while her fair hand danced across the pages.
"That offer you made is also rather risky. I take it you have a plan?"
From the beginning, Rin's expression never changed. When she heard his question, she gave him a light glance. There was silence for a while before Rin looked to the side and scratched her cheek.
"The truth is...I don't have a plan yet."
"What?" Wei Jingyi was startled, and disbelief appeared on his face. "Have you thought of the consequences if you fail?"
Rin let out a sigh. "Of course, at worst he'll have me killed with the thought of being a spy from the north."
This sentence troubled WeiJingyi even further. "If you didn't have a plan, then why did you place such a proposal?."
There wasn't a strand of worry in Rin's expression, instead, she smiled even more calmly. "Because I have faith in the Bai family's teachings. I didn't invest years of training for nothing."
"Master..."
Rin chuckled softly. "Don't worry, have faith in your master."
Wei Jingyi's expression twitched as he looked at Rin, and sometimes he could not bear to understand her. When they met with the Emperor, she was composed, clever and didn't reveal too much or too little. Who would have thought it was because she didn't have a plan. In the end, however, she always managed to surprise him.
Wei Jingyi closed his eyes and his face looked a little tired, "Yes, Master."
Rin pulled up the corner of her mouth and chuckled again before continuing to write in her notebook. Even though she didn't have a plan, she wasn't too worried. At the very moment when people underestimate her, is when she can make a breakthrough.
This was her greatest advantage.
...
The first glimmer of dawn had just arrived. Rin awoke at this time, and then briefly washed her face before leaving her room.
As she gazed at the glimmer of sunrise on the horizon, she took a deep breath of the pure and fresh morning air. After a short moment, her face revealed a wisp of a gentle smile and left to see the Emperor.
At the barracks, Rin, the Emperor, and a group of over fifty troops gathered. The garrison was extremely large and wide - over an entire kilometer in every direction. It was completely paved with grayish-white stones and was simple yet magnificent.
"These will be your recruits. Each one of them has enlisted in our army this week, which means none of them have ever wielded a sword, bow, or undergone any physical combat. Since you have so generously offered to help, it will be your responsibility to train them the best they need to be. All within one month of course, as you promised."
As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, he snuck a glance at the youth beside him. Just as he figured, there was little to no expression on Rin's face. Even after his words, her composure remained the same - her emotions couldn't be discerned. The Emperor's eyes narrowed slightly while his expression turned gloomy.
