My Lord, the princess doesn't want you anymore.

After ruling out the impossibility of other princes, Cui Hongjing looked back and found that the impossibility of Cui Hongqi became the most likely possibility.

It's just a lame leg, it's not difficult to fix it.

The most talented man in the capital who always looks as gentle as jade, could he secretly be a martial arts master or an ambitious demon?

If this is true, this person is truly terrifying.

Not only does he have an unparalleled appearance like a banished immortal, he is also always so gentle and peaceful, never participates in court affairs, and is known as the capital's most talented scholar. His painting is unique in the world, and his only flaw is his disabled left leg.

But secretly, he could do such cruel things as poisoning someone to make Du Zheng put himself to death by slow slicing, and he could make people who offended Mei Xueer pay the price in a snap of a finger. He could also control the Tiegu Gang and form an alliance with the enemy country to achieve his own goals...

Cui Hongjing had never been so afraid of someone as he was now.

The more he thought about it, the more cold sweat broke out on his back.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt that Cui Hongqi's limp was fake. I have been confused for so many years. I have ignored this person for too long and know too little about him.

"Your Majesty?" Zhuang Xiang noticed that something was wrong with his expression. "What's wrong?"

Cui Hongjing's lips trembled a little, "Xiang, you immediately send a group of secret guards to monitor King Qi day and night..."

Zhuang Xiang: Ah, could it be that the prince is jealous? But it doesn't look like that.

"...Also, have someone keep an eye on the Marquis Zhongde Mansion to see if the Princess and Liu Feifei are in any danger these days. If they are, you don't have to rescue them, just report it."

The only thing that made him feel a little relieved was that at least he was not worried about what Cui Hongqi would do to Mei Xueer.

Because Cui Hongqi cares about her.

But this made him very unhappy - that was his princess!

***

Changguo Palace.

It was late at night, but the lights in the imperial study were still brightly lit.

The hall was silent except for the emperor's occasional cough.

Changguo Emperor Yan Ruobing is of similar age to Cui Qimo, but looks several years older because his body has been almost exhausted. Otherwise, Changguo would not be as powerful as it is today, and there would not be the "Tiger Division" that makes other countries shudder with fear.

This man devoted his entire life's energy and efforts to his country.

He was already ill, and when he heard that the prince had died in Zhenguo, he was so angry that he was in a coma for two whole days.

The Queen of Changguo was a very dignified, generous and well-organized woman, and was deeply loved by her subjects. Under her management, the concubines in the harem never dared to do anything particularly out of line.

It can be said that the Queen played an indispensable role in enabling Yan Ruobing to concentrate on governing the country.

The prince is the queen's biological son. When I heard that the prince died in Zhenguo, as a mother, I felt so sad to see her son die before her. People who have not experienced it personally cannot truly understand.

But the queen did not indulge in it. Instead, she quickly concealed her sadness and stood up.

Because the emperor was in poor health, the bad news had made him sick for two whole days and he had been in a coma.

As the mother of a country, if she only indulges in her own pain at this time, the political situation in the court may be unstable.

She quickly sorted out a few things.

First, although the crown prince was her son, to be honest, his strategy and courage were not as good as the fourth prince, Prince of Chu, nor his virtue and morality were as good as the third prince, Prince of Kang. He just had the status of the eldest son.

Over the years, the Emperor had been somewhat dissatisfied with the Crown Prince and had considered deposing him, but for the sake of the Empress, he only let the thought pass.

Second, why did the prince sneak into the Kingdom of Zhen? But no matter how useless he was, he had to avenge his son.

Third, the emperor’s health was deteriorating, and the new crown prince had to be chosen as soon as possible.

"Let the fourth brother go to Zhenguo as an envoy! The prince died in the capital of Zhenguo, and they must give an explanation. Otherwise..." This was the first sentence Yan Ruobing said after she woke up.

The queen understood that the emperor wanted to fight.

Originally, using military force against the Zhen Kingdom was what he had always wanted to do over the years.

The crown prince suddenly passed away, and the throne of the Eastern Palace became a struggle between the King of Chu and the King of Kang. The emperor was in urgent need of a war to divert these conflicts and stabilize the potentially turbulent court.

Regardless of whether this incident with the crown prince happened or not, Yan Ruobing would launch a war against the Zheng Kingdom during his lifetime. This was his lifelong wish.

The death of the prince only accelerated the outbreak of the war.

But now, Yan Ruobing actually hesitated.

At this moment, he was sitting in the imperial study in a daze.

There were two letters on the desk.

One letter was sent back by the King of Chu via pigeon. The content of the letter was that the Emperor of Zhenguo had tried every means to prevent him from meeting Concubine Wan. She was afraid that she had been placed under house arrest in the harem. After inquiring around, it was found that Concubine Wan was not having a good time in Zhenguo.

When Yan Ruobing received the letter from the King of Chu a few days ago, she wished she could send troops to destroy the Zheng Kingdom immediately and bring her sister back.

But after receiving another letter today, he hesitated.

The latter letter was written by Cui Hongjing.

Yan Ruobing read the two letters over and over again, and gradually, her eyes became red again.

Later, he began to sob and cough.

He heard the door being pushed open.

At this time, only the queen dared to push the door open.

So, he didn't look up, nor did he hide his sadness.

The queen walked over gently and stood beside him.

Yan Ruobing leaned her head on the queen's chest and sobbed for a while like a child.

Then he lifted up the queen's sleeves and wiped her face.

The queen let out a long sigh: the emperor, who was so wise, brave and domineering in front of the court officials, only appeared so childish in front of her.

"Your Majesty, are you worried that something might happen to Princess Wan if the war breaks out?" the Queen asked softly.

Yan Ruobing pulled the letter written by Cui Hongjing from the desk and handed it to the queen, looking at her eagerly, "Please help me take a look, I am confused..."

The queen took the letter and read it word by word three times in a row.

Her expression was moved. "Over the years, the emperor has sent many letters, but Princess Wan either didn't reply or just replied that everything was fine. She is a noble concubine in the Zhenguo Kingdom, second only to the queen in rank, and everyone thought she was favored by the emperor of the Zhenguo Kingdom. In fact, I never thought it would be like this..."

Yes, Princess Wan was named a noble concubine, but that was only because Zhenguo was afraid of Changuo.

If it weren't for the letter from the King of Chu and Cui Hongjing, Yan Ruobing would never have imagined that her sister, as a royal concubine, was living a life in Zhenguo that was worse than death and every day was like a year.

But why, for so many years, she never mentioned a word about her situation in her letters?

He was heartbroken for his most beloved imperial sister.

He regretted that he had been so focused on being a good emperor and thinking about how to govern the country all these years that he neglected his younger sister who had married far away in a foreign land.

"What Prince Jing said in this letter is correct." The Queen knew very well the position of Princess Wan in the Emperor's heart. "If the two countries go to war, Princess Wan will be the first to suffer. Cui Qimo might even be so shameless as to use her as a hostage on the battlefield."

Yan Ruobing: "My sister once said that in the entire palace of Zhenguo, the only person she can confide in is Concubine Jing, and Prince Jing is the son of this Concubine Jing. It is very possible that he is willing to help now. But can he really rescue my sister and send her home?"

"It is also stated in the letter that the emperor's assistance is needed... Besides, as far as I know, although Prince Jing is not favored in the Zhen Kingdom, he is definitely not a despicable person."

When Yan Ruobing heard the words "despicable villain", the image of King Chu appeared in her mind.

That was indeed not the type he liked, but to govern a country well and deal with those cunning courtiers, it was useless to rely solely on virtue and morality.

He could imagine that at this moment the King of Chu was probably rushing back in high spirits because the crown prince was gone, ready to show his prowess on the battlefield and prove to his father that even if he was a despicable villain, he was a despicable villain who could win the battle.

However, if he cooperates with Prince Jing, the opportunity for Prince Chu to make merit that he had finally obtained would probably be ruined.

Yan Ruobing let out a long sigh.

For Princess Wan, he is willing to take a gamble.