He Lan Tianxia

After ten days of detoxification and recuperation, Lingyi had almost fully recovered. Murong Junlan wanted Lingyi to stay for a while, but Lingyi said he needed to look after the treasure room and would contact him if needed. Murong Junlan gifted Lingyi a batch of gold and silver treasures, precious medicinal herbs, and three vats of turtles. Lingyi only accepted the precious herbs and turtles to recuperate, and then took his leave and returned to the Spirit Snake Cave.

Since Ling Yi helped him detoxify, Murong Junlan had been living in Yan Garden and had gotten used to it, so even after Ling Yi returned, he didn't plan to move back to the prince's quarters. Every day after finishing his official duties, he would accompany the woman to Yan Garden to enjoy the flowers and tea. Whether it was because the poison had impaired her thinking or because she had been frightened, the woman had lost her previous willfulness and was sullen all day long.

"Yan'er, how about you follow me from now on and become my personal maid?" Murong Junlan asked tentatively. Although the woman always said she was his princess consort, it wasn't up to her or him to decide; at the very least, it had to be the Emperor's approval. Besides, he hadn't truly accepted her as his princess consort yet, but keeping her by his side was the best way to protect her.

Normally, the woman would have jumped up, berated him, and loudly proclaimed herself his princess, then rambled on about the 21st century and Chen Shimei (a notorious figure in Chinese folklore known for abandoning his wife)—things he couldn't understand. But today, the woman remained silent. Murong Junlan guessed that the woman felt it was beneath her dignity to accept the situation as a maid. So he added, "Although it's a bit of a hardship, I believe that keeping you by my side is the best way to protect you."

The woman's gaze seemed to be elsewhere. She glanced at Murong Junlan, then spoke as if to herself, "Your Highness, have you seen my glass lock?"

"What glass lock? Is it important?" Murong Junlan asked casually.

"It is very important." The woman gave a general description of the glass lock, but did not say what it was used for. In fact, she did not know what it was used for; she just wanted to try her luck.

"I think I've seen this before. Let me look for it for you."

"Really? Thank you, Your Highness." A smile flashed across the woman's face, but she quickly returned to her listless state.

Murong Junlan wanted to say something more, but Jiang He arrived. Jiang He told him that the poisoning might be related to the Empress Dowager, because one of the Empress Dowager's secret guards had disappeared from the mansion after the poisoning.

"It seems that the Empress Dowager has planted quite a few spies in this manor. Jiang He, your task from now on is to protect Yan'er."

"And what about you, Your Highness?"

"From today onwards, Yan'er will be my personal maid."

"I obey your command." The prince had indeed thought things through thoroughly; this way, he achieved two goals at once.

"Report!" An urgent report came from outside the door, and a guard rushed in to report: "Report, His Majesty urgently summons the Prince to the palace immediately."

"What is it?" Murong Junlan remained in his original posture, not even glancing at the guard.

"An envoy from the Wubei Kingdom requests an audience."

"You've got some nerve," Murong Junlan glanced at Jiang He. "Prepare the carriage."

"Prepare the carriage?" Jiang He didn't react for a moment, then slapped his forehead, "Yes."

After Jiang He left, Murong Junlan approached the woman in the pavilion. "Yan'er, I'll take you to the palace later. What do you say?" Murong Junlan expected the woman to be overjoyed, as entering the palace was something anyone who had never been to it longed for. To his surprise, the woman merely gave a soft "hmm," showing no interest whatsoever, her eyes fixed on a brightly blooming red cosmos tree before her. Murong Junlan glanced at the woman, who was lost in thought again, and added, "You don't like going to the palace?"

"Mmm," the woman responded again.

"why?"

"Ah."

"Hmm?" Murong Junlan then realized that the woman hadn't been listening to him at all. He was a little annoyed. He, a proud prince who could make all the women in the entire Du Yan Kingdom fall in love with him, and a great general who could make 100,000 soldiers submit to him, couldn't find any sense of existence in her eyes. It seemed that he didn't have much attraction for her. Murong Junlan's self-esteem was ruthlessly trampled on for the first time.

"Then where do you want to go?" Murong Junlan asked, somewhat unwilling. "Yan'er." Murong Junlan was angry. He pulled the woman close, then pressed his hands on her shoulders to make her look at him. He wanted to say, "Why are you ignoring me?" but the words that came out were, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"No." The woman looked at Murong Junlan with a puzzled expression, as if he were acting strangely. Murong Junlan was frustrated; what was going on here?

Jiang He waited outside for a while, and when the prince hadn't come out yet, he came in. He saw Murong Junlan's back and the hands on the woman's shoulders, and thinking they were doing something, he deliberately coughed twice, stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, the carriage is ready."

"Okay." Murong Junlan took the woman's hand and walked out.

"Your Highness, where are we going?" the woman asked.

"Go to the palace," Murong Junlan replied curtly, he was practically furious.

A luxurious carriage pulled by two fiery red hares quickly came to a stop outside the Prince's mansion. Accompanied by Yan'er and Jiang He, Murong Junlan headed towards the palace.

It seems the Emperor is still shaken by the last battle with the Wubei Kingdom. The arrival of the Wubei envoy must have left him bewildered. As soon as Murong Junlan arrived outside the palace, he saw Eunuch Cao craning his neck and looking around anxiously. When the luxurious carriage stopped, Eunuch Cao looked disappointed, because Murong Junlan always rode the Red Hare to court; the person in this carriage was not the one he was waiting for.

"Greetings, Eunuch Cao." Murong Junlan stepped down from the carriage, followed by the woman and Jiang He.

"We've been waiting for you, Your Highness." Eunuch Cao's usual forced smile vanished, replaced by a broad grin. "Your Highness has changed your tastes, now preferring carriages?"

"It's cooler to ride in a carriage," Murong Junlan said calmly.

"That's right, that's right." Upon seeing the woman again, Eunuch Cao frowned, then turned to Murong Junlan, "This woman?"

"She is my personal maid."

"Oh." Looking at the woman who was glancing around, she didn't seem like a personal maid at all. However, Eunuch Cao still maintained his smile and said, "Your Highness, please come with me. His Majesty is waiting for you in the Imperial Study." If it weren't for the last time he came to Murong Junlan's rescue, he wouldn't have received this treatment.

"Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Cao." Murong Junlan led the way, followed by the woman and Jiang He, heading straight for the Imperial Study. At the entrance of the Imperial Study, Murong Junlan instructed Jiang He and the woman to wait outside, and then went in alone.

"What, you brought that vixen with you when you came to my court?" The Emperor was somewhat displeased.

"I'm afraid I might faint and no one will take care of me," Murong Junlan said calmly, seemingly without any shame at this readily available excuse.

The Emperor chuckled and said, "In my opinion, even if all 100,000 soldiers faint, my son won't. He can even kill two tigers."

"Father, you think too highly of your son." Murong Junlan coughed a few times on purpose, and said with a double meaning, "If this continues, let alone 100,000 enemy troops, I'm afraid even 5,000 soldiers will be difficult for your son to resist."

"Why do you say that?" The Emperor was indeed unaware of the Empress Dowager's subtle actions.

"Doesn't Father know that Grandmother has been too idle lately?"

"You know how temperamental the Empress Dowager is, so let's just go along with her if we can. Let's not talk about her anymore, let's talk about something important." The Emperor guessed that the Empress Dowager had done something to displease Murong Junlan, and it was definitely related to the demoness. As long as the demoness was eliminated, he could pretend to be oblivious. Ever since the demoness arrived, the troubles in the capital had never stopped.

Murong Junlan, observing the Emperor's ever-changing expression, guessed the general idea, given that the Emperor and his grandmother were of one mind. So he feigned ignorance and asked, "Father, what brings you here today?"

The Emperor solemnly declared, "An envoy from the Wubei Kingdom requests an audience."

"Oh, what does Father think?"

"They just attacked us and then sent foreign envoys. They must have ill intentions. My son, you must come up with a foolproof plan for me."

"Then I must see what his background is."

"Very well, I will immediately order Eunuch Cao to summon all the officials to court." The Emperor was impatient.

"There's no need to go to such lengths. Just open a side hall and invite a few important officials from the court," Murong Junlan said casually. Seeing the emperor's hesitation, he added, "Going to such lengths would make people think that our country is afraid of him, and it would also expose our country's weaknesses. Only a few people are enough to suppress his arrogance."

“Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Let’s do as the prince wishes.”