The carefree sixth prince, my father respectfully invites me to ascend the throne.

Yang Ling shook her head. "It was nothing."

Seeing this, Murong Jin smiled and said, "Alright, then get some rest. Goodnight." After saying that, Murong Jin waved and left.

The next day.

When Murong Jin woke up, Murong Min was already waiting for her at the training ground, and she was even running with weights on.

"Xiao Qi, what's wrong with you..." Murong Jin asked in surprise upon seeing Murong Min's actions.

Murong Min stopped what he was doing, turned to look at Murong Jin, and replied with a smile, "My brother-in-law taught me to exercise."

Murong Jin suddenly realized, "So that's how it is!"

Murong Jin checked the time and decided to send Murong Min out of the palace first, and then go to find the emperor.

"Xiao Qi, what would you like to eat for breakfast today?" Murong Jin asked as they strolled along, holding Murong Min's hand.

Murong Min turned her head to look at Murong Jin's profile and suddenly smiled, "Sister, I'm fine with anything."

Murong Jin raised an eyebrow. "Then I'll take you to the Imperial Kitchen!" he said, and headed towards the Imperial Kitchen.

The two arrived at the imperial kitchen, where Murong Jin asked the manager to bring out a recipe and hand it to Murong Min, then asked him to sit down and study it.

Murong Min took the recipe and read it carefully, occasionally pointing out the shortcomings of the dishes, which earned him the praise of the head chef of the imperial kitchen.

"Miss Murong, breakfast is ready. Please move to the side hall." The innkeeper hurriedly stepped forward to greet Murong Jin when he saw her bringing Murong Min over.

"Okay." Murong Jin smiled and nodded, then led Murong Min to the side hall.

In the side hall.

The Emperor and Consort De were already seated, and on the table, besides tea and snacks, there was a pot of hot tea.

"Jin girl, come and try the osmanthus cake I just learned to make!" The emperor saw Murong Jin enter and quickly invited her to sit down.

Murong Jin saw the pastries on the table and praised them with a smile: "Your Majesty's osmanthus cake is really exquisite, but I prefer Lianyin's osmanthus pastry."

After saying that, Murong Jin picked up a piece of osmanthus pastry and put it in his mouth. After chewing for a moment, he continued, "Your Majesty, the osmanthus pastry you make is far inferior to the one Lian Yin makes!"

Consort De couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle when she saw Murong Jin being so straightforward.

The emperor's eyes widened, and he coughed twice, somewhat embarrassed. "I knew you wouldn't praise me!"

Hearing the emperor's helpless tone, Murong Jin couldn't help but chuckle, "Who said I didn't praise Your Majesty? I was just telling the truth!"

The emperor was both amused and exasperated by these words, and had no choice but to surrender, saying, "Fine, fine, I admit defeat!"

Seeing that the emperor had given in, Murong Jin decided not to tease him any further. "Actually, Lianyin's pastries are even tastier than this! Your Majesty, please don't be sad."

Upon hearing this, the emperor raised an eyebrow and looked at Murong Jin. "Oh?"

Murong Jin blinked, then smiled slyly and said, "Because Your Majesty doesn't know how to do it!"

The emperor, seeing Murong Jin deliberately feigning innocence and dazedness, said in feigned anger, "You child..."

Seeing the emperor's feigned anger, Murong Jin couldn't help but chuckle.

Yang Ling stood aside watching the Emperor and Murong Jin smile at each other, and couldn't help but sigh, "It is said that Prince Rui dotes on his wife, and it seems that there is some truth to it."

"Young Master Yang?" Murong Jin called out when he saw Yang Ling staring at them.

The emperor's smile faded, and he instructed Murong Jin, "Ajin, accompany Young Master Yang for a walk around the manor. I discussed this with the imperial physician, and since the weather has been getting colder recently, you should take care to keep warm and avoid catching a chill."

Murong Jin nodded. "Alright, then I'll take my leave." With that, Murong Jin led Yang Ling toward the garden.

Although to outsiders, Yang Ling was a young man who became the first young general of the Great Xiao Dynasty at a young age, and was exceptionally talented.

However, in Murong Jin's eyes, he was just an immature boy, so she was not reserved and chatted with him about everyday matters.

However, Yang Ling was, after all, a man, and rarely interacted with women, so he was inevitably a little shy.

Seeing this, Murong Jin appropriately slowed down and increased the distance between them.

Seeing Yang Ling's nervous expression, Murong Jin smiled and said, "Young Master Yang, there's no need to be so reserved. If you enjoy chatting, please tell me more about your experiences outside."

Hearing this, Yang Ling felt a warm feeling rise in her heart. "Okay, I'll tell you some interesting stories about the capital over the next few days, or which young lady is beautiful and kind."

Murong Jin smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this, "Young Master Yang is truly remarkable! Then I'll leave it to you!"

"No trouble at all!" Yang Ling quickly waved his hand to deny it when he heard Murong Jin praise him. "Please don't call me Young Master Yang, it's too formal. Just call me A-Ling."

Seeing Yang Ling's politeness, Murong Jin felt it would be impolite to refuse, so he agreed, "Then I'll call you Brother Ling."

Yang Ling's ears turned bright red the moment she heard Murong Jin call her "Brother Ling." "Mmm!"

The two walked and talked, and soon arrived at the Imperial Garden. "Brother Ling, isn't the scenery here beautiful?" Murong Jin was particularly happy to see all the flowers in bloom all around.

Yang Ling looked around and nodded. "Mm."

Seeing that Yang Ling seemed uninterested, Murong Jin didn't press him. Instead, she suggested, "Why don't we go sit in the pavilion in the Imperial Garden?"

Yang Ling looked up at Murong Jin, saw her radiant appearance, hesitated for a second, and nodded in agreement.

The two sat on a stone bench. Murong Jin picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then asked, "Brother Ling, did you encounter any unusual situations on the battlefield?"

Yang Ling frowned upon hearing this, thought for a moment, and recalled the events of that day.

Seeing this, Murong Jin remained silent, waiting for his reply.

Yang Ling came to her senses and explained to Murong Jin, "Actually, there was nothing special. We rode our horses smoothly all the way, so we didn't encounter any danger."

Murong Jin was silent for a moment after hearing this, then asked, "What do you think is the purpose of the Northern Desert sending envoys this time?"

Yang Ling paused upon hearing this, recalling the ambush they had encountered that day.

"No matter what their purpose is, they're ultimately after me." Once Yang Ling understood this, he felt at peace. He knew that the responsibility on his shoulders was the honor and disgrace of the entire Yang family.

Upon hearing this, Murong Jin asked with concern, "Brother Ling, I know you are not afraid of power, but if they want to kill you, how will you escape?"

Seeing the worried look on Murong Jin's face, Yang Ling smiled faintly, patted Murong Jin's shoulder, and comforted her, "Sister Jin, don't worry, it won't be that easy for them to kill me!"

Seeing Yang Ling's confident demeanor, Murong Jin breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good!"

"Don't worry, Sister Jin, I will definitely protect you and your child!" Yang Ling looked at Murong Jin and made a firm promise.

"Thank you!" Upon hearing this, Murong Jin's eyes welled up with tears.

She knew that when Yang Ling mentioned "mother and child," she was referring to the baby in her womb. She also remembered that Yang Ling had promised to protect her and the child.