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

Murong Jin was taken aback upon hearing this, and after thinking for a moment, she said, "I think he is still loyal to you, at least he has no ulterior motives."

After Murong Jin finished speaking, he stopped and looked at Xiao Yan, who was frowning and seemed to be deep in thought.

Seeing this, Murong Jin asked in confusion, "Ayan, what are you thinking about?"

Xiao Yan snapped out of his daze, looked at Murong Jin, and shook his head. "It's alright, let's go."

Seeing that Xiao Yan didn't say anything, Murong Jin didn't press him for details, but instead quickened her pace to catch up with him.

Soon the two arrived near the gate of the military camp. The guards saw Xiao Yan and Murong Jin and immediately bowed respectfully before making way for them.

The two went directly to the prison. Because they had Yang Ling's permission, the guards at the gate did not stop them and quickly led them to the cells where the prisoners were held.

As Murong Jin approached the cell, he faintly heard cries coming from inside, "Please, let me go!"

Murong Jin frowned slightly. She recognized the voice; it was General Liu.

Murong Jin was about to speak when Yang Ling pushed the door open and entered.

Yang Ling knelt down in front of General Liu, then forcefully pinched his chin to force him to open his mouth. She then took out a dagger and held it to his neck, threatening, "Lord Liu, I advise you to be sensible and not try to escape your punishment, or I will kill you."

General Liu's angry expression froze the moment he saw Yang Ling, but he still stubbornly shouted back, "Yang Ling! I've treated you so well all this time, and you're so ungrateful!"

Yang Ling scoffed, "Lord Liu, don't forget that if it weren't for my father, you would probably be dead on the battlefield. And don't forget that everything you have now was given to you by our Yang family. How dare you even mention the Yang family? Do you even remember what you did to my father?!"

Yang Ling's voice grew colder. He wished he could kill General Liu with a single blow, but he had to endure it.

Upon hearing Yang Ling's question, General Liu's expression shifted rapidly. After a long silence, he finally spoke, "I was blind back then! Your father instructed me before his death that as long as I assist you in ascending the throne, the Yang family will become the new imperial family of the Great Xiao."

"Hahaha, the Yang family has been loyal to the Great Xiao for generations. Now that I have ascended the throne, I will treat the Yang family well. Why not? Lord Liu, don't you understand this principle?" Yang Ling laughed loudly, tears glistening in his eyes. He tried hard to control his emotions and not let himself shed tears.

General Liu gritted his teeth, "Don't talk nonsense!"

Yang Ling took a deep breath, then stood up, turned away to wipe her tears, and looked at General Liu, saying word by word, "I know you were forced to agree to serve the Great Xiao. Don't worry, I will not mistreat you. After I ascend the throne, I will reward you handsomely."

General Liu felt relieved upon hearing Yang Ling's promise, but at the same time felt guilty.

Looking at the expression on General Liu's face, Yang Ling sighed, "General Liu, you are a respectable general. I truly admire you, and I hope you will not betray my trust in you."

After saying that, Yang Ling left the cell.

Looking at Yang Ling's lonely figure, Murong Jin couldn't help but feel pity.

When Murong Jin returned to the commander's tent, she had already returned to her normal appearance. She smiled slightly when she saw Xiao Yan and then sat down next to him.

Xiao Yan reached out and took her hand, asking softly, "Are you hungry?"

Murong Jin was slightly taken aback, then grasped Xiao Yan's hand in return and nodded, saying, "I'm a little hungry."

Xiao Yan affectionately patted her head. "Come on, come with me to have a meal."

Murong Jin was somewhat surprised to hear him say that, but then she remembered what he had said last night, so she smiled and said, "Okay." After saying that, she followed Xiao Yan to the dining room.

Xiao Yan led Murong Jin to sit down at the table, and then instructed Xiao Ling to bring out all the dishes.

Seeing this, Murong Jin couldn't help but tease, "Your Highness, aren't we eating too extravagantly?" Although she didn't like these delicacies, she had been married into the Prince's mansion for three months, which was quite a while. According to Xiao Yan's appetite, it was indeed rather wasteful.

Xiao Yan gently flicked the tip of her nose. "These are all dishes you like to eat."

Murong Jin paused upon hearing this, looked up at Xiao Yan, then glanced down at the dishes on the table. They were indeed all her favorites, but she remembered that he didn't like sweets.

Murong Jin noticed that Xiao Yan had indeed changed a lot recently, especially on the morning of the second day after she returned to the capital. He woke her up early to wash up and eat.

She was puzzled at the time, since he didn't like sweets. Later he explained that he was worried she wouldn't be used to the food outside on the road.

Upon hearing this, Murong Jin suddenly realized what was going on, and then smiled and nodded to Xiao Yan, saying, "Yes, I do really like the food here."

"Since you like it, why don't you stay here permanently?" Xiao Yan said with a smile, his tone full of anticipation.

Murong Jin blinked, looked at Xiao Yan's serious expression, and couldn't help but chuckle. Then she said coquettishly, "I still want to go back to the capital with you."

"Then let's stay here and live."

Murong Jin chuckled, "Fine, whatever you say."

Xiao Yan smiled upon hearing this, and then served soup and vegetables to Murong Jin.

"Your Highness, Lord Murong, General Liu requests an audience."

Xiao Yan paused for a moment, then looked around the dining room and found that everyone except Murong Jin had left. He then looked away and said calmly, "Let him in."

General Liu was quickly brought in. Murong Jin looked up and sized up General Liu. He was burly and strong with resolute features. He looked like a military general, but he didn't have much of the scholarly air that a civil official should have.

Murong Jin looked away after a moment, but Xiao Yan then looked at General Liu and said, "General Liu, I know that you have helped me suppress bandits over the years. You are not only a meritorious official of the court, but also a pillar of the Great Xiao Dynasty." He paused for a moment, then turned to Murong Jin and continued, "Therefore, I have decided to appoint you as General of the Cavalry to assist the Crown Prince in handling state affairs."

General Liu was shocked by Xiao Yan's words. He never expected that he would be appointed as the General of the Cavalry by Xiao Yan.

He was only thinking about saving his own life; as for the future…

General Liu glanced at Murong Jin, who was quietly eating beside him, and hesitated whether to kneel down and express his gratitude. But before he could make a decision, Xiao Yan continued, "General Liu, I hope you will not betray my trust!"

"This humble general will humbly obey Your Highness's teachings!" General Liu immediately knelt on one knee to pay his respects and said loudly.

Murong Jin raised an eyebrow upon seeing this. He hadn't expected Xiao Yan to trust General Liu so much that he would even give him the position of General of the Cavalry, which was an extremely tempting position!

"Get up." Xiao Yan's expression was frank, as if he had truly only recommended General Liu as General of the Cavalry because he valued General Liu's abilities.