A short night is hard to please! A stunningly handsome prince dotes on her exclusively.

Yuan Huaijun merely glanced at Lou Shenghan indifferently and did not blame him further.

In terms of official duties, he is the ruler, and the others below him are his subjects.

Privately speaking, apart from his brothers, only Lou Shenghan dared to call him a friend.

Lou Shenghan smiled, then caught a glimpse of Xin Moling approaching and immediately teased, "Oh! Isn't this General Xin?"

Xin Moling ignored his greeting and didn't even glance at the others present. She stepped forward, raised her hand in a gesture of respect, and bowed deeply to Emperor Yuan.

"Xin Moling pays respects to Your Majesty!"

"No need for formalities! Ah Ling, please sit here."

Besides Emperor Yuan and Lou Shenghan, there were two other men present: one was Prince Lie, Yuan Huailie, who had prompted Xin Moling to draw her sword against him, and the other was Prince Ze, Yuan Huaize, who remained silent with a smile.

At this moment, Emperor Yuan sat on a golden silk couch, while the other three sat on one side. However, they were not as distant as they had been in front of the palace; instead, they were very close, as they had always been close friends.

Xin Moling had already returned to her usual indifferent expression. She simply walked calmly to the opposite side of the two kings and sat down next to Lou Shenghan.

Before Emperor Yuan and the others could speak, Lou Shenghan stared intently at Xin Moling and asked with a smile, "General Xin, I heard that Her Highness the Princess woke up a few days ago. Has she recovered?"

Upon hearing this, Xin Moling thought of the silent culprit opposite her, and a hint of displeasure flashed in her eyes. She coldly said, "My sister is well, no need for you to worry, Prime Minister Lou."

"Tsk~ How can you be so cold and heartless? I was only concerned about the princess's condition."

Lou Shenghan was only in his early twenties, but in the early days of the new emperor's reign, he successfully rose to the position of prime minister of Yuanqi Kingdom through special political means, a position second only to the emperor. As the head of the civil officials, he had the appearance of a refined scoundrel, and his tongue was exceptionally sharp. He often engaged in heated debates with the scholars in the court, making all the officials blush with anger. Yet, he was highly regarded by the emperor, and his suggestions and ideas were all original and in line with the national conditions. Over time, whenever there was any trouble in the court, a large group of old ministers would flock to the prime minister's residence, hoping that Lou Shenghan could persuade the emperor to make a decision, just like the earlier "acquiring of concubines".

"Ah Ling, I heard you brought Danhua to the palace today. Is Danhua feeling much better?"

"Your Majesty, Yan'er has basically recovered and is currently in the Imperial Garden having a chat with the Empress Dowager."

Yuan Huaijun's expression was indifferent. His features were exquisite yet aloof and arrogant. His long, narrow phoenix eyes were devoid of emotion, and there was a hint of imperial authority between his brows and eyes. His steady voice carried a touch of concern.

"Yes, Danhua has been quite frightened this time. I have ordered some top-quality medicinal herbs to be selected from the national treasury. Later, I will have them sent to the General's Mansion so that Danhua can rest and recuperate properly."

"Your Majesty's grace is boundless, and I am deeply grateful."

The three people below didn't interrupt, simply watching the two, the emperor and his minister, exchange polite words back and forth. If Xin Moling had been even a little more enthusiastic towards them, it's likely that blood would have rained down from the sky...

Xin Moling also felt strange. His Majesty was different today. His eyes seemed to show more concern for Yan'er than the superficial concern he showed before. Could it be that he knew about Yan'er's unusual behavior?

"Ah Ling, what are you thinking about?"

Even before the brother and sister entered the palace, Yuan Huaijun's shadow guards had already reported on the situation at the General's Mansion over the past two days. Unexpectedly, Xin Moyan not only suffered from amnesia but also underwent a drastic personality change, and her relationship with A Ling had become much closer. Although he didn't know what the Imperial Preceptor had done that night to pull Xin Moyan back from the brink of death, Yuan Huaijun still harbored doubts about Xin Moyan's sudden return to lucidity, after all, the entire Imperial Hospital had announced that Xin Moyan had died that day...

Xin Moling snapped out of his daze, instantly rose and knelt before the emperor, bowing his head and lowering his brows. His tone was firm and resolute: "Your Majesty, today Moling brought my sister to the palace because I have a request to make of you. I hope Your Majesty will grant it."

Yuan Huaijun frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with Xin Moling's overly respectful attitude.

"Ah Ling, there's no need for such formalities. What is it that you need to speak of?"

It was rare to see Xin Moling asking for a favor, so Lou Shenghan immediately became interested. He lazily leaned back in the rosewood armchair behind him and squinted at Xin Moling.

Since Xin Moling came in, the other two have not spoken. Yuan Huailie just had a cold face, his sword-like eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and the contours of his face were full of determination and decisiveness. He exuded a strong masculine aura, and from a distance, one could tell that he was a military general.

On the other side, Prince Ze, Yuan Huaize, always had a smiling face. His gentle and mild appearance was like a spring breeze. At this moment, he was gently waving a folding fan and smiling very calmly. "Smiling Tiger" was the highest praise Lou Shenghan gave to Yuan Huaize.

Glancing at the cold-faced man opposite her, Xin Moling said, word by word, "Your Majesty, my younger sister had a lot of unpleasantness due to her engagement with Prince Lie. After surviving the great calamity, she has now come to her senses. Today, I have brought my sister to the palace to ask Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager for permission for my sister to dissolve her engagement with Prince Lie."

"Wha...what? You mean, Princess Danhua wants to break off the engagement?"

Lou Shenghan's face was filled with horror. Over the years, he had witnessed Xin Moyan's "fanatic worship" of the Prince Lie. Had she suddenly come to her senses overnight?

Xin Moling's gaze instantly sharpened, glaring coldly at Lou Shenghan with a hint of threat: "What does Prime Minister Lou mean by this? Yan'er and Prince Lie have no feelings for each other, and this general does not wish to see Prince Lie delayed by my sister. Now that Yan'er has proposed to dissolve the engagement, what is wrong with that?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Huailie was not overjoyed. Instead, he felt uneasy. Could it be that the woman was using a feigned retreat as a tactic to force him into marriage?

Lou Shenghan nodded meaningfully, then chuckled at Yuan Huailie opposite him, "Prince Lie, Princess Danhua wants to annul your engagement, why are you so quiet?"

Like Yuan Huailie, the other three also had the same guess. But Xin Moling was extremely fond of his younger sister, so why would he go along with her nonsense and force her to get married?

Yuan Huailie looked up at the Emperor sitting above him and said in a loud and clear voice, "Your Majesty, what General Xin said is exactly what I think. I hope Your Majesty will grant me permission."

"Ah!"

Is he so eager to get rid of Yan'er?

Xin Moling let out a cold laugh, her contempt and disdain for him growing even stronger.

"Ah Ling, is this what Dan Hua is asking for?"

“Indeed! Your Majesty, my sister was so frightened by this a few days ago that the first thing she did upon waking up was to request that she annul her engagement with Prince Lie, so that we may part ways peacefully and live our own lives.”

"This marriage was bestowed by the late Emperor. I need to discuss it with the Empress Dowager before making a decision. You may all follow me to the Imperial Garden!"