Saving the foolish general, she accidentally becomes his favorite.

"Master, are you sure this is okay?"

A row of loyal guards knelt in the dark room. The commander at the head of the guards confirmed with the second prince again, "If we were to make a move then, we must hurry up and plan now, after all, the Fengshen Festival is crowded and chaotic..."

"Yes, no one expected me to make a move during the Fengshen Festival. This was a surprise attack."

The second prince, unlike his usual dissolute self, was secretly plotting a grand scheme in a dark room.

Ever since the eldest prince captured the man in black and his father ordered him to investigate thoroughly, the second prince had been thinking about how to escape unscathed, and finally thought of the upcoming Fengshen Festival.

Grassland tribes rely on weather changes for survival. Areas with abundant rainfall have plentiful pastures and game, so their ancestors would often migrate in search of places with sufficient water.

One day, our ancestor met a wise man who advised that instead of wandering the world, it would be better to worship the God of Abundance and pray for his blessing for a peaceful and prosperous life with favorable weather. After serving the God of Abundance, our ancestors' lives did indeed improve greatly. So, every year they would make offerings to the God of Abundance and pray that the grassland tribes would have plenty of food and clothing and that things would get better and better.

The sacrificial rituals were passed down from generation to generation, and from then on, the Fengshen Festival came into being. Every year, a sacrificial ceremony was held to worship the Fengshen God, and the Fengshen Festival became the biggest and most solemn festival.

On the day of the Fengshen Festival, the statue of Fengshen is carried out by the crowd to receive the faith and offerings of all believers. Many people also make wishes to Fengshen. It is said that lovers who hold hands and pray before Fengshen will grow old together; those suffering from illness will see their health improve after receiving Fengshen's blessing; and those who seek wealth will have opportunities to rise step by step and have abundant wealth...

With less than a month to go before the Fengshen Festival, the second prince plans to use the festival to regain his father's trust in him.

He summoned his secret bodyguards and analyzed in a deep voice, "The murderer was either my elder brother who orchestrated it himself, or it was my uncle who tried to sow discord among us... My uncle lost to my father back then, and although he doesn't seem to have any ambition these days, he was once only one step away from the throne of the grasslands. Who can really not care?"

"As long as the murderer who killed the king's brother is pointed at the king's uncle during the Fengshen Festival sacrifice, even if he is innocent, he will only face death in front of Fengshen."

"Besides, by getting involved myself, I can definitely get rid of my father's disapproval, and kill two birds with one stone."

A dark glint flashed in the second prince's eyes, and in an instant, he had already arranged the fates of several people.

Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. If he cannot become the king of the grasslands, then he should first eliminate all other candidates. With no other choice, his father will have no further objections.

"The Second Prince is wise; we swear to follow him to the death."

The guards, following orders, have now slowly retreated.

When the second prince emerged from the secret room and was about to return along the way, he keenly noticed the unusual sand outside the secret room door—crimson sand.

Picking up a handful of red sand and bringing it to his nose, the second prince narrowed his eyes slightly, immediately thinking of someone…

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Lu Wanning felt uneasy. She woke up from her sleep to find herself drenched in cold sweat, so she decided to get up and drink some water to calm herself down.

Just as she sat up in bed, she caught a glimpse of someone sitting on the edge of the bed, flickering in and out of the shadows of the gauze curtains. Startled, she exclaimed, "Who?!"

Upon recognizing the visitor as the Second Prince, Lu Wanning said coquettishly, "So it's Your Highness! You scared me to death..."

She leaned closer and nestled obediently in the second prince's arms: "Your Highness, didn't you have important matters to attend to? I thought you wouldn't come tonight."

"I wasn't planning on coming, but I found something interesting and wanted to share it with Wan Ning. I didn't expect to scare you."

Lu Wanning said softly, "Your Highness cares about me and always wants to share good things with me. I am so fortunate to have met such a wonderful Your Highness. I will thank God for letting me meet you in this lifetime."

"Oh?" the second prince said jokingly, "So, Wan Ning is so grateful to me..."

"You'll naturally help me solve my problems, won't you?"

Lu Wanning was puzzled, but still answered instinctively, "It would be my honor to be able to do my part for Your Highness. May I ask... what are Your Highness's instructions?"

After saying this, Lu Wanning lowered her eyes, as if she dared not look at the second prince.

"I had important business to attend to with my subordinates, but after I finished, I discovered that someone was eavesdropping outside."

Lu Wanning exclaimed in surprise, "Did they catch them?"

The second prince forced a smile, glanced at the shoes under the bed, and said coldly, "No, he picked them out..."

Lu Wanning breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly heard the second prince say:

"But I sprinkled powder inside and outside the secret room. To find out who was eavesdropping, all I had to do was look at the soles of everyone's shoes, and it would be very clear who was eavesdropping."

"Could we be wrong based on just some medicine powder and shoes? What if we wrongly accuse an innocent person?"

“Red sand is not common in grassland tribes, mainly because poisonous plants tend to grow nearby where it is found. So many people know that it is dangerous when they see red sand and will actively avoid it…”

"To avoid wrongly accusing innocent people, I specially added herbal incense to the crimson sand. Ordinary crimson sand, even if it gets on the soles of shoes, won't have any special smell. Only those who deliberately eavesdrop outside my secret room will have crimson sand on their shoes..."

"It also has...the scent of herbs..."

The second prince spoke slower and slower, as if in a lullaby, yet every word was distinct.

Lu Wanning clenched her fists and said tremblingly, "If Your Highness finds that person, what do you plan to do? What if... what if she also did it unintentionally?"

The second prince gently stroked Lu Wanning's hand and said, "My secret passage not only contains crimson sand, but also traps and hidden weapons. Anyone who enters and sees the weapons should know to stop, otherwise..."

Otherwise, they harbor ulterior motives and want to spy on his actions.

Lu Wanning understood everything at this moment; the second prince had come to interrogate her, and he had discovered her!

Tears streamed down her face involuntarily as she pleaded, "Your Highness, I really didn't mean it, please forgive me... I was just worried that Your Highness might have found a new love, which is why you haven't come to me. I only followed Your Highness because I was afraid of losing you, I have no other intentions!"

Tonight, when Lu Wanning heard that the Second Prince was not coming to her place, she was initially worried about losing favor, so she followed him. Later, she overheard the Second Prince's scheme in the secret room. Knowing that there were some things she couldn't delve into, she left before the Second Prince came out.

Unexpectedly, the second prince still managed to discover some clues...

"Your Highness, I absolutely will not tell anyone. Please, please forgive me this time..."

"Wanning, of course I believe you."

The second prince held Wan Ning in his arms. Just when Lu Wan Ning thought she had passed this hurdle, she heard a cold voice from above: "But I have come a long way, and some things are really not worth taking risks for..."

Lu Wanning shivered. She looked up shakily and saw that the second prince was still smiling kindly at her, but she could see the coldness in his eyes.

Then, a sharp pain came, and Lu Wanning felt her consciousness fading, and her eyes slowly closed...

"Wanning, take a nap. You'll feel better when you wake up..."