First annul the engagement, then sever ties with the empress; the empress reigns supreme.

Ning Hanshuang remained silent and did not respond to whatever Ning Haitang said.

Ever since she learned that Gu Yuanbai was the real culprit who wiped out the entire Ning family, Ning Hanshuang felt indebted to Ning Haitang and unconsciously lowered her head in front of Ning Haitang.

Gu Junxi was powerless to change the way Ning Hanshuang and Ning Haitang got along.

On one end was her mother, and on the other was her aunt who treated her like a daughter; she couldn't side with either of them. She simply pretended not to hear and did what she had to do.

Murong Yuan became even more certain of his feelings for Su Li because of her disappearance these past few days, and he had been feeling depressed ever since.

Gu Junxi and Mu Lingye were powerless to do anything about it.

So much time has passed since the Sixth Prince and Feng Wu got married. Feng Wu's injuries are healing day by day. Because of the exposure of Gu Yuanbai's past as a traitor, Leng Xuanjue is being scorned by many people in the capital, but he ignores them all and shows no intention of leaving Dasheng.

To celebrate the successful marriage alliance between the Great Sheng and the Qin state, and also to formally welcome the arrival of the three states, Emperor Sheng ordered the Ministry of Rites to meticulously prepare a grand competition among the four states.

Tomorrow is the day of the Four Kingdoms Grand Competition. Even though Mu Lingye, as the Crown Prince of Dasheng, is not favored, he must participate, and so will Gu Junxi.

In particular, Gu Junxi never announced her pregnancy to the public, keeping it a complete secret.

As for the people in the Crown Prince's residence, they all know that's because the Crown Prince's residence has long been an impenetrable wall.

Mu Lingye was absolutely certain that news from within the manor would not get out; any news that did get out would definitely be news that Mu Lingye wanted to get out.

The outcome of the Four Kingdoms Tournament was a matter of national prestige, and not only the Ministry of Rites attached great importance to it, but even Emperor Sheng himself took it very seriously.

The competition was further divided into literary and martial arts competitions.

Literature is compared to poetry and prose, while martial arts are compared to horsemanship and hunting.

The first day's literary contest had winners and losers, with Dayu temporarily leading among the four countries.

The competition took place during the day, followed by a banquet at night.

Because of her pregnancy and to prevent any accidents, Gu Junxi had already eaten her fill when she came to the banquet, and she didn't touch anything at the banquet.

Such banquets were actually quite meaningless; she was only there because she, as the Crown Princess, had no choice but to attend. Gu Junxi sat beside Mu Lingye, looking listless. Even if she didn't touch the food, sometimes the smell of it made her want to vomit.

"Sister Xi, this banquet is so boring. Why don't you come with me for a walk in the Imperial Garden?" Princess Long Yao of Dayu sat in her seat, yawned twice out of boredom, and walked over to Gu Junxi.

She affectionately hugged Gu Junxi's arm and shook it.

Gu Junxi wanted to refuse, but found Mu Lingxuan's gaze fixed on her, making her uncomfortable. She simply agreed, "Okay."

"I'm going to stroll around the Imperial Garden with Princess Longyao," Gu Junxi said, turning to Mu Lingye.

Mu Lingye had been paying attention to Long Yao and Gu Junxi's conversation and heard everything they said. Mu Lingye nodded and instructed, "Don't go too far. I'll come find you in a bit."

“Okay.” Gu Junxi smiled and followed Long Yao through the main hall to the Imperial Garden.

Mu Lingxuan sat in his seat and waited until he could no longer see Gu Junxi before turning his gaze away.

Mu Lingxuan downed a glass of wine, looking gloomy. After Gu Lichuan's reminder, Mu Lingxuan finally remembered Gu Juntang.

When he returned to the manor that night, he specifically asked the servants and learned that Gu Juntang had been missing for several days.

It's one thing for a concubine to disappear, but the problem is that this concubine is the mother of his son, which makes things a bit tricky and complicated.

Recalling Gu Lichuan's words, he couldn't help but feel that Gu Juntang's disappearance was another conspiracy. If Gu Juntang, like a centipede that doesn't die but still stirs up trouble, could his obsession with Gu Junxi really be bad for both him and Gu Junxi, just as Gu Lichuan said?

But he simply couldn't bring himself to give up Gu Junxi.

"When exactly will your plan be implemented? I can't wait any longer." Mu Lingxuan put down his wine cup and looked at Leng Xuanjue, who was sitting casually with a nonchalant expression.

Leng Xuanjue's eerie blue eyes flashed as he sat up straight: "Let's do it now. Come on, this prince will show you a good show."

"Princess Longyao, Lord Zuo is looking for you." In the Imperial Garden, Longyao was chatting with Gu Junxi about the interesting things in Medicine King Valley. The two hadn't walked for long when a palace maid came to report.

Zuo Du was in charge of all matters related to Da Yu's visit, and even the princess had to obey his orders. Hearing that Zuo Du had something to discuss with her, Long Yao didn't find anything amiss, told Gu Junxi, and hurriedly left.

Gu Junxi had only accompanied Long Yao on a stroll through the Imperial Garden, and once Long Yao left, she didn't want to walk any further. She also didn't want to be alone and cause any complications. Gu Junxi turned to return to the main hall, only to see Mu Lingxuan standing not far away, watching her.

Gu Junxi instinctively wanted to avoid him, because she had tried everything to deal with Mu Lingxuan's relentless pursuit. The best way to deal with this kind of lunatic was simply to ignore him.

She turned to walk down another road, but suddenly her feet froze in place, as if she couldn't move at all.

She frowned and looked in Mu Lingxuan's direction, only to see Mu Lingxuan say just one sentence: "Come here."

Anyone who wants to go there is crazy. Gu Junxi wanted to leave again in disgust, but then a voice suddenly rang in her mind, commanding and controlling her, making her insist on going.

Gu Junxi walked stiffly to Mu Lingxuan, her body lifeless, like a wooden doll.

Having successfully controlled Gu Junxi on his first attempt, Mu Lingxuan was so excited his eyes turned red. He took a deep breath and then impatiently issued his second command: "Hold me tight."

Gu Junxi's blank eyes struggled, and her hands moved forward in a strange posture, as if she wanted to hug Mu Lingxuan, but she seemed to be blocked. She was just one step away, but she could not take the next step no matter what.

The excitement in Mu Lingxuan vanished, replaced by anger. He clearly understood that Gu Junxi was resisting him. Even though she no longer had her own will, she was still preserving her chastity for Mu Lingye and was unwilling to be close to him.

Has she really gone this far in her heart towards him?

He is not satisfied.

Mu Lingxuan caught a glimpse of Mu Lingye approaching out of the corner of his eye. He immediately changed his order: "Stand still."

Receiving the order again, Gu Junxi's strange posture disappeared, and she stood still with her hands hanging naturally at her sides. Mu Lingxuan took the initiative to hug Gu Junxi.

Mu Lingye stopped in his tracks when he saw the two people embracing under the tree.

"Crown Prince of Dasheng, why did you stop? Sister Xi is right ahead." Long Yao, following behind Mu Lingye, asked in confusion when Mu Lingye suddenly stopped.

Then he looked ahead and was so shocked that his mouth dropped open.

"Heavens! What did I just see? Was Prince Xuan flirting with Sister Xi?"

The scene before one's eyes would instinctively appear as one of mutual affection. Teasing? From this angle, Gu Junxi showed no sign of resistance or aversion.

Mu Lingye was surprised, and his cold gaze fell on Long Yao: "Why do you think that Mu Lingxuan is flirting with you, rather than that the two of you have rekindled your old feelings?"

The deeper and more loving Mu Lingye's feelings for Gu Junxi became, the more afraid he would become that it was all a dream. He would wake up to find that it was all his own delusion.

It wasn't that he lacked confidence in Gu Junxi, but rather that he felt he wasn't good enough.

After spending time together, Gu Junxi finally realized that he was still too dirty.

"Heavens, Crown Prince of Dasheng, how could you think like that? My sister Xi is such an outstanding woman, how could she go back to an old flame? This Prince Xuan is not as good-looking as you, nor is he as powerful as you. He's just favored by the Emperor, but in other aspects, he can't compare to you. Why are you so insecure? A man can't be insecure." Long Yao patted Mu Lingye's shoulder casually.

It was precisely because Long Yao was naive and lacked guile that she spoke her mind. Otherwise, if it were anyone else, they wouldn't dare to say such offensive things.

Those around Mu Lingye generally knew that he was always insecure when it came to relationships, but no one had ever pointed it out.

Mu Lingye's dull eyes lit up, and he said uncertainly, "So I'm this outstanding...?"