Spring arrives and the land smiles

"No—" Qingyan exclaimed, suddenly sitting up in bed, her forehead covered in cold sweat.

"Yan'er." Ning Yuan, who was beside her, was startled awake and reflexively hugged Qing Yan tightly.

"me--"

"Alright, it's nothing, just a dream," Ning Yuan said gently, trying to soothe her.

"Ningyuan!" Qingyan hugged him tightly, still shaken from the dream. "I dreamt that you and Yunxuan both fell off a cliff, and I... I... I couldn't grab either of them. No, I don't want this to happen!"

Qingyan shook her head violently, trying to drive away the fear in her heart.

Ning Yuan was startled, thinking of the saying that one cannot have both fish and bear's paw. Could this be an omen?

Seeing the petite girl in his arms still trembling, he could only comfort her, "It's alright, I'm right here."

"But, Yunxuan, will Yunxuan not?" Qingyan lifted her head from his embrace.

The worry in his eyes was genuine, and Ning Yuan saw it, feeling a deep pang in his heart.

"No!" Ning Yuan's voice was soft but unusually firm. "He is Fu Yunxuan."

Yes, he is Fu Yunxuan, the all-powerful Fu Yunxuan. If a dream could freeze his fate, wouldn't that be a joke!

Qingyan gradually calmed down, and when she met Ning Yuan's slightly hurt gaze, she realized that she had lost her composure.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately stopped himself. If he were to explain, especially to Ning Yuan, it would only make things worse.

"It's still early, I'll sleep a little longer." Ning Yuan looked out the window; the moonlight was still there, and it seemed it wasn't even dawn yet.

"Mmm." Qingyan nodded obediently, snuggled into Ningyuan's arms, and hugged him even tighter.

Watching the petite girl in his arms breathe evenly and gradually drift off to sleep, Ning Yuan closed his eyes with a heavy heart.

The warm winter sun always puts people in a good mood, but if you see someone you don't want to see, your heart will immediately be filled with gloom.

When Yun Xuan appeared unharmed at Quhe Garden, Qing Yan felt a momentary sense of gratitude towards Lan Zhen, but her smile vanished when she saw the plague-like figure behind him.

"Princess, how have you been?" Hai Tu intervened forcefully, ruthlessly shattering the joy on Qing Yan's face, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

Qingyan glanced at him, composed herself, and smiled as she curtsied to him in a woman's manner: "Your Highness has arrived; I am so sorry for not welcoming you sooner."

Hai Tu was taken aback by this show of weakness. He reached out and helped Qing Yan up. Although it was just a perfunctory help, Qing Yan noticed his slight unease and smiled inwardly.

then--

"Thank you, Your Highness, for sending my husband back. I am deeply grateful." She gave another graceful bow, skillfully avoiding the sharp edge of the sea chart.

"Your Highness is too kind." Without the sharp-tongued Princess, it felt like a heavy punch had landed on cotton; Hai Tu was growing impatient. "However, Your Highness's husband always seems to think I'm plotting against you. Should I solidify this accusation?" A ruthless glint appeared in Hai Tu's eyes.

Suddenly, he stepped forward, grabbed Qingyan's pulse point, and subdued her.

"Yan'er!"

"Yan'er!"

Ning Yuan and Yun Xuan exclaimed in surprise and immediately rushed forward.

However, even with their combined strength, they couldn't harm Hai Tu in the slightest. Instead, one of them was struck by a palm and spat out a mouthful of blood, which was completely unexpected by Qing Yan.

"Ning Yuan, Yun Xuan!" Qing Yan exclaimed in shock, turning back to question Hai Tu, "What did you do to them?"

Hai Tu ignored her and laughed at the two who were helping each other up, "If you two were to use your true energy again, I'm afraid even a great immortal wouldn't be able to save you."

"You—" Qingyan glared angrily, "Despicable!"

"Release the princess." Ning Yuan wanted to fight again, but Yun Xuan stopped him.

No wonder only two people were left to guard Quhe Garden these past few days and no secret guards were set up. No wonder Ning Yuan had not mentioned the escape. It turns out that Hai Tu had already tampered with them.

"Tell me, what exactly do you want?" Qingyan said coldly.

Ignoring her coldness, Haitu narrowed his eyes and smiled, pulling her closer in an ambiguous way and whispering in her ear, "I told you, I'll make you willingly climb into my bed."

Hai Tu's actions deepened the anger in Ning Yuan's eyes. Qing Yan could only soothe him with her eyes and signal Yun Xuan not to act rashly. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, with a smile on her face.

"Do you think that just because I've climbed into your bed, the Western Regions will submit to Qiu Rong? Do you think that just because I've climbed into your bed, your royal court will move to the interior?" Qingyan looked at him with disdain, ignoring his shocked expression, and continued to whisper, "Do you think my Third Imperial Uncle will sit idly by and watch our northern neighbor grow stronger, and Prince Zhao as well?" Qingyan pointed to the back of the map, "Even if I climbed into your bed, they would all do their best to pull me down."

One sentence made Hai Tu's face stiffen: "You...you know everything?"

"I know everything except what I don't know." Taking advantage of Hai Tu's distraction, Qing Yan immediately broke free from his grasp and quickly returned to Ning Yuan's side.

"How are you all?" Qingyan wiped the blood from Ningyuan's mouth with her sleeve.

"It's alright," Ning Yuan replied, and Yun Xuan nodded in agreement.

"It will be too late when you get in the way. You are not allowed to use force again." Qingyan spread her arms to protect the two behind her, watching Lan Zhen who was walking over and Hai Tu who was now looking at her menacingly after regaining his senses.

"But--"

Qingyan interrupted them: "Do you expect me to use my status as the eldest princess to order you around?"

Clap clap clap, the loud clapping drew Qingyan's attention away. "What are you trying to do to me, my wife?" Lan Zhen's teasing voice came from afar.

The call of "My wife" came at just the right time. Qingyan smiled inwardly, turned around, and solemnly whispered to Ningyuan and Yunxuan, "No matter what happens, do not act rashly. Remember, no matter what." Then she stepped forward to greet the person who came and gave a slight curtsy, "I apologize for making you laugh, my husband."

The coquettish voice, coupled with the ambiguous address, startled everyone present, including Lan Zhen.

It was just a joke, but unexpectedly, Qingyan not only didn't refute it but also responded to it without any resentment. She even disregarded the fact that besides Hai Tu, there was also her real husband present. What exactly was she trying to do? Lan Zhen couldn't figure it out for a moment.

“Husband?” Hai Tu turned around and glared at Lan Zhen. “Prince Zhao, what is your explanation?” Lan Zhen’s “wife” hadn’t attracted much attention from Hai Tu. He thought it was just Prince Zhao being a womanizer and indulging in empty talk. But Qing Yan’s response, “husband,” forced him to take it seriously.

"Explanation? Does the matter between the prince and me need to be explained to you?" Qingyan interrupted Lan Zhen before he could speak, and stepped forward to stand beside Lan Zhen in a provocative manner.

As expected, Qingyan's actions angered Haitu, who drew his sword and pointed it at Lan Zhen: "Your Highness, I need your explanation!"

Lan Zhen glanced at the mischievous brat beside her, smiled faintly, and was about to speak when Qing Yan beat her to it.

"Could it be that Your Highness doubts our relationship?" Qingyan winked playfully. "If you don't believe me, Your Highness can verify it for yourself." With that, she stretched out her hand and presented her wrist to the sea chart.

Unexpectedly, she used this trick. Lan Zhen wanted to reach out and grab her, but it was too late. However, if she tried to stop her now, it would only make it more obvious that she was trying to cover something up.

Originally, the intention of using drugs to induce a fake pregnancy was merely to delay Haitu's eagerness to possess her, and to avoid any misunderstanding from him. Besides, Qingyan was already married, so pregnancy was perfectly reasonable. Now it seems that Haitu's angry stab that night was not without reason; he must have heard some news.

Seeing Qingyan's actions, Yunxuan immediately guessed eight or nine parts of the truth. Just as he was about to act, Ningyuan shook his head at him. Thinking of what Qingyan had said earlier, he felt helpless.

Hai Tu sheathed his sword and, with a sliver of hope, checked Qing Yan's wrist for a pulse. It was indeed a faint pulse of pregnancy, indicating that she was only a month pregnant. Cai'er, whom he had sent to monitor, had not lied. Thinking back to that day at the hot spring, it seemed that Princess Pingqiu had already told him the truth, but he simply did not believe it.

Hai Tu withdrew his hand, glaring angrily at Lan Zhen: "Since Your Highness insists on breaking the agreement, shouldn't there be a reasonable explanation?" Then he glanced meaningfully at Qing Yan and said coldly: "Beauty is a curse, indeed."

"We'll soon find out whether he's a troublemaker or not." Qingyan smiled, unperturbed.

Seeing that Hai Tu was about to be enraged by Qing Yan, Lan Zhen could no longer remain calm: "I wonder if the explanation you mentioned, Your Highness, is this Princess of Da Qi?"

"Your Highness knows the answer already," Hai Tu said, turning his head and standing there defiantly.

Lan Zhen laughed, "Now it's your turn to use your silver tongue, my princess." Then, she pushed Qing Yan in front of the sea chart, and with a look of watching a good show, she stepped back.

Lan Zhen was quite tactful. With a bright smile, she looked at the sea chart, cleared her throat, and asked, "Does the young master know anything about my third uncle?"

Haitu glanced at her, then turned his face away.

Qingyan wasn't annoyed. She tilted her head and continued to ask, "Does Your Highness think that cunning and shrewd prince, who is nearly fifty, is easier to deal with, or that innocent and naive young woman like me?"

Hai Tu was slightly taken aback and turned around, puzzled.

There's a chance for things to turn around.

Qingyan continued, "When cooperating, we must consider both the strength and loyalty of our partners. What does Your Highness think?"

"Princess, please speak frankly." Haitu waved his hand dismissively, clearly disliking this roundabout way of communicating.

“Excellent. This princess wishes to take over the role of Third Imperial Uncle and cooperate with the Crown Prince.” Qingyan raised an eyebrow.

Such a startling statement caused Haitu's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Given my current status, it should be easier for my Third Imperial Uncle to fulfill his promise. I'm afraid the Crown Prince can't disagree with that."

A wavering appeared in Haitu's wide eyes.

Qingyan smiled inwardly and continued, "South of the Xiguan Mountains, between the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River, there is a river called the Mo River. The Crown Prince must be very familiar with it." Stealing a glance at him, Qingyan was pleased to see the growing unease in Hai Tu's eyes. "If the Mo River were used as the boundary, and the Great Qi lent the territory south of the Xiguan Mountains to the Crown Prince, this would likely be a great boon for Qiu Rong. Does the Crown Prince agree?" This was far more tempting than the land of the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River.

Upon hearing this, Hai Tu blurted out, "Is this really true?"

"Although I have not yet ascended the throne, a ruler's word is law, and the position of crown prince is not to be taken lightly." It seems that it is about time, Qingyan said confidently.

If she still couldn't persuade him at the last minute, Qingyan would have no choice but to surrender.

“Very well, Princess Pingqiu is so kind, how could I refuse?” Hai Tu smiled broadly, his approval of Princess Pingqiu growing stronger. “However, I have one more condition.”

"Please speak, Your Highness." Qingyan narrowed her eyes.

“A marriage alliance,” Haitu uttered softly. “If the princess changes her mind later, I’ll have an explanation.”

A marriage alliance? I didn't expect him to bring this up, but it's something that's been around since ancient times, and it's the official link for cooperation between the two sides. Qingyan thought for a moment and then agreed: "There are a few eligible women among the royal family of the Great Qi, and I, the princess, am happy to act as matchmaker."

“No, the marriage alliance I’m referring to is with you, Princess.” Haitu smiled shrewdly.

"what?"

These words shocked the entire audience, and almost everyone spoke in unison.

“Your Highness, we are both people of status, and such words cannot be spoken lightly,” Qingyan said sternly. “Besides, I am already married and there is no way I could be a candidate for a marriage alliance.”

“It seems the princess has no sincerity,” Qingyan’s refusal angered Haitu. “Then why say more?”

Is he determined to conquer the Thousand-Mile Buddhist Kingdom in the Western Regions? Qingyan thought to herself, this Lomur Haitu is really not an easy person to deal with.

“Sincerity requires both sides. Is this the prince’s sincerity?” Qingyan’s face turned cold. “In that case, there’s no point in saying more.”