Spring arrives and the land smiles

After leaving the Jingxin Hall, Qingyan went straight to the Bolanzhai without delay. She could only feel at ease entrusting such an important matter to Yunxuan.

But Yunxuan was not at Bolanzhai at this time. Could he be at Dali Temple? Qingyan rushed to Dali Temple without stopping.

The eldest princess entered the gates of the Dali Temple in a light gauze sedan chair, which truly surprised the ministers there. Qingyan did not want to disturb others, but she was still received with the courtesy due to the crown prince.

Yun Xuan personally led a group to greet them, but Qing Yan, in full view of everyone, excused herself from Yun Xuan's formal greetings and took his arm, heading straight to Yun Xuan's office. This unabashed behavior completely stunned everyone.

Yunxuan hadn't expected that Qingyan would be so affectionate towards him in a situation where he didn't need to show off his love to others, and he felt very sweet inside.

"What brings you to me in such a hurry?" Since you've come all the way to the Dali Temple, it must be something serious.

"Qiu Rong's official letter will arrive in Suizhou in a month. However, the map requests that our Great Qi provide 110,000 shi of grain annually. In return, we will send ten craftsmen to Great Qi to teach them blade-tempering techniques." Qing Yan finished speaking with great enthusiasm, her joyful expression practically radiating brilliance.

"Really!" Yunxuan was also very excited.

"Of course," Qingyan added, "This matter is of great importance, and I would like you to accompany me to Suizhou. You will also be in charge of procuring the grain; you must not let the people from the Ministry of Revenue ruin my important mission."

"As you command, my princess." Yunxuan gave a perfunctory bow, which made Qingyan laugh even more heartily.

"Yunxuan, you're still the best to me." Qingyan wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest.

"Even better than Ningyuan?" Yunxuan laughed.

"Serves you right for being so dramatic." Qingyan playfully punched Yunxuan's chest.

His doting gaze fell silently on Qingyan's rosy cheeks. She was as beautiful as jade, charming and alluring, and he couldn't help but kiss her lips.

Qingyan did not dodge, but instead tightened her arms around Yunxuan's waist. Her alluring charm, which seemed to both resist and welcome, deeply impressed Yunxuan, making him unable to resist her.

Qingyan closed her eyes, hiding the flicker in them behind her eyelids. The warm touch on her lips made her feel even more guilty. She had been so despicable, taking advantage of Yunxuan's feelings time and time again. It would be an understatement to describe her as having committed heinous crimes.

A kiss, tender and passionate, yet seemingly worlds apart.

Ina performed the rituals in Qingyan's place every day for five consecutive days, and her body seemed to be unable to take it anymore.

"Sister, why don't you rest for a day?" Qingyan stopped Ina, who was about to head to the Buddhist ceremony venue.

"I know my sister's good intentions, but I can still handle it." Ever since Qingyan told her that she could use the excuse of being granted the title of Princess Jingguo by the Longqing Emperor by performing the ritual in her place, and that she could use this as a means to form a marriage alliance with Qiu Rong, Yina was willing to risk her life for it.

"Even if you don't care about the older one, you must care about the younger one. You can't keep dragging this on. I know what I'm doing. If you trust me, then listen to me." Seeing that she couldn't dissuade her, Qingyan had no choice but to resort to her trump card. If it meant endangering an innocent little life in order to force Haitu, Qingyan would rather find another way.

Sure enough, after hearing what Qingyan said, Ina stopped insisting and stayed in Caiyi Palace to rest.

Today, Qingyan had to personally participate in the ritual. Feeling drowsy and tired, Qingyan sat among the monks, feeling somewhat sleepy again. Fortunately, she only needed to sit there like a statue. If she had to cooperate with the Dharma Master Ran Deng's rituals like Ina had a few days ago, Qingyan felt she would definitely not be able to handle it.

After resting for half a day, Ina insisted on continuing to perform the ritual in place of Qingyan. Seeing that her complexion had improved, Qingyan stopped trying to stop her and simply instructed the royal physician to take good care of her.

In Caiyi Palace, Zhui'er brought a plate of freshly made hibiscus white jade cakes to Qingyan. Qingyan smelled them, then picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. Hmm, it tasted exactly the same as the one she had eaten at Lanzhen Residence before. She nodded in satisfaction.

Zhui'er also breathed a sigh of relief for the imperial chefs of Xuanhua Palace. This fifth attempt at making the hibiscus white jade cake finally suited the Princess's taste.

"Let's go to the Zhenxiulou Restaurant." Qingyan told Zhuier to pack up the hibiscus white jade cake and then left the palace.

Zhenxiulou is the most famous old brand in the capital. In the past, Qingyan would sneak out of the palace to play, always dressed as a man. But today, she and Zhuier appeared in front of the manager in pretty women's clothes.

"The sun rose in the west today." A charming yet sharp voice entered Qingyan's ears. Without even looking, she knew that the person coming towards her was Su Niang, the manager of Zhenxiulou.

Su Niang is a 26-year-old divorced woman with a 16-year-old child in tow. Why is she divorced? This all stems from Qing Yan.

Five years ago, Ning Yuan took Qing Yan out of the palace to play. They had lunch at Zhenxiu Restaurant, where Qing Yan first met Su Niang. At that time, Su Niang was the second young mistress of the wealthy Chen family in the capital. Su Niang was a kind person who immediately saw through Qing Yan's disguise as a boy and also pointed out Qing Yan's crush on Ning Yuan, making their relationship complicated. This made Qing Yan marvel at the precociousness of people in ancient times. Although she was only twelve years old at the time, her mental age was already quite mature. Despite her childlike face, her ambiguous relationship with Ning Yuan, who was not yet twenty, seemed perfectly natural to Su Niang, and Qing Yan's affection for Su Niang grew even stronger.

Su Niang's maiden name was Tong. She was the only daughter of the owner of Zhenxiu Restaurant, Mr. Tong. She married Chen Weiping, the second young master of the wealthy Chen family in Beijing, at the age of nineteen. The following year, she gave birth to a son, and life seemed blissful. However, after the birth of her son, Su Niang suddenly sensed something was wrong with Chen Weiping. He was no longer as gentle and considerate as he had been during their honeymoon, often staying out all night and even refusing to share a bed with her. At first, Su Niang thought Chen Weiping had fallen in love with someone else and was heartbroken. But later, she discovered that Chen Weiping was gay. Heartbroken, Su Niang often took her child to stay with her parents, and when she had nothing to do, she would often help out at Zhenxiu Restaurant. Although the Chen family had some complaints, given that they were in the wrong and their own wealth was not as great, they let her be.

After hearing Su Niang's story, Qing Yan was filled with righteous indignation and wished she could grab the second young master of the Chen family who had harmed an innocent girl and beat him up. After venting her anger, Qing Yan advised Su Niang to get a divorce. Su Niang was a fiery woman, and after several days of Qing Yan's guidance and persuasion, she readily agreed to Qing Yan's proposal. From then on, the two became sisters.

Therefore, Qingyan was always very unrestrained at Zhenxiulou.

"The sun will still rise in the south tomorrow, do you believe it, Sister Su?" Qingyan asked Zhuier to hand over the packaged hibiscus white jade cake, and Su Niang had the waiter take it.

The two were very compatible. Su Niang loved pastries and especially enjoyed making them herself, so whenever Qing Yan ate a delicious pastry, she would try her best to bring it to Su Niang.

"I believe you, I believe whatever my sister says." Su Niang warmly took Qing Yan's hand and led her and Zhui'er to the private room on the second floor of the back hall annex.

Pushing open the door, one finds a person playing the zither inside, the flowing melody revealing the player's bright and cheerful mood.

"Sister Su, thank you for your trouble." Qingyan gave a slight curtsy.

"Don't be so polite with me." Su Niang didn't seem to care much. "This place is quiet and peaceful, and no one will disturb you. You two chat first, and if you need anything, have Zhui'er call me."

Qingyan nodded, her gaze remaining fixed on Su Niang until she closed the door.

"Zhui'er, stay outside and keep watch," Qingyan instructed.

Zhui'er answered.

Qingyan strode into the inner room.

"You two go and keep watch in the outer room too," Qingyan ordered Cao Yu and Cao Da, who were standing at the door of the inner room.

Cao Yu and Cao Da glanced at their master for approval, and after receiving his consent, they withdrew.

"Why don't you hurt yourself even more? Maybe you could gain more sympathy." Qingyan glanced at Lan Zhen, annoyed.

"Is Xiao Yan feeling sorry for me?" Lan Zhen lightly plucked the last string of his zither, his eyes narrowed with a smile, exuding an air of charm.

"If you don't come looking for me, I don't care if you die." Qingyan cursed him silently in her heart.

"It is said that His Highness Prince Zhao's martial arts were personally taught by General Gongsun Shang, who was unparalleled in the history of Southern Xia, and later he also received the true teachings of General Li Muqing, making him virtually invincible in Southern Xia. Now that you are injured like this, if you say it wasn't intentional, I'm afraid no one would believe it." Qingyan sat down at the purple elm table opposite the zither table.

“I miscalculated. Lu Changlin was too eager for credit and not only colluded with Prince Jin, but also with Hai Tu.” Lan Zhen was not offended and stated the facts. “It seems that Hai Tu has been driven to a dead end by you and has even included me in your scheme.”

“I am the mastermind, and you are an accomplice. It is only natural for Hai Tu to plot against you.” Qing Yan poured herself a cup of tea.

“Xiao Yan’er, the reputation of murdering one’s husband is not good, let alone hiring someone to kill him, it’s even worse.” Lan Zhen left the zither table and sat down at the purple elm table. The movement caused him to frown from the pain in his body, but his eyes were fixed on Qing Yan with a scrutinizing gaze.

Qingyan understood perfectly well. This misunderstanding could very well ruin their cooperation, so it had to be clarified.

"I didn't." Qingyan chose the most direct way to defend herself.

"Really not?" Lan Zhen's judgment deepened.

In such an atmosphere, Qingyan, who should have been feeling uneasy under such scrutiny, was now acting with complete confidence.

"What good would it do me to reveal your whereabouts to Haitu? Don't you ever think that Haitu is just desperate?"

"A cornered dog will jump over the wall? Hahahaha..." Lan Zhen burst into laughter. "Little Yan'er, you're probably not just going to retaliate with one needle, you're trying to eliminate him completely, aren't you?"

"I just want Haitu to know that I'm someone who holds grudges." Qingyan said dismissively.

"Should I be more careful too? My little Yan'er." Lan Zhen's behavior was as frivolous as ever, but today it was particularly outrageous. He even used a single finger to lift a strand of Qing Yan's hair that was draped over her shoulder, letting it slowly slip from his fingers.

Upon hearing this, Qingyan glared at him angrily, and was about to slap away the wolf's paw without any politeness, but when her eyes fell on the bright red bandage on his wrist, she held back.

He was so badly hurt because of her.

"Don't show your face these next few days. I'm going to Suizhou in a few days, and I'll have a chance to avoid being seen."

"Are you going to Suizhou?" Lan Zhen's teasing expression vanished.

"Haitu demands that I deliver the official letter in Suizhou." Having previously asked Lan Zhen for help, Qingyan did not intend to hide this from him. Of course, this was also a way of informing him why Haitu was so desperate.

"Congratulations, Princess, on achieving your wish." Lan Zhen gave a perfunctory curtsy.

"Don't worry, you have done me a favor in this matter, and I will not forget it." Qingyan naturally knew the meaning behind Lan Zhen's congratulations. "Once I have sorted out the nautical charts, I will definitely deliver you safely to General Li Muqing."

“Xiao Yan’er still cares about me the most, so why don’t you,” Lan Zhen said in his usual carefree, playful manner, “help me change my dressing?”

"You..." Why couldn't she bear it just now? Qingyan felt that she must have lost her mind. She stood up angrily and was about to leave.

"Shen Qingyan." Lan Zhen reached out to pull her, but the movement aggravated her shoulder injury. Qingyan, caught off guard by the sudden grab of her arm, lost her balance, and Lan Zhen's expression immediately became distorted.

"What's wrong with you?" Qingyan was startled and blurted out without thinking.

"Please help me change my dressing." The injury on her shoulder was quite severe, and Lan Zhen's face began to look grim, but her tone was almost pleading.

Alas, it's hardest to bear the kindness of a beautiful woman. Qingyan glanced at Lan Zhen, nodded, and then instructed Zhui'er to prepare medicine.

Helping Lan Zhen sit on the bed, Qing Yan carefully untied Lan Zhen's belt, removed his outer robe, and then his inner and outer garments. Before her eyes, his body was completely mangled, a sight that deeply moved Qing Yan.

Given Lan Zhen's skills, even with his collusion with Prince Jin, Lu Changlin and his ilk wouldn't have inflicted such severe injuries on him. However, considering the Black Eagle Cavalry under Hai Tu's command, Lan Zhen was fortunate to have escaped with his life. If he hadn't insisted that Lan Zhen help him, allowing Li Muqing to suppress Situ Huan and inadvertently offending the powerful Situ family of Nanxia, ​​he wouldn't have incurred Hai Tu's wrath and been so ruthless as to attempt to kill him.

Qingyan suddenly realized that Lan Zhen was indeed a reliable ally, and secretly resolved to do her best for Lan Zhen's succession.

"Rumor has it that the Great Qi Princess is extremely fond of men, and it seems to be true." Lan Zhen couldn't help but tease Qing Yan when she suddenly stopped what she was doing and stood there in a daze.

“Someone like my Ningyuan is what you call male beauty; someone like you should be called a vixen,” Qingyan retorted without hesitation, and tightened her grip as she removed his bandages.

"Hiss—" Lan Zhen gasped, "Not very gentle."

"Raise your hand." Qingyan ignored him, deftly unwrapped his bandage, applied medicine to the wound, and then replaced it with a clean bandage. Throughout the process, Qingyan tried her best not to touch Lan Zhen's wound, and her technique was very meticulous.

"Alright." Qingyan washed her hands with a handkerchief and prepared to leave. Suddenly, Lan Zhen reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"Does Your Highness have any further instructions?" Qingyan was completely annoyed this time.

“Shen Qingyan, I really doubt if you’re a princess,” Lan Zhen said with a smile.

You don't understand.

Lan Zhen continued, "Traveling south from Shengjing is at least a thousand miles, yet you managed to stay awake until you received the disaster relief supplies from me before falling ill. Traveling north with me, you were able to manage everything perfectly without needing any maids. Later, at Quhe Garden, I deliberately had Cao Yu deliver raw ingredients, waiting for you to beg me, and you actually washed your hands and cooked the soup yourself. Today, you didn't even shy away from the impropriety of men and women, and you even bandaged your wound so skillfully. Shen Qingyan, if I hadn't had someone investigate you, I really wouldn't believe you're a princess raised in seclusion."

"These are basic life skills. What's so strange about them? If I'm no longer the princess one day, I won't starve to death with these skills. I'm just being prepared." Qingyan laughed it off, thinking to herself that if she told him she came from the future, he might mistake her for some kind of monster.

"Prepare for a rainy day? Xiao Yan, if you need to prepare for even these things, then you have far too many things to prepare for." Clearly, Lan Zhen didn't believe this answer, and since Qing Yan was unwilling to say, he didn't intend to press for details.

"Although I am the Crown Prince, Prince Jin has always been eyeing me covetously. Today I may still be the Eldest Princess, but tomorrow I might be a divorced prince." Qingyan laughed it off and changed the subject.

"Don't worry, Xiao Yan'er, with your two husbands around, it won't be easy for you to be divorced." Lan Zhen raised an eyebrow. "Besides, I'm here too, Xiao Yan'er. I won't let you be divorced either." Lan Zhen winked at Qing Yan ambiguously, making a half-serious promise in line with Qing Yan's topic.

"Then thank you very much, Your Highness." Since Lan Zhen said so, Qingyan listened in kind.