Spring arrives and the land smiles

Qingyan kept her promise to come see him today, but as soon as she arrived, she sat down and didn't say a word. No matter what he said, she just hummed and hawed perfunctorily, making it impossible to guess what had happened to her.

"Did you come here to find some peace and quiet?" Lan Zhen sat back on the bed, twirling the delicate little dagger in her hand.

"I came to see you." Qingyan finally snapped out of her daze amidst Lan Zhen's impatience.

"If that's the case, why remain silent?"

My throat hurts.

"My throat hurts?" Lan Zhen choked on her words.

Seeing Lan Zhen's surprised look, Qing Yan realized she had misspoke and quickly explained, "I caught a slight cold this morning, but I'm fine now."

"Little Yan'er, either stay silent or lie. Tell your husband what happened?" Hearing this explanation, Lan Zhen changed his mood, narrowed his eyes, and smiled so brightly that peach blossoms fluttered in the air.

"It's none of your business." That damn transvestite, why does he always take advantage of her as easily as eating and drinking?

"How could it be unrelated to me? My beloved wife, whom I fell in love with at first sight, has been bullied. As her husband, I must help her get revenge." Lan Zhen smiled warmly, her small dagger nimbly moving between her fingers, creating dazzling and chilling patterns that were mesmerizing.

Even with such injuries, he can still wield a dagger with such alluring grace; no wonder he's captured the hearts of so many young girls. Qingyan couldn't help but smile as she recalled the files about King Zhao in the Listening Wind Pavilion.

“Your wife has been bullied to the point of death by those two princes since yesterday. Today she has thought it through and decided to get her revenge herself. Husband, take good care of yourself. I will come to see you again tomorrow.”

Bye-Bye.

Qingyan gave Lan Zhen a perfunctory bow, then left, putting on airs like a princess.

Behind her, Lan Zhen withdrew his teasing, flirtatious eyes and watched her retreating figure, a sense of envy welling up inside him. With wives like these, these two men truly had every reason to be jealous, especially Ning Yuan. If he didn't cherish her and she was snatched away, he wouldn't have anyone to blame but himself.

She returned to the Glazed Palace. If she hadn't been so infuriated by those two men these past few days, she wouldn't have disturbed Lan Zhen's peace. Although Qing Yan was sitting in Qixiang Palace, her mind was wandering freely with Ning Yuan: one moment she was thinking about how she had left without looking back this morning, ignoring his urgent calls and whether they might aggravate her wound; the next moment she was thinking about how Yun Xuan had entered without announcing himself and stood by the bed watching her get dressed, and how Ning Yuan hadn't even bothered to pull the bed curtains to cover her up—she was furious, thinking he deserved to aggravate his wound, and she wouldn't even care about the pain; then she was thinking about how close those two were, and what if they developed a pure love affair? Wouldn't she be losing everything?

As I was thinking, I arrived at the side hall of the Glazed Palace.

Today, Ning Yuan looked better than he had a few days ago. Among everyone, he had fought the longest and was the most seriously injured, and he had also been infected with a putrefactive poison, so his wounds were healing the slowest. Qing Yan was worried about him and wouldn't let him get out of bed. This domineering concern made Ning Yuan quite resentful, but he was quickly won over by Qing Yan's tenderness.

Qingyan silently told herself, "Don't argue with the wounded," and smiled as she fed him the medicine. Ningyuan looked at that smile and felt a chill run down his spine, fearing that he would be in trouble once he recovered.

Good that you know. If you know, then don't go along with Yunxuan's evil ways. Just let him do what he wants. Otherwise, once you recover, I'll have plenty of ways to deal with you.

Qingyan raised an eyebrow, while Ningyuan lowered his head, deciding to pretend to be blind in front of Yunxuan from now on.

Unexpectedly, in the following days, even without Ning Yuan's help, Yun Xuan's skills were enough to overwhelm her. She was constantly being stolen kisses or suddenly pulled into his arms. Qing Yan realized that her boastful words to Lan Zhen about getting revenge were blatant lies. Who was Fu Yun Xuan? Could she possibly get it back? Qing Yan was utterly disappointed in herself.

After several days of this back-and-forth of hiding and searching, their relationship seemed to be getting increasingly complicated. Before Qingyan could think it through, she received a report that General Ning and his entourage would arrive in Suizhou that evening.

Upon hearing the news, Qingyan immediately informed Haitu: "If Your Highness is not in a hurry, you may wait with me at the palace."

“Ina must be tired from her journey, it would be better if I went outside the city to meet her.” Haitu was already eager to head to the outskirts of Suizhou.

"Since Your Highness is so inclined, please do as you please." Qingyan did not stop him.

As evening fell, General Ning and his entourage arrived at the imperial palace. Qingyan personally greeted them and settled them in. After a brief meeting with Ina, he handed over the chart, thus bringing the matter of the official letter to a complete close.

Upon hearing that Ning Yuan was seriously injured, the old general disregarded his fatigue and stayed by Ning Yuan's bedside for several hours, only resting after personally confirming that the injury was indeed not serious.

"Sister Qingyan." Yinghua jumped out of the carriage and rushed into Qingyan's arms like a little deer.

Looking at her younger sister, who bore a striking resemblance to her, Qingyan's heart immediately softened. She gently stroked her sister's face and asked, "Was the journey tiring?"

"Ji Xian accompanied me the whole way, never leaving my side, and it wasn't tiring at all." Yinghua giggled, her voice melodious and pleasant.

"Did you win him over?" Qingyan glanced at the man following Yinghua closely behind her and asked in a low voice.

"Not yet." Yinghua's face fell as she said this. "He hasn't even touched my hand on his own initiative."

This is so difficult. Qingyan frowned. Should she resort to some extreme measures?

"I'll help you." Qingyan smiled mysteriously and whispered in Yinghua's ear, and Yinghua's face immediately lit up.

The following morning, Haitu and Ina came to say goodbye. Qingyan glanced at Ina's belly and felt that if they were not allowed to leave soon, even announcing a premature birth wouldn't be enough to quell public opinion. Therefore, he gave them a state-sponsored send-off and sent Li Zhangwu to escort them all the way to the border. With such a grand display, he believed that Li Zhangwu would not dare to cause any trouble.

As for the other half of the grain supplies promised to Hai Tu after the letter of state was delivered to Qiu Rong, Qing Yan had been shrewd enough to have Yun Xuan secretly send it to Zhao Minghui, who had been stationed on the border between Da Qi and Qiu Rong for many years. Zhao Minghui was the nephew of General Zhao Chi and had been in a standoff with Qiu Rong for many years. He was extremely familiar with Qiu Rong, and since Qiu Rong had now submitted to them, the troops sent to Qiu Rong would naturally be the Ning family army. Therefore, having him escort the grain supplies into Qiu Rong was both his duty and reasonable. Even if Hai Tu was unwilling, he had no grounds for complaint. Moreover, the Ruifeng Battalion and the Vanguard Battalion currently stationed on the border were under the command of Xing Mufeng, who was also General Zhao Chi's deputy and an old acquaintance of Zhao Minghui. Having Xing Mufeng assist Zhao Minghui in acting according to circumstances was an additional layer of insurance.

As long as the right to station troops is not yet in their hands, Qingyan believes that anything is possible, and taking any measures is not superfluous.

After sending off the nautical chart, General Ning came to see Qingyan. Qingyan summoned Yunxuan, and the three of them exchanged information about their journey over the past half month, carefully analyzed the situation, and of course, inevitably talked about Xue Yanran, whom they had met on the outskirts of Shaoliang City.

"Once I'm done with these few days, I'll send someone to escort her back to the capital. She'll stay at the Duke's mansion for now." General Ning recalled the battle years ago, and his thoughts grew even heavier: If the Xue family's girl were to return to the capital with him, she would probably be caught up in a bloody storm.

While the three were talking, Zhui'er came in to report: The envoy from Nanxia requests an audience.

"General Li Muqing of Southern Xia has arrived. Zhui'er, go to Qixiang Palace to inform His Highness Prince Zhao." Qingyan bid farewell to General Ning and took Yunxuan to Zidong Pavilion.

"This foreign subject pays respects to Your Highness the Princess." Li Muqing performed a proper state salute to the seated minister.

Qingyan gazed at Li Muqing below the hall. He was about forty-five or forty-six years old, with a distinct and strong facial structure. He stood tall and slender like a pine tree, his bows were neither arrogant nor humble, his speech was as steady as Mount Tai, and his aura was dignified without anger. He was indeed worthy of being the Supreme General of Nanxia.

"General's demeanor is renowned far and wide, and seeing him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved. I am truly honored," Qingyan praised, her heart filled with admiration.

"Your Highness flatters me." Li Muqing accepted the compliment gladly, neither elated by the praise nor saddened by his own circumstances.

"General, please have a seat." Qingyan gestured for him to sit.

Li Muqing sat down on the left side of the hall: "The Prince of Zhao of our country is deeply grateful for the rescue by Her Highness the Princess. His Majesty, upon learning of this, sent his ministers to prepare a small gift as a token of his respect." Li Muqing waved his hand, and his guards presented the gift list. Qingyan did not refuse and instructed Zhuier to accept it.

"General, you flatter me. It was nothing more than a small favor." Qingyan smiled casually. "His Highness Prince Zhao is seriously injured and it may be inconvenient for him to come and meet with you. If you wish to see Prince Zhao, you may visit Qixiang Palace."

Upon hearing what Qingyan said, Li Muqing immediately stood up: "Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness."

Qingyan personally led Li Muqing to the main hall of Qixiang Palace. At this time, Lan Zhen was already being helped out by servants.

"Your Highness." Upon seeing Lan Zhen, Li Muqing was so excited that he tried to perform a grand salute, but Lan Zhen stopped him.

"It's been a long time since the two of you have met, so I won't disturb you any longer." After handing Lan Zhen over to Li Muqing, Qingyan considered her mission complete and it was time for her to leave.

Unexpectedly, Lan Zhen called out to her in a high-pitched tone, "Princess, you haven't even spoken to me today, why are you leaving already?"

"Isn't having your loyal and devoted general talking to you enough? Why are you dragging me along?" Qingyan rolled her eyes at him, turned away, and ignored his words.

"Oh, oh, my wife, how could you treat your husband like this—" Lan Zhen was injured and could not keep up with Qing Yan's pace, so he could only watch her disappear from his sight with a smile on his lips.

"Your Highness, this is the eldest princess of the Great Qi, how could you..." Li Muqing looked worriedly in the direction Qingyan had left.

"She's adorable, isn't she? Hahahaha." Lan Zhen laughed dismissively, leading Li Muqing into the main hall of Qixiang Palace.

Cute? Li Muqing felt a chill run down her spine. Was the prince sure he was talking about the Crown Prince of Daqi?

Qingyan was worried about Ningyuan, so she unknowingly walked to the side hall of the Glazed Palace. She saw Ningyuan walking around under the bed, and her heart skipped a beat. She quickly went over to help him.

"I'm fine." Ning Yuan patted Qing Yan's hand reassuringly.

Qingyan didn't argue with him, but helped him walk into the palace. Ningyuan shook his head with a smile, but still let her help him lie down on the bed.

"Brother-in-law." Yinghua came running in with a clear, cheerful laugh, like a swallow returning to its nest.

“Yinghua.” Ning Yuan nodded in acknowledgment.

The three of them grew up together and were very familiar with each other, so they didn't distinguish between superiors and inferiors when speaking to each other. Besides, now that Ningyuan and Qingyan were married, it was only natural for him to call Yinghua that. Moreover, this mischievous little girl, Yinghua, had been secretly calling Ningyuan "brother-in-law" for the past two years.

"Brother-in-law, you're so badly injured, Sister Qingyan must be heartbroken." Yinghua looked at Ning Yuan, who was covered in bandages, with an exaggerated expression. If Ji Xian were injured like this, Yinghua felt that she would probably be devastated.

"It's all fine now. Yan'er was just being too cautious." Ning Yuan himself didn't think much of it.

"Your injury hurts my heart. If you want me to suffer unbearable pain, then just stop taking care of yourself, sob sob sob." Qingyan feigned coquettishness, which made Yinghua laugh out loud.

"Sour, so sour." The voice behind me seemed even more affected.

Following the sound, everyone saw Yun Xuan swagger in with his long legs.

As soon as Qingyan saw Yunxuan, she immediately fell silent.

Why does Qingyan always get caught by Ning Yuan when they show affection for each other? She feels that she must have owed Yun Xuan a lot of emotional debts, not just in this life, but also in her past life.

Yinghua was one of the few people around Yunxuan who knew the inside story, but she was not very familiar with Yunxuan, so she was very polite.

"Princess Yinghua," Yunxuan greeted her politely.

"Lord Fu." Yinghua returned the greeting, then looked at Qingyan, her eyes seeming to say: Good luck to you, I'm leaving now.

"Brother-in-law, take good care of your injury. I'll come see you again tomorrow." Yinghua said and left. Qingyan glared at her, which only made Yinghua smirk.

"Brother-in-law?" Yun Xuan raised an eyebrow and looked at Qing Yan. "If he's my brother-in-law, why am I Lord Fu?"