Spring arrives and the land smiles

The sycamore tree, its branches gleaming in the sunshine, is adorned with the vibrant green of evening rain and dawn glow.

As night fell, a cool breeze swept through the warmth of spring, gently lifting Qingyan's skirt. The orchid-colored ripples swayed in the wind, radiating happiness.

Qingyan and Ningyuan strolled hand in hand in the courtyard, chatting idly about Qiu Rong. The tender new buds of the spring trees were glistening with dew on their branches. A gentle breeze caused a single, glistening drop to fall, landing precisely on Qingyan's shoulder. Ningyuan reached out to support her shoulder, but Qingyan naturally wrapped her arms around his waist. Her waist was wrapped in bandages, and Qingyan frowned, thinking of his injury. Then, forgetting their leisurely stroll, she insisted he return to fetch the Imperial Physician Wang to examine his pulse.

"Old Physician, how is Ningyuan's injury?" Qingyan stared at Physician Wang, as if trying to read something from his face.

Physician Wang glanced at Ning Yuan, and seeing him nod slightly, he understood: "General Ning's injuries have healed. With two more days of recuperation, he will be back to normal."

"Really?" Given his past record, Qingyan didn't believe it.

“Of course, don’t you trust Physician Wang’s medical skills?” Ning Yuan quickly interjected.

“I trust the old physician’s medical skills, but I don’t trust you. Just because you were so impassioned to fight alongside Xing Mufeng, I can’t trust you.” Qingyan spoke with conviction, and Ning Yuan, knowing he was in the wrong, dared not speak.

"Haha, this old minister takes his leave." Imperial Physician Wang walked out with a smile on his face.

"If Yan'er doesn't believe me, she can just look at my injuries." Ning Yuan reached out and unbuttoned his clothes.

One by one, he removed his clothes, and layer upon layer of bandages were unwrapped. Ning Yuan's well-defined, wheat-colored chest came into Qing Yan's view, and the large and small pink scars on his body, now healed, stung her eyes. Qing Yan raised her hand and gently touched these scars; the uneven texture flowed through her fingertips, defiantly proclaiming the fierce battles they had fought. From his chest to his waist, new wounds connected with old ones, like medals of honor, showcasing Ning Yuan's past bloodshed, some of which Qing Yan was unaware of.

"Ning Yuan, take me with you next time you go to the battlefield." The healed wound no longer needed medicine, but the hideous scars still made Qing Yan's heart ache again and again.

"With your mediocre skills, don't cause me any more trouble." Ning Yuan held her hand.

Qingyan smiled, knowing that once on the battlefield, she would be nothing but a burden.

“Ningyuan…” Qingyan threw herself into his arms, tears streaming down her face.

Ning Yuan smiled and shook his head, patting the girl in his arms who was crying her eyes out. A warmth filled his heart, and he wanted more: "Yan'er... tonight..."

"You still have to take your medicine tonight. I'll stay here and watch you take it." Qingyan looked up at Ning Yuan with teary eyes and answered casually.

A palace maid brought over the royal physician's medicine at just the right moment. Ning Yuan smiled helplessly and drank it down in one gulp.

"I won't let you suffer this bitter medicine alone. I'll drink it with you." Qingyan picked up another bowl and drank it all in one gulp. This was the medicine that Imperial Physician Wang gave her every year before summer to regulate her body; it could have been made into pills.

Ning Yuan used a handkerchief to wipe the remaining medicine from the corner of her mouth. Seeing her carefree and cheerful expression, he suddenly couldn't bear to give her to someone else, so he simply pulled her into his arms, turned over, and pressed her onto the bed.

The sudden movement startled Qingyan, and she hurriedly pressed her hand against his chest only after Ning Yuan leaned in close: "Your injury... won't do."

"It's ready."

Ning Yuan smiled and continued to reach out to unbutton her clothes.

"But the old doctor said I need to recuperate for two more days." Qingyan grabbed his mischievous hand and held it to her chest.

"The old doctor said that after two days of treatment, she will be back to normal. Don't worry, Yan'er, I won't let you down." Ning Yuan's lips curled into a wicked smile as he pulled his hand out of Qing Yan's arms and continued to undress her.

Such blatant teasing made Qingyan's face flush red instantly. Between the two, due to the difference in their social status, Qingyan almost always took the lead; even when it came to expressing affection, it was Qingyan who made the first move. Yet, in this particular matter, Ning Yuan always seemed to have the upper hand perfectly. Was this simply a man's nature?

"Ning Yuan!!" Seeing that her clothes were becoming less and less covering her body, Qing Yan gritted her teeth in anger: How could this guy not know what's important?

"Yan'er, be good... It's been over a month..." Ning Yuan kissed her lips without saying a word, and that little mouth that made people both love and hate finally stopped making a sound.

Ning Yuan's hands roamed nimbly over her body, each touch of his fingertips igniting a spark that instantly raised Qing Yan's body temperature.

"Yan'er... I will never... give you to someone else again..." Ning Yuan murmured in the crook of Qing Yan's neck.

"Hmm." Finally, they understand the importance of asserting sovereignty, even if it's a bit late.

"Yan'er, my Yan'er..." Ning Yuan suddenly became agitated, tearing at Qing Yan's last barrier and kissing her lips fiercely, from rubbing to light biting, and then to heavy sucking, until Qing Yan's mouth tasted a bit of rust, and she realized that her lips had been sucked raw.

Ningyuan is very different today. He seems a little anxious, a little scared, and a little rough. He seems to want to prove something, but he is also afraid to know the answer.

It seems that his intimacy with Yunxuan these days has aroused him. Qingyan patted his back soothingly, and even though the softness on her chest had been ravaged by him and was sore, she still chose to let him indulge.

Before I knew it, it started raining outside the window.

Ning Yuan held Qing Yan tightly in his arms, his hot breath spraying around her.

"Yan'er..."

The suppressed whispers, filled with helplessness and pain, pierced Qingyan's nerves again and again.

“Ningyuan…I am yours alone…at least…for now…”

"Yan'er...I...can't bear to part with her..."

I can't bear to part with it... I can't bear to part with it...

These words echoed in Qingyan's mind: reluctant to part, yet forced to part, for both herself and Ningyuan—powerless to resist, yet forced to compromise. Qingyan's emotions were suddenly stirred by the words "reluctant to part."

Perhaps in this situation, emotions are contagious, and Ning Yuan, who was already somewhat impatient, became even more agitated.

Tearing off the last piece of clothing covering her body, Ning Yuan suddenly lunged in, each time as if he wanted to tear her apart, desperately and fiercely possessing her.

The rain outside the window grew louder and denser, the wind fanning the flames as it violently pounded against the sycamore leaves, the scattered sounds hoarsely screaming helplessness and... pain.

Ning Yuan remained silent. He was well aware of all this, but if he let his feelings run wild, he feared that one day his Yan'er would disregard everything and only want him. Ten years had passed, and he knew Yan'er deeply.

Yan'er is the Crown Prince, the future Empress. How could she possibly have only him by her side? Moreover, those who can enter the Empress's palace are all from powerful and influential families. Although according to ancestral rules, all the princes-in-law must resign and retire after the Crown Prince ascends the throne, can the influence and family power behind them be erased by a mere piece of paper? Therefore, the Empress needs to extend her favor evenly, and the fact that the biological fathers of the princes are unknown is even more conducive to consolidating her position.

Yan'er said we are family too.

Family...yes, family...

The rain started again sometime earlier, a light drizzle, its rhythm rapid. Qingyan nestled in Ningyuan's arms, listening to the rain, feeling as if every drop was falling on her heart, soaking a large part of it. Suddenly, Qingyan's heart felt cold from the rain.

It's not the coldness of being hard and cold, but the coldness of being calm and collected.

Qingyan thought of Empress Shen Sumei of Chengze, her great-great-great-grandmother.

Shen Sumei was healthier than her mother, Empress Kangyuan Shen Hong, and had two sons. One son was strong-willed, the other weak-willed, so the eldest son undoubtedly inherited the throne. The second son was humble and obedient, showing no ambition for the throne, and assisted his brother well from beginning to end. There was no factional struggle for the crown prince position in the court, supposedly because the fathers of both princes were unknown. Shen Sumei's harem consisted of one imperial consort, four secondary ministers, nine princes, twenty-seven noble ladies, and numerous courtiers. Compared to her mother, who only had one imperial consort and two secondary ministers, this harem structure was almost complete.

When Shen Sumei first ascended the throne, her position was unstable, so she lavishly expanded her harem, showering her favors on all sides. This led the powerful families and nobles in the court to believe that they themselves had a share in the imperial heir. Thus, when the Empress was suspected of being pregnant for the third time, she was finally confirmed to be pregnant. In the following three years, Shen Sumei ruthlessly consolidated power in her hands, finally successfully completing the generational change of the dynasty.

There is something quite interesting: it is said that both princes looked like their mother, so to this day, the princes' biological fathers remain unknown, regardless of whether it is official history or unofficial history.

Because there are precedents to follow, and given the current unfavorable situation similar to that of Shen Sumei back then, marriage alliances with powerful families and nobles seem to be the most effective means of consolidating power.

Since Her Majesty the Emperor is a female ruler, everyone is betting on male offspring—male offspring who have a different surname but are related to them by blood.

Haha, how ridiculous. A crown prince and a future empress, and they actually need to... sleep with a thousand men.

With this understanding, Qingyan could only use silence to replace helplessness, tightly gripping Ningyuan's waist and burying herself in his arms, pretending to escape reality for a moment.

After a night of spring rain, the next morning the sun shone brightly, because in half a month it would be the beginning of summer, which was Qingyan's favorite summer day.

"woke up."

"Ah."

Ning Yuan helped her out of bed and handed her a cup of water. The palace maids quickly helped her wash and dress.

The two had breakfast together.

“This morning, His Highness Prince Zhao came to take his leave. He said…” Ning Yuan hesitated before continuing.

"What did he say?" Ning Yuan's expression made Qing Yan realize that Lan Zhen must have had something bad to say.

Ning Yuan looked at Qing Yan seriously: "He said that you promised to take him anywhere."

"He actually took a joke that was just meant to be playful seriously." Qingyan scoffed. Although sending Lan Zhen back to his country was a way to sincerely show goodwill to Nanxia at this tense moment, this King Zhao was really being pretentious.

Ning Yuan sighed helplessly, lowered his head and continued eating. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke up: "Yan'er... don't mess with these unwanted suitors."

"Bad romantic prospects?" Qing Yan was stunned for a moment, then realized what she meant and laughed, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

The fifth prince of Nanxia Kingdom is a womanizer. He likes to use ambiguity as a weapon. Why should I spoil his fun?

“However, since he has delivered himself to my door so that I can secretly carry out this plan, I will grant his wish.” Qingyan smiled slyly.

"What does Yan'er want?"

“A gentleman’s word is his bond. I will send him to the border, but he must enter through Yushan. Zhui’er, go and invite Lord Fu to have breakfast together.”

A moment later, Yunxuan came over to freeload a meal.

"Why did Yan'er suddenly think of me today?" Yunxuan felt a pang of jealousy every time they didn't even have a chance to show their affection.

"I need to discuss serious matters with you. We can talk about this later," Qingyan retorted.

Yunxuan straightened his face.

Qingyan told him about Lan Zhen's request to see her off this morning and her own thoughts.

"That's indeed a good idea," Yunxuan agreed. "Then, Yan'er, who would you like to go with you?"

"Naturally, you will accompany me. Ning Yuan will take the entire Lifeng Battalion that I brought to the Qiu Rong border to meet with Xing Mufeng. If Hai Tu dares to show the slightest disrespect to my suzerain state, beat him until he begs for mercy." Qing Yan said passionately.

"Has Yan'er reported this matter to the Emperor?" Yunxuan asked.

“I’m waiting for you to tell me how to tell Father,” Qingyan replied.

Yunxuan laughed: "Yan'er, you really make the most of everything."

"So, will you let me use it or not?" Qingyan deliberately put on a stern face.

“Let me—” Yunxuan said helplessly, “Today I will write to the Emperor in your name to explain this matter. You should also inform Prince Rui so that he is aware of it.”

"The letter was delivered by the guards of Lingfeng Pavilion yesterday."

"So Yan'er had already planned this all along. I have no choice but to do it now." Yunxuan smiled bitterly to himself. As for Yan'er, his purpose was indeed very obvious.

She didn't answer, her smile betraying her unease.

Although her father had authorized her to act expediently regarding the Qiu Rong matter, she could not make a decision unilaterally regarding the war against Qiu Rong. Whether or not to wage war against Qiu Rong required her father's approval; otherwise—

Therefore, Qingyan had no choice but to use the Fu family's influence in the court to both get her father's approval and prevent the court officials from objecting. For this, Qingyan had already apologized dozens of times in her heart.

"After the meal, everyone went about their duties. I went to find King Zhao and persuaded him to enter the country through Yushan."

"it is good."

"it is good."

They both answered at the same time.

Just before leaving, Qingyan grabbed Ningyuan's sleeve and reminded him again, "Don't forget what I said yesterday. I will keep my word." If a battle is unavoidable, he must come back alive.

"What did she say?" Yunxuan asked Ningyuan, eager to find out.

“…She threatened me.” A slight smile appeared on Ning Yuan’s lips.