Spring arrives and the land smiles

81. Border Troops (Part 1)

Chu Shen quickly reported the military situation of the Southern Xia border troops gathering at the Yushan border, and Shengjing instantly became tense, while only the Longqing Emperor remained calm and composed.

As night fell, Ning Yuan and Yun Xuan were summoned to the Jingxin Palace by the Longqing Emperor.

"How much do you know about Lan Zhen, the fifth prince of Nanxia?" Emperor Longqing asked from his seat of honor.

Ning Yuan and Yun Xuan had already received the message from Qing Yan sent through Lingfeng Pavilion. They assumed that Emperor Longqing was asking about the Xuanjia Army that had recently gathered at the Yushan border. Ning Yuan replied first: "Your Majesty, the Prince Zhao of Nanxia has distinguished himself in battle and is highly skilled in martial arts. He is the commander of the Nanxia Yushan border army. His subordinate, Li Muqing, is an exceptionally talented commander. It is said that the Xuanjia Army gathered at Yushan this time is an elite force that he personally trained, and each of them can be worth ten men."

Ning Yuan and Lan Zhen had also gone through life and death together, and the two even worked together for Qing Yan's safety. They had some friendship, so when Emperor Longqing's attitude was unclear, Ning Yuan did not show any bias and spoke objectively and fairly.

Yunxuan's impression of Lan Zhen was that of a lecherous man with ill intentions towards his Yan'er. He still remembered the night in Sui County when Qingyan and Lan Zhen were drinking together, and he rushed into the side courtyard and saw Lan Zhen kissing Yan'er. If Yan'er hadn't been unconscious and he hadn't been too busy to deal with it, he would have given Lan Zhen a good beating. But for the sake of the bigger picture, Yunxuan followed Ningyuan's words and said, "The King of Nanxia Zhao is not a reckless and impulsive man. The gathering of the Xuanjia Army in Yushan this time may have other plans than to be an enemy of our Great Qi."

Upon hearing this analysis, Emperor Longqing laughed: "It seems you have a good impression of him. You will surely get along well with him when you live together in the Eastern Palace in the future."

Emperor Longqing's words left Ning Yuan and Yun Xuan momentarily bewildered, leaving them completely confused.

The mere mention of sharing the Eastern Palace made the two of them immediately sense something was amiss.

The Longqing Emperor continued, "The Emperor of Southern Xia is willing to send his fifth prince to marry into our Great Qi, establish friendly relations, and forge an eternal alliance."

This news left the two of them stunned on the spot.

"Alright, you may leave." Emperor Longqing waved for the two to leave. Clearly, today's summons was to inform them that Qingyan would soon have another concubine under his arrangement.

The two men steadied themselves, bowed, and withdrew. Upon receiving such news, they were at a loss for what to do.

The two returned to Yunxuan's Bolanzhai and had just sat down to discuss their plans when Prince Rui arrived.

"Your Highness." The two bowed slightly.

Prince Rui, Qing Huan, did not stand on ceremony with the two and was helped to sit in the seat of honor by his personal eunuch.

"Is there any response to the marriage alliance with Nanxia?" Upon learning that the two had been summoned by Emperor Longqing and that news of Prince Zhao's marriage alliance had come from Lingfeng Pavilion, Prince Rui naturally had to inquire about it.

Ning Yuan said, “The current emperor has chosen a female heir, and our powerful neighbor is willing to send a prince as a son-in-law for a marriage alliance. This is entirely beneficial to our dynasty. Moreover, the person being sent is the commander of the Southern Xia border army, who is not only highly skilled in martial arts but also intelligent, brave, and has a distinguished military record. Our Great Qi will not only have fewer border threats but will also gain a great general for free. There is no reason for us to refuse.” Ning Yuan analyzed objectively, “However, if it is a marriage alliance to show goodwill, Southern Xia can send a princess. Currently, there are at least three or four eligible princes in our Great Qi who are not yet married. Sending a prince to marry into the family would be a clear sign of weakness, and even an attempt to curry favor. Although Southern Xia’s national strength is slightly inferior to that of our Great Qi, it is not to the point of being so wary. Moreover, although the Qiu Rong have already submitted to us, they are still restless. Southern Xia’s goodwill at this time is not like adding flowers to brocade but more like sending charcoal in the snow.”

"It's not that complicated," Yunxuan said dismissively. "Lan Zhen has been interested in Yan'er for a long time, but she couldn't resist and insisted on becoming her concubine."

"What?" Ning Yuan asked in surprise.

"Is there any basis for this?" Qing Huan also asked, puzzled.

"When Yan'er sent him from Suizhou to Nanxia, ​​he risked going into qi deviation to personally remove the poison from Yan'er. Afterwards, I asked Luo Qing, and he said that this action would shorten his lifespan and he might not be able to live out his days in peace." Yun Xuan told him everything he knew, not knowing whether to be grateful or hate Lan Zhen.

Upon hearing this, both Ning Yuan and Qing Huan remained silent.

Ning Yuan recalled the matter of submitting to Qiu Rong. When the group secretly went to Suizhou, Lan Zhen was very concerned about Qing Yan's safety and even risked his life to protect her on several occasions when things were dangerous. This was indeed beyond the assistance that a collaborator should provide.

Although Qing Huan did not have much interaction with Lan Zhen, after hearing Si Cheng's sporadic reports, he also felt that Lan Zhen's feelings for Qing Yan were not so simple.

"If that's the case, things will be much easier. Since Nanxia has no ulterior motives, all that's left is this Prince Zhao's overt scheme. Since he's determined to become a concubine, let him taste what it's like. With my little sister's personality, this Lan Zhen will probably end up alone in my Great Qi harem, hahaha." Qing Huan laughed. Since the marriage alliance with Nanxia is so simple, there's no need to be wary.

The three exchanged recent news, analyzed the situation, and concluded that there seemed to be no problem with Qingyan, so Qinghuan left.

After Qing Huan left, Ning Yuan grabbed Yun Xuan and asked, "What happened with removing the poison?"

Just now, Prince Rui seemed to have no doubts about the removal of the poison; it seems he was the only one who didn't know about it.

Yunxuan thought for a moment and then told Ningyuan the whole story. Ningyuan remained silent.

However, both of them sighed at the matter of Lan Zhen's marriage to a foreign ruler.

"Another one has arrived. What are you planning to do?" Yunxuan asked a servant to bring a pot of wine, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Ning Yuan.

Without Ning Yuan's approval, Yan'er probably wouldn't even glance at the man who entered the Eastern Palace. But even with Ning Yuan's help, it still required the right timing, location, and people to win Yan'er's favor. He himself is the best example of this.

"Me? What does this have to do with me?" Thinking of Lan Zhen, Ning Yuan felt a surge of anger. Although he knew that Yan'er, as the crown princess and future empress, would inevitably have a large harem, and he had mentally prepared himself for this, he had long since tacitly approved of Yun Xuan's position, even encouraging it. Of course, this was not only because of his childhood friendship with Yun Xuan, but also because Yun Xuan was someone he knew inside and out. But Lan Zhen was an outsider, and a near-demonic one at that. Ning Yuan couldn't help but feel a sense of rejection towards him.

"Don't you know Yan'er's personality? With just one word from you, Yan'er will dare to resist to the death. Even if she is forced to comply, she will leave Lan Zhen hanging until the end of time." Yun Xuan laughed. Her Yan'er was capable of anything.

"Yan'er will make her own decision. I'll be going now." Ning Yuan's head ached just thinking about Lan Zhen; he needed more time to process it.

Helpless, Yunxuan watched Ning Yuan leave Bolanzhai and disliked Lan Zhen even more.

After exchanging greetings with the eldest princess's husband and concubine, Emperor Longqing immediately issued an edict bestowing Lan Zhen upon Qingyan as his concubine. The court was in an uproar. Such a major change surprised Prince Jin, who almost couldn't help but directly oppose it in court.

With the powerful neighbor's prince marrying into the family, and being a fierce general at that, Prince Jin felt his chances of winning had diminished by three points. In addition, the ambiguous attitude of Marquis Yong'an Shao Feng from the southeastern border towards his overtures made him even more irritable.

Reflecting on the matter of the marriage alliance, it was a classic case of Prince Jin shooting himself in the foot. Originally, he intended to send his eldest daughter, born of a concubine, to Nanxia to become a secondary consort of the Second Prince, Lan Jing. Lan Jing was one of the strongest contenders for the throne of Nanxia, ​​and after the First Prince, Lan Yu, was demoted to commoner status, he maintained close ties with the Situ clan of Nanxia, ​​hoping to facilitate the marriage alliance. With the Situ clan mediating, the Emperor of Nanxia did indeed consider the marriage alliance. Now, however, the marriage alliance had unexpectedly turned from sending a princess to recruiting a prince, a turn of events that caught Prince Jin completely off guard.

The Prince of Jin summoned Shan Jiuzhou to his study. Shan Jiuzhou was the Prince of Jin's most capable strategist, and a proper solution was needed to break the deadlock.

“Your Highness, since it is a marriage alliance, there should be give and take to strengthen the alliance,” Shan Jiuzhou said.

"You mean we should also send a princess to Nanxia?" asked the Prince of Jin.

“Your Highness is wise. However, Emperor Longqing will certainly not allow your daughter to marry into the Southern Xia, thus giving you an extra ally for nothing. But the Emperor of the Southern Xia can designate a princess to marry into the Southern Xia. Comparing the two, Emperor Longqing will inevitably have to compromise.” Shan Jiuzhou quickly gave Prince Jin a suggestion.

This is a decent remedy. Although it failed to stop the crown prince, the original goal was achieved, so it wasn't too much of a miscalculation. Prince Jin nodded to Shan Jiuzhou, who understood and immediately went to carry it out.

The situation in Shengjing had been tense for a long time. Emperor Longqing's purge of the court did not stop because of the minor incident involving the princes sent to marry foreign rulers; on the contrary, it intensified.

If Emperor Longqing wanted to wage war against Prince Jin at this time, Marquis Shao Feng of Yong'an, who was stationed on the southeastern border, would become a very important figure. Therefore, Emperor Longqing personally wrote a secret letter and sent it to Qingyan through Lingfeng Pavilion.

However, Ning Yuan, Yun Xuan, and Qing Huan were unaware that Qing Yan had been sent by Emperor Longqing to the southeastern border to restrain Marquis Yong'an, Shao Feng. Emperor Longqing not only kept the three of them in the dark but also subtly warned Qing Yan that she should not seek their help in anything concerning the southeastern border.

Qingyan held the secret letter, her brows furrowed slightly. Lan Zhen looked at her heavy-hearted expression and couldn't help but ask, "Little Yan'er, what's troubling you? Tell me, and perhaps your husband can help."

If Lan Zhen's previous self-proclaimed title of "husband" was merely a sharp tongue, now it truly lives up to its name.

"See for yourself." Qingyan handed him the secret letter.

Lan Zhen hesitated for a moment, then took it and examined it carefully.

"Little Yan'er, with Luo Qing and me here, we will definitely protect you and help you complete your mission." Lan Zhen smiled dismissively.

“I can complete the mission even without you.” Qingyan glanced at Lan Zhen. “I’m just wondering why Father Emperor sent a secret letter specifically instructing me not to reveal this matter to the three of them?”

Although the matter on the southeastern border is related to the success or failure of this court purge, these three are the three least likely to betray Qingyan. If it is to test Qingyan, then Emperor Longqing must know that he has Sicheng, Luo Qing and Lan Zhen by his side, and Emperor Longqing himself has sent Qin Mian to help her. Therefore, not letting the three know about the test is just an excuse. So what is Emperor Longqing's real intention?

“There must be a traitor among the three of them. Your father is reminding you,” Lan Zhen concluded immediately.

*Thump*—Qingyan gave Lanzhen a sharp rap on the head and said, "What nonsense are you spouting? Ning Yuan, Yun Xuan, and my brother—do you think the three of them could betray me? If that were the case, what difference would it make if they committed suicide?"

Indeed, her husband and elder brother were people who shared both glory and ruin, and the three of them would always be Qingyan's strongest support. However, Emperor Longqing seemed to question this loyalty, which puzzled Qingyan.

“Perhaps…” Qingyan’s eyes lit up as she looked at Lan Zhen, “Perhaps it was to confuse the enemy, deliberately leaving me to fight alone, so that the enemy would think we had fallen out of favor.”

The Prince of Jin had been secretly plotting against the emperor for some time, but he had always struggled to find concrete evidence. To bring down a first-rank prince, a title bestowed upon him by the late king, he naturally needed an unforgivable charge of treason or usurpation. The Prince of Jin was always cautious and had repeatedly used scapegoats to escape punishment, so luring him into the trap would require a significant investment of resources.

"If that's really the case, then your father, Xiaoyan, truly trusts you—a lot—." Lan Zhen said the last four words slowly and deliberately, showing his anger at the Longqing Emperor's actions.

"You might as well just say that the relationship between my father and me is weak, instead of being sarcastic and roundabout in your remarks." Qingyan glanced at him sideways, looking disdainful.

"How dare I mock you? I'm no better off than you. My situation is far worse than yours," Lan Zhen quickly said with a forced smile.

Upon hearing this, Qingyan felt embarrassed. If it was a matter of weak family ties, Lan Zhen had been disliked since birth. So she comforted Lan Zhen, saying, "Royal family ties have always been like this. It's common for brothers to fight and for family members to kill each other. Weak family ties are just standard practice."

"Of course!" Lan Zhen immediately perked up. He moved closer to Qing Yan and whispered intimately in her ear, "From now on, I'll be your husband. I'll definitely let you experience what it means to be passionate and dreamlike. It won't be just a lukewarm affair." After saying that, he licked Qing Yan's earlobe.

Qingyan was so frightened that she reflexively jumped back. She covered her ear, which had been licked, pointed at Lan Zhen, and glared at him angrily, her face flushed: "You, you, you—"

"How about it? Want to do it again?" Lan Zhen ignored Qing Yan's anger and continued to tease her with a playful smile.

"Get out of here." Qingyan could no longer tolerate it and kicked Lan Zhen out of the room.