Spring arrives and the land smiles

"Change your mind? Change your mind about what?" Qingyan's thoughts were clearly not on the same wavelength.

"Even if Qingqing goes back on her word, it's too late. A gentleman's word is as good as his bond. Since you've already promised Lan Zhen that we could both enter the Eastern Palace at the same time, it doesn't count for you to go back on your word now. The day Lan Zhen and Qingqing get married will also be the day I enter the Eastern Palace." Luo Qing finished speaking in one breath, her face flushed as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"I...when did I say I was going to go back on my word?" Qingyan was completely bewildered.

"Didn't you just say you didn't want to be with me anymore?" Luo Qing said defiantly.

"What I meant by not being together is not sharing a room tonight. I can see you're so nervous being with me, I'm afraid you won't be able to get a good rest tonight. Why don't you change rooms?" Qingyan explained.

"I, who said I was nervous? I was just, just..." Luo Qing couldn't think of a word to express herself.

"It's just social anxiety," Qingyan added in her mind.

"Anyway, I'm not nervous." Luo Qing turned her face away.

"Okay, it's not nervousness." Qingyan chuckled, realizing that if she kept teasing her, Luo Qing would get angry.

"Qingqing." Luo Qing turned around, turned Qingyan's shoulders to face her, and said with a serious expression, "Since I have pledged my life to you, I will not treat this lightly. I will live my whole life without failing you."

After saying that, he kissed Qingyan fiercely.

This sudden action stunned Qingyan, and it took her a while to come to her senses.

Luo Qing was kissing her, but she didn't know how to respond.

Before long, Luo Qing released Qing Yan, her eyes clear yet somewhat uneasy.

Before Qingyan could speak again, Luo Qing seemed to have made a great decision, kissed her again, and pushed her down onto the bed.

Now it was Qingyan's turn to be nervous.

"What are you doing?" Qingyan pressed her hands firmly against Luo Qing's chest, stopping him from making any further moves.

"Now that I've pledged my life to you, what do you think I should do?" Luo Qing asked with a smile, without even blushing.

Oh no, we've messed up!

Qingyan suddenly felt flustered.

"Well, well, we're not married yet, it's not appropriate."

"It's alright. Since you've promised to let me enter the Eastern Palace, you'll take responsibility for me. I will never let you down in this lifetime. So, the wedding is just a formality. You're just worried about the bed today because you feel we're not close enough. Why not just confirm my identity and save yourself from feeling uncomfortable on this journey?" Luo Qing finished speaking in one breath, a smile on her lips.

They really went too far.

Qingyan quickly smiled and said, "Well, we still need to maintain the proper etiquette. After all, I am the Crown Prince of Great Qi. A great nation like ours cannot be lacking in manners, or Lan Zhen will laugh at us."

"Does Qingqing think Lan Zhen cares about these formalities? He's probably already impatient." A sly glint flashed in Luo Qing's eyes.

"The more you say, the more mistakes you make," Qingyan bit her lip, rolled her eyes, and exclaimed softly, "Oops."

"What's wrong?" Luo Qing quickly helped her up.

"It's nothing." Qingyan casually patted her shoulder.

"Let me see." Luo Qing thought she had pressed on Qing Yan's shoulder wound, but then she thought that Qing Yan's wound had mostly healed and shouldn't be painful to touch. Besides, she had clearly avoided touching her wound.

"It's alright, it's alright," Qingyan quickly replied, knowing that Luo Qing would immediately see through her deception.

With such a perfunctory response, Luo Qing naturally understood Qing Yan's intentions. He hadn't planned for anything to happen today, but as things had developed to this point, he wanted to confirm some things. Now, even if Qing Yan didn't explicitly state it, he was almost certain.

Luo Qing stared intently at Qing Yan, as if trying to imprint her image in his eyes, making it unforgettable, before reluctantly looking away after a long while.

"Qingqing, if you really want to go back on your word, I won't blame you." After saying that, Luo Qing stood up and prepared to push open the door and leave.

"Luo Qing, I won't go back on my word, not now, and not ever again," Qing Yan said earnestly. Such a pure person, if I were to betray him, wouldn't I be struck by lightning?

Luo Qing stopped.

"If I turn around, I can never change it."

"it is good."

“Then tonight…” Luo Qing turned around.

“We’ll sleep in the same bed tonight.” Qingyan paused, then smiled, “but we must not disregard etiquette.”

The night was dark and the wind was high. The window of the inn was gently pushed open, and the teacup on the window frame was knocked over. But the person outside was agile and, as he darted in, his toes hooked the falling teacup.

However, the person inside the room was quick enough to reach the intruder and strike him with a palm. The intruder was unable to dodge in time and was knocked to the ground with a muffled groan. The person inside the room immediately stopped attacking.

"why you?"

"Why are you here?"

They both spoke at the same time.

Lan Zhen got up from the ground and was puzzled when she saw that it was Luo Qing.

"Why can't I be here?" Luo Qing reached out and closed the window.

"Who? Who is it? Luo Qing, Luo Qing, where are you?" The commotion of the two woke Qing Yan. Thinking they were assassins, Qing Yan touched the empty space beside her and panicked.

“It’s me, Xiaoyan.” Lan Zhen walked to Qingyan’s bedside.

Luo Qing lit a lamp.

The room brightened up, and Lan Zhen's bewitching face appeared before Qing Yan.

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night? Didn't I already send someone to tell you to meet at the rouge shop in the east of the city tomorrow?" Qingyan sat up. She was dressed lightly in the summer, and her silk quilt slipped down, revealing her thin gauze undergarment and the red modified bellyband underneath.

Lan Zhen's eyes were immediately glued to him.

Luo Qing also came over and saw Lan Zhen staring at Qing Yan, so she took her own clothes and draped them over her shoulders.

Lan Zhen glanced back at Luo Qing and noticed that he was also wearing undergarments. She immediately pointed at the two of them and said, "You, you two..."

"There's only one bed in the room, we're just sleeping together, what are you thinking?" Qingyan put on Luo Qing's clothes, rolled out of bed, "You still haven't told me why you came here in the middle of the night."

Lan Zhen glanced at Qing Yan, then at Luo Qing, before saying, "When we arrived in Licheng yesterday, my personal guards disguised themselves as merchants and discovered that the garrison in Licheng had been drastically reduced and was being redeployed to Yizhou."

"Transferring troops from Licheng to Yizhou? What is Marquis Yong'an planning?" Qingyan asked, puzzled.

Licheng is the first stop in the southeast and the edge of the southeast border garrison's jurisdiction. It is only one city away from Chu Shen's Yushan garrison. If Marquis Yong'an wanted to coordinate with Prince Jin to launch an uprising, he should have sent troops to Licheng to defend against Chu Shen, rather than sending reinforcements to Yizhou.

“There are only two possibilities,” Lan Zhen said.

"First, Chu Shen has pledged allegiance to the Prince of Jin; second, the Marquis of Yong'an had no intention of helping the Prince of Jin at all," Luo Qing chimed in, showing that the two were in sync.

“No, if Chu Shen had sided with the Prince of Jin, how could we have escaped unscathed from Yushan?” Qingyan denied the first possibility.

“That’s the second possibility,” Lan Zhen replied.

“No, if the Marquis of Yong’an had not allied with the Prince of Jin, he could have simply held back his troops. Why would he have stationed them in Yizhou?” Qingyan denied the second possibility.

"Could it be that he wants to declare himself king?" Lan Zhen suggested a third possibility.

If the Emperor and the Prince of Jin were to clash, Shengjing would be a scene of carnage. With troops from all sides converging on Shengjing, they would have no time to attend to other matters. The Marquis of Yong'an, stationed on the southeastern border, is the most powerful feudal official in the Great Qi, commanding 300,000 troops, accounting for 70% of the southeastern army. The remaining 30% are merely auxiliary troops, far inferior in both combat strength and numbers to the southeastern border army directly under the Marquis of Yong'an's command, which is also the elite force of the Great Qi. Therefore, in the event of a mutiny in Shengjing, the Marquis of Yong'an could establish himself as a king without losing a single soldier. Regardless of who wins, the victor will be severely weakened and unable to contend with the 300,000-strong army in the short term. The only force capable of fighting is the Ning family army, but with the recent pacification of Qiu Rong, the Ning family army absolutely cannot withdraw from Qiu Rong. Therefore, secession becomes inevitable.

After pondering for a long time and considering the current situation, Qingyan felt that there seemed to be a third possibility.

That would make things much easier.

Her father's original order to her was to break the alliance between Prince Jin and Marquis Yong'an. Now that Marquis Yong'an himself seems to have no intention of forming an alliance with Prince Jin, does that mean the mission has been completed?

"No matter which possibility it is, we'll understand when we get to Yizhou." Qingyan took a sip of water.

Luo Qing: "At our current pace, it would probably take ten days to reach Yizhou."

Qingyan said, "Ten days is about right. If Marquis Yong'an wants to mobilize troops, ten days is enough for him to gather all the surrounding troops in Yizhou."

Lan Zhen: "In less than ten days, in the fifteenth year of Longqing, Japanese pirates plagued the southeastern coast. Marquis Yong'an urgently mobilized troops from the three cities of Nanquan, Longzhang, and Tong'an to defend against the enemy. They repelled the pirates in just three days. The soldiers of the three cities marched rapidly along the coastline, defeating the pirates all the way. When they reached Yizhou, they still had the fighting power to deliver the final blow to the pirates. Therefore, the southeastern garrison under Marquis Yong'an should not be underestimated."

As a military general, Lan Zhen had a thorough understanding of the Marquis of Yong'an's martial prowess.

"So, you mean if Marquis Yong'an wants to assemble an army, three days would be enough?" Qingyan asked.

Lan Zhen: "Yes."

“Then we should give him ten more days.” Qingyan walked to the table and sat down, inviting the two of them to sit with her. “If Marquis Yong’an has no intention of forming an alliance with Prince Jin, then he will definitely wait and see. The situation in Shengjing is what he will be watching. If Shengjing transitions smoothly, then Marquis Yong’an will not mobilize troops.”

Qingyan poured tea for both of them and continued, "Father Emperor has laid out the plan for so long. In ten days, there should be a result in Shengjing."

“Lan Zhen, you will lead these two hundred Xuanjia soldiers to Yizhou within three days. Si Cheng has already gone ahead to scout the way and has probably drawn a map of the Yong'an Marquis's residence by now. If you go there and work with Si Cheng to control the outer perimeter of the Yong'an Marquis's residence, that would be ideal,” Qing Yan pondered. “Luo Qing and I will go to Yizhou as originally planned, attracting the Yong'an Marquis's attention along the way, making him think that I am just an envoy sent by the Emperor to buy you time.”

Qingyan paused for a moment, then continued, "If two hundred men are not enough, I can use the military tally to mobilize the border troops of Yushan Camp. However, if that happens, I'm afraid the Marquis of Yong'an will become alert."

"If it's just about controlling the outer perimeter of the Marquis's residence, two hundred men are enough. But if it's about fighting a fierce battle with the Marquis's guards, I'm afraid..."

Lan Zhen was interrupted by Qing Yan before he could finish speaking.

"I only asked you to control the situation on the periphery and prevent the news from getting in. Who told you to fight against the Marquis's troops? Marquis Yong'an is the number one general in the Great Qi. Do you want to die? If he weren't a cousin of Princess Lin, why would my father have placed this tiger general in the southeast to defend against the weak Japanese pirates?"

Lan Zhen retorted, "How am I tired of living? How can you draw conclusions without even having fought them?"

"When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured. What's the point of fighting?" Qingyan raised her voice.

"I'm just afraid that Marquis Yong'an will resort to desperate measures and try to capture you." Lan Zhen said anxiously.

Hearing this, he stopped arguing with him.

"I will be careful and will never let him catch me. You have a big task ahead of you, so don't worry about me all the time."

Luo Qing also spoke up: "Don't worry, I will definitely protect her."

"Alright, you should go back quickly. Let's try to see each other as little as possible so that we don't get discovered by Marquis Yong'an." Qingyan urged Lan Zhen to leave.

Just then, the fourth watchman's drum sounded outside.

Qingyan yawned: "It'll be dawn if we don't leave now." Then she got up and went to bed.

Luo Qing also got up.

"You, you two, sleep together." Lan Zhen looked at the two of them, her face gradually darkening.

"Otherwise what?" Qingyan took off Luo Qing's outer garment that she was wearing.

"I want to come with you next time too, and you're not allowed to make any excuses." Lan Zhen turned around angrily and walked out the window.

This Lan Zhen is someone who can't stand being taken advantage of.

After Lan Zhen left, Luo Qing helped Qing Yan to bed, but didn't let her lie down.

Luo Qing: "Qingqing, do you feel tightness in your chest?"

Qingyan: "Yeah, I've been feeling a bit tired all night, and I get tired really fast."

While talking to Lan Zhen tonight, Luo Qing noticed that Qing Yan had touched her chest three times.

Luo Qing: "The latent toxicity of the putrefactive poison should have manifested in the past two days. Previously, Qingqing used the Cleansing Soul to remove the poison and cleanse her marrow, which damaged her heart meridian. That's why the latent toxicity of the putrefactive poison has manifested so quickly. Today is just the beginning."

Upon hearing this, Qingyan inwardly gave herself a big thumbs up for her decision. Luckily, she had the nerve to let Luo Qing come along; otherwise, let alone getting anything done, even getting back alive would have been a problem.

Luo Qing continued, "Qingqing, don't worry. For the next ten days, I will use silver needles to treat your acupoints every day to clear away the remaining poison."

"With Young Master Butterfly Flower around, I can't even die if I want to." Qingyan looked at Luo Qing with a grin.

"So you don't take care of yourself at all," Luo Qing said helplessly.

"No way, I always listen to the doctor." Qingyan continued to smile at Luo Qing, trying to hide her guilty conscience.

Luo Qing: "Alright, you'll do whatever I say now."

Qing said, "That's for sure."

Luo Qing: "Take off your clothes."

Qingyan: "Huh?" So direct?

I did as you said, but to what extent should I undress?

Qingyan thought for a moment, and then quickly stripped herself down to just a bikini.

Luo Qing was stunned as he watched Qing Yan quickly strip him naked. He meant that removing his outer clothes would suffice, but Qing Yan was wearing his coat, which was too large and cumbersome for lying down to administer acupuncture.

"Qingqing..."

Luo Qing blushed and was about to let Qing Yan put it on when she heard Qing Yan hesitate and say, "Do I have to take it off too?"

After saying that, she gritted her teeth, took off the modified version of her bodice, turned around and lay down, pulling the silk quilt over herself.

Luo Qing's face turned even redder.

This, this—

Oh dear, this is a huge misunderstanding.

Luo Qing sat helplessly on the edge of the bed, took Qing Yan's arm out from under the silk quilt, held it in her hand, and began to apply acupuncture.

Qingyan thought that if she stripped down like that, she would definitely be pricked like a hedgehog, so she closed her eyes to avoid seeing it.

Luo Qing smiled, inserted the silver needle into the acupoint, and Qing Yan fell into a deep sleep.