Having many handsome men means no worries; pampering them all keeps me in good spirits.

Shen Yuan knew perfectly well that Mo Ting inside the room had deliberately made a commotion for the Emperor in order to assert his dominance.

He took a deep breath, loosened his clenched fists, and raised that wicked smile again. He turned around and shouted into the room, "Your Majesty's cries are quite pleasant to hear. When I serve you in bed, I will definitely hear them to my heart's content."

Having said that, he laughed and left amidst Wang Gonggong's astonished gaze.

Eunuch Wang stared at Shen Yuan's departing figure and couldn't help but give a thumbs up. The Emperor's harem is truly becoming more and more fascinating...

These men were all incredibly handsome, and each one was hotter than the last…

Inside the room, Mo Ting's heart trembled upon hearing Shen Yuan's provocative words. He kissed Jiang Qingyan even more forcefully, his movements becoming...

Although he had never met the beautiful woman, just by listening to her captivating voice, he could tell that she must be incredibly handsome.

Moreover, his words were so provocative; he must be a troublemaker, and certainly not as easy to get along with as Lu Nian and Gulimi...

If Shen Meiren were to one day gain her husband's favor, she would certainly become a formidable rival to him...

The more she thought about it, the stronger her sense of crisis became. She wasn't afraid that her husband would share his love with others; she was only afraid that he would favor someone else and neglect her...

It seems he needs to think of more ways to please his husband...

At this moment, Jiang Qingyan felt extremely comfortable and said coquettishly, "My darling, how come you're so amazing today..."

Upon hearing this, Mo Ting immediately snapped out of his thoughts, a slight smile playing on his lips, and whispered in Jiang Qingyan's ear, "If my husband likes it, I'll become even more amazing in the future..."

It wasn't until noon that the two reluctantly parted ways, got up, dressed, and sat at the table waiting for Lu Nian and Gulimi to come and have lunch together.

At this moment, Yun Yuxuan suddenly requested an audience outside the palace. Eunuch Wang hurriedly announced, "Your Majesty, Consort Yun requests an audience."

Jiang Qingyan raised an eyebrow. Had he already come to his senses? Was he willing to agree to the deal?

She patted Mo Ting's hand and said softly, "After Lu Nian and Gulimi arrive, the three of you can eat first. You don't need to wait for me. I have to go out for a bit."

Mo Ting wanted to say something more, but just then Lu Nian and Gulimi walked in, so he didn't say anything more and just obediently nodded.

Seeing Jiang Qingyan walk out of the palace, Gulimi asked Mo Ting, "Empress brother, where is my husband going? Isn't she going to eat?"

Mo Ting nodded. "Yeah, she went out to take care of some things. Let's eat first, the three of us."

Lu Nian glanced at Yun Yuxuan outside the hall but did not touch her chopsticks. She had sensed during her trip to Xia Kingdom that Yun Yuxuan had already developed feelings for her husband, and her husband was also very close to him.

Yun Yuxuan is currently unaware that Yan Qing is his husband. If he were to learn the truth, he might well fall in love with him again...

Mo Ting patted Lu Nian on the shoulder, "Don't worry, your husband won't go hungry. He'll have Liang Cheng send her and Consort Yun another meal."

Lu Nian withdrew her gaze, nodded, and the three of them picked up their bowls and chopsticks and began to eat together.

Jiang Qingyan, who had come to Zhanghua Palace with Yun Yuxuan, couldn't help but ask, "My beloved consort, have you come to your senses?"

Yun Yuxuan glanced at Shen Yuan, who was leaning against the side hall door watching them, then quickly closed the door and softly replied, "I've thought it through... I agree to make that deal with you. If I can truly ascend the throne, I will definitely lead my subjects to submit and bring peace to the land..."

Hearing this, Jiang Qingyan smiled with satisfaction, walked to the couch and sat down, poured a cup of tea and handed it to Yun Yuxuan, "Alright, now that we have become allies, we should be frank with each other. Tell me, how much power and troops do you have in Xia Kingdom?"

Yun Yuxuan took the teacup, took a sip, and after a moment of thought, said, "I didn't have much influence in the court originally. I was forced to come out for a marriage alliance this time, and those ministers have all turned against me one after another. They can no longer be trusted. As for outside the palace... there are about 100,000 troops, currently being trained by my personal bodyguard, Yin Yue."

Jiang Qingyan nodded. One hundred thousand troops was not a small number; it would be enough to surround the palace...

Suddenly remembering the old man Xu she had seen in the Empress Dowager's palace that day, she quickly asked, "By the way, why did the old man Xu from Qingfeng Pavilion end up serving the Empress Dowager in the palace?"

A look of surprise flashed across Yun Yuxuan's eyes. How did the Emperor know about Qingfeng Pavilion? And how did he know about Father Xu? Could it be that he had already sent spies to secretly investigate Xia Kingdom?

He said thoughtfully, "Father Xu had been missing for many days before I came to Da'an for the marriage alliance. I sent guards to look for him many times without success. It turns out he came to Da'an... But why did he come to Da'an?"

Jiang Qingyan narrowed her eyes. Since they were involved with the Empress Dowager, things were probably not that simple...

However, since he's right under our noses, we'll find him sooner or later, so there's no need to waste too much time on him now.

Jiang Qingyan asked, "Are you still in contact with your personal bodyguard?"

Yun Yuxuan nodded. "Yes, we exchange letters by carrier pigeon every day. It was his support and encouragement that made me make up my mind..."

Jiang Qingyan took a sip of tea and recalled how Yin Yue stood behind Yun Yuxuan in the Xia Kingdom, unruly yet loyal to his master, and couldn't help but admire him.

With such a loyal and devoted bodyguard, Yun Yuxuan was not entirely alone during his years in Xia Kingdom.

Yun Yuxuan pursed his lips. "Then when will we attack Xia Kingdom? And... can we rescue my mother first during the war?"

Jiang Qingyan chuckled lightly, "When did I say I wanted to attack the Xia Kingdom?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Yuxuan's heart trembled. He frowned, his tone tinged with anger: "So, you want to make a deal with me? Are you playing me?"

He had finally made up his mind and even revealed the location of all his troops, but the emperor said he would not attack the Xia Kingdom anymore. He instantly felt like he had been made a fool of...

Jiang Qingyan patted the empty seat next to her, gesturing for him to sit down, and said softly, "Don't rush, I haven't finished yet. Your Xia Kingdom is so powerful, if we could conquer it with a direct attack, I would have already gone there."

Yun Yuxuan looked puzzled. "What does His Majesty mean?"

Jiang Qingyan peeled a grape, popped it into her mouth, and casually said, "It's a clever way out~"

Just then, Liang Cheng's voice came from outside the door: "Is His Majesty inside? This humble subject has come to deliver lunch."

Then Shen Yuan said, "Give it to me, I'll take it in. You can leave now."

Then came the sound of a door opening. Shen Yuan didn't even knock; she just walked in, looking fresh and clean, carrying lunch...

Jiang Qingyan was taken aback at first, then tilted her head to look at Yun Yuxuan, who had a calm expression on his face, and said speechlessly, "You are a concubine, how come you don't even need to greet a beauty when she enters your palace?"