After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

"It looks like our king's!" The man next to him suddenly slapped his thigh. "I remember now, it's that...that carriage, the one the king uses to welcome distinguished guests. The young princess has been begging the princess to mediate for a long time, always wanting to ride in that carriage, but the king has refused every time. Judging from the situation, could it be that noble person has come to our Southern Chu?"

Before she could finish speaking, with a loud bang, the carriage was stopped by the girl's guard using brute force. The guard was specially chosen by the eldest princess for the young princess; he was tall and strong, looking like a small mountain. The carriage couldn't withstand the impact and shook violently, with a muffled thud coming from inside, sounding like a head hitting something, or a man's groan.

"Drag the person out! This princess wants to see who dares to ride in Brother Ye Bai's carriage!"

The girl stared at the carriage and arrogantly gave the order. Immediately, a guard stepped forward and lifted the curtain without saying a word.

With a "whoosh," the silver needle pierced the guard's hand. The guard cried out in pain and rolled to the ground.

The girl panicked and lashed out with her whip, only to have it caught. Her gaze pierced through the carriage curtain, revealing not only Xiao Yebai inside but also the woman beside him. Though she couldn't see the woman's face clearly, she was certain she was from Beiliang.

"Nonsense! Who gave you permission to commit violence in the street?"

"Brother Ye Bai!" The girl tried to step forward, but was struck back a few steps by the whip that was suddenly released. "You hurt me! You actually hurt me for that woman! Brother Ye Bai, who is she? Why is she sitting with you, and why is she riding in this carriage!"

"Do I need to explain to you?" Xiao Yebai's voice was icy: "Take the princess back to the manor! The princess committed a crime in the street, so she is to be confined for three months and have her salary reduced by half a year."

"I'm not leaving! I won't leave until you tell me!" The girl acted like a spoiled brat in the street: "Brother Ye Bai, you can't treat me like this!"

Xiao Yebai was furious and said sternly, "Send the princess back!"

Seeing that Xiao Yebai was serious, the girl dared not make a fuss anymore. Instead, she squatted there with red eyes, looking at the carriage with a pitiful expression as the curtains were lowered.

After the carriage left, he stood up and stomped his foot angrily.

A guard stepped forward: "Princess, the King..."

The girl said irritably, "I know, it's just being confined to my quarters, I'll do whatever that comes to mind."

The guard breathed a sigh of relief: "The king's carriage has already gone far away, we..."

The girl stamped her feet: "Investigate! Investigate for me! I want to see which vixen dares to pester my brother Ye Bai. Doesn't she know that the king of Southern Chu is not someone she can covet? Once I find her, I will skin her alive!"

Inside the carriage, Lu Zhiyuan rubbed her temples and sneezed.

Xiao Yebai immediately became nervous: "I heard that the Crown Prince took two imperial physicians with him when he left the capital. Why don't you have them come to Southern Chu with you? What you wrote in your letter was unclear. Is the illness cured or not? Han Ting isn't here, and neither is Lu Yun. I've been holding it in all the way here, and I really can't hold it in any longer."

Lu Zhiyuan not only didn't answer, but changed the subject instead: "Who was that just now? She must have been secretly cursing me, otherwise I wouldn't have sneezed."

Xiao Yebai sighed, knowing that Lu Zhiyuan's lack of response was most likely because she didn't want to answer.

Not wanting to answer means the illness hasn't improved. If the illness hasn't improved, and the two imperial physicians accompanying him haven't come with him, it's highly likely he won't recover.

The fact that the Crown Prince, Madam Xie, and General Xie returned to the capital at this time, despite the young lady's serious illness, proves that she was keeping it a secret from them and did not want them to know the truth about her condition.

My heart felt heavy and I didn't know what to say, so I could only go along with her and change the subject.

"She is the daughter of the eldest princess, and her name is Yue Li."

"The eldest princess, is she the one who arranged the marriage between Southern Chu and the princess? I didn't see her when I came to Southern Chu last time. I didn't expect her daughter to be so domineering."

“She, like me, is a victim of the Southern Chu royal family.” Xiao Yebai parted the curtain and looked outside. “She suffered terribly over there. Yue Li was her only child. She didn’t love Yue Li, but she had no choice but to keep Yue Li. Her feelings for Yue Li were complicated; she both loved and hated her.”

When Yue Li was little, she was constantly beaten and scolded. As she grew older, she was spoiled without any principles, until she became the way she is now.

"Does the eldest princess want to bring you two together?"

"What do you think, Miss?" Xiao Yebai closed his eyes, the image of the princess's expression when she spoke to him flashing through his mind.

That woman craved power more than he did; in her eyes, he was nothing more than a pawn to be used. She used this pawn to return to Southern Chu, rising from a scorned princess sent for a political marriage to a powerful princess. She wanted to eliminate Xiao Yebai, this pawn, once the dust settled, and become the sole ruler of Southern Chu, wanting to take her destiny into her own hands. Little did she know that Xiao Yebai thought the same thing.

The eldest princess was keen to cultivate relationships with various forces besides those allied with the Empress Dowager, while the newly enthroned ruler, Xiao Yebai, was focused on winning over the hearts of the people. He obtained suitable grass seeds and crops for cultivation in Southern Chu from Lu Zhiyuan.

To ensure the people of Southern Chu no longer had to toil for a meager meal, various craftsmen were brought in from the capital of Northern Liang, traveling thousands of miles to teach them livelihoods beyond herding, enabling them to establish themselves. In the name of the monarch, clinics, orphanages, and charitable institutions were built, ensuring the sick received medical treatment and the displaced had a home to return to.

The eldest princess initially looked down on these methods, believing that he had stayed in Beiliang for too long and had been assimilated by those pedantic Beiliang people. Even some nobles were waiting to see him make a fool of himself. By the time they realized the will of the people, Xiao Yebai was already firmly seated on the throne.

The eldest princess wasn't stupid; she understood that Xiao Yebai was a pawn that couldn't be eliminated.

As a second-best option, she decided to rule from behind the curtain. Her plan was to make Princess Yue Li the Queen of Southern Chu, have her and Xiao Yebai's child, and then, after making that child the Crown Prince, kill Xiao Yebai and use the young child to command the other lords.

The plan was perfect, but Xiao Yebai wouldn't cooperate. No matter how the Princess hinted or suggested, Xiao Yebai showed no interest in Yue Li. When the Princess pressed him harder, he sent a message to her rival, the Empress Dowager, that he intended to make her confidante's daughter the Queen.

Through these methods, Xiao Yebai temporarily stabilized the political situation in Southern Chu.

Lu Zhiyuan came here to break the deadlock and completely suppress the hidden forces of the Empress Dowager and the Eldest Princess. If all goes well, she can also choose a suitable queen for him to ensure a century of peace between Northern Liang and Southern Chu.

The carriage traveled ostentatiously for nearly two hours, circling most of the city before finally stopping at the palace gate. As expected, they encountered the eldest princess with an unfriendly expression.

Xiao Yebai lifted the curtain, stepped down from the carriage, and asked casually, "Why has the Princess come?"

The eldest princess reluctantly bowed, "I heard from Yue Li that she offended a distinguished guest. May I ask where this distinguished guest comes from?"

“Naturally, it’s Beiliang!” Xiao Yebai made no attempt to hide it, personally helping Lu Zhiyuan off her horse in front of the Princess: “If the Princess has nothing else to do, please return. Yuan’er has traveled a long way and is extremely tired, she needs to rest well. I do not wish for her to be disturbed by outsiders.”

The princess's expression changed; Xiao Yebai's words were clearly directed at her.