Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

Zheng Lizhen stormed off in anger.

The words that came out of her mouth infuriated Wang Yuyan's personal maids.

"Outrageous! She's not even pregnant with His Highness the Crown Prince's child yet, and she's already so arrogant. If she were to give birth to the Crown Prince's heir, wouldn't she cause an uproar!"

"No wonder His Highness the Crown Prince disliked her back then. With that kind of personality, she truly disgraces the Zheng family of Xingyang!"

"that is......"

Wang Yuyan glanced indifferently in Zheng Lizhen's direction, said nothing, and returned to her desk. As always, she sat by the bed and looked at the willow tree outside the hall that had sprouted tender buds.

His gaze was unfocused, and he let out another soft sigh.

"These are the palace maids..."

The maid standing nearby looked at her haggard appearance with heartache in her eyes.

Just as she was about to say something, she saw Wang Yuyan gently pick up the brush on the table, and the clever maid quickly stepped forward to grind the ink.

Partridge Sky - Willow of the Eastern Palace

Wang Yuyan hesitated for a moment, then gently gripped the pen with her delicate, slightly white knuckles.

"Tender willow branches are cut into green ribbons in spring, and carefully tied to the waist of the jade-white horse."

"Suddenly I heard that a new imperial edict had been issued from the capital, and I was startled to see the paulownia leaves falling in the cold night."

"The Bingzhou register, the Qingfu paper money, the ink marks still carry the charm of yesteryear."

"...It's not that the Lord of the East is biased; His favor is always bestowed upon the highest peak."

When the last sentence was written on the paper, Wang Yuyan felt that even breathing became much more difficult at that moment.

His eyes welled up with tears, and he wanted to say something, but in the end, it all turned into a powerless sigh.

"Your Highness, why don't we try to get in touch with Eunuch Wang? There's no reason why His Highness the Crown Prince would treat you so coldly..." The maid couldn't bear it and suggested.

Wang Yuyan, however, saw it clearly: the imperial family didn't have that much romantic love.

"If I were still a female official in the Secretariat of Yangcheng Palace in Taiyuan Prefecture, I might have been able to make plans, but now... I can't make a move. Making a move will cause chaos, and chaos will only make my situation worse."

"Let's wait and see. Perhaps His Highness the Crown Prince will suddenly remember me, the legitimate daughter of the royal family..."

Wang Yuyan said with a bitter smile that she herself could hardly believe it.

However, just as she was staring blankly at the maid hanging up the poem whose ink was still wet, her mind wandering uncontrollably, several more figures walked into the Su Liu Palace.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has decreed that Consort Wang should receive the decree."

The voice, as if from a dream, made Wang Yuyan's pupils shrink, and a blush instantly appeared on her delicate, even somewhat pale, face.

She hurriedly stood up and quickly walked out of the hall.

When she saw that the person who came was actually Eunuch Sun Yi, who was by the Crown Prince's side, her heart started pounding wildly, even though she had been feeling resentful about the Crown Prince's neglect.

The message was brief.

The announcement, "Wang Yuyan, the virtuous lady of the Eastern Palace, will serve you tonight," immediately caused a burst of jubilation throughout the Su Liu Palace.

"What? His Highness summoned that Wang Yuyan? His Highness has been having me serve him in bed these past few days!"

Zheng Lizhen stared wide-eyed in shock.

However, the maid she sent out to inquire didn't know much either.

"Your Majesty, I heard today that the head of the Wang family went to the palace to meet with the Crown Prince. I didn't find out the specifics of what they talked about, but... it might be related to the head of the Wang family."

Zheng Lizhen took a deep breath, and her heart couldn't help but feel anxious.

She hasn't made a move yet!

While Zheng Lizhen was making various arrangements, even sending people out of the palace to inform her family and inquire about the situation,

Li Chengqian, on the other hand, didn't care much about the situation in the harem.

The sudden move by the Wang family today forced him to make some adjustments ahead of schedule in the areas surrounding Pyongyang, such as Silla, Baekje, and the Liaodong and Hebei regions of the Tang Dynasty.

This adjustment involves not only personnel and supplies, but also troop strength itself.

Even if Wang Ming were to take action, he would certainly be extremely cautious, but in order to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control and spreading the unrest to the surrounding areas.

On the same day, Li Chengqian summoned Li Ji, who was about to return to Liaodong after reporting on his duties.

Together with Fang Xuanling and other ministers, they discussed countermeasures and preventative measures.

The discussion lasted until evening.

Just as the palace gates were about to be locked, Fang Xuanling and the others, after accepting the order to keep it a secret, followed the palace servants out of the palace.

"Your Highness, are you going to see Consort Wang?"

Wang De reminded him in real time, and Li Chengqian glanced at the clock beside him.

It's already eleven o'clock.

"Let's go, it's been a while since I've been to her place."

As soon as Li Chengqian's figure appeared not far from the Su Liu Palace, Wang Yuyan's maid, who had been waiting, noticed him instantly and hurriedly ran inside.

However, after Li Chengqian gave the signal, a guard quickly chased after him and stopped him.

"Don't disturb your mistress yet, let me see what she's doing..."

The maid was so nervous that she dared not utter a word and could only obediently stay outside the palace with Wang De and the others.

Upon entering the Su Liu Palace, Li Chengqian was greeted by a figure gently half-lying on the table.

Li Chengqian stopped the maid who was about to wake Wang Yuyan with a look, then stepped to her side and told the others to leave.

"Huff huff..."

Hearing the familiar soft breathing, Li Chengqian was momentarily dazed, recalling the days when he was busy day and night in Yangcheng Palace in Taiyuan Prefecture when the new policies were first implemented.

As a result, Wang Yuyan and her secretaries also frequently stayed up late.

He was just about to reach out and gently pat the other person awake when he suddenly saw a painting hanging on the wall.

"It's not that the Emperor favors one over the other; his grace is bestowed upon those at the highest peak..."

This is saying that someone is heartless and forgetful.

Li Chengqian couldn't help but smile wryly. He turned around and glanced at the figure lying on the table. She had obviously put on makeup. There were also several alluring gauze dresses hanging by the screen next to the bed where she was to be served.

"I told you not to become a caged bird back then, and now you're suffering the consequences, aren't you?"

Wang Yuyan seemed to sense something, her brows furrowed, and she opened her eyes groggily, only to find her gaze meeting Li Chengqian's.

She was taken aback at first, then quickly got up to bow.

Unexpectedly, half of his arm became sore and numb, and he couldn't help but gasp for breath.

"Your Highness, please forgive me, I have been impolite..."

"Alright, don't be so tense. Did you write this poem?" Li Chengqian pointed to the poem hanging on the wall, which looked like a newly written piece, and asked.

Wang Yuyan: "......."

Seeing her so frightened and nervous, Li Chengqian couldn't help but sigh and shake his head.

"I told you back then not to enter the palace and become a caged bird, but you wouldn't listen. Now you finally know what a heartless lover is, don't you?"

“Your Highness is not a heartless man…Your Highness is the Crown Prince, so naturally you cannot cherish him like an ordinary husband outside the palace,” Wang Yuyan murmured softly.

She stepped forward and helped Li Chengqian to a table in the hall to sit down.

"Has Your Highness had dinner? I have had two side dishes prepared."

"Recently, Tibet has been acting somewhat recklessly. I intend to have the Zheng family of Xingyang exert more effort in India. Therefore, I have summoned Zheng Lizhen to serve me in bed for the past few days. Do you know why I suddenly asked you to serve me in bed today?"

Wang Yuyan pursed her red lips: "I heard that my father went to the palace to meet Your Highness."

Li Chengqian nodded, calmly yet cruelly uttering the helplessness within the harem: "Your father made a pledge to Gu Li, saying he would help me accomplish a great task, and my presence here tonight is a gesture to the Wang family of Taiyuan."

"It's possible that after tonight, it will be a long time before you see me again."

"Do you understand? Do you regret entering the palace in the first place?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuyan's nose trembled slightly, but she remained composed and dignified, bowing slightly and saying, "Your Majesty, I do have the grievances of an ordinary woman, but I have no regrets. If I could accompany Your Majesty, even if I were locked within the palace walls, I would gladly accept it."

Her voice trembled slightly, barely concealing her emotions, and her eyes were filled with tears, but she turned away so that Li Chengqian wouldn't see them.

"Your Majesty, I will go and prepare the meal..."