Repeatedly broken branches

It's unclear which palace is spreading rumors that the Emperor intends to announce Xia Yunzhi and Zhou Tingxi's wedding date within the next two months, but some say the Ministry of the Interior is already preparing the dowry.

When the emperor marries off his daughter, the ceremony must be grand, with a general amnesty, three days of music, the opening of granaries, and celebration among all the people.

It wasn't entirely unfounded; they had been engaged for four years but hadn't set a wedding date yet. It was said that this time, Zhou Tingxi himself went to ask the Emperor to set the date.

Xiao Mu didn't care. She could take revenge whether she got married or not. However, if the second male lead didn't appear and she became a married woman, things would be a bit difficult. It wouldn't be good for her to have ambiguous relationships with men in this situation.

Zhou Tingxi, what grudge do I have against you? Don't you like Ye Wanwan? Why did you go and ask Father to set a wedding date? Are you so eager to marry Ye Wanwan?

"It's so annoying, I don't want to get married."

“Then I’ll help you elope.” Yu Yanjing’s tone was firm.

Xiao Mu glared at him in shame and indignation, "Then we'll just wait to be wanted by my father."

Yu Yanjing's eyes were full of disdain. He wasn't afraid of her father, and even ten Xia Yuyis wouldn't be a problem for him.

"Where can I go if I run away from my marriage? I have nowhere to go." She's only somewhat familiar with this palace; once she steps outside, she's completely lost and has no GPS navigation.

Yu Yanjing laughed self-deprecatingly, "I'm the same. I don't have any relatives left in this world. Oh... and Fifth Brother, Fifth Brother escaped death under my sword and is now hiding in the shadows chasing me. Isn't that ridiculous?" He suddenly burst into laughter, his whole body shaking with laughter.

He's gone mad again.

Xiao Mu patted his shoulder and said calmly, "You are Han Xingbai now, not that little emperor. You are my bodyguard now. You still have me and Xiao Shao. We are friends, aren't we?"

Yu Yanjing chuckled. "Friends? Nobody lacks friends; everyone has them."

Xiao Mu, embarrassed and angry, said, "Then what else do you need? The military token? I'll definitely steal it for you. Don't worry, my good friend."

Yu Yanjing narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled faintly, "Alright, I'll believe you this time. Also, if you want to elope, you can tell me anytime, and I'll take you to Chaoyang Kingdom."

Xiao Mu was filled with thoughts. Running away from the wedding sounded dramatic, but what if Xia Yuyi found out? Would he be very angry? He was the only person in this world who was good to her.

Her father, he was her father.

However, in her past life, Zhou Tingxi had caused the female protagonist so much harm. She couldn't possibly empathize with the torment and abuse she suffered during his ten years of imprisonment. How could she possibly fall into that abyss again?

Running away from the wedding? That's just a dream.

The rumors were indeed true. Xia Yuyi personally issued an imperial decree that Xia Yunzhi and Zhou Tingxi's wedding date would be set for one and a half months from now, on the day of the Beginning of Winter, when it would be snowing heavily. She would be wearing a red wedding dress when she married that person.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs began preparations in earnest. After all, this was the wedding of the greatest hero of the Chen Kingdom and the most beloved little princess of the Chen Kingdom's ruler; no one dared to be careless.

The dowry filled an entire room; she was given all the best things, rare and precious items, which filled the whole room. And this was only part of it; other items were being rushed to completion by the embroiderers.

These days, she's been going to get her measurements taken every day to order her wedding dress, phoenix crown, and wedding shoes. She's so busy, it's like she's actually getting married herself.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't upset. She had been living in the palace since she arrived, keeping Xiao Shao company and receiving the emperor's favor. The other concubines in the palace also treated her very well. She had gotten used to living here, and now she had to move to another place.

Just like her life after completing her mission, she would finish one mission and then go to the next place to help the next host. That's how it is. They have special physical constitutions, they won't die, they won't get sick, so will they also not have any feelings?

This was her first time doing a mission. She knew all of this from what the older women had told her. Some of those women had never done a mission before because they hadn't found their hosts. Some of them might never find one in their entire lives and could only wait idly at the base.

Yu Yanjing and Xiao Shao came in together, and Xiao Mu was trying on her wedding dress.

She wore a bright red wedding dress adorned with a phoenix flying in the sky, made of gold thread. Her black hair cascaded down to her waist, and a gust of wind caused it to flutter. She was already fair-skinned, and the bright red wedding dress accentuated her snow-white complexion, making her appear petite and exquisite.

Yu Yanjing stared, completely mesmerized. She was so beautiful, so incredibly beautiful, like a bewitching peony blooming deep within his heart.

He absolutely refused to let her marry anyone else.

Xiao Mu pursed her red lips, her delicate brows furrowed, and looked at Yu Yanjing. Her heart ached even more. In less than a month, she would be marrying Zhou Tingxi. What should Yu Yanjing do? Could he go to Zhou Tingxi's house with her?

This is too exciting! Although she has no relationship with Yu Yanjing, she likes Yu Yanjing more than Zhou Tingxi.

With envy in her eyes, Xiao Shao exclaimed, "My God, Princess, you are so beautiful! You are definitely the most beautiful bride in the entire Chen Kingdom, don't you think so, Guard Han?" As soon as she finished speaking, she turned her gaze to Yu Yanjing.

"Hmm? Hmm...yes..."

Little Spoon pouted, "What is it, Guard Han? I was staring at you the moment you saw me, why are you stammering now?"

Yu Yanjing glared at her, his eyes blazing with fury, and said, word by word, "I said it's very beautiful." The murderous intent in his eyes grew stronger and stronger.

Xiao Shao broke out in a cold sweat from his gaze and quickly ran to Xiao Mu's side, tugging at her sleeve and saying pitifully, "That Guard Han is too fierce! He acts like he's going to eat anyone who talks to him, but he only speaks gently to the princess! Humph, all he does is flatter..."

Yu Yanjing glared at her, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. "Do you believe I'll drag you down and feed you to the dogs?" With that, he rolled up his sleeves and strode over to Xiaoshao.

Xiao Shao was so frightened that she hid behind Xiao Mu, trembling with fear. This Guard Han was just too much like a murderous demon; his eyes were like those of the King of Hell.

Xiao Mu was both amused and exasperated. "Alright, Guard Han, stop bullying Xiao Shao. She's incredibly timid. If you scare her, you'll have to do all her chores from now on."

"Yes, yes, yes, it's all done," Little Spoon chimed in.

Yu Yanjing gave up, letting out a cold laugh. This little brat, relying on her master's power, he only wanted to scare her. She was Xia Yunzhi's woman; he wouldn't lay a hand on her, no matter who else he attacked.

Xiao Mu sighed, unable to feel happy for some reason. She looked down at the hem of her wedding dress, its red color dazzling and eye-catching. But she was Xiao Mu now, not Xia Yunzhi, and she didn't want to marry Zhou Tingxi.

Yu Yanjing saw through her thoughts and whispered in her ear without hesitation, "I still stand by what I said about helping you escape the marriage."

Little Spoon said unhappily, "Are you talking badly about me, Princess?"

late at night.

Dressed in black and wearing a cloak, Yin Fu'an strode quickly to the wall of the Zhou family mansion. With no one around, he lightly leaped onto the wall and landed steadily.

"On your wedding day, the old emperor said that he would use two-thirds of the Chen Kingdom's army to escort the princess. At that time, all the civil and military officials were gathered at the princess's residence in the suburbs. There were no troops in the palace that could handle the situation, so it was easy to take action."

Zhou Tingxi frowned. "That was the happiest time for Xiaozhi. Do we really want to?"

Yin Fu'an said in a deep voice, "If you are not ruthless, the throne will belong to someone else."

The throne? Does he really want the throne? He himself doesn't even know.

He once wanted power, but it was just because he liked it. Now he wants it so that he can get Xia Yunzhi, but they are already engaged.

Yin Fu'an felt that Zhou Tingxi's ambition was not big enough. If his ambition were big enough, the Chen Kingdom would have been renamed Zhou long ago.