High-class Spring Joy

After this incident, the two girls' relationship reached a new level.

That was in Bianjing City, and even in a few years, nothing can compare to it.

"It's fortunate that you're alive, Princess. Otherwise, how could I face everyone in Song Kingdom? My conscience would never allow it."

When Qinghe saw Princess Jing'an in front of her, she couldn't stop her tears from flowing. She had finally made it out of the icy wilderness and entered the Devil City, and she had finally made it out of the dead. There was nothing to cry about, and Qinghe was not a crybaby. But when she saw Princess Jing'an in front of her, she couldn't hold back her tears.

"I'm fine, I'm really fine. Although that person had the audacity to capture me, I was rescued by my brother not long after. That rebel actually thought that just because he had a lion, he could be an enemy of my brother and my father. How utterly naive! So what if he took me hostage? He was defeated in less than three days."

Princess Jing'an snorted coldly as she spoke, her words filled with disdain for Di Qing. Then, her attention was drawn back to Qing He.

"By the way, Ah He, I heard you rescued a child from outside. I also heard you met Chu Jingxian and my brother on the way, but why did you get lost again? What happened in between?"

Princess Jing'an asked earnestly, her eyes filled with worry and concern as she looked at Qinghe in front of her.

"The grandmother and grandson in that little hut were also people arranged by the other side. We hadn't gone far when I thought I'd let the old woman and the young boy escape while I drew away the pursuers. But who knew that the old woman and the young boy were already lying in ambush. The old woman looked old but was very skilled, so she must be a martial arts expert in disguise. I had no choice but to be cornered by the old woman. Rather than become a prisoner, I thought I might as well jump down and end it all, die a quick death. So I jumped into the snowdrift, but who knew that I would fall right into the snowdrift where the Third Prince and the others were hiding. As for what happened next, that's a long story. To tell it, we have to start with the scheme set up by His Highness the Crown Prince..."

As Qinghe finished speaking, a maidservant rushed out from beside her: "Miss, Qinghe, the child inside has woken up and says he absolutely must see you!"

Fei Sheng is awake??

Qinghe felt relieved and smiled as she looked at Princess Jing'an in front of her and explained, "Anyway, after the Third Young Master pushed me out, I met this child on the road. This child was caught in an animal trap and his ankle was caught, and his leg was badly injured. I didn't think too much about it at the time. In short, I managed to save this child's life. This child is really good, mature beyond his years. When we encountered a pack of wolves outside the Devil City, he even thought of using himself as bait to give me a chance to escape."

As she spoke, Qinghe was about to lead Princess Jing'an into the room.

Unexpectedly, a servant boy ran out of the courtyard at that moment, seemingly having something very important to report to Princess Jing'an.

As soon as the servant arrived, Princess Jing'an saw his serious and solemn expression and knew that something big must have happened: "Ahe, you go in first."

After Princess Jing'an finished speaking, she began talking to the servant beside her. Qinghe did not insist and went into the room to check on Feisheng's condition.

The servant looked at Princess Jing'an, leaned close to her ear, and whispered something.

Princess Jing'an frowned deeply as she listened, her expression finally changing: "So, the key to the success or failure of the peace talks now rests entirely on the young prince of the Northern Frontier Kingdom?"

The servant nodded hurriedly, "Yes, during the meeting today, the Emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom publicly challenged us, saying that if the young prince couldn't be found, forget about peace talks; judging from the Emperor's intentions, if he couldn't find him, war would break out. There was no other way; His Highness the Crown Prince had to take the blame and use delaying tactics, promising to show the Emperor of the Northern Frontier a living, breathing young prince by tonight. The Emperor agreed, and His Highness has already sent all his men to search for him. I myself have gone out with Young Master Chu Jingxian to search as well. In my humble opinion, it would be best if he could be found by tonight, but if he can't, His Highness the Crown Prince will be in great danger."

"It's more than just the word 'dangerous'!"

Princess Jing'an, who had just witnessed Qinghe's safety, now had no smile or ease on her face. Her expression was grim and tense: "If my brother had spoken to the Emperor of the Northern Frontier in private, there would still be room for negotiation if he failed and the prince couldn't be found by tonight. But my brother said this in front of the emperors of both countries and so many people. The envoys of both countries saw it, as did my brothers. It's not something that can be easily changed. Moreover, if the Emperor of the Northern Frontier truly holds a grudge against the Crown Prince because of this, even for the sake of the country and to prevent further war, Father will not hesitate to abandon the Crown Prince. At that point, it won't just be a matter of being demoted from the position of Crown Prince or reduced to a commoner; it will be a matter of life and death. Therefore, we must find the young prince by tonight. This is the only way."

Although Princess Jing'an was a princess, she knew a lot about the situation of the surrounding countries. She naturally knew that the young prince of the Northern Frontier Kingdom was not just any prince and was of great importance to the king.

"You all must now take everyone and go search! Go search together! No, this princess will go with you too..."

After finishing her sentence, Princess Jing'an didn't even bother with Qinghe inside, and hurriedly left with Xiao Si.

Qinghe also knew that what Princess Jing'an was going to do would definitely have a great impact, and all she knew was that Princess Jing'an was safe and sound.

It's good that you're safe. It's good that you're safe.

Nothing is more important than life.

At this moment, Qinghe picked up the medicine from the tray carried by the maid beside her and looked at Feisheng, who had woken up in front of her:

"This medicine is very bitter, but kids your age usually aren't afraid of bitterness, right? Are you going to drink it yourself or should I feed it to you?"

Who knew that Qinghe's two words of coaxing the child would make Feisheng frown involuntarily, as if he was a little displeased by Qinghe's words, and he calmly said:

"Don't try to coax me with the kind of talk you use on a three-year-old. I'm not one of those little brats who needs to be coaxed to take medicine; I can do it myself."

After saying that, Fei Sheng took the bowl of medicine from Qing He's hand, raised his head, and drank it all in one gulp—that was incredibly decisive.

Her little face was all wrinkled, and you couldn't tell what expression she had, but you could tell how bitter the medicine was.

On the surface, the child claimed that he was different from other children, but Qinghe glanced at him and saw Feisheng's furrowed brows. She then placed a small dish of candied fruit on the ground beside him and said, "Yes, yes, of course our Feisheng is different from other little brats. He is the most mature and the bravest. It's no big deal that he takes medicine. We think he is a great child, a very good child, and the bravest. Have a couple of candied fruits to calm him down."

Fei Sheng listened to Qing He's childish words, which were clearly meant to coax a three-year-old. He glanced at her helplessly, kept a straight face, and, speechless, still picked up a candied fruit and stuffed it into his mouth.

He looked as if Qinghe had forced him to eat it, with a face that said, "It wasn't my choice to eat it, she made me eat it."

Qinghe was happy to see him like this, so she didn't argue with him. Instead, she coaxed the child and made him very happy: "They said they were going to throw you in jail, but they spared your life because of me."

"Then I should thank you."

Fei Sheng spoke calmly, and after finishing one candied fruit, he reached for a second one and began eating it as if no one else was around.

Qinghe was too lazy to expose Feisheng. Even the most mature child, even the best-taught child, still has some childlike qualities.

When Fei Sheng drank his medicine just now, although he did it very decisively, his little face was all wrinkled up and he looked so aggrieved. Qing He also grew up coaxing children, but back then she was coaxing a giant baby. She could easily see through his little tricks.

"What are your plans for the future?"

Qinghe asked Feisheng, "Why don't you tell me where you live? Who lives in your family? Maybe I can find someone to pull some strings and send you home?"

Fei Sheng shook his head decisively: "If my family isn't in the Devil City, then either something has already happened, or they're probably hiding somewhere you can't find them. As for my identity, you might as well tell me yours first. After all, you asked first, so it's fair that you should answer first and show some sincerity."

Qinghe chuckled, but the child remained unmoved: "I'm just an ordinary citizen of Bianjing City. What difference would it make if I told you? What would you possibly know?"

"Ordinary citizens of Bianjing? In other words, you're incapable of rebelling, aren't you?"

Fei Sheng reacted quickly and got straight to the point.

Qinghe was terrified by Fei Sheng's words, her face turning pale: "What did you say?! Aren't you overestimating me? Plotting...plotting a rebellion?! Even if I had nine lives, I wouldn't dare to do something like that!"

After Qinghe finished speaking, Feisheng remained silent and just stared at her intently.

On the other side, everyone was extremely anxious at this moment.

Putting aside the fact that His Highness the Crown Prince led Chu Jingxian and the others out to search for the whereabouts of the young prince, Princess Jing'an and her entourage also came along.

Even though they searched day and night, this wasn't the first day of their search for the young prince. They searched every place they could think of, but they couldn't find a trace of him, let alone the young prince.

Everyone returned to Devil City dejectedly, but the situation was even more dire for His Highness the Crown Prince and Chu Jingxian.

That night.

The Devil City descended into darkness, and lights gradually came on inside. Although the lights were dim, they at least added a touch of humanity and provided some warmth.

Inside the Devil City, people started lighting fires everywhere. In such a place, it would be difficult to have a peaceful night without lighting fires and keeping warm.

In the residences where the two emperors lived, stoves had been lit everywhere, making it much warmer. However, compared to the slowly rising temperature and warmth, His Highness the Crown Prince and the others felt ice-cold inside, and even their hands and feet were cold.

Early in the morning, the emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom donned his armor, mounted his horse, and led his men to search for Fei Sheng's whereabouts. However, as night fell and the cold wind blew, the torches held by the soldiers could not be lit and were easily blown out by the wind. Without a light source, how could they search for someone? The emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom could only return in defeat.

Just as they entered the mansion, they saw the Crown Prince and his entourage returning. The Emperor of the Northern Frontier, his brows furrowed in anger, charged forward in two strides, his spear pressed against the Crown Prince's neck.

"You promised to bring my Fei Sheng back before nightfall, where is he?! You lost my Fei Sheng first, and now you've deceived me! Is this how you treat your peace negotiation partners?! You couldn't even resolve your own internal strife, instead you had my Northern Frontier Kingdom assist you. Now, your scheme has succeeded, you're all safe and sound, but where is my Fei Sheng?! Has anyone cared whether he lives or dies?!"

The emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom spoke with anger and cold cynicism.

Neither His Highness the Crown Prince nor Chu Jingxian could say anything more, because the one standing in front of them, questioning them and demanding their son's return, was not only the Emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom, but also a father who had lost his only son.

Neither His Highness the Crown Prince nor Chu Jingxian could defend themselves in the matter.

At this moment, the emperor of Song Kingdom also came out. Upon seeing the tense scene, his face immediately darkened.

Before he could speak, the Emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom had already seen him and sneered, "You've come at the right time. Come and tell me how to resolve this matter? Your Crown Prince has made it clear that if Fei Sheng cannot be found before nightfall, and I cannot return a living Fei Sheng to him, then he will atone with his death, a life for a life! To atone or not to atone?"

The emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom spoke with a heart full of tears, pressing forward relentlessly. This was something no one could accept. After praying to gods and Buddhas for so many years, the youngest son they had finally managed to save had died in someone else's plan.

At this point, not going completely mad, attacking the people of Song Kingdom, not sending troops to fight, and not engaging in direct, brutal killings is actually quite a sign of composure.

This is why His Highness the Crown Prince remained silent.

Unfortunately, those words were indeed spoken by His Highness the Crown Prince himself, and the Emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom was clearly pressing him step by step, demanding justice. At this moment, the Emperor of the Song Kingdom could only remain silent and turn his gaze to His Highness the Crown Prince.

Chu Jingxian stepped forward: "Your Majesty, regarding this scheme..."

Chu Jingxian was about to take the blame when the Crown Prince stopped him, speaking first:

"Father, Your Majesty, it was indeed my oversight in this matter that caused the young prince's life to be in danger. It is truly a grave mistake on my part, and I beg you both to punish me. Even if it means taking my life, I will accept it willingly!"