The new emperor's first decree upon ascending the throne was to forcibly take his cousin as his

At this moment, in a carriage in the woods outside the temple gate, Xie Chengyue and Zhao Xuelan were waiting for news.

A guard rushed in to report, "Your Highness, things are going very smoothly. The people we arranged have entered the temple, and they've taken the bait."

Xie Chengyue sneered, "Very well, tell him that today I want Ruan Xianrong to be utterly disgraced, the bigger the commotion the better. After it's done, I'll hand him over."

Zhao Xuelan was taken aback by these words. "Princess, what do you mean? Didn't we come here today to teach Ruan Xianrong a lesson?"

Xie Chengyue chuckled softly, "Yes, I'm here to teach her a lesson on your behalf. I'll ruin her reputation and her face, then no one will dare to compete with you anymore. Aren't you happy?"

Zhao Xuelan's face paled. "Your Highness, you mean to..."

"After today, Ruan Xianrong will be completely ruined, and the Crown Prince will be yours. Isn't that wonderful?"

Zhao Xuelan gripped the hem of her dress tightly, her heart filled with unease. "Princess, isn't this a bit inappropriate? Ruan Xianrong is, after all, the daughter of the Prime Minister's family and the Empress's niece. What if..."

"Regretted it? But you were supposed to teach her a lesson." Xie Chengyue looked at her coldly.

It's not that I regret it, it's just... I just feel that this was a bit too harsh.

Aside from the Crown Prince, she had no deep-seated hatred for Ruan Xianrong. She just wanted to see Ruan Xianrong suffer. If she could, she would have just had someone beat her up. Why go to such lengths?

That would truly ruin a person.

She looked at Xie Chengyue and suddenly felt afraid.

No, no, this won't do!

She lifted the curtain to get out of the car, but Xie Chengyue pulled her back.

"What do you want to do?"

"Princess, something bad is going to happen."

"Heh." Xie Chengyue scoffed. "Don't forget, you were involved in today's events too. It's too late for you to go in now. If it gets found out, what do you think will happen to your Duke's mansion?"

Zhao Xuelan shuddered. The Fifth Princess still had that same face; even when she wasn't smiling, her eyes were curved, radiating a warm, menacing smile—it was terrifying...

"You're the one who hates Ruan Xianrong. She's unlucky, but in the end, you're the one who benefits. Why are you regretting it now?"

"Your Highness, Princess, I didn't mean to harm her like this... It was you..."

Xie Chengyue glanced over, her naturally smiling eyes now calm and still.

"Does Miss Zhao mean that I harmed Ruan Xianrong?"

"She's my cousin, you're the one who has a grudge against her, not me."

Xie Chengyue said, "Miss Zhao, we're all in the same boat, so please don't do anything foolish."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the guards outside returned, "Your Highness, something has happened."

"What is it?"

"Today, Ruan Xianrong was accompanied by a young man. The young man protected her and was shot by an arrow."

"Boy? Who?"

"Yes...it is...the young master of the General's Mansion."

Xie Chengyue's face instantly turned ugly. "What did you say?"

The guard forced a smile and said, "General Shen has arrived now."

*

Reinforcements arrived before the second arrow could be fired.

Shen Qinglian, dressed in armor, led his men to surround half of Huguo Temple.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the man in black immediately withdrew.

Ruan Xianrong held Shen Qinghe tightly, tears streaming down her face, her voice trembling uncontrollably, "Shen Qinghe... seems to be dead."

Shen Qinglian, her face grim, squatted down to check her brother's breathing, then let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief. "Don't worry, he's still breathing."

They ordered someone to carry Shen Qinghe back, then helped the person who was lying on the ground up and put her in the carriage.

"From now on, if you know it's dangerous, go out less. You can't protect yourself, and you'll only endanger others."

After saying that, he arranged for someone to send her back.

Yinque cried so hard she couldn't catch her breath, clinging to her and refusing to let go. That very day, Ruan Xianrong fell ill.

The investigation into the last time the horse went mad is still ongoing, and now they've encountered assassins at Huguo Temple. The Prime Minister's residence has held several religious ceremonies to ward off bad luck.

Madam Ruan's health was not good to begin with, and now her condition has worsened, to the point that she can't even get out of bed.

Ruan Xiang took leave and stayed home with his wife and daughter.

Ruan Xianrong remained unconscious for three days before regaining consciousness. Upon waking, she immediately asked Shen Qinghe.

"The person who went to gather information just returned. Shen Qinghe has woken up, but he was shot with an arrow and needs to rest in bed. We'll visit him when he's better."

Hearing that Shen Qinghe was still alive, she was finally relieved.

"Father, please send some tonics to the General's Mansion. It's my way of showing my appreciation."

"Father sent someone over a long time ago."

"Tell your father what exactly happened that day," Ruan Xiang said kindly.

When Ruan Xianrong recounted what had happened that day, Ruan Xiang's face darkened; someone was trying to harm his daughter.

"Niannian, rest well. Your father will definitely give you an explanation for this matter."

"Father, be careful. That person seemed to know my identity beforehand. The person behind him must be of noble status."

"Father knows, you get some rest."

Ruan Boheng stepped out of the room and ran into his son.

"Have you delivered all the gifts I asked you to?"

"Don't worry, Father, I went myself and delivered everything."

Ruan Xiang sighed, "If it weren't for that kid from the Shen family, Niannian would probably be in grave danger this time."

Ruan Zhaolin had previously called him a sickly man, but now he couldn't help but admire him, "Yes, this Shen Qinghe is quite reliable."

"Take good care of your sister."

Prime Minister Nguyen instructed his steward, "Prepare the horses; I am going to the palace."

Ruan Xianrong was bedridden for a full half month due to her illness.

I've been having nightmares every day for the past few days. Every time I close my eyes, I see Shen Qinghe lying in front of me, covered in blood, after being shot with an arrow.

She had never seen a dead person in the modern world, and here her parents protected her very well, so she had never seen a real killing.

Shen Qinghe collapsed in front of her and finally realized that they were not paper cutouts, but living, breathing people who could never come back to life once they died.

The incident caused quite a stir outside. The assassination of the Prime Minister's daughter was a major event. However, the investigation only led to the man who tried to tarnish Ruan Xianrong's reputation that day, and ultimately pointed to the Duke of Zhao's mansion.

However, the Duke of Zhao is a veteran minister who had already made great military achievements during the reign of the late emperor, and the current emperor respects him greatly.

The Duke of Zhao claimed that this was a frame-up and went to the palace to ask His Majesty to revoke his title so that he could return to his hometown to live out his remaining years. His Majesty did not want to be known for mistreating his old ministers, so the matter had to be dropped.

"It's my fault for being useless; I couldn't get justice for you," Ruan Boheng sighed.

"Does Father also believe it was the Duke's mansion that did it?"

Ruan Boheng was speechless for a moment. Naturally, it couldn't be just the Duke's Mansion. No matter how high and powerful the Duke's Mansion was, it was still just the Duke's Mansion. Moreover, all the evidence he found pointed to the Zhao family. The evidence was cut off at the Duke's Mansion, which was obviously suspicious.

He had a guess, but he dared not guess recklessly.

"Nian Nian has been wronged."

"I'm not wronged. His Majesty and my aunt, the Empress, sent me a lot of things. I'm actually the one who benefited."

Ruan Xiang was amused by his daughter's words, "You, you're so heartless."

Don't let some young punk steal you away in the future.

*

Ruan Xianrong got up early this morning and went to the general's mansion with gifts.

The gatekeeper of the general's mansion hurriedly welcomed her into the main hall. A maid served tea but did not lead her to meet anyone.

After waiting for a quarter of an hour, Yinque was somewhat displeased. "The General's Mansion is being very rude. The young lady has been sitting here for so long, yet they haven't allowed you to see Young Master Shen."

Ruan Xianrong guessed that Shen Qinglian probably didn't want her to see her brother.

Shen Qinghe was injured while saving her. He was already in poor health, and this injury made things even worse.

However, she was not inflexible. She went out and asked Shen Qinglian where she was, only to find out that there were guests in the mansion and no one had time to deal with her.

She wasn't annoyed and went straight into Shen Qinghe's room.

The servants in the courtyard tried to stop her, but she glared at them and stopped them.

Shen Qinghe lay on the couch with his eyes closed. Hearing the sound, he simply said, "Didn't I tell you not to disturb me?"

But the person who came didn't leave; instead, they gradually approached. Shen Qinghe pursed his lips and opened his eyes in displeasure.

The anger in his eyes vanished the moment he saw Ruan Xianrong.

"Nian Nian..."

He laughed again after saying that, muttering, "I must be hallucinating. Why would she come to see me?"

"Why not?" Ruan Xianrong asked with a smile.

Shen Qinghe was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed, and made a move to get up.

"W-Why are you here?"

Ruan Xianrong pressed him back down and tucked the blanket around him.

"You were injured while saving me, how could I not come to see you?"

In her eyes, Shen Qinghe had always been a child, but at the crucial moment, he was able to stand in front of her, which really moved her.

But with him right in front of her, she didn't speak gently. Instead, she tapped his forehead with her finger and said, "Why didn't you run away at a time like that? What were you doing rushing up at me?"

Shen Qinghe smiled. "How could I abandon you when you're in danger?"

He was also relieved that he finally had a chance to protect her and was no longer the useless person everyone called him.

Ruan Xianrong didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She was young, but she was quite bold. When she saw him fall, she really thought he was going to die.

"From now on, if there's any danger, run first. No one's life is more important than your own, understand?"

Shen Qinghe felt a sweet warmth in his heart; she was concerned about him.

"Since I'm injured, can I be a little willful just this once? Can you promise me one thing?"

"you say."

Ruan Xianrong thought it was a big request, but in the end it was just that he wanted to call her Nian Nian, a nickname. She didn't care and readily agreed.

The two talked for a long time inside the house, until Shen Qinghe was too exhausted to continue, at which point she left.

As soon as I stepped out of the courtyard, I saw Shen Qinglian standing blankly under the eaves, her face full of displeasure.