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

Since the day she caused a ruckus in the council hall, Xie Chengyan hadn't bothered her for several days.

I don't know what got into him again, but he suddenly decided to go to the royal palace in the suburbs to stay for a while.

But she was happy to be able to leave the palace.

The carriage traveled for nearly two hours before reaching its destination.

Upon entering the bedchamber, they heard a commotion from the other side of the wall and asked Hongjian, "Were there any other people who came with us today?"

"Indeed, Your Highnesses, as well as the Duke of Zhao's and Duke of Rong's families, and the Prime Minister is here as well. General Shen is guarding His Majesty's safety and is outside."

"So many people have come?"

"Yes, His Majesty said that the young lady has been in the palace for too long and should come out for a stroll. The scenery of this imperial palace is beautiful, and the young lady was happy to see it, so she asked more people to accompany him." Hongjian said while tidying up her luggage.

Ruan Xianrong was a little uneasy. He had only been on the throne for a short time, yet he still had the mind to come here for sightseeing?

If it were just the two of them, perhaps she would still believe it to some extent.

Xie Chengyan was not a monarch who neglected state affairs. In his heart, he cursed the person again, thinking, "That bastard, using her as a cover."

Next to the royal villa was an orchard, which was bustling during the day. Ruan Xianrong was not envious. As long as she could leave the palace and not see Xie Chengyan, she was in a good mood.

But he always came home on time every evening.

She was up until midnight every day, and she was always exhausted the next day.

That day, the commotion inside the bed curtains finally ceased, and Xie Chengyan held her tightly, refusing to let go.

Ruan Xianrong shifted uncomfortably, the arms around her waist tightening. "Don't move, let me hold you for a while... it'll be over soon."

His tone was calm, a stark contrast to his earlier fierceness.

"Niannian, if I can't see you for a while, will you miss me?"

Ruan Xianrong was drowsy and did not answer.

"Are you angry that I can't come back to be with you during the day these past few days?" he asked again.

Ruan Xianrong was impatient. "It's so late, aren't you going to sleep or not?"

The voice rang out again, "The palace is crowded and noisy; try not to wander around carelessly, it's not safe."

Ruan Xianrong was startled, and now she was completely wide awake. "What do you mean?"

He gently stroked her hair, his eyes tender and his tone warm, "As long as you stay here, you'll be fine. Don't worry, I'll protect you."

These words clearly didn't sound good. Her heart sank; something bad was about to happen.

"you......"

"Shh." Xie Chengyan placed his finger on her lips and pressed it against them again. "Niannian, this is a secret, you can't ask."

Ruan Xianrong obediently didn't ask any more questions, but her heart was beating a little faster.

What is he going to do next?

From that day on, she never saw Xie Chengyan again, but the number of people outside her courtyard only increased, forming a tight circle.

Nowadays, nothing but food and drink can be delivered, and even red paper is not allowed to go out freely.

Having stayed there for five or six days, one night, when there was no sound outside, Ruan Xianrong was startled awake.

Just as she was about to call Hongjian, a dark shadow appeared in front of the bed, startling her so much that she broke out in a cold sweat.

Although she couldn't see his face clearly, the man was staring intently at her.

Before she could speak, the figure said, "I have something to say to you."

That voice belonged to Shen Qinglian.

"Are you crazy? Why are you here in the middle of the night, deliberately trying to scare me!"

"The Imperial Guards are on night duty." His voice sounded particularly cold and hard in the darkness, serving as an explanation.

Ruan Xianrong immediately dressed and went to light the lamp. The light was dim, and Shen Qinglian, dressed in black armor, with a frosty face, stared intently at her.

Ruan Xianrong immediately became angry, "General Shen, have you ever broken into women's rooms like this before?"

Shen Qinglian didn't respond to the sarcasm. After a moment of silence, she lowered her voice and asked, "How...are you doing?"

Ruan Xianrong frowned. "Can't you see whether I'm doing well or not?"

They're all just spouting nonsense.

"Didn't you have something to say? What exactly did you want to say?"

Shen Qinglian then came to her senses, "You've been in the palace for so long, have you seen the Emperor Emeritus?"

She shook her head. "No."

She had never even met her aunt, let alone the retired emperor.

"Then do you know that the Emperor Emeritus is not seriously ill?"

Ruan Xianrong didn't understand. If he wasn't seriously ill, how could he pass the throne to the crown prince?

"Did you find out something?"

"It wasn't me, it was the Third Prince."

Ruan Xianrong looked at him in disbelief. Shen Qinglian had sided with Xie Chengli?

"You wouldn't be...?"

Could they really be planning a rebellion?

Recalling what Xie Chengyan had said that day, he was clearly prepared; Xie Chengli's rebellion would not succeed.

Looking up, I recalled what he looked like when he was a child. He looked very similar to him now, except that his eyes and brows were more profound now than when he was a child.

If I really go, I'll only face certain death.

After much hesitation, she still reminded him, "Do you know what you're doing? Xie Chengyan is prepared and won't just sit here and wait to die."

A rare smile appeared in Shen Qinglian's eyes. "Are you worried about me again?"

Ruan Xianrong was speechless. Where did he hear that?

"Although we don't get along, I don't intend for you to die. No matter who becomes emperor, the Shen family's status and position will not change. Why do you insist on getting involved in this mess?"

Shen Qinglian remained silent, her eyes unfathomable, and ultimately she couldn't offer any explanation.

"It's time to go."

"What?"

As soon as she finished speaking, her waist tightened, and she was pulled out of the hall and towards the backyard.

"Shen Qinglian, what exactly are you going to do?"

"It's not safe here, we should leave." He said firmly.

Before she could refuse, he grabbed her and carried her out of the yard.

Forced to get close to him, the armor on her body pressed painfully against her.

"Where are you taking me?"

He kept walking, saying, "You'll find out when you get there."

"I'm not leaving. My father is still alive. I can't leave!"

"Prime Minister Ruan will be fine, but you, quite a few people want to kill you."

Shen Qinglian simply hoisted her onto his shoulder and walked with lightning speed.

The night wind brushed past her ears, making her dizzy and her stomach churn.

She didn't know how much time had passed before she finally stopped vomiting. She squatted down and vomited for a while before she could recover.

He rolled his eyes at him. "Even if you're going to bring me out, shouldn't you at least provide a carriage?"

"The matter is urgent."

She glanced around. "Where am I?"

"I live in a manor outside the city."

"Impossible. If you had such a manor outside the city, I would know about it."

If she really existed, Shen Qinghe would have brought her here long ago.

Shen Qinglian remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement. Finally, she lowered her voice and said, "I brought you here because someone wants to see you."

As soon as he finished speaking, a person walked into the courtyard.

The man slowly approached, and by the moonlight, his face became clear.

She remained motionless for a long time, showing no surprise, her gaze fixed on him.

Under the moonlight, Xie Chengli walked slowly closer, still dressed in an elegant brocade robe, just like the carefree and romantic prince he always was.

"You don't recognize me after only a few days?"

He helped her up, brushed the dirt off her, and said slowly:

"Since you're not surprised, I don't want to hide it from you."

Ruan Xianrong asked, "Are you really going to take this step?"

He smiled faintly, "I was going to take this step anyway."

"But you don't necessarily have to take this path. Don't you love painting? Don't you love finding solace in nature and a carefree life? Why do you have to become an emperor?"

Xie Chengli in the book was too obsessed with the throne; he never gave it up, even in death.

But with this living, breathing person standing right in front of her, she still wanted to persuade him.

"My father has been imprisoned in the palace by my elder brother. How can I, as his son, sit idly by? Once my father is well, I will go back to my carefree life and be the same Third Prince I always was."

Seeing that she didn't speak, Xie Chengli leaned down and chuckled, "For the sake of the time I was your stepping stone when we were kids, will you trust me this time?"