After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

Autumn arrives earlier in the capital than in Yunzhou.

The cries of vendors from the market drifted into the carriage, leaving behind those seemingly distant days in Cangcheng.

The number of imperial guards at the city gate was more than double that when she left the capital, and the way they were checking passersby looked like they were arresting some wanted criminal.

Her gaze unconsciously swept towards the tightly locked carriage in front of her.

The carriage curtain remained motionless, and the occasional clanging of chains came from inside, reminding passersby that no ordinary person was imprisoned there.

The convoy stopped at the city gate.

The commander of the Imperial Guards was already waiting at the front of the line with the imperial edict in hand.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has decreed that you must enter the palace immediately for an audience with the Emperor."

Xiao Mingyue lifted the carriage curtain, her gaze sweeping over the vast array of imperial guards behind the commander, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

"I've traveled a long way and haven't even had a sip of hot tea, yet Your Majesty is in such a hurry."

But she didn't dwell on it much, since her mindset was completely different now.

She will no longer be heartbroken over unrequited family affection.

The person sitting in that golden palace was merely her opponent.

She turned to Shen Yan and instructed him, "Send Que'er and Miss Xu back to their residence first."

Then she lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage, saying to the accompanying guards, "Send the criminal in the carriage to the Lazy Garden and keep him under strict guard. No one is allowed to see him without my order."

The guard bowed and agreed.

Shen Jingque poked half her head out from the carriage behind, looking worried as she watched Xiao Mingyue leap onto a horse.

Despite their tireless journey, their backs showed no signs of fatigue; instead, they appeared as steadfast as pine trees and spears, pressing forward relentlessly.

……

Inside the Imperial Study.

Xiao Chengyu, dressed in casual clothes, saw the palace servants leading Xiao Mingyue into the courtyard from afar, and surprisingly, he got up and took two steps to greet them.

"My elder sister has suffered so much."

He stepped forward, took Xiao Mingyue's hand, looked her up and down, and looked worried.

"I have heard that the floods in the southwest are severe, and that my sister's journey is fraught with danger. These past few days I have been unable to eat or sleep, constantly thinking of sending someone to rescue her, but I am also afraid that the troops will disturb the disaster victims..."

Xiao Mingyue let him shake her hand briefly before withdrawing it and giving a proper bow.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am well."

Xiao Chengyu led her to sit down and personally poured her tea.

"Has Your Majesty's health improved after such a long journey?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My old injury is no longer a serious problem."

"That's good, that's good." Xiao Chengyu nodded repeatedly and pushed the teacup to Xiao Mingyue's side.

"After reading my elder sister's memorial, I can see that Rong Jing is truly audacious, daring to flee the capital without permission."

He shook his head as he spoke, his face displaying just the right amount of annoyance.

"However, this matter concerns the diplomatic relations of Great Yan, so I will order the Ministry of Justice to take it over."

He picked up his teacup, seemingly casually.

"Your Majesty has had a long and arduous journey. Such tedious and troublesome matters should be handled by the mediocre people in the capital."

Xiao Mingyue's expression remained unchanged.

She knew this was going to happen.

As the emperor, he was unaware that the hostage had fled, and that his elder sister, whom he had always been wary of, was escorting him back to the capital.

Firstly, he would lose face; secondly, he probably wanted to find out his whereabouts along the way from Rong Jing.

Xiao Mingyue brought the teacup to her lips, not rushing to answer, but slowly taking a sip.

"Your Majesty's kindness is something I should accept."

"There is one matter that Your Majesty must consider."

Xiao Chengyu smiled and said, "Please speak freely, Your Majesty."

"Rong Jing is now crippled, with both legs broken and his body covered in old and new wounds."

Xiao Mingyue held up three fingers and waved them in front of Xiao Chengyu.

"I encountered three groups of assassins of unknown origin along the way, all of whom were after the hostage. If it weren't for my men risking their lives to protect him, Your Majesty would be receiving a corpse instead of a report right now."

She raised her eyes and looked directly at Xiao Chengyu.

"I don't know how many people in the Ministry of Justice are available to guard Rong Jing, but I do know one thing."

She paused, then looked at Xiao Chengyu with a smile.

"The peace between Yan and Dayong is only temporary. A war is inevitable in the future. If the hostage dies on Dayong's territory, we will be handing over the pretext for war ourselves."

She stood up and bowed.

"If Your Majesty has a foolproof plan to save his life, I will hand him over immediately."

"If we can't save it—"

"On the day the Yan Kingdom sends out its troops, I urge Your Majesty to personally lead the expedition. I have been ill for many years and I am afraid I will not be able to carry that flag."

The Imperial Study remained quiet for a long time.

Xiao Chengyu's face turned pale and then red, and his fingers gripped the armrest tightly.

He certainly couldn't guarantee that.

Xiao Mingyue's meaning was very clear: if Rong Jing were to get into trouble, she would not be willing to clean up the mess.

Who in the court doesn’t know that the peace and stability of recent years are all thanks to the Princess Zhenguo leading the army to fight against foreign enemies?

If she abandons her duties, what will he, the emperor, use to fight the war?

Xiao Chengyu gritted his teeth, suppressing his surging anger, and forced a smile, saying:

"Your Majesty, you are overthinking it. Why bother the Ministry of Justice with a hostage whose leg is crippled? You should keep an eye on him yourself. I trust him."

Xiao Mingyue was very satisfied with this answer.

She stood up, still displaying the impeccable manners of a subject, her tone indifferent.

"Then so be it, Your Majesty. I will immediately dispatch the Divine Machine Battalion to keep watch over the hostage Rong Jing at his residence. Any unusual activity must be reported to Your Majesty immediately."

"Okay...okay."

Xiao Chengyuqian smiled and agreed.

As I walked out of the Imperial Study, the setting sun bathed the palace path in its glow.

Xiao Mingyue remained calm on the surface, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

This made her deal with Rong Jing much easier.

only……

The emperor's probing eyes were still etched in her mind.

Xiao Chengyu's concession today is merely a temporary measure to avoid harming the innocent.

Knowing her younger brother as she did, she knew he would never swallow this insult and would definitely try every means to find an opportunity to exploit her weaknesses and deliver a fatal blow.

Right now, a ready-made crisis is looming ahead.

……

As night fell, the Princess's residence was brightly lit and filled with a joyous atmosphere.

A large, lavish welcome feast was laid out in the flower hall.

After months of separation, the family finally sat together again, all in one big group.

However, the atmosphere at the dinner table had a subtle and indescribable quality.

Everyone had smiles on their faces, but apart from Qin Lie, who was carefree and tearing into a roast chicken, the others were all preoccupied with their own thoughts and barely touched their chopsticks.

Shen Yan sensed the awkward silence and stood up, picking up the wine cup in front of him.

"Our safe return today is a great joy for our household."

"Come, let's drink this cup together as a family, to wash away the dust and bad luck of this journey."

Xiao Mingyue picked up her wine cup, gently clinked it against Shen Yan's, and then tilted her head back to drink it all.

Shen Jingque also held a cup of fruit wine and obediently clinked glasses with everyone.

After everyone put down their wine cups, Xiao Changgeng put down his chopsticks and told Xiao Mingyue about what had happened in the capital recently.

When Xiao Mingyue heard that the emperor had ordered Xiao Jingchen and Xiao Jingyu to assist in the investigation of the case, she frowned.

Why are they both so enthusiastic at this moment?

Xiao Changgeng shook his head. "It is indeed strange that the Second Prince has suddenly become so interested in politics."

"However, this has given us some breathing room. At least for now, we can't bring this matter to the Emperor's attention."

Qin Lie, sitting to the side, swallowed the chicken in his mouth and nonchalantly wiped the oil off his lips.

"No matter how they investigate, I've done nothing wrong. How could I possibly be a descendant of the Northern Barbarians?"

"Those people are just bored and want to throw dirty water on me."

Xiao Mingyue and Xiao Changgeng exchanged a glance across the table, their eyes filled with deep worry.

Qin Lie's frankness was simply because he was unaware of the truth.

What if one day his true identity is revealed?

How devastated would he be?