With a warehouse full of supplies, I stood alone as king in this chaotic world, gun in hand.

Li Shuang was startled and quickly said, "This subordinate dares not speak recklessly."

This is His Highness's most important life event. How dare she, a mere guard, speak carelessly about it?

"Li Shuang, we've known each other for years and are like sisters. You don't need to be so reserved." Seeing how nervous she was, Nangong Wu didn't press her for any opinions.

Seeing her conflicted expression, Li Shuang hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Then I will share my thoughts."

"Okay, go ahead." Nangong Wu nodded.

"I think His Highness the Crown Prince is a very good person. Over the years, he has been impeccable in his treatment of you and the three young princes. But when it comes to matters of the heart, it depends on one's own conscience."

"You and His Highness the Crown Prince have weathered many storms together over the years; you are best friends. You entrusted your backs to each other in the most dangerous times; your friendship is one of life-or-death commitment. For that alone, you deserve to stay together for life," Li Shuang said, pausing for a moment before continuing:

"What the Crown Prince said to you yesterday makes a lot of sense to me. The three young princes are quite pitiful."

"But he is the crown prince of Nanqi, and I can't possibly become one of his concubines." Nangong Wu strongly opposed this idea.

If Bei Chenyan were just a scion of a noble family, or even just an ordinary person, she could try to accept him. But he happens to be the crown prince of a country, the future emperor of Nanqi.

She will build her own country, a kingdom with a completely new system, and give her children a better future. Why should she depend on a man? Why should she live by the rules set by others? She refuses to be controlled by anyone!

This is not the life she wanted!

Li Shuang fell silent! She didn't want the princess to marry a man and live a secluded life in the palace, hiding her talents and ambitions—that would be such a pity!

They were two of the most outstanding people, and they were even quite compatible, but fate played a cruel trick on them.

At that moment, Bei Chenyan noticed them.

"Yu'er, your mother is here!"

The three children all looked over when they heard this.

"It's already noon, we should go have lunch!" Bei Chenyan called out.

The guards standing nearby immediately stepped forward and took the kites from the children.

"Mother!" The three children ran towards Nangong Wu.

"Did Daddy fly the kite with us?"

"Be careful, don't run so fast." Nangong Wu hurriedly caught Nangong Xi, who was running the fastest.

Seeing that the three children were covered in sweat from running, she took a handkerchief and wiped their sweat.

"Mommy, the kite that Daddy made for us is so beautiful, even more beautiful than the butterfly kite that Uncle made."

"Mmm." Nangong Wu smiled as she saw the child was happy.

"Mother, I have a butterfly too." Luo Yushao ran towards Li Shuang with a kite in his hand.

"The butterfly is beautiful." Li Shuang took the kite and also took a handkerchief to wipe her son's sweat.

"Mother, I miss Father too!" Luo Yushao nestled into her arms.

Li Shuang couldn't help but think of Li Cheng in the capital. He stayed in the capital to protect the old prince, and they couldn't reunite for a while.

"Your father is coming soon!" she comforted the child.

Bei Chenyan followed the child over. "Let's go have lunch with Father!"

"Either is fine." Nangong Wu naturally had no objections.

"Our eldest brother is returning tomorrow, so we'll host a farewell banquet for him at the East Palace tonight," said Bei Chenyan.

"It's clear that you all love Qiao Xiangqing very much." Nangong Wu noticed that Chu Tianxiong treated Qiao Xiangqing just like a biological brother.

"Our eldest brother is an orphan who was raised by our master. Our master has been incredibly kind to us. Qing'er is our master's only child and the youngest in the sect. Everyone loves her." Bei Chenyan's gaze darkened as he thought of his master.

"Our master has been murdered for many years, and his enemies are still at large. We have failed our master's kindness."

The two of them, holding the child's hand, walked towards Yikun Palace while talking.

"Have you found any trace of Ling Yangzi?" Nangong Wu asked.

"No." Bei Chenyan shook his head. "Ever since the day Jue'er blew up that courtyard, not only have the people from Changyang Temple stopped appearing, but other hidden forces have also become more restrained."

"Whose property is that courtyard?" Nangong Wu asked again.

"I checked, and the household registration for that courtyard only lists one person with the surname Huang, but we haven't been able to find him yet. It's likely he was killed in the bombing." Bei Chenyan said, and then asked Nangong Jue about what happened that day.

"Jue'er, tell your father, who kidnapped you that day?"

"A black masked man locked me in that house. The front and back windows were nailed shut, and there were two men in black guarding the door. I said I needed to pee, but they wouldn't let me out. So I used the dagger you gave me, Father, to pry open the front window..." Nangong Jue recounted what happened that day to them.

"Jue'er, you are so brave. You are worthy of being my son. You are amazing." Bei Chenyan praised his son's courage and strategy.

A child under five years old possesses such composure in the face of danger, and is even able to fight back and kill all enemies to save himself. An ordinary person would have been terrified long ago.

"My mother said that when you encounter danger, you must not be afraid or cry, and you must learn to save yourself." Nangong Jue always kept his mother's words in mind.

"Your mother is right," Bei Chenyan said to the other two children. "If you encounter the same danger in the future, you must be like Jue'er, don't panic, and find a chance to save yourselves."

"Father, we know!" Nangong Yu and Nangong Xi both nodded.

"We will be very brave."

"Hmm." Bei Chenyan then said to Nangong Jue, "Jue'er, if you encounter such danger again, try not to use bombs. Just send out a signal flare, and your father and mother will notice, and those bad guys won't be able to escape."

"I understand, Father." Nangong Jue lowered his head. "I saw that bomb was so small, I didn't expect it to have such great power..."

Fortunately, he was hiding behind the door and only reached out to press the remote control; otherwise, he might have died too.

The noise was terrifying; the sound of the explosion nearly deafened him.

The door panel fell down and hit his head, and after that he doesn't know anything else.

Bei Chenyan couldn't bear to say anything more, so he took his son's hand and said, "Come on! Let's go have lunch with your royal grandfather."

"Why don't you take me to meet that woman?" Nangong Wu suddenly said.

"You want to see her?" Bei Chenyan asked, puzzled.

"Don't forget I can tell fortunes. I want to go and see that woman's fate," Nangong Wu said.

"Oh right! How could I forget you could tell fortunes?" Bei Chenyan suddenly realized. "If we use Mother's birth date and time, can we find out if she's still alive?"

Nangong Wu nodded, "I can only predict good or bad fortune."

"But that woman and the Empress were born at the same time, less than half an hour apart. Can you really tell whose fate is whose just by their birth dates?" Bei Chenyan was skeptical.