Favored concubine deposed empress? I'll seize your throne and marry you to a powerful minister.

It was Yun Sheng.

Wei Rong subconsciously looked at Ling Xianru.

"Sit down." Ling Xian gestured to the empty seat.

Yun Sheng was dressed in a long robe and seemed to have been practicing martial arts when he arrived halfway through.

Wei Rong and Yun Sheng had not seen each other for about three years.

More than a decade ago, the Yun family, like the Wei family, was a prominent family. Yun Sheng's grandfather was the commander of the Imperial Guard, protecting the peace of the capital, while the Wei family fought on the battlefield, protecting the peace of the border.

But later, Yun Sheng's grandfather got into trouble. A wrongful conviction took a life and ruined the family's reputation.

Since then, the Yun family has fallen into decline. Even though things have become ordinary since then, the late emperor only restored the Yun family's reputation and did not reinstate them.

Therefore, Yun Sheng had no official rank in Kyoto.

He and Wei Rong were childhood sweethearts, but they drifted further and further apart over time.

"Brother Yun," Wei Rong poured him tea, "it's been a long time."

We were once childhood sweethearts, but now that we meet again, all that childhood intimacy is left with this one term of endearment.

Ling Xianru frowned twice after Yun Sheng arrived.

But he didn't say anything.

The people listening to the storytelling around them were in the midst of a frenzy and had no time to pay attention to this side.

Even with Yun Sheng here, Wei Rong felt that Ling Xianru was even more unfathomable.

"I've been wanting to tell you my condolences, but I thought I'd never have the chance," Yun Sheng said. Although he practiced martial arts, his skin was fair, and the blazing sun didn't tan him. "I never thought I'd be able to sit here and talk to you again."

Wei Rong hadn't expected this either. She glanced at Ling Xianru and asked, "I wonder what your plans are, sir?"

She had no intention of letting Yun Sheng know that Xiao Heng had employed him because Ling Xianru owed her a favor, but why had he summoned Yun Sheng today? What was the real meaning behind it?

Yun Sheng also wanted to know how Ling Xianru ended up with Wei Rong.

The Empress returned to her parents' home to pay respects. Although it wasn't a top secret, her imperial carriage stopped at the gate of the Wei residence.

However, Wei Rong is now in the teahouse in casual clothes, which means this is a private trip. So why would Ling Xianru invite him over as well?

"As Lord Yun said, you haven't seen each other for a long time. I'm just acting as a go-between to let you meet."

Although Yun Sheng was a martial artist, he was not without brains: "I heard that the Imperial Guard and the Patrol Battalion have undergone a major reshuffle this time, and it was Your Excellency who was involved. It was Your Excellency who handed over the calligraphy of my name to the Ministry of War."

"I'm just writing down a name; the one who truly wants to recommend Lord Yun to His Majesty is someone else."

He looked at Wei Rong, and Yun Sheng immediately understood: "Rong-meimei? It's you?"

"We still need to give Lord Ling face," Wei Rong sighed softly, "You should have been in that position anyway."

Yun Sheng looked at this and then at that.

Ling Xianru didn't want his favor, and Wei Rong didn't seem to want him to know that she had helped him behind the scenes.

These two people.

But in any case, this is a favor: "Sister Rong, you don't need to feel guilty. When Grandfather died, it had nothing to do with Uncle Wei, and the Yun family did not fall because of you."

Ultimately, it was a wrongful conviction and miscarriage of justice back then; the fault lies with the political situation at the time.

"Grandpa Yun's death is a heavy burden on my father's heart, but I'm helping you not just for that. Brother Yun, you shouldn't be buried in obscurity."

The two poured out their hearts to each other, and Ling Xianru held up her teacup and drank tea.

He brewed it himself, but somehow it tasted a bit bitter.

The tea from Hongxiuzhao is no good.

He put down his teacup, interrupting their mutual appreciation: "Wan Zhouquan of the Ministry of War will recommend other officials for you. Your transfer is already confirmed, and we are just waiting for an imperial edict. If you take over the Imperial Guard, I will have many opportunities to assign you tasks in the future."

Yun Sheng did not understand the meaning of his words, and it was not appropriate to kneel and kowtow to express his gratitude here. He raised his teacup and said, "Yun Sheng will use tea instead of wine to thank you, sir."

"..." Ling Xianru reluctantly clinked glasses with him and then bluntly stated, "It means there's no need to thank me too soon. I'm a person who only cares about profit."

I've never seen anyone so openly use the words "profit-driven" to describe themselves.

Yun Sheng choked for a moment. He didn't understand Ling Xianru, so he looked at Wei Rong and asked her with his eyes what the Prime Minister meant by this.

"The Imperial Guards are an integral part of the Imperial City's defenses, and I might need your help in the future," Wei Rong said. "No need for thanks."

She finally understood. Ling Xianru seemed to have a habit of speaking frankly upfront. He might not really care about Yun Sheng's rise to power as a member of the Imperial Guard, but if he needed her in the future, she would still have to repay the favor.

Yun Sheng spoke frankly: "My lord has never had any dealings with the Imperial Guards, so what could he possibly want from me?"

"That's something I'll only find out later, but this condition of yours was granted to me by the Empress—my sister Rong. Even if I have to ask for a favor, I should ask her, shouldn't I?"

Was the question directed at Wei Rong?

And—"What are you yelling about?"

The heat that had just subsided returned to her face, and Wei Rong was utterly speechless: "You, sir, offered these conditions yourself, and now you want to take a cut from me? Isn't that a bit too much of a scheme?"

What kind of scoundrel is this, taking advantage of the occasion?

Ling Xianru, however, seemed to find it amusing to tease her, resting her chin on her hand and saying leisurely, "I agreed to the conditions, but you still owe me a hairpin, don't you?"

He mentioned hairpins, but his smile was wicked.

Seeing Wei Rong's expression, Yun Sheng took the initiative to defuse the situation: "Why don't you put it on my tab? I'm willing to go through fire and water for you."

"How can that be the same?" Ling Xianru spread her hands. "I don't steal credit, nor do I give favors away for nothing."

His face screamed: I'm a bad guy.

Wei Rong felt like smashing a cup over her head.

Yun Sheng found the relationship between the two increasingly incomprehensible. As the prime minister, he should have had many disagreements with Wei Rong, but the prime minister's predicament did not seem to be entirely due to any difficulty.

More like—his father often teased his mother with strange things, and when his mother got angry, she would wink at him triumphantly.

"..."

He didn't know what Wei Rong had gone through in the past few years, but with the rumors circulating in the palace and causing a great stir outside, he somewhat understood Wei Rong's situation.

Is Ling Xianru trustworthy?

"I still have official duties to attend to," Yun Sheng finished her tea and stood up to take her leave. "Could you see me off, Rong-meimei?"

He must have something to say in private.

Wei Rong was just catching her breath, otherwise she would have thrown the cup in Ling Xianru's face sooner or later.

Without thinking much about it, he got up and followed them out.

Many years later, Yun Sheng was still much taller than her. The two of them stood at the entrance of the teahouse, a beautiful sight to behold.

When he was young, the Yun family was lonely. Yun Sheng was the only junior in the family. His older sisters had all grown up, so he treated Wei Rong as his younger sister. Every time he saw her, he would bring her pastries and candies.

Wei Rong was beautiful from a young age, with fluffy braids, and he loved to touch the top of her head.

Now—Yun Sheng's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and she restrained herself from asking, "Can he be trusted?"

He was referring to Ling Xianru, and frankly, Wei Rong didn't know either.

She once thought Xiao Heng was trustworthy, but Xiao Heng's betrayal came without warning; he might even have been feigning affection from the very beginning.

As for Ling Xianru, he was someone she shouldn't have crossed paths with at all.

One thing after another, yet so many connections have emerged.

She couldn't tell the difference, but Ling Xianru had never harmed her.

Even though he could do it many times.

That's why it's even harder to discern his true intentions.

"I don't know," Wei Rong said frankly, "but regardless of whether he is trustworthy or not, I will never place my complete trust in anyone again."