Keep your voice down. Are you trying to look glamorous dressed as a forced lover?

Wen Sheng knew that Li Qingyan had used Qiu Nanzhu to treat His Majesty, and His Majesty's condition was improving, but she did not expect His Highness to have such an attitude towards Qiu Nanzhu.

His Highness had clearly hated Qiu Nanzhu intensely before, and even killed him once.

Was it because of their refusals that His Highness was forced to seek out Qiu Nanzhu?

But His Highness did not seem reluctant.

His Highness had previously been fond of Qiu Nanzhu, so did their old feelings rekindle?

He had previously worried that His Highness would encounter trouble and how she would get through it, but now it seems his worries were unnecessary.

The thought that Qiu Nanzhu would also be as intimate as, or even more intimate than, the one they had been in the cabin of a ship made Wen Sheng almost unable to breathe.

"Wrong, utterly wrong..."

Wen Sheng left a bloody mark on the corner of his mouth, looking utterly lost. He had no idea that what was happening between Li Qingyan and Qiu Nanzhu was even more...exciting than he had imagined.

In the past month, Li Qingyan has figured out the correct way to use the autumn pine.

Fortunately, she had Qiu Nanzhu to rely on, who came to her rescue in her time of need, allowing her to get through the month safely without any serious injuries or death.

The way to deal with Qiu Nanzhu is to be "bad" to him. He is a complete "masochist," and the more "bad" you are to him, the more enthusiastic he becomes.

However, this kind of bad is different from ordinary bad.

For example, right now.

Li Qingyan held the leash in her hand, the end of which was tied to the soft leather collar around Qiu Nanzhu's neck. She didn't use any force, just gave it a gentle tug.

Qiu Nanzhu seemed to be pulled towards her forcefully, bending down on the ground and supporting her knees with her hands.

He seemed extremely obedient, but when he looked up, it became clear that his submission was merely a matter of posture.

Despite being the one being restrained, Qiu Nanzhu's eyes were filled with aggression, his gaze subtly enveloping Li Qingyan.

Like a beast temporarily lying in wait, it carries a sense of determination to win, as if all the current acts of bowing down and showing weakness are just a long-planned maneuver.

Unable to bear his gaze, Li Qingyan tightened the rope and stomped heavily on his shoulder.

"If you don't behave, I'll gouge your eyes out!"

Qiu Nanzhu staggered from being stepped on, his body shrinking a bit, but he immediately grabbed her ankle, his thumb gently rubbing her ankle bone, and he couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.

"If Your Highness is willing, if Your Highness likes it, then go ahead and carve it out."

This is because she knows she still needs him.

Feeling the strange sensation in her ankle, Li Qingyan kicked him away forcefully. Her outburst had gotten the better of him.

A hint of regret flashed in Qiu Nanzhu's eyes. He swayed slightly, his gaze drifting intentionally or unintentionally over the short whip on the table, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile curved his lips.

It's as if it's saying, "Your Highness, whatever you want to do, I'll play along."

Li Qingyan gritted his teeth: "Fine, fine! I'll grant your wish today."

What followed was an inappropriate and indescribable scene, causing even Huai Xu, who had been standing expressionlessly outside, to twitch at the corner of his mouth.

She thought, no wonder His Highness had asked her to find the riding whip and had been practicing it for no apparent reason; it turned out he wanted to use it here.

Li Qingyan also put a lot of effort into dealing with Qiu Nanzhu, and the results were quite good.

It wasn't for nothing that she studied hard on how to exert force.

This month, Qiu Nanzhu gave the emperor acupuncture every three days. To ensure the treatment's effectiveness, she would go through a lot of trouble before letting him treat her. Whether the trouble was effective or not, Qiu Nanzhu had been quite cooperative throughout the month.

The emperor's condition is steadily improving.

Li Qingyan even felt that if he could get through the fourth level and make a strong impact, he might have a chance to truly awaken.

This is also one of the reasons why she actively seeks out a fourth potential partner.

However, her main task at present is to provide relief to the fallen soldiers. In the original book, Ji Mingzheng had also secured this opportunity for her, but she was unable to go due to morning sickness.

In the end, it was Prince Xian who went. Although the pension was issued by the court and the Ministry of Revenue, Prince Xian inexplicably took the credit, as if he had issued it himself. He gained the support of the military and became even more powerful.

Whether Ji Mingzheng exerted his strength this time or not, Li Qingyan did not know, but all the female officials, women and generals behind her were supporting her with all their might, so she still got this opportunity.

She absolutely cannot tolerate any mistakes.

This is also why she gave Qiu Nanzhu a bombshell before she set off.

The bombshell worked, and everything went very smoothly afterward, especially with Wen Sheng's subsidies. Although she said it was Wen Sheng's doing, she wasn't as shameless as the Prince Xian, taking all the credit for herself.

However, in addition to resolving the issue of misappropriation and embezzlement of pensions, he also went to great lengths to personally deliver the pensions to the families of fallen soldiers. For those who were unable to come in person or whose families were too far away and who had time to come, he went to great lengths to deliver them all to their homes.

Truly understanding their difficulties, Li Qingyan also tried her best to find ways to solve the problems they faced, teaching them everything she could think of, no matter how small.

During this period, he even used the poverty alleviation examples he had seen before, and as long as they were suitable and usable, he passed them down layer by layer to carry out poverty alleviation.

The wise king was a good actor, which is why he won people's hearts.

Li Qingyan's acting skills are not as good as the Prince Xian's, and she may not be as good at speaking politely or as good at evoking emotions as the Prince Xian, but her respect for soldiers comes from the bottom of her heart.

Everyone can sense it.

She went to great lengths to think of everyone, even personally speaking up for the orphans and elderly left behind by fallen soldiers, sincerely asking the village elders to take good care of them. As a princess, she entrusted them with this responsibility, which is truly touching.

Such sincerity, compared to the short-lived support gained through the performative manipulation of the wise king, lasts much longer.

Li Qingyan's sincerity and tireless work earned her the support of the people, who ultimately repaid her in a clever way.

In these three days, Li Qingyan didn't fall once, had no bad luck, and everything went smoothly.

Even assassination attempts from unknown sources were thwarted by the soldiers who followed her.

Moreover, she received another reward.

Because of this reward, she delayed her return by a day, and only returned to the capital and the Eastern Palace on the fourth day.

Li Qingyan postponed the meeting without notifying anyone.

Because she felt there was no one she could notify.

Little did they know that her late return had kept Song Qinian and the other two, who had received no news of her, on edge all night.

The next day, they all wanted to send someone to investigate, but Li Qingyan returned.

The three of them, along with Qiu Nanzhu, waited at the gate of the East Palace.

They all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Li Qingyan get off the carriage unharmed.

"Your Highness."

Li Qingyan paused for a moment when she saw them, then nodded, but didn't come over. Instead, she turned towards the carriage road and said, "Get down."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

With a cheerful response, a pair of strong, wheat-colored hands took Li Qingyan's hand.

A tall boy, leaning on a cane, got off the carriage.

His armor bore the marks of battle, and he needed crutches to stand because of a leg injury, but his spine refused to bend in the slightest. The sharpness in his eyes remained even when he looked up.

The boy had his full head of black hair tied up in a high ponytail, with prominent brow bones, a straight nose, and eyes that shone like cold stars in a wilderness, exuding an indomitable spirit.