g replied with a smile.Yun Qianyue gave a cold snort. “My most powerful commander is Feng Jin, but he was bullied away by you!”"Feng Jin has another important task; besides, when one leaves, another a...The Fickle Eldest Miss

Looking at the all-black carriage quietly parked at the Fourth Prince's Manor, Yun Qianyue felt warmth and brightness even though it was a heavy color. She hastened her steps to reach the carriage and couldn't wait to lift the curtain aside. Sure enough, there was Rong Jing's gentle and warm face.

Looking at Rong Jing, Yun Qianyue opened her mouth but suddenly didn’t know what to say.

Rong Jing smiled gently as he reached out and held onto Yun Qianyue’s hand. He pulled her into the carriage and once the curtains were closed again, he hugged her in his arms and said softly, "Cry if you want to."

She was waiting for this embrace and these words. Yun Qianyue's originally dry eyes suddenly welled up with tears that poured forth like a flood. She hugged Rong Jing tightly as she buried her face into him and cried silently.

It wasn’t that she didn't have tears, but rather there had never been anyone whom she could cry freely in front of before.

Xian Ge wielded his whip heavily as the carriage left the Fourth Prince's Manor.

The way back to the Glory王府 from the Fourth Prince's Manor was quiet. Rong Jing only hugged Yun Qianyue and didn’t speak a word. He allowed her tears to wet his brocade robe, and the dampness seeped into his heart through his clothes.

When the carriage returned to the Glory王府, Yun Qianyue was still hugging Rong Jing tightly as she lay quietly in his arms, her shoulders no longer trembling.

"You're not crying anymore" Rong Jing asked softly.

"Who's crying Crying is for weaklings. I didn’t cry at all." Yun Qianyue buried her face into him and sounded somewhat sulky. She realized today that crying was the best weapon to release pent-up emotions.

Rong Jing chuckled, "Then what did you do just now My clothes got wet."

"Your clothes are dirty; I helped wash them with some rainwater." Yun Qianyue felt Rong Jing's clean moon-white brocade robe was probably ruined at this point. She said somewhat awkwardly.

"Have they been cleaned now" Rong Jing looked down at her, his heart filled as he saw the frail figure in his arms.

Yun Qianyue made a sound of agreement with a voice so soft it was barely audible.

Rong Jing affectionately stroked her head and didn’t say another word. He carried her off the carriage slowly.

Fearing that her eyes would be red and her complexion pale, Yun Qianyue let him carry her to the Glory王府.

Along the way, people greeted Rong Jing one after another; he either nodded or softly replied with an "Mm", his countenance and demeanor relaxed and natural.

Back at Zizhuyuan, after entering the room, Rong Jing put Yun Qianyue down and she still clung to him without letting go. He smiled and said with amusement, "Here, besides me, no one will mock you. Get up! You haven’t eaten for a whole day."

Yun Qianyue let go of her grip, lowered her head, and said, "Take off your clothes; I’ll wash them later."

Rong Jing glanced at the front of his chest where there were wrinkles from being pulled by Yun Qianyue’s hands along with tear stains. He rubbed his forehead with a helpless smile and said, "This set of clothes was made for me by you. It just got wet in the rain and became like this after one wash. If I let you wash it again, it might be ruined."

Yun Qianyue blushed and said, "That doesn’t count; I can wash laundry."

"I still don’t believe you," Rong Jing replied as he took off his brocade robe and instructed to the outside, “Qingshang, take it away.”

Qingshang walked in,接過錦袍，看了雲淺月一眼，笑著走了下去。

Yun Qianyue covered her face with her hand, leaned back, lay on the bed, and sullenly said, "I am not a pampered lady who doesn’t work hard or understand agriculture."

"I know," Rong Jing smiled as he reached out to pull her up. "First go soak in hot water to drive away the cold before eating. You were exposed to cold wind all day today, and U Ke Han’s departure has made you so upset that it was unexpected."

Yun Qianyue sat up and said softly, "Without any psychological preparation, she died right after I arrived; in my arms. In this Heavenly City, there are countless heartbroken lovers; yet she and Ye Tianyu were deeply in love despite all obstacles, although Ye Tianyu’s feelings weren’t as pure as U Ke Han’s, but he had half a heart for her, which was enough. I always felt they should have ended up together regardless of that broken chair or their status. Life isn't only about those things; there are so many other pursuits. They could grow old together..."

Rong Jing sighed softly and said, "I knew she was ill in the past few days. When you were in Nanliang, I worried that seeing her would upset you if she couldn’t be saved while I watched helplessly by her side over these two days since your return, so I kept it from you."

"Although I am saddened by her death, I’m even more troubled by the fact they didn’t end up together. There's a saying about the greatest distance in the world; I always thought nothing could surpass being separated by life and death. Living means there’s still hope, but once you’re dead, everything is gone," Yun Qianyue nodded, knowing that if Rong Jing could have saved her, he would have done so, thus sparing her from this pain. With these words, she hugged him before getting up to walk into the dark room.

Rong Jing remained silent for a moment and then walked over to sit at the table as Qingying brought in confidential letters. He picked up his pen to review them.

Half an hour later, Yun Qianyue came out of the dark room and sat beside Rong Jing. Seeing that there was a thick pile of secret letters from Ink Pavilion on the desk, she frowned slightly and said, "During daytime in the palace I deal with piles of memorial scrolls; now here I have to face them again."

Rong Jing smiled gently and said, "There are some things that serve as protective barriers. If I didn’t have something to match the power of the Regent Prince, you might be sitting in Ronghua Palace watching him review these memorial scrolls today."

Yun Qianyue pursed her lips but did not speak.

Qingshang brought in a meal; Rong Jing put down the confidential letters and hugged Yun Qianyue in his arms.

This night, Yun Qianyue slept very restlessly, waking up several times. Each time it was U Ke Han’s last words and her smiling face before closing her eyes that she saw. At these moments, Rong Jing would always reach out to pat her and hug her tightly; no need for words as Yun Qianyue felt reassured.

The next morning, Rong Jing got up and looked at Yun Qianyue.

"I will also accompany you to the Hall of Assembly, and I'll go again for Zhao Kehan's burial in three days," Yun Qianyue woke up and said to Rong Jing.

Rong Jing nodded. After they were dressed and groomed, the two left their room.

The weather was clear yesterday, but today there were fine snowflakes floating in the sky. It seemed that it had just started snowing, leaving a thin layer of white frost on the ground.

Rong Jing held Yun Qianyue's hand firmly in his.

Yun Qianyue walked half a step behind Rong Jing with her head slightly lowered. After a night had passed, she had come to accept Zhao Kehan’s death and was no longer as distressed about it, but she wondered how Nie Tianyu would react upon learning the news of Zhao Kehan's death; so, she softly told Rong Jing: "There must be someone from your side in the Ministry of Punishment's prison, right Don't let Nie Tianyu find out."

"The guards watching over Nie Tianyu in the Ministry of Punishment’s prison are all subordinates of the Regent. However, don’t worry; he won’t tell Nie Tianyu about Zhao Kehan's death," Rong Jing said with a gentle tone.

Yun Qianyue nodded and felt reassured.

Exiting the Purple Bamboo Grove, they still saw Shen Zhao reading in the snow. When he noticed them walking out, he no longer looked surprised like he did days ago but greeted them respectfully before watching them leave.

After leaving Prince Rong's Manor, their carriage headed towards the imperial palace.

Although it was snowing across the land, the streets were not affected in the early morning; there were already bustling crowds walking around. Occasionally, Yun Qianyue’s name would be heard inside the carriage, probably talking about her angrily storming into the Golden Hall and destroying the golden chair yesterday.

Yun Qianyue thought that over the past day and night, it was likely that her actions had once again caused a great stir across the land.

The carriage reached the imperial palace. Rong Jing brought Yun Qianyue into the Hall of Assembly before going to attend the morning court session. The eunuchs on duty in the Hall of Assembly seemed afraid of jinxing Yun Qianyue and did not make a sound after she entered the Western Warm Pavilion.

Yun Qianyue lay on the soft bed in the Western Warm Pavilion, closed her eyes, and continued to catch up on sleep.

An hour later, Ye Tianyi, Rong Jing, and others returned to the Hall of Assembly. When Rong Jing saw that she had opened her eyes but then closed them again, he took a thin quilt and covered her with it before gently saying: "You didn’t get much sleep last night. Keep sleeping."

Yun Qianyue nodded; as long as he was by her side, she could feel at ease.

In the morning half-day, Rong Jing's Western Warm Pavilion was extremely quiet. Apart from Ye Qingran coming once and leaving when he saw that Yun Qianyue was asleep, no one else came to disturb them. Perhaps it was due to the cold aura she exuded while storming into the Golden Hall yesterday, which had intimidated many officials; some of them still felt apprehensive. Throughout history, countless acts of disrespect towards propriety and ethics—punishable by death according to regulations—had been committed by Yun Qianyue, but this was the first time someone had destroyed a golden chair in anger.

Rong Jing also enjoyed tranquility and stood by the bed playing with a pot of jade orchid on the windowsill.

By afternoon, the officials could no longer sit still, so some came to report matters in the Western Warm Pavilion one after another.

Yun Qianyue slept for an entire day, whether it was the tranquility of the morning or the hustle and bustle of the afternoon, she did not wake up. The consequence of this was that she suffered from insomnia at night again; staring at the ceiling, she found herself unable to fall asleep despite her unwillingness to disturb Rong Jing who had been hard at work for a whole day, suffering until late into the night before falling asleep.

The next day, the snowfall increased in intensity. Several braziers were placed inside the Hall of Assembly; Xi Nangege was warm and cozy like springtime.

Yun Qianyue learned from her lesson and dared not sleep during the day again. She sat nearby reading a book. After reading for a while, she put down the book and sat beside Rong Jing. Looking at the thick stack of memorials on his desk, she whispered to him: "Shall I help you"

Rong Jing glanced at her sideways with a slight smile, “Okay.”

Yun Qianyue reached out and picked up one of the memorials. Even though she was aware of the disasters that occurred in various regions this year, when she really got involved with them, she found herself far from adequately prepared; judging by the reports, almost every place had suffered calamity. She did not handle the task as Rong Jing did and read through them directly, but instead sorted them out according to their urgency. She handed over the urgent ones and placed those that were less pressing or unimportant aside.

When someone entered and saw Yun Qianyue helping Rong Jing with the memorials, they were surprised for a moment before hastily bowing their head to report on matters.

Yeh Qingran walked in just as he saw Yun Qianyue assisting Rong Jing. He was reviewing documents while she stood by him. The atmosphere felt pleasant and serene, like an exquisite scroll painting, with the sense of literary grace that comes from a red-lacquered candle holder beside them. Despite the weightiness of state affairs in their hands, it appeared to suddenly become lighter. For a moment, he was stunned before speaking up to Rong Jing: "The Phoenix Pass of Southern Liang has also increased its troops by 50 thousand."

Rong Jing nodded his head, “Prince Wei is about to ascend the throne; naturally, he doesn’t wish for any more incidents.”

"Xi Yan and Southern Liang simultaneously bolstering their military forces have the scent of them joining hands against Heavenly Sheng," Yeh Qingran remarked.

"Heavenly Sheng is relatively stable now. While His Majesty was alive, he had always harbored thoughts of abolishing vassal states; nowadays, they've all ascended to become kings, and their regimes are unstable. It’s only prudent to take precautionary measures by reinforcing the border defenses to prevent Heavenly Sheng from attacking them; it's not surprising that this is happening. After all, Lord Regent isn’t without such thoughts either, right" Rong Jing said coolly.

"Even so, if Southern Liang and Xi Yan aren't doing this to defend against us but instead wish to unite in rebellion against Heavenly Sheng, we can’t afford to take that lightly," Yeh Qingran stated. "After all, if they were to mobilize their armies, the people of Heavenly Sheng are already overburdened."

"The new kings of Southern Liang and Xi Yan just ascended the throne; stabilizing the regime is their best strategy for now. Even if they wish to unite against us, it would take some time," Rong Jing said as he put down the memorial. "Prince Qingran doesn’t need to worry too much about this."

"I suggest that Qingshan City and Lingye City each increase their troops by 50 thousand." Yeh Qingran stated.

"Prince Qingran should discuss this matter with Lord Regent; if he agrees, I have no objections," Rong Jing said indifferently. "This year’s disaster is severe; the military forces in various regions are preoccupied with relief work and can only spare limited troops. The source of where these soldiers come from must be considered first. Although Heavenly Sheng has suffered extensively this year, the northern border hasn’t been affected. With vast territories, it’s only the north that has available troops to mobilize. If Lord Regent is willing to part with the forces in the northern border, dispatching 100 thousand troops and distributing them between Qingshan City and Lingye City wouldn’t be out of the question."

"The northern border only has 150 thousand troops; if we dispatch 100 thousand, won't it become vulnerable if North Peak or Xi Yan were to rebel" Yeh Qingran frowned as he seemed to contemplate this possibility.

Rong Jing continued his work on the memorials. "That’s correct! So whether these troops should be dispatched depends on their necessity and whether Lord Regent is willing to part with them."

Yeh Qingran pondered for a moment before suddenly looking up at Yun Qianyue, "Little miss, what do you think Should we dispatch the troops"

"Women should not interfere in politics. You should go ask Lord Regent rather than me," Yun Qianyue said without lifting her head.

Night Qingran rolled his eyes. "Come off it, little girl. Which woman is as bold as you You entered the Hall of State Affairs and stormed into the Golden Chamber, even destroying the golden chair there. Now you’re helping him process official documents; what else can’t you do Interfering in politics—what’s so great about that"

Cloud Qianyue raised an eyebrow at him.

"What’s the point of spending your days here with him The imperial exams are approaching, and I’m preparing for them. It would be much more interesting to record and collect documents on students from all over the country as they arrive in the capital. Would you like to help me prepare for the exam" Night Qingran asked her.

Cloud Qianyue shook her head. "It’s not that great."

Night Qingran pursed his lips and walked away.

Seeing Night Qingran leave, Cloud Qianyue whispered to Rong Jing, "Will Nan Liang and Xi Yan collaborate"

Rong Jing smiled faintly. "It’s hard to say."

Cloud Qianyue frowned slightly. Nanhulingrui and Xi Yanyue shouldn’t be war-mongers. What reason do they have to wage war against the Heavenly Kingdom, let alone collaborate Moreover, now that both of them have ascended to the throne, it will take some time for their respective administrations to stabilize.

After Night Qingran left, no one else came to the Hall of State Affairs.

The day passed quickly.

The next morning, Rong Jing received two pieces of news in the Purple Bamboo Courtyard.

The first was that on Xi Yanyue’s ascension day, a servant from the Prince of Filial Piety’s Mansion managed to sneak into the ceremony and claimed that Xi Yanyue was actually the third son of the Prince of Filial Piety. He also brought along some personal belongings and calligraphy works from when Xi Yanyue lived as the third son in the Prince of Filial Piety’s Mansion, including a record of his three years working at Wanting Spring Pavilion. Everything about him was meticulously detailed except for his Wind Pavilion, making it hard to believe otherwise. It caused a huge uproar; some officials opposed Xi Yanyue’s ascension, saying that he lacked virtue and talent, was as filthy as mud, and unfit to rule Xi Yan. Some people supported this view, pressuring him to abdicate before formally ascending the throne.

Xi Yanyue responded with a single sentence which silenced his opponents: a passage Cloud Qianyue had once told him: "Shun was chosen from among the fields; Fu Yue was selected while he was serving as a plasterer; Jiaoge was picked up when fishing and selling salt; Guan Zhong was promoted after being convicted of murder; Sun Shu Ao came out of the sea to be appointed; Bailing Yi was lifted up from the marketplace. Therefore, when heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on someone, it first makes his mind suffer pain, toughens his sinews and bones with toil, starves his body, exhausts him in poverty, confounds his undertakings with failure, so as to move his heart and toughen his nature, increasing his capacity for dealing with things. People often err; when they do wrong they can repent and correct themselves. When they are distressed and troubled, their thoughts become unobstructed; when their complexion changes and their voice breaks forth, they make others understand them. Within the state there may be no law and regulations to punish a minister or teacher, but without the state there may be no neighboring countries which can be regarded as enemies, so that the country will perish. Therefore it is through suffering that life comes into being, and through ease that life perishes."

Afterward, Xi Yanyue requested his predecessor’s last testament. The late emperor’s decree was in the hands of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. It detailed the love-hate relationship between Xi Yan’s King and the National Guardian Goddess, as well as explaining how she had no choice but to leave her son with the Prince of Filial Piety. At the same time, it expressed remorse for the king’s past actions in protecting the goddess, which led to his son having half of her bloodline, thus returning part of his kingdom.

This decree was called a declaration of self-criticism and also referred to as a decree restoring a lost heir. It caused another stir throughout the country.

Two factions immediately formed within Xi Yan’s court: one supporting Xi Yanyue, and the other rejecting the idea that the National Guardian Goddess had a son, claiming it would anger Xi Yan’s Heavenly Deity. The two sides argued fiercely, causing Xi Yanyue’s ascension to be delayed.

The second piece of news was that Princess Ye Qian of Southern Frontier had made her brother Ye Xiao an outlaw and offered his head as a sacrificial offering to their ancestors after declaring the death of King Nanjiang. She then set a date for ten days later to ascend the throne as Queen of Southern Frontier, which coincided with the coronation day of Prince Liangrui of Northern Kingdom. Ye Xing’s daughter, Ye Lingge, was nowhere to be found.

The two pieces of news were major events, especially the first one about Xiyan.

When Yun Qianyue saw the first piece of news, her eyebrows furrowed. "Why would servants from Prince Xiang's mansion be in Xiyan And even infiltrating the royal family of Xiyan"

Rong Jing gave a faint smile. "It’s just another plot. This has been planned for a long time."

"To reach Xiyan and Beiqi, one must pass through two cities that are located in the northern border region, which is why the old emperor exiled Night Tianyi to the north. In reality, this was also paving the way for him to eventually take control of the Heavenly Holy realm. Those two cities have strict security checks; it’s unlikely anyone would slip through under Night Tianyi's watchful eye." Yun Qianyue said with a dark expression. "So you’re saying that Night Tianyi knew about Princess Yue of Xiyan all along, and therefore planned this beforehand."

"Of course he did. With an unexpected crown prince appearing out of nowhere in Xiyan, anyone would investigate it thoroughly. Even if you help cover up the evidence, there’s no flawless lie; there will always be clues left behind. Especially since that person is Night Tianyi who knows you so well," Rong Jing said calmly.

"With such a divided government and society in Xiyan right now, it’s detrimental to national politics. I wonder if Princess Yue of Xiyan can handle this situation." Yun Qianyue was worried; she knew clearly that the past and experiences of Prince Xiang's mansion were always a thorn in Princess Yue of Xiyan’s heart.

"Didn't you say water can carry a boat or capsize it This time, Princess Yue of Xiyan will rely on the former." Rong Jing wrote this sentence on the letter and released Qingti from Purple Bamboo Hall.

Yun Qianyue pondered as she looked down. The Divine Maiden for National Protection had always been beloved by the people of Xiyan; even though the King of Xiyan had secretly confined her, the people were unaware and saw her only as a divine maiden praying for peace for millions. There wasn’t room in their eyes for anything against the Divine Maiden for National Protection. Since it’s now known that there was an affair between the king and the Divine Maiden, along with them having a child, the shock to the Xiyan populace would be immense; if unrest breaks out among the people of Xiyan, Princess Yue of Xiyan, even with her decree and army, wouldn’t be able to stop thousands of people. The ruler is the boat, while the citizens are the water; thus, at this moment, Princess Yue of Xiyan can only let the water carry the boat rather than capsize it. Once the boat capsizes, she would lose.

To capsize the boat naturally means to destabilize public opinion! Sometimes, public opinion needs guidance!

Yun Qianyue thought for a moment and said to Rong Jing, "Night Tianyi is in the Heavenly Holy realm but controls the political situation of Xiyan. This isn’t something that happened overnight; he’s been working on the internal affairs of various vassal states over the years, with spies deeply embedded everywhere. He began laying the groundwork for this three years ago when he had a transaction with Ye Qian. We’ve been helping the Southern Border Region and South Liang recently but haven’t had time to focus on Xiyan. Although the situation in those regions has now unraveled, Xiyan is facing crisis. He’s too good at scheming; I’m afraid Princess Yue of Xiyan might not be his match."

"Why don’t we send Red Pavilion to Xiyan" Rong Jing smiled.

"Send Red Pavilion to Xiyan " Yun Qianyue frowned. "Didn't you say for me to keep her away temporarily Night Tianyi and Night Qingran might be waiting for her to make a move!"

"Times change," Rong Jing shook his head. "Madam Chu represents Red Pavilion; when Madam Chu appeared in the Southern Border Region, she helped eliminate internal strife there. Then Madam Chu showed up again in South Liang and saved its king. She made her identity as a princely sister public. If Madam Chu goes to Xiyan now, do you think Heavenly Holy’s court officials wouldn’t panic With this link tying three countries together along with the Chu and Feng clans, chaos will ensue not only in Xiyan but also in Heavenly Holy."

Yun Qianyue's eyes lit up. "That’s right." She raised an eyebrow at Rong Jing. "So you want me to go to Xiyan"

Rong Jing shook his head and said slowly, “Aunt Qing isn’t on her way to South Liang If she were to detour through Xiyan instead, wouldn’t that be better A few days ago, Aunt Qing only appeared briefly outside the hall of state councilors; some people might still have doubts. Take advantage of this situation and fan the flames. Since these dry twigs are burning now, we should take advantage of favorable winds to keep them going rather than letting them die out."

Yun Qianyue suddenly laughed. "Alright, then let’s do it! Father and mother spend every day together; they're like old married couples yet still as inseparable as ever. They deserve a little disruption."

"That's right; these opportunities to be inseparable should go to the younger generation," Rong Jing smiled tenderly, hinting at something.

Yun Qianyue understood him well. He didn't want her leaving again. Fortunately, there was a mother who could impersonate her. She gave Rong Jing a glare. "They should be hundreds of miles away by now; send the message!"rily said, "Let's go see His Majesty! Tell him everything Yun Qianyue did just now with your testimony."After speaking, Princess Ming left Royal Splendor Palace’s entrance and rushed towards Holy Yang...