Zhao Zhi suddenly caught a whiff of a familiar yet slightly cool scent. Her heart raced, and an indescribable flutter rose within her. An uncertain suspicion began to take shape—could it be him?

She slowly opened her eyes, and by the sparse moonlight from the window, she saw a figure with a distinct outline standing beside the bed, his eyes filled with tenderness yet also hiding a hint of barely perceptible jealousy.

Zhao Zhi's lips unconsciously curled up, a sly glint in his eyes, and he said sternly, "How dare you break into my bedchamber at night! Do you know that this is a grave offense of disrespect?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Hanshan not only did not retreat, but instead pressed closer until only a thin line remained between them. His deep voice carried a hint of mockery: "Oh? Then how does Your Majesty intend to punish this humble subject? Will you require me to atone with my body, or…"

Zhao Zhi, wrapped in the quilt, slowly sat up, quietly hiding the silver needles she was clutching back into her cloth bag, and asked in a low voice, "Why are you here? What did you do to the people guarding outside?"

Shen Hanshan chuckled, "Your Majesty should worry about yourself first!" After saying that, he suddenly leaned closer, and their breaths mingled, filling the air with a subtle sweetness and tension.

“Shen Hanshan, you…” Zhao Zhi’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she was about to speak when Shen Hanshan’s sudden kiss silenced her. The kiss was domineering yet passionate, filled with the longing and unease of a long-awaited reunion, as if it wanted to melt all her thoughts into this burning emotion.

After a tender moment, Shen Hanshan gently touched her forehead, his tone tinged with seriousness and jealousy: "Zhizhi, you've devoted yourself entirely to the Yun Dynasty, have you already forgotten about the Great Xuan, forgotten that there's a prince consort like me?" He cupped her chin in his hand, gently stroking it, "Forgot about our Xuan'er and Xiaoxiao'er."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhi's tone carried a hint of helplessness: "Shen Hanshan, why would you think that way? Everything I'm doing now is out of necessity, for the sake of Yunchao's stability, and for our reunion as soon as possible, so we won't have to suffer the pain of being separated between these two places. If internal strife breaks out in Yunchao, it will inevitably affect Daxuan. For the sake of Yunchao and Daxuan, I have no choice but to shoulder this heavy responsibility. I will find some time to visit Xuan'er and Xiaoxiao soon."

At this point, Zhao Zhi choked up and said, "I am a negligent mother."

Shen Hanshan sighed softly and pulled her into a tight embrace: "Enough. I know you have your own plans, but you must remember that I and the child are your eternal haven. I can't help you much here in Yunchao, and as for Daxuan," he paused, "your restless elder brother has come up with some new scheme to use Zhao Yun's childbirth to deal with you. Don't go back to Daxuan anytime soon. Stay in Yunchao and be your empress. I know you and Zhao Yun are very close, but I hope you won't take any risks yourself."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhi felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She looked up at Chen Hanshan, her eyes sparkling with a smile and determination: "Alright, so you rushed here through the night just to tell me this?"

She suddenly felt that Shen Hanshan was being too naive. She couldn't help but sigh. Since Zhao Yi had let Shen Hanshan know her plans, he probably already knew that Shen Hanshan would tell her the news.

Zhao Yi, what exactly is her imperial brother planning?

The two cuddled for a while, then fell into a deep sleep in each other's arms.

The next day at dawn, before daybreak, as the palace gates opened, Shen Hanshan secretly left the palace on a cart carrying swill, and then rode swiftly back to Chaoyang County.

Upon returning to Chaoyang County, he immediately wrote a letter and sent it by messenger to the imperial palace in Lingyang City.

Having done all this, he strolled to his bedchamber.

Zhang Wan, Lan Ru, Feng Hong, and Chao Yan were discussing when Zhao Zhi would return.

Feng Hong held a brown rattle drum, gently shaking it as he said with a smile, "Young Prince, your status is quite precious now! In our Great Xuan, you are a young prince, but in the Yun Dynasty, you are the eldest prince!"

Lanru, holding another pink rattle drum with gold trim, gently shook it while saying defiantly, "Our Xuan'er is precious too. She's a princess in our Great Xuan Dynasty, a grand princess in the Yun Dynasty, and who knows, she might even become an empress like her mother in the future!"

Zhang Wan and the others laughed heartily on the side.

Asagao was the first to see Shen Hanshan. She immediately coughed, and the laughter in the room stopped abruptly.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" they said, bowing.

"I've come to see the child." Shen Hanshan stepped across the threshold with a calm expression. The others didn't know how much of their earlier jokes he had overheard, and now they all fell silent, not daring to utter a sound.

Shen Hanshan walked to the bedside, looking at the two exquisitely beautiful children lying side by side on the bed, his eyes filled with tenderness and affection. He reached out and gently touched the cheeks of the two children, then picked up the brown rattle drum and shook it, making a crisp sound.

Seeing this, Zhang Wan, Lan Ru, and the others smiled knowingly. They knew that although the relationship between Yun Chao and Da Xuan had been quite tense recently, Shen Hanshan's love for the children had never diminished in the slightest.

"The young prince and princess are so adorable. The children of our Great Xuan and Yun Dynasty will surely have a bright future," Feng Hong said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Shen Hanshan chuckled and said, "Indeed, our two young princes of Chaoyang County will surely become outstanding individuals in the future."

After chatting for a while, Zhang Wan suddenly remembered something and said to Shen Hanshan, "By the way, Hanshan, did you see Her Majesty in Lingyang City this time? How is she doing lately?"

Shen Hanshan's expression changed slightly, but then returned to normal. "Yes, I saw Her Majesty. She is fine, so you don't need to worry."

As he spoke, he glanced at the two children on the bed again, "It's just a pity for our children, having to endure so much at such a young age."

Upon hearing this, everyone showed concern on their faces.

"When will His Majesty return?" Zhang Wan continued to ask.

Shen Hanshan paused for a moment, then shook his head. "Well... I can't say for sure."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, followed by Du Heng's voice: "Your Highness, Prefect Xu requests your presence."

Shen Hanshan frowned, stood up, straightened his robes, and went out.

"What is it?" he asked Du Heng.

Du Heng gestured for him to move away before lowering his voice and saying with a serious expression, "There's something unusual about the Chaoyang Garrison."

Upon hearing this, Shen Hanshan's expression changed, and he quickly asked, "When did this happen?"

Du Heng told him that, according to reports from the Chaoyang Garrison, in recent days they had noticed a group of unidentified people frequently entering and leaving the vicinity of the camp, and their whereabouts were highly suspicious.

These people seemed very familiar with the garrison, and their behavior was also strange.

Upon hearing this, Shen Hanshan's heart sank.