Chapter 155 We Will Meet Again

"Royal sister..."

Yan Ci's voice was a little hoarse, his eyelashes drooped, and his eyes fell on Rong Qing's thin body, "Why did you become like this?"

Skinny, haggard, tired...

Yan Ci and Rong Qing are not from the same mother, and he left the capital when he was young, so he shouldn't be so close to them.

However, Rongqing's biological mother, Concubine Yu, was Concubine Ru's close friend, no less than a biological sister. When Concubine Ru passed away, she entrusted Yan Ci to Concubine Yu. It was not until Yan Ci's fifth birthday that the emperor found an excuse to send him to Dingbei.

Concubine Yu hit her head and broke it, but she was unable to keep her old friend's child, and could only watch Yan Ci get on the carriage.

Now, we are separated forever.

"Ci'er, it really is you!" Rong Qing threw herself into Yan Ci's arms, covering her mouth tightly and crying softly. Her suppressed sobs vented her sadness and pain. "It's been more than ten years since we last met. I really miss you."

"Royal sister..." Yan Ci gently put his arm around her shoulders, his eyes also reddened, his eyes full of pity, "Who bullied you? Why... did you become so thin?"

Rong Qing shook her head, bursting into tears as she hugged him tightly. "You still have the time to care about me? Look at you, you're so thin. Dingbei is so poor, you must have suffered a lot, right?"

Yan Ci stared at her intently, and after a long while, he glanced sideways at Su Cheng, his expression moved. "Sister-in-law, I... thank you very much."

"Your Highness, there's no need to be polite with me. Suzhou is yours, and it's my duty to serve you." Su Cheng raised the corners of his lips, a faint smile in his eyes, "I met the emperor."

The last sentence attracted everyone's attention.

"Xiao Su, you just said..." Wang Lin's eyes widened, a hint of disbelief flashing in his eyes, "You met the emperor? This... How is this possible?"

Xie Suzhou frowned, his peach blossom eyes staring at the woman beside him without blinking, with a hint of sadness in his eyes.

Ah Cheng... guessed that she had done something extremely dangerous again where she couldn't see.

Really disobedient.

"That day, I attended a palace banquet and accidentally rescued a cat. I later learned that the cat was raised by the Third Prince. Since then, Concubine Zhe has wanted to choose a wife for her son, but the Third Prince seems to be possessed by a demon. He didn't even look at the portraits of the noble ladies sent to him. Instead, he came to the Zhao family and asked to see me by name."

Su Cheng's face turned sour the moment this matter was mentioned. "After being discovered by Concubine Zhe, she summoned me to the palace late at night and harshly criticized and made things difficult for me. I played along and was very lucky to find the emperor."

"As I expected, the Emperor has been imprisoned by the King of Qin and the Queen Mother during the period he feigned illness and refused to attend court. He is now in Changqing Palace and cannot leave the courtyard."

"Asshole!" Yan Ci was so angry that his body was shaking. "Huo Beiting actually dared to imprison the king of an entire country. Is he crazy?"

Rong Qing was stunned, tears welling up in his eyes, "Father really didn't ignore me..."

"Your Majesty, Princess, the Emperor is currently preoccupied with his own affairs. I have delivered the Emperor's token to Shangguan Qingyun of the Grand Marshal's Mansion. He has already begun preparing to suppress the four great families."

Su Cheng's eyes darkened, and the smile on his face vanished. "Huo Beiting has fought Xie Ming and I several times before, but we didn't gain any advantage. Instead, we lost two of our trusted confidants. But he still has the Shadow Guards at his disposal, and he has the secret support of the Queen Mother and the four great families. It's probably not that easy to deal with him."

"Huo Beiting has already grown strong, but he hasn't taken action yet. It's really strange." Wang Lin said in a low voice with a sullen face, "He controls two armies and an entire nation's ruler. Ambitious people like him are most afraid of the long night and the many dreams. But he hasn't taken action yet. What is he waiting for?"

Yan Ci lowered his eyes and said nothing, no one knew what he was thinking.

Su Cheng hesitated for a moment and whispered, "I have a bold guess now, but I don't know whether I should say it..."

Wang Lin's brows were furrowed, and he wished she would say quickly, "If you have something to say, just say it. Don't be afraid. Even if you say something wrong, the prince won't blame you."

Su Cheng pursed her lips, her eyes showing a hint of complexity. "What I'm afraid of is... Huo Beiting colluding with the enemy and treason, colluding with the Northwest, and wanting to wipe out the Yan royal family."

After she finished speaking, she looked up at the pale Rong Qing beside her and whispered, "Princess, at this point, aren't you going to take out the military strategy map you've been planning for the past eight years in the northwest?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked.

Yan Ci was shocked and stared blankly at the woman beside him, "Royal sister... you actually have this ability?"

Rong Qing stared at everyone's inquiring gazes, sighed, and said resignedly, "Since I know that my father is in trouble and not deliberately abandoning me, I naturally have to hand over the blueprints. Please wait for me."

After saying that, she walked into the house with her head down.

Xie Suzhou frowned and looked to his side, his tone unhappy, "The Third Prince is obsessed with it, why didn't Ah Cheng tell me?"

"What's the use of telling him? He's the prince." Su Cheng rolled his eyes at him and lowered his voice, "He didn't gain any advantage. Why are you jealous?"

The light words shattered Xie Suzhou's temper. His cheeks flushed and he glanced cautiously at the woman's bright profile.

Although he was shy, Xie Suzhou still kept the Third Prince in his heart.

So what if he's a prince?

When the prince inherits the throne and becomes a powerful official second only to the emperor, he will definitely trample the bastards who have harassed Ah Cheng into the mire.

"Come in." Rong Qing opened the door and shouted to the people outside.

When everyone walked into the room and saw the clothes hanging on the screen, they stopped in their tracks.

"Eight years of planning, this blueprint is as tall as a man." Rong Qing gently stroked the dress, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Mo Yan risked his life to steal the blueprint and hid it in his clothes. Before he died, he handed it to me. The blueprint was so heavy that I ran all the way back from the northwest with it. It really attracted attention, so I had no choice but to sew the blueprint into my clothes."

"This is Mo Yan's old clothes, and it's my only hope of survival." Rong Qing turned her face away, not wanting others to see her vulnerability. "You can take it. As long as it can save Da Chu..."

"Just draw the blueprint." Su Cheng fetched a pen and paper from the side and smiled at Rong Qing. "This is a token of love left for the princess by her lover. It must not be damaged."

Rong Qing was stunned, staring at her blankly, and suddenly burst into tears.

-

It was not until sunset that the few of them came out of Tinggu Lane, but they all had gloomy faces and looked like they were extremely worried.

Su Cheng and Xie Suzhou were walking side by side. Su Cheng was not sure what he was thinking about. He did not pay attention to his feet for a moment, stepped on a stone, twisted his ankle, and fell into his arms.

"Acheng?" Xie Suzhou quickly caught her, a flash of panic in his eyes, "Are you okay? Is your ankle hurt?"

Su Cheng was about to shake her head, but she saw the man in front of her suddenly squat down and gently rub her ankle with his fingertips.

"Xie Suzhou! Hurry up and get up." Su Cheng looked a little embarrassed. She retracted her feet but couldn't move at all. She was so angry that her cheeks turned even redder. "We're already on the street, so many people are watching us, you..."

The ambiguous and intimate actions of the two naturally attracted a lot of people's attention, including the two men standing on the second floor of the inn opposite.

"Heng, look, is that the one you chatted up before?"

Ji Heng followed his gaze and his eyes fell on Su Cheng's fair and bright face. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, smiled and said, "I told you we would meet again."