"Today, His Majesty will surely decide on Yue'er's marriage proposal. How can I not go?" The voice from inside the carriage could be faintly heard, and it was clear that he was still somewhat weak.

Inside the carriage, Xuan Yuanhan sat upright with his eyes closed, resting the entire way. He thought to himself that Emperor Jing must be struggling between reason and emotion. On one hand, there was his most beloved daughter, the apple of his eye; on the other, the future of the entire Western Qin dynasty. How difficult it must be to balance both!

As for himself, protecting this sacred and inviolable land of Western Qin is his bounden duty, no matter what.

But to his utter surprise, just as he was about to leave in the morning, the envoy sent to Dongning sent someone to report something that was quite unexpected and infuriating.

He was somewhat surprised: he hadn't expected that the once wealthy and powerful Dongning Kingdom would become so arrogant. They dared to politely decline the marriage proposal from the envoy sent by Emperor Jing of Western Qin regarding Xuanyuan Yue. This was not only a great humiliation to Western Qin, but also a blatant provocation and declaration of war.

It seems that the situation of Western Qin today is indeed precarious.

Thinking of all this, his two large, well-defined hands, resting on his knees, clenched tightly. His brows furrowed instantly on his face, which, though somewhat frail, still exuded an incomparable nobility that seemed to have been meticulously sculpted by the heavens. His two deep and resolute eyes, which opened wide, seemed to have no bottom.

It seems that everyone must face this pain today.

Just as he was deep in thought, Vice General Cheng Liang also spoke up from outside the carriage, complaining angrily, "That King of Dongning is simply too much! How could he be so despicable! Does he think that the eldest princess of my Western Qin Kingdom is not good enough for his mere illegitimate son? If this gets out, how will Princess Yue ever stand on this Lingkong Continent again? How will my Western Qin Kingdom face the consequences? Saying 'the Third Prince is not here, we'll discuss it later' is ridiculous. Since ancient times, 'marriages are arranged by parents and matchmakers.' I think he's just openly and recklessly showing off to my Western Qin Kingdom. Let them fight then! Who's afraid of who!"

Cheng Liang grew angrier as he spoke, wishing he could immediately don his armor and engage in a thoroughly enjoyable and exhilarating battle. It seemed that only in this way could he wash away the bone-deep humiliation burning in his chest and release the resentment that filled his heart.

Even after all that had been said, the occupant of the carriage remained silent. In the pitch-black early morning, on the wide, smooth road, only the constant "clatter, clatter" of the horses' hooves and the slow, continuous rolling of the wheels could be heard, breaking the tranquility of the morning light, which, apart from the two candles on the carriage, offered no other glimmer of light.

After a long silence, Cheng Liang said worriedly, "Your Highness, it seems that today the Emperor will inevitably marry Princess Yue off to the frigid land of Beilie in the far north. What about us..."

As Cheng Liang was speaking, he suddenly stopped, then changed his mind and shouted angrily, "If we had known this would happen, back in the south of the city, we should have killed that despicable Tuoba Ze first, to eliminate any future troubles."

At this moment, Xuan Yuanhan finally spoke from inside the carriage: "What's the use of killing him? Even if we kill one Tuoba Ze, the Northern Lie Kingdom still has the Second Prince Tuoba Hong, and there will be thousands upon thousands of Tuoba Zes rising up again. 'Eliminate future troubles'... Only when my Western Qin Kingdom unifies this Lingkong and becomes the master of this world can we rule over everything. Only then can the Lingkong Continent live in peace, the people live in tranquility, and there be no more killing and plundering."

Upon hearing this, all the anger that Cheng Liang had felt since leaving home that day seemed to subside instantly. "So, what does Your Highness plan to do about Princess Yue's matter? I heard that the imperial decree for her marriage to Bei Lie has already been drafted and will be announced at the morning court."

After a moment of silence, a rare look of bewilderment appeared on Xuan Yuanhan's face, which always seemed perfectly calm. He held a long tassel hairpin inlaid with two peach blossoms in his hand, staring blankly at it, and said, "I don't know either. We'll see how things go. There's always a way. This is something she asked me to help her at any cost. Since I promised her, I must do it for her."

Hearing his master once again lost in endless longing for Yi Shangyun, Cheng Liang felt a pang of sadness and desolation. But then he said, “Your Highness, it seems that Mei Zhixuan is indeed not in Dongning. Therefore, the masked man who painstakingly abducted Miss Yi from the Yi residence to the Wanjiao Pavilion in the south of the city must be Mei Zhixuan himself. It seems Your Highness’s guess was correct; he indeed did not return to Dongning after completing his mission of escorting the bride, but instead hid within our Western Qin. His motives must be impure.”

Xuan Yuanhan had long since confirmed that the person was indeed Mei Zhixuan. He understood why Mei Zhixuan had gone to such lengths to approach Yi Shangyun, yet dared not reveal his true identity—it must have been out of fear of being recognized by her. The only thing he couldn't understand was why a prince of a nation would want to approach a mere pharmacist's daughter.

"Is there any news about Young Master Yi?" Upon thinking of this, Xuan Yuanhan suddenly asked.

"Young Master Yi? Your Highness, could it be that you're desperate and trying to arrange a marriage between Princess Yue and that Crown Prince Yi of Nan'an Kingdom because the marriage between the princess and Dongning Kingdom failed?!" Cheng Liang asked in surprise.

Xuan Yuanhan shouted, "What are you saying? Look at that Third Young Master Yi, does he seem like the kind of person who would accept a marriage alliance? Don't you know what he's thinking? Besides, Yue'er is a woman of her word. It would be impossible to change her mind unless an iron tree blooms."

Unexpectedly, Cheng Liang became even more enthusiastic upon hearing this, deliberately teasing him and trying to lighten their mood. He said, "What's so difficult about an iron tree blooming? Our Highness, this towering thousand-year-old iron tree, has also bloomed, hasn't he? Your Highness is now..."

Unexpectedly, Cheng Liang was only halfway through his sentence when his master scolded and stopped him, saying, "Shut up, stop talking nonsense!"

Cheng Liang immediately stuck out his tongue helplessly before replying seriously, "I heard... he's still searching for Miss Yi all over the south of the city."

Xuanyuan Han's eyes suddenly widened, and after a moment, he asked, "Is there still no news of Yun'er?"

Cheng Liang said sadly, "Currently... we haven't received any news."

After a long silence, Cheng Liang suddenly asked, "I wonder if the head of the Yi family knows about Miss Yi's matter?"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan's expression hardened further. He said, "Whether he knows or not is of no importance to me. What matters is how he took care of the female physician in my household. He must give me a satisfactory explanation. Otherwise, I will not let him off easily."

Speaking of the clothing residence in the west of the city, Cheng Liang suddenly remembered something and stammered, "Your Highness, there is something I don't know how to say?"

"Speak plainly if you have something to say?" Xuan Yuanhan said coldly.

Cheng Liang took a deep breath and asked, "Does Your Highness still remember the strange thing I told you about the Yi family when I first asked you to inquire about them in the west of the city?"

“It’s about the phoenix phantom…” Xuan Yuanhan said after a moment of recollection.

Cheng Liang nodded, his eyes filled with anger, and said, "When Your Highness was unconscious, I escorted Princess Yue and the Crown Prince back to the palace. After the morning court session, I met with the officials in the market for tea, discussing the Wan Jiao Pavilion matter. I heard that more and more people in the city were talking about it… saying that the eldest daughter of the Yi family woke up after a year in a coma, and her personality had drastically changed. This is because the phoenix phantom that appeared in the sky above the Yi family's backyard on the night she awoke was the spirit of a ghost. The real eldest daughter of the Yi family was already dead; the current eldest daughter is possessed by a ghost. Even those officials believe this. Because it's said that the former Miss Yi was ugly, weak, and useless, never leaving the house, completely different from how she is now…"

Before Cheng Liang could finish speaking, Xuan Yuanhan interrupted him angrily, asking, "Have you found out who started this rumor?"

Cheng Liang hurriedly replied, "I inquired and found out that it first came from 'Zhao's Teahouse' on the street corner in front of the Yi residence. That night, suddenly there was a violent storm with thunder and lightning. Pedestrians on the street were all busy covering their heads and hurrying home. Only the owner of Zhao's Teahouse was busy packing up and closing up when he inadvertently saw this strange phenomenon at the Yi residence, and that's how the story spread."

"Zhao's Teahouse? Is that the teahouse where Mei Zhixuan lingered while investigating the Yi family's affairs and waiting for the rabbit to run into the tree stump?" Xuan Yuanhan recalled, muttering to himself.

"Exactly. If this continues to spread, Miss Yi's reputation will be completely ruined for the rest of her life," Cheng Liang said worriedly.

"Go and handle this matter properly," Xuan Yuanhan instructed.

"Yes," Cheng Liang replied, accepting the order.

"By the way, Yi Shangkun's son, Yi Shangjun, is coming to report for duty today. What should I do with him? Please advise, Your Highness," Cheng Liang asked again.

"I see that Yi Shangjun. On the surface, he seems to be an extremely dissolute and unruly playboy, but deep down he is actually a potential military talent, unlike his pedantic and mediocre father who is always trembling with fear and timidity. You should train and discipline him properly first. I believe that given time, he will definitely achieve great things on the battlefield," Xuan Yuanhan said confidently, seemingly quite satisfied with him.

Just as the two were talking, two tall male figures slowly emerged from the darkness ahead, standing straight in the middle of the road, blocking the carriage from moving forward.

One of them was leading two fine horses, following behind another man with one hand behind his back. The man with one hand behind his back stopped and suddenly asked, "May I ask if the person coming ahead is His Highness the King of Qin of the Western Qin Kingdom?"

"Who are you? How dare you block the way of His Highness the Prince of Qin!" Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang hurriedly pulled on the reins and jumped off his horse.