In the vast Western Qin Imperial Palace, only the carriages of the Qin King's Mansion were allowed to freely enter and exit.

As soon as the carriage stopped, Xuan Yuanhan got up and got out first. Then he carefully helped Yi Shangyun down from the carriage, and reminded her carefully, "Watch your step, go slowly!"

Yi Shangyun held his arm and smiled at his heartwarming gesture, indicating that he didn't need to worry.

But as soon as he got out of the car, he stared at the familiar place in front of him and stood there, motionless.

Xuanyuan Han suddenly turned around and saw that she was stunned. He thought she was a little unsure how to deal with the situation, so he said with concern, "You don't need to be nervous. I'll take care of everything."

Yi Shangyun suddenly came to her senses, smiled and shook her head at him, saying, "Yun'er is not nervous, it's just that returning to the palace again reminds me of many people and many things from the past, but now everything has changed."

Xuanyuan Han then understood what she was thinking, and sighed, "The world changes, that's the norm, but thankfully, you and I haven't changed."

Yi Shangyun smiled, also feeling incredibly gratified, and said, "Your Highness, thank you. It's so good to have you by my side!"

"Really? How good is it?" Xuan Yuanhan said, meeting her gaze and staring intently into her eyes, which were filled with deep affection.

Feeling quite embarrassed by the stare, Yi Shangyun quickly looked away and said, "It's still early, Your Highness. May I go to the Imperial Pharmacy to see Dingxiang? I haven't seen Dingxiang since I left the palace last time. I wonder how she is doing now?"

Xuanyuan Han looked around and said, "In that case, I will accompany you..."

Yi Shangyun quickly stopped her, saying, "No need. I still remember the way around the palace. Besides, the Imperial Pharmacy isn't far from here. I can go there myself. If Your Highness appears at the Imperial Pharmacy, I'm afraid all those young female pharmacists will swoon over him again. My husband is so handsome, I can't bear to let others see him!"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan leaned closer to her and teased, "Why does that sound a bit sour to me? Could it be that the Princess Consort intends to keep me hidden away like a mistress?"

Yi Shangyun deliberately said, "I would like to hide it, but Your Highness is so powerful, how could I possibly hide it?"

Xuanyuan Han chimed in, "How could it not be hidden? In my opinion, Yunshui Pavilion is excellent; it can definitely hide me. What does the Princess Consort think?"

Yi Shangyun then realized what was happening and pretended to be a little angry as she turned her back to him, saying, "Why is Your Highness here again?"

Xuanyuan Han turned him around to face him and said, "Alright, alright, I was just joking. In that case, be careful. I'll go talk to my brother about some things first, and then I'll come to pick you up later to pay our respects to the Empress Dowager."

Yi Shangyun smiled and nodded in agreement, "Okay!"

Just as Yi Shangyun left, Cheng Liang walked towards Xuan Yuanhan from the other side.

Xuan Yuanhan's expression suddenly turned cold, and he asked in a deep voice, "How is it? Have you found anything?"

Cheng Liang looked at Xuan Yuanhan's profile and said, "Just as Your Highness expected, two new faces did indeed visit the Empress Dowager at Yong'an Palace early yesterday morning, and the Empress Dowager dismissed all the servants in the palace at that time. According to the description of our people who were planted around the Empress Dowager, I have confirmed that it was indeed Shoubo and his servant."

Xuanyuan Han's eyes widened in surprise, and he continued to ask, "Do you know where those two are now?"

Cheng Liang hesitated for a moment, then said, "This..."

Xuanyuan Han glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and asked, "What?"

Cheng Liang lowered his eyes, pursed his lips, and said, "Later, Her Majesty the Empress suddenly went in, and our people had to leave first. When Her Majesty the Empress left, her maidservant specifically instructed that the Empress Dowager should not be informed that the Empress had been to Yong'an Palace. In this way, Her Majesty the Empress should also know about this matter. It is very likely that Her Majesty the Empress knows where Shoubo and his servant are hiding."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan's sharp eyes immediately shot towards Cheng Liang's face, and he said with great disbelief, "You mean the Empress...?"

Cheng Liang nodded quite seriously, responding affirmatively.

Xuanyuan Han never expected that this matter would involve the Empress as well.

So he frowned, deep in thought, and walked steadily to the Imperial Study, only to find that the Empress was also there.

He glanced at him briefly, then approached Emperor Jing and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty."

Emperor Jing was practicing calligraphy, seemingly engrossed in the activity. Hearing the sound, he did not stop his movements, but continued to focus on the strokes of his brush. He asked, "Why did you come alone, my brother? Where is your new bride? Where is the Princess Consort of Qin?"

Xuanyuan Han said, "She has already entered the palace with me. I will take her to Yong'an Palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager shortly."

Emperor Jing said happily, "That's wonderful. My brother's marriage has always been a major concern of mine. Now my brother has finally found the right person. I imagine that the person whom Consort Chun personally asked the Empress Dowager for must be someone good. It's just that her family background is not illustrious enough and she is not worthy of my Xuanyuan royal family. But... as long as my brother is happy, I can rest assured."

Xuanyuan Han sat down to the side without saying a word.

At this moment, the Empress personally served a cup of hot tea and said with a smile, "Uncle Qin, please have some tea."

Xuanyuan Han bowed to her and said, "Thank you very much, sister-in-law."

Emperor Jing continued, “I heard that the Prince of Qin’s wedding caused a sensation throughout the entire capital of Western Qin, with the whole country celebrating. It was comparable to my wedding to the Empress! If it weren’t for the fact that the Yi family in the west of the city was poor and their dowry was not as good as that of the Empress’s family, you would have almost stolen my thunder.”

Unexpectedly, Xuanyuan Han calmly replied, "Your subject dares not. The brilliance of the Emperor and Empress is like the sun and moon; how could your subject possibly be worthy of it? I suppose these are just rumors spread by those ignorant and uncultured people."

Emperor Jing said, "Brother, please don't say that. Over the years, you have fought bravely and made great contributions to the peace of the country. What is a mere wedding compared to that?"

After that, Xuanyuan Han said nothing more and fell silent.

Emperor Jing remained silent for a moment before speaking again: "By the way, reports have come from the border recently that Dongning and Nan'an are frequently invading our borders. It seems that if we do not send troops to take action soon, we may become passive and lose the initiative."

Xuanyuan Han, of course, knew what the ambitious Emperor Jing wanted to do, so he said, "Your subject is at your disposal at any time."

Emperor Jing then seemed cautious and said, "We should strike first, but even so, we cannot blindly send troops at this critical juncture."

Xuanyuan Han echoed, "Your Majesty is right. The current situation is unclear, and we do need a foolproof plan."

Emperor Jing was furious that his brilliant plan, which he had only come once in a millennium, had been ruined. So he took the opportunity to throw out a question and probe him: "In your opinion, which one, Dongning or Nan'an, should send troops first, which would be more advantageous for us?"

Xuanyuan Han thought for a moment and said, "Now that the start of summer is approaching, the rainfall in Nan'an Kingdom will increase, the humidity will be heavier, and the miasma will reach its peak. It would be more appropriate and safer to send troops out on the day of the start of autumn."

Emperor Jing nodded in agreement.

At this moment, he finally completed the magnificent calligraphy on his desk: "The world belongs to all."

He examined it closely for a while, seemingly quite satisfied.

So he put down his pen and ink, sat down, picked up the cup of hot tea that the Empress had just poured for him, took a sip, and then said, "What about Dongning? How about you take Dongning for me first, my brother?"

Upon hearing this, the Empress's heart tightened, and she immediately looked at Xuan Yuanhan's face.

Xuanyuan Han's expression remained as cold as ever, making it impossible to discern his thoughts. After a moment's thought, he said, "Dongning... the epidemic in Dongning is not over yet, and there is also Yue'er... I wonder what plans Your Majesty has?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing laughed for a while, then said sarcastically, "Is my brother truly worried about Yue'er? Or... is there something else on his mind?"

Xuanyuan Han did not want to answer.

Emperor Jing saw through his thoughts, then glanced at the Empress's pale face on the other side, and said, "Actually, I think there should be a third option?"

Xuanyuan Han said, "Your subject wishes to hear the details."

Emperor Jing took another sip of tea, looked at Xuan Yuanhan's face, and said, "Find the guardian's descendant as soon as possible. I believe she will help me solve all the problems before me!"

Xuanyuan Han remained silent once again.

Emperor Jing added, "What a pity! Even the most resourceful and valiant King of Western Qin, who has been searching for her for many years, doesn't know whether she is alive or dead!"

"It is my incompetence that has led to this," Xuan Yuanhan said, feigning self-reproach.

Emperor Jing continued to threaten, probing, "If we truly cannot find it, then my soldiers of Western Qin will have no choice but to fight to the death! The world belongs to all, but if I do not strike first, we will be left to be slaughtered and trampled upon by others in the future!"

Xuanyuan Han knew, of course, that he was being tested, so he simply said, "Your subject will certainly expedite the search for the guardian's descendant."

After saying this, he stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I will take my leave now and meet with you again at the Empress Dowager's place later."

Emperor Jing said, "Go!"

Xuanyuan Han stormed out of the door, now absolutely certain that Emperor Jing had already discovered that Yi Shangyun was Princess Yongning of Dongning Kingdom.

So he instructed Cheng Liang: "Investigate who leaked the princess's identity."

Just as the two had walked a short distance from the imperial study, they were suddenly stopped by a voice.

"Uncle Qin, please wait!"

Upon hearing the voice, Xuanyuan Han turned around and saw that it was the Empress who had caught up with him. He said, "Sister-in-law."

The Empress hurriedly caught up with him and said, "I promised Yue'er that I would send that girl a ten-mile-long dowry when she gets married. Prince Qin, please take a look and see if it's acceptable. If there are any problems, I can send someone to..."

Before she could finish speaking, Xuanyuan Han took out an envelope from his person and handed it to the Empress.

The empress, puzzled, asked, "What is this?"