The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Garden.

Yuan Xiu led the way, holding Yuan Yun's hand, followed by eunuchs, palace maids, and Heng Wenhao and his guards.

When they reached a lotus pond, Yuan Xiu said to those behind him, "You all wait here, don't follow me."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Heng Wenhao accepted the order, immediately placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and the guards scattered.

Yuan Xiu and Yuan Yun took another dozen steps before stopping and saying, "Sister, I do not agree to your plan to make Zhao Cheng your consort."

Seeing that Yuan Xiu directly rejected the matter, Yuan Yun was not surprised. He calmly said, "This matter was announced at the state banquet and will soon be known throughout the world. If you go back on your word now, you will offend the Right Chancellor's Office internally and the Southern Zhou court externally. This is not a good decision."

"Sister, have you forgotten what happened when we were little? How much suffering did we endure when I first ascended the throne?"

Yuan Xiu said solemnly, "Empress Dowager Feng ruled from behind the curtain, her relatives acted recklessly, and the regents each acted independently, putting me on the hot seat for their own benefit! Back then in Tianze Palace, everyone treated me as a puppet and didn't take me seriously at all!"

"Back then, it was you, sister! You made me endure humiliation and pretend to be a naive child to deceive them, while you worked in the shadows, developing the power of the royal family and gradually allowing the Yuan imperial relatives to infiltrate all parts of the court, while also sowing discord between Zhao Huan and those maternal relatives, making Zhao Huan work for me."

"In the end, I relied on Zhao Huan and my uncle, the Champion King, to overthrow them, but I still couldn't rule in my own right. My uncle was alright, after all, he was family, and he was often leading troops in the field, so he didn't hinder me much. But have you forgotten the pressure Zhao Huan put on me back then, sister?"

"When Zhao Huan reprimanded me, not a single official in the entire court dared to refute him!"

"If I hadn't promoted Wen Tai to counterbalance Zhao Huan, and if my uncle hadn't volunteered to guard the south for Da Jing and leave the central government, I wouldn't have been able to take advantage of the situation to drive Zhao Huan to Yan Chuan. Otherwise, let alone being able to assume power at sixteen, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold power even if I had waited until I was twenty-six!"

Yuan Xiu blushed and said excitedly, "Sister is now going to recruit Zhao Cheng as her husband. Even if the Right Prime Minister's Mansion cannot be moved to Changsui, Zhao Cheng, as Zhao Huan's eldest son and the heir to the Right Prime Minister's Mansion, if he stays in Changsui, makes many friends, and manages the affairs diligently, it will be the same as Zhao Huan returning!"

"Sis! You know Zhao Huan, we can't give him a chance!"

Yuan Yun listened patiently to Yuan Xiu finish speaking, but shook her head and said, "It is precisely because I know Zhao Huan's character that I think you are overthinking this matter. Don't forget, back then you were able to take power because Zhao Huan defeated Empress Dowager Feng and her relatives. Back then you were able to take power because Zhao Huan did not fight or compete and withdrew from power at the height of his career."

“He was forced into it!” Yuan Xiu argued. “The Imperial Uncle has left, how could he dare not leave? I have already appointed Wen Tai as the Left Chancellor, which is a clear reduction of his power as Chancellor! If he doesn’t leave, then it will only result in a fight to the death!”

Yuan Yun chuckled and said, "You're too naive. At that time, the Imperial Uncle had already gone to Yun Jing. If Zhao Huan really wanted to fight to the death, could Wen Tai, at that time, have helped you stop the powerful Zhao Huan?"

Yuan Xiu raised an eyebrow and fell silent.

“I know what you’re thinking. You ascended the throne at eleven and lived in constant fear until you took full control of the government at sixteen. You had Empress Dowager Feng in front of you and Zhao Huan behind you, and their power made it hard for you to breathe. But I want to tell you that you’ve grown up now and shouldn’t be forever affected by the fears of your childhood.”

Yuan Yun covered Yuan Xiu's hand and said, "When I judge a person, I look at both the past and the present. Regarding the past, I believe Zhao Huan's decision to retire to Yanchuan was based on his loyalty to the Great Jing. He didn't want the court to be in turmoil or the Jing to be in chaos, so he returned power to you. Now look at Zhao Huan. He never asks the court for anything, nor does he ask you to return to service. Even his three campaigns in the past five years were all initiated by the court begging him to come out of retirement. But after the success, did the court give him the honor and reward he deserved?"

"No, right? But did Zhao Huan have an overreaction? No, right?"

"The moment Zhao Huan left Changsui five years ago, his desire to pursue a political career had already died. Now, he only hopes to enjoy his retirement happily. That's my understanding of him."

“Brother, there’s no need to be wary of someone like that. On the contrary, if you’re going to be wary of someone, I’d advise you to be wary of the Wen family. The Wen family has grown far too fast in the last five years.”

Yuan Xiu leaned against the railing by the lotus pond, pondered for a while, and then said, "Perhaps it's because my sister hasn't paid attention to politics in recent years and has become less perceptive. Or perhaps it's because my sister is about to become Zhao Huan's daughter-in-law and has a biased view of Zhao Huan."

Yuan Yun frowned and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"My meaning is very simple: be wary of Wen Tai, and even more so of Zhao Huan! Even the Imperial Uncle, who is far away in Yun Jing, must be guarded against!" Yuan Xiu's face turned extremely fierce, and he said sternly, "A tiger is a tiger. Even if it dozes off, even if it gets old, as long as it comes down from the mountain, it is a fierce tiger and can never turn into a cat!"

Yuan Yun sighed and said, "It seems you're determined to disagree."

“Yes, I have never gone against your wishes, but this time, I absolutely will not agree!” Yuan Xiu said firmly.

Yuan Yun gave Yuan Xiu a deep look, and then knelt down on both knees.

Yuan Xiu was shocked and immediately went to help Yuan Yun up, but Yuan Yun just wouldn't get up.

Yuan Xiu said in frustration, "Sister, for Zhao Cheng, it's not just this much?!"

Yuan Yun said, "You are the emperor, so I should kneel before you. This kneeling is not an older sister kneeling before her younger brother, but rather me, Yuan Yun, begging the emperor to release me!"

"Let you go??" Yuan Xiu was a little confused and asked, "What do you mean by letting you go?!"

Yuan Yun lowered her head and said, "I'm not young anymore. This time I finally met someone I like and had the opportunity to pursue happiness. If I don't seize it, my future will only have two possibilities."

"One type is to die of old age in the palace, miserable and bitter, silently counting the passing years with anxious hearts, and dying in depression."

"One possibility is that another Zhou Jinghuan will emerge, and I will eventually become a pawn in the empire's responsibilities, being married off to a country where I know no one."

Yuan Xiu immediately said, "That's impossible! I would never do that to you!"

"Who can predict the future? His Majesty is still young, full of passion and courage to protect his sister. But as he grows older and gains more experience, his passion will cool down."

Yuan Yun raised her head, looking at Yuan Xiu with tears in her eyes, and said, "Yuan Yun has never begged the emperor, and I have never begged my brother. Just this once, please let me go."

"The Great Jing can live without a Princess!"

Yuan Xiu exclaimed in shock, "What?! You're going to give up your status as the Grand Princess of Dajing for Zhao Cheng?!"