Emperor Cheng'an eventually summoned Xue Shen to the Chongzheng Hall.

Xue Shen entered the palace to pay homage with five trusted generals. Emperor Cheng'an sat high on the dragon throne. When he saw Xue Shen walking towards him with his head in his hands and five familiar generals following behind him, a pang of fear rose in his chest.

He gripped the handrail tightly, his cloudy old eyes bulging out as he looked at Xue Shen with a mixture of resentment and forced patience: "You did very well."

Xue Shen gave a perfunctory bow, and even stood up on his own before Emperor Cheng'an told him to "rise." He smiled and said, "Your nephew dares not bow. It is thanks to Your Majesty's strategic planning and the early deployment of General Pang and other hidden moves that the Northern Rong people were caught off guard."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Cheng'an's breathing became even more rapid.

He naturally knew why Xue Shen had given him such a great achievement for free; it was simply to give these 30,000 private soldiers, as well as Pang Lai and others, a legitimate identity to appear in the court and become his help in his struggle for the throne.

This was precisely the situation that Emperor Cheng'an least wanted to see.

He gripped the handrail tightly, his face trembling slightly from the intense emotions. He tried his best to endure, but his deteriorating health and Xue Shen's relentless pressure made it impossible for him to put on a flawless facade and exchange pleasantries with Xue Shen.

"How long have you been scheming to get to this point today?" Emperor Cheng'an said through gritted teeth. "I truly never expected that you could endure to this extent."

Xue Shen's smile remained unchanged, his expression innocent: "What is Your Majesty saying? Why don't I understand?"

The calmer and more composed he was, the more disgusted and fearful Emperor Cheng'an became. His face twisted for a moment, and he said, word by word as if making a vow: "No matter what you want to do, I will not let you have your way."

Xue Shen said, "General Pang and others deserve great credit for defeating the Northern Rong and killing Yelü Hachi this time. I wonder what official titles Your Majesty intends to bestow upon them?"

Emperor Cheng'an's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Xue Shen, don't push your luck!"

Xue Shen stood firm: "Isn't it only right to bestow titles upon those who have rendered meritorious service? Where does this idea of ​​'taking an inch and then a mile' come from?"

Emperor Cheng'an rose angrily, pointing at him and breathing heavily, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Seeing that Emperor Cheng'an's face was turning purple, the chief eunuch Qi Zhong quickly helped him sit down and said, "Your Majesty, please don't get angry!"

Emperor Cheng'an was weak and powerless. He was helped to sit down and said weakly, "I am not feeling well. The matter of bestowing titles and rewards will be discussed later."

Seeing this, Xue Shen did not press the matter further and said, "In that case, we will take our leave. Your Majesty, please take good care of yourself."

These words were like a death warrant to Emperor Cheng'an. He coughed heavily and glared at Xue Shen, speechless.

Xue Shen gave a casual bow and then turned to leave with Pang Lai and the others.

Upon exiting the Chongzheng Hall, Pang Lai laughed loudly, "The little emperor must be quite angry today."

Another person laughed and said, "Judging from his appearance, I'm afraid he won't live much longer."

Xue Shen narrowed his eyes and said, "A scourge can live for a thousand years; he's still reluctant to die."

Moreover, now that he's dead, who will he seek revenge on for his parents' deaths?

The group chatted and laughed as they left the palace gates. Xue Shen mounted his horse and said, "The Princess Consort is pregnant, so I'll go back to the residence first. You've been away from the capital for years, so you probably don't have a place to stay yet. I've had Wang Deshun tidy up a house for you to rest in. I'll host a welcome banquet at the Red Pavilion tonight to celebrate your arrival."

Upon hearing this, the group immediately started jeering, saying, "We brothers were worried about the prince's marriage, but it turns out we were just worrying for nothing."

Pang Lai spat out, "I told you all not to worry about things that don't concern you." He looked at Xue Shen and said with emotion, "Your Highness is doing well now. The late Emperor must be at peace in the afterlife."

Xue Shen nodded, waved his hand, and spurred his horse to gallop towards the Prince's Mansion.

After he left, the group dared to whisper among themselves: "We heard that the princess is Shen Mingjiang's daughter, and she is the most beautiful woman in the capital. We wonder when we will be able to meet her."

Pang Lai scolded, "What do you mean, 'see'? The princess is pregnant. If it happens in the future... that will be the eldest son of the legitimate wife. Don't you dare say anything out of line in front of the prince."

The person who spoke chuckled: "I was just curious."

*

While the group was chatting and laughing, Xue Shen arrived at the Prince's residence.

When Xue Shen returned to the city, he had already sent someone back to report the news. Shen Youying received the news early in the morning and, disregarding all advice, went to the front yard to wait. Now, upon hearing that the person had returned, she was helped out by Xie Qinglan and Danzhu on either side. When she saw the person dismounting from the horse, she burst into tears before she could even speak.

Xue Shen felt a pang in his heart and strode towards her.

Xie Qinglan and Danzhu tactfully stepped aside, and Xue Shen carefully helped her up, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his thumb, and whispered, "Zhaozhao, don't cry, I'm back."

It was truly shameful to shed tears in public. Shen Youying sniffed, trying to hold back her tears with reason, but as long as she looked at him, she couldn't help but cry. Especially when he carefully embraced her, the tears flowed even more profusely, falling like beads onto the back of Xue Shen's hand.

She choked back tears as she replied, "I didn't mean to cry, I just couldn't help it."

Xue Shen smiled and gently wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, his voice hoarse: "I know, I know."

He dismissed the guards, pulled her into his arms, and coaxed her softly, "Now that no one is watching, Zhaozhao, you don't need to worry."

Shen Youying buried her face in his chest, sobbed for a moment, and then raised her face again after calming down, saying, "I missed a lot while you were away these past few days."

She took Xue Shen's hand and placed it on her abdomen: "It moved the day you left the capital."

Xue Shen was startled by this, and pressed his palm even more carefully against the ground, frowning as he asked, "Why aren't you moving now?"

Shen Youying smiled through her tears: "Perhaps she was asleep and didn't want to move. She only moved twice in total."

Xue Shen's brows relaxed as he escorted her into the house: "No rush. I'll spend more time with it these next few days, and we'll eventually find a time when it's willing to move."

Xue Shen half-embraced Shen Youying as they slowly walked toward Tingmei Pavilion. One was tall and the other was beautiful. The two whispered to each other, their figures gradually being hidden by the corridor and flower branches.

Xie Qinglan, who had kept her distance, glanced at them and felt a little embarrassed to look any longer. She muttered that the two of them were too clingy. Then she said to Danzhu, "Tell your young lady that now that the Prince of Qin is back, I won't do anything that's an eyesore or an eyesore. I'm going back to the manor and will come to play with her again another day."

Danzhu smiled and said "Eh?", then quickly ordered someone to prepare a horse and send her back to the Xie family.