Inside the palace.

The emperor, seated on his throne, frowned as he looked at the letter that had been delivered to him.

A short while later, his expression suddenly changed, and the fingers gripping the letter trembled slightly.

"Bang!"

To the astonishment of the eunuchs and palace maids, a deafening noise erupted from inside the room.

As the emperor's personal eunuch, Eunuch Li immediately asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, you..."

"Shut up!"

The emperor's furious roar echoed from inside the room, followed by another loud bang.

Peering through the crack in the door, Eunuch Li could vaguely see a mess on the floor. He immediately stopped what he was thinking and shrank back to his original position.

He was filled with worry and was trying to find a way to get in when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a tall figure out of the corner of his eye.

The visitor was none other than Gu Zhan.

Eunuch Li immediately rushed to Gu Zhan's side and bowed as if he had seen a savior.

"General, the Emperor is angry inside, so we dare not go in rashly."

Upon hearing this, Gu Zhan frowned slightly, but did not say anything more, waving his hand to indicate that he understood.

He strode in, just in time to witness the emperor's furious outburst.

Gu Zhan looked at the shattered vase on the ground with a calm expression, "Your Majesty, please do not be angry."

How can I not be angry?

The emperor, his expression furious, slammed his hand heavily on the table. "I heard you returned to the capital in person, and I was initially suspicious. What could possibly require your intervention? After hearing this news, I am truly speechless!"

Seeing that he was about to launch into a long speech, Gu Zhan immediately interrupted, "Your Majesty, what should this humble general do?"

Upon hearing this, a fierce glint flashed in the emperor's eyes. "Even if it is my son, if he dares to collude with court officials to do this, he shall not be forgiven."

Upon hearing this, Gu Zhan's expression remained calm, without the slightest fluctuation.

He knelt, his posture slightly stiff, awaiting the emperor's next command.

Gu Zhan is a general and also the emperor's most trusted talent, going to the battlefield and beheading treacherous officials.

"However, I do not wish to convict him at present."

The emperor hesitated for a moment, a calculating look appearing on his slightly wrinkled face. "We'll discuss it another time."

"Your subject takes his leave."

Gu Zhan left promptly and decisively.

As I stepped out of the room, the flattering voices of the eunuchs and palace maids echoed in my ears.

"General, you are truly amazing! There was nothing we could do about the Emperor's situation, but you solved it as soon as you arrived!"

Many women gave Gu Zhan flirtatious glances, but he ignored them completely and strode into the night.

Looking at the bright moon, Gu Zhan suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

I wonder what the little girl is doing now.

He subconsciously touched the pinky ring on his hand and found that it was actually shining brightly. He immediately murmured tentatively, "Xu Nian?"

After a brief silence, the girl's slightly surprised voice rang out.

"Gu Zhan?"

For some reason, Gu Zhan's mood, which had been gloomy due to work, suddenly brightened up, and he replied in a deep voice, "I'm here."

At this moment, Xu Nian was nestled in bed, pondering her next move.

But upon hearing Gu Zhan's voice, she immediately relaxed and joked, "I didn't expect General Gu to have time to talk to me even while he was on official business."

A moment later, Xu Nian heard Gu Zhan chuckle softly, his voice low and deep, and her ears involuntarily burned.

"I'll naturally find time to chat with you."

【Oh my god, is the general going straight for the kill?!】

[I can't take it anymore, I'm the first to drink this, brothers!]

[Answerer, you're doomed. The general is handsome, rich, and highly skilled.]

The comments section erupted instantly, but Xu Nian deliberately ignored them and abruptly changed the subject, "Have you finished all your work?"

Noticing that Xu Nian's voice seemed to be trembling slightly, Gu Zhan raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "More or less, I did some things for the emperor."

Upon hearing this, Xu Nian pondered for a moment, "I might be a bit busy lately."

She was afraid that Gu Zhan might need to contact her, but she wasn't there, so she missed the message.

"I understand," Gu Zhan replied softly.

An awkward yet ambiguous atmosphere hung in the air.

Xu Nian opened and closed her lips a few times before finally speaking slowly, "Let's leave it at that for now. Go to sleep early. Goodnight."

After the communication was cut off, Xu Nian felt her body was a little hot and quickly took a few deep breaths.

Immediately afterwards, she covered herself with the blanket and closed her eyes in a daze.

Gu Zhan stared at the ring with a meaningful expression, remaining silent for a long time.

The next day.

Xu Nian woke up naturally, feeling happy, and didn't forget to stretch.

At the same time, there was a quiet knock on the door.

“It’s me, Nilu.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Nian immediately opened the door and welcomed her in, "What's wrong?"

Nilu's face showed a hint of sadness. "The Prince will be hosting a banquet tonight; it's his birthday. And he's expected to announce his engagement to my mother tonight."

Seeing that she seemed dazed, Xu Nian quickly replied, "I understand. I'll go with you tonight, don't worry."

Since she has already helped Nel so much, this one more thing won't make a difference.

Moreover, Xu Nian also wanted to see what the Prince was really up to.

"That's wonderful!" Nilu cheered involuntarily.

Now that things have come to this, she regards Xu Nian as her most important friend and trusts him completely.

Xu Nian glanced at the still-bright sky outside and patiently instructed, "Just let me know when it's time, and I'll go with you."

Seeing Xu Nian's appearance, Nilu was overjoyed, thanked her repeatedly, and then left.

Is the streamer going to cause trouble tonight?!

[I think it's quite possible, haha, after all, Baylor is ruthless, and the streamer despises that kind of person the most!]

However, the streamer won't act rashly; she's very cautious.

Seeing the comments on the screen, each one judging her, Xu Nian chuckled softly, "Are you guys making me out to be some kind of god?"

Her only intention was to accompany Nel to investigate carefully and see what schemes Beller might be plotting.

The comments section was still buzzing with discussion. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xu Nian returned to the villagers' houses, gave them some instructions, and left a lot of toys and snacks for Da Bao and Er Bao before leaving with peace of mind.

As evening approached, Nilu, dressed in luxurious clothes and with a calm expression, waited outside Xu Nian's door.

Xu Nian casually threw on a blue robe, smiling broadly, "Let's go."

After many twists and turns, they finally arrived at the central hall of the clan and slowly stepped inside.

The room was packed with people.

The prince, occupying a high position, looked down upon everyone with disdain.

Xu Nian sat down with Ni Lu without making a sound.

"Welcome to my birthday dinner tonight."

Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Baylor raised his arms and shouted, his face full of pride.

He was adorned with exquisite jewelry, which only made his already snobbish face appear even uglier.

"And I hereby announce that I, Baylor, will be marrying Leah in three days!"