However, deep within the Kunning Palace, there was a secluded room for reciting scriptures. Every two weeks, Empress Lin would enter this room alone to "sincerely recite the Book of Poetry," dismissing all palace servants, and stay there for two or three hours at a time. Each time she emerged, her face was flushed with a strange, contented blush, and her spirit seemed exceptionally radiant, completely unlike a pregnant woman who needed to rest and recuperate. The palace servants simply assumed it was due to the meditation she performed and dared not inquire further.

The shadow guards of Qiwu Palace had tried to sneak in and investigate many times, but the doors and windows of the chanting room were tightly closed. Although the guards were not strict, Empress Lin always managed to interrupt them by "coincidentally" coming out before they could find an opportunity, as if she could foresee the future.

"It's the chanting room again..." Ah Yuan frowned, listening to the shadow guard's report. "Every time she comes out, she's radiant? This is too strange! Ordinary chanting should only bring peace of mind, how could it be like this?" Xiao Chengkang put down the herb he was grinding, his eyes sharp as an eagle: "Something unusual must be going on. Lin's pregnancy is already suspicious enough, but the secret of this chanting room is probably the key! Her intervals of half a month each time are so regular... it's like..." A flash of inspiration struck him, a bold and startling guess emerging, "It's like she's going to... meet someone? Or... retrieve something to stabilize her 'dragon fetus'?"

A-Yuan instantly understood, her eyes flashing with a cold light: "You mean... there's something wrong with her stomach...? In that chanting room..."

"It's highly likely they're hiding something shady!" Xiao Chengkang declared decisively. "We must find a way in! We must find out what's inside! This might be the most fatal blow to bring down the Lin family!" He immediately ordered the Shadow Guard leader: "Send more men, at all costs, keep a close watch on that chanting room! The next time she goes in, we must find an opportunity to sneak in! Be careful, there might be traps and secret passages inside!"

In the harsh winter of the northern frontier, the warm pavilion of the General's Mansion is a haven from the wind. The underfloor heating is burning brightly, and a copper hot pot is placed in the middle of the kang table, with slices of beef and mutton, frozen tofu, cabbage, and vermicelli floating in the boiling bone broth, filling the air with a fragrant aroma.

Shen Zhao, Lu Qi, An An, and Lu Xiao sat around a table. After the three little ones had eaten and drunk their fill, their wet nurse carried them to the warm kang (heated brick bed) next to them.

"Mmm...this mutton is so tender!" Lu Qi scooped up a large mouthful of mutton, dipped it in sesame sauce, and stuffed it into his mouth, sighing with satisfaction.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you." Shen Zhao gave him a reproachful look and put the blanched vegetables into his bowl.

An An carefully prepared the dipping sauce for Lu Xiao and picked up a few slices of his favorite frozen tofu: "Try this. It's cooked through and has absorbed all the broth."

Enjoying his wife's care, Lu Xiao's cold and hard features softened. He picked up the warm liquor, took a sip, and asked, "Any new news from Jiangnan and Xiling?"

Shen Zhao put down her chopsticks and sighed, "I received a letter from Brother Kang Kang a few days ago. He only reported that he was safe and everything was going smoothly. But I still feel uneasy. That kind of place, the Xiling Palace..."

"Don't worry," An'an comforted gently. "Kang Kang is meticulous, and A Yuan isn't someone who can be easily manipulated. They'll definitely be able to handle it. As for you, Zhao Zhao, you've only recently finished your postpartum period, so eat more to nourish yourself." She then placed a piece of stewed beef tendon on Shen Zhao's plate, making it tender and soft.

Looking at An An's gentle and quiet profile, then at Lu Qi serving his wife food, and then at Xiao Chengkang, who was suffering in Xiling, Lu Xiao sighed and raised his glass: "Come on, let's drink to the peace of our northern frontier, and to the early safe reunion of our families in Jiangnan and Xiling!"

Four wine glasses clinked together softly. Outside, the cold wind howled, but inside, it was warm and cozy. The steam from the hot pot wafted through the glass windows, blurring the unknown, turbulent waves in the distance.

The mysterious chanting room deep within the palace of the Western Ling Kingdom is like a huge enigma, waiting to have its sordid true nature revealed. Lianxing and Zhao Zheng's dangerous game is like dancing on the edge of a cliff, where they could be shattered to pieces at any moment.