It was a moonlit night, and the night was deep.

Xie Zhen sat in the garden drinking.

Xiao Lin sat beside him. It's fine to stay up so late, but drinking too much is not good.

Xie Zhen didn't drink too much; he had good self-control.

Xiao Lin believed in him; he was an outstanding king of Zhao! There was still a long road ahead.

Therefore, Xie Zhen cannot let his life become a mess. His second sister-in-law is kind-hearted and genuinely cares about him.

That's why he wasn't poisoned when the arsenic was targeted. But he couldn't show it; perhaps this was his trump card.

Kong Zhenjun's evil magic is useless against some people, but Xie Zhen can just play along, since the arsenic is not familiar with him anyway.

Just like now, nobody knows he's already taken a nap.

Xiao Lin only cares about his well-being; as for that poison-laden girl, she'll keep an eye on him. There are countless eyes on the Zheng Prince's residence right now. It's like a swarm of insects, sending chills down one's spine.

Logically, the Prince Zheng's residence shouldn't be in such danger. However, its proximity to the palace is a good thing.

The eunuch came to report: "We found out that the two imperial physicians were actually from the Great Stone Kingdom, and they had been lying low for more than twenty years."

Xie Zhen immediately snapped out of his daze and asked curiously, "What does the Great Stone Kingdom want?"

Xiao Lin said, "If we don't have to fight, even if we send out 100,000 people, it will still be less costly than fighting."

Xie Zhen nodded slowly: "The Great Stone Kingdom once had a great emperor with great talent and ambition."

This Emperor Zhaoxiong was indeed a legend.

He ascended the throne at fifteen and began ruling at twenty-five, beginning a fifty-year reign. Even years after his death, his influence remained.

Da Zhao hadn't paid much attention to it before, but he did know something about the Da Shi Kingdom, and upon closer analysis, he realized there was a problem.

If the Kingdom of Dashi remains secretive, it might launch an attack once the Great Zhao falls into chaos.

Emperor Zhaoxiong disliked war, or perhaps he was preparing for it all along, ready to strike once he was ready?

This will be a tough battle.

For the Great Stone Kingdom to achieve its fifty-year goal, the Great Zhao Kingdom would need fifty years to catch up or gain an overwhelming advantage, or it would result in mutual destruction.

The Great Zhao does not want to suffer losses, but the Great Shi Kingdom will settle these scores!

Xie Zhen wondered what kind of evil magic the Great Stone Kingdom possessed. If it could transmit messages quickly, that would be extremely important.

Just because the Great Zhao Kingdom didn't have it doesn't mean the Great Shi Kingdom definitely didn't.

If a telescope can see that far, and if messages can travel that far, then Great Zhao has no advantage whatsoever.

Xiao Lin drank a glass of wine.

Hopefully, the arsenic girl can fish out something useful, though she may not even know it herself.

Emperor Zhaoxiong had three women who bore him a total of eighteen sons, and their descendants have multiplied greatly.

Arsenic is like a great-grandchild; one or two of it are worthless.

However, if they could conquer the Great Stone Kingdom, it would be quite profitable.

Xie Zhen drank the wine, got up, and went to check on the arsenic.

Prince Zheng's mansion was large, and Pi Shuang stayed in the very back courtyard, the one reserved for respectable servants.

This is still a small, two-tiered structure. It was quickly repaired and sealed off; there are guards inside and out, so it's not easy to get in.

The maids and servants cleaned the room very well. I wonder how long they will have to serve Pi Shuang?

Xie Zhen entered the house.

Several people stood guard outside, ready to rush in at the slightest sign of trouble.

Inside the room, there was a fairly large bed with two quilts on it, and a table in front of the bed.

A lamp was lit on the table, and there was a bowl containing half a bowl of medicine.

The girl named Xinshi was awake at this moment. She turned her head and stared at King Zheng with a deep gaze.

Xie Zhen ignored her and instead stared at her face.

My face was cleaned up, not bandaged, and the character "塔" (tower) looked like the bleeding had stopped.

However, the girl was furious that she had been seen! Her wound soon started bleeding again.

Xie Zhen watched her bleed; the blood wasn't black, it was just ugly.

Miss Xinshi didn't cry from anger!

To avoid upsetting her, Xie Zhen left, but in the small courtyard outside, he gave her another instruction: "Take good care of her."

The maids and wives all responded, but how to show attentive service was a very particular matter.

Xie Zhen stepped out of the courtyard and heard the arsenic explode in a fit of rage.

Xie Zhen shook his head. This is it? His second sister-in-law even made human pigs. She has no sincerity towards him whatsoever, yet she expects his sincerity in return? Thumbs down.

Logically speaking, shouldn't a woman who has been exposed be able to confess?

Therefore, this arsenic is not honest at all.

The Kingdom of Da Shi felt a sense of superiority over the Kingdom of Zhao, perhaps because it had some kind of support.

Great Zhao needs to become stronger and shatter this sense of superiority, which is to say, morale.

The weather was fine early in the morning.

Princess Yongmu's residence was surrounded.

It was quiet inside, but there was a lot of chatter outside, like people coming to sell things.

However, the door was closed tightly, so ordinary people couldn't get in, and it remained very quiet inside.

Tong Faran should rest; it's better for her to stay home.

Princess Yongmu also felt extremely comfortable having such a place of her own.

The garden in the back is well-maintained, and quite a few flowers are blooming now.

A palace maid came to report: "Zeng Rongde and Zeng Gongde from the Zeng family request an audience."

Princess Yongmu was listless and didn't know which family the Zeng family was.

The palace maid poured fine tea for her master, offering a leisurely explanation that was, in short, shameless.

Princess Yongmu understood: "So, you think I'm easy to bully?"

The palace maid nodded, which probably meant the same thing.

It's probably common knowledge that Princess Yongmu is the easiest to bully; she might not actually be a princess.

Anyone who looks down on her has an air of superiority about them.

Princess Yongmu is no longer the same as before; she is eating pumpkin cakes, which taste better than those made overseas.

So the world is good, and Great Zhao is home. The princess said, "Do you still think Qing'e is a country girl?"

The palace maid was in her fifties, and she came to take care of the princess and also to live out her old age. She wasn't a member of the Cui family and didn't concern herself with the Cui family's messy affairs.

The palace maids saw through some things: "Isn't Consort Huan destined to be a village girl?"

Princess Yongmu nodded and said, "Alright."

I suspect someone is trying to pinpoint her as a bastard and make a fuss about it.

But if a sage recognizes her virtue, how could she be considered unorthodox? Just like the Green Moth, she is the most authentic!

Although the princess's residence is not large, it is quite luxurious inside.

Tong Faran looked around and saw that it was even better than some places in the palace. Many places overseas were not as prosperous as the Great Zhao.

This time, we didn't venture into the heart of the Great Stone Kingdom.

The Great Stone Kingdom has few coastal areas, unlike the Great Zhao Kingdom which has a long coastline.

Perhaps the Kingdom of Da Shi is located by the sea in another direction; in any case, the Zhao state has not yet figured it out.

It seems there's a huge lake to the north of the Great Stone Kingdom.

Princess Yongmu, basking in the sun, said slowly, "Trying to make a move on Prince Zheng?"

The palace maid said, "Perhaps you think you're stronger than the arsenic from the Great Stone Kingdom?"

Princess Yongmu said, "Miss Xinshi dared to travel from Dashi Kingdom to Tata Kingdom and then back to Zhao Kingdom by sea, almost all by herself. Would the Zeng family dare to do that?"

The palace maid laughed and said, "Perhaps following Prince Zheng, he'll dare to do anything."

Princess Yongmu is another story.

Everyone thinks she's just going there for fun? Well, at least she can afford to!

Who is the Zeng family? How dare they compare themselves to her?

A maid came over and said, "There's crying outside."

Princess Yongmu frowned: "Don't you know I hate this kind of thing the most?"

The palace maid comforted her, saying, "Tell her to cry."

So Princess Yongmu was comfortable at home, even if someone hanged himself at her door.

So what if I ruin my reputation in Sheng'an?

Princess Yongmu had long since stopped caring about her reputation.