At the same time, in the imperial palace.

Emperor Mingde is staying at Consort Gui's Xirou Palace tonight; it is already late at night.

The two were already fast asleep when Emperor Mingde suddenly woke up from his dream and opened his eyes.

...

In the stillness of the night,

His beloved concubine was still asleep beside him, while a dozen guards, maids, and eunuchs stood watch at the palace gate.

There were no unusual developments, and certainly no nightmarish scene of the crown prince forcing the emperor to abdicate and rebel.

Emperor Mingde's expression softened as he closed his eyes, trying his best to calm his anger and fear.

The fine beads of cold sweat on his forehead and back reminded him of the fear he felt in his dream of the crown prince forcing him to abdicate.

Ge'er, Xiao Ji, Chang Ze, Murong Yu...

Recent events are all quietly slipping out of his control...

A palace lantern was left on in the outer hall for people to get up at night. Emperor Mingde stared at the dim, yellow candlelight with a somber expression.

Looking back on everything that has happened recently, it all started with Ge'er.

If Ge'er had died on that day as planned, if Ge'er hadn't gotten close to Xiao Ji...

He wouldn't have been in such a hurry to bring Rui'er back, and he wouldn't have ended up in this passive situation.

Southern Liang...

The only option now is to win over Southern Liang as an ally...

And the autumn hunt...

A cold glint flashed in Emperor Mingde's eyes. Some sacrifices were inevitable in order to prevent the Shang family from changing the world. Ge'er, don't blame your father for being ruthless!

Enjoying the glory of being the eldest princess and the honor of the title of Anguo, child, you should also do something for Qingyan.

Everything comes at a price!

While Emperor Mingde was waking up from a nightmare, Murong Yu, whom Emperor Mingde regarded as a thorn in his side, was still wide awake.

The Prime Minister's Residence

The Prime Minister's residence was quiet and still, except for the sound of chess being played in the Prime Minister's study.

study,

Murong Yu sat alone behind his desk, stroking his graying goatee with one hand.

He manipulates the chess pieces with one hand, placing white pieces followed by black pieces, playing against himself.

The chessboard on the table vividly depicted the current political situation in the Qingyan court.

However, starting tonight, Bai Zi will switch from defense to offense, which the old man is very satisfied with.

There was no one around.

Murong Yu shed his facade of a cunning old fox, his smiling eyes revealing his wicked nature:

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, tell me your story. Why can't you trust your own son? Now you've completely broken his heart."

"Do you know how much I tried to persuade Nagasawa before tonight, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it?"

"Your anger was so great that he didn't take it out on you because you're his father, the Emperor. Oh, you've really helped this old man out."

"Thud—" Another white piece fell.

Murong Yu's eyes were full of satisfaction as he observed the entire chess game, and once he was satisfied, he couldn't stop muttering to himself:

"Your Majesty, you always think I'm ruthless. But how could I be more ruthless than you? Even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cubs!"

"I still remember that the late emperor taught you when you were young: 'One wrong move can ruin the whole game.'"

Why didn't you listen? You're still as stubborn as you were when you were young; in that respect, you're not as good as Nagasawa!

Some people are very careful when they talk to others during the day, but at night they tend to mutter to themselves.

Murong Yu is that kind of person.

Of course, such rambling is harmless and no one who shouldn't hear it will hear it.

The next day, the sky cleared.

The autumn wind is bleak; the princess's residence covers a large area with many gardens and scenic views, and the entire garden is filled with the colors of autumn.

Shang Changge woke up a little later than usual today, and when she woke up, her beautiful face was still tinged with an unnatural blush.

Nothing else,

Xiao Ji appeared in my dream, and the scenery in my dream was excessively beautiful.

Shang Changge: ...

Find some time to sleep with Xiao Ji?

This was Shang Changge's first thought upon waking up today—very bold and daring.

Thinking of the crucial point, Shang Changge temporarily suppressed the thought and called Qingyao and the others in to help him wash and comb his hair.

After washing up,

Shang Changge sat in front of the bronze mirror at the dressing table to clear her mind, while Qingyao stood behind her and combed her hair.

Qingyao: "Princess, another batch of new clothes for the autumn hunt the day after tomorrow has been delivered today. Would you like to take a look after your meal?"

Shang Changge was not very interested, but thinking about her plans for the autumn hunt, she said, "Alright, I'll go take a look later."

Her plans for the autumn hunt had changed; originally, she intended to target Shang Rui.

Now she didn't want to think about that anymore; she just wanted to find a way to lure out the two imperial shadows beside Shang Rui and have a confrontation with them.

The reason? The reason is very simple.

Xiao Ji was in charge of ensuring the safety of this autumn hunt, which means that Xiao Ji would be guilty of anything that happened during the hunt.

You have to admit, an emperor is an emperor. No matter how old an emperor is, he's still an emperor. His methods can be incredibly clever, but they can also be incredibly cunning.

For example, he could have the Wen family target her, and after the plot failed, he could use her name to eliminate the entire Wen family without hesitation and absolve himself of any responsibility.

For example, last night the villain made Xiao Ji play the good guy himself, and another example is the arrangements for this autumn hunt...

Therefore, she had no choice but to settle for second best and change her target to Di Ying, who was originally a shadow lurking in the dark.

Moreover, given the secrecy surrounding Di Ying's identity, it wouldn't be so easy for the old emperor to blame him if he died.

It's not easy, but it's not too difficult either.

Therefore, she had to find a way to lure Di Ying away from Shang Rui without harming him, and after luring him away, she had to make sure she could kill Di Ying.

"well."

Shang Changge glanced at her delicate skin with her beautiful eyes and sighed softly.

She's the kind of person who's in the habit of planning for the worst before doing anything, so she was already prepared to get hurt.

Although she has the ability to heal herself, it doesn't mean she won't get hurt or feel pain.

Furthermore, she would also be affected by a fatal blow, so she needs to practice more and find some armor to wear before taking action.

"Tsk!"

To be honest, people who haven't cooked in a long time are really itching to get their hands dirty!

A glint of light flashed in Shang Changge's eyes. People who have survived the apocalypse for a long time often have some flaws.

Her problem is that she talks about zombies all the time. After talking about them so much, she has developed a warlike streak without realizing it.

Qingyao: "Princess, what are you thinking about?"

Qingyao couldn't understand why the princess was sometimes sighing and looking melancholy, and other times her eyes would light up with excitement.

I couldn't help but ask, mainly because it's a proper and loyal maid's daily concern and inquiry about her master's physical and mental health.

Shang Changge: "It's nothing."

Shang Changge wasn't good at talking, so he casually changed the subject by saying a few other things.

After washing up, Shang Changge went to the dining hall for her meal. After finishing, she took Qingyao with her and went out.

She had a date with Xiao Ji today, and she also happened to have a question for him.

She wasn't interested in knowing this before, but now she is.

After one incense stick,

In the most luxurious private room of a teahouse on South Street where a storyteller performed,

The refreshing aroma of tea and the sweet scent of pastries filled the air, making one's mouth water.

"Then, the scholar, engrossed in his studies in the forest, encountered a fox spirit..."

Today, the storyteller's performance was vivid and expressive, with perfect intonation and rhythm. Meanwhile, those who leisurely come to the teahouse to listen to stories at this hour...

They are usually people with some family wealth, especially young men and women.

Shang Changge was one of them, but she wasn't there to listen to the story; she was there to ask Xiao Ji questions.

Maintaining its consistent straightforward approach, ask whatever you want to know directly:

"General Xiao said before that he did not want children. I did not ask why at the time, but now I want to ask and hear it."