"Brother Yu, you know my past, so you must know what kind of grudge I have with that princess, right?"

I looked at him expectantly, hoping to get something out of him.

But he remained as calm as the surface of the waves.

"Brother Yu!" I called out to him softly twice before he turned his head to look at me. "What's wrong?"

I found it utterly boring, so I lost all desire to know and shrugged: "No!"

He noticed the disappointment in my eyes, and after a long silence, he was like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating a splash.

"Just stay by my side, and I'll take care of the rest."

"Plop!" A pebble accidentally fell into the lake, occasionally splashing water, but it returned to calm after a while.

That's how I feel about Yu Shaoqing.

Seeing the ever-changing expressions on my face, he had already guessed what was going on. To avoid making things more awkward, he changed the subject and asked, "Where did you get the Soul-Severing Sword?"

As soon as she finished speaking, a girl's silvery laughter echoed across the boundless lake, startling birds into scattering in all directions.

"Brother Yu, do you really believe that there is such a poison as the Soul-Severing Poison in this world?"

"That's just something I made up on the spot!"

He was stunned for a few seconds, then burst out laughing: "Seeing how seriously you were talking just now, and those men in black looking so convinced, I really thought it was poison!"

"This is just chili powder that I asked Aunt Song for."

"As for those men in black, they're probably fools if they believe that!"

...

The mountains and rivers were layered and beautiful, and the sights made my eyes brighter.

The journey was very safe; we traveled by water for about two days and rode horses for one day.

Before even reaching Lanyi City, a gust of wind blew in your face, carrying a bit of heat, and you could even feel the sand flying around, making you squint.

You can hear the bell ringing in your ears.

At first, I thought this place must be very remote, a godforsaken place, but I didn't expect to see its bustling activity as I walked further.

The people coming and going wore all sorts of clothes, mostly from different places.

The mud houses were one after another.

"Gurgle, gurgle!" My stomach growled uncomfortably.

Yu Shaoqing led me into a noodle shop at random.

Half an hour later, a bowl of noodles was served.

When I looked at it, I saw that it was just a bowl of cold, bland soup with a few cabbage leaves floating in it.

I instantly lost my appetite and thought, "If only there were a steaming hot pot here!"

Thinking about this, a bold idea popped into my head.

Seeing my sly smile, Yu Shaoqing asked in bewilderment, "What's wrong with you?"

"Brother Yu, how much savings do you have left?"

Thinking I wanted to buy something, he handed me his entire purse: "Buy whatever you like!"

...

"Spring Breeze Ten Miles Restaurant" was established overnight at the border between the two countries and became famous for its novel dishes and excellent taste.

From then on, diners flocked to the restaurant, and I transformed from a penniless poor man into a wealthy one.

Because I had to hide from the people who were chasing me, I had to change my name and disguise myself.

...

Inside the Azure Palace...

Overnight, tender buds quietly sprouted, and the earth was transformed, turning completely green.

Ling Shuang sat in front of the bronze mirror, her face reflecting a sorrowful expression.

Nangong Liuli leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed, a hint of displeasure showing between her furrowed brows: "Does the marriage alliance cause you so much pain?"

It would have been better if she hadn't mentioned it, because the mere mention of it made Ling Shuang feel like a huge stone was pressing down on her heart, making it hard to breathe.

Ling Ran's face naturally came to mind.

Although he was always cold and unresponsive to her love, she was hopelessly in love with him.

"If you have someone you love, would you still marry someone else?"

This was undoubtedly a heavy punch to his face, and it hurt terribly!

Although Nangong Liuli was not favored as the Crown Prince of Lanyi, he still had his own pride.

He unintentionally received a divine edict, but on his way home, he was ambushed and the edict was stolen.

They intended to retrieve the imperial edict and leave, but unexpectedly stumbled into the Azure Palace.

"This is your mission as a princess!" A deep voice echoed in the quiet room, sounding somewhat mysterious.

Her face instantly turned a deep, purplish-red, and looked extremely unpleasant.

Nangong Liuli realized that she had gone too far, and quickly softened her tone, saying gently, "Besides, don't you want to see Crown Prince Lanyi?"

"Who knows, there might be an unexpected surprise?"

"Whoosh—"

"Bang—"

Ling Shuang suddenly stood up from the chair, knocking the chair behind her over and causing it to crash onto the wooden floor with a dull thud.

"You have no idea what it feels like to like someone, which is why you can say these things so easily."

“I am a princess, this is my mission, I know that, you don’t need to remind me again and again.”

"You're just a guard!"

The implication is that you have no right to interfere in my affairs.

Nangong Liuli felt a burning pain on her face, as if she had been slapped several times.

He rushed out of the door in a panic.

...

Where is your young lady?

Ye Xuanling went straight to Jingxin Garden after finishing the morning court session.

"Your Highness, Miss and Lingxin are in the pavilion!"

"Isn't she your best friend?"