"Now is the best time to escape and leave Beiliang."

Miao Nanyan did not speak.

Betraying the king, even if one escapes to the ends of the earth, death is inevitable.

Moreover, if the king of Hongxiu Kingdom were to find out about this, he wouldn't let her off the hook.

“Beiliang cannot be without a king. If His Majesty dies, Beiliang will surely descend into chaos, and the people will suffer greatly.” Miao Nanyan said while examining Baili Yingfeng’s wounds.

"Besides, the inscription has spoken; he cannot be without his father."

After saying that, Miao Nanyan ignored Baili Yingfeng and turned to treat Chen Yuan's wounds.

Chen Yuan's injuries were more severe, and Miao Nanyan was concentrating on treating them, as the slightest carelessness could damage his tendons and bones.

Baili Mingwen quietly squatted beside Miao Nanyan, helping her pull the brocade from her robe to wrap around her wound. Miao Nanyan looked at Baili Mingwen and smiled gently.

This little guy seems completely different from his cold and ruthless father.

"Your Majesty, Lord Chen's wounds have been treated. With a little rest, he will be fine after the dressing is changed on time tomorrow."

"And also, the inscriptions..."

After saying this, her legs gave way and she fainted. In her hazy consciousness, she felt herself being supported by a pair of strong arms.

...

Early in the morning, the palace courtyard was noisy, with the chirping of birds outside the window and the busy sounds of palace maids and eunuchs all mixed together.

"They're all quick and efficient!"

"This is the little princess's first birthday party. Watch your paws, and watch your heads!" the chief eunuch, Wang, shouted in a shrill voice, which seemed to have become somewhat hoarse.

"Be careful, this silk cloth was painstakingly tied into a flower shape, don't let it fall apart!" Eunuch Wang pointed at a eunuch standing on a stool, hanging a large red flower from the roof beam.

"And you, we've already told you that these lanterns should be aligned. Why are you hanging one in front and one in the back?!" Eunuch Wang looked at the two large red lanterns hanging in front of the palace and was very dissatisfied.

Yun Duoduo was playing in the courtyard of Changqiu Palace when she heard Eunuch Wang's shouts. She wondered, "What exactly is Eunuch Wang? Why is he everywhere?"

He was there when cleaning the Empress Dowager's palace, when preparing meals in the imperial kitchen, and when preparing for the first birthday banquet.

Looking at the decorations inside and outside the palace, she felt it wasn't her first birthday celebration, but rather someone's wedding.

The palace maids outside the palace were busy making arrangements, while the palace maids inside the shop were busy helping Yun Duoduo dress and do her makeup.

"Little princess, stop playing outside! Tomorrow night is your first birthday celebration!" The headmistress pulled Yun Duoduo inside.

"Little princess, please sit down. Don't stand by the window in the wind."

"What should we do if she catches a cold before her first birthday party?" Granny Liu walked to the door and closed the window. She dressed Yun Duoduo in a pink long dress, put her in a satin magnolia and flying saucer embroidered red robe, and draped her in a red gauze coat.

Yun Duoduo looked herself over, [Isn't this outfit a bit too festive?!]

[Isn't this what a bride's wedding attire is all about—a festive look?]

"Oh dear, little princess, why are you still wearing these shoes? This old servant is so worried!"

The supervising nanny frowned, picked up Yun Duoduo, took off her shoes that had gotten dirty from walking on the ground in the yard, and put on a pair of red satin embroidered shoes.

"These new shoes need to be worn more often, otherwise they'll rub your feet tomorrow and won't look good when you walk!"

While putting shoes on Yun Duoduo, the discipline nanny kept nagging about the procedures and precautions for tomorrow's first birthday banquet.

Yun Duoduo didn't take these procedures and precautions to heart. Although her soul was that of a modern person in her twenties, in the eyes of outsiders, she was just an immature baby, and it was perfectly normal for her not to know etiquette.

Always acting so serious is not like a child should behave like this!

When the supervising nanny saw that Granny Liu was watching from the side, she pulled her over to comb Yun Duoduo's hair.

She took a box of hair accessories and held them up on Yun Duoduo's head.

"This little bell is nice, and this colorful little hairpin is also very pretty," the discipline mother said, gesturing from the side.

"Don't rush around like that. My hands start shaking when you talk, and then I don't even finish tying the little princess's hair!" Granny Liu said angrily, glaring at the disciplinarian.

"Don't be too nervous, today is just for trying on clothes, tomorrow is the first birthday banquet!" Ah Xiang reminded the nannies who were busy as bees.

"Oh, old woman, I know. These things, repeated over and over again, with thorough preparation, are always a safe bet!"

Yun Duoduo looked at the several plump pearls embroidered on the front of her dress and the delicate patterns on the neckline.

Wow, look at this glittering gold and these large, lustrous white pearls!

【So beautiful!】

"The little princess doesn't have much hair, so let's not put on so many hair accessories," Ah Xiang suggested from the side.

Yun Duoduo nodded in agreement. She looked at the small bun tied tightly on her head, with a red and yellow tassel hair accessory hanging from it. The hair accessory was decorated with gems and beads, and it was very heavy, pulling at her scalp.

She felt a chill run down her spine; if this continued, her hairline would recede!

"Yes. Tomorrow, the gifts coming include pearls from the South China Sea, glass from Northern Chu, rubies from the Western Regions, green jade from the Northern Desert, and gold bars from the Western Regions..."

"You can have whatever you want; this hair accessory doesn't need to be so complicated."

"Look, the little princess's face is all red. This hair ornament is too heavy!" Granny Liu gently took off the exaggerated headdress.

The people inside the palace were busy when the imperial kitchen staff came to deliver lunch.

Yun Duoduo sat down at the table happily and obediently, behaving very well.

Aunt Xiang came over and fed her.

【Huh, where's the beef soup?】

It seems there's no ground beef either?

【Holy crap, it's all vegetarian?!】

On the table were a bowl of red bean soup, a bowl of milk, and a bowl of vegetable porridge. The beef soup and minced beef that they usually drank and ate were not there today.

Yun Duoduo stared at A Xiang with her big, suspicious eyes, "Cow? No beef?"

"Why is there no beef or other meat for lunch today?" Ah Xiang asked the people in the imperial kitchen.

"Ah, tomorrow is the first birthday banquet, and this old servant has taken the liberty of ordering the imperial kitchen to prepare vegetarian food."

"The day before the first birthday banquet, we must bathe, burn incense, and eat vegetarian food. If we eat meat, it will affect the little princess's future fortune!" The discipline nanny said with a righteous and righteous expression.

Yun Duoduo: ...

This is truly an absurd incident; I've never heard of anything so outrageous.

When did the threshold for a baby's first birthday celebration become so high?!