[You've been too hasty, Lord Sun!]

Zhao Zhongquan sighed and shook his head.

"What's wrong?" Yun Beiye suppressed his anger. Seeing him rush in so anxiously, he knew that something important must have happened.

"Your Majesty, a secret report has arrived from the northern border, stating that the Prince of Jin and the Right Wise King of Northern Liang are in clandestine contact," Sun Ren announced loudly.

Zhao Zhongquan was so frightened that he quickly retreated and closed the doors and windows.

This is not something we should be listening to!

[Who knows if I'll be silenced if I learn some secret? Serving His Majesty, the less you know, the longer you'll live!]

Yun Duoduo looked at Sun Ren, blinked, and seemed a little surprised. How could she have overheard this secret so easily?

She thought to herself, "Hmm, this Lord Sun is quite good. He really tells the truth about the secret report, and he doesn't treat me like an outsider at all!"

Sun Ren handed the letter to Yun Beiye.

Yun Beiye placed Yun Duoduo on the soft couch, took the letter, and opened it to read.

"Old Zhao, go and invite General Jin over," Yun Beiye said without looking up.

Seeing that no one answered for a long time, Yun Beiye raised his head unhappily, about to curse, but he did not see Zhao Zhongquan.

"Hey?! This old bastard is incredibly cunning; he runs faster than anyone else." Yun Beiye was amused by his own words.

"Old Zhao!" Yun Beiye shouted outside.

"Your Majesty, this old servant is here!"

"Go, go to the Jin residence and invite General Jin over," Yun Beiye repeated.

"Yes, Your Majesty, this old servant will go immediately." After bowing, Zhao Zhongquan quickly sent someone to the Jin residence to summon General Jin to the palace.

“Your Majesty, I believe that the northern frontier still needs a general who can keep things in check,” Sun Ren said.

Yun Beiye rubbed his temples and slowly said, "Well, let's see what Lao Jin has to say when he gets here."

“Well, that’s good. General Jin knows the situation in the Northern Frontier best.” Sun Ren nodded.

“The northern frontier is right next to the northern Liang, and General Jin knows the situation there best.”

After a moment of silence, Yun Beiye spoke up as if something was amiss, "Your son has been in the palace for some time now, aren't you going to go and see him?"

"What's so interesting? Huo Huo is definitely better off eating and sleeping in the palace than in my residence," Sun Ren said nonchalantly.

[Emma, ​​you know your son quite well. You're right, Erhuo has a certain air of arrogance about him.]

[Everything they ate, wore, and used was of the highest quality. If they needed anything, they could just ask Aunt Xiang for it. They weren't deprived of anything, and there was none of that subservient, subservient feeling of being dependent on someone else.]

"Daddy, Duoduo is here tonight." Yun Duoduo said sleepily, her tongue a little tied.

Seeing that Yun Beiye was about to start discussing serious matters, she decided it was best not to disturb her father.

"Okay, go ahead. Father will come to see you later." Yun Beiye patted Yun Duoduo's head.

"Um!"

After Yun Duoduo came out, she went to the pavilion to find Aunt Xiang and Sun Huohuo.

"Erhuo, Zhou! Zhou is done!"

Yun Duoduo stuck out her tongue. Seeing that Sun Huohuo was sitting with her head down and not saying anything, she thought that she hadn't spoken clearly. She stuck out her tongue again and said, "Let's go, let's go!"

Ah Xiang shook her head at Yun Duoduo, and Yun Duoduo looked at Ah Xiang's aunt with a strange expression.

Yun Duoduo walked to Sun Huohuo's side, looked down at his face, and asked, "Erhuo, why are you ignoring me?"

[Emma, ​​why are Erhuo's eyes red?]

Yun Duoduo was surprised to see that Sun Huohuo's eyes were a little red, and there seemed to be some tiny, glistening things inside.

Why did Sun Huohuo, who was usually carefree, sunny, happy, fearless, and free-spirited, become like this?

"Erhuo, who bullied you?!" Yun Duoduo rolled up her sleeves, looking ready to fight.

"Waaah, it's, it's Daddy, Daddy's ignoring me." Sun Huohuo looked very aggrieved.

【Ah? Lord Sun?】

[Forget it, Lord Sun is indeed quite burly; he wouldn't stand a chance in a real fight.]

Lord Sun, we can't beat him.

"Cough cough." Yun Duoduo awkwardly pulled her sleeves down again. "Cough cough, it seems a little cold!"

"Huo Huo, Lord Sun is busy. Look at how he ran in; it seems he has something urgent to report to His Majesty," Ah Xiang comforted Sun Huo Huo.

"Yes, yes, your father and my father are discussing something important inside!"

Sun Huohuo pouted, looking aggrieved, and didn't say anything.

"Erhuo, I heard that the Imperial Kitchen has launched a new type of sweet fermented rice balls and an improved version of crispy pork. Do you want to try them?" Yun Duoduo raised an eyebrow and smiled enticingly at Sun Huohuo.

This might make Erhuo a little happier.

"This crispy pork is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and paired with the sweet and sour sauce, it's incredibly delicious!"

"These sweet fermented rice balls have a soup with peach blossom wine and flower petals in it. The little rice balls are white, tender, and adorable, and they're very chewy!"

"Let's go, let's go, Duo'er, hurry up, let's go now."

...

In Yiqin Palace, Yun Jin was carrying a zither out of her bedchamber. "Your Highness, the weather is getting warmer now. You should come out and bask in the sun and play the zither. That would be a good way to make the most of this beautiful season!"

Nanfei sat by the window, smiling as she watched Yunjin and Xiangling busy at work.

Although she was alone and helpless in Beiliang and did not receive the favor of the king, she lived a quiet life, watching the clouds drift and the flowers bloom and fade, and she was quite content.

Just then, she heard a series of hurried footsteps outside the palace, and then she saw a man in a long black robe.

Miao Nanyan felt a chill run through her body.

"Your Majesty, we are your servants!" The palace maids in Yiqin Palace saw Baili Yingfeng enter without being announced in advance, and they were so frightened that they quickly knelt down to pay their respects.

Baili Yingfeng remained expressionless, yet exuded a chilling rage.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Miao Nanyan quickly rose from the soft couch, straightened her hairpins and sleeves, and performed a deep bow.

Every time she faced this man, she couldn't help but feel terrified.

"Tell me, is this yours or not?!" Baili Yingfeng strode into the bedchamber, sat down in a chair, and threw the dagger he was tightly gripping onto the ground.

Miao Nanyan looked at the dagger in front of her, feeling slightly surprised.

[Isn't this the gift that Ah Xiang, the head maid of Princess Fushuang's palace in Nanyang, gave to her before she left?]

She kept it safely under her pillow the whole time, how did it end up in the king's hands?

[Your Majesty, what does this mean?]

[You want her to end it herself?!]

Miao Nanyan looked at the dagger with a puzzled expression, slowly raised her head, and said softly, "Your Majesty, this dagger belongs to me."

"Hmph, very well! You've got guts."