She felt he deserved it, but she couldn't help feeling sorry for him.

Chi Yan, taking advantage of her kindness, leaned closer and nuzzled her neck, somewhat like a large, furry dog: "You didn't even say you'd help me persuade her."

Shen Tangning pushed him away expressionlessly: "Because you deserve it."

Looking at her indifferent little face, Chi Yan clicked his tongue, his eyes accusing, and cupped her face, kneading it round and round: "What a cruel heart, do you really want to remarry?"

Upon learning of his death, she remained remarkably calm, showing no grief whatsoever, and immediately went to the palace to report the news.

Shen Tangning struggled to lift her head, bit him on the tiger's mouth, and watched him wince in pain before casually saying, "Don't think I don't know you took Yu Shu away."

Upon learning of Chi Yan's death from Chi Jingyu, she was indeed briefly dazed, but quickly calmed down. Her subsequent melancholy and even illness were largely an act.

After all, he had promised her that he would come back alive.

Chi Yan chuckled, sat down, put his arm around her, and rested his chin on the top of her head: "My Aning is so smart."

Before setting off to suppress the bandits, Chi Yan knew that this trip would be very dangerous. Huo Xian, on the surface, was the Third Prince's man, but in reality, he was Emperor Chongde's man.

He told Emperor Chongde about Chi Yan's contact with the Eldest Princess, which made the emperor wary of him. He then used a pretext to order Chi Yan to suppress bandits, but in reality, he had no intention of letting Chi Yan return alive.

Huo Xian thought he had kept it a secret, and even planned to give Chi Yan false information to mislead him, but little did he know that Huo Xian had already found out everything about his background.

Just to be on the safe side, Chi Yan brought Yu Shu, who was skilled in disguise, along so that Chongde Emperor's spies could witness "him" being pierced by a thousand arrows. Only then could he fake his death and escape to contact the Qianlin Guard and the Xiao family.

He didn't go into details about the hardships and dangers involved, but Shen Tangning could guess what they were.

She touched his calloused hand with a light touch, a fleeting look in her eyes.

So in his previous life, Chi Yan also faked his death to escape and went to seek refuge with the Eldest Princess?

very nice.

She only felt fortunate.

She felt he was a dazzling star in the summer night, so it shouldn't be his fate to dim and fall.

"Between the eldest princess and the crown prince, who will ascend the throne?"

Upon hearing her question, Chi Yan paused for a moment, then took her hand and played with it: "Who do you think it should be?"

Shen Tangning scoffed lightly: "I think? Didn't you already side with the Eldest Princess?"

In the end, I couldn't escape this situation.

Chi Yan coughed softly, turned her around by the shoulder, and asked tentatively, "Are you angry?"

She looked up and met his bright eyes, and the frustration in her heart dissipated: "Even if we are husband and wife, I will not try to change your position, because that is your own decision."

She was no longer as stubborn as before, believing that Chi Yan should unconditionally stand behind her, think what she thought, and worry about what she worried about.

He is an independent individual and should have his own thoughts; this is what Chi Yan taught her.

She slightly turned down the corners of her lips: "I'm just a little unhappy. You kept such a big thing from me. Don't you trust me?"

Chi Yan breathed a sigh of relief, kissed her on the lips, and sighed, "I was afraid of putting you in a difficult position."

The crown prince is her cousin, so it's perfectly normal for her to show some favoritism.

Whether it's due to their close relationship or the education Shen Tangning received from a young age, she would prefer her cousin to take that position.

But after thinking about it carefully, she wondered, what if it were the eldest princess?

Yan Mingyi was so outstanding, and she was also raised to be upright and kind, with a heart full of compassion for the weak.

She encourages women to pursue their ambitions and feels pity for Kang Ji-kyung, who has experienced similar hardships.

Both professionally and personally, she is equally suited for that position.

Therefore, Shen Tangning thought that no matter who ascended the throne, she would choose to offer her blessings.

One is a relative, the other a friend; there's no comparison.