"Of course, whoever captures the capital first will be the ruler."
Prince Chen, Li Shan, raised his voice so loud it was deafening.
"Although the one living in the palace is also surnamed Yan, he is far too incompetent, allowing a descendant of the previous dynasty to control him. He is truly disgracing our ancestors. I agree with Prince Chen's proposal."
The King of Yingchuan preemptively shifted the focus to himself, claiming that he was the greatest king here, and not just any king of a different surname, and that they should all follow his lead.
But since they all have military power, we'll tolerate them this time.
Whoever enters the capital first will be given the highest status; this is a good method.
"Very well, that's a good idea. I, the King of Leping, also agree. Then let's all use our unique abilities. I, the King of Yingchuan, have other matters to attend to in my fiefdom, so I'll take my leave now!"
King Xiao Chun of Leping stood up, took a big gulp of wine, and bowed to take his leave.
"Now that the matter is settled, I, the Prince of Yingchuan, should extend the hospitality of a host to everyone. Why is the Prince of Leping leaving so soon?"
The Prince of Yingchuan paused in his grip on the cup, then asked with a smile.
“A spy has appeared in Lingshan. I must eliminate this spy before I can answer Your Majesty’s call, so I…”
Seeing that the King of Yingchuan was unwilling to release the person, King Xiao Chun of Leping poured another cup of wine for the person at the top.
They were already unhappy. What did the King of Yingchuan mean by this? Did he want to keep them as hostages?
"Hahaha... Since Brother Xiao has said so, then I shall not linger any longer. I will offer this cup of wine to Prince Leping."
The King of Yingchuan narrowed his eyes, took a large sip of wine, and saw his guest off.
After King Leping left, the other kings also politely declined King Yingchuan's offer and left Qifan Mountain one after another.
The day after they left, each of them encountered an ambush of varying degrees. The most successful was the King of Xichuan, who was buried deep in the heart of Yingchuan and never returned to Xichuan.
As for who the murderer was, the evidence found by the princes all pointed to the imperial court.
A month later, rumors spread like wildfire throughout the cities after the grand banquet, especially in the capital.
Meanwhile, the person involved in the rumor was sitting in Cen Xi's room, peeling grapes for her.
Cen Xi glanced at the notice while giving Shen Jinchen a strange look:
"They say you have the ambition of a wolf, that you hold the emperor hostage to command the princes, that you are a wolf in sheep's clothing, a heartless and cruel person. Husband, do you think you are such a person? I think the scolding is quite good. What do you think?"
"They were right to scold you. Why are you so happy, Madam? The people they were scolding were your husband, the father of the child in your womb. They were indirectly scolding you, and you still say it's fine."
Shen Jinchen forcefully shoved a grape into Cen Xi's mouth, looking somewhat annoyed.
"Oh, right, that makes sense. We're quite close now. When others criticize you, it seems to affect me a bit, but I'm just so happy about it."
After swallowing the grapes, Cen Xi stood up and pinched Shen Jinchen's cheek, her gloating smile hard to hide.
"Oh, right, and they even scolded you for disrupting the court. You know, Liu Yan has been rumored for so long, why hasn't His Majesty made a move in the palace? Why don't we go to the palace together tomorrow to take a look?"
If we're talking about people to admire, Cen Xi has to admit he has to admire His Majesty in the palace. By now, he should have found out about the news.
Why isn't anything happening?
"It is time to go to the palace and see His Majesty. You will come with me tomorrow."
Shen Jinchen covered his face, which had been pinched red, and after thinking for a moment, said with a hint of emotion.
"Why tomorrow? Can't we go to the palace today?"
Things have developed to this point, and now almost everyone in the country knows that he is a descendant of the previous dynasty, yet he is not flustered at all.
"No rush. You've been vomiting a lot lately. It's not too late to go tomorrow. Anyway, the whole world already knows, so what's the rush?"
Shen Jinchen sat with an air of composure, peeling grapes for Cen Xi as he did so.
"Alright, seeing how calm you are even if Mount Tai collapses in front of you, it means I was worrying for nothing."
Cen Xi took a bite of the grape offered to her, chuckled softly, and said.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Are you worried about me?"
Shen Jinchen smiled and looked at Cen Xi with a meaningful expression.
"Of course, after I figured it out, I felt that you were a good person, quite caring, but I don't know if you can stay in love for long."
Cen Xi originally didn't believe in love, but someone insisted on binding her to him, leaving her with no choice but to compromise and accept her fate.
After her mindset changed, she genuinely felt that her boyfriend had some redeeming qualities.
Love really does make people brain-dead; isn't she brain-dead right now?
"What do you plan to do with me if I can't maintain this relationship?"
Shen Jinchen pinched Cen Xi's nose with his dirty hands and asked in a teasing tone.
"Then let's turn you into a human pig, soak you in a vat of wine, and make you infamous for eternity. How about that?"
Cen Xi vigorously rubbed her nose, which Shen Jinchen had touched, and answered seriously with a smile.
What is a human pig?
Sometimes Shen Jinchen really didn't understand what Cen Xi was thinking. Where did he come from with all those strange words?
"You've probably never heard of this, so let me, the princess, do you a favor and explain it to you today. In our land, there's an old story in a book about a woman who fought alongside her husband to conquer the country, enduring countless hardships. After her husband became emperor, he planned to depose her and their son for the sake of his concubine. After she argued her case, her husband died, and her son ascended the throne. So she chopped off the hands and feet of the concubine her husband loved and put her in a jar."
"How about that? Isn't it cruel? If you don't want to be a human pig, then I'll be your only woman for the rest of your life."
Cen Xi told Shen Jinchen the stories she had read in history books to see his reaction and whether he would think she was a bit malicious.
"Hmm! A very unique woman. So why didn't she turn her husband into a human pig, but instead turned her rival into one?"
Shen Jinchen's eyes narrowed slightly as he raised his question.
"Because his husband died."
Cen Xi naturally knew what Shen Jinchen meant by asking her that question, but was she the kind of person who would admit defeat?
She could accept him forcibly keeping her by his side, but she absolutely could not accept his betrayal; she was prepared to fight to the death.
Since she's already been reincarnated once, she believes that as long as she gets rid of Yan Taizu, she'll have a better life in her next life.
"Ah-Xi, why do you never feel secure? Are you always afraid that I will betray you?"
Shen Jinchen asked very seriously because he could sense Cen Xi's negative emotions again.
"Because we've seen it so many times, it's become a habit over time. You don't need to be afraid. As long as you behave well and don't break your previous promises, we can still get along peacefully, and I believe we'll get along very well."
Cen Xi glanced at Shen Jinchen with a complicated expression, then raised an eyebrow and revealed a sly smile.
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