Xuancang State was originally the most powerful country in Kyushu Continent. During the reign of Emperor Xuanwu, he fought many wars and established a blueprint for the country.

Not only did the small countries in the Western Regions have to send tribute to Xuan Cang every year, but even the century-old country Tian Gan in the south and the large tribal country Dong Xu in the northeast had to pay tribute every year.

But today is different from the past. Xuancang has gradually declined from its heyday. Although the current Emperor Xuancang is a wise ruler and governed the country quite well in his early years, he is weak and his health is getting worse day by day after he turned thirty.

Some wizards even predicted that the emperor might not survive this year.

The Xuancang court now appears calm on the surface, but in fact, there are turbulent situations inside. The court officials have been divided into three factions, one supporting Prince Jing, one supporting Prince Qi, and the other supporting the Crown Prince.

The weakest faction among them is the prince's faction.

The state-guarding general He Yongzhen is now Xia Qingchen's greatest helper. Of course, because he is his uncle, he naturally trusts him more.

Xia Qingchen and He Simiao were both well aware of the current urgent situation.

He Simiao said, "My father intends to take over the Wanqi family. What do you think?"

"Wanqi Family?" Xia Qingchen pondered for a moment and said, "Although I know that they have no intention of belonging to any faction, I also know that Prince Qi and Prince Jing have tried to win over the Wanqi Family but failed. I don't know if they will agree if I take action."

"Wanqi Song has 50,000 elite soldiers, and my father only has 30,000. Prince Qi and Prince Jing know that my father supports you, the Crown Prince, so they naturally want to win over the Wanqi family. If we can win them over, plus the 40,000 guards under the Crown Prince, we will have a total of 120,000 troops, and our chances of winning will be greatly improved."

"I understand this, but Wanqi Song is not in the capital right now, so how can I discuss this with him?"

"Of course, we should look for his legitimate son, Wanqi Youhui."

Xia Qingchen helplessly held his forehead, "You know that Wanqi Youhui and I..."

He Simiao patted his shoulder and advised: "Your Highness, this matter is serious, let's put aside the past grudges for the time being."

Xia Qingchen thought about it and decided that this was the only solution.

"I will have someone draft a letter and send it to Wanqi Mansion later."

The two quickly changed the subject.

He Simiao asked, "Have you figured out who was responsible for your previous pursuit?"

"No, those people had poison hidden in their teeth, and they committed suicide before I could escort them back to the palace."

"Next time, remember to remove their jaws before arresting them."

"Um."

After chatting for a while, their topic suddenly turned to Jiang Muyu.

He Simiao smiled and asked, "Tell me the truth, where did this little girl come from? She doesn't look like a maid."

Xia Qingchen followed his gaze and saw Jiang Muyu had a bitter and worried look on his face. It seemed that he had heard everything they said.

He smiled faintly and said, "I picked it up. I don't know anything. I'm stupid as hell."

Hearing this, He Simiao's expression changed. He moved closer to him and said in a low voice, "Aren't you afraid that this person with unknown origins might be a spy?"

"It doesn't matter. I will always keep her by my side and watch over her myself."

Seeing that he had made up his mind, He Simiao did not say anything more and only said, "Be careful. You must act cautiously during this special period."

"clear."

Seeing that it was getting late, Xia Qingchen stood up and said goodbye, then left the restaurant with Jiang Muyu.

They got on the carriage, and Jiang Muyu curiously opened the curtain and looked out, "Your Highness, where are we going next?"

"Return to the palace."

She was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at him, "Are we not going back to that private house?"

"I am the crown prince, so naturally I must live in the palace."

When she thought of the palace, Jiang Muyu felt a little nervous. She grabbed his sleeve and asked, "Will there be a lot of rules in the palace? If I make a mistake, will I be beaten to death with a stick?"

Seeing that she was indeed a little scared, Xia Qingchen raised his hand to cover the back of her hand, patted it gently, and said soothingly: "Don't be afraid, although there are many rules in the palace, you just need to follow me closely."

Jiang Muyu nodded and said, "I will follow you closely. From now on, I will go wherever you go."

Xia Qingchen was amused by her serious and solemn look. She narrowed her eyes, smiled slightly, and said, "So you are afraid sometimes."

Jiang Muyu was stunned by his smile.

It turns out that when he is gentle, his smile is so beautiful, just like the flowers in spring suddenly blooming, stunning the entire four seasons.

"Your Highness, has anyone ever told you that you look particularly good when you smile?"

Xia Qingchen was stunned.

She stretched out her hand and gently stroked his brow with her soft fingertips, then said, "I think you should smile more often. You always frown, and you don't look like an eight-year-old child at all."

Xia Qingchen looked at the little girl in front of him and suddenly lost his mind. No one had ever told him that he should act like a child because he had been made the crown prince since he was born.

His father told him that he would inherit the throne in the future and that he must be both civil and military, be proficient in governing the country, and not be greedy for pleasure.

His mother told him that he was the crown prince and should set an example, control the court officials with his ability, serve the country and the people in the future, and take good care of his younger brother.

He grew up under the watchful eyes of the public, and every step he took was carefully planned, with no room for error.

And Jiang Muyu was the only unexpected thing in his life so far.

"Hey, Xia Qingchen, what are you thinking about?" Jiang Muyu raised his hand and waved it in front of his eyes.

He held down her dangling little hands, sighed, and said, "Actually... my name is not Xia Qingchen."

"Ah?" Jiang Muyu tilted his head, "Then what's your name?"

"You don't need to know. You can just call me Ah Chen in private and call me Your Highness the Crown Prince like everyone else in public."

"Oh." Since he didn't want to say it, Jiang Muyu didn't ask any more questions.

Soon, the carriage arrived at the palace, and Jiang Muyu got off the carriage behind him.

The Xuan Cang Palace was very large. It took half an hour to walk from the Zhengyang Gate to the East Palace. Jiang Muyu's legs were tired from walking so much.

"We're here." After not hearing a response, Xia Qingchen turned around to look at her half-dead appearance and said, "You're so tired after such a short distance. You're a little too proud."

Jiang Muyu pounded his leg and said, "My body is weak, what can I do?"

"Starting tomorrow, you will practice with me every morning."

"Ah?" Her face fell instantly.

Xia Qingchen wanted to laugh when he saw her tearful face, and walked into the bedroom in a good mood.

He ordered the palace servants to set up a bed for Jiang Muyu in the side hall next to him, and let her sleep there temporarily.

Unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, the little girl, wearing pajamas, holding a soft pillow, and walking barefoot into his bedroom.

She poked her head out from behind the pillar and saw him still writing something behind the desk. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and walked over to him, "Ah Chen, why aren't you asleep yet?"

Xia Qingchen had just heard her footsteps, so he wasn't too surprised to see her. He just lowered his head and continued writing. He asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not used to sleeping in such a big place by myself, and I just had a nightmare."

Xia Qingchen then put down the brush and looked over. He found that the little girl's eyes were red, obviously she had been crying.

She frowned in confusion, "It's just a dream, what's there to cry about?"

She lowered her head, rubbing her two white and tender feet on the carpet, pouting her lips and saying aggrievedly, "I'm just scared."

"So what do you want?"

She raised her head, her face full of hope and her eyes sparkling, and said, "Can I sleep with you?"

"No." He refused without hesitation.

"But your bed is so big, we can sleep on each side, and I promise I won't touch you, okay?"

"No."

"Okay." Jiang Muyu's head drooped, he sighed, turned around and walked out reluctantly, muttering, "Let me fend for myself, let the devil in my dream take me away and eat me, he has to dip me in soy sauce when he eats me, let me be digested in my dream along with the sauce."

"Uh..." Seeing that she had been hesitating for a long time and hadn't moved even a foot away, he was afraid that she wouldn't be able to move out of his bedroom until dawn.

In the end, Xia Qingchen compromised.

He placed the pillow across the middle of the bed and said, "Don't cross the line at night!"

Jiang Muyu smiled and raised four fingers, swearing: "Yes, I promise not to cross the line."

However, in the second half of the night, Xia Qingchen fell into deep thought as he looked at the arm across his chest.