Jinlan didn't quite catch what Xuanyuan Yue was saying, so she asked, "What are you saying, Princess?"
Xuanyuan Yue suddenly snapped out of her reverie, quickly pulling herself out of her wandering thoughts, and asked the maid, "By the way, have you found out where His Highness has been these past few days?"
After a moment's thought, Jinlan handed a freshly brewed cup of hot tea to Xuanyuan Yue and replied, "I heard from the servants that His Highness the Third Prince seems to have left the palace."
"Leaving the palace?" For some reason, Xuan Yuan Yue felt a sudden jolt in her heart upon hearing this. She took the teacup and asked in confusion, "Do you know what the purpose of leaving the palace is?"
Upon hearing this, Jinlan was even more surprised than her. She stood motionless for a moment, staring blankly at her, and said, "Since the wedding, hasn't the princess always refrained from inquiring about the Third Prince's whereabouts? Why today..."
Under normal circumstances, let alone just a few days, even if Mei Zhixuan were gone for several months, Xuan Yuan Yue would never ask where he went or what he did.
But now, looking at the heavy, dark-colored waist token lying quietly on the table, she felt increasingly uneasy, sensing that something big was about to happen.
Seeing that she had been so worried these days, with her brows furrowed and following Xuan Yuan Yue's gaze, Jin Lan seemed to understand her mistress's thoughts.
She glanced outside and lowered her voice slightly, saying, "I knew it. The princess must have noticed something these days. I went to great lengths to find out His Highness's whereabouts and had someone get the guards in His Highness's courtyard drunk. I just found out that His Highness had a friend from afar visiting and went out of the palace to entertain him."
"A friend from afar?" Xuan Yuan Yue asked, frowning in confusion.
Jinlan seemed to understand but not quite, and said, "They say this friend is very powerful and can help Your Highness achieve whatever you want, getting whatever you desire!"
Jinlan pouted, puzzled and angry, and said, "I don't know if he was drunk, that's why he was talking nonsense like that, saying he could have whatever he wanted."
Xuanyuan Yue, however, seemed to think otherwise. She casually got up and walked to the window, facing a flickering candlelight. Lost in thought, she silently repeated Jinlan's words in a voice almost only she could hear: "To help His Highness get whatever he desires, to grant him whatever he wishes for..."
After speaking, she glanced down at the black waist token clutched in her hand. She was quite familiar with this token; it was a special token used by the Western Qin Kingdom's Ministry of War to manage weapons, and only its important generals possessed it. But how could it have ended up in the Eastern Ning Kingdom's palace at this time?
Upon realizing this, she recalled Mei Zhixuan's mysterious comings and goings all this time.
Once upon a time, Mei Zhixuan's words revealed that he seemed to have already mastered the legendary guardian of Western Qin who possessed mysterious power. He had been preparing for many years, and although he had found this power, the reason why he had not yet made a move was that the King of Dongning was reluctant to let him take command of the army. Therefore, he lacked the weapon he needed to start a rebellion.
"Could it be... that someone in Western Qin took advantage of Qin Huangshu's unconsciousness to secretly collude with Mei Zhixuan to sell weapons, or perhaps..." Xuan Yuan Yue didn't even dare to think any further, tightly gripping the waist token.
Thinking of this, Xuan Yuan Yue forced herself to remain calm, fixed her gaze, and hurriedly asked, "Have the people we sent out found any news of Yun'er yet?"
Jinlan shook her head: "There's still no news about Miss Yi."
Seeing Xuan Yuan Yue clutching the cold waist token tightly in her hand, she asked with a worried expression, "Princess, you don't suspect that someone in the Ministry of War..."
Xuanyuan Yue suddenly came to her senses, turned around and grabbed Jinlan's hand tightly, earnestly instructing her: "Jinlan, this matter is between heaven, earth, you and me. You must not let a third person know, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable, do you understand?"
Jinlandun was stunned and nodded repeatedly to Qizhi. The master and servant looked at each other's eyes meaningfully.
Just then, a loud "bang" suddenly came from outside, and colorful fireworks burst into the sky.
Happy New Year!
Meanwhile, in another corner of the city, in a secluded and quiet house.
A thunderous, furious command rang out from inside the room: "Go and prepare! On the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth of the first lunar month, I will make this entire city boil with excitement. This will atone for their mistakes. Anyone who dares to lay a hand on my woman is unforgivable!"
"Your subordinate obeys."
After everyone had dispersed, the majestic figure sitting upright at the table inside the room, dressed in a black brocade robe with his black hair tied up, slowly loosened his fists, which had been clenched for who knows how long, and stepped behind the screen.
This man was none other than Xuan Yuanhan, the King of Western Qin, who had secretly come to Dongning Kingdom. He gently approached the bedside and gazed tenderly at the face of the woman who had been unconscious for many days.
Now that the veil had been removed, his face, though lightly made up, was enough to be breathtakingly beautiful. He was very satisfied and finally lifted the hem of his robe to sit on the edge of the couch.
He reached out and took the woman's hand, while gently stroking her thin face with his other hand. He said with great regret, "I'm sorry, it's because I'm late that you've suffered so much injustice."
The thought of learning of Yi Shangyun's death in Beilie made him feel as if the whole sky had collapsed.
Later, after he returned to the Western Qin Kingdom and fell into a coma, in the days and nights, it seemed as if she woke him up again in a dream and brought him back to this world.
Past and present lives seem like lifetimes apart.
He had despaired, thinking they would never meet again in this life.
Now, she has reappeared before him, so vivid and real. She is still alive, and this makes him so happy.
As he pondered, a long-lost smile suddenly appeared on his cold face, and he solemnly declared, "Yun'er, promise me you will wake up. This time, no matter what, I will never let go of your hand again."
As he spoke, Xuan Yuanhan couldn't help but lean down and gently kiss the woman's soft pink lips.
Just then, the woman's fingers twitched slightly. Xuan Yuanhan noticed it, but it was too late to withdraw them before the woman opened her eyes.
"You, you are, His Highness the King of Qin..." The woman opened her eyes and began to speak, but then immediately denied it, "No, this is impossible. His Highness, he, he was implicated by me, he has already... I killed him. I must be dreaming, I must be dreaming."
Seeing that she was no longer able to tell what was going on, Xuan Yuanhan simply went down and kissed her again to seal the kiss.
The two were locked in a passionate kiss, and after a while, Xuan Yuanhan slowly withdrew and asked softly, "What, do you still think you're dreaming?"
The woman stared intently at him, and then suddenly burst into tears: "Waaah..."
Upon seeing this, Xuan Yuanhan immediately panicked and asked, "What's wrong? What's wrong?"
Thinking to himself, he wondered if his actions had startled the little creature because they hadn't seen each other for so long. So he quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Yun'er. I really couldn't help myself. It's all because I missed you so much. Did I scare you? I'm so sorry."
The woman suddenly stopped crying, reached out two gentle hands to wrap around Xuan Yuanhan's ears, then crossed them and hugged his neck tightly, whispering in his ear, "Your Highness, you're still alive, that's wonderful!"
Only then did Xuanyuan Han smile with relief, and at the same time, he hugged Yi Shangyun tightly.
It was as if they had both waited for this moment for far too long...
After an unknown amount of time, Yi Shangyun finally came to her senses, glanced at the unfamiliar surroundings, and asked, "By the way, where is this? And how did Yun'er get out of the palace?"
As Xuan Yuanhan helped him sit up, he said leisurely, "This is the outpost I set up in Dongning Kingdom. It was my people, whom I planted next to the Empress of Dongning, who devised the plan to bring you out of the palace."
Yi Shangyun stared wide-eyed in astonishment: "What? His Highness's people have already infiltrated Empress Dongning's inner circle?"
Xuanyuan Han raised an eyebrow, brought over a cup of hot water, and fed her while saying, "Yun'er, I'm sorry, I'm late, leaving you to wander around and suffer alone."
Yi Shangyun looked apologetic and retorted, "No, Your Highness, please don't say that. I'm the one who should apologize. It's always been Yun'er who's dragging Your Highness down. By the way, Your Highness, were you injured anywhere during the battle of Beilie? Let Yun'er take a look!"
As Yi Shangyun spoke, she was about to lift the covers and get out of bed, but Xuan Yuanhan quickly pressed her back down, grasped her hands tightly, and said earnestly and affectionately, "Everything I have done for you is of my own free will. I wish to have one heart with you, to grow old together and never be apart. In this life, are you willing to be with me?"
As Yi Shangyun listened to the words of love spoken to her by the man before her, who was as revered as a god, she gazed tenderly into his eyes, which seemed to glow. She could only murmur softly, "I... I do."
At this moment, the two embraced each other tightly and affectionately. Xuan Yuanhan said with joy, "I have finally found you. After things are settled here, I will take you home. For the rest of my life, I will stay with you."
"Go home?" Upon hearing Xuan Yuanhan's words, Yi Shangyun suddenly frowned and asked.
After a moment's thought, Yi Shangyun parted ways with Xuan Yuanhan. Yi Shangyun hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Highness, there are some things that I need to verify when I get home."
Xuan Yuanhan calmly said, "You mean, about your true identity? Are you the eldest daughter of the Western Qin Pharmacist's Mansion, or..."
It seemed that there was still a slight hesitation in his heart, but he finally paused for a moment and continued to look into her eyes and said, "Yun'er, are you the most noble legitimate princess of this wealthy Dongning Kingdom?"
Yi Shangyun hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, please don't misunderstand. This isn't a matter of status, but rather..."
Xuanyuan Han stretched out a hand to interrupt the rest of the conversation: "You don't need to explain to me. When I decided to come to Dongning, I had already anticipated this day, so I simply brought him along as well."
"Him?" Yi Shangyun asked with a puzzled look.
The words had barely left his mouth when a familiar voice rang out from outside the door…
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