Although Meng Dan didn't know what cryptic language the two of them were using, judging from Xiao Jian's confident expression, he knew they had reached an agreement. Meng Dan was naturally happy to see it happen.
Xiao Jian held his teacup with an air of complete control, a slight smile playing on his lips. Fu Erkang held his tea absentmindedly, looking lost in thought. He didn't know if his decision was right or wrong, but the moment he uttered it, he felt an indescribable sense of relief.
The emperor couldn't see his talent, his father no longer praised him as before, and even his mother would sometimes secretly wipe away tears and speak highly of Ertai when no one was around.
How could the once proud and self-assured Fu Erkang accept this? How could he willingly admit his mistakes? How could he willingly admit that he was not as good as the younger brother he used to look down on?
Therefore, Fu Erkang preferred to accept the olive branch extended by Xiao Jian. Even though he knew that this might damage the emperor's reputation, he felt much more at ease.
Even a supreme monarch can suffer a loss of face, so it doesn't matter much if Fu Erkang suffers a little loss of face.
Xiao Jian had perfectly grasped Fu Erkang's complex nature—a mix of inferiority and arrogance—and had him completely under his control. Just when Fu Erkang was about to give up, Xiao Jian repeatedly brought up the existence of the person he cared about, ruthlessly stabbing him in the heart.
Xiao Jian felt that the blood feud against his parents was about to be avenged. He planned to leave the White Lotus Sect, since his membership was merely a means to use its power to eliminate the corrupt emperor and avenge his parents. Once the revenge was complete, he would take his sister back to Dali to live with his uncle and aunt.
When that time comes, he and his sister will never again be involved in the bloodshed and turmoil of the martial world.
Watching the two chatting so amicably, Meng Dan felt that the day he would reunite with Hanxiang was just around the corner. A smile unconsciously crept onto his lips. But then he remembered that Hanxiang might have already been favored by that damned emperor, and the smile on his lips gradually tightened, his expression turning somewhat grim, as if a storm was brewing.
*
Mu Feng returned to the inn in high spirits. When he saw his sister, whom he didn't want to see, he was able to greet her calmly.
"It won't be long before we can go back to Myanmar." Mu Feng walked over to Mu Sha, who was having a great time on the swing.
Hearing Mu Feng say this, Mu Sha had no choice but to stop the swing. Then, sitting on the swing, she asked her nominal brother with a questioning look, "Why? Why did you go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation of the Qing Emperor? What did you talk about with the Qing Emperor?"
Although Musa had long wanted to return to Myanmar, she was suffering from both the change in environment and the ridicule of the palace maids and eunuchs. Although she couldn't understand Mandarin, she could tell from their expressions that they were definitely not saying anything nice and were even secretly watching their every move.
Regardless, this was ultimately a task assigned by her father, and it would have a significant impact on the future development of Myanmar. Therefore, Musa still attached great importance to the marriage between her brother and Princess Yong'an.
But she never expected her brother to be such a useless good-for-nothing, unable to even win the princess's favor. Although the princess was beautiful and quite a good match for General Fu.
After all, she herself was almost stunned when she saw General Fu that day, but this was the exact opposite of the mission they were supposed to complete. No matter what the reason, it could not stop their determination to complete the mission, but her brother was so cowardly that he didn't even create an opportunity for a chance encounter.
This infuriated Musa. After all, she was not eating or sleeping well here and was only thinking about completing the mission. But the main character of the mission was doing nothing and even seemed to be having a good time here. How could she not be angry?
"It's no use. I just went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to see Princess Yong'an. I heard that the princess has been going to the Hall of Mental Cultivation a lot these days." Mu Feng twitched the corner of his mouth and calmly told a lie.
Mu Sha stared intently at Mu Feng for a few seconds before finally giving up, because she couldn't tell that Mu Feng was lying. Then she looked at Mu Feng with a mocking expression, and her words were more piercing than winter frost, "It seems that my brother isn't all that great after all. I thought that with your face, you could bewitch Princess Yong'an of the Qing Dynasty, but I didn't expect that she wouldn't even give you a second glance. What a waste."
After saying these words, Mu Sha instructed the servants behind her to push the swing higher. Then she slammed hard into Mu Feng's shoulder.
Mu Feng was knocked aside and stumbled a few steps. Then, staring at Mu Sha who was having a great time, he clenched his fists tightly and thought to himself, "Sooner or later, you won't be able to laugh anymore. Cherish these last few happy days."
Mu Feng turned and left immediately, but in Mu Sha's eyes, this was just a pathetic escape, and Mu Sha laughed even more heartily. After all, if the Queen weren't still alive, her mother could have ascended to the throne. In Mu Sha's eyes, her father and mother were the truly loving couple, and the others were merely people her father had no choice but to accept.
So from a young age, Musa had to work hard. She felt that she was no worse than those princes, and even stronger than them. Meng Bai often took her on expeditions, which taught her a lot of survival skills and deadly techniques.
As a result, Musa looked down on her nominal brothers even more, and often bullied those who were unarmed and whose martial arts skills were inferior to hers.
The servant behind Mu Feng looked at his prince with worry. The princess had once again humiliated him. How could she say such a thing about him? The prince was handsome as jade, yet she said he couldn't even seduce the princess. What did she mean by seduce her?
*
Cining Palace
"An'an, I heard that the people from Myanmar are all going back?" Qing'er happened to hear the Empress Dowager mention it during dinner, and she has been keeping it in mind ever since.
She had just finished helping the Empress Dowager fall asleep when she rushed over. Coincidentally, Xinrong was also lurking suspiciously at the door, clearly trying to eavesdrop.
"Come in when you get to the door, what are you lingering at the door for?" Anke said with a smile, looking at the shadow reflected in the window.
Xinrong pushed open the door, feeling embarrassed. She really wanted to know the details, but she had heard that Princess Yong'an was present when the Burmese prince asked the emperor to let him return to Burma.
I couldn't sleep that night, so I came to An'an's place to find out what was going on. I never expected to come here. I happened to see Qing'er at the corner of the flower corridor, and I thought I'd come back and ask her after she left. I didn't expect to be discovered.
“Yes, they are leaving, but I’m afraid war is about to break out in Myanmar again.” Anke said meaningfully, looking at the burning red candle.
"Oh, why is there another war? Are we going to fight Burma again?" As soon as the war was mentioned, Xinrong immediately twisted the silk handkerchief in her hand tightly, her heart involuntarily tightened, and her voice rose considerably.
Qing'er's heart was also clenched with worry for the people on the Qing-Myanmar border. After all, if the armies went to war, the people on both sides would inevitably be affected. Who knew how many more people would be displaced, their families torn apart, and their lives lost?
Seeing the two of them panicking and lost in thought, An Ke couldn't help but chuckle. "Who told you that we were going to fight Burma? They're the ones who want to fight each other. It's just that our Great Qing wants to get involved too."
Qing'er understood An Ke's implied meaning. Upon hearing this, Xin Rong immediately relaxed, as long as it wasn't a war between Burma and the Qing Dynasty. She didn't care whether it was a war between their own people or not. In any case, it had nothing to do with the Qing Dynasty.
"So, does that mean His Majesty has made up his mind?" Qing'er asked again without realizing it. "Then who will he send along this time?"
When An Ke looked at Qing'er, Qing'er quickly looked away, not daring to meet An Ke's bright eyes, afraid that An Ke would see through her.
Even though Qing'er didn't make eye contact with An Ke, An Ke could still tell from Qing'er's tone and the constant movements of her hands that Qing'er was anxious and worried.
As for who she's worried about, it's definitely the person she just asked. Looks like someone who's won the heart of his beauty needs to speed things up.
An Ke didn't mind revealing their secret to them, "Oh, I heard the Emperor is planning to send Generals Fu'ertai and Ji Chu along. After all, they just defeated the Dzungars, right? They can also go and reclaim Burma, which will solidify their positions as generals. Besides, Burma is nothing to the Emperor, so if he sends a particularly respected general, they might think we care a lot." An Ke deliberately exaggerated the matter.
As expected, upon hearing this, Qing'er wrung the handkerchief in her hand even tighter and bit her lip firmly.
Seeing Qing'er's reaction, An Ke winked at Xin Rong. Xin Rong realized what she meant and quickly agreed, "Yes, if we have this military merit, wouldn't it be the icing on the cake for General Fu to ask for the princess's hand in marriage?"
“Yes, we’ll have to see them off at the main gate.” Anke added, as if afraid Qing’er wouldn’t notice.
"Alright, it's getting late. Are you two staying here to sleep or going back?" Anke stood up, stretched her limbs from sitting for so long, and shook her neck. She turned to them and asked.
"It's too cold outside, so I'll sleep here with you," Xinrong said first. She didn't want to be exposed to the biting wind outside anymore, lest she catch a cold.
"And what about you, Qing'er? Are you staying here tonight or going back?" An Ke turned her head and glanced at Qing'er, who was still sitting in the distance, struggling with her decision.
"Oh, I'll stay here and rest." Qing'er was brought back to her senses by An Ke's call, and then patted her face as she spoke.
Anke nodded without saying anything.
The day to depart for Myanmar is fast approaching!
Just as when they were first welcomed, the Emperor stood in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
"With the roads blocked by heavy snow, I fear you might encounter some extreme situation on your journey. I'm thinking of sending a team to protect your safety. They will naturally return after watching you enter Myanmar." The Emperor always had to say something to dispel the doubts of the Myanmar ministers, so as not to alert them.
The envoys had something else to say, but Mu Feng readily agreed. Mu Sha simply cupped her hands in thanks for the Emperor's kindness.
Thus, the envoy's words could only be kept to himself, never to be uttered again. After all, his own princes had already agreed; how could these ministers overstep their bounds?
And so, the Emperor stood on the city tower to see them off. Anke found Fu Ertai and gave him the scarf and other things she had knitted, and then told him to be careful, very careful, and even more careful.
Especially when it comes to food, you must be careful to eat what their own people cook, and never mix it with what the Burmese people eat.
An Ke recalled watching some short videos of what Musa had fed Fu Er Kang, and the thought made her feel uneasy. She only hoped that they would all return safely.
Voltay accepted the gifts the princess had made, his heart filled with gratitude. Ignoring the gazes of everyone present, he hugged the princess tightly before quickly letting go. "Don't worry, Princess, we will definitely complete our mission and return in triumph."
An Ke nodded. The emperor above, watching the scene, was already fuming. Where was this brat putting his hands?
Prince Rui, who was standing next to the Emperor, did not react much this time, which made the Emperor feel that it was unusual and he even glanced at his younger brother a few more times.
The Emperor: Hmm, something's not right. He didn't react at all when he saw this brat holding An'an. Is his tolerance even stronger than his? Could he be deliberately holding back?
Prince Rui: People really do need to be compared. As long as An'an doesn't marry into Myanmar, she could marry that brat Fu Ertai. Besides, Fu Ertai looks more robust than that Myanmar prince.
Mu Feng: So it's a world where only I get hurt?
Qing'er stood there hesitating for a moment, then took a deep breath and resolutely walked towards Ji Chu's direction.
"This is for you. Take it with you for protection. Remember to be careful in everything you do. Don't be careless." Qing'er handed Ji Chu the amulet she had embroidered last night. It contained the master's life-saving charm.
Ji Chu carefully took the amulet and placed it in his clothes as if it were a precious treasure. He looked at Qing'er with bright eyes, knowing that it was already quite an achievement for Qing'er to take this step.
Naturally, he dared not ask for too much. "Princess, rest assured, I will definitely return safely and will not let you down."
These words made Qing'er blush and she quickly retreated. Ji Chu was still gazing at Qing'er with lingering affection.
Watching this scene, Xinrong felt that their good news was just around the corner. After all, Qing'er had finally come to her senses, hadn't she?
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