Shanhe Festival 241. Prelude to the Princess' Ascension to the Throne

It was not until nearly four o'clock in the morning, when Ye Li had already fallen asleep in Mo Xiuyao's arms, that Princess Anxi sent someone to invite all the distinguished guests to the palace for a talk. Although it was a bit depressing that they were not going back to the inn to rest but to the palace to discuss matters at this time, no one present would say no. Everyone knew that the battle had already been settled, and the final winner would probably be Princess Anxi. Naturally, everyone present wanted to enter the palace as soon as possible to gain more benefits for themselves.

Originally, Mo Xiuyao wanted Ye Li to go back and rest, but Ye Li remembered that the King of Nanzhao was still hidden somewhere in the palace and decided to go back to the palace.

It was still the hall where the King of Nanzhao had received them, but the people in the hall had changed. Princess Anxi was still wearing her wedding white dress with blue flowers, but it was stained with a lot of dark red blood, and under the light, it looked even more cold and murderous. At this time, Princess Anxi stood in the hall, looking down at Shu Manlin, who was sitting in the hall in a mess.

"It's so late, and I'm really rude to invite you all to the palace." Princess Anxi nodded to Ye Li, and then apologized to the people who came into the palace. Lei Tengfeng smiled and said, "Princess, you don't have to be polite. Something happened suddenly tonight. Seeing that the princess and her husband are safe, I am relieved." Pu'a stood behind Princess Anxi, and there was still some blood on his young face that he hadn't had time to wipe off. Obviously, both he and Princess Anxi had experienced a hard battle tonight. Princess Anxi smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Prince Zhennan." Prime Minister Liu frowned and said, "Such a big thing has happened, why didn't you see the King of Nanzhao come out?"

Princess Anxi also frowned and said, "To be honest, I didn't see my father after I returned to the palace. I am sending people to look for him everywhere. Shu Manlin, the tokens of the royal city guards and the palace guards are in your hands. Where is my father?"

Shu Manlin looked unhappy and said coldly, "How would I know where he is?"

Princess Anxi sneered, "How come you don't know where your father has gone when the token is in your hand? Then how did you get the token?"

Shu Manlin was startled, but soon understood what Princess Anxi meant. She wanted to blame herself for the disappearance of the King of Nanzhao! Shu Manlin felt really wronged about this. She never thought that she would not be able to defeat Princess Anxi even though she had mobilized all the masters of the Southern Xinjiang Holy Land and the guards of the entire royal city. She originally had the hope of killing Princess Anxi directly, but once Princess Anxi died, her subordinates would be leaderless and vulnerable. Who knew that a group of extremely powerful guards appeared around her? Not to mention killing her, she was caught by Princess Anxi and her men when they broke into the Saint's Palace.

"What do you mean? The token was naturally given to me by the king!" Shu Manlin said sharply.

Princess Anxi was not in a hurry. She smiled calmly and said, "Father will give you both the palace guard token and the royal city guard token? Are you kidding?"

Shu Manlin felt a little uneasy. Under normal circumstances, the King of Nanzhao would never give her such an important thing. But this time, she had to use some special methods to deceive the King of Nanzhao into giving her the token. But no matter how she said that the token was given to her by the King of Nanzhao himself, no one would believe it. Everyone present was a powerful tyrant, and they naturally understood the importance of power and military power. As the King of Nanzhao, how could he easily hand over such an important thing to a saint? Even if someone believed it, now that she had lost, if the King of Nanzhao could not show up in time to save her, the truth would become a lie. But... where is the King of Nanzhao now?

Shu Manlin certainly didn't know that when she led most of the guards to besiege Princess Anxi, someone sneaked into the palace to rescue the King of Nanzhao and knocked him out and hid him away. If she knew, she would not have brought so many people with her, so that no one in the palace knew the whereabouts of the King of Nanzhao.

Princess Anxi looked down at Shu Manlin, who was so fierce but still refused to admit defeat, with a flash of disgust in her eyes. She was really fed up with this woman. She had understood Shu Manlin's true identity over the years, so she had tolerated Shu Manlin's occasional attacks on her. But she didn't expect that she would go too far. What made her most sad was that her father actually gave Shu Manlin the token of the Royal City Guard. Didn't her father think that with the right to mobilize the entire Royal City Guard, Shu Manlin might kill her? Or... did her father think so?

"Shu Manlin, you mobilized the palace and the royal city guards without authorization and attacked the princess's residence in an attempt to kill the Crown Princess of Nanzhao. You are also to blame for the disappearance of our father. Do you admit your guilt?" Princess Anxi took a deep breath and asked in a deep voice.

Shu Manlin was speechless and sneered, "Now that you have won, of course you are happy and can say whatever you want. Anxi, stop pretending. It is obvious that you have held the king hostage and framed me!"

Princess Anxi was not angry. She smiled indifferently and said, "Don't you know exactly where I went tonight? With thousands of your soldiers chasing and blocking me, I didn't even have the chance to get close to the palace. And... weren't you the one who took away nearly half of the palace guards? The palace guards bear the important responsibility of protecting the palace and the King of Nanzhao. They cannot be withdrawn at will even in wartime. Shu Manlin, are you still not aware of your guilt?"

"I..." Shu Manlin knew that she couldn't win the argument against Princess Anxi because she was too complacent and underestimated the enemy. She originally thought that even if Princess Anxi had great abilities, she couldn't escape from the encirclement of thousands of guards and hundreds of experts, so when she did these things, she didn't think of any roundabout way to cover up. Now that she failed, there was no chance for her to turn around.

"Prince Li..." Shu Manlin could only hope for the people present. The one she had the best relationship with was naturally Mo Jingli. However, Mo Jingli was not as sympathetic as Shu Manlin had imagined. He glanced at Shu Manlin and said coldly, "This prince has no right to interfere in the affairs of Nanzhao." Shu Manlin was stunned. She obviously didn't expect Mo Jingli to be so ruthless. "Prince Li...you...you are so ruthless! Don't forget, if it weren't for me..."

"Someone, take him away!" Princess Anxi said.

Two guards from the Princess's Palace immediately stepped forward, covered Shu Manlin's mouth and dragged her away. Nanzhao was in chaos right now, and it was not the right time to offend King Li. As for what kind of deal there was between Shu Manlin and King Li, she would naturally find out later. After dealing with Shu Manlin's matter, Princess Anxi apologized to everyone again before sending people out of the palace to rest.

"Prince Ding, Princess Ding, please wait for a moment." Princess Anxi called Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao, who were walking at the end. Ye Li looked back at her and raised her eyebrows. Princess Anxi smiled and said, "Where is my father now? Please tell me, Princess." Ye Li smiled and said, "He is in the bedroom. Princess, just send someone to look for him carefully. By the way, I brought someone out from the Nanzhao Palace. Please forgive me, Princess." Princess Anxi waved her hand and smiled, "It's a small matter. Princess, don't mind it." Ye Li smiled and said, "Thank you so much, Princess. Bye."

Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao walked out hand in hand, but Xu Qingchen walked at the end. He walked a few steps and then stopped, looking back at Princess Anxi.

Princess Anxi asked, "Qingchen, do you have anything else to say?" Xu Qingchen glanced at Pu'a standing behind Princess Anxi. Princess Anxi smiled and said, "Pu'a is one of us. Qingchen can say whatever he wants." After this night, Princess Anxi and her new husband had obviously become more trusting and close. Xu Qingchen was not polite and asked, "Now that you have found the King of Nanzhao, what are your plans, Princess?"

"Plan?" Princess Anxi was puzzled.

Xu Qingchen said carefully: "After what happened tonight, the King of Nanzhao will have a grudge against the princess no matter what. Has the princess not considered what will happen in the future? After the King of Nanzhao comes out, will he intervene to save Shu Manlin, or even support a second or third Shu Manlin?"

Princess Anxi looked a little gloomy, and lowered her eyes and said, "He is my father." Xu Qingchen said calmly, "I didn't ask you to do anything to the King of Nanzhao." Princess Anxi felt a little ashamed, looked at Xu Qingchen and smiled bitterly, and generously admitted, "I wanted to do something to my father myself. Qingchen... I have really suffered enough these years... Can you help me?"

Looking at Princess Anxi who was sitting on the steps with a tired look on her body, Xu Qingchen sighed softly. He said calmly, "The King of Nanzhao was frightened and seriously ill, and he is no longer able to preside over the government. Since Princess Anxi has already married, she can also ascend the throne as king, right?"

Princess Anxi was stunned. Although she had thought about weakening her father's power, she had never thought about becoming the King of Nanzhao before her father passed away.

Xu Qingchen looked at her calmly and said, "We have known each other for so many years, and we have often discussed the way to govern a country..." Princess Anxi nodded and said, "Yes, I have benefited a lot from knowing Qingchen over the years."

Xu Qingchen said, "I have taught you how to rule the world and win over people, but I have never taught you how to be a king. Anxi, this is the last time I will teach you. Do you know why you have always been suppressed by Shu Manlin in these years? It's because you lack the word ruthlessness. Being an emperor is a lonely path. Power, strategy, and decision-making are all indispensable. What you lack most is ruthlessness. Since ancient times, emperors have been ruthless and the royal family has no flesh and blood. Every time you show mercy, you will only get the enemy to make a comeback. You are ruthless enough to yourself, so you can endure any hardship, but you are too kind to the people around you. Anxi, when can you really handle the relationship with the people around you, you will become a qualified king." After speaking, Xu Qingchen did not stay and walked out the door.

Princess Anxi suddenly asked, "What about Prince Ding? Everyone in the world knows that Prince Ding dotes on the princess and has great trust in Xu. Does Qingchen think Prince Ding is a qualified king?"

Xu Qingchen looked back at him and smiled calmly, "There is no king in the world more suitable than Prince Ding. There is one more condition for being a king, and that is to learn to make choices. Prince Ding knows what he wants and what he should do, so I never worry about him. Anxi... Prince of Nanzhao, take care."

Seeing Xu Qingchen turn away without any regrets, Princess Anxi felt a chill in her heart as she faced the empty palace. She could not help but lower her head and hug her knees, silently shedding tears. The crystal tears fell on her knees and quickly stained the white fabric. Pu'a walked to Princess Anxi and squatted down. Looking at the woman crying silently on the ground hugging her knees, a trace of heartache flashed in her eyes. He raised his hand clumsily and patted Princess Anxi on the shoulder, and said softly: "Xi'er, I'll accompany you."

Princess Anxi raised her head, stared at his stiff face in a daze, and finally couldn't help but move closer to his arms. Her sobbing voice echoed in the hall.

When Xu Qingchen walked out of the palace, it was already light in the sky. In the square in front of the palace, there were still a few drunk people wandering around and not going home. A breeze blew, and Xu Qingchen looked at the setting moon and let out a long breath.

"Mr. Qingchen, what's wrong? You look so sad?" A half-smiley voice came from behind.

Qingchen frowned in displeasure. What does a sad face mean? When he came to his senses, he saw Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao standing behind him and looking at him. The difference was that Ye Li looked worried while Mo Xiuyao looked teasing and gloating. Xu Qingchen said calmly, "I thought you had already returned to the inn to rest. Aren't you tired after a day and a night?"

Ye Li said softly, "We were a little worried when we saw that Big Brother was lagging behind. Although everything is fine now, it would be more reassuring if we go back together after the chaos last night."

Seeing Ye Li's worried look, Xu Qingchen felt warm in his heart. What he had just said to Princess Anxi was not just to teach her how to be a king or how to deal with future matters. It was also to tell her that from now on their previous friendship had become a thing of the past.

Even though they both controlled Nanzhao, the status of the King of Nanzhao and the Crown Princess were completely different. After Princess Anxi ascended the throne, the entire Nanzhao truly became her eternal responsibility, and it was impossible for them to have a simple friendship like before. Xu Qingchen didn't have many friends, but he and Princess Anxi were more like a teacher and a friend. Although he was pleased with Princess Anxi's growth, he inevitably felt lost for losing a close friend.

"Well, let's go back together." Xu Qingchen smiled faintly. As they walked, he said to Mo Xiuyao, "It may take us some time to set off back to the northwest."

Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and asked, "Why?" Xu Qingchen said, "To attend the coronation ceremony of Princess Anxi." Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows and praised, "Master Qingchen is very good. I am a little tired of the King of Nanzhao. It would be good to change to Princess Anxi." He was sure that Princess Anxi had no intention of ascending the throne before they left. It must be that Xu Qingchen stayed behind and said something to Princess Anxi. And these can only be said by Xu Qingchen. Although anyone of them can say it, Princess Anxi will only think that they have ulterior motives. If Xu Qingchen says it, the effect will be completely different.

Xu Qingchen remained silent. Princess Anxi's early ascension to the throne might be a good thing for her, but it might not be a good thing for Nanzhao. If the King of Nanzhao is kept, Princess Anxi might encounter the same thing as last night again. Although the King of Nanzhao is incompetent, there are still people and tribes who will obey him. With the help of Tan Jizhi, who has not yet been brought to justice, Princess Anxi might be afraid of her life if she strikes back. However, once Princess Anxi ascends the throne, the tribes may not be convinced in a short time. By then, Nanzhao will be in chaos and Xiling has long intended to annex Nanzhao... Xu Qingchen closed his eyes. He didn't know if Princess Anxi would hate him in the future. But now... Xiling has been lurking for several years, and has long been making unbearable moves. Once he joins forces with the Great Chu and Northern Rong to set his sights on the northwest, it would be better to give him a chance to test his sword with Nanzhao first, which would also give the northwest more time to prepare and buffer.

"Big brother..." Ye Li didn't think as much as Xu Qingchen, these power struggles have never been her forte. But she could sense that Xu Qingchen was in a depressed mood. Mo Xiuyao looked at Xu Qingchen and said, "Princess Anxi is in the royal family. Unless she gives up voluntarily, she will never escape these things. Big brother, you don't have to blame yourself. And thank you." Mo Xiuyao naturally understood Xu Qingchen's considerations and plans, and thanked him sincerely. Xu Qingchen smiled faintly and said, "What are you thanking me for? It's my job. Everyone should accept their fate in this world."

"Let's go, it's time to go back and rest." Xu Qingchen took the lead, leaving Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li behind and heading towards the inn.

Ye Li frowned as she looked at Xu Qingchen's back and said, "I always feel that something is wrong with my elder brother." Mo Xiuyao held Ye Li's hand and comforted her softly, "It's nothing. Princess Anxi will be the ruler of a country after ascending the throne. It is naturally inconvenient for Master Qingchen to have close contact with her. Moreover, Princess Anxi is now married, so Master Qingchen must avoid suspicion. No one will be in a good mood without a close friend. Your elder brother has always been open-minded, and he will be fine in a few days."

Ye Li nodded and sighed, "I hope so. Big Brother became famous at a young age, and there are not many people who can talk to him."

Mo Xiuyao glanced at Xu Qingchen, who was walking alone in front of him, and a sly smile flashed in his eyes. He looked at Ye Li and said, "Ali, I said before that we could go out and have fun on the way back. Now we have to stay to attend Princess Anxi's coronation ceremony, and we have to go back to attend your military exercise. It seems that there is not enough time." Ye Li blinked, "What are your plans, Prince?" Ye Li has known Mo Xiuyao's temperament for many years. He said this because he had a plan in mind. Mo Xiuyao smiled with satisfaction, lowered his head and kissed Ye Li on the lips, saying, "Ali knows me well. Anyway, we have already attended Princess Anxi's wedding, so why not go to the coronation ceremony..."

Ye Li understood that Mo Xiuyao had no intention of attending the coronation ceremony. "What do you want?"

Mo Xiuyao said, "It's enough to have your elder brother present at the coronation ceremony. Who dares to say that the name of Master Qingchen is not important enough? Let's go on a journey and walk back to the northwest slowly. What do you think, A'li?" Master Qingchen is famous all over the world. More importantly, Master Qingchen represents the Xu family. Behind the Xu family is Princess Ding, and Princess Ding is Prince Ding. Xu Qingchen's participation in the coronation ceremony of the Nanzhao Princess is definitely enough to explain the attitude of the northwest.

Ye Li hesitated for a moment, but had to admit that she was a little tempted. She had been busy in the northwest for the past few years, and she had never really had the chance to travel around leisurely.

"Will Big Brother agree?"

"Of course. Your elder brother will definitely be worried and will wait until Princess Anxi ascends the throne before leaving. It would be a waste of time for us all to stay here."

"Well... okay." Finally unable to resist the temptation of traveling, Ye Li could only feel sorry for her elder brother in her heart.