"Jing Yan?" Yue Jiang asked, holding her breath.
Yue Jiang recognized him immediately. Jing Yan released his grip lightly, surprised: "How did Jiang'er know it was me?"
As expected, it was Jing Yan. Yue Jiang turned around and hugged him tightly, burying her face in her hands and saying, "I guessed it. Tonight is the busiest night in An Palace, with people coming and going in and out. Yu Chuxuan hasn't left the palace yet. You said you were going to the palace to sharpen your blade. Is it done yet? Why are you here?"
Jing Yan: "We've worked it out. An Chenghuan even contributed a bit more. We were originally 60% confident, but now we're 80%. The remaining 20% depends on whether An Yunrui can get out of the palace and when he can gather the people."
"I heard what was said in the main hall just now. I was afraid that An Chenghuan would do something to you, so I came to check if you are alright."
"You've come at this time, do you really think you can kill him?" Yue Jiang asked curiously.
Jing Yan pulled out a dagger from his pocket: "If I can kill him easily, then I won't need to plan and wait."
Yue Jiang was slightly taken aback. If An Chenghuan really came today, killing him would be easy, but Jing Yan and she would also be wanted by Anguo, and in that case, they would only end up dying together.
She shoved the dagger Jing Yan had taken out back into his arms: "It's alright for now. His heart is full of the great cause of national peace, but you are a thorn in his side. I am the closest to his thorn in his side, and the one who makes him resentful."
"He was cold-hearted by nature but constrained by his status, disguising himself as a flawless ruler of the country, which prevented him from being truly at ease."
"An Chenghuan wants to remove this thorn in my side, yet he also wants to prove that he is the one I can rely on. He's incredibly hypocritical."
Jing Yan sighed: "In the end, it is the more than forty-year-old feud between Jing Kingdom and An Kingdom that has implicated you."
Yue Jiang chuckled: "Why do you always take the blame? I wasn't dragged into this mess by you. I almost fell into the hands of An Guo, the instigator of this feud, and you just pulled me out."
Suddenly, she thought of what would have happened if Jing Yan hadn't kidnapped her, and she had actually become the Empress of Anguo.
Yue Jiang questioned, "Tell me, if I didn't know you, and you invaded Anguo, would you have let me go?"
Jing Yan paused, glanced down at her, and said with a smile, "You can try to coax me. At most, I won't kill you or send you to work in the mines."
Yue Jiang: "..."
"Hmph, you think you're so special? One day I'll definitely send you to a cinnabar mine and let you dig to your heart's content."
She murmured to herself, making a decision to teach Jing Yan a lesson later.
"What did Jiang'er say?" Jing Yan only heard the buzzing of mosquitoes and ants from the person in his arms, and he asked curiously.
"I'll tell you later," Yue Jiang said, not wanting to reveal her bad idea beforehand, but reminding Jing Yan of something important.
"Weren't you supposed to be sharpening your knife? Tonight, another fine knife has appeared. An Chenghuan's deposed crown princess gave birth to a stillborn child. Originally, An Chenghuan was going to kill Fu Wanying, but I pleaded for her life. Now, An Chenghuan is going to send her out of the palace."
“Relying solely on An Yunrui would make you too conspicuous. After An Yunrui leaves the palace, spread rumors throughout An Kingdom that the Fu family has saved the young prince and that they want to overthrow the tyrant and enthrone the young prince as emperor.”
"Anyone who wants to rebel against An Chenghuan only needs a pretext. No one will care whether they have this child or not. With endless chaos, if you launch an external attack, you will surely be able to destroy Anguo."
The news about Yue Jiang was crucial for Jing Yan; the trouble caused by the retired emperor could severely damage Anguo's vitality.
However, a non-existent prince could satisfy the ambitions of all parties vying for fame and fortune, causing Anguo to fall apart.
Jing Yan: "Okay."
...
An Chenghuan ordered his guards to strangle An Yunrui's eunuch inside the room. The next day, An Yunrui tested An Chenghuan's attitude and learned that he had indeed done it, just to warn him.
An Yunrui was sweating profusely. After being reminded by the person who came at night, he dared not glare at his son anymore and tried to find an excuse to leave the palace.
An Yunrui had been used to peace and tranquility over the years and had never experienced any upheavals. He had taken the throne at will and no one dared to protect him. An Chenghuan did not feel that there was anything wrong with releasing him from the palace.
So after the New Year, An Yunrui was sent to the royal palace under the pretext of recuperation.
Before leaving, An Yunrui secretly met with Yu Chuxuan and obtained a token from him.
***
As the days passed and spring slowly arrived, the stalemate in Jing'an saw a new change due to the improved weather.
Jing Yan shifted from a cautious and gradual attack to a relentless and rapid offensive, seizing every opportunity to capture cities and seize territory. Anguo's war situation took a sharp turn for the worse, and soon six cities were lost in succession.
The reason for the defeats in the war was that a major event had occurred in the country. Shortly after the New Year, riots broke out in various places. It was said that An Seung-hwan's methods of ascending the throne were cruel, and that he had instigated the Jing'an War for his own selfish desires, causing the people to suffer.
Rumors spread that the child of the Fu family's daughter had been rescued by Fu's retainers. Not only people of ambition, but even bandits and outlaws rose up in rebellion, preparing to rebel against the tyrant An Chenghuan and support the young prince as emperor.
This slogan was not uncommon, with many claiming to have a young prince in their possession. No one believed that Fu Wanying, who died in Tangfu Palace shortly after leaving the palace, had never left the capital.
An Chenghuan had no choice but to withdraw a large number of troops to suppress the uprisings in various places, which finally calmed down the domestic riots, but he lost six cities in Anguo as a result.
Seeing that Jing Yan's offensive was getting stronger and stronger, and that domestic resistance might break out again one day, An Chenghuan immediately contacted the Crown Prince of Yu Kingdom in An to discuss borrowing Yu Kingdom's troops to resist Jing Yan.
Yu Chuxuan readily agreed on the surface and sent a letter back to Yu Kingdom to mobilize troops. Little did An Chenghuan know that the letter was intercepted by Jing Yan as soon as it left An Kingdom.
As the day of An Chenghuan's coronation as empress drew closer, Yue Jiang believed that the situation in Anguo was dire, and he would never be in the mood to hold the coronation ceremony as scheduled.
Unexpectedly, three days before the ceremony, An Chenghuan personally led a group to deliver the phoenix robe to Yue Jiang.
"Princess Yuejiang, give it one last try. If it suits you, there's no need to change it. I will make you empress in three days."
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