Duocheng Post Station
The delegation from the three kingdoms arrived in Duocheng. In three more days, they would reach the capital, where the delegation would rest.
At night, all was quiet, and the entire inn was eerily still. Suddenly, a dark shadow swept over the wall and flew in. Apart from stirring up a gentle breeze, no one could tell that anyone had entered.
The shadowy figure flew all the way to the third floor, the floor where the Western Yan delegation was staying.
"You've arrived." A young girl dressed in palace attire was waiting in the corner. Upon seeing the dark figure, she asked softly.
"Hmm. Is Zhaohua asleep?" the shadowy figure asked the palace maid.
"She just fell asleep, and I put a little bit of sleeping potion in her calming tea," the palace maid replied.
"We received news from Bei Yin that Emperor Yin has sent Prince Jun Molin of Bei Han to escort the delegation from the three kingdoms," the shadowy figure said.
"This is truly heaven's help!" The palace maid exclaimed with delight upon hearing the news.
"It's truly heaven's help! The Northern Cold King has arrived, making our plan much easier to execute." The shadowy figure was in a very good mood, then took out two packets of medicine. "This medicine can arouse the desires of men and women, causing them to lose their reason. You know what to do, right?"
The palace maid took the two packets of medicine and nodded, "Of course I understand."
"I'm leaving. I'll be there to meet you in the shadows." The shadowy figure said and then disappeared.
The palace maid looked around to make sure no one was watching, then quietly returned to Princess Zhaohua's room. Everything seemed as if nothing had happened.
"My lord, someone is trying to poison Princess Zhaohua?" On a pavilion not far away, a master and a servant stood.
The master, dressed in purple and wearing a terrifying ghost king mask, stood by the railing with his hands behind his back, making the entire night seem like a mere backdrop to his presence.
“No.” The man shook his head. “If I’m not mistaken, that man in black is Yan Jing’s man. He doesn’t have the guts to poison Princess Zhaohua.”
The royal family of Western Yan was surnamed Yan. Princess Zhaohua's name was Yan Shuangshuang. She also had a half-brother named Yan Jing.
The Emperor of Yan doted on his Empress, and Yan Jing's mother had conceived him through improper means. The Emperor of Yan only had these two children.
Yan Shuangshuang is a princess, and Yan Jing is a prince. Yan Jing and his mother always believed that the future of Western Yan belonged to Yan Jing. But unexpectedly, the Emperor of Yan made Yan Shuangshuang the Crown Princess, and Yan Jing and his mother have been trying to seize the throne for many years.
Despite having considered numerous methods, the mother and son never once considered killing Yan Shuangshuang. The reason was simple: the Emperor of Yan doted on his daughter too much. If anything were to happen to her, the perpetrator would surely be torn to pieces.
As the most likely person to kill Yan Shuangshuang, how could Yan Jing dare to make a move? After all, if he did, he would be identified as the prime suspect.
"What are they trying to do?" Zhao Xingyun was a little confused.
"It's nothing more than a matter of seizing the throne." The man in purple didn't take it to heart.
Of the four kingdoms, the strongest is now Northern Yin, followed by Southern Chu, then Eastern Qi, and lastly Western Yan.
Western Yan was small in area and population, and its military and commercial capabilities were also very average. Among the four kingdoms, it was the least threatening and the easiest to control.
"Is everything ready?" the man in purple asked Zhao Xingyun.
“Everything is ready,” Zhao Xingyun nodded.
"Bei Yin wants peace, Jun Molin wants peace, but don't even think about it." The man in purple snorted coldly, his eyes flashing with two sharp, cold glints.
"Your Majesty will surely have your wish fulfilled," Zhao Xingyun said, cupping his hands in greeting.
The next morning, Jun Molin led three thousand cavalrymen to Duocheng. The delegations from the three kingdoms met with Jun Molin.
"Princess, that is His Highness Prince Jun Molin of the Northern Cold Kingdom. He is so handsome that I have never seen such a good-looking man in my entire life." In the carriage, Princess Zhaohua's personal maid Chunhua lifted a corner of the curtain and looked at Jun Molin, who was riding at the front.
"You like it?" Yan Shuangshuang asked Chunhua while holding a book in her hand and reading it.
“Who wouldn’t like a man like that?” Chunhua smiled shyly.
"Then when we arrive in the capital of Beiyin, I will ask the Emperor for permission to let you enter the Beihan Prince's residence, how about that?" Yan Shuangshuang said.
"Your Highness, please don't frighten me. I will only follow Your Highness for the rest of my life," Chunhua quickly declared her loyalty.
"Since that's the case, then shut up. I'll say it again: this trip to Beiyin is of utmost importance. You must be careful with your words and actions, and not disgrace Xiyan. Otherwise, I'll throw you into the Thousand Eyes Mountain to feed the wolves." Yan Shuangshuang put down the book in her hand and glanced at the maids beside her.
The Western Yan was bordered by deserts to the east and grasslands to the south. Influenced by these two deserts and grasslands, its etiquette and rules were not as elaborate as those of other countries, and its people were more bold and forthright.
"Yes, Your Highness," the four maids in the carriage replied in unison.
At this moment, a gentle breeze blew by, lifting the curtains on both sides of the carriage. Yun Qingbi, who was riding around the carriage, caught a glimpse of Yan Shuangshuang sitting inside.
She was dressed in red, with red boots and a fiery red whip at her waist. Her hair was styled in a flowing updo with a chain adorned with turquoise and sapphires, and a ruby adorned her full forehead.
Big eyes and a small mouth, bright and beautiful, charming and lively.
Yan Shuangshuang happened to look at the carriage curtain and immediately saw Yun Qingbi through it. His hair was tied up high, with two strands of hair hanging down his forehead, and he was wearing light black armor.
This was the first time she had ever seen such a handsome man. No, she had seen a very good-looking boy when she was little, but she wondered what he looked like when he grew up, and whether he was as handsome as this man.
The two stared at each other until Qingfeng left and the carriage curtain fell, finally blocking their view.
The carriage moved at a leisurely pace, and after two days, it was finally approaching the capital.
"Yan Yan and An An, I heard your father is coming back tomorrow and might pass through here. Should we wait for him on the road?" After playing for two days, Yun Qingran was worried that the two children's bodies couldn't handle it, so she decided to divert their attention from playing.
"Is Father coming back?" Jun Yan Yan was not happy, but she was also very happy. She was a little conflicted.
She missed her father, but at the same time, she didn't want him to come back, because his return would mean the end of the happy times they had spent with her sister.
“Yes, it will happen tonight if things go smoothly, or tomorrow morning if things go slowly. That’s what Pei Chen said in his letter anyway,” Yun Qingran said.
Pei Chen and Yun Qingran contacted each other once using carrier pigeons.
"Then let's go to meet Father on the road. Father will be very happy to see us." Jun Yan Yan still chose to go meet Father.
“Okay, let’s take a bath and then head out to pick them up. But your father has official business to attend to, so we can’t disturb him. We can only catch a glimpse of him from afar,” Yun Qingran reminded her.
"Okay, sister." Jun Yanyan gave an OK sign, which Yun Qingran had taught her.
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