The wife of Marquis Yongning leaned her waist against a rock, her upper body suspended in the air, her hands tightly grasping the rock, as if she would fall if she let go.

She looked at the ground which was more than ten feet wide and felt dizzy. She was so scared that her face turned pale and she screamed in panic.

Sheng Xiyan half-knelt beside her, with one hand on her waist, trying to keep her balance. Seeing this, she said nonchalantly, "Madam, I'm timid. If you scare me, I'll be scared and let go..."

She pretended to sigh, and the hand pressing on her waist loosened a little. At this moment, the body of Lady Yongning Marquis tilted down again. She felt a sense of weightlessness as if she was about to fall, which frightened her so much that she closed her eyes and wanted to scream wildly. However, she immediately remembered Sheng Xiyan's words, and bit her lips tightly, not daring to utter a word, her face full of panic.

In just a few breaths, her back was covered with cold sweat and her face was pale.

The wife of Marquis Yongning pleaded, "Sister Yan, you...you pull me down first..." There was a hint of tears in her voice, but she didn't dare to speak too loudly.

Sheng Xiyan smiled slightly and said, "I think you all really think I'm a fool."

If you want to follow me, you should do it properly and at least find some cover. It's under the scorching sun. She is not completely blinded with her five senses, so how could she not notice you if you follow me so carelessly?

Sheng Xiyan had discovered her a long time ago, or rather, Sheng Xiyan deliberately stayed alone to lure her out.

A gust of autumn wind blew by, ruffling the hair of the wife of the Marquis of Yongning. She was so frightened that she almost thought she would be blown off.

Sheng Xiyan smiled and said, "Now that Madam is here, do you have anything to say to me?"

"I..." Madam Yongning swallowed her saliva and said through gritted teeth, "I saw that you were in danger on the rockery and wanted to ask you to come down. Please don't, please don't be so ignorant of good people."

Sheng Xiyan listened to her patiently and said, "So you're not here for the jade pendant."

"Of course not." The more Marquis Yongning spoke, the smoother he became. He said confidently, "This lady has good intentions. Sheng Xiyan, please let this lady go!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Sheng Xiyan followed suit and gently raised her hands. Losing her support meant losing her delicate balance. The rock could no longer support her weight. Lady Yongning Marquis fell uncontrollably. Her hands tightly grasped the rock. Several blue veins bulged on the back of her fair hands, and her nails seemed to be about to be lifted off.

She was almost frightened and begged, "Hold me, please hold me!"

So, Sheng Xiyan once again held her lower back and said slowly: "Do you have anything to tell me, Madam Yongning Marquis? For example, this jade pendant..."

Sheng Xiyan thought about it carefully and decided that just sitting back and waiting was a bit foolish. The wife of Marquis Yongning was very strict and she would definitely not tell him anything if he asked her politely.

Just now, when she was releasing the paper ibis, she noticed that the wife of Marquis Yongning had been staring at her. The greed in her eyes was so obvious that it was hard to ignore.

Sheng Xiyan realized that it was most likely for the jade pendant, and she wanted to see to what extent the wife of Marquis Yongning could go for the jade pendant.

So, she took advantage of the paper ibis being blown away by the wind and left the waterside pavilion alone. Unexpectedly, the wife of Marquis Yongning actually followed her.

This rockery is great. It is covered by rocks and you can climb up to have a good view and keep an eye out for anyone coming over.

Sheng Xiyan raised her red lips and said, "I'm running out of strength. I'll count to three... one, two, three..."

"Say, I say, I say!"

The wife of the Marquis of Yongning was almost frightened to death. Her face was covered with tears and snot. She dared not think of anything else and begged for mercy quickly: "I said..."

Sheng Xiyan said calmly: "Let me tell you."

"This jade pendant..."

As soon as these words came out, it was as if she had broken through her psychological defenses. Madam Yongning gritted her teeth and said in one breath, "This jade pendant belongs to Governor Xiao... Governor Xiao!"

Xiao Shuo?

Sheng Xiyan raised her eyebrows.

As far as she knew, Xiao Shuo had only taken control of the East and West factories two years ago. The original supervisors of the East and West factories, the Eunuch in Charge of Seals and the Eunuch in Charge of Writing had long since turned into dust.

Before and after Xiao Shuo took control of the East Factory, he used ruthless means to purge the two factories and the twelve supervisors of the inner court, especially the Silijian, from inside to outside. He then merged the East and West Factories and secured his position as the supervisor of the East Factory and the eunuch in charge of the Silijian.

From now on, I will stick to this principle.

Over the past two years, his position in the court has become increasingly stable. Not only does he have the Dongchang under his command, but he has also recently taken control of the Jinyiwei.

It can be said that he was at the pinnacle of Darong's power, second only to the current emperor.

If this jade pendant is really related to Xiao Shuo, then it seems to explain the sudden wealth and power that the Yongning Marquisate obtained in the previous life.

There was no change in her expression: "You still want to coax me?"

She sneered and said, "This jade pendant was my mother's dowry, how did it become Governor Xiao's?"

"Really, believe me, it's true." Lady Yongning Marquis didn't dare to tell her this secret just now, and now she is afraid that she won't believe it.

The wife of the Marquis of Yongning took a deep breath and said, "Two years ago, Governor Xiao lost a jade pendant, and the East Factory almost turned the capital upside down before finding it."

"At that time, this jade pendant was sold by a beggar to the pawnshop that I bought as part of my dowry. Because the jade was of a rare quality, the shopkeeper sent it to me for a look."

The wife of Marquis Yongning recognized it at the time, as it was very similar to a jade pendant belonging to the Xu family.

The jade quality is almost the same, and the carving is done by the same person.

The only difference is that this piece is carved with a Qilin, while the one carved by Xu is with a Lin.

The rest is pretty much the same.

Not long after she married into the Yongning Marquis's Mansion, she had occasionally seen Xu wearing it. Because the texture of this mutton-fat jade was extremely good, she specifically asked Xu to show it to her, and even jokingly asked if she wanted to use the jade pendant as a token of engagement for her two children.

After so many years, my memory is a little fuzzy, but I felt that they were somewhat similar at the time.

Later, when I learned that the jade pendant I was laying in the store was the one that Xiao Shuo had lost, I recalled it again, and it became clearer and clearer.

The wife of the Marquis of Yongning said in a tearful voice: "No one knows whether the governor has any family. What if he does?"

She wondered if the jade pendant was left to him by Xiao Shuo's family.

Whether it is or not, this opportunity is hard to come by.

At that time, they had already been engaged to the Sheng family, so she planned to take advantage of Liu's greed and get the jade pendant quietly, and maybe she would get this great opportunity. With Xiao Shuo's support, her son's future was set in stone. Anyway, Xu was dead, so it would be a waste to leave the jade pendant empty, right?

"I've told you everything. Just let me go."

Madam Yongning cried so much that her makeup melted away, she was really scared, no matter how rich she was, it was not as good as her life. She should have known that Sheng Xiyan was not someone to be trifled with.

Now that he looks like this, he is indeed a bad guy.

Fortunately, my son cancelled the engagement with her, otherwise, I would have had a hard time living a good life in the future.

"I won't tell anyone about what happened today." She was a little afraid that Sheng Xiyan would kill someone to silence him, so she promised again and again.

"Then let me ask you one last question." Sheng Xiyan smiled and said in a softer voice, "Why did you follow me up here just now? Let me guess... Was it to push me down so that you could get this jade pendant?"

"I……"

The wife of Marquis Yongning wanted to say no, but she didn't dare.

Sheng Xiyan clearly saw through everything, so what was the point of her saying more?

"Fighting fire with fire is not a bad idea, don't you think?"

Sheng Xiyan smiled slightly and spoke in a rhythmic manner. When these words came out, the wife of Marquis Yongning was so frightened that her heart almost stopped.

Sheng Xiyan came closer and said softly, "With Lord Xiao here, even if I push you down, he can always protect me, don't you think?"

Madam Yongning's eyes widened with fear. She wanted to call for help, but before she could open her mouth, Sheng Xiyan continued, "What would happen if Governor Xiao knew that you had coaxed my jade pendant and were planning to impersonate him to deceive him?"

The wife of Marquis Yongning suddenly stopped talking.

Her face turned even paler.

That's Xiao Shuo. If he knew that she dared to impersonate him and deceive him, he would definitely kill her entire family.

Not only will the Yongning Marquis's mansion be raided, I'm afraid even her own family will not be able to escape this disaster.

Two years ago, when Xiao Shuo first took control of Dongchang, all those who dared not kneel down were massacred by him. Caishikou is still stained with blood.

In the past two years, everyone in the court shuddered at the mention of Xiao Shuo!

The wife of Marquis Yongning's heart beat even faster, as if it would jump out of her throat at any moment.

Although it was already late autumn, her clothes were still soaked with cold sweat, as if she had just been pulled out of the water.

At this moment, she even felt that it would be great if Sheng Xiyan could really push her out of here.

Sheng Xiyan loosened her hand and pulled her back.

She looked regretfully at the paper ibis hanging on the rockery and walked down the stone steps.

The wife of Marquis Yongning collapsed on the rockery. She was extremely frightened and leaned against the rock, not daring to move. Her chest kept heaving, her breathing was disordered, and even her lips were trembling.

After descending the rockery, Sheng Xiyan slowly walked towards the water pavilion.

She picked up the jade pendant at her waist and slowly stroked the Qilin with her fingertips.

In the previous life, the Yongning Marquisate was able to rise to prominence probably because of Xiao Shuo's support.

This jade pendant was my mother's dowry and it was clearly recorded on the dowry list. However, I don't know whether it originally belonged to the Xu family or was purchased by my grandfather.

Sheng Xiyan frowned slightly, feeling a little troubled.

She had also guessed Xiao Shuo's identity. In that novel, Xiao Shuo's purpose seemed to be revenge. He turned Darong upside down until he got tired of it.

So, Xiao Shuo must have a grudge against Darong and the emperor, right?

Before she knew it, she was back at the lake. Cheng Chuyu waved at her from a distance, ran over with the spool in hand, and asked, "Sister Yan, where is your paper iris?"

"It flew away." Sheng Xiyan said helplessly, "It flew onto the rockery, I couldn't get it..."

"It's okay, I'll give this to you to play with." Cheng Chuyu generously handed the string of the peacock kite in his hand to Sheng Xiyan.

Sheng Xiyan smiled and said, "Let's play together. Let's put it higher?"

"Okay." Cheng Chuyu clapped his hands and said happily, "Raise it as high as possible, higher than that fire phoenix!"

Sheng Xiyan followed her instructions, putting down the spool and running. The peacock flew higher and higher with the wind. Cheng Chuyu shouted in surprise from time to time. When the peacock finally surpassed the fire phoenix, Cheng Chuyu suddenly nudged her with her elbow and said, "Look."

Sheng Xiyan looked over and saw the wife of Marquis Yongning floating past them like a wandering soul. Her eyes were lifeless and she seemed a little distraught. Her face was pale and her rouge was smudged. Not only was her hair disheveled, but her clothes were also wrinkled and covered in mud. She looked extremely miserable.

"What happened to her? She got herself into this state..." Cheng Chuyu was simply shocked.

This is the royal garden! If the emperor saw it, it would be a crime of disrespect.

Not only Cheng Chuyu noticed it, but also the people near the waterside pavilion. Mrs. Qian, who was close to her, came over to help her and asked worriedly, "What's going on?"

The wife of the Marquis of Yongning smiled reluctantly: "I, I slipped and fell."

"Fell down?"

Many people looked at each other in bewilderment. How could a fall really cause one to fall like this?!

The wife of Marquis Yongning was extremely embarrassed and forced a smile, which was uglier than crying.

She said, "I have put clothes in the carriage..."

When the wives of nobles went out to visit guests, they would bring one or two sets of clothes with them to prevent such embarrassment. However, when they entered the garden, the servants were left outside, so someone called the palace maid and asked her to get them.

Madam Qian helped the wife of Marquis Yongning to sit down in the waterside pavilion, and then asked the palace maid to call Zhao Yuanrou, who was playing the game of tossing in a pot, over.

Madam Qian was thoughtful. After all, Zhao Yuanrou was the daughter-in-law of the wife of Marquis Yongning who had not yet married into the family, so it was only natural for her to come and take care of her.

However, Zhao Yuanrou did not come.

The maid who came to report was a little embarrassed. She looked at the wife of Marquis Yongning with sympathy and said, "Miss Zhao said that she has nothing to do with you, so she will not come."

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room burst into laughter.

Thinking about the recent rumors in the capital, I didn't know what to say. On the contrary, the wife of Marquis Yongning seemed to have not heard what the palace maid said at all, and she sat there in a daze.

Soon, the maid brought back the clothes in her carriage and took her to a side hall to wash and freshen up. When she came back, a eunuch came to announce, "The emperor has arrived."

Thus, all the people who were playing near the water pavilion returned to it. Lady Yongning Marquis was still sitting there woodenly, until the moment Sheng Xiyan stepped into the water pavilion, Lady Yongning Marquis froze for a moment.

"Madam." Sheng Xiyan greeted her with a smile. Her smile was obedient and soft, but in the eyes of Madam Yongning Marquis, she looked like a soul-seeking evil ghost.

She didn't dare to look Sheng Xiyan in the eye. Fortunately, Sheng Xiyan did not stay and went straight back to Jingle's side.

"Princess."

There was a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, her cheeks were slightly red, and she was breathing slightly hard. It was obvious that she was having a lot of fun.

Jingle took out a handkerchief and wiped her forehead, then put it back into her sleeve pocket and said with a smile, "Let's go."

Sheng Xiyan took her arm with a smile and walked out of the pavilion first.

As soon as Sheng Xiyan left, Lady Yongning Marquis heaved a long sigh of relief, and her complexion looked a little better.

The wife of the Marquis of Yongning dared not tell anyone about Sheng Xiyan, not even to mention it. Sheng Xiyan had her biggest weakness, and she was a little scared when she saw her.

After leaving the water pavilion, the group was led by the eunuchs to the Xuanwu Hall in the garden.

The Xuanwu Hall was not the place where banquets were held in the past. There was a large martial arts arena in front of the Xuanwu Hall, so today an exception was made and the banquet was held here.

Men and women sat at separate tables, and when everyone was seated one by one, the royal chariot arrived.

The envoys from Northern Yan and the nobles and officials surrounded the emperor like stars surrounding the moon, and walked towards him with the gait of a dragon and a tiger.

After the cheers, the emperor made some high-sounding remarks and expressed with great enthusiasm that Darong and Beiyan would always be friends as monarch and subject.

"Song Yuan," the emperor ordered, "announce my order."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Song Yuan held the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand and read it out in a shrill voice: "Yelü Qi, the eldest prince of the State of Yan, receives the imperial edict! The Emperor, in compliance with the will of Heaven, proclaims: The Yelü family of the State of Yan..."

Song Yuan read for a long time. The general meaning was that the emperor gave rewards to Beiyan on behalf of Darong, ranging from gold and jade to cloth, porcelain, grain, silk, and many other things. Not only that, he also returned the ten thousand taels of gold and a thousand good horses that Beiyan had paid as tribute to Beiyan as rewards. The emperor felt that he had the demeanor of a monarch of a great country.

"…I appreciate it!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Prince Yelü Qi of Northern Yan thanked the gift in standard Darong official language.

The emperor was in a good mood and said, "Prince Yelu, please don't be polite. It's rare for you to come to Darong. I will let Prince Zhao accompany you for a walk. Darong and Yan State are already one family. You don't have to be polite in Darong. Just treat it as your own home..."

Sheng Xiyan found it boring. She had heard about the excessive spending of money. It was true. Not only did they not gain anything from this war, but Darong also spent so much money. They really didn't know how to manage their household.

Thinking about living as the head of the household, Sheng Xiyan remembered her box of deeds and smiled. Chu Yuanchen really knew how to live. He took away half of the Beiyan treasury in one go. If he gave all of it to the emperor, who knows how he would be defeated!

Jingle, who was sitting next to her, saw that she was smiling happily. She didn't know what good things she was thinking about, but it was as if she was infected by her and a happy smile appeared on her face.

The emperor finally finished his long speech, picked up the wine cup and said, "I would like to offer a toast to all of you, my dear ministers."

Everyone raised their wine cups and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!" They drank it all in one gulp, and then began to compliment the emperor on his wisdom, great prosperity, and the great success that would surely attract all nations to come and pay tribute.

The emperor and his subjects lived in harmony, with the emperor laughing heartily from time to time.

The emperor has been in a good mood these days, especially after signing the letter of credence today. He took the letter of credence with the imperial seal and read it over and over again. This letter of credence will be recorded in history as a testimony to his achievements.

Generations after generations will know that during his reign, Northern Yan paid tribute to Darong.

The emperor even specially summoned some talented scholars to witness this moment. It is conceivable that there will be great articles to praise his achievements.

The more the emperor thought about it, the more beautiful it became. His face became more radiant, as if he had become several years younger.

Now Chu Yuanchen is the only one left. As long as the Zhenbei Palace is gone, Darong will have no more troubles.

A hint of sternness flashed across the emperor's eyes. He smiled and held up the wine cup, saying to Chu Yuanchen, "Achen, today is a good day. I'll toast you a glass too. Now that the northern border has been pacified, Achen, you should stay in the capital for a few more days and spend more time with your mother. There's no need to rush back. You've been in the northern border all these years, so you should show some filial piety."

Chu Yuanchen smiled without saying anything and drank it all in one gulp.

The emperor asked, "Achen, what do you think?"

"Your Majesty." Chu Yuanchen played with the wine cup in his hand, smiled and changed the subject, saying, "Today is indeed a good day. There is one thing that I would like Your Majesty to do together."

The emperor raised his eyebrows suspiciously.

Chu Yuanchen reminded him, "The late emperor's edict of guilt has not been issued to you yet."

He smiled brilliantly, with an unbridled spirit, as if he was saying something that was a matter of course, and he didn't notice at all that the emperor's expression had changed.

The emperor's fingers were tightly gripping the teacup.

Of course, he didn't think Chu Yuanchen would let it go so easily. He just wanted to delay it for a day. He didn't expect Chu Yuanchen to bring it up at this time. If he had known earlier, he would have been more decisive.

The emperor calmed down and said, "This matter..."

"Your Majesty, you just mourned for the soldiers in the Northern Frontier. Shouldn't you treat the soldiers in the Southern Frontier equally? You..."

"Ahem."

The emperor was choked by his own saliva and coughed violently a few times, interrupting his words.

He quickly raised his hand and said, "You are right. I have actually written this edict. But I have not issued it yet. I wanted to wait until the day when Mr. Xue was buried..."

The emperor didn't give him a chance to speak, and he didn't want to end up mourning for Xue Chongzhi.

He found an excuse for himself and said to Xiao Shuo, "A Shuo, go get me my order."

Of course, this edict has not been drafted yet, but it will be the same if we give it to Xiao Shuo to draft.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Xiao Shuo smiled gently, bowed, and temporarily stepped back.

Chu Yuanchen did not urge him and smiled as he returned the glass to the emperor.

When the cup of wine was finished, the emperor could not wait to say: "Darong's national prestige is getting stronger and stronger. Recently, the Ministry of Works has made a new crossbow that can shoot down targets a thousand steps away and never miss a target."

All the court officials knew that the emperor was going to test the crossbow today, but except for the Minister of Works, no one had ever seen what the crossbow looked like.

Now hearing what the emperor said, everyone was shocked.

Especially the generals who led the troops found it hard to believe.

The crossbow is extremely powerful and has a long range, but its biggest flaw is that its accuracy is not high. If it could achieve a 100% accuracy, wouldn't it be easy to take the enemy's general's head in the chaos? ! Easily crush the enemy's morale!

"Your Majesty." An older general clasped his fists and asked with a burning gaze, "Is there really such a crossbow?"

"Of course." The emperor stroked his beard with satisfaction and said, "General Wu will know it later. I have seen its power with my own eyes."

Seeing the people below gasping in amazement, the emperor felt even more proud.

"I have asked someone to bring the crossbow to the garden. I will personally test it for you, my dear ministers."

"If we could have this thing," General Wu said with great enthusiasm, "our great military might would be even greater!"

The emperor nodded repeatedly with a smile on his face: "After testing the crossbows, I plan to deploy them to the imperial guards first."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The emperor's smile deepened, and he said to Chu Yuanchen, "Achen, what do you think?"

He wanted to see Chu Yuanchen shocked and panicked, but Chu Yuanchen just smiled, waved his finger lightly and said: "Your Majesty, this thing is useless."