Prince Yao was sick, right there inside his own quarters?

How could that possibly be true? If Jun Beiyue were actually there, he would have come out long ago—he wouldn’t have waited until now!

If he’d known about the incident at the hunting grounds, he wouldn’t have cared about being sick at all—he’d have rushed straight to the hunting grounds himself!

Such a major incident, one that everyone now knew about—how could Jun Beiyue possibly not know? Ziqing was a hundred percent certain in her heart: Jun Beiyue was not in the capital!

Even if he did know about the hunting grounds incident, he could only still be on his way back at this point!

What should she do?

Leaving the capital without the Prince of Nanzhao’s permission was a serious matter—not just Lord Bomiluo would suffer for it, but Jun Beiyue himself would struggle to explain it to the Prince of Nanzhao, since this was explicitly against the rules!

For a moment, everyone turned to Lord Bomiluo, waiting for his definitive answer, while Ziqing’s heart pounded like an ant on a hot skillet—Lord Bomiluo was lying through his teeth!

“Reporting to Your Majesty, Prince Yao has caught a cold and is resting in his quarters. The physician has said it’s best he avoid drafts, or his condition could worsen easily, which is why he cannot come out to greet Your Majesty. He has asked me to convey his regards on his behalf.”

Hearing Lord Bomiluo’s explanation, not just everyone else, but even the Prince of Nanzhao himself clearly didn’t believe it. He raised an eyebrow at Lord Bomiluo, then suddenly slapped him hard across the face, roaring furiously, “Such a major matter, and you’re only reporting it now! What kind of envoy attendant are you?”

At this, Bomiluo dropped to his knees in fright, trembling. “Your Majesty, it was Prince Yao himself who forbade this humble servant from reporting it. Prince Yao said Your Majesty has been busy with wedding preparations these days, and such a small matter shouldn’t disturb Your Majesty!”

“Is that so? Then let me ask you this—does Prince Yao know that the Princess Consort nearly lost her life at the hunting grounds?” the Prince of Nanzhao pressed further.

At these words, Ziqing instinctively glanced toward the Empress of Eastern Qin. There was no doubt about it—for the Prince of Nanzhao to ask this way meant he hadn’t come purely to apologize for the hunting incident. Someone had been feeding him damaging reports about Jun Beiyue, and he’d believed them.

This visit had been specifically to see Jun Beiyue in person, to verify whether whatever slander he’d been fed held any truth.

Aside from Jun Beiyue himself, the only person present whose words carried real weight with the Prince of Nanzhao was the Empress of Eastern Qin, who stood on equal footing with him.

Heaven only knew what lies she’d been spreading about Jun Beiyue!

“How outrageous!” Ziqing cursed silently in her heart, unconsciously clenching her fists. If she hadn’t caused all this trouble in the first place, Jun Beiyue wouldn’t be caught in this dangerous position now.

Lord Bomiluo’s explanation clearly hadn’t convinced the Prince of Nanzhao at all!

Watching Lord Bomiluo’s trembling demeanor, Ziqing felt her hopes sinking fast. There would be no miracle here. If there had been any real chance of one, Lord Bomiluo, Yingzi, and Imperial Physician Gu would surely have carried themselves with confidence—why else would they seem so frightened, so uneasy?

And the Empress of Eastern Qin’s sharp eyes had long since caught every reaction from everyone present. Cautious as she was, she was now even more certain that Lord Bomiluo was lying.

At last, she couldn’t help but speak up. “Heh, Da Zhou’s Prince Yao is famously devoted to his consort—I’d actually been worried for the Second Beast Young Master’s sake! And now, over a trivial little cold, he’s hiding away like this? Could it be that the legendary War God, Prince Yao, is actually so delicate he can’t even withstand a common chill?”

She spoke with a faint, mocking smile, dripping with sarcasm. Beside her, Xuanyuan Zhaoxi joined in with a light laugh of her own. “Mother, Prince Yao is such a precious figure—how could the likes of us simply demand to see him? We’ve been here so many days now, and we still haven’t caught even a glimpse of him.”

There were clearly deeper implications behind these words. The Prince of Nanzhao grew even more uneasy hearing them—the Empress of Eastern Qin’s earlier remarks, combined with the behavior of Jun Beiyue’s subordinates now, had genuinely made him suspicious. But this kind of mockery from the Empress could easily provoke both Jun Beiyue and Han Ziqing, which wasn’t at all what he wanted.

Having every power on the Longyuan continent gathered here in Nanzhao was both a tremendous honor for Nanzhao and an enormous risk.

Whatever conflicts existed between them, none of it could be allowed to erupt on Nanzhao’s own soil!

Right now, all he wanted to know was whether Jun Beiyue was actually here or not.

Without waiting for Lord Bomiluo to explain further, the Prince of Nanzhao rose to his feet, paying Bomiluo no more mind, and addressed Ziqing directly. “For Prince Yao’s manor to let him fall ill without even informing anyone—that’s hardly proper conduct. Quickly, take me to see him! If anything were to happen to him, I could never forgive myself!”

How was Ziqing supposed to answer this? She had absolutely no idea what lie Lord Bomiluo had actually fabricated!

“Your Majesty, His Highness’s cold is contagious, and Your Majesty is a sovereign of the highest rank, with your wedding fast approaching. If you were to catch it, Prince Yao would be utterly inexcusable. Your Majesty’s concern is deeply appreciated, and I hope you’ll forgive His Highness for being unable to greet you in person.”

Ziqing followed along with Lord Bomiluo’s lie, phrasing it beautifully, giving both sides a graceful way out!

At last, the Prince of Nanzhao hesitated—but then the Empress of Eastern Qin chimed in unnecessarily. “Oh my, a cold contagious enough to spread to others—how strange that it wouldn’t heal easily. I wonder which physician is treating him?”

This remark clearly reminded the Prince of Nanzhao, and he immediately demanded, “Summon the physician here. I must ask him myself—we can’t afford any mistakes!”

A physician?

Ziqing had only just returned—how could she possibly know anything about a physician? Besides, this whole thing was a lie to begin with—where would a real physician even come from?

She glanced toward Lord Bomiluo, and at the same moment, he glanced back at her. The two of them stared at each other, neither answering right away.

The Empress of Eastern Qin caught every bit of their reaction, especially Lord Bomiluo’s, a cold smile curling at her lips, growing more certain than ever.

Yet even though she’d spoken up, she was careful never to overplay her hand—the rest, she’d leave for the Prince of Nanzhao himself to say, while she simply watched the show unfold from the sidelines.

Ziqing glanced at the Empress of Eastern Qin. She was no fool compared to her—given the current situation, it was best for Ziqing to say as little as possible herself. First, if she spoke too much without coordinating her story with Lord Bomiluo beforehand, there would surely be inconsistencies between their accounts. Second, given how things stood, with the Prince of Nanzhao being pushed step by step by the Empress of Eastern Qin, it had been Lord Bomiluo, not her, who’d claimed Jun Beiyue was ill—if she got too involved now, she risked being charged with deceiving the sovereign herself!

With no other choice, she had to leave everything to Lord Bomiluo.

What she needed to do now was compete with the Empress of Eastern Qin for the Prince of Nanzhao’s trust, all while protecting herself, chipping away at his doubts step by step.

Jun Beiyue would, at the very latest, be back by tomorrow. If she could just stall until then, all these suspicions would collapse on their own.

Ziqing silently told herself: stay calm, stall for time no matter what.

“Indeed, Lord Bomiluo—which physician diagnosed him? Bring him here quickly. This princess consort has some questions of her own! How did His Highness suddenly come down with such a contagious cold, perfectly healthy as he was?”

Ziqing asked seriously, and at these words, the Prince of Nanzhao was clearly taken aback.

Meanwhile, the Empress of Eastern Qin sneered inwardly. Did Han Ziqing really think such a petty little trick could escape her notice?

She remained silent, simply waiting for Lord Bomiluo’s answer.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, Princess Consort, the one who diagnosed Prince Yao was… was… was…” Lord Bomiluo kept stammering “was” over and over, unable to produce an actual name!

For a moment, all eyes turned back toward him once more. The Empress of Eastern Qin rested her chin on one hand, utterly composed, waiting patiently. Ziqing’s face remained expressionless, though her heart had already leapt into her throat—she knew things had reached the point where they could no longer stall.

Finally, the Prince of Nanzhao lost his patience entirely, suddenly roaring, “What are you dawdling for? Out with it!”