Leaning against the wall and looking through the small window, Feng Miao Jun could see sandalwood tables, the four treasures of the study, and antique shelves through the wide-open window of the building opposite—a study room.

Two people stood in the study, one tall and one short. The tall one gave instructions while the shorter one nodded repeatedly.

When Feng Miao Jun saw the tall man’s face, her beautiful eyes widened slightly. With long eyebrows and bright eyes, carrying an imposing aura, it was none other than the Yan Kingdom’s envoy, the nineteenth prince Zhao Yun!

Was this fellow Yun Ya bringing her to spy on Zhao Yun’s dream? She instinctively looked toward Yun Ya, who raised his eyebrows at her and placed a finger over his lips, gesturing for silence.

This meant that Zhao Yun remained vigilant in his dreams and could detect outsiders.

Since they were already here, how could they leave empty-handed? Feng Miao Jun pragmatically pressed against the window to listen closely. Fu Ling Chuan had achieved his goal of restoring the nation with the Yan King’s help, but this had also planted hidden dangers for the newly established New Xia.

The shorter man seemed to be Zhao Yun’s confidant. The first sentence Feng Miao Jun overheard shocked her deeply. Zhao Yun said: “Send a message back immediately, confirming that the New Xia Queen has been replaced. I tried to activate the restriction my father placed on her, but it had no effect.”

Feng Miao Jun felt a chill down her spine.

So the Yan King had placed restrictions on Fei Yuan—no wonder he had been so generous before, readily sponsoring Fu Ling Chuan’s nation-restoration efforts. He had this ace up his sleeve. Once New Xia was established, he could control the Queen, which was equivalent to controlling the entire New Xia. Otherwise, with New Xia tens of thousands of miles away from Yan, even sending messages back and forth would take several months. If Fei Yuan and Fu Ling Chuan became stronger and ignored the Yan King’s demands, he would be in a difficult position.

Fu Ling Chuan had never mentioned this point—perhaps he too had been kept in the dark.

This was truly a case of man’s plans being no match for heaven’s will. The Yan King had played his cards well, but he didn’t know that the person across the table had changed. New Xia had been established by Feng Miao Jun, and no matter how exquisite his restrictions were, they had vanished along with Fei Yuan. Perhaps it was when news of the New Xia princess’s transformation reached his ears that the Yan King became suspicious and sent Zhao Yun to investigate.

However, this meant Zhao Yun could confirm she wasn’t Fei Yuan. It implied that New Xia could break free from the Yan King’s control at any time. Feng Miao Jun also admired this man’s composure—he had probably tried to activate the restriction upon seeing Feng Miao Jun’s true appearance and immediately knew she was not the original Fei Yuan. Yet in the peach grove, he had remained cheerful and showed no signs of suspicion.

The shorter man acknowledged with a “Yes,” but then asked: “Does His Majesty intend to place another restriction on her?”

Zhao Yun paced back and forth in the study, hesitating: “Success would be ideal, but if Fu Ling Chuan discovers it, he’ll immediately have a reason to sever diplomatic relations with our Great Yan. This matter carries too much risk.”

Even as a Yan prince, he now stood on New Xia soil and couldn’t act as recklessly as he would at home. After establishing his nation, Fu Ling Chuan would act from New Xia’s perspective. Moreover, countries, like people, instinctively desire independence, strength, and freedom from birth—how could they willingly submit to Yan’s control?

After all, Fu Ling Chuan and New Xia’s cultivators were not to be underestimated, and they wouldn’t stand by watching him act. If Zhao Yun could successfully plot against their Queen in New Xia’s core territory, then New Xia’s weakness would be truly shocking.

If this plan failed, New Xia might not necessarily take his life, but they could seize the opportunity to cut off existing agreements with Yan under the pretext of harming their Queen. This way, he would suffer in New Xia and fail his mission for the Yan King—not a worthwhile trade-off at all.

“Father asked me to assess the situation and make my judgment.” Zhao Yun remained undecided. “I’ll have to play it by ear, sigh.”

“Didn’t you ask about my intentions?” Yun Ya adopted a standard “leaning in to whisper” posture, his voice so low that only Feng Miao Jun could barely hear. The warm breath almost poured into her ear, making it tickle, but she didn’t dare turn her head because his next words gave her a real shock. “I want to eliminate him!” he said, then straightened up.

“What the hell?” Feng Miao Jun had no time to think further before grabbing his wrist and hissing: “Stop!”

Yun Ya’s handsome face was full of eager attentiveness: “He wants to plot against you. Let me kill him to avenge you, alright?”

“No.” She glared at him. “If he dies in his dream, he’ll become a vegetative person in reality. If a Yan prince meets with an accident in Ursel City, are you afraid my birthday celebration won’t be lively enough?”

This was her territory. If Zhao Yun perished here, how could the Yan King let it go? He was probably just looking for an excuse to interfere in New Xia’s internal affairs again.

Although he didn’t know what a “vegetative person” meant, Yun Ya still chuckled lightly: “This is what they call ‘capital punishment may be waived, but corporal punishment cannot be escaped.’ If he dares to covet you, he should be prepared to die.”

“Are you determined to act?” Feng Miao Jun was calculating her chances of stopping him when she suddenly noticed the crafty light in his eyes. The usual dreaminess in those peach blossom eyes had disappeared, replaced entirely by shrewd calculation.

In Yinzi City, at Yai Mountain, whenever he plotted against a person, a city, or a country, he often revealed such a look!

Feng Miao Jun was slightly stunned, suddenly realizing that Yun Ya wasn’t trying to avenge her at all! He had come prepared to deal with Zhao Yun, and what they had just witnessed was merely an accident.

Everyone knew that New Xia had deep ties with Yan, and Wei already showed ambitious intentions. Perhaps the day of armed conflict with Yan was not far off. If the Yan King’s most beloved son died in Ursel, his relationship with New Xia would inevitably deteriorate, allowing Wei to divide the two.

No wonder Yun Ya openly admitted that his target in coming to Ursel was Zhao Yun. He hadn’t lied, but the consequences would be borne by New Xia.

This fellow—when he didn’t act, all was well, but once he moved, it was earth-shattering. Although Zhao Yun’s cultivation was impressive, Feng Miao Jun wasn’t confident he could withstand the Wei State Preceptor’s scheme.

What should she do? Should she warn Zhao Yun, helping him against Yun Ya?

Hah, confronting Yun Ya was the last thing she wanted to do.

As countless thoughts flashed through her mind, Yun Ya’s gaze flickered, and he said languidly: “Actually, I can choose not to kill him.”

Can… not kill? Feng Miao Jun stared at him intently, catching every subtle expression on his face, and finally realized: “Conditions?”

These two words were spoken through gritted teeth.

Yun Ya’s haughty attitude, using Zhao Yun’s life and the relationship between Yan and Xia as threats, was merely capital for negotiation.

What was he plotting now?

“An’an understands me so well.” Yun Ya sighed softly, leaning close to her ear and whispering, “Kiss me once, and I’ll spare his life.”

“What?” Feng Miao Jun thought she had misheard and couldn’t react immediately.

This girl rarely showed such a bewildered expression, inevitably carrying a hint of adorable charm. Yun Ya suppressed his urge to kiss her—this time, he wanted her to take the initiative.

He pointed at his thin lips: “Kiss me here, and I’ll let him go.”