When Feng Yuan heard someone calling from the roadside, he glanced over and saw an elegant middle-aged man in gray clothes standing beside a wooden noodle stall with flickering oil lamps.

He reined in his horse and raised an eyebrow, asking, “Duke Ding, what are you doing here?”

Duke Ding Mu Shen raised the painting in his hand and said, “I happened to acquire a painting by Master Kuchan of the previous dynasty. My son was rescued by the Grand Prince and is being cared for in your manor. I’d like to present this painting to the Grand Prince as a token of my gratitude.”

Feng Yuan dismounted but didn’t accept the gift, saying instead, “I’ve never been fond of paintings and such since childhood. Giving such a valuable painting to me would be like burning a zither to cook a crane. Duke Ding should keep it for his enjoyment.”

Duke Ding shook his head with a smile: “I haven’t indulged in calligraphy and paintings for many years. Many of my youthful interests were abandoned during my prolonged illness. As for you, aren’t you currently learning martial arts from Master Xiao? His style is extremely forceful and aggressive. Without a steady mind, you lack the lingering strength that follows an attack. Perhaps you should cultivate your mental state more, which would greatly benefit your fighting technique.”

Feng Yuan smiled and asked, “Does Third Uncle know you’re criticizing his martial arts this way?”

Mu Shen smiled wryly and said, “I misspoke. Those were your mother’s words, not just my personal opinion. Please don’t repeat this to your Third Uncle!”

Having married Princess Anqing, he was the nephew-in-law of Xiao Tianyang, though Duke Ding still followed his youthful habit of addressing Xiao Tianyang as Third Uncle.

Since it was a well-intentioned gesture, Feng Yuan accepted the painting and then asked, “Duke Ding, waiting here must have other matters to discuss, right?”

Duke Ding nodded: “After leaving the palace earlier, I went to your manor to see Hanjiang. However, since I’ve been away from the capital for so long, your staff didn’t recognize me and wouldn’t let me in. I thought you might have gone to the Court of Judicial Review, so I sat here eating noodles while waiting for you.”

Feng Yuan asked seemingly casually, “Hasn’t Princess Anqing come to visit Young Master Mu?”

Duke Ding shook his head: “I haven’t returned home yet, nor have I sent anyone with specific information. A mother always worries about her child. There’s no need to frighten her unnecessarily. After I see Hanjiang, I’ll gradually break the news to her.”

Feng Yuan smiled somewhat mockingly.

At Five-Li Slope, someone had seen a lookout secretly escaping, presumably to report the news.

Cheng Kun had been Princess Anqing’s trusted subordinate. With an entire unit of Dragon Scale Shadow Guards defeated, she must have already received word. Even if Duke Ding was trying to spare his wife’s feelings, it was a wasted effort.

When Duke Ding boarded the carriage and arrived with Feng Yuan at the manor gate, they found another carriage already waiting there.

After Duke Ding alighted, he heard a woman’s surprised voice from the carriage: “You… why are you here too?”

The person in the carriage was indeed Princess Anqing. She must have come to the manor after receiving word.

However, since Feng Yuan hadn’t returned and had instructed that no one be allowed in without his permission, Princess Anqing had also been denied entry.

She just hadn’t expected to encounter her husband here.

Although she knew Duke Ding had returned, he had been staying at a suburban villa and hadn’t gone back to Duke Ding’s residence in the city after entering the capital.

By all accounts, Princess Anqing hadn’t seen her husband for quite some time.

Duke Ding explained in a gentle tone that he had been in the palace with His Majesty when he heard about Hanjiang’s injury and came to check on him.

Princess Anqing looked at her long-absent husband with mixed emotions and said softly, “Since you’ve returned, why haven’t you come back to the residence? Staying in the suburban villa is rather inconvenient.”

Duke Ding didn’t respond to this, saying only, “Let’s go inside first.”

Feng Yuan made a “please” gesture, inviting the couple into the manor. As they walked, he asked, “Since Duke Ding hasn’t returned home, may I ask how the Princess learned about Young Master Mu’s ambush and injury?”

Princess Anqing’s lips tightened momentarily: “With the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards led by the Jing rank almost annihilated at Five-Li Slope, how could I not know?”

“Does the Princess know why, when Young Master Mu was found, he and Cheng Kun were both lying in pools of blood, and Young Master Mu appeared to be seriously wounded by Cheng Kun’s sword?”

“What? Cheng Kun injured Hanjiang?”

Princess Anqing, who had been walking briskly, suddenly stopped, turning sharply to stare at Feng Yuan with wide eyes. Then her gaze shifted uncertainly to Duke Ding beside her, appearing completely unaware of this fact.

Duke Ding also frowned and said, “Grand Prince, you shouldn’t speak carelessly. We still can’t confirm that it was Cheng Kun who injured Hanjiang.”

Feng Yuan looked at both of them and said indifferently, “The Duke is right. This is just the inference of the Court of Judicial Review’s coroner based on the scene. Everything will need to wait until Young Master Mu wakes up for a definitive conclusion.”

Mu Hanjiang was still unconscious. Excessive blood loss had left him extremely weak, his complexion pale and haggard.

Even though Princess Anqing was usually strict with her son, seeing him now, she couldn’t help feeling heartbroken and wanted to approach him. But as her hand reached out, Feng Yuan blocked her, as if afraid she might harm him.

Princess Anqing could no longer contain herself and glared, saying, “What is the Grand Prince implying? He is my son. Do you think I would harm him?”

Feng Yuan replied evenly, “The officials from the Court of Judicial Review instructed me that if Cheng Kun truly injured Young Master Mu, it must be because the Young Master discovered some terrible secret of his. Therefore, until the Young Master wakes up, we must guard him carefully and not allow anyone to approach him. So, Princess, I apologize for the offense.”

Princess Anqing breathed heavily, finally suppressing her emotions, and looked directly at Feng Yuan: “I know you’ve never liked me, but you shouldn’t make wild suspicions and insinuate that I would harm my son!”

She was about to say more when Duke Ding stopped her: “Enough, Yugui! The Grand Prince means well. He saved Hanjiang, so why would you fear he won’t take good care of him?”

Restrained by Duke Ding, Princess Anqing finally contained her emotions. After carefully examining Mu Hanjiang again and ensuring he was stable apart from being unconscious, and once he had been fed some liquid food, she left the manor with Duke Ding.

When Duke Ding was about to return to his carriage, Princess Anqing stopped him: “Would the Duke please ride with me? I have something to discuss with you.”

Despite being married for decades, there was an indescribable formality and distance between the Princess and her husband.

After all, apart from their first few years of marriage, they had lived separately for a long time.

As the carriage moved forward, Duke Ding asked gently, “What does the Princess wish to discuss with me?”

Princess Anqing had mixed emotions but finally spoke with cold eyes: “Fu Ansheng is in my custody.”

Mu Shen feigned confusion: “Fu Ansheng? Who is that?”

Princess Anqing took a deep breath, suppressing her emotions: “He’s the one who overheard your conversation with Chen Nuo in Jiangzhe years ago!”

Seeing Mu Shen remaining impassive, Princess Anqing directly revealed: “You ordered the midnight raid on Meng Zhun’s entire household. Did you ever consider that you killed the wrong person?”

Years ago, in Jiangzhe, at the villa where she was temporarily staying, Mu Shen had accompanied her.

At that time, Mu Shen and Chen Nuo were talking in secret when they discovered someone hiding behind a garden rockery, eavesdropping. The person had dropped a waist token.

The next day, Chen Nuo took charge of the investigation and discovered that the officer on duty that night was Meng Zhun.

Subsequently, Meng Zhun was convicted, and his entire family was massacred by bandits in one night. She knew all this but had never confronted Mu Shen about it.

That day when she met Meng Zhun at the postal station, she felt deeply ashamed, as Meng Zhun’s family tragedy had been caused by her husband.

Mu Shen laughed upon hearing this, still maintaining his composure: “Though I don’t know what misunderstanding you have, if Meng Zhun’s family suffered such a fate, it must have been Chen Nuo’s doing. You know his character—he was ambitious and vicious.”

Princess Anqing shook her head helplessly: “Chen Nuo is gone, so you push everything onto him? Don’t you know that if you don’t want others to know, you shouldn’t do it in the first place!”

After Feng Yuan took in Meng Zhun, he had been searching through various channels for the list of officers in the Yong rank, particularly investigating those who had been sent to Jiangzhe that year.

Initially, Princess Anqing didn’t understand Feng Yuan’s intentions. Besides this, he was also searching for a military officer named Fu Ansheng.

It was precisely this that aroused Princess Anqing’s curiosity.

After detaining Fu Ansheng, she finally learned from him the secret of how he had made Meng Zhun take the blame. Upon tracing the whole story, she naturally guessed who was behind the massacre of the Meng family!

Although Princess Anqing held the leverage of Fu Ansheng, her husband sitting opposite her still smiled calmly and steadily.

“So what? What does the Princess plan to do? Tell His Majesty or inform Feng Yuan? The dead are gone. What benefit is there in reopening this old, foul-smelling case? If I were you, I would simply deal with the hidden threat that is Fu Ansheng, yet you keep him alive. Let me guess, are you planning to use him against me? How do you plan to deal with me? After all, Hanjiang has grown up, and I, as your husband, am no longer of much use to you…”

“Mu Shen!”

The always rule-abiding Princess Anqing, for a moment, seemed ready to burst with shame and anger from every dignified pore.

She pressed her lips together: “You needn’t say such unpleasant things. I just wanted to remind you that in whatever you do, think of our Yanyan. She’s grown now and is at the age for marriage arrangements. If any scandal erupts in our family, how will she, as a daughter, find her place?”

At the mention of their daughter, Mu Shen softened his tone and said gently, “Didn’t I come back in response to your letter, rushing to select a good match for Yanyan? Enough about these old matters. With Hanjiang so seriously injured, let’s wait until the child recovers before discussing anything further.”

Mentioning Mu Hanjiang’s current injury, Princess Anqing had many doubts and couldn’t help raising her eyes to look at Mu Shen.

Hearing her probing, Mu Shen smiled dismissively: “What are you imagining now? My love for this child is no less than yours as his mother.”

Princess Anqing fell silent, embarrassed.

Indeed, although Mu Shen had been absent from home in recent years, his concern for their children hadn’t diminished at all. The monthly correspondence with their children never ceased.

And because she had always been a strict mother, Mu Shen, the indulgent father, clearly had won the children’s hearts more.

Thinking back, merely because of suspicions about Feng Yuan’s bloodline, that child had been neglected and despised by His Majesty.

Compared to Feng Yuan, Hanjiang was much more fortunate.

Because compared to Emperor Chunde, who was wholly focused on the empire, Mu Shen had always been an impeccable father…

Three days after the Crown Prince’s ambush, the envoys from Wei Country finally arrived at the capital of Dafeng during the night.

Those responsible for receiving the envoys this time included not only officials from the Ministry of Rites but also Crown Prince Feng Qiyuan, who had just returned to the capital and received the imperial command.

So Xiaoying rose early to go to the city gate to welcome the guests. Since returning to the palace, she had been waiting for the shadowy mastermind who had kidnapped Feng Qiyuan to contact her. But there had been no movement, which surprised her.

As soon as she stepped out, she saw only Little Six, Feng Qiruo, standing respectfully at the Eastern Palace gate, paying respects to his Fourth Brother.

In the months they hadn’t seen each other, the child seemed to have grown considerably. Combined with his increasingly mature demeanor, he appeared quite like a little adult.

Xiaoying always enjoyed teasing him, so after Little Six completed his formal greeting, she asked, “Who have you been relying on during the days when I was away from the palace?”

Feng Qiruo replied, “The brothers and sisters in the palace have always been harmonious. Although Mother Empress’s health continues to be poor, fortunately, Consort Yi has been taking care of this humble brother. Nevertheless, this brother has been eagerly awaiting Your Highness’s return…”

“That’s enough. If you truly had been eagerly awaiting my return, why didn’t you come to visit on the first day?”

This boy, without support or reliance, had always sought to be shrewd and safe. Seeing that the Crown Prince was being favored by His Majesty, he was now eagerly drawing close.

However, speaking of Consort Yi, Xiaoying felt somewhat emotional.

The last time she parted with Tang Mi, she had thought they would never meet again.

Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, she would become Consort Yi’s male cousin, and Consort Yi would become her stepmother in name?

These kinship relationships were truly complex and intricate.

Moreover, looking at the register of the Wei Country envoys, the name of the bold and lustful Prince Huo Buxun was prominently listed. He was audacious enough to roam the capital of Dafeng again.

It seemed that Tang Mi must have also received this news and probably had been anxiously sleepless these past few days.

Just as she was thinking this, Xiaoying ran directly into Consort Yi, coming from the opposite direction.

Unlike her previous disheveled and dirty appearance, Tang Mi in her palace garments looked increasingly beautiful, though there was some barely noticeable fatigue at the corners of her eyes and brows, as if she hadn’t slept well.

Upon seeing the Crown Prince approaching, Consort Yi naturally stepped aside to pay respects to the sovereign.

Previously, when Xiaoying was the Crown Prince, she had no close relationship with this cousin. Now it was even less appropriate to say much, so she merely nodded and hurried past.

After rising, Consort Yi stared at Xiaoying’s retreating figure for a moment, then asked her palace maid casually, “By the way, I heard His Majesty has arranged a marriage for the Grand Prince. Has the wedding date been set?”

The palace maid replied, “I haven’t heard about that. It seems that the concubine ran away in anger and still hasn’t returned to the Prince’s manor!”

As for Xiaoying, after leaving the palace and boarding the carriage, she accompanied the Ministry of Rites officials to the city gate. From a distance, seeing the ceremonial flags of Great Wei, the official from the Ministry of Rites, Lord Hong, reminded her, “Crown Prince, this visit from Great Wei is not only to discuss peace but also to display their national strength. After all, the Wei people believe that their defeat in the Battle of Fengwei Slope was due to General Gu Zhi’s underestimation of us and falling into our trap. It’s said that among Prince Huo’s entourage is the supreme martial artist Chen Xifan, secretly accompanying them… If those Wei people try to show dominance to our Great Dafeng, I hope the Crown Prince can remain composed.”

Xiaoying raised her eyebrows. She had heard the name Chen Xifan countless times.

That Suiyin had been a top disciple of Chen Xifan, and years ago, Xiao Jiumu had been defeated by Chen Xifan.

A martial hero considered a lifelong rival by Xiao Tianyang must possess formidable skills indeed.

Xiaoying grew curious, so as she watched the Wei Country convoy, she couldn’t help scanning back and forth, wanting to see which one was the renowned Chen Xifan.

Prince Huo Buxun, seated on horseback, was similarly examining the Dafeng Crown Prince under the curved dragon parasol.

This glance revealed a skinny, frail young man. Though the shadow of the parasol obscured his features, at first glance, he looked like a girl in disguise.

So someone rudely remarked, “Have all the men in your Dafeng died out that you’ve put a little girl as Crown Prince? Do you think we’re all fools?”

Lord Hong’s face changed, and he quickly raised his voice: “How dare you! Our Great Dafeng’s Crown Prince endures your insulting words. Is this how Wei Country behaves as guests?”

After confirming that this effeminate person was indeed the Crown Prince, the Wei delegation camp erupted again in ambiguous roars of laughter.

Xiaoying suddenly understood why she had been assigned this task.

The entire Wei nation was nursing a grudge after losing Fengwei Slope. Though this visit was for peace negotiations, it was also to demonstrate their national might and intimidate.

If someone like Feng Yuan had been sent, the front teeth of those laughing the loudest might have been knocked out by him already.

The old Emperor’s sending the ineffectual Crown Prince was intended to make Feng Qiyuan a punching bag.

After all, no hot-blooded prince would likely endure Wei Country’s contempt.

But Yan Xiaoying wasn’t born to take abuse either!

So she smiled slightly and suddenly spat out a jujube pit, which went right into the mouth of the man at the front of the line who had been laughing the loudest.

The Wei military officer was caught off guard and choked, clutching his throat as his eyes started to roll back.

Those around him patted his back and lifted him to pound on him until he finally spat out the foreign object from his throat.

Huo Buxun frowned deeply and glared at the Dafeng Crown Prince: “What… are you doing?”

The young Crown Prince helplessly popped another jujube into his mouth and said, “I was just spitting out a jujube pit, and it happened to go there. Ahem, why keep your mouth so wide open for no reason? Someone, please bring this Wei official some soup to soothe his throat.”

Huo Buxun sneered, not bothering to engage in verbal sparring with such a slender, effeminate person, and said, “This Prince has come here under my royal brother’s orders to deliver a peace proposal to the Emperor of Dafeng.”

Saying this, he gestured for an attendant to bring forward the royal letter, then took it with both hands but extended it to Yan Xiaoying with just one hand.

Throughout, Huo Buxun had not dismounted. This manner of presenting a royal letter conveyed immense contempt and violated protocol.

Lord Hong, beside her, was anxious, fearing that the Crown Prince lacked diplomatic experience and would not understand the gravity of the situation, and reached out to accept the letter.

If word spread that the mighty Dafeng Crown Prince stood like a servant before the high horse of Wei’s envoy to receive the letter, it would be a humiliating disgrace worthy of historical record!

However, his concern was unnecessary. The young Crown Prince kept his hands behind his back, maintaining a dignified but not arrogant posture, smiling at the delegation: “Since this is for the Son of Heaven of Dafeng, naturally, Your Highness must present it in the imperial hall. I am merely the heir apparent; how could I accept a letter meant for His Majesty?”

Huo Buxun looked at the young man under the shadow of the royal canopy and sneered with disdain: “Crown Prince, you’re too young and must be receiving a diplomatic mission for the first time. In exchanges between Wei and Dafeng, the royal letter is always presented at the city gate. After it’s examined by your Emperor, both sides have a clearer understanding of each other’s bottom lines. If you wish for peace, let us in for detailed discussions. If negotiations fail, reject the letter, and we’ll return to Wei Country immediately. Now you welcome us but refuse to accept the letter on behalf of your Emperor—does this mean Dafeng wishes to fight Wei Country to the bitter end?”

Lord Hong, beside her, awkwardly reminded her in a low voice: “Your Highness, the Crown Prince, this is indeed the protocol. You… shouldn’t refuse to accept the royal letter.”

At this moment, a stalemate had developed at the city gate over a royal letter, with no small number of spectators watching from atop the gate.

Several princes and high court officials stood on the city gate tower, observing the situation below.

The Second Prince, somewhat gloating though trying to hide it, said, “Alas, the Crown Prince truly lacks experience. Right from the start, he has angered the Wei envoys, allowing them to show their dominance. What should we do now?”