Of course, this plan did not include the content of Qian Prefecture’s Provincial Administration Commissioner. In her eyes, You Yun and his son must be dead men.

“Since I only need to support You Weixing to power to easily solve everything, why should I negotiate with you and hand over the military and administrative power of Qian Prefecture—a strategic location that can almost control Yannan—to you father and son? Do you think I find controlling Yannan too easy?”

“Because we still have the ability to fight back, the ability to cause trouble, the ability to prevent You Weixing from smoothly inheriting, and the ability to leave behind seeds of rebellion,” You Yun said. “My son and I have been operating in Yannan for many years. What you see is only the tip of the iceberg. Even if we can no longer inherit the Yannan throne, making it difficult for anyone else to inherit is not hard either.”

Tie Ci fell silent.

This was indeed the truth.

She had ruined the You father and son’s reputation, destroyed their standing, toppled their banner of righteousness, making it impossible for them to become Yannan King. But a centipede dies hard—even if You Weixing became Yannan King in the future, with the You father and son and their remaining followers constantly causing trouble, Yannan would become a mess.

You Weixing couldn’t handle it, and she couldn’t stay in Yannan to help him handle it. If she cultivated others to help, with the emperor far away, she might just cultivate another You Yun—that would be an endless cycle.

The best solution was indeed to let the You father and son go elsewhere to be kings. To consolidate their power and reestablish authority, they would inevitably have to take all their visible and hidden forces in Yannan with them, leaving behind a clean Yannan.

You Yun was skilled at assessing situations and timing, and the conditions he proposed were all the most appropriate.

Tie Ci remained silent. You Weixuan stood there, having glanced at her once at the beginning, but never looked again afterward, only gazing up at the sky as if wanting to entrust her fate entirely to heaven.

You Yun continued slowly: “Perhaps Your Highness wants to try using Yannan as a battlefield, fighting us with real swords and spears to see who lives and who dies. I won’t speak empty words about prioritizing the people’s livelihood—in the power struggle, there are no commoners, only you and me. But I have a son, and Your Highness has friends who trust you with their lives. Is Your Highness truly willing to fight to mutual destruction? After the mantis catches the cicada, will it harm your dear friend?”

The golden and silver mask of Tie Ci gleamed coldly, her voice equally cold: “You Weixuan cannot die.”

“Then leave her to me. I guarantee she won’t die. I’ll let You Weixing see her once every year,” You Yun answered quickly.

This time You Weixuan lowered her eyes to stare at the ground, still saying nothing, but clenching her teeth against her cheeks, making a subtle grinding sound.

When others hold the knife and you are the fish on the chopping board, saying anything is just self-humiliation.

Tie Ci glanced at her.

You Weixuan, with her head down, felt her gaze and looked up with a bitter smile: “Your Highness, please make your decision. Weixuan… doesn’t blame you. Being able to keep my life is already extremely fortunate.”

Tie Ci thought for a while longer, then still shook her head.

“With you father and son—one as Provincial Administration Commissioner, one as Regional Military Commissioner—Qian Prefecture would become your fiefdom. Since you want me to hand You Weixuan over to you, then you hand You Weinan over to me. I’ll arrange for him to serve as an official in the capital. I’ll also guarantee his safety, and father and son can meet once every two years.”

You Weinan, who had been fanning himself while listening to the two of them go back and forth calculating step by step, was mentally marveling at these two foxes when he was suddenly called out by name. He was stunned for a moment, blinked, and said: “What?”

Without realizing it, he had also become a hostage?

Several pairs of eyes looked over. You Yun’s gaze carried a warning as he said to Tie Ci: “I am willing to accept Your Highness’s conditions.”

Tie Ci leaned back and said: “Then it’s settled.”

You Weinan was dazed for a while, then suddenly smiled.

“Your Highness, I’m not willing.”

Just as Tie Ci was about to say this wasn’t up to him to be unwilling, You Weinan continued: “I’m not willing to be an official in the capital. A leaf falling from a tree can hit three officials, imperial relatives and nobles are everywhere—I’d have to act like a grandson to everyone I meet. If I’m going to be an official, I want to be a big one.”

Before Tie Ci could sneer and You Yun could glare angrily, he smiled again: “I’ll just be Your Highness’s person.”

You Yun turned to look at him, and from Tie Ci’s angle, she couldn’t see his expression.

Tie Ci also didn’t look at him, staring at You Weinan instead, light flickering in her eyes. After a long moment, she beckoned slowly: “Come here, let me take a look.”

You Weinan walked closer fanning himself, revealing a pair of sparkling eyes above his fan. His eyes were smiling as he looked at Tie Ci: “Ever since I first saw Your Highness at Siyi Garden, I’ve been completely captivated, unable to sleep peacefully. Being Your Highness’s enemy has been even more painful beyond words. Fortunately, my father has seen the error of his ways and is willing to surrender to Your Highness. As for me, I had no interest in officialdom to begin with and don’t want to get involved in the murky waters of the official world anymore. The only thing in my heart is Your Highness.”

After finishing this speech, he had also walked to Tie Ci’s front, full of anticipation, his gaze burning.

Tie Ci’s eyes behind the mask also seemed curved with a smile as she looked him up and down, then said: “Come closer, let me check your physique.”

You Weinan’s smile deepened as he took two steps forward.

“Closer.”

You Weinan took another two steps.

You Yun hesitated to speak.

After walking several steps, the distance between them was now only a finger’s width from touching knees.

You Weinan said in a melodious voice: “Is Your Highness satisfied…”

Before he finished speaking, Tie Ci threw a merciless punch into his stomach.

This ruthless punch bent You Weinan into a large shrimp.

You Yun: “…”

Tie Ci sat while You Weinan bent over in front of her, bringing them even closer. Tie Ci used a voice only You Weinan could hear: “Good physique—can take a punch.”

You Weinan’s face twisted into an unsightly expression, still trying to smile, though the smile was truly ugly: “Your High… ness, what… does this mean…”

Tie Ci continued speaking to herself: “Try flirting with the Crown Prince again, and I’ll punch three inches lower.”

You Weinan shuddered and clamped his legs together.

He managed a bitter smile, thinking to himself that this Highness was supposed to be magnanimous and wise—why was she so fierce and violent, with such an unpredictable temper?

Not daring to provoke the tiger’s mouth again, he was about to step back when Tie Ci suddenly raised her hand, pressed it on his shoulder, and leaned slightly to one side as if listening.

Then she raised an eyebrow with a slightly surprised expression. This expression was fleeting, but with only these few people in the hall, all staring at her, they naturally all saw it.

Tie Ci nodded slightly and released You Weinan. You Weinan’s face had been blocked by her the whole time, so no one saw his expression of surprise.

He had said nothing and done nothing—what was she doing?

Although this gesture and expression lasted only an instant, so brief he couldn’t even see clearly, he could already sense something wrong from the suddenly eerie atmosphere around them.

You Yun had unknowingly stepped forward two paces, staring at You Weinan and Tie Ci, seemingly trying to figure out what the two had said privately.

In his moment of confusion, Tie Ci beckoned to him: “Regional Military Commissioner, since you and I have reached a cooperation agreement, shouldn’t we make a blood oath?”

Her voice was very clear, audible even outside, immediately causing a commotion. You Yun, however, sighed in relief.

His expression relaxed considerably as he stepped forward two paces. Although he approached Tie Ci, You Weinan still blocked his front, so he smiled: “In that case…”

Before he finished speaking, You Weinan hunched his shoulders and lowered his head.

A flash of blue light.

Brushing past You Weinan’s shoulder, it silently pierced You Yun’s chest.

No wound, no spurting blood, yet You Yun staggered.

Only then did You Weinan stand up, rubbing his thigh and complaining: “You pinched me so hard it hurts!”

With a thud, You Yun fell to his knees, covering his chest.

Tie Ci sat motionless. After a moment of shock, You Weixuan also didn’t move. She looked at Tie Ci and said urgently: “Your Highness, don’t be fooled by him—this man has worn soft armor for years…”

Tie Ci seemed to smile slightly, raised her hand, and that streak of blue light flew out of You Yun’s chest with splashes of blood. You Yun’s body convulsed once before collapsing.

The blue light finally landed on Tie Ci’s snow-white, slender fingers. Only then did You Weixuan see clearly—it was a steel needle about a foot long, made of blue-black material that seemed like iron but wasn’t. Blood now flowed continuously along the needle until it formed a round droplet at the tip, dropping onto the blue brick floor.

Tie Ci raised her hand again, holding the blue needle, and thrust it into the wall beside her.

Like piercing tofu, it went in silently and completely.

Tie Ci said flatly: “Could You Yun’s soft armor be harder than this wall?”

You Weixuan turned to look at You Yun on the ground. He lay there as a trace of blood finally slowly soaked through his chest clothing—right at the heart position.

With such a long needle piercing through his heart, there was no chance of survival.

You Weixuan, still uneasy, stepped forward and tore open You Yun’s chest clothing. Indeed, she saw the golden silk treasure armor, and at the heart position of the armor, there was indeed a small hole from which a large amount of fresh blood was gushing.

You Weixuan stared at that hole and exhaled a long breath, her shoulders suddenly relaxing.

She stood dazedly before You Yun’s corpse for a long while.

This mortal enemy had died so easily, without repentance, regret, suffering, or atonement—lightly and casually, with just a closing of the eyes.

The crimes committed, the evil done, the remaining disasters still existed, yet he no longer had to bear them.

She felt no relief, only unwillingness.

She suddenly turned around, looking everywhere for a blade.

But in this wedding hall, all sharp objects had been removed—where would weapons be left?

Finding nothing, You Weixuan grabbed a chair and smashed it against a table leg. The table leg broke, and she picked it up, about to smash it down on You Yun’s head.

But at this moment, a figure flashed and darted out from in front of her.

You Weixuan’s attention was drawn to it—she saw it was You Weinan, looking like he wanted to escape in the chaos.

Her anger immediately found a target for venting. She redirected the table leg in her hand and struck hard at the back of You Weinan’s head.

But You Weinan had already fallen forward with a thud. You Weixuan’s table leg hit his back instead. You Weixuan turned her head and saw Tie Ci waving at her: “Don’t let people see you lose your composure.”

You Weixuan was stunned for a moment, then spread her arms and suddenly burst into laughter looking up at the sky.

The laughter was crisp and delightful.

The sound carried out of the wedding hall, where the guests, Yannan officials, guards from both sides, and the Chang family had long been crowding at the door, anxiously waiting with hearts jumping up and down. Suddenly hearing this laughter, they looked at each other in bewilderment.

They just felt this laughter was both sorrowful and delightful, expressing true feelings, with spirit soaring to the clouds.

People initially thought it was the Crown Princess, then realized the voice didn’t sound right, especially since today the Crown Princess had a hoarse voice from smoke due to a fire at her lodgings.

Many people in the crowd looked up.

Someone wanted to step forward but was quietly held back.

In the wedding hall, Tie Ci quietly watched You Weixuan laugh, her eyes flickering, not knowing what she was thinking.

After You Weixuan finished laughing, she suddenly turned and pushed open the door of the wedding hall.