“Of course they do. Which powerful man doesn’t have three wives and four concubines? Especially a prince,” Sui Yunzhu paused and looked at An Jiu. “Why are you suddenly interested in this?”

“No reason,” An Jiu replied, not mentioning that he watched live performances daily. He was merely curious. “Who’s responsible for guarding Lou Mingyue’s inner chambers?”

Hearing this question, Sui Yunzhu could guess what had happened. He smiled and said, “I’m not sure, but I suspect it’s Sun Dixian.”

Seeing An Jiu’s questioning look, Sui Yunzhu explained, “The relationship between Qiu Yunran and Sun Dixian is obvious. Qiu Yunran will undoubtedly want to take care of Sun Dixian, so he’ll arrange for her to be in the inner chambers. This way, he can also spend time with Miss Lou, whom he desires but can’t have. It’s a win-win situation for him.”

An Jiu gave him a long look. “I didn’t realize you were such a gossip.”

“Gossip?” Sui Yunzhu asked.

An Jiu thought for a moment before replying, “It means you’re well-informed about other people’s business.”

Sui Yunzhu smiled modestly. “Not at all. The biggest gossip among us is Lord Gao. He may not show it, but he knows a lot more than he lets on!”

As they were talking seriously, Li Qingzhi returned. Unable to bear his guilt, he managed to get some food and brought it to Gao Dazhuang.

Li Qingzhi’s face was half-covered, with streaks of blood on his forehead, as if it had been raining needles outside.

“Did you get hit by the Lord’s broom?” Sui Yunzhu clicked his tongue, pulling out some medicine from his pocket and tossing it over. “Quick, apply this.”

Li Qingzhi caught the bottle and examined it closely. “This is rare. You’re willing to give me Doctor Mo’s medicine?”

Sui Yunzhu had gone to great lengths to get two bottles of medicine from Mo Sigui and usually hesitated to use it.

“Well, considering you got beaten for both of us,” Sui Yunzhu replied.

An Jiu also took out a few bottles and tossed them to him. “Here, take these too!”

Li Qingzhi knew that An Jiu had a close relationship with Mo Sigui and that all the medicine he used came from him. Overjoyed, he caught the medicine and waved it at Sui Yunzhu, showing off.

Sui Yunzhu sighed, “If I’d known, I should have gone to get beaten instead!”

Though he said this, there was no jealousy in his tone. It was just a casual joke, and he went back to tending his vegetables.

As noon approached, Sui Yunzhu washed his hands and went to prepare lunch.

They were a hidden presence in the palace, with no one preparing meals for them daily. The Konghe Army would send someone to deliver food supplies once a month, but they had to handle their meals. Initially, they took turns cooking. However, after tasting An Jiu and Li Qingzhi’s cooking, Sui Yunzhu voluntarily took over the task—not out of helpfulness, but for self-preservation.

The other two were happy to enjoy ready-made meals.

Li Qingzhi sat down next to An Jiu to bask in the sun. After a while, he sighed, “Living such peaceful days here, thinking back to the border feels like a dream. If only His Majesty could see it with his own eyes, he probably wouldn’t be so content pursuing his spiritual cultivation!”

As An Jiu listened to Li Qingzhi’s concerns for the country, he thought that if he were guarding the Crown Prince’s chambers instead, he might feel like the sky was falling. After all, if this generation failed, one could still hope for the next. Unfortunately, the quality of the next generation might be even worse than the current one.

Just as Li Qingzhi worried, while the palace enjoyed clear skies and bright sunshine, the border was already ablaze with war.

The Liao army rampaged through the border regions, pillaging and plundering. They had “visited” sixty percent of the cities.

The court had explicitly forbidden the border inhabitants from migrating inland. Unable to enter, yet difficult to defend thoroughly, the areas bordering Liao in Hedong, Western Hebei, and Eastern Hebei had become hell on earth. Corpses and blood were everywhere, with nine out of ten houses empty. The border troops were constantly on high alert, without even time to bathe. After half a month, everyone looked as if they had crawled out of a bloodbath.

Ling Ziyue stood on the city wall, hands behind his back, gazing into the distance. As far as the eye could see, corpses littered the ground.

A few days ago, a fierce battle had taken place here. The two women who had remained by his side had joined forces to assassinate the Liao army’s leader but failed and were captured alive.

Ling Ziyue didn’t know who they were, but he realized that their attempt to kill the Liao leader was a ruse—their real goal was to be captured and taken as prisoners. Remembering the resolution in the women’s eyes, Ling Ziyue sighed deeply. Even women had such courage, while the Song court lacked it entirely.

In the Liao Central Capital’s main camp, a snow-white tiger skin was spread on the main seat. Xiao Zhenning, dressed in Khitan attire, leaned against the chair, drinking tea. His tiger-like eyes gazed thoughtfully at the two women bound at the bottom of the steps.

“General, aren’t these Ling Ziyue’s women?” a general asked.

The other leaders who had been feasting slowed their movements and looked towards the main seat.

“What do you say?” Xiao Zhenning asked the women below.

A soldier stepped forward to remove the cloth gagging them.

One of the women glared at him coldly and spat, “One day, my husband will lead his army straight into your capital!”

This was as good as admitting their relationship with Ling Ziyue.

Xiao Zhenning burst into laughter. “The Northern Courtyard Lord would be delighted to see Ling Ziyue’s women! Come, tie them up and send them to the Northern Courtyard King.”

“Xiao Zhenning, you beast! We won’t let you off even as ghosts!”

Seeing that they were about to bite their tongues, the nearby soldiers quickly grabbed their jaws. However, one soldier was a step too slow, and one of the women’s mouths filled with blood. In a moment, she had breathed her last.

The other woman’s jaw was dislocated. Her eyes are bloodshot, and she glared at Xiao Zhenning with hatred.

Now, Xiao Zhenning truly believed they were Ling Ziyue’s women. He had heard that Song women greatly valued their chastity. If they were mere assassins, they wouldn’t have committed suicide so readily. If he had been a moment later, both would have become corpses!

The woman being dragged away wasn’t Ling Ziyue’s wife, but the hatred in her eyes was genuine.

She was the last surviving Weixuejin assassin sent into Liao. They had entered Liao six months ago and killed two Liao ministers, losing only two of their members. But when they attempted to assassinate the Northern Courtyard King Yelü Jinglie, only two of them remained. They hadn’t sought out Ling Ziyue to escape but to find another way to strike back.

They had a good understanding of the temperaments of several key Liao ministers and had anticipated that by claiming to be Ling Ziyue’s women, they would be sent back to Yelü Jinglie.

Among their group, she wasn’t the strongest fighter, but her appearance hadn’t been exposed. Even if Yelü Jinglie was suspicious, it wouldn’t matter as long as Ling Ziyue confirmed their story.

They had left a message on Ling Ziyue’s desk; he would surely cooperate.

As long as she could survive by Yelü Jinglie’s side, she would find an opportunity to strike!