The Third Prince ignored his second brother’s remarks.

His thoughts were entirely focused on Mu Yanyan’s father, Duke Ding Mu Shen.

Yanyan had said that her father was much more reasonable than her mother. If he could persuade Duke Ding, perhaps there might still be room to negotiate the marriage that the Princess had arranged.

Unfortunately, although Duke Ding was known for his gentle demeanor and perpetual smile, his attention seemed entirely fixed on the Crown Prince at the city gate below.

The Third Prince tried to engage him in conversation several times, but Duke Ding remained silent, unusually focused on watching the Crown Prince below.

State affairs took precedence over marriage matters. Feng Qiwu could only give up awkwardly and also lower his head to look down.

At this moment, no one had yet accepted the delivered diplomatic letter, as Wei Country’s Prince Appease Huo Buxun showed no intention of dismounting.

Xiaoying smiled, suddenly feeling that this diplomatic exchange between the two countries was less straightforward than even the salt gang fights in Jiangzhe!

At least in jianghu confrontations, people cursed if they wanted to curse and fought if they wanted to fight, without wasting time on such elaborate posturing!

With this thought, she slowly stepped out from under the curved dragon umbrella and called out, “Someone bring me a horse.”

Upon hearing the Crown Prince’s command, someone immediately brought forth a tall steed.

With Jin Zhong’s assistance, Xiaoying mounted the horse and rode forward until she finally reached Prince Appease, gesturing with one hand for him to hand over the diplomatic letter.

In the bright sunlight, without the shadow of the royal canopy, Prince Appease finally got a clear look at the Crown Prince’s features.

Despite the gold crown and jade belt, dressed as a young man, the Crown Prince was indeed fair and delicate, looking almost like a woman…

For some reason, the prince felt the face looked familiar, but couldn’t quite recall where he had seen it before.

Prince Appease gave a cold snort and exchanged a glance with someone behind him. Suddenly, the men behind him shook out a hemp sack, from which tumbled several colorful-bodied snakes.

They had long heard details about this Dafeng Crown Prince, reportedly someone who was inept at riding and archery, even afraid of horses—a complete coward.

At this moment, aside from Dafeng’s civil and military officials, many ordinary citizens were watching from a distance. Since it was examination season, many academy students had also gathered to witness the spectacle.

Opportunities to damage Dafeng’s national prestige without expending any troops or soldiers were rare, so how could they not make good use of this chance?

Wei Country had many snakes, and their warhorses were trained to encounter them. When facing snakes, they remained calm, merely stamping slightly to avoid them.

But how could Dafeng’s horses have had such training opportunities?

As expected, the horse ridden by the Dafeng Crown Prince, upon seeing several snakes writhing on the ground, immediately startled and reared up, letting out a frightened neigh.

Watching this scene from the city gate, the noble officials were filled with righteous indignation while secretly clenching their fists in anxiety, believing their Crown Prince couldn’t handle the situation.

If it had been the real Feng Qiyuan, he would likely have been thrown to the ground and possibly trampled by the horse.

When Xiaoying was thrown upward, she skillfully tightened her legs, firmly gripping the horse’s belly while pulling the reins to back away, creating distance between the horse and the snakes.

Although the horse had stabilized somewhat, it remained agitated and uneasy, completely unwilling to approach Prince Appease’s horse. How could she accept the diplomatic letter?

Having grown up in Jiangzhe, which bordered Wei Country, Xiaoying naturally recognized that the snakes on the ground were all non-venomous, patterned snakes.

Using such things to frighten the Dafeng Crown Prince—they truly were treating him like a woman!

Thinking this, Xiaoying waved to a nearby soldier, asking for a bow and arrow. She deftly nocked an arrow and shot cleanly at the snakes on the ground.

The Crown Prince, who always missed the target, must have practiced archery during his convalescence in Jiangzhe, for he now hit with perfect accuracy, each arrow striking a snake’s head, pinning them to the ground.

The surrounding crowd burst into admiring cheers, amazed by the Crown Prince’s skill.

Elder Teng, standing on the city gate, was so pleased that his beard quivered repeatedly as he boasted to those around him: “I’ve always said our Crown Prince is no ordinary person! Talented in civil matters to prosper the nation, skilled in military arts to stabilize the country! What fortune for His Majesty! What fortune for our great Dafeng!”

Those around him hastened to agree with the praise, much to the Second Prince’s annoyance.

Duke Ding Mu Shen listened with a slight smile nearby, but the hand hidden in his sleeve slowly tightened—the blind spot he had always overlooked seemed to be gradually surfacing, faintly revealing the tip of an iceberg…

At this moment, the youth at the city gate commanded: “Come, behead all these snakes. Hang the snake heads on the city gate and post a notice informing the citizens that these are gifts presented to Dafeng by the people of Wei! As for the snake bodies… select a few plump ones, half for soup and half for pepper-salt frying. At the state banquet, we should provide additional dishes for our guests who have traveled from afar!”

As soon as her words fell, thunderous laughter erupted from all around the city gate: “Well said! The Wei people are too polite! Coming to visit our great Dafeng and even bringing appetizers!”

When Xiaoying remounted her horse, she encouragingly said to Huo Buxun: “It’s just delivering a diplomatic letter, not like our two countries are forming a marriage alliance where I would collect your birth date and time to marry you. Prince Appease, could you be less shy and hesitant?”

Huo Buxun hated any mention of marrying into the Feng family—his most beloved lady was still being possessed by that old emperor in the Feng family’s palace!

Hearing these words, he couldn’t help but raise his thick eyebrows and glare at the Crown Prince: “Is Your Highness insulting my country of Wei?”

Xiaoying quirked her lips: “Well, I’ve extended my hand. If you’re willing to give it, then give it. If you don’t want to, then please turn back. After all, the snake meat you’ve delivered has already been skinned and put in the pot—I’m afraid returns are not accepted!”

With that, she simply pulled the reins, preparing to turn back toward the city.

After all, it wasn’t only Dafeng that wanted peace talks.

She, as the acting Crown Prince, had withstood Wei Country’s attempt to assert dominance, but if Wei Country couldn’t recognize when to stop, then she would have to excuse herself!

As for how to deliver the diplomatic letter, let them negotiate with the Ministry of Rites!

She needed to hurry back to enjoy a bowl of fresh, rich snake soup while it was still hot!

“Wait!” Prince Appease wasn’t completely foolish. Seizing the chance to save face, he called out to the Crown Prince and handed over the diplomatic letter.

Although this Crown Prince appeared delicate and lacked masculine vigor, he remained calm in the face of unexpected situations and maintained a composed attitude. How could he be the muddleheaded incompetent who was nearly deposed, as rumors suggested?

Given the Crown Prince’s archery skills just now, one couldn’t help but feel a measure of respect for him.

So Prince Appease finally put aside his contempt and abandoned any thoughts of humiliating the Dafeng Crown Prince while delivering the diplomatic letter.

However, at this moment, an attendant behind Prince Appease suddenly lowered his voice and said, “Your Highness, why does the Crown Prince look somewhat familiar…”

Just as he was speaking, another person nearby suddenly recalled: “This Crown Prince seems like…”

At that moment, Huo Buxun finally remembered that this Crown Prince’s appearance was exactly like that little maid who had combed Tang Mi’s hair!

After that day, in one night of chaos, Tang Mi had vanished without a trace from the carriage. Whether alive or dead, no one knew.

He had been so anxious that in a single night, huge blood blisters formed at the corners of his mouth.

Only when he heard that Imperial Consort Yi had appeared at the capital’s imperial temple and had safely returned to the palace did he finally feel at ease.

But thinking back carefully now, someone must have taken advantage of the chaos to rescue Imperial Consort Yi, leading to such an outcome.

Could it be that this Crown Prince had shamelessly disguised himself as a woman, secretly approached Tang Mi during that opportunity, and then encouraged her to escape in the chaos?

What kind of relationship existed between this young Crown Prince and Tang Mi?

Huo Buxun looked at the Crown Prince’s retreating figure with uncertainty, his heart churning like a turbulent sea, waves of jealousy rolling within.

…

News of the excitement at the city gate quickly reached the palace by swift messenger.

Emperor Chunde hadn’t expected the Wei people to resort to such underhanded tricks, but he was equally surprised that his fourth son, returning from his experiences in Jiangzhe, could handle the situation with such composure—and that his archery skills had improved so dramatically, far exceeding the emperor’s expectations.

Thus, when the Crown Prince returned with the diplomatic letter to report, Emperor Chunde looked at the frail youth with some emotion: “I heard you shot dead the snakes thrown by the Wei people. When did you become so brave?”

Xiaoying had prepared for this and respectfully replied: “After recuperating in Jiangzhe for so long, I would eat snake soup every few days. I’ve trained my courage thoroughly. Those Wei people trying to frighten others with garden snakes truly display their provincial lack of knowledge!”

Duke Ding smiled beside them and said, “I used to hear Your Majesty say that the Crown Prince’s riding and archery skills were inferior to his literary talents, but today I witnessed that the Crown Prince’s archery skills are no less than those of military generals!”

Xiaoying smiled and said, “It’s all thanks to my eldest brother’s excellent teaching. When I was in the palace before, he would practice archery with me, pointing out my shortcomings and teaching me some techniques, which gave me sudden enlightenment. Later, when I went to Jiangzhe, I didn’t dare neglect riding and archery. It seems all I needed was an enlightening master!”

Emperor Chunde slightly furrowed his brow: “How can you boast like this? Shooting a few snakes hardly makes you a master archer.”

Xiaoying hurriedly said, “I got carried away in a moment of pride. I hope Father Emperor won’t be displeased!”

“Never mind. You did well today. The peace negotiations in the future… You shall continue to participate in them!”

After Xiaoying accepted the command and left, Emperor Chunde turned to ask Duke Ding: “What does my loyal subject think of this son of mine?”

Duke Ding smiled and said, “Our Dafeng Crown Prince has received careful instruction from famous teachers since childhood. I believe his literary and military strategies surpass those of other princes!”

Emperor Chunde shook his head: “You haven’t been at court for a long time, so you don’t know what he was like before… The child is good, but he was truly held back by his shortsighted mother. Since he’s been away from the Tang family, he has indeed become more capable… It’s just that his appearance… completely lacks the masculine dignity of the Feng family’s sons. I truly don’t know whom he takes after!”

It wasn’t that he as a father was biased, but a son should have some masculine air. The reason he had always been reluctant to let Feng Qiyuan inherit the throne, apart from Feng Qiyuan’s lack of talent and virtue, was also because this son’s feminine appearance was too pronounced to command respect!

Duke Ding listened with a smile and said, “In that case, the Crown Prince’s temperament most resembles Your Majesty. His previous mediocrity might have been a way of hiding his light and nurturing his strength in secret. Such a mentality is destined for great achievements!”

Emperor Chunde raised his eyebrows upon hearing this: “Are you saying he was deliberately playing dumb before?”

Duke Ding realized his slip of the tongue and hurriedly added: “The Crown Prince is simply modest in character, and his intelligence awakened somewhat late. How could that be playing dumb? And if so, who would he be pretending for?”

Emperor Chunde remained silent.

He suddenly wondered what Feng Qiyuan would be like now if he had been clever and capable from childhood.

With Empress Tang’s personality, if she had such support, she would certainly have built up her power base, recruiting important ministers at court to join her faction.

And if mother and son had been so arrogant, he wouldn’t have tolerated the Tang family gradually growing stronger, becoming an overly powerful in-law family that couldn’t be controlled.

Perhaps such a prominent Feng Qiyuan would have been deposed early on, confined to the Cold Palace along with the Tang family, unable to leave…

Thinking of it this way, his previous claim of illness in Jiangzhe, refusing to return, seemed to have been intended to avoid conflict with the Western Palace.

And now that the Western Palace was declining, his fourth son had returned without warning…

Duke Ding was right—though this son didn’t resemble him in appearance, his scheming was indeed quite profound!

Mu Shen’s words had reached this point, and seeing Emperor Chunde’s slightly changed expression, he knew the emperor’s paranoia was about to flare up again.

The sparks that could start a wildfire required knowing when to stop.

So Mu Shen rose with a smile and respectfully invited His Majesty to attend the state banquet.

The focus of the state banquet welcoming Wei Country’s envoys wasn’t on food and drink; amidst the exchange of cups, it was naturally a battle of words.

However, Xiaoying wasn’t one of those civil officials, so it wasn’t her turn to engage in verbal combat. She simply sat at the table, focused on gnawing at her pepper-salt snake meat, then raised her wine cup and looked around at everyone at the banquet.

She had been in the palace for so long, yet no one from the Xiaoying Mountain Villa had contacted her.

Xiaoying couldn’t help but carefully consider what link was missing.

After all, they had expended so much effort to install a false Crown Prince—how could they be willing to let him become a discarded piece?

If that were the case, there was only one possibility: from the moment she entered the palace, they had discovered that she wasn’t the actor they had sent!

But how had the news spread so quickly? Who was Xiaoying’s spy in the palace, and how had they discovered the truth?

Xiaoying felt she must have overlooked some important detail, but she couldn’t put it together for the moment.

While her thoughts were jumbled, she unconsciously focused on eating.

When she looked up, someone had suddenly sat down beside her.

Xiaoying turned slightly and discovered it was Feng Yuan who had taken a seat next to her.

He had been very busy lately, appearing and disappearing like a dragon, and she didn’t know what he was doing.

Before the palace servants had brought bowls and chopsticks, Feng Yuan picked up Xiaoying’s bowl, took the meat ribs she had half-eaten, and began eating in large bites.

This man’s bad habit remained unchanged—he always liked to eat her leftovers.

Taking advantage of everyone being busy engaging in verbal sparring with the Wei envoys, Xiaoying poured him a cup of sour plum juice to cut the greasiness and leisurely asked: “What has been keeping Prince Ruixiang so busy? You haven’t had time to visit the palace lately.”

Feng Yuan calmly replied: “I heard that the imperial-bestowed concubine of my marriage contract still refuses to return to my residence, so various households keep sending invitation cards, and I must politely deal with them.”

Xiaoying snickered and looked at him sideways: “Oh? Are there favored ladies in those invitations? Has the infamous Mad Prince of the capital suddenly become polite?”

Feng Yuan gave a light laugh but didn’t answer.

The Third Prince, overhearing the conversation, came over and said: “Eldest Brother, I must warn you not to betray Lady Ying! Though she comes from humble origins, she is a woman of high integrity. If you’re fickle in your affections, I won’t let the matter rest!”

Xiaoying smiled as she poured a cup for the Third Prince: “Third Brother, do you know about Eldest Brother’s affairs?”

“Isn’t it about that Ye family cousin who arrived? I heard that’s the candidate General Ye selected for Eldest Brother, originally planning to request an imperial marriage decree, but had to wait in line because Eldest Brother spoke up first. Also, the truth about the Eldest Brother’s madness being caused by poisoning has spread throughout the capital. Now that Eldest Brother is visibly being recommended by General Yezhong to train in the Western Camp, various households have added him to their list of potential sons-in-law! Crown Prince, do you envy such romantic encounters?”

As Xiaoying listened, the smile at the corners of her mouth gradually faded. She glanced at Feng Yuan while slowly sipping her sour plum juice.

But this was normal—Feng Yuan was inherently stunning. Once he shed his reputation for unpredictable rage and savage cruelty, it was natural for the capital’s noble ladies to flock to him.

Moreover, he was indeed an excellent gentleman. As long as one wasn’t frightened away by his cold and distant nature, it was like peeling a sea urchin—remove the spiny shell to experience the incomparably tender flavor inside…

Xiaoying thought quite magnanimously that since she had rejected Feng Yuan’s marriage proposal, how could she prevent him from finding a new romance?

A Ye family cousin? Strengthening family ties—how wonderful!

What Feng Qiwu said seemed to be true.

Feng Yuan didn’t refute it but merely said calmly: “Gossiping without cause—no wonder Princess Anqing looks down on you.”

Those words struck directly at the Third Prince’s weak point, angering him until his face flushed: “At… at least I’m not fickle in my affections! But if that’s how you’ll be, then I’ll marry Lady Ying instead! After all, the Mu family rejected me, so I might as well provide Lady Ying with a safety net to protect her reputation!”

These words, full of chivalrous spirit, unfortunately caught the Crown Prince off guard, causing her to spray a mouthful of sour plum juice onto his face.

Meanwhile, the Grand Prince’s cold gaze also swept over, examining the Third Prince’s throat inch by inch. His slightly twitching eyelids seemed to effortlessly visualize slicing open blood vessels and pressing on the spurting blood…

Although the Third Prince wasn’t particularly intelligent, he was intimidated enough to lean back slightly, stammering: “I’m just making a hypothetical statement, aren’t I? Do you have to hoard both the big and small pots?”

This time, Feng Yuan spoke in a flat tone: “For the sake of our brotherhood, I don’t want you to die with your body mutilated…”

“What are you brothers discussing? Prince Appease is asking a question, Why aren’t you answering?” Emperor Chunde suddenly called over to them.

It turned out that during the verbal sparring, the topic had turned to martial arts in both countries.

Some sharp-tongued Dafeng official had suddenly brought up the story of Wei Country’s expert “Shattered Silver” meeting his death in Dafeng, using it to mock Wei Country’s incompetence.

Prince Appease seized this opportunity to ask the Grand Prince about the identity of the female martial artist who had accompanied him.

Unfortunately, the Grand Prince seemed engrossed in conversation with his two brothers and completely ignored Prince Appease’s question.

This prompted Emperor Chunde to call out, asking what they were discussing.

The Third Prince felt their strange private conversation was hardly appropriate for public ears and hurriedly smoothed things over with an awkward laugh: “Eldest Brother was concerned about my health and asking after my well-being!”

Just then, Prince Appease asked again: “May I inquire about the name of that highly skilled female bodyguard by your side, Grand Prince?”

Feng Yuan didn’t speak, but the Third Prince jumped in: “Since she is a woman, how could we reveal her name? What’s this? Having been defeated by a mere woman, are you now seeking her name to plan revenge?”

“How rude! How can you speak to Wei Country’s envoys like this? They merely wish to know a name to pass on to their descendants, so that when exceptional talents arise in future generations, they might visit to learn from her!” Yan Xiaoying reprimanded him while considerately wiping the sour plum juice from the Third Prince’s face.

However, her words made it even more difficult for the others to save face.

Several strong men besides Prince Appease were so angry that their faces turned green. They appeared to have some connection to Shattered Silver, perhaps being from the same martial arts school.

Hearing this exchange, Duke Ding’s face showed a trace of embarrassment as he quietly said to the emperor, “The Grand Prince has such talent at his side? Even the Dragon Scale Shadow Guards were unaware. I have failed in my duty, unable to recruit fresh blood for Your Majesty’s secret guards!”

Although his words expressed regret, they intentionally or unintentionally revealed that the Grand Prince was privately maintaining skilled retainers!