Mu Hanjiang accepted the sword with both hands, pulled it from the scabbard, examined the blade with satisfaction, then suddenly embraced Feng Yuan, giving him two hard pats on the back.

Feng Yuan had never been comfortable with close physical contact, and his instinct was to push away when his old friend embraced him like this. However, he ultimately endured it, silently counting to three before impatiently pushing him away.

Mu Hanjiang smiled, mounted his horse with the sword in hand, and rode away in a cloud of dust.

The turmoil in the capital also affected the palace.

The frail former Crown Prince finally succumbed to his illness, passing away hurriedly at the young age of eighteen.

During that period, so many people died in the capital that the former Crown Prince’s death wasn’t even significant enough to become a topic of conversation at household dinner tables.

Perhaps due to the bond between mother and son, Empress Tang passed away the night before the former Crown Prince’s death.

It was said that on the night of her death, Tang’s struggles and screams could be heard continuously from the Cold Palace. She loudly cursed the Emperor, saying he had ruined her and that she would never forgive him, even in death.

Such disrespectful words naturally couldn’t be spread outside.

Initially, people speculated that the deaths of the Empress and her son were somehow connected to the Grand Prince.

After all, everyone knew His Majesty was benevolent. Since he had tolerated Tang for so long, how could he suddenly deal such a deadly blow to mother and son?

But simultaneously, the imperial decree banishing the Grand Prince to Jiangzhe was also announced.

Immediately, those who had been crowding at the Grand Prince’s door, hoping for mercy, scattered like birds and beasts.

After all, with consecutive deaths in the palace and the newly wedded Grand Prince being banished at this time, His Majesty’s intentions were clear—he likely didn’t favor the Grand Prince either.

However, when the Grand Prince left the capital, there were quite a few people who came to see him off.

During his time in the Ministry of Personnel, he had promoted many talented individuals who were now rising to positions of power amid the court reshuffling.

This “banishment” became a touchstone, making it crystal clear who would change with the wind and who was truly worthy of trust.

Song Wen and his wife, along with Tang Mingjiang, who had taken over the Grand Prince’s position at the Ministry of Personnel, personally escorted His Highness for ten miles.

They had received the Grand Prince’s favor during their decline and remained steadfastly loyal to him.

In the current situation, though it seemed chaotic with some spreading rumors that the Grand Prince had fallen out of the Emperor’s favor, didn’t they know that if he were truly being punished, how could he be sent to a place like Jiangzhe?

Moreover, he and Song Wen were the Grand Prince’s confidants, yet this time, he—he-a man of humble origins, had received an exceptional promotion from His Majesty and was entrusted with important responsibilities in the Ministry of Personnel. Wasn’t that obvious?

Though the Grand Prince might not be in the capital, his hands and eyes remained there. What was there to fear?

Besides, although Jiangzhe wasn’t Feng Yuan’s fief, and His Majesty hadn’t allocated troops or official duties to him, the two men knew that with the Grand Prince’s talents, if he devoted himself to managing the region, he would certainly reap abundant rewards.

So when Tang Mingjiang offered a final toast at their parting, he said: “May the Grand Prince and the Princess Consort return soon. When that time comes, Old Song and I will be here to welcome Your Highness back to the capital!”

Feng Qiyuan… no, Yan Zongbao, who was sitting in the carriage with Xiaoying, felt quite envious.

“Elder Imperial Brother… ah, I mean my brother-in-law has such good relationships. With his personality, I thought no one would come to see him off today.”

Xiaoying glanced at Jian Hu, who was feeding sweet rice balls to her brother, and said with a mischievous smile: “Doesn’t Brother also have someone who won’t leave or abandon him, who will follow him through life and death?”

What she found most unexpected was that during her brother’s brief return to the palace, he had developed feelings for Jian Hu, the palace maid who had personally attended to him.

This little palace maid, living each day in hardship with her life at stake, suddenly discovered that her master wasn’t as fond of playing tricks on people as his sister was. With his gentle and considerate nature, she began to feel a warming comfort like drawing close to a fire.

Yan Zongbao knew this palace maid had endured great hardship to find his sister and deliver a message, ultimately saving him, so he was naturally grateful.

Additionally, Jian Hu possessed a detached, almost numb transcendence in the face of death, like someone intoxicated. This unwavering temperament made Zongbao admire her, feeling she possessed the same chivalrous spirit as his sister.

And so these two of similar age fell in love.

By now, Jian Hu’s belly had quietly carried a child for two months, and in a few more months, Xiaoying would become an aunt.

When Yan Shan learned this news, he was overjoyed.

Their Yan family came from actor origins and would never be picky about a girl’s background. Having a daughter-in-law like Jian Hu who was familiar and loyal unto death made him very satisfied.

But unlike Jian Hu, whose worried expression had disappeared, Jin Zhong, who followed the carriage, seemed dazed.

He was currently feeling apprehensive, afraid that when the former Crown Prince “died of illness,” if he had been momentarily bewitched and pulled strings to avoid accepting the assignment to keep vigil for the former Crown Prince for three years, what would have become of him?

He would likely have been sentenced to death by His Majesty, killed to silence him.

Only now did he learn of the great palace secret of many years—that he had foolishly served at the side of the false Crown Prince for so long!

This sudden realization and subsequent fear kept him from sleeping well for several nights. It was Jian Hu who found a solution, sharing her treasured good wine with Jin Zhong, telling him to drink more so he could fall into a deep sleep.

However, more effective than wine was his new mistress’s method—the Princess Consort. When Jin Zhong learned the secret of the sibling switch, Princess Ruixiang immediately rewarded him with five taels of gold, asking if it was enough to calm his nerves.

So after one session of tearful mourning, Jin Zhong realized he still served his old master, and his master’s generosity hadn’t changed a bit!

What virtue or ability did he, Jin Zhong, possess to meet such a brilliant and powerful master?

Suddenly, the once dim future gleamed like gold!

When the group returned to Tinxin Garden in Jiangzhe, winter had passed and spring had arrived.

The garden, silent for so long, became lively once more.

Xiaoying’s family could finally sit down together for a reunion meal.

Away from the capital, there were no tedious formalities. Several tables set up in the courtyard were filled with people. Even Jin Zhong was seated at a table. Everyone toasted together, urging the Prince to add happiness soon, so that the Yan family patriarch could hold both a grandson and a maternal grandson at the same time.

Hearing these words, Xiaoying secretly glanced at Feng Yuan.

Though the journey had been exhausting, he had found countless opportunities to be intimate with her at the inns along the way.

Although not very knowledgeable, Xiaoying knew that Feng Yuan seemed to be using some male contraceptive methods, as if he didn’t want her to have children.

After the banquet dispersed, she and Feng Yuan snuggled by the study window, facing the snow-covered garden orchids, and casually brought up the matter.

Did he not want to be a father?

“No, I don’t!”

Unexpectedly, Feng Yuan answered without even thinking, so straightforward and resolute.

Though Xiaoying had guessed this, she still asked with surprise: “Why?”

Feng Yuan reached out to remove Xiaoying’s hairpin, letting the woman’s black hair cascade down like a waterfall, and said calmly: “Your two fathers and Zongbao already occupy much of your heart. If we add children, would there still be room for me in your eyes?”

Xiaoying hadn’t expected him to think this way, that he would be jealous even of his child. She couldn’t help but laugh: “That’s different…”

“It is different. Once you become a mother, your heart and eyes will be filled with the child. And childbirth for women is like passing through death’s door. My mother also developed a chronic illness after giving birth to me. You’re so young, you shouldn’t have children yet!”

Although his mother’s difficult childbirth was partly due to Consort Shang’s interference, if she hadn’t given birth to him, his mother’s life wouldn’t have been so arduous.

Feng Yuan had never been raised with conventional etiquette education, and he had absolutely no interest in the obsession with producing heirs that most men had.

In this life, his only love was this clever and cunning woman named Yan Xiaoying. Whether they would continue his bloodline in the future was irrelevant.

Xiaoying knew that this increasingly mature and steady husband, though adept at handling political affairs and much more appropriate in social situations than when he first emerged from the Desolate Palace, remained that lonely twelve-year-old boy in certain parts of his heart.

Expecting such an obsessive young man to be a father was indeed asking too much.

Xiaoying didn’t pursue the topic further, as she also felt unprepared to be a mother. They hadn’t yet accumulated enough strength.

Both she and Feng Yuan had grown up through bloody storms. If they couldn’t provide a completely safe environment for their children, why bring them into this world so early?

But if he thought this way, shouldn’t he reduce their bedroom activities? Even though he was young, strong, and in his prime, coming every day was too frequent.

Which woman wakes up every morning with an aching back and waist, feeling as if she’d been pressed by a stone roller?

Hearing Xiaoying’s words, Feng Yuan raised an eyebrow and massaged her waist: “When you were training your waist before, I told you to add two more sandbags, but you were lazy and refused. Now you can’t handle it?”

Xiaoying glared at him: “So when you forced me to hang sandbags, it was for this purpose! You big pervert! From today on, you’re not allowed in my room… mmph…”

Before she could finish, Feng Yuan sealed her lips tightly, then said indistinctly: “You forgot, we’re married now. Where is this ‘your room’ you speak of?”

Laughter lingered as the spring breeze stirred the curtains, echoing amidst the spring flowers and fragrant grasses.

…

In the twenty-third year of Emperor Chunde’s Zhonghe era, the Emperor adopted the advice of the Grand Prince in distant Jiangzhe to reopen the imperial examinations and reduce the proportion of aristocratic sons serving as officials in various departments.

The Grand Prince also advised reducing taxes on several major aristocratic families at court, allowing their sons to live privileged lives to appease the resentment of those who couldn’t enter official service, making the transition between old and new court officials proceed smoothly.

However, with the large number of aristocratic families, reducing their taxes meant the court’s financial gap needed to be filled promptly.

Meanwhile, in Jiangzhe, over the past ten years, there had been exactly six battles, large and small, with Wei Country.

Each time, it wasn’t the Dafeng imperial army that took the field, but bandits from the Jiangzhe region who led the charge.

That resurgent bandit leader, the Little King of Hell, was reportedly killed after falling during the battle of Linchuan.

But ten years ago, he suddenly rose from the ashes, recruiting soldiers and buying horses, expanding his army with strong soldiers and fine steeds, equipped with steel weapons, as if he had plundered Dafeng’s arsenals, growing increasingly powerful.

At first, some suggested that someone with ulterior motives was impersonating the Little King of Hell, deliberately gathering power and winning people’s hearts.

But after the Little King of Hell achieved victory against superior forces, capturing Jingzhou and Tianzhou with a mere hundred men through light, surprising attacks, no one said such things anymore.

A fierce bandit who defied government authority continued to nibble away at Wei Country’s territory like ants moving house, seemingly intent on forming his own country. He recruited more righteous warriors, and his strength grew continuously.

At the same time, because the territories conquered by this Little King of Hell were key commercial strongholds between the two countries, controlling the throat and holding the north-south trade routes, he naturally earned overflowing wealth, becoming increasingly formidable.

For this reason, perceptive ministers at court worried greatly, submitting memorials urging His Majesty to dispatch troops and have the Jiangzhe Luo Garrison eliminate the bandit leader to avoid nurturing a tiger that would become a calamity.

Among them, the eighteen-year-old Sixth Prince, Feng Qiruo, was the most impatient.

His current stepmother was Tang Mi, a woman from the Tang family whom His Majesty had installed as Empress.

Although it was surprising that the Emperor had again chosen a daughter of the Tang family as Empress, Feng Qiruo knew this new Empress had gained her position because she had voluntarily taken herbs that would prevent her from bearing children, eliminating the Emperor’s suspicions about her Tang family relatives.

Feng Qiruo, having grown up in difficult circumstances, was an expert at reading the situation and seizing opportunities. He immediately took advantage of a rainy night, pretending to have been bullied by palace servants, and fainted before the new Empress. From then on, he was under her care, accepting her as his mother.

Now among the Emperor’s sons, some had died, some were banished, and the Second Prince was said to be confined until nearly insane.

As for the Third Prince, he had ruined his prospects. To marry Mu Yanyan, the daughter of the treacherous Mu Shen, he had defied His Majesty, been beaten with a rod, and then gone alone to Jiangzhe to find his elder brother. Three years ago, he reportedly married privately without going through the Ministry of Rites.

Even now, the Emperor had not recognized this marriage.

By order of precedence, only Feng Qiruo remained eligible to inherit the position of Crown Prince.

Feng Qiruo suddenly felt immense courage, actively networking with ministers, hoping to achieve something in court to demonstrate his abilities and merits to his father.

The task of eliminating the Jiangzhe bandit leader was an excellent opportunity.

So the Sixth Prince actively connected with court officials, who all submitted memorials during court sessions, imploring His Majesty to send troops to eliminate the bandits.

Emperor Chunde’s hair had now turned white. These years of contending with aristocratic families had drained his vitality. Without capable sons to assist him, it was indeed unbearable.

However, upon hearing the Sixth Prince’s words, Emperor Chunde half-raised his eyes and slowly said: “Over these ten years, the taxes and grain submitted from Jiangzhe have constituted more than half of the national treasury, and they increase year by year. If that bandit leader is so formidable, wouldn’t he have already devastated my treasury and granaries?”

Feng Qiruo heard that his father seemed to imply something, and quickly flattered him: “Your son knows that Elder Imperial Brother is in Jiangzhe, coordinating troops with General Luo Zhen of the local Jiangzhe garrison, and frequently socializing with local officials. The prosperity of Jiangzhe is indeed due to Elder Imperial Brother’s merit. However, bandits remain bandits. If Elder Imperial Brother is concerned about local taxes and hesitates to eliminate this cancer, it will eventually become a calamity for our great Dafeng!”

His words were well-crafted, seemingly praising his elder brother for sharing the Emperor’s burdens, but subtly suggesting that Feng Yuan, as an imperial prince, was consorting with local military and civil officials, forming factions, and possibly colluding with the bandit leader to privately raise an army.

These words must have struck the Emperor’s heart, as Emperor Chunde nodded with satisfaction: “Since you are so concerned, why don’t you go to Jiangzhe to investigate? It’s been a long time since your brothers have seen each other; you should also strengthen your brotherly bonds!”

Hearing this, Feng Qiruo was overjoyed. After returning to the palace, he eagerly told Empress Tang about this good news.

Tang Mi had long regretted her soft-heartedness in accepting this son.

Her ambitions were modest—she only wanted to live peacefully inside and outside the palace without suffering mistreatment, while ensuring the Tang family landed safely during the purge of aristocratic families, avoiding any complications.

But this Sixth Prince, though young, had great ambitions and now harbored aspirations to become Crown Prince.

Tang didn’t want His Majesty to misunderstand that she was instigating this, so she had recently excused the Sixth Prince from paying respects and avoided meeting him.

Today, hearing his words, the usually gentle Tang Mi looked up with rare severity, glaring fiercely at Feng Qiruo.

However, hearing that His Majesty had told him to go to Jiangzhe to investigate and also visit the Grand Prince, Tang Mi thought for a moment and finally spoke to advise her adopted son: “Your Elder Imperial Brother is a gentleman with deep thoughts. Your elder sister-in-law is a heroine among women. If you can be a good brother, with such a brother and sister-in-law protecting you, your future days will certainly not be bad. As for eliminating bandits, since it’s in your Elder Imperial Brother’s territory, you only need to advise him and let him make the decisions. Don’t have any thoughts of taking the lead yourself, which would damage brotherly feelings.”

Feng Qiruo, currently feeling proud and eager to demonstrate his abilities, didn’t agree with these words.

“If Elder Imperial Brother were motivated, how could he have allowed this so-called ‘Little King of Hell’ to become so arrogant until now? Mother Empress, please don’t worry. On this journey, I will request an imperial decree from His Majesty, asking Father to command General Luo Zhen to assist me in eliminating the bandit leader and reclaiming the trade routes!”

If he established such a great achievement, his ability compared to his Elder Imperial Brother would immediately become clear, and there would be no further dispute over the Crown Prince position.

Tang Mi, having spent so long in the palace, deeply understood the principle that one cannot reason with an enraged bull.

She sighed slightly and waved her hand, dismissing the Sixth Prince.

Then she thought for a while. That evening, while serving His Majesty his medicine, she gently proposed relieving herself of her status as the Sixth Prince’s stepmother, citing a fortune teller’s claim that their eight characters were incompatible, potentially harmful to both mother and son.

Emperor Chunde patted the Empress’s hand and said, “You are more intelligent and virtuous than your sister. I know your concerns. Not only do you not wish to be his mother, but I am also tired of educating those who only know how to scheme. Fortunately, he still has an elder brother. I’m just taking the easy way out by sending him to Jiangzhe, letting his elder brother teach him how to be a proper person!”

Tang Mi smiled gracefully, softly praising His Majesty’s wisdom, then carried the medicine bowl out of His Majesty’s bedchamber.

At that moment, she felt somewhat sorry for the son under her name. This journey to Jiangzhe would likely be an unforgettable experience for the Sixth Prince.

The Sixth Prince indeed had not anticipated how fresh and exciting his Jiangzhe journey would be.

When he arrived in Jiangzhe, he deliberately avoided the welcoming party sent by his Elder Imperial Brother and went first to General Luo Zhen’s camp. He presented the imperial decree appointing him as imperial envoy, indicating that Luo Zhen should cooperate in eliminating bandits.

To his surprise, Luo Zhen respectfully offered his military token: “This minister has been unwell recently and cannot accompany the Sixth Prince on the campaign. However, this military token can command my elite troops for the Sixth Prince’s disposal.”

Feng Qiruo hadn’t expected to obtain the military token so easily. His heart surged with excitement, and he became somewhat impatient to test his skills.

So when he received intelligence that the Little King of Hell was disguised and visiting a woman in a nearby village, he personally led elite troops to surround the village, intending to capture the Little King of Hell alive.

Everything proceeded smoothly, so when Feng Qiruo found himself hanging upside down from a tree, he was somewhat bewildered, not understanding how his assured victory had resulted in such a predicament.

The bandit leader, the Little King of Hell, wearing a ferocious mask, swaggered up to him with an arrogant gait, then reached out and flicked a big thump on his forehead!

“Sixth Prince, you look so good. This king just loves such tender young men!”

The forehead flick was so forceful that it dazed Feng Qiruo, because he remembered his deceased Crown Prince brother also liked to flick him this way.