Unfortunately, Duke Jing’s opponent was the tenacious old demon, and after several rounds of verbal sparring, he found himself at a loss for words.

Emperor Chunde originally also thought it was ridiculous for the incompetent Feng Qiyuan to accompany Elder Teng, such an important minister, to inspect Jiangzhe.

That boy, though holding a position in the Imperial Household Department, worked intermittently—fishing for three days and drying nets for two, occasionally sneaking out to listen to opera and enjoy himself, without any proper bearing.

But Tang Hongsheng’s unwillingness to let the Crown Prince travel far away gave the Emperor some contrary thoughts.

The Empress had not yet been completely deposed, yet the Tang family was already rushing to place someone in the palace.

It seemed they were forcing the Crown Prince to take a stand and choose sides.

Emperor Chunde recalled how the child had clung to his legs and cried vulnerably after jumping off the cliff, and his heart softened. He didn’t want A’Yuan to blindly enter into dark waters of intrigue.

So Emperor Chunde sat high above, watching the battle at ease, indulging Elder Teng as he pointed his goat-like beard and fought several rounds with the Imperial Father-in-law.

Elder Teng grew increasingly excited as he spoke, finally pointing at Duke Jing’s nose and cursing loudly, saying that if the Crown Prince was unvirtuous, it was entirely the Tang family’s fault for holding him back.

With such shortsightedness, how could they raise good children? What a pity that the precious dragon bloodline of the martial Feng family was forced to mix with the vulgar. It was like a short-beaked sparrow growing a tail and shamelessly pretending to be a phoenix!

This was essentially criticizing that the daughters raised by the Tang family were not virtuous enough to be empresses.

There were few in the world who dared to directly confront the patriarch of the Tang family.

The old tenacious spirit unleashed thunderous attacks, cursing until Duke Jing’s eyes bulged, nearly rolling up his sleeves to grab Elder Teng’s beard.

After the two old ministers had shouted themselves hoarse, the Emperor, who had been enjoying the spectacle, finally stepped in to mediate.

His Majesty stated: Although Duke Jing cared for his grandson, the Crown Prince, he was, after all, the heir apparent. Elder Teng was right—the young lord should go out and gain some experience.

The Emperor then decreed that the Crown Prince would hold the nominal position of Circuit Inspector and accompany Elder Teng to Jiangzhe for an imperial inspection.

Duke Jing, having lost the verbal battle with Elder Teng in the imperial study, was so angry his chest felt tight.

After leaving the study, he huffily went to find the Crown Prince.

In truth, Duke Jing had once placed great hopes on his daughter Tang Shi and her son Feng Qiyuan.

Even the Crown Prince’s first tutor had been carefully selected and recommended by Tang Hongsheng.

Unfortunately, that child was too incompetent—not only did he look effeminate, but his temperament was too weak, and his mind couldn’t absorb anything useful.

If the Emperor were weak and allowed the Tang family to manipulate him, such a Crown Prince would be perfect for control by maternal relatives, incapable of causing trouble.

But Emperor Chunde was a sovereign raised on horseback. Having fought his way through numerous brothers to succeed, how could he be manipulated?

Even with the Tang family’s full support, Feng Qiyuan wouldn’t go far during His Majesty’s prime years.

Since the Empress’s incident, Tang Hongsheng had decisively cut ties with his illegitimate daughter, preventing her from implicating the Tang family.

He had originally thought Feng Qiyuan would be deposed by His Majesty along with his mother.

Unexpectedly, His Majesty had become enraged over this incompetent boy and severely punished the Second Prince.

Additionally, His Majesty had graciously permitted Feng Qiyuan to inspect the provinces, which again left Duke Jing feeling uncertain.

The Emperor’s thoughts were as deep as the sea, and Tang Hongsheng couldn’t gauge his intentions, unsure whether the Crown Prince was truly a discarded piece.

So he went to the Eastern Palace to see his grandson, the Crown Prince, to give this incompetent boy some guidance.

Xiaoying half-reclined on a soft couch, listening with boredom as her maternal grandfather sternly reprimanded her for being lazy and not accompanying the prince at the hunting grounds.

Furthermore, from Elder Teng’s tone, it seemed the Crown Prince had actively proposed this trip to broaden his horizons, which had greatly angered Duke Jing.

“Crown Prince, you’re already seventeen and should understand subtle cues and read situations. Jiangzhe is a place that court officials avoid at all costs—why else do you think His Majesty would send an old man with barely any teeth left there? Yet you volunteered! What exactly is in that head of yours!”

Duke Jing, unable to berate Elder Teng, directed all his anger at his grandson.

His arrogant tone was the same as when he used to scold Tang Shi.

Unfortunately, the person he was scolding now was a fake, and this impostor particularly disliked being scolded.

So she casually interrupted: “Grandfather, haven’t you visited Mother? I heard Mother is gravely ill. I’m not allowed to see her, but if you pleaded with His Majesty, Father would probably give you some face…”

Tang Hongsheng coldly warned: “If you still want your father’s favor, don’t mention her again. In a while, your cousin Tang Mi will enter the palace to serve the Emperor. Your palace has no one useful. You should take good care of her; if she gains favor in the future, she’ll be your support and reliance.”

Hearing Tang Hongsheng speak this way, Yan Xiaoying felt relieved. The poisonous Empress, abandoned by her natal family, now had no support from the Tang family.

When her brother left, he had pleaded for the poisonous Empress. Xiaoying, bound by her promise to her brother, couldn’t act personally.

However, Tang Shi’s days ahead would certainly be more miserable than death.

As for cousin Tang Mi, Xiaoying pondered thoughtfully.

She had seen this legitimate daughter from the Tang family’s main branch at an imperial banquet. Worthy of being called the capital’s premier beauty, her appearance and demeanor were eye-catching, certainly not petty like Tang Ru’s.

Such a beauty had not appeared at the Crown Prince’s selection of consorts, indicating that this youngest legitimate daughter of the Tang family was untouchable for the useless Crown Prince.

Now she understood—this accomplished legitimate granddaughter of the Tang family was meant to fill the vacancy left by the Empress.

Xiaoying had long observed that in these imperial and ministerial families, filial affection was quite cold.

But seeing with her own eyes how the Empress’s father could be so coldly ruthless toward his disgraced daughter, unhesitatingly pushing another fresh young woman into the cold palace, she sighed uncomfortably. She waved her hand, using the excuse of ear pain to unceremoniously have Jin Zhong “escort” Duke Jing out of the Eastern Palace.

As Duke Jing left the palace, he was extremely displeased, once again feeling that this Feng Qiyuan was ultimately un-salvageable mud, not even recognizing that his maternal grandfather was his last support.

He only hoped his legitimate granddaughter would prove herself and quickly produce a qualified heir to the throne.

…

On the day of departure, as soon as they passed through the city gates, Xiaoying felt eager to return home. She dispensed with the carriage altogether, requested a horse, and rode at the front of the procession, whip in hand.

According to the Crown Prince, that day he had somehow sensed his father was in danger and, in the urgency, had ridden to catch up with his father. Somehow, as if by divine intervention, he had grasped the knack of horsemanship.

But the sight of the slender youth bouncing on horseback made people anxious, causing Elder Teng to worryingly poke his head out of the carriage and call: “Crown Prince, this isn’t a hunting ground—why are you galloping so fast!”

The youth on horseback turned back with a smile, shouting: “I’ve been so confined in the palace, and now that I’m finally out, Elder, please allow me to enjoy myself!”

With that, she ignored the procession behind her and continued riding forward.

The feeling of the wind against her face was wonderful.

After leaving the others behind, Xiaoying could finally breathe freely.

For this journey, all were Elder Teng’s advisors, each a diligent and steady official focused on government affairs, with no interest in monitoring the idle Crown Prince.

Having finally shaken off the annoying Feng Yuan and Mu Hanjiang, she felt a sense of relief.

This way, she didn’t need to be constantly vigilant, worrying about exposing flaws.

When she rode to a high slope, Xiaoying looked back at the distant caravan, then walked to a tree.

Looking at the dense branches, Xiaoying felt playful. She reached up, jumped, and in a few moves climbed the tree, sitting high in the fork of the branches, intending to rest a while before planning the next stage of the journey.

But at that moment, something suddenly flew at her from the side.

Xiaoying had no time to dodge, only raising her sleeve to block, but what struck was merely a half-ripe wild fruit.

She looked down in surprise and discovered a tall man in black fitted clothes, wearing a sword, standing beneath the tree with handsome features.

“Feng Yuan? You… how did you get here?”

Feng Yuan stretched his long arms, exerted strength with one hand, and in a few moves leapt into the tree, sitting beside Xiaoying, very calmly saying: “I forgot to tell you, His Majesty appointed me as Defense General, to assist the military camp near Ding Mountain, so I can conveniently travel with you.”

What? Xiaoying gradually widened her eyes, suddenly understanding his purpose in arranging for that strong bear to charge into the hunting grounds.

Perhaps breaking the rumors of the divination was just incidental—his true purpose was to demonstrate to Emperor Chunde the abilities of the eldest son of Dafeng!

But commanding troops was no child’s play. Though the rank of Defense General wasn’t high, why would Emperor Chunde easily grant it to such a madman?

Feng Yuan answered her unspoken questions: “I told Father that I’d been extremely restless recently, and only felt better after killing some prey at the hunting grounds. Especially when killing that bear and seeing blood, I felt extremely comfortable. Perhaps I suffer from a killing disorder—if so, why not send me somewhere I can slaughter freely.”

Emperor Chunde now felt full of remorse toward Feng Yuan—even if he truly went mad and killed someone in the palace, it would likely be forgiven and smoothed over.

Since his son, with superior martial skills and extraordinary strength, expressed his hidden affliction and requested to go to the front lines to vent his negative energy and serve the country by suppressing rebellion, what reason was there to refuse?

Xiaoying truly admired Feng Yuan.

He spoke lightly, but such self-damaging behavior was something ordinary people couldn’t do.

In her admiration, she couldn’t help but ask: “Is this worth it for you?”

If he continued like this, he was clearly choosing to follow the path of a fierce general prince like “Li Yuanba.”

For those in power, such mentally deficient but fierce generals are certainly brave and harmless, reliable to use, but they also completely cut themselves off from the path to imperial power.

As intelligent as he was, wouldn’t he consider this?

What troubled Xiaoying most was that the rope tethering her brother was in this madman’s hands.

She had thought he would remain in the imperial palace in the capital, so she could conveniently go to Jiangzhe.

Unexpectedly, he had already arranged his chess pieces, precisely judging each move, and now followed her like a shadow—she couldn’t shake him off at all…

Thinking of this, Xiaoying’s eyes smoldered with hidden fire, looking at Feng Yuan with unfriendly eyes.

Feng Yuan seemed to notice his Fourth Brother’s displeasure and comforted her: “Besides what I promised you, you can do whatever you want—I don’t meddle in other affairs.”

Xiaoying now didn’t believe a single word from this man.

Though unaware of his plans, she had to maintain appearances, so she insincerely thanked the Grand Prince for his consideration, then wiped the fruit he had thrown on her clothes before taking a bite.

Heavens! So sour! Where had he picked this wild fruit?

Xiaoying’s eyes nearly closed from the sourness. She tossed the fruit away, but Feng Yuan caught it and began eating it nonchalantly.

Watching him chew heartily, Xiaoying couldn’t help but grimace at the sourness.

“Hey, do you need someone to taste your own picked fruit for poison? And it’s so sour—how can you eat it?”

Feng Yuan finished the fruit, core and all, in a few bites, then closed his eyes and leaned against the branch behind him, seemingly enjoying the pleasant breeze on his face.

The young lord’s profile was as beautifully sculpted as a statue, now covered in the dappled light filtered through the tree canopy. His straight nose, slanting eyebrows, and long curved eyelashes quivered slightly, somehow creating an unexpectedly peaceful and lazy scene of timeless beauty.

Xiaoying momentarily thought that while the fruit might be unbearably sour to others, for him it was a taste he hadn’t experienced in ten years—why mock him for it?

Thinking this, she habitually put her arm around Feng Yuan’s shoulders, patting him and saying: “When we reach Jiangzhe, I’ll treat you to some truly delicious food. The flavors of common food are the most authentic—those palace dishes, apart from using rare ingredients, are just fooling idiots!”

After speaking, she realized her action was inappropriate.

The person before her wasn’t a royal brother, she couldn’t fool—being so casual wasn’t quite proper.

But before she could withdraw her hand, Feng Yuan had already opened his eyes and turned to look at her, his expression somewhat peculiar.

Xiaoying smiled awkwardly, quickly removing her hand and jumping down from the tree: “Let’s go, Grand Prince, the others will catch up soon.”

Feng Yuan watched Xiaoying’s slender back for a moment before rising to follow with large strides.

When Mu Hanjiang rode to the foot of the hill, what he saw was one tall and one short figure walking down the hill, chatting amicably.

Seeing the young master of the Mu family standing on his horse in white robes, Xiaoying’s smile nearly froze: “Young Master Mu… how did you also ‘happen to pass by’ here?”

After dismounting and greeting the two princes, Mu Hanjiang calmly explained: “The rebel Meng is trapped at Ding Mountain. His Majesty ordered me to go support General Chen as a supervisory libationer… and incidentally look after the Grand Prince on His Majesty’s behalf.”

Xiaoying understood—this man was going to serve as a strategist in the bandit-suppression campaign, while also serving as a nanny to watch over the mad, killing-obsessed Grand Prince on behalf of His Majesty.

Young Master Mu’s duties were quite complex and burdensome.

Thinking of this, Yan Xiaoying sympathetically patted Mu’s shoulder, but just as she was about to speak, a wild fruit struck the back of her hand.

Xiaoying turned and glared at Feng Yuan: “What are you doing?!”

Feng Yuan replied calmly: “Your hands are dirty—don’t soil others’ clothes.”

Xiaoying looked and saw that, indeed, the tree-climbing hand prints had marked Young Master Mu’s snow-white shoulders.

So Xiaoying smilingly reminded Young Master Mu that when traveling on the road, one couldn’t maintain the “clear wind, bright moon” style, and he should have his servant find some darker-colored clothes to wear.

Mu Hanjiang looked somewhat helplessly at the handprints on his shoulder and thanked the Crown Prince for the reminder.

When Elder Teng’s carriage caught up, the old man was so anxious he didn’t wait for assistance but shakily jumped down from the carriage to admonish the Crown Prince: “Your Highness, you can’t be so reckless! This isn’t like inside the palace. You keep running off alone without attendants—if something truly went wrong, this old man’s entire family couldn’t compensate enough!”

Mu Hanjiang reached out to help Elder Teng up, smiling reassuringly, saying that now that he was here, shadow guards would protect both princes, and no danger would befall them.

Hearing this, Yan Xiaoying wanted to sigh again, feeling that with these two formidable guardians—”Ha” and “He” beside her—all her thoughts of finding her brother in Jiangzhe were thoroughly extinguished.

Feng Yuan still seemed reluctant to speak with Mu Hanjiang; seeing his arrival, he mounted his horse and rode ahead.

Xiaoying didn’t want to mount her horse in front of Mu Hanjiang, so she tossed the reins to Jin Zhong, who had rushed over, intending to return to the carriage.

Mu Hanjiang looked at the youth before him, discreetly observing. Xiaoying walked a few steps forward, then suddenly turned back, meeting Mu Hanjiang’s gaze.

Mu wanted to avert his eyes but couldn’t in time, so he simply looked steadily at the Crown Prince, smiled slightly, then respectfully lowered his head.

Xiaoying also smiled as she boarded the carriage, then immediately dropped her smile.

Mu Hanjiang’s probing gaze had been too meaningful—had he, like Feng Yuan, also detected her flaws?

Thinking of this, she waved for Jin Zhong: “Has anyone visited the Empress’s palace these past few days?”

Since Emperor Chunde had finally shown consideration for the Crown Prince and given him the appropriate pomp, Yan Xiaoying’s resources had considerably increased.

Her first action was to send Jin Zhong with silver to bribe a guard at Fengming Palace.

If Mu Hanjiang or anyone else probed Tang Shi again, she wouldn’t be caught off guard.

Jin Zhong whispered: “This servant has inquired—no outsiders have visited these days, but… but Princess Anqing from the Mu family sent someone to deliver a sutra to the Empress.”

Xiaoying frowned slightly: “What sutra?”

Jin Zhong shook his head: “The guard didn’t know, only that the Empress finished reading it in one night. The next day, Princess Anqing sent someone to retrieve it.”

Yan Xiaoying sat back in the carriage, sighing helplessly.

The failed escape attempt at the military camp had created so many endless troubles.

She was certain that the sutra had been sent by Mu Hanjiang using his mother’s name.

Tang Shi, now despised by the Emperor and rejected by the Tang family, was like a mad dog cornered in an alley. Who knew if she would view her former enemy Mu Hanjiang as a lifeline?

Xiaoying had always possessed a resilient heart that adapted to circumstances. After pondering this briefly, she closed her eyes, preparing to take a good nap.

The swaying carriage was quite soporific, and they traveled this way for two days. When the land route ended, they switched to waterways.

Ever since boarding the ship, Xiaoying had become pale and restless.

Jian Hu was also anxious—this fake Crown Prince was, after all, a woman. Usually, she maintained a flawless disguise.

But a woman’s monthly visitor was unavoidable.

As it happened, her time had come while they were on the boat.

Although Jian Hu had thoughtfully prepared wood ash pouches for Xiaoying in advance, their overnight stops were in wild camps on sandbars with limited space, requiring two or three people to share accommodations.

This made it difficult for Yan Xiaoying to conceal her condition. What if she leaked blood and revealed her secret?

Xiaoying feared this too. Since childhood, she had suffered from cold exposure, and each time brought excruciating pain.

That night, due to a miscalculation of the route and foggy weather, they missed their intended resting place and had to stop on a sandbar. The location, being close to water, was even colder.

So when tents were being assigned, she kept holding her stomach, looking weak, and unceremoniously stated: “I want to sleep in a tent alone.”

Elder Teng helplessly said: “Your Highness, when traveling, one can’t be too particular. Look at those guards and maids with no tents, sleeping under the open sky. Why not share with the Grand Prince? If there’s room, Young Master Mu could join too.”

The three young lords naturally wouldn’t want to squeeze in with the old officials.

Away from home, disregarding status, placing the three young men together was reasonable.

Mu Hanjiang glanced at Feng Yuan, smilingly declined, saying he dared not share sleeping quarters with the two princes and would squeeze in with the officials instead.

Xiaoying also looked at Feng Yuan, hoping he would be considerate and yield the tent to the heir.

Unfortunately, having endured enough hard days, he never yielded when it came to food or accommodations.

Xiaoying had no choice but to nod and accept this arrangement, thinking that if necessary, she would slip out in the middle of the night and find a secluded place to sleep alone with her pillow and blanket.

Otherwise, at such a critical juncture, sharing accommodations with a man would be extremely inconvenient.

While the attendants were setting up tents, Xiaoying chose a spot to sit down.

When Feng Yuan walked over, he noticed her pale face and asked: “What’s wrong?”

Xiaoying, unusually listless and without her usual relaxed ease, weakly replied: “I might have eaten something bad—my stomach hurts a bit.”