Of course, for Prince Rui, this momentary embarrassment passed in a flash.

He was about to become emperor—what did a little forgetfulness matter?

Prince Rui quickly consoled himself and cleared his throat: “It’s good that the beloved consort is unharmed. Come with this prince to rest.”

Prince Rui’s nonchalant demeanor stabbed at Li Jiǎo’s heart, but she quickly covered it with a smile: “Seeing Your Highness safe and sound, I can finally be at ease.”

Prince Rui cast a reluctant glance at Shao Mingyuan before heading to his new quarters with Li Jiǎo.

Clearing rooms and changing bedding, and curtains were tasks for the palace attendants. Prince Rui enjoyed a thorough bath and changed into fresh, comfortable clothes, finally feeling truly alive again.

A nation cannot be without a ruler for a single day. As soon as the Imperial Guards from the capital arrived to escort him back to the capital, he could immediately ascend the throne.

Becoming emperor…

The more Prince Rui thought about it, the more delighted he became, and without realizing it, he fell asleep.

Flames filled the sky, blocking the escape route. Prince Rui looked around in confusion when suddenly a burning sensation came over him.

Looking down, he saw his robe’s hem had caught fire. Startled, he frantically patted at it with his hands.

With a splash, a basin of water was poured over him, extinguishing the flames.

A slightly panicked voice called out: “Your Highness, are you alright?”

What met his eyes was Li Jiǎo’s anxious face.

“Where did the water come from?” Prince Rui blurted out, not understanding why he would focus on this at such a moment.

“It’s the water you just used to wash your feet.”

Prince Rui immediately looked disgusted.

“Your Highness, let’s hurry and leave. If we don’t go now, we won’t be able to get out.”

Seeing Prince Rui standing motionless, Li Jiǎo quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him outside.

Somehow, where there had just been a sea of flames, a path suddenly appeared.

Prince Rui was pulled along by Li Jiǎo as they fled. At the doorway, a burning door panel suddenly crashed down.

“Your Highness, be careful!” Li Jiǎo pulled Prince Rui aside and pushed him out the door.

Saved!

Prince Rui had just breathed a sigh of relief when sudden sharp pain struck. Looking down, he saw a blade deeply embedded in his abdomen. Looking up, he saw Prince Mu’s sinister laughing face.

“Ah—” Prince Rui screamed.

“Your Highness, what’s wrong with you?”

Prince Rui suddenly sat up, his face pale as if he’d seen a ghost, gasping heavily.

Seeing Li Jiǎo and the surroundings, Prince Rui was startled: “There’s no fire?”

“Fire? No, Your Highness, did you have a nightmare?”

Prince Rui breathed a huge sigh of relief: “Yes, yes, this prince had a nightmare.”

Li Jiǎo immediately showed a gentle smile: “Your Highness has just experienced a great calamity, so having nightmares is inevitable. Fortunately, Your Highness has heavenly blessings—those disasters couldn’t harm you in the slightest, which shows you are a person blessed by Heaven’s mandate…”

These words pleased Prince Rui, but somehow he kept thinking about that basin of water from his dream.

This woman splashed him with foot-washing water!

And that wasn’t all—with that push of hers, she caused Sixth Brother to kill him!

Prince Rui immediately found the woman before him disagreeable.

The frightening sensation from the dream lingered. Prince Rui ordered with a dark expression: “Go summon Marquis Guanjun.”

Mm, he still felt most at ease when near Marquis Guanjun.

After a while.

“Why haven’t you left yet?” Prince Rui asked Li Jiǎo with a sideways glance.

Li Jiǎo: “…” She hadn’t done anything!

“Alright, you may go.” Prince Rui closed his eyes and said lazily.

Consort Li, feeling as if her heart had been pierced by countless arrows, silently withdrew while holding back her frustration.

Qiao Zhao and the other two sat facing each other in the flower hall, none of them speaking for quite a while.

“Alright, stop staring at each other. Those who should die are dead, those who should live are alive. Let’s all get a good night’s sleep first. I won’t move from my place—I’ve had the side rooms cleaned up for you. Make do for a few days.”

Shao Mingyuan stood up: “Then I’ll take Zhaozhao to rest first. We’ll talk more later.”

Though it was a side room, it was clean and comfortable enough. Neither Qiao Zhao nor Shao Mingyuan was particular about luxury. After simple washing, they sat down and casually ate some food.

“Won’t you eat a little more?” Seeing Qiao Zhao put down her chopsticks, Shao Mingyuan asked.

Qiao Zhao shook her head: “No, I’m not hungry.”

Rather than not being hungry, it was more accurate to say she had no appetite.

People aren’t plants or trees—with so many lives lost on Qingliang Mountain, probably only that prince was in good spirits at the moment.

Shao Mingyuan’s gaze fell on the slender six-sided lacquered silver chopsticks. After a moment of silence, he said: “So you knew each other that early.”

“Yes, I happened to meet him before I married you.” Qiao Zhao smiled with difficulty.

Shao Mingyuan reached out and covered Qiao Zhao’s hand: “Don’t feel bad. For someone like Jiang Yuanchao, this kind of ending is getting what he sought. He would rather die this way than live in hiding.”

“Yes, he was that kind of person.”

“Marquis, Prince Rui has sent someone to summon you.” A’Zhu’s voice came from the doorway.

“I’ll go see what it’s about first.”

Outside the door, Shao Mingyuan quietly instructed A’Zhu: “Take good care of your mistress.”

Chi Can was waiting outside. Seeing Shao Mingyuan emerge, he asked: “Why is my cousin calling you over at this time instead of resting properly?”

Shao Mingyuan was equally puzzled: “We’ll know once we get there.”

“Your Highness, the Marquis has arrived.”

“Quickly invite the Marquis in.”

When Shao Mingyuan entered, he saw Prince Rui standing at the doorway, looking out eagerly.

“Your Highness—”

Prince Rui quickly helped Shao Mingyuan up: “Marquis need not be so formal. Please, sit inside.”

Prince Rui’s enthusiasm made Shao Mingyuan quite uncomfortable, and he immediately tensed up: “I don’t know what matter Your Highness summoned this minister for?”

“It’s nothing really, this prince just can’t sleep…”

The young general’s eyelid twitched.

Can’t sleep, so he calls for him?

“Marquis—” Prince Rui gave Shao Mingyuan an awkward smile.

Shao Mingyuan waited impassively.

“Why don’t we chat for a while?”

Shao Mingyuan: “…” Why was he here chatting with a grown man instead of holding his beautiful wife?

Seeing Shao Mingyuan’s expression wasn’t very good, Prince Rui quickly said: “This prince was thinking about all those matters waiting in the capital after we return, and it gives me a headache. I hope the Marquis will be able to help this prince share some of the burden…”

Half an hour later, Shao Mingyuan walked out of Prince Rui’s quarters and began seriously contemplating one thing: if Prince Rui kept calling him over for idle chats like today, should he rebel or should he rebel?

The officials in the capital had been quite lazy lately.

The emperor, to their superiors, had been away from the capital for over a month now. The leisurely days of skipping work to fight crickets were too comfortable.

However, in recent days, those with keen senses began to detect something unusual: why were the Imperial Guards heading out when everything seemed fine?

Li Guangwen couldn’t help but bring this up when paying his respects to Old Madam Deng: “Mother, I feel something’s not right. The emperor isn’t even in the capital—why would there be Imperial Guard movements? Could something have happened at Qingliang Mountain?”

Before Old Madam Deng could respond, he continued: “Of course, the emperor can do whatever he wants, but Zhaozhao and my son-in-law are there too!”

Old Madam Deng silently rolled her eyes.

This foolish son—would he die if he didn’t add those blunt truths?