Marry his son?

Even though she had some expectations, the question still stirred up a tempestuous storm in Feng Miaojun’s mind, almost causing her to lose the calm mask on her face.

He asked so matter-of-factly, clearly having brought this matter up with Princess Changle and Fu Lingchuan before. In a flash, she recalled what Fu Lingchuan had told her on Zhuiwei Mountain:

“Changle… the King of Yan intends to have his son marry her.”

Comparing their statements, could it be, could it possibly be…?

Although she concealed it well, how could Lord Yangshan’s keen eyes miss the shock in her eyes? He immediately showed some displeasure: “What’s this? You haven’t told her?”

This last question was directed at Fu Lingchuan.

Feng Miaojun couldn’t help herself and shot a fierce glare at Fu Lingchuan.

Before visiting Lord Yangshan, this scoundrel hadn’t told her that Lord Yangshan was the King of Yan!

No wonder Lord Yangshan could be so dismissive of others, no wonder his status at the Luofu Fishing Party was so exceptional, no wonder Fu Lingchuan was so respectful toward him, no wonder he didn’t take the Queen of New Xia seriously.

All because he was the most powerful sovereign in the world!

In years past, when Fu Lingchuan was planning his uprising, he had to seek shelter in Yan’s capital and borrow Yan’s power. They had once lived under others’ roofs, and now even though Princess Changle had become the Queen of New Xia, how could the King of Yan regard her highly?

Fu Lingchuan also received her anger and smiled, showing a mouthful of white teeth: “Changle is shy, I haven’t mentioned it to her yet.”

Feng Miaojun lowered her head slightly, using spiritual energy to stimulate her blood flow, which in the King of Yan’s eyes appeared as a blush spreading across her cheeks—like a young woman’s bashfulness. He couldn’t help but smile: “Men should marry, women should wed—what’s there to be shy about? Yun’er likes you, and New Xia and Yan should ally.”

Feng Miaojun bit her lip and suddenly stood up, saying softly: “This is quite sudden. I—I need to go back and think about it.” After speaking, she glared at Fu Lingchuan.

That look of reproach was just right, visible to both the King of Yan and Fu Lingchuan.

Just then, a servant came to report that another distinguished guest had arrived. Fu Lingchuan touched his nose and took the opportunity to stand up as well: “It’s my fault for not mentioning this to my queen. This matter requires proper discussion.”

Since it required “proper discussion,” such a rushed environment wouldn’t do. His choice of words was careful—he didn’t say they needed to deliberate at length, but rather that it needed “discussion,” as if the matter could be settled soon.

Feng Miaojun looked at him with some admiration. This man had managed to keep the fake Princess Changle in Yan’s capital for three or four years without much disadvantage—he truly had skill.

The King of Yan made a sound of acknowledgment but didn’t stand to see them off: “You may go.” He tossed the small knife onto the golden platter of oysters, making a clear “clang.”

Fu Lingchuan immediately led Feng Miaojun away.

Only after the two had disappeared did the King of Yan snap his fingers.

A person appeared from somewhere, standing respectfully with hands lowered, awaiting his orders.

“How has the Heavenly Movement Institute interpreted the divination slip and hexagram from Cao Budao that I brought back?”

“There’s been no progress yet,” the person answered precisely. “The diviners say that the slip isn’t too difficult, but rather too straightforward. Yet they cannot deduce the meaning of ‘the initial meeting of wind and clouds’—it’s too vague.”

The King of Yan snorted in dissatisfaction: “Useless!”

Did this even require the diviners of the Heavenly Movement Institute? Even he knew it meant the world was about to fall into chaos, but they couldn’t figure out the preceding cause. Besides, what connection did this have to the answer he sought?

The person cautiously said: “Master Xing asked about the background of this matter to facilitate further divination.” This master had returned from outside, tossed a divination slip for the Heavenly Movement Institute to decipher, and provided nothing else—he was making things difficult.

“More than fifty years ago, I went to seek the method of longevity from Cao Budao. He said heavenly secrets couldn’t be revealed and told me to return fifty years later, at which time his family would have a calamity for me to resolve.” The King of Yan’s expression was listless. “I went, only to discover that the fellow had long since died, and his descendants had nearly all been killed by Xiao Pingzhang. Only one small child escaped. I had someone escort him to Ying City, seven hundred li away, which should fulfill my obligation to Cao Budao. But he only left me a bare divination slip without any prophecy—I don’t know what it means!”

“Yes,” the confidant responded. “I’ll relay this to the diviners.”

“Wait, there’s one more thing.” The King of Yan remembered something and called him back. “Keep a close watch on the An Xia people, report their every move. Watch them carefully—don’t let them leave Taiping City!”

Walking out of the palace gates, Feng Miaojun looked back at the towering city gate and secretly sighed with relief. The pressure of facing the King of Yan directly had been immense; the chill down her back hadn’t yet subsided.

However, what followed was exhilaration: the Golden Branch Jade Dew was in hand!

Fu Lingchuan boarded the carriage with her, heading toward the Pine Orchid Villa. After first confirming there were no listening enchantments in the carriage, he casually set up a barrier: “You’ve obtained what you wanted. Get ready, we’ll leave in one hour.”

Feng Miaojun was startled: “So rushed?” They weren’t even waiting until nightfall?

“The King of Yan isn’t foolish—he sees that we’re trying to stall.” If they returned to New Xia, who knew when they’d come back here? If Princess Changle didn’t agree now, she could effectively delay this marriage until it fell through. “I fear that before the marriage is settled, he won’t allow us to return north. He might even…”

He glanced at Feng Miaojun and cut off the rest of his words.

Feng Miaojun understood immediately. The King of Yan might even want to accomplish the deed before the wedding, is that it? He wouldn’t worry about his cooked duck flying away.

Now that New Xia had been established by her and Fu Lingchuan, the King of Yan, who had provided support in the early stages, wanted to reap benefits later. But New Xia and Yan Kingdom were tens of thousands of li apart, separated by more than a dozen powers of various sizes plus a Forbidden Sea—truly a case of “mountains high, emperor far away”—beyond his control.

If he wanted to extend his reach into New Xia, currently the most effective method was through a marriage alliance. Having his son marry the Queen of New Xia would naturally strengthen this relationship.

Now she also understood her precarious situation. Originally, she hadn’t known that Lord Yangshan was the King of Yan and hadn’t compared the two problems she had raised. The last time Fu Lingchuan and the fake Princess Changle left Yan’s capital, who knows what great effort it took to avoid having this marriage arranged, yet this time she had walked right into the trap.

She stared at Fu Lingchuan with an unfriendly expression: “Lord Yangshan is the King of Yan—you deliberately didn’t tell me, right?”

Fu Lingchuan smiled without speaking.

Over these days, the two had clashed many times, openly and secretly. Constrained by Feng Miaojun’s status, he had repeatedly been at a disadvantage, bottling up his frustration. Taking this opportunity, he wanted to teach her a lesson to ensure better relations in the future.

Now that Princess Changle had returned to Taiping City, the King of Yan wouldn’t miss such a good opportunity and would certainly pressure them to the end. They needed to leave unexpectedly, otherwise…

Feng Miaojun had always been pragmatic. The anger at being tricked by Fu Lingchuan quickly subsided as she returned to deep thought: “The Crane Spirit is outside the city—how will you get out?”