“Who?”

As intelligent as he was, Xiao Yan didn’t believe Yun Ya couldn’t guess, but he still honestly replied, “Who else could it be? It’s my royal sister, Princess Mei Ji.” Then he sighed, “She’s not young anymore, yet she can’t find any of the talented men in the kingdom to her liking.”

“Oh.” Yun Ya was too lazy to even speak properly, his handsome face all but writing four large characters: What does this have to do with me?

How cold! Xiao Yan said softly, “She has admired you for years. Although she has the title of princess, she’s not of royal blood. If you’re willing to marry her, Mei Ji would certainly be happy to return to commoner status, which wouldn’t violate the rule that forbids royal family members from marrying the State Preceptor…”

Before he could finish, Yun Ya interrupted: “Not willing.”

“Then who do you want to marry!” Xiao Yan pressed his temples, exhausted by the string of bad news today. “Your An An?” It was rare that Yun Ya had honestly returned from New Xia with the Wei Kingdom delegation this time, meaning he and Xu Guang Xiang had spent considerable time together. Even so, there wasn’t a single spark between them, and Xiao Yan knew there was no chance.

Yun Ya remained silent.

“You want to marry her!” Xiao Yan’s head was about to split into two. “She’s the Queen of New Xia now, no longer your servant girl!”

“So?”

“Even though my Great Wei has established an agreement with New Xia, the New Xia people still hate us to the bone. How would they allow their queen to marry you?” Xiao Yan still found it incredible that Yun Ya, who had been alone for so many years, would suddenly want to marry now. “What’s so good about her? She’s merely exceptionally beautiful. But that’s all. How can a mere beauty compare to grand ambitions and mighty enterprises!”

Yun Ya clasped his hands in front of him: “Her status is special, and her marriage will inevitably attract attention from worldly powers. If she marries into the royal families of Yan, Jin, or even some other country, would that be good news for us?”

Of course not. Wei Kingdom’s relationship with these countries was not good at all. Xiao Yan said worriedly, “Can you marry her?” They say heroes find it hard to resist beautiful women—what magic did the New Xia Queen possess that even the man before him would fall for her?

Yun Ya stared at him: “You won’t object, will you?”

Object to what, the Great Wei State Preceptor marrying the New Xia Queen? Of course, he objected! Xiao Yan chuckled: “Of course not!” Would objecting make any difference? “If you can marry her, it would benefit Great Wei without causing harm. I would be happy to see it happen.”

“What if people in the Royal Court object?” And there wouldn’t be a few of them.

“Those with such narrow vision—I’ll help you deal with them,” Xiao Yan laughed. “State Preceptor, feel free to make your move.” Ninety percent chance of failure, but he couldn’t say that outright. Burying the grudge with New Xia would be extremely beneficial for Great Wei’s upcoming plans.

“Then I’ll reluctantly agree,” Yun Ya stroked his chin, smiling extremely wickedly. “Even if I can’t marry her, she won’t marry anyone else either.”

Xiao Yan secretly sympathized with the New Xia Queen in his heart but thinking of Yu Hai Zhen, he reproached himself. His situation was a mess—what right did he have to sympathize with others?

In the blink of an eye, light snow began to fall.

When the first snow of the year floated down, the morning court session was also approaching its end.

Over the past few months, while the Southern Continent had been in turmoil, the Northern Continent remained calm. After New Xia defeated Pu Ling, the Northern Continent didn’t even experience a hint of regional friction.

Not only that, but the autumn that had just passed was a harvest season. The weather was unusually favorable, with abundant sunshine and sparse rain, and the granaries of various countries were filled with harvested grain.

Since the establishment of New Xia, commoners have been able to farm and produce in peace for two consecutive years. Bandits and monsters were all rounded up and driven away by government-dispatched forces, and with the continued implementation of light taxation policies, people had grain and money in their pockets, and smiles began to appear on their faces.

For commoners, full granaries bring dignity; for Royal Court officials, since they no longer needed to worry about food production and territory for the time being, they began to worry about another important matter:

The Queen’s lifelong happiness.

By next March, the New Xia Queen would be exactly eighteen years old.

People married early in those times—girls would marry at fifteen, and by eighteen they could already be holding their second child. Their Queen was growing more beautiful day by day, and it was time for her to take on the task of extending the royal family lineage.

Only two people remained of the An Xia royal bloodline. For the kingdom, having no heir was a huge hidden danger. Fu Ling Chuan’s bloodline was particularly diluted, so the task of propagating legitimate descendants naturally fell on Queen Chang Le.

So on this day, after the final item on the court agenda was discussed, as Feng Miao Jun was about to announce “the court dismissed,” Du Kun, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stepped forward and respectfully raised this matter.

The hundred officials could stand here because the An Xia bloodline had continued, so after his passionate speech for a short while, two other officials also stood out to second the motion.

These people are truly meddlesome. Feng Miao Jun snorted: “Then according to Minister Du’s view, is there a suitable candidate for Royal Consort?”

Du Kun immediately said: “State Preceptor Fu has devoted himself wholeheartedly to New Xia, protecting our Queen and her position, with a relationship of mutual companionship and understanding that is unbreakable. Du Kun believes State Preceptor Fu could be the Royal Consort!”

Feng Miao Jun looked toward Fu Ling Chuan, who stood at her lower right position. He also looked up at her. Handsome and graceful, he was the image from a young girl’s dreams, and even more remarkably, his gaze was intense, the desire in his eyes undisguised.

His feelings for her had grown with each passing day.

Feng Miao Jun withdrew her gaze: “Are there any other candidates?”

Du Kun stammered.

Feng Miao Jun somewhat understood this fellow’s psychology. This person might not have been instructed by Fu Ling Chuan—the latter’s methods wouldn’t be so crude. But this way, the paper window between her and Fu Ling Chuan had been pierced, and there would be no shortage of trouble in the future. “Candidates, candidates, that means there should be people for us to choose from. Minister Du, and all of you, are you truly thinking of my interests?”

Everyone hastily affirmed they were.

“Very well, list a few more candidates, and when I find one satisfactory, I will naturally say so.” With these words, everyone looked at each other in consternation. Did the Queen’s implication mean she was dissatisfied with the State Preceptor? This was not giving Fu Ling Chuan a face.

Anyone with eyes could see cracks growing between the top two figures. So many things had happened in the past half year, requiring the brother and sister to work together to overcome difficulties, so they had never openly torn apart their relationship. But the Queen’s dissatisfaction with the State Preceptor’s autocratic power had become increasingly obvious as she grew older.

Fu Ling Chuan tightly pursed his lips, his lowered right hand clenched into a fist. Although he had known early on that Chang Le had no interest in him, her public statement in front of everyone that she didn’t want to marry him truly made him angry.

Feng Miao Jun didn’t even look at him and continued: “By the way, over the past year, I’ve been so busy with miscellaneous matters that I forgot to inquire about the Imperial Harem system, and I haven’t seen any memorials from the Ministry of Rites. Since you want the New Xia royal family to branch out and multiply, why haven’t you presented this system?”

Imperial… Imperial Harem! The officials were shocked, even Fu Ling Chuan couldn’t believe what he heard.