His gaze seemed ready to devour anyone who met it. Xu Ke didn’t dare look him in the eye and could only lower his eyelids. “Yes.”

New Summer, Wusel.

The court session had just ended. Feng Miaojun returned to her palace to change clothes before quietly leaving the palace, not forgetting to change her face as well.

She dressed as a commoner, her features ordinary and unremarkable. Blending into the crowd on the main street, she disappeared instantly like a drop of water merging into the ocean.

At this time, Wusel City was one of the three major capitals of the Northern Territories, with a population approaching one million five hundred thousand. Located at the center of the Golden Trade Route, its commerce and prosperity even surpassed Jindu Zhaixing City.

The rapid expansion of population and construction brought enormous changes to the entire city’s appearance. For example, the area of low buildings where Feng Miaojun once lived had long been demolished and excavated into an artificial small lake, now lined with weeping willows and covered with lotus leaves.

She walked halfway around the lake, bought a few things, then turned toward a small alley.

The alley was deep.

Walking on the bluestone pavement, her wooden clogs made clicking sounds. The low walls, only touched by sunlight once a day, were mottled with moss, giving off a damp smell.

She stopped before a red wooden door.

A jasmine flower was inserted diagonally in the door, fresh and fragrant, obviously just picked from its branch not long ago.

Feng Miaojun looked at it, her lips curving into a smile, before pushing the door open.

Inside and outside the door were two different worlds.

The courtyard wasn’t large, no more than ten paces wide, yet it was filled with fragrant flowers attracting bees and butterflies. The apricot tree grew tall and strong, filtering the sunlight, and allowing only threads of golden light to slip through the leaves and shine on the blooming peonies below.

By the door was a peach tree, where a person in snow-white clothing, elegant as a flower deity, stood waiting for her.

In the third month, peach blossoms were at their most abundant and beautiful, yet compared to his smile, they seemed to lose their luster.

He smiled as he walked over, reaching out his hand to her. “What delicious food did you bring this time?”

Feng Miaojun rolled her eyes without hesitation, then took out a thick lotus leaf package and dropped it in his palm. “Here.”

Was this fellow appearing here to meet her or to eat? The lotus leaf package was hot and heavy, at least three liang in weight. Yun Ya weighed it in his hand. “Eight-treasure taro paste?”

Feng Miaojun shrugged.

The eight-treasure taro paste from the Lotus Pond lakeside was famous in this area. It was made with the finest taro mashed into a paste, then slowly steamed with white sugar and lard. The method was simple, yet each household had its unique flavor.

Yun Ya unwrapped the lotus leaf, took out a silver spoon, and scooped up the still-steaming taro paste, bringing it straight to his mouth.

Fortunately, he wasn’t afraid of the heat. After one bite, he praised, “Delicious. Even more delicious when delivered by the Queen herself.”

Feng Miaojun rested her chin on her hand, watching him. “Eat slower, no one’s fighting you for it.” The taro paste was called “eight treasures” because it contained walnuts, lotus seeds, osmanthus flowers, peanuts, longan, honey dates, and other eight kinds of preserved fruits. It was already sweet itself, and although the taste was good, it would become cloying if one ate too much, except for little girls and children.

Even though she could only eat a couple of bites at most, this fellow’s sweet tooth seemed to have worsened.

Though Yun Ya’s eating posture was elegant, his speed could be described as swift as the wind sweeping away clouds. He said between bites, “If I don’t eat quickly and get full, how will I have the energy to satisfy you later?”

Feng Miaojun wiggled her fingers, feeling a strong urge to pick up the stone table top and smash it on his head.

The sky soon darkened.

Tonight was cloudless, with a magnificent river of stars. Feng Miaojun sat in the courtyard, leaning against him, looking up at the stars twinkling in the night sky.

She was the Queen, and he was the State Preceptor. Only every so often would Yun Ya secretly slip into Wusel to find her. The small building hidden by the lotus pond was their secret hideaway.

Only here could they shed their respective identities and live like ordinary lovers.

Feng Miaojun held a large golden cup in her hands, but it didn’t contain grape wine. The aroma wafting from it was fragrant, like tea and milk combined.

She took a sip, and her phoenix eyes narrowed. Seeing this, Yun Ya asked, “Is it good?”

She handed him the golden cup. “Try it.”

Yun Ya didn’t take it. Instead, he used his finger to wipe away the milk foam from her red lips and put it in his mouth to taste.

“Sweet tea with milk added.”

“Mmm, I used to enjoy drinking it.” She gulped down another mouthful. “But this is made with tea bricks from the Puling Kingdom, with a little cow’s milk and osmanthus sugar. It’s said to have only become popular last winter.”

As she took a third sip, Yun Ya suddenly lifted her chin and kissed her.

So this mouthful of milk tea ended up in his stomach.

“I like it too,” he said softly. This girl first said she used to like this novel beverage, then mentioned that this Puling Kingdom way of drinking it only became popular last year. She had lived in Wei territory since childhood, so when would she have had the chance to taste it? But he knew she never misspoke or got things confused. This time she had accidentally let something slip because she was in a good mood.

Feng Miaojun stroked his chest, which was covered with several crisscrossing red scratches she had made earlier. “How long can you stay this time?”

“I’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

“Oh?” She was surprised. It wasn’t easy for him to travel thousands of miles to see her, and usually, he would linger for ten days or half a month. This time he was only staying for one night before leaving.

But she quickly realized, “What happened?”

“War has begun.” Yun Ya’s expression gradually became solemn. “I learned just before arriving in Wusel that Yan Kingdom crossed the border seven days ago and seized three cities and vast lands from Great Wei in one stroke. In two or three days at most, you will also receive the news.”

The thing they had worried about most finally happened. Feng Miaojun sat up straight. “Seven days ago—wasn’t that Wei Kingdom’s Fire Blessing Festival?”

This festival was second only to the New Year in importance to the Wei Kingdom. At that time, the Wei people would have been celebrating and relaxed their vigilance, allowing Yan Kingdom to take advantage. Yun Ya said calmly, “The timing was well chosen.”

Yan and Wei had been in a standoff for six years. Everyone knew they would eventually clash, but no one knew exactly when, and it was impossible to maintain high alert every day and every year.

“What excuse did Yan Kingdom use for the attack?”

“This time, none,” Yun Ya’s face showed a hint of mockery. “Because they didn’t need one.” Everyone on both the Southern and Northern continents knew a war between the two great powers was inevitable. Finding an excuse would only seem affected.

“How could they suddenly attack? This isn’t the best time for Yan Kingdom.” Feng Miaojun’s expression was grave. “I received intelligence just days ago that anti-war sentiment is running high in the Yan court. The Yan King’s senior ministers are all opposed to going to war with the Wei Kingdom right now.”

“He acted against their wishes,” Yun Ya stroked his chin. “You and I can afford to wait, the Yan court can afford to wait, but the Yan King probably doesn’t want to wait any longer. He’s already one hundred and sixty-four years old.”

“The civil war in Pu Kingdom has dragged on for three years, exceeding his expectations. For the Yan King, further delays will only make this war harder to fight.”

For a cultivator of one hundred and sixty-four years, that was equivalent to a mortal in their eighties, already in the twilight years of life.