No matter how deeply in love she was with Yun Ya, no matter how friendly the Kingdom of Wei and New Xia were, she had to make long-term plans for her country.

“Although the King of Yan is detestable, his threat provides an opportunity that allows me to unilaterally terminate our trade without antagonizing Xiao Yan or Yun Ya.” Her expression had already calmed down, with no trace of the previous agitation.

Bai Ban pondered for quite some time before finally exclaiming, “So that’s why the King of Yan said earlier that this decision would benefit New Xia as well?” It was hard to believe that Her Majesty had already understood this complex chain of cause and effect while furiously negotiating with the King of Yan.

“When he sought me out today, half of it was blackmail, but the other half was to probe my attitude toward the Kingdom of Wei. Now, he knows.” Feng Miaojun nodded. “Even without his interference, I would have found an opportunity to stop trading with Wei. The problem now is that the King of Yan’s demands are too modest.”

Bai Ban was greatly surprised: “His blackmail could potentially rewrite the course of the Wei-Yan war. And you call this modest?”

“Even if Yan can turn the tide this time, or even repel Wei’s invasion, they still have a very, very long road ahead before they can annex their powerful enemy and then defeat New Xia—so long that the end isn’t even in sight.” It was truly a future without “brightness.” “The King of Wei doesn’t have many years left. If I were him, having such leverage to threaten the Queen of New Xia, I would certainly make better use of it.”

“But he only made this one demand,” Bai Ban stroked his head. “Perhaps under the pressure of war, he’s already in disarray and can’t think as thoroughly?”

The King of Yan shouldered the heavy duties of both sovereign and State Preceptor, while also facing battlefield defeats. All that pressure ultimately fell on him alone. It was perfectly normal for people to make mistakes or break down under such enormous pressure.

“Others might, but not the King of Yan. Don’t forget that he also specified that I must notify the royal court to cease trade with Wei by tomorrow evening.” Feng Miaojun gave a light snort. “In the end, he’s just worried that if things drag on too long, Yun Ya might rush back and ruin his plans. If he considered even this detail, how could he overlook the major issues?”

Bai Ban thought of something else: “After you issue the order, it would take the King of Yan at least two months to bring the person here from the Southern Continent, even if he rides a flying beast. That’s enough time for Lord Yun Ya to return.”

Feng Miaojun smiled coldly: “Who said he’s on the Southern Continent?”

Bai Ban was shocked: “The King of Yan isn’t on the Southern Continent? As a sovereign and State Preceptor, he’s not staying at the war front?”

“Did you see clearly what was in the background when the Water Moon Mirror showed him?”

Bai Ban had stolen a few glances earlier: “It seemed like a commoner’s courtyard.” Everything inside was neither new nor old and completely unremarkable. Such ordinary residential courtyards were too common across the continent to serve as a location indicator.

“There was a plant by Peng Bai’s feet that he deliberately kicked several times, precisely to draw my attention to it.” Even though Peng Bai had one arm severed and was in excruciating pain, he still managed to notice such a detail.

Bai Ban tried hard to recall: “Was it… sweet flag?” There did seem to be several plants in the courtyard shown in the mirror. People nowadays not only grew flowers and vegetables in their yards but also useful medicinal herbs.

Near Peng Bai was a flourishing herbaceous plant with long, sword-like leaves. If Feng Miaojun hadn’t mentioned it, Bai Ban wouldn’t have remembered.

Feng Miaojun laughed: “Sweet flag grows near water. You were once a water deity, yet you couldn’t recognize it?”

Bai Ban chuckled sheepishly, embarrassed.

“That wasn’t a sweet flag, but a dragon’s blood tree, from which physicians extract the medicinal resin ‘blood coagulant.’ The two look somewhat similar, especially since that dragon’s blood tree was small, making it look even more alike, but their growing habits are vastly different.” Feng Miaojun said calmly, “Sweet flag thrives in water, commonly found in streams and marshes; dragon’s blood trees, however, only grow on the Northern Continent, with no successful transplants ever surviving on the Southern Continent!”

Bai Ban exclaimed in shock: “In that case, the King of Yan is within New Xia’s borders! How bold of him.”

“And not just that,” Feng Miaojun sneered. “I can be fairly certain that he’s very close to Yingshui City right now. After I issue the new decree tomorrow, he could reach Yingshui City in two days at most!”

Otherwise, why would she have demanded that he deliver the person?

“Bringing his foster mother to New Xia could have been delegated to someone else, yet he insisted on doing it personally, taking on considerable risk and abandoning the war situation in the Southern Continent.” Feng Miaojun casually picked up a bag of pine nuts from the table. “The King of Yan must have grand ambitions, the importance of which even exceeds the war in the Southern Continent!”

Afterward, she walked directly toward her bedchamber.

A red-headed parrot perched on a high branch saw her return and flew down, flapping its wings and repeatedly nodding in greeting. Feng Miaojun personally fed it several pine nuts before stroking its head and saying, “Wake up Yun Ya for me.”

So the red-headed parrot bobbed its head, murmuring Yun Ya’s name.

This creature was particularly talkative, always using high-frequency bombardment whenever it transmitted messages across great distances for her.

After a while, it suddenly stopped all movement, tilted its head to look at her, and said with unusual gravity:

“Missing me already? So early?”

Despite her heavy thoughts, Feng Miaojun couldn’t help but laugh. She could imagine Yun Ya’s languid charm as he said those words—other young ladies might be entranced forever upon hearing them, but coming from the parrot’s harsh voice, they sounded utterly incongruous.

“I have important matters to discuss with you.”

The Wei army’s offensive on the Southern Continent had finally slowed down.

The reason was simple: they had already passed through the former territory of the Xi Kingdom and entered Yan’s original domain. This was Yan’s home ground, and the resistance the Wei army encountered increased by more than twofold.

The hard-fought battle had only truly begun here. Wei and Yan were like two bloodthirsty wolves, refusing to back down despite their wounds.

It was at this moment that New Xia suddenly announced the cessation of military trade with the Kingdom of Wei, no longer supplying military resources to the front lines.

After more than a decade of diligent governance, the Queen of New Xia had reached the pinnacle of power and prestige in her country. Though many nobles and aristocratic families would suffer significant income reductions because of her decision, it faced little opposition nationwide.

New Xia had become the largest arms dealer across both continents. When the news spread, it inevitably affected the warring front. The Wei army’s morale wavered somewhat, while Yan’s spirits were bolstered, strengthening their resolve to repel the invaders.

Feng Miaojun had no time to consider how far-reaching the impact of New Xia’s action would be. On the day the decree was issued, she received a message from the King of Yan:

“In three days, we’ll meet in Yingshui City.” The King of Yan smiled and added, “Oh, by the way, I have another condition that I forgot to mention earlier.”

Feng Miaojun was displeased: “Don’t you know that a sovereign’s word cannot be taken lightly!”