“Yes.” The girl leaned her head onto Yan Xun’s chest, her voice sounding muffled. She seemed as though she had been wronged somehow.”Make sure you keep your word.”

　　“Definitely! I promise,” Yan Xun swore firmly. “A real man will always keep his word. May the heavens break my legs if I don’t.”

　　“Fine. You can go.”

　　“Wait, there is still one more thing.” Yan Xun straightened his face, as he seriously declared, “This is very important, you have to know this by heart.”

　　“Hmm?” Chu Qiao lifted up her head while blinking her big watery eyes. “What is it?”

　　“Remember this! These are the sincerest words of advice from me to you as a friend, as someone who grew up, fought, and lived with you since we were young.”

　　Chu Qiao frowned. Her intelligence had alerted her that something was not right. Suspiciously, she asked, “What do you want to say?”

　　“You gotta be more candid with yourself!” Yan Xun shouted, before suddenly pressing his head onto Chu Qiao. Overpowering Chu Qiao, he held her head, as their lips were firmly pressed onto each other. In the process, his tongue fervently pushed into her mouth, instantly breaking any form of defense the young woman had put up, completely catching her off guard. Her breath was instantly thrown out of order, as her chest heaved up and down violently. In the snowy plains, in front of 500 bodyguards, the King of Yan Bei french kissed Master Chu from the Military Staff Office…

　　Only when Chu Qiao was about to pass out from lack of oxygen did Yan Xun let her go. Seeing how she turned beet red as she stole glances left and right, as though she was a thief who had been caught red-handed, Yan Xun gave a hearty laugh. “What are you worried about? All of Yan Bei is mine!”

　　Chu Qiao exploded into a fury, and even her ears turned red from the mix of anger and embarrassment. “Ah! You b*stard! My purity has been tainted by you!”

　　Yan Xun grabbed her by her waist, and with a flick of his eyebrow, he retorted, “AhChu, did you not know? From the moment you walked into Sheng Jin Palace, the word ‘pure’ waved you goodbye.”

　　“B*stard!” Chu Qiao’s vocabulary was insufficient for this occasion, and seeing how the surrounding men all looked on with amusement, she was even more angry, as she pointed at AhJing and others and shouted, “Do not laugh! Do not tell others! I will fight you! And you! You! Who are you? You are laughing so hard I can see your gum! What is your name? Which troop do you belong to? Are you still laughing? Yes, you!”

　　“AhChu! Do not care about what other people say!” Yan Xun suddenly stated. Pulling her over, he continued, “You need to be more candid with yourself. You merely do not want me to go outside and flirt with other women, why are you bringing up so much about morals and righteousness? I think you are the one who needs a beating.”

　　“Oi, oi!” Chu Qiao jumped in embarrassment. “Has it been too long since I fixed you up? Do you want to give me a beating? Can you even beat me?”

　　Yan Xun was taken slightly aback, before making his counter, “That was because I was giving you a chance! Do you really think that you are the best in the world?”

　　“Very well! I see you are burning bridges now. If you want, we can have a matchup right here, right now!”

　　Yan Xun immediately started laughing. “AhChu, is it that you are too reluctant to let me go? Intentionally, you drag things out for so long, delaying my progress.”

　　Chu Qiao glared at him, and angrily shouted, “Who would be reluctant? Get lost! Seeing you for even one more second will get on my nerves!”

　　“Then, can I really leave now?”

　　“Get lost! No one wants to see you.”

　　“Don’t regret it!”

　　“I won’t!”

　　“After I leave, do not cry secretly!”

　　“Are you leaving or not? So much nonsense!”

　　“Haha!” Yan Xun flipped onto his horse, as he chuckled, “AhChu, I am leaving. Wait for my victorious return! Giddyup!” The hundreds of war horses rumbled into the distance. The pristine white snow kicked up by the horses formed a thin mist on the ground. With the hawks soaring in the sky, and the sound of wind raging in the distance, the golden sun illuminated the silhouette of the leaving soldiers, much like a huge painting. But before long, the figures had disappeared into the distance, leaving behind only a vague patch of shadows.

　　Chu Qiao stood in the same spot without moving, watching Yan Xun leave. Her heart was overflowing with emotions as she quietly brought her palms together in a prayer. With a gentle voice, she prayed with the purest of sincerity, “The omnipotent God, please hear me out, protect my lover, and make his journey smooth, ensuring his victorious and safe return.”

　　While Yan Bei was the embodiment of a frozen hell with snowstorms brewing frequently, the Song Empire had continuous days of rain, with the heavy rain clouds looming over their heavens. In a palace, no torch was lit, and only weak candlelight flickered in the darkness. In the empty Mo Ji Palace, green silk lace floated in the slight breeze, and the corridors were all lined with rosewood. The flooring seemed classic, and in fact, it was almost as expensive as lining the entire ground with gold. Every step resulted in a unique echo, as though the sound had traveled through space and time from the ancient past, like a ritualistic song sung at the ends of the world.

　　Each building had hung up pure white lanterns. This day was the anniversary of the passing of the late emperor Nalan Lie, and for that purpose, everyone wore ceremonial white clothes. Even the red chrysanthemums that were in full bloom in front of the palace had while laces tied to them. The endless rain made the scene seem even more miserable.

　　With the jingling of the bells, a lady who was wearing a majestic headdress strolled in the massive palace. With well defined facial features, her eyes gleamed with strength and confidence. Although she would not be considered as an extraordinary beauty, she would still be considered a fair lady given her decent looks and elegant demeanor.

　　At the end of the big palace was a small carpet with a small table. Beside the table, there were a few servants shouting and cheering loudly. Everyone was deeply engrossed in whatever they were doing. A teenager wearing a dragon robe was also crowded within the group. Despite looking like he was almost 20 years old, he was dancing around, behaving like a kid of six to seven years.

　　The aunt at the side frowned and approached them. “The first princess has arrived, are you not going to greet her?”

　　Hearing her, the crowd, who was playing, quickly turned around. Seeing the lady who was standing in the middle, they panickedly rushed over. Kneeling, the crowd shouted, “We pay our respects to the First Princess. Long live the Princess.”

　　“Please rise.” The plainly dressed lady nodded quietly, as she carried with her a deity-like aura. Looking at the teenager in a bright golden yellow, she waved her hand at him. “Yu’er, come here.”

　　The teenager scratched his head and reluctantly walked over. The servants beside the lady quickly greeted the teenager, “We pay our respect to the Emperor.”

　　The young emperor had not spared them a glance, as he clumsily waved his hands before lifting his head. Saliva dripped from the corner of his lips. Like a kid who was scared of their teacher, he spoke to the lady, “Sister, I did not make any mistakes.”

　　Illuminated by the weak candlelight in the palace, the lady took out her handkerchief that was embroidered with orchids, and wiped away the saliva for the young emperor, before replying, “I know.”

　　The Emperor lowered his head and muttered inaudibly under his breath. The lady sighed, “Today was the anniversary of our father’s passing, why doesn’t Yu’er want to go to the temple to burn some incense for him? In addition to that, you asked people to beat Lu Gong Gong.”

　　The Emperor’s reply was extremely soft, as he lowered his head “I….I do not want to go.”

　　The lady lowered her head and patiently asked, “Why is that? Can you tell sister?”

　　“Because…because…” The emperor lifted his head, with his usually white complexion completely flushed red, as he tried to explain, “Because the Chang Ling King always makes fun of me… I do not like playing with them.”

　　The pitter-patter of the rain resounded outside, as the wind carried the moist air into the corridor. After a while of thinking, the lady nodded and told him, “If you do not want to go, then you need not go.” Turning to the servants who were still kneeling on the ground, she instructed, “Make sure you keep the emperor company!”

　　“Yes!” The crowd of kids, all around 12 and 13-years-old, replied in unison. The lady then turned, and with her entourage, headed out of the palace. Before long, the sounds of cheering resumed. If one carefully listened to the voice, one could hear that they were overwhelmed with the purest form of joy and enjoyment.

　　Who could imagine that the Song Empire, which was in control of the most resource-rich lands in the entire continent, had an emperor that was literally an idiot? His mental maturity would forever remain at ten years old, and his mental age would never any more than it was now. This is the most closely guarded secret of the Song Empire. The Song Princess had hid this from the public eye for all these years. But as Nalan Hongyu gradually grew up, the days that he was to personally oversee the various court matters were once again postponed, and the voices of doubt against the princess grew stronger in recent years. She had finally started to feel the strain.

　　That year, before Nalan Lie died, this Emperor, who had conquered large swathes of the coastline, gazed at his young daughter and idiot son, and loudly proclaimed, “It is all karma!” before passing away. The responsibility of the massive territory then landed on the shoulders of the girl who was barely 15 then. With the blink of an eye, five years had passed.

　　Looking at the frail figure who was strolling in front, Aunt Yun’s heart was a mixing bowl of emotions. She could hardly imagine how that young girl had already become over 20 years old, spending her most beautiful years working so hard behind the scenes in the palace. Although the others knew how the First Princess was so capable and wise, in recent years there were voices of dissent, as some suspected that she had been usurping power from the younger emperor. Some even went as far as to believe that she had kept the emperor under house arrest. Seeing how this young lady had grown up, perhaps only Aunt Yue would know how much effort this young girl had been putting in. Five years. In a woman’s life, how many five years could there be?

　　“Princess, it is already night time, shall we go back to palace and rest?”

　　Nalan Hong Ye shook her head. “There are still some documents that require approval in Yu He Palace.”

　　Aunt Yun quickly suggested, “Then shall we bring it back to your own residence to read them?”

　　Seeing how the aunt who had taken care of her since young was so anxious, Nalan Hongye smile gently, and consented, “Sure.”

　　Aunt Yun happily instructed other servants to quickly head to Yu He Palace to fetch the documents. Before long, the light in Rou Fu palace was fully lit up, and the entire area was brightly illuminated. Although Nalan Hongye had been a humble person, the servants in the palace all knew who had the real say within the palace, and would serve her with extra caution.

　　It was already near midnight, and Aunt Yue had sneakily came in multiple times. Finally, she saw that the remaining documents on the table had finally reduced. However, in the end, she saw that the Princess indecisively held a letter from the borders for a long while. She could not help but to walk over. Frowning, she asked, “Princess, what is it that is so difficult to decide? It is already midnight. Tomorrow, you still have to attend the morning court.”

　　“Hmm? This is a report from the borders.” Being disturbed by someone, Nalan Hongye replied in a daze, apparently too immersed in her deep thoughts. Sweeping aside a few loose strands of hair before her, she did not hide her considerations from her closest confidante. “The Xia Empire sent their army to Yan Bei. Yan Bei is in urgent need of medical supplies and food. In addition, they want to trade their ores and minerals for weapons.”

　　Aunt Yue was clearly not a normal woman who knew nothing about politics, as she frowned and asked, “Didn’t we just send a batch over?”

　　“The amount we sent was hardly enough to make an impact. With Changle Count and Jinjiang King obstructing, especially with their excuse that the war in the East Sea is about to begin, our supplies have been greatly reduced. In view of the war in the North, the cost of day to day supplies has increased greatly. The money we took from the Yan Prince has mostly been expended.”

　　Nalan lightly frowned, when she suddenly noticed that there was a lot of noise in the direction of Qin An Palace. She stood up and asked, “What happened outside?”

　　Aunt Yue dashed out before she returned with a smile. “It is no big deal. The Young Highness was crying. The Queen was worried that he might be sick, so she informed the imperial doctors to come.”

　　Nalan raised an eyebrow and inquired, “What did the doctor say?”

　　“The doctor said that all was fine. The kid was just hungry.”

　　Nalan smiled lightly. From her bright eyes, one could see a tinge of wisdom. “That kid is the hope of the Song Empire. It was no wonder that the Queen was so anxious. Aunt Yun, you are rather experienced, so it would be great if you could be on a lookout for the kid as well.”

　　“Yes.” Nalan slowly sank back into her seat. It was lucky that Yu’er had such a kid. Since it was impossible for him to be throned as emperor, she could only place her hopes on the kid.