The moon is dark and the wind is strong.

  The Bamboo Pavilion of the Humble King's Palace was once again welcoming a large number of assassins, and He Le'an took advantage of the chaos to sneak into the main bedroom. "Night Ming!" The person on the bed had a pale face like paper, but when they saw her coming, their icy expression finally rose with a hint of joy.

  "An er." But immediately, Zhong Sun Yue furrowed his brow again, "How did you..."

  "It's my people who are fighting outside." He Lian'an helped him up and took his pulse, "Your acupoints have been sealed."

  "Is it Ah Qian's doing? But you..."

  "I've learned martial arts, the servants of the Cloud Country have brought me a lot of trouble, and I've transferred all their internal energy to myself. In order not to go crazy, I've practiced my heart method for a long time, and now I can finally come find you. Let's go, leave the capital, and go find Ah Dou and Chun Juan. From now on, we'll roam the Jianghu, and never again suffer the pain of separation for the sake of the world, nor endure all sorts of messy things."

  Zhong Sun Ruo grasped He Le An's hand and said, "An Er, don't try to escape."

  He Lian's face, shrouded in hatred, gradually disintegrated, and a tear fell bleakly. "It was me who killed him, if not for protecting me, A Leng wouldn't... I'm sorry, Ye Ming, I..."

  Jiang Sun Yue pulled her into his arms to comfort her, and she sobbed quietly in his embrace, her whimpering voice like a wounded little rabbit. "Ah Leng is just following his own heart, no one will blame you, you don't have to blame yourself." He kissed her forehead, the corners of her eyes, and her nose. "Sorry, I haven't been able to be by your side these days, and yet you're worried about me."

  He Le'an rubbed against his comforting embrace, "They won't be able to drag it out for too long, I'll help you clear the meridians first."

  "An'er, I still don't know what Ah Qiang's plan is for the time being. Let's not expose ourselves yet. Don't try to escape, calm down and think about the bigger picture. The person we need to guard against from start to finish is not Rui Qin Wang, but the black hand behind him. Only by catching him can we be at ease."

  "Uh-huh."

  Before parting, Zhong Sun Yue handed her a delicate token, "This is my father's secret guard team, you can call upon them at will. Now the mansion is filled with the Emperor's eyes and ears, before I contact you again, don't come here anymore."

  He Le'an reluctantly bid farewell and left.

  **

  The restless heart slowly returned to calmness.

  He Le'an sat on the windowsill, staring blankly at the rare flowers and grasses in the courtyard. She sorted out her current situation, and as the threads of it became clear, she fell into thought about how to proceed from now on. After careful consideration and planning, would she be able to get what she wanted? If she couldn't be independent under the strong power, could becoming a force that strong power can't suppress be feasible...

  Suddenly, a commotion broke out. He Lu'an came to her senses and saw that the men in black clothes had roughly thrown a man dressed in brocade, bound like a rice dumpling, onto the yellow mud floor of the courtyard. The leader, Mu Jin, said to her from the windowsill, "Your Majesty, since you said not to harm innocent people, we've brought back the Crown Prince of Xie. What do you think should be done with him?"

  "...He Le'an looked down at the pitiful person on the ground with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. As she gazed, the outline of that person seemed vaguely familiar, and upon closer inspection, it slowly overlapped with someone in her memory. She stepped out of the door, walked over to take a closer look, and hastily ordered: "Quickly, untie him!"

  Mu Yu looked puzzled and said, "Although he's unconscious, his martial arts skills are not ordinary. If we untie him rashly, I'm afraid..."

  "He's someone I know, so let him go!"

  Mu Ge saw her insistence, so he waved his hand to signal the black-clothed man who was closer to untie the brocade-clothed man. He Lian also ordered, "Help him into the side hall. Be careful not to hurt him."

  The people in black clothes retreated as ordered, and after putting the person on the chair, He Le'an signaled them to withdraw. She didn't care if Mu Di was still watching her from the side hall, she shook the brocade-clad man and said, "Big brother! Big brother! Wake up quickly!!"

  Unexpectedly, it was actually her secular brother Yun Huan, the Crown Prince of Xie Zheng, Nan Gong Qing Lan. "Brother Yun Huan!"

  Mugwort heard her title and furrowed his brow, "Your Majesty, this won't wake him up." Seeing He Le'an look at him in confusion, he pointed to the tea spilled by the maid on the tea table with his chin.

  He Lian'an had no choice but to pick up the tea water and pour it on Nan Gong Qinglan, seeing that his expression relaxed, showing signs of waking up, he exclaimed: "Qinglan Shixiong!"

  The all-too-familiar address made Nan Gong Qing Lan pause, the murderous intent that had flashed in his eyes slowly receding as he took in the familiar face before him. He ventured a tentative query, "You... could it be... An Le?"

  "Ah! It's me, it's me!" He Le'an nodded heavily and said, "You've visited Master, right?" Only Master had told him, so he wouldn't be surprised at her female form.

  Nangong Qinglan's eyes widened, "Master told me to go to Jiuxiao Clouds to save you, I hadn't even figured out what it meant when I was..."

  A familiar four-character phrase made He Le An pause, and suddenly she remembered the message from the Xiangzi jade pendant. She hesitated for a moment before telling Mu Xin to "go get Mu Mian, I have something to discuss with him." After sending Mu Xin away, she lowered her voice and asked Nan Gong Qing Lan, "Brother, did Master say anything else to you?"

  Nangong Qinglan didn't know why she suddenly lowered her voice, but he also lowered his voice and said, "Master said that if we cooperate, we can change the predicament of both parties."

  He Le's heart was clear and calm. "Is there internal strife in the imperial court of Tonghui? Are you involved in party struggles or is it the empress dowager's persecution?"

  "We all do." said Nangong Qinglan, "I'm just an illegitimate child who's not valued by anyone. My father is old and ambitious, he brought me back only to use me as a pawn. I don't want to, but I also can't escape his strong control. This time coming to Zhonglin country, is to find the treasure map."

  "He Lian said, 'Since you've been in Zhonglin City for some time now, shouldn't you also know about my current situation?'"

  "I know, but Master said not to be misled by what one hears, and even what one sees is not necessarily true." Nangong Qinglan smiled and said, "However, I am still surprised that the lovely younger brother from back then was actually a woman. And she's a lady from the Jianing Marquis' manor."

  He Lian smiled wryly and said, "My situation is no different from yours, so don't make fun of me."

  At this time, Mian came, and He Le'an said, "He is my senior brother, let him go, and I will think of another way to provoke the conflict between Tong Hui and Zhong Lin."

  Mu Mian nodded in agreement, and after sending Nan Gong Qinglan off with someone, He Le'an said to him, "I plan to get close to the wise prince, you make arrangements."

  **

  Everything seemed to be asleep, without a sound. The cool autumn wind was gradually seeping into the bones, but He Le'an opened the window wide to blow away his sleepiness and think about his plan that left no room for error. Qing Sen quietly appeared before him, handed him a letter, and then disappeared without a trace.

  The next day, Hong Zhang said, "Your Majesty, the leader has already met with Rui Qin Wang in Huayuanzi to discuss matters. What do you think you should..."

  "Get dressed, put on the clothes you prepared for me earlier." He Lian said with a faint smile.

  About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, He Lian and Hong Zhang strolled out with an air of leisure, looking like they were there to admire the flowers. They arrived at the garden where Rui Qin Wang was being entertained. As their eyes met by chance, Rui Qin Wang exclaimed in surprise: "Brother's wife?"

  She was originally a stunning beauty, and after dressing up carefully, she looked as beautiful as a painting. The feeling of girlish innocence and youthful charm mixed together, astonishingly striking people's eyes. As the sunlight poured down, her blue-green skirt fluttered out with dazzling golden pieces. Today, she was different from usual. He suddenly realized that she had restored her pre-marriage attire. "You——"

  Mù mián bǐ gōng bǐ jìng de qǐ lái xiào dào, "lóng zhòng de xiàng nǐ jiè shào. zhè wèi shì wǒmen de zhǔ shàng, hé lè ān xiǎo jiě."

  Rui Qin Wang didn't hide his surprise, and He Le'an smiled lightly, "I didn't expect to see Rui Qin Wang here. From now on, don't call me 'brother's wife' anymore, I'm no longer the Princess of Yue County."

  "But you and..."

  "He won't want me anymore." He Lan said with a self-mocking tone, "Since he is determined to protect his Emperor Huixi, then I am destined to be his enemy. Anyone who tries to stop me from taking revenge will be my enemy."

  Suddenly, she smiled seductively, "You, this powerless and idle king, are actually... who would have thought that you still had such ambition. It's really surprising." As her eyes flickered, a hint of cunning and evil flashed by, looking extremely beautiful.

  "I'm just taking back what belongs to me."

  "But you are all greedy for what belongs to me." He Lian said, "For this thing, even slaughtered my Yun country."

  The wise and composed expression of the king flashed a fleeting glimpse of surprise, only to hear her say again, "Whether or not to restore the country, I don't care, but the deep-seated hatred of blood feuds must be avenged no matter what. Especially after Emperor Hui Xiu knew my true identity, he wanted to get rid of me to eliminate future troubles. Alas, we haven't even crossed the river yet, and you're already thinking of burning the bridge."

  "You shouldn't think that Emperor Hui Xi is completely unaware of your affairs, after all he's the man sitting on that throne, by nature suspicious, to stabilize his reign, he has never underestimated anyone." He Lian An smiled and said, "Look at me, I helped him take down several cities, in the end he secretly guarded against me, investigating me thoroughly, however... if not for his extra caution, I wouldn't have known my true identity either."

  Rui Qin Wang said, "Not at all, Miss He has always been a strange girl, dare to love and dare to hate, I admire her."

  "You men are born to be good at seeing ghosts and speaking nonsense, seeing people and speaking human words, I don't dare to believe it anymore." He Le'an hooked her lips and said, "The oath of the sea and the mountain is ultimately not as good as a conspiracy. Emperor Hui wants to get rid of me and estrange my relationship with my husband. It's just a matter of killing a humble relative king's concubine. The relationship between us is like this ceramic cup..."

  She said, picked up a small wine cup, and lightly loosened her grip, the cup shattered to the ground instantly, "Not worth a blow."

  Rui Qin Wang gazed at her with an unreadable expression, his eyes locking onto the tangled emotions of love, hate, resentment, and pain in hers. His heart seemed to be stirred by something, "Perhaps seventeen was just a momentary confusion, wait until later when you've figured it out——"

  "I've been through all sorts with him, even when he stabbed me in the heart, I still believed he had a good reason for it. But he didn't ask anything and actually suspected me. Have you ever experienced being betrayed by the person you love most? At that moment, I really wished that Princess Jianxin was indeed murdered by me, but he never doubted me." He Lian shook his head with a bitter smile, sighing to himself.

  "Never mind, the Yun Kingdom and the Zhong Sun Imperial Family of the Southern Palace have a deep grudge. I am already the only remaining bloodline of the Yun Kingdom, I cannot let my loved ones die in vain!" She said, "If you really have the heart to sit on that position, I can help you, but my only requirement is that you must personally kill Emperor Hui Xing, this ruthless and unscrupulous scoundrel. He was the one who ruined my happiness!"

  Rui Qin Wang slightly furrowed his brow, "You want to..."

  He Le'an smiled coquettishly, "Don't you think that if it's a big mess, the situation will be quite interesting?"

  **

  In the evening, she leaned against the crimson wooden pillar, her figure looking desolate. Mu Mian softly said: "Do you think Prince Rui will believe it?"

  "He's a man no one believes. But he'll verify and investigate what I say, true or false. And when the time comes, what he finds out will be what we want him to find." He Lan said, "You once said my mother was murdered, but she was just a lowly concubine, who would want to murder her? And why would they want to murder her?"

  Mukden Road, "He Lao Tai has been fond of Mrs. Shan since childhood, and in order to make Mrs. Shan's name legitimate, she had always quarreled with Prince Jianing, asking him to divorce Yang Shi. Prince Jianing also felt guilty towards your mother, so he was moved by this and called Yang Shi with ill intentions."

  It's almost as if you guessed it, He Le'an said. "First, send someone to stir up trouble at the borders of the four countries, just a small disturbance will do, if it gets out of hand, it won't be beneficial for our restoration."

  "Yes."

  **

  The night is deep.

  He Le'an quietly and stealthily entered the main courtyard of the Jianing Marquis's estate, where she used a pearl hairpin to pierce the heart of the Jianing Marquis's wife. She then left as silently as she had arrived, not until two days later when He Lizhe returned triumphantly to the capital did she strike again, beheading him in the still of night with her sword. Next was Empress Wan, but towards this empress who had given the order for the secret assassination, she was relatively more ruthless.

  The next day, rumors spread and shocked the Emperor Hui Xuan, who was furious and offered a reward to capture He Le An's remaining followers. The palace guards were strengthened, but secretly, he was delighted that the Wan family could no longer be used as leverage. Many of the harem's affairs were handed over to Cheng Shu Hui.

  "Impossible? With her protector Xue Zilei dead, how could a weak woman like her assassinate so many people?"

  "Really? The queen lives in the deep palace with many guards, how did she get in?"

  "I don't know who spread the rumor, nor did they use their brain to think if it's logical or not. If she had such ability, wouldn't she have been happy and at peace?"

  "What's wrong with you, how can you say such outrageous and treasonous words?!"

  "It's not impossible after all, she is a woman who has conquered several cities of the East with her wisdom, how could it be simple!"

  "If it was really her who did it, would you still dare to speak ill of her here? Aren't you afraid she'll kill you?"

  "Hey, hey, I also found out today that many officials and soldiers have surrounded Prince Gong's mansion..."

  All sorts of rumors gradually spread throughout the streets, and a dark guard from the Ruiqin Palace knelt down and said, "The Huixi Emperor has already issued a secret decree to have Zhongsun Xiang capture He Le'an. If not for Zhongsun Xiang's injuries being too severe and still unable to recover, he would probably be ordered to personally capture He Le'an." After secretly investigating, it was found that the Qianqin Palace was filled with eyes and ears of the Huixi Emperor everywhere.

  "Yang Shi, He Lizhe, and Empress Wan were all killed by the assassin of the Jade Terrace."

  "Your Highness, recently the border wars have been frequent, it seems that He Le'an indeed wants to create a great chaos. The spies monitoring the Southern Palace imperial family said that the internal worries of the palace are not just limited to this, and the Crown Prince's involvement in the party struggle has already surfaced. What is making people curious is that there is a mysterious person behind him who is supporting him, providing strategies and buying arms to expand his power. The wealth that has been dug up is quite like the treasure of the Cloud Country."

  The wise king was indifferent and deep in thought.

  **

  In Yao Tai's house, He Luan was stewing beef brisket and making noodles. Since she had martial arts skills, she could actually hear the sound of someone approaching from a distance, but she seemed completely unaware, focusing solely on her tasks, calmly allowing others to quietly observe. After finishing the noodles, she chopped scallions and ginger, then waited for the beef brisket to be almost done before boiling water to cook the noodles.

  Not long after, the noodles were scooped into a bowl, and the braised beef brisket and sauce were poured over them. Scallions and ginger shreds were sprinkled on top, releasing a fragrant aroma that wafted out of the kitchen and straight into Rui's nose. He said, "Watching Miss He cook is like admiring a living painting; I couldn't bear to disturb her several times."

  "Has King Ruixin eaten yet? Want to try some?"

  "Your craftsmanship, I must try it out."

  He Lan'an handed him the bowl of noodles and continued to stir-fry other dishes, asking: "Are you here looking for Mu Mian today? He's gone out on an errand."

  "It's not like I came specifically looking for him." The wise king took a sip and praised with a smile.

  He Le'an simply cooked a few small stir-fries, and then got herself another bowl of beef noodles. Suddenly remembering something, she smiled and said: "Don't you ask what kind of meat this is? Ordinary wealthy families wouldn't even get to eat it in their lifetime."

  Rui Qin Wang joked: "It can't be human flesh, right?"

  "Hehe, it's cow entrails."

  Upon hearing this, Prince Rui indeed furrowed his brow, and He Le'an said: "Actually, it's quite delicious, isn't it?"

  She ate without any hesitation, swallowing a mouthful and continued, "When people are at ease, they never think that one day they will have to eat something disgusting to sustain their lives. But the stronger the will to survive, the more likely it is that even in a barren land where there isn't even wild grass or tree bark, they won't mind eating human flesh either."

  "It's always better to be prepared for the unexpected, as life is full of surprises. Trying everything out is what makes one truly alive." He Lian smiled and said, "Cattle, sheep, horses, chickens, ducks, geese - all these domesticated animals' internal organs are still edible, but if it comes to eating human internal organs in order to survive, that's when things get really scary."

  "Great chaos will only bring spiritual destruction."

  He Le'an was taken aback by his sympathy, "What does that have to do with me? When my Yun country was slaughtered, did anyone care about the blood and tears? The brilliant Prince Tonghui, the former Emperor Zhonglin, they joined forces to destroy my Yun country. Until now, the people of my Yun country are still unable to rest in peace because of injustice. Even if you count the interest, it's not excessive for your people to die a little more?"

  "Miss He, you shouldn't be like this." Rui Qin Wang stared at her intently.

  He Le'an's smile remained unchanged, "They said I should have been surnamed Yun."

  "Even if you've never been to the battlefield, after that party struggle decades ago, you should understand how fragile life is. One by one, your blood relatives fell before your eyes, all killed by your own brother. This is something every ruler must go through, and even you can't avoid it."

  "Because there are always people who feel dissatisfied. They think they are the ones who should be in power, and so killing becomes an endless calculation." He Lian said, "In these years, you have hurt many people to hide yourself, haven't you? I thought no one understood me, but you will understand my situation too."

  "What you want is power, but what I want is just stability, yet it's even harder to get than power. I don't want to bear the hatred of Yun Country either, but I have no way to abandon the Mu family and no way not to avenge the grievances of Yun Country's wronged souls."

  Rui Qin Wang said, "If you avenge your revenge, where will you go?"

  "Far away from the Jianghu, I'll find a place where no one knows me, open a small restaurant, be a small chef, earn some small money, and just go with the flow." He Lian said, "If it weren't for the children still needing their father, I would have never tolerated that treacherous Zhong Sunyu either. But I couldn't bear to part with those two kids, so I'll let Zhong Sunyu take care of them instead. And as for me, I'll just be my own Yunmang..."

  "They have already set up in the palace, just waiting for me to take action. But I'm more playful, the more chaotic the better. Let them wait until the banquet is over before making a move." She smiled lightly, like an innocent little girl, "The noble princes and sons of kings, who look down on those born out of wedlock as inferior dogs, this time, I'll make them see clearly that even those born out of wedlock can turn their hands into clouds and rain."

  "He Lian said, 'When the time comes, you can clean up the mess if you want to. I'll leave after I'm done, but the national treasury is gone, and I couldn't stop them even if I wanted to. If you're willing to pick up this kind of mess, then it's up to you. But I won't guarantee that I won't come back to cause trouble again. What I can tell you is that for a very long time, I will be in the Tonghui imperial family, and their share, I won't let go of it so easily.'"

  "Rui Qin Wang said, 'Why must you tell me these things?'"

  "After doing something bad, someone has to know about it for it to be interesting." He Lian said, "Besides, you won't stop me, after all I've stirred up trouble, and for you, there's only benefits and no drawbacks, right?"

  **

  Midnight.

  Aomori arrived quietly. After reporting the matter, He Le'an said: "I didn't see him go out and contact anyone, maybe there was a secret passage in his home from the beginning, but it's not necessary to bother with that, let's investigate who he will contact, when the time comes, the play will be performed, that person will definitely appear, even if he doesn't appear, I can act until he appears, you notify everyone to cooperate with me.

  "I obey your orders."

  The next day, He Le'an had just woken up and eaten breakfast for a while when Rui Qin Wang came again. This time, he brought a beautiful chessboard and invited her to play chess. As the time passed slowly, until Mu Mian came, after several rounds of chess, Rui Qin Wang stayed in the mansion for dinner.

  He Le'an thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you go down? I'll cook some delicious food. It's getting colder and colder, so I'll prepare something fresh for you."

  Rui's uncle didn't even realize it himself, but he actually had a few expectations in his heart, and smiled: "It's rare for Miss He to have such an interest, so I'll trouble you to cook personally."