Raised her head and looked at the sky, thick dark clouds.

  Li Huaiyu: "I don't know"

  She narrowed her eyes and asked: "Are you hiding something from me?"

  She loosened her loose belt and retied a beautiful bow tie. Jiang Xuanjin smiled lightly: "How could you think of this?"

  She grasped his hand, her eyes narrowing: "People's intuition is usually accurate, let alone when I'm now two people."

  She let her grab him, Jiang Xuanjin stretched out his other hand and touched her head, then touched her belly, nodding: "There is something that has been hidden from you for a long time."

  "What?" Li Huaiyu's face sank, looking at him seriously.

  Jiang Xuanjin lowered his head and looked back. He softly confessed: "As early as the first time you jumped onto my horse carriage, I had a little feeling."

  Oh, the first time I jumped onto his horse carriage

  Wait, what?!

  Hua Yu was stunned, her eyes wide open like copper bells, staring blankly at the person in front of her: "You"

  How could she have fallen for him so soon? At that time, her mind was filled with thoughts of how to kill him!

  "I've deceived you for so long, I really feel guilty." Jiang Xuanjin said with a face full of apology, "I'll let the lady punish me as she sees fit."

  Li Huaiyu was stunned, and for a moment she forgot what she had been suspecting all along. Her eyes and mind were filled with the warm and handsome face that smiled at her. She swallowed hard and stuttered: "I... I also have regrets."

  He gazed at her deeply, then gently tucked a stray hair behind her ear and half-closed his eyes, saying, "I don't blame you."

  Like a spring breeze brushing against her face, the ripples on the lake's surface seemed to stir up a thousand emotions. Li Huaiyu felt a pang in her heart and a flush rise to her cheeks. She grasped his hand tightly and gazed at him for a long time before speaking softly: "I'll embroider a robe for you."

  "Huh?"

  "There's nothing else I can do." She scratched her head and said, "Just recently, I've been watching the beginners learn how to embroider and make connections, I learned a few tricks, I can add some spring clothes for you."

  A gleam flashed in his eyes, Jiang Xuanjin hooked up the corner of his mouth and quickly suppressed it.

  "Good." He said gently.

  Cheng Xiao and Yu Feng crouched behind the fake mountain, watching with a very complicated expression.

  "The master wouldn't have said such things before, but now he says them as if they're nothing."

  "He who lives with red paint will be stained red; he who lives with black ink will be stained black."

  The lady never thought that one day she would also be deceived by Jun Shang, look at this, just a few words, and she was directly fooled by Jun Shang, and still wanted to embroider a cloak for him.

  Outside is chaotic and turbulent, but this place is good, with spring breeze blowing and hundreds of flowers blooming!

  Look, Qing Si has come to support the lady to take her medicine. Cheng Xu finally seized the opportunity and went out to report: "Master, the three enfeoffed princes of Changlin, Pingling, and Nanping have sent a letter."

  Jiang Xuanjin turned around, and the face that was just extremely gentle suddenly returned to its usual coldness: "The reply has been placed in the secret compartment of the study, just send it out directly."

  He didn't even listen to what the other person said, and had already prepared a reply. What can be said in return? Can only admire one's own master, bow deeply and take orders to leave.

  After paving the way for so long, these three people finally had a mind to help him. Since they were willing to take the initiative to write letters for him, the following things would be much easier to handle.

  Jiang Xuanjin smiled slightly again.

  The most troublesome thing for Pingling Jun is that the Holy One is pointing at him, so he can protect him under his wing and even help him solve the problem of lack of salt in Pingling; Changlin Jun is a cautious person who likes to have a smooth day, this time he came just to get some benefits, wanting to tie him up, had to promise him heavy interest, and take advantage of it; As for Nanping Jun, this person should be acting because of Huaiyu.

  Li Huaiyu had been subjected to many insults, but to be honest, there were also many people who treated her sincerely. Xu Xianyun and Lan Qing are now in the main city of Danyang. They helped her seize power and consolidate her position in Danyang, and even risked their lives for her without complaining. As for Nanping Jun, it was said that he had received a favor from the Empress Dowager many years ago, and since then, he had often helped Li Huaiyu. Last time, he even asked Lang Linjun to send her a gift, and this time, he assisted her with righteousness.

  Such people should be treated with sincerity.

  The city of Yi Xian was looted this time, with no casualties. Jia Liang allowed his men to loot and plunder, and the news had already spread, giving Chang Lin Jun and others ample reason to besiege the city. He and Huai Yu can just sit back and reap the benefits here.

  "How generous!" When Zhang Linjun received the reply, he was in a military camp thirty miles southeast of the city. Holding the letter, his eyes lit up, "30,000 feathered arrows, 6,000 armor, and 300 fine horses, what a big handwriting!"

  The staff smiled and clasped his hands: "The little man didn't say wrong, this Zi Yang Jun is a person who knows how to repay kindness, the master lends him a helping hand, he will surely return it with gratitude, which is not a bad deal."

  Changlin was in dire need of armor, while Ziyang happened to have numerous iron mines, and many cities were famous for producing knives, blades, and armor. Lord Changlin had been thinking of buying some, but hadn't found a suitable opportunity to speak up. Now it just so happened that Lord Ziyang had sent him such a large batch directly.

  With a surge of anger, Zhang Linjun slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "What more is there to say? The justice of Yicheng City, we must help Zi Yangjun get it back!"

  "Yes!" The staff officer smiled and nodded in response.

  By then, when Kyoto received the news, Jia Liang had already fallen into a desperate situation.

  "This is really outrageous!" Qi Han scolded on the imperial court, "A small city in a remote area, not belonging to Ziyang or Danyang, what right do they have to block the imperial court's governance?"

  "The Prime Minister's words are indeed correct." Liu Yunlie frowned and said, "Last time the various officials petitioned to reduce taxes by taking advantage of Your Majesty's kindness, it was already extremely rude. His Majesty was lenient and didn't hold them accountable, thinking they would change their ways and start anew. Who would have thought that instead they became even more brazen? If the court doesn't take action again, I fear that the Jiangshan of Northern Wei will become unstable!"

  Li Huailian's face was very unsightly, and he sat on the top, sweeping his eyes over the hundred officials, his gaze falling on Bai Dezhong: "Does the Imperial Censor have any opinion?"

  Bai Dezhong is now only attending court, and doing nothing else. The position of Imperial Censor has become a mere formality, but he still stands upright, with an air of integrity between his eyebrows: "Your Majesty, I humbly submit that the Purple Yang Lord and the Master of Dan Yang seem to have not appeared, but the other enfeoffed lords have some differing opinions on the matter of the first-line city. It would be best for Your Majesty to have someone investigate the circumstances before making a decision."

  "What more proof is needed? The troops of the sealed land have already trapped the imperial envoy in a single line city!" Si Tu Jing angrily said, "The imperial envoy represents His Majesty, they do not put the imperial envoy in their eyes, it means they do not put His Majesty in their eyes, this is a great disrespect, the crime is clear!"

  Bai De shut his mouth and didn't make a sound anymore.

  Li Huailian frowned and glanced at Sito Jing, suddenly feeling annoyed: "Can't you let people finish speaking? Three words and two sentences settled the matter, should I now directly dispatch troops to seal off the land and investigate?"

  "Your Majesty, I think it should be so." Sī Tū Jìng bowed his hands and said, "Píng Líng Jun refused to accept the imperial edict, Cháng Lín Jun and Nán Píng Jun besieged the imperial envoy. If Your Majesty tolerates all these actions, they will surely become even more arrogant and regard the imperial power as nothing!"

  "Mr. Situ's words are quite right." Qi Han echoed in agreement. "They should be punished."

  Liu Yunlie also said: "Your humble servant agrees with what Minister Sito has said."

  Li Huailian sat high on the dragon throne, his eyebrows and eyes icy cold.

  After lunch, he went to the harem.

  Ning Guifei held a bowl of hot soup in the palace, waiting for him. When she saw him return, she smiled and stepped forward to greet him, then welcomed him into the hall. She took a spoon and ladled the soup into the imperial bowl, presenting it before him.

  "Is Your Majesty unhappy again?" she asked softly.

  The gate closed, and with no one else around, Li Huailin's face revealed his anger without any concealment. He swept his sleeve and smashed the bowl to pieces on the ground, making a loud "crack" sound.

  If it were another concubine, she would have been frightened by him. However, Ning Guifei was already accustomed to such behavior and took out a spare bowl to refill the soup, placing it in front of him: "You can only smash this one more time, I only prepared three bowls' worth."

  With a furious gaze at her, Li Huairan said: "Am I destined to be manipulated by others?!"

  Her slender fingers pinched the spoon, scooped up a spoonful and handed it to his lips. Ning Guifei smiled: "Your Majesty is wise beyond others, with strategies and tactics, at such a young age you have already taken power from the Empress Dowager. You are an extraordinary person."

  "You haven't seen!" Li Huailin growled, "Those old thieves like Situ Jing think that the imperial court is a place where only they can speak. Now I can hear fewer and fewer voices, but they are still not satisfied, insisting that I only listen to them!"

  "I also want to be a good emperor who accepts remonstrance and advice, but the current court is like this. I am unable to change it."

  His eyes turned red, Li Huailin looked at Ning Guifei and asked: "Was I wrong from the start?"

  Looking at him like this, Ning Guifei felt heartache and softly coaxed him to drink two spoonfuls of soup, sighing: "In the imperial family, one's body is not their own, everything you do has its own reasons, it can't be said whether it's right or wrong."

  Pressing his lips tightly together, Li Huailin had a stubborn expression on his face, but there was still some guilt in the bottom of his eyes.

  After a while, he came back to himself and wanted to say something else, but saw Empress Ning's red and swollen hand.

  "What's going on?" His face sank, he grabbed her hand and asked.

  Ning Guifei smiled lightly: "I accidentally scalded myself while simmering the soup."

  "How dare you personally intervene? There are so many people in the palace, not just eating idle rice!" He angrily said, "Next time if it happens again, I'll let all the palace maids in your palace kneel on the road to the underworld!"

  The shout was a bit louder, the palace maid guarding the gate of the hall was so frightened that she knelt down, and some with smaller courage covered her mouth and burst into tears.

  Ning Guifei didn't smile anymore, she reached out and pulled at his dragon robe, slightly furrowing her brow.

  This man has always been so fierce, and after the princess left, his murderous aura became even heavier. Many times, he would take people's lives without distinguishing between right and wrong, as if human life was of no importance to him.

  Look at her expression, Li Huailian raised his chin: "Do you have an opinion about me?"

  She has always been supportive of him, protecting him like an elder princess, and being good to him. Therefore, the emperor favors her the most, she is the most favored in the six palaces, and even the entire Ning family rises to prominence along with her.

  But she doesn't necessarily want wealth and glory either; what she fears most is that he will never be able to recover.

  "Not speaking?" Li Huailian's heart was anxious, he clenched his dragon robe tightly, "Even you don't want to talk to me anymore."

  "Your Majesty"

  Li Huailian stood up with a flick of his sleeve, as if he was arguing with someone, and said coldly: "If you don't want to say it, then don't. If you think I'm wrong, then I'll go somewhere else."

  Having said that, he stood up and left He Xi Palace.

  Ning Wanwei sat on the couch, staring blankly at his back for a long time, and suddenly remembered the etiquette, tidied up her palace dress and got up to kneel towards the door.

  At the end of the year, Kyoto sent troops under the pretext of selecting a forbidden army. Three thousand soldiers were dispatched to pressure Pingling directly. Jiang Xuanjin had anticipated this and gathered with Changlin and Nanping, two gentlemen, to assemble an army of 40,000 to help defend the border city for Lord Pingling.

  Jia Liang fled quickly from the frontline city, and before he even left the Pingling border, he was killed by an assassin of unknown origin. The fiefdom and the imperial court immediately clashed.

  Chang Linjun just wanted to help take back the first line of the city, but Zi Yangjun's attitude was really good, and with great benefits, he hesitated for half a month and still took sides, delaying the taxes that should be paid to the imperial court and also delaying the year-end trip to Beijing to report on his duties.

  He didn't go. Pingling Jun couldn't go, Nanping Jun also claimed to be ill and did not enter the capital, let alone Ziyang and Danyang, and the rest of the local princes sat on the wall watching, so by the end of this year, only two or three princes came to Beijing on schedule to report for duty.

  "How did it suddenly become like this?" Li Huaiyu received the news while leaning against the soft couch with her seven-month-old belly, her almond eyes staring at Jiang Xuanjin with a rounded gaze, "What have you done?"

  She thought she would enter the capital at the end of the year, but it was another game of chess. Who knew that these princes wouldn't even be willing to enter the capital? She was smoothly and easily nurturing her fetus, completely unaware of what had happened.

  Jiang Xuanjin innocently said: "I've always been idle with you, what have I ever done?"

  Come to think of it, this person has been with her all day, looking at her belly, more anxious than she is. Shouldn't have time to deal with Huai Lin. But

  "We've been in Ziyang Border Town for a month, right? When can we return to First Line City?" She was skeptical, "If it were just one or two days, that would be fine. But I've been away for so long and there's not even a bit of news from First Line City?"

  Jiang Xuanjin said calmly: "If you want to go back, I'll have someone prepare a horse carriage this afternoon."

  Just then, all the officials from the imperial court had already withdrawn, and Pingling Jun, in order to please him, also compensated a lot of silver. The common people had successively returned to the city to receive the repair silver issued by the government office, and now she was going back, and must not have noticed anything.

  "That's good." Huai Yu drummed her mouth and said, "I want to go back and take a look. It just so happens that Chu Nian is also thinking about it, saying that her lace is finally done and she wants to take it back to exchange for something at the shop."

  "Can Luo Zi still exchange things?" Jiang Xuanjin was puzzled.

  Li Huaiyu nodded and sighed: "She made it so complicated, spent a lot of effort, I think the shopkeeper should give her a treasure."

  After some thought, Jiang Xuanjin asked: "How is your embroidered robe coming along?"

  Li Huaiyu scratched the back of his head, looking rather embarrassed: "It's still early, I chose a simple pattern and am having Chuyan teach me."

  "Good." The person in front of him nodded and said seriously, "When you finish embroidering, bring it to me too, I'll exchange it for a treasure."

  "Huh? She stared at him unexpectedly, her eyes wide with surprise: "Others' first brews are good because of their skills, the boss rewards them. Why do you want to reward me?"

  "This is a serious matter," Jiang Xuanjin thought for a moment and then said, "Let's just say I was blinded by beauty."