Hai Ling nodded in agreement: "Feng Qian, you should listen to what Helian Qianxun has to say. If he has no intention of marrying anyone else, why are you running around like this?"
"But I don't see him refutating me, and I don't dare ask him. If he really agrees, how am I supposed to deal with that?"
Ultimately, it was because she was afraid to face it. She loved Helian Qianxun very much, and if he agreed to marry another woman, her heart would be broken. So now she had no choice but to bury her head in the sand and flee from the Yunjiang tribe.
"You, I thought you were brave, but it turns out you're such a coward."
"I'm just scared."
Feng Qian didn't shy away from the topic. When it comes to matters of the heart, who wouldn't be afraid? Hai Ling and Nalan Mingzhu both knew this, so they stopped talking to her. Hai Ling held her hand tightly and said, "You can stay in the palace with peace of mind. I believe Helian Qianxun will come to find you soon. When that time comes, you should obediently go back with him and get married."
"Yes, if he doesn't marry someone else, I'll marry him."
Feng Qian smiled and nodded. After being comforted by Hai Ling and the others, she seemed to realize that she had been overthinking things. She had spent quite a bit of time with Helian Qianxun and knew that he was not the kind of person who was lustful. Moreover, he doted on her and would not be willing to hurt her. So she had caused trouble this time. But she didn't care. She would have fun first. If she got married in the future and became pregnant like Ling'er and Mingzhu, she wouldn't be able to get out even if she wanted to.
"Enough about me. How was your trip to Nanling Kingdom? Was everything alright? Did you see my royal brother?"
Feng Qian thought of her elder brother, and her eyes dimmed. Her brother and mother both disagreed with her marriage to Helian Qianxun. When she left the Great Zhou Dynasty, Helian Qianxun had secretly taken her away. She never expected that her brother would disagree, and even her mother would disagree with her marriage to Helian Qianxun. This made her very sad, and she felt distressed whenever she thought about it.
When Hai Ling heard Feng Qian mention Feng Zixiao, her expression darkened, and she remained silent for a moment, the hall quiet.
Feng Qian quickly noticed something was wrong with Hai Ling and immediately became alert: "What's wrong? Could it be my royal brother?"
She remembered the last time her brother had imprisoned Ling'er, and felt both angry and anxious. She suddenly stood up abruptly.
Hai Ling sighed and reached out to hold Feng Qian's hand: "Feng Qian, there is something I must tell you. We are definitely going to fight this battle with the Great Zhou Dynasty. Even if we don't fight, your brother will not give up. So this time we will not back down and we will definitely fight the Great Zhou Dynasty."
Not only was Feng Qian startled, but Mingzhu was also startled and nervously pressed for answers.
"Did something happen in the Southern Ling Kingdom?"
Ji Shaocheng had not yet returned to the manor, so she was unaware of what had happened during her trip to Nanling Kingdom.
Hai Ling glanced at the two women and told Feng Qian and Nalan Mingzhu about her trip to Nanling Kingdom. The two women's expressions changed from bright to dark, and they were shocked. Nalan Mingzhu was angry that Ruan Jingyue was so vicious and had harmed Ling'er again and again, while Feng Qian was directly angered by her own brother and paced back and forth in the hall, unable to calm the anger in her chest.
"Why? Why would he do this? Does he really want to destroy the Great Zhou Dynasty?"
Feng Qian paced back and forth in anger. Just thinking about the evil deeds her brother had committed filled her with dread. Had she made a mistake that day? Should she not have allowed him to regain his senses? If he hadn't regained his senses, he would still be living with Jiang Feixue right now, which might not have been so bad. But today, because of his own selfishness, he disregarded the people of the country. Her father had truly misjudged her.
Feng Qian felt like she was on fire, and suddenly turned around and walked out of the hall: "I want to go back to the Great Zhou Dynasty. If he continues to be stubborn, it seems he doesn't want to be the emperor anymore."
Hai Ling didn't expect Feng Qian to turn around and leave as soon as she finished speaking. She hurriedly called to her, but Feng Qian walked out without turning her head. She was obviously furious. Hai Ling quickly instructed Fu Yue: "Prepare a carriage for the princess and send her back to the Great Zhou Dynasty."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Fu Yue went out to make arrangements, while inside the hall, Nalan Mingzhu sighed.
"I never expected that she would end up with such an arrogant and extreme brother. No wonder she was angry."
"Never mind her, just focus on your pregnancy and don't overthink it, it's not good for the baby," Hai Ling advised Nalan Mingzhu with concern. Nalan Mingzhu stayed in the palace for lunch before leaving to return to the Ji residence. In the afternoon, Hai Ling stayed in the palace to rest.
Over the next two days, Hailing began selecting wet nurses and female officials for her son. She also carefully selected several subordinates to protect him. During the day, she would let the little lion Qiuqiu out to keep her son company. In this way, she didn't have to worry about her son.
Two days later, she led her entourage to Xiangguo Temple to visit Xi Liang. She was dressed in the usual attire of a noblewoman, a long brocade dress that hugged her curvaceous figure. Her long, black hair was styled into the latest hibiscus bun, resembling a delicate hibiscus flower piled on her head, making her face even more charming and beautiful. Two rosy blushes appeared on her fair face. When she was helped down from the carriage, the monks who were waiting outside Xiangguo Temple were all so surprised that they lowered their heads and dared not look at her for long. There was no sound from the surroundings. The ordinary people were all led to another Mahavira Hall.
The abbot of Xiangguo Temple was still a highly accomplished monk, with a peaceful face and serene demeanor, showing no signs of amiss. He respectfully approached and said, "Female benefactor, please follow this humble monk to the back hall for tea."
"Thank you for your help, Master."
Hai Ling nodded respectfully. She had already sent someone to inform the abbot of Xiangguo Temple. Although she did not specify her identity, anyone who could come to visit Princess Qinyang must be a person of great wealth and status. Upon seeing her, the abbot understood, but pretended not to know and respectfully led Hai Ling and the others to the inner hall at the back to serve tea.
In the back hall, the atmosphere was solemn and dignified. The abbot personally served tea and then ordered someone to invite Princess Qinyang over. He then took his leave from Hailing.
"This humble monk will take his leave now. Princess Qinyang will be arriving shortly. Please wait a moment, benefactor."
“Master, please go about your business,” Hai Ling nodded. The abbot went out and led the people away from the back hall. Outside the door stood the guards and several maids in plain clothes that Hai Ling had brought.
Before she had finished her tea, she heard footsteps outside the door, followed by a respectful greeting: "Greetings, Princess Qinyang."
"Get up."
Xi Liang walked in from outside the door. Hai Ling put down her teacup and looked at her. More than a month had passed since she last saw her, and her complexion was much better. Although her face was still small and her eyes were big, her expression was no longer as haggard as before. Her face was peaceful and her eyes were clear. Seeing her like this, Hai Ling smiled knowingly, knowing that she had finally let go. Although her heart could not completely forget the past and that person, it was not as painful as before. Hai Ling reached out her hand, and Xi Liang slowly walked over and took her hand.
"Ling'er, what brings you here?"
"I came to see you. How are you? Is everything alright?"
Hai Ling asked with concern, pulling Xi Liang to sit beside her. Although Xi Liang was still young, she had become more composed and dignified because of her marriage, unlike her previous impulsiveness. However, she still preferred the old Xi Liang, which meant that she was happy and joyful. Now, she had been reborn from the ashes, having endured such severe injuries, which was heartbreaking.
However, Xi Liang himself didn't seem to care: "I'm fine, how are you? Did your trip to Nanling go smoothly?"
“It went smoothly,” Hai Ling nodded, and then recounted everything about Nanling Kingdom. However, she did not mention anything about War King Ruan Xiyin from beginning to end. Since Xi Liang decided to forget about it, so what if that man died?
After hearing Hai Ling's account of her trip to Nanling Kingdom, Xi Liang was amazed and then let out a long sigh: "It seems that a war between our Bei Lu and the Great Zhou Dynasty is inevitable."
Feng Zixiao already harbored resentment towards Ye Lingfeng, and now that Ye Lingfeng had orchestrated his rape, how could he not feel hatred? If this matter were to spread, he, the emperor, would likely lose face. Therefore, it was likely that this man would soon take action.
The thought of the war between the two countries, which would cause countless people to be separated by life and death, darkened Xi Liang's eyes.
“It’s probably impossible not to fight now. Besides, you know that Ye is now determined to get rid of Feng Zixiao because Feng Zixiao’s existence is a ticking time bomb and extremely dangerous. If we don’t get rid of him, Xiao Mao’er, Ye, and I will be in danger at any time. In that case, why should we run away?”
Hai Ling spoke with a dark expression.
Xi Liang thought of Feng Qian. Feng Qian and Ling'er were good friends. If the two countries went to war, what would Feng Qian think?
"What about Feng Qian?"
“She already knows. A while ago, she left Yunjiang and came to Beilu to see me. I happened to be out of the palace, so she waited for me at the Ji residence. I told her about my trip to Nanling Kingdom, and she was furious. She went back to Dazhou to find Feng Zixiao.”