Chapter 421: Chapter 421: Are You Still Going to See Him?

Who knew this was what he meant by "watching over" her!

Water was still boiling in the kitchen, and the two maids heating it were yawning repeatedly.

"How many times have they called for water now?"

"Three times..."

The younger maid stifled a giggle. "Our Prince really has great stamina..."

The other young maid blushed along with her.

Song Lianhe’s back felt like it was about to break. She finally pressed her palms together and begged for mercy until he propped himself up, his gaze stormy and unreadable as he looked down at her. "Are you still going to see him?"

"No, no, I definitely won’t see him again!"

A smart woman knows when to yield. Ever since Zhou Cangyan had returned to the Prince Mansion, he had dragged her into the room and, without a single word, tormented her until her voice was hoarse.

Zhou Cangyan glanced out the window. It was nearly the fourth watch, the edge of the sky tinged with a faint blue. He knew she was truly exhausted, so he finally let her be.

They called for water one more time.

After washing up, Song Lianhe’s head finally rested soundly on the pillow.

When Zhou Cangyan got into bed, he pulled her into his arms.

"What did Song Xilan say to you?" she asked groggily.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him; she was just curious. Song Xilan was Princess Consort Ling, after all. What reason could she have to so brazenly come here and corner him?

Zhou Cangyan twirled a lock of her long hair around his fingers. "It was just for her husband."

"Oh."

’So that’s how it is.’

Song Lianhe had no reason to doubt him.

Although Song Xilan was the first to "awaken," her feelings for Zhou Junlin were genuine.

If she had really come to plot on his behalf, Song Lianhe would have to respect her for it.

Song Lianhe’s mind was turning to mush. She rolled over, wrapped her arms around his waist, buried her face in his chest, and fell asleep.

Watching the woman in his arms, Zhou Cangyan’s lips curved upward. He placed a hand on her back, patting it gently in a soothing rhythm, a subtle shift in his eyes.

"A book... a book..."

Zhou Cangyan let out a soft, mocking laugh and looked down at Song Lianhe.

’If that’s really the case, then everything would make sense.’

Zhou Cangyan held the woman in his arms, adjusted his position, closed his eyes, and fell into a peaceful sleep.

’So what if this is the world of a book?’

’As long as I can be with her, it doesn’t matter who made the rules.’

Just as dawn was breaking, a soft voice came from outside the window. "My Lord, Mr. Su has arrived."

Zhou Cangyan frowned. His first reaction upon opening his eyes was to check on the woman in his arms. Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, he slowly withdrew his arm and got up.

In the study, Su Huaqing placed an ancient tome and a Double Snake Gold Bracelet on the table.

"The script on this bracelet is an ancient text of the Huigu Tribe from several hundred years ago. Even with this book, translating it was quite difficult. If I hadn’t traveled in my younger years..."

"So, where is the list?"

Su Huaqing was so exasperated he laughed. "Can’t Your Highness, Prince Qing, allow me a moment to bask in my own achievement?"

Grumbling aside, he still took a booklet out from his robes.

"With this, you could hold off an army of thousands! If I may be so bold, even seizing the throne wouldn’t be a difficult task."

Zhou Cangyan lifted his gaze to meet Su Huaqing’s seemingly harmless eyes.

Su Huaqing was still smiling like a gentle spring breeze. "It just depends on whether Your Highness wants to."

Zhou Cangyan said nothing, taking the booklet and opening it.

This was what Governor E had protected with his life: a detailed record of every secret agent within Da Cheng.

He still remembered how Mrs. E had insisted on giving this bracelet to Song Lianhe without revealing its secret. She must have left everything to fate back then...

Fate...

Zhou Cangyan no longer knew if he should believe in it.

"Back then, Governor E compiled the entire list of agents into that Poetry Collection. He knew the Holy Emperor would surely have him silenced, so he found fault in his own conduct and voluntarily requested to be sent to guard Li Zong Pass, narrowly escaping with his life.

"Now, the Holy Emperor has been ill for a long time and can no longer delay naming a crown prince. However, his favored candidate is completely inferior to Prince Ling. So, he can only rely on the medicine from the ’old immortal’ to cling to life while he personally paves the way for him.

"Thus, the matter of the lost Li Zong Pass Defense Map came to be. The Emperor ostensibly sent Prince Ling to Yu State, but Prince Ling detoured to Li Zong Pass to find that Poetry Collection. Little did he know, that copy of *Danling Ci* was right there in his Chongzheng Hall! The laughable part is, he didn’t even know that copy was a fake! It was a backup plan E Xianwang left behind to protect his family!"

Su Huaqing clicked his tongue twice. "Truly a case of being too clever for one’s own good."

Zhou Cangyan closed the booklet. Just as Su Huaqing had said, whoever possessed this list held a sharp blade that could be brandished against Da Cheng.

Song Lianhe slept until the sun was high in the sky. It had been a long time since she’d slept so soundly. She stretched, feeling incredibly refreshed. Zhou Cangyan was long gone from her side.

He was an extremely self-disciplined person; no matter how late he went to bed, he always rose at the crack of dawn.

Shuang Ye, attending to her, couldn’t help but tease, "Our Prince is truly impressive~"

"Isn’t he though~" Da Xi covered her mouth, snickering. "The Prince called for water four times last night~ The young maids in the kitchen were exhausted."

Song Lianhe’s face instantly burned. "It was... it was too hot last night! We were just trying to cool off!"

"You must be joking, Princess Consort. Summer’s only just begun, how could it be hot?"

Shuang Ye laughed. "Then you must have been feeling the heat in your heart!"

Song Lianhe was too embarrassed to say another word. She quickly claimed she was hungry, and the two maids immediately helped her get up, wash, and dress.

"Where is the Prince?"

"In the study."

Song Lianhe asked no more questions and sat down to eat her breakfast.

Just then, Ah Jun knocked and entered.

Seeing his serious expression, Song Lianhe asked while sipping her congee, "What is it? What happened?"

"There’s a squad of the imperial guard outside! They surrounded our Prince Mansion first thing in the morning!"

’The imperial guard?’

That was the army that answered directly to the Holy Emperor.

In other words, Emperor Cheng Xiao had finally made his move.

Song Lianhe wasn’t surprised. She continued to eat her congee unhurriedly. "Is Commander Cao leading them?"

"Yes."

"Heh, so it seems this was intentional."

Cao Jin had gone to Sishui City without authorization, so Emperor Cheng Xiao was bound to be angry. That’s why he gave him this thorny task. Since they were acquaintances, Cao Jin might show favoritism. If he made even the slightest mistake, Emperor Cheng Xiao would punish him for it! And the matter of Sishui City would surely be brought up as well.

"What does the Holy Emperor mean by this?" Shuang Ye was a little scared. "Didn’t he just reward our Prince? How could he turn around and surround the Prince Mansion?"

Song Lianhe wiped her mouth and stood up. "Coming so early, they must not have eaten breakfast. Come on, let’s go take a look."

The group arrived at the mansion’s front gate and saw the imperial guard clad in golden armor, lined up outside in a neat row. What an imposing sight!

The official story was that they were here for protection, but in reality, not even a fly had gotten into the Prince Mansion all morning.

When Song Lianhe saw the man in the lead, she waved enthusiastically. "Commander Cao!"

Cao Jin turned, saw her, and gave a slight nod. "Princess Qing."

"Have you eaten?"

Before Cao Jin could answer, she said, "You must not have, right? Wait a moment, I’ll have someone bring you some food."

After she spoke, she crooked a finger. "Sister Mei, I’ll have to trouble you to make a trip."

Xuan Mei stepped forward from behind her, glanced at her, then looked out toward the gate and nodded.

Then, she took the breakfast items—pastries, plain congee, and the like—that Shuang Ye had prepared and carried them outside.

When Cao Jin saw her, his stern, cold expression softened slightly. Before she could even reach him, he strode forward to meet her.

"Commander!"

The newly promoted Deputy Commander, Yan Huan, immediately tried to stop him. "Have you forgotten the Holy Emperor’s verbal command?"

Without turning his head, Cao Jin retorted, "Did the Holy Emperor’s command say we’re not allowed to eat?"

Yan Huan: "...It did not."