"What about you, Duke of National Defense," Xiao Yunzhou fell silent for a moment before continuing, "You're not quite in King Yuan's good graces, right?"0

Yuan Kaizhi was completely stupefied.0

He swore that he had never shared these innermost secrets with Princess Ronghua!0

He never treated Princess Ronghua as someone close to him, and the remaining concubines, for Yuan Kaizhi, were nothing more than women for his amusement!0

What would they understand?0

Yuan Kaizhi never discussed these military affairs or political matters with any of his bedmates, let alone his own secrets!0

So Princess Ronghua wouldn't know, she wouldn't know, she wouldn't tell King Jing or King Zhou yesterday or today!0

So, how did the Emperor of Jing Country find out?0

Yuan Kaizhi was scared witless!0

"Did you...buy off my housekeeper?" Yuan Kaizhi trembled from head to toe. Nothing was scarier than being completely exposed in front of the enemy.0

"No, even the housekeeper doesn't know these things!" Yuan Kaizhi bribed Commander Lu with 100,000 taels of gold to get news from King Yuan and the court. Even his personal stewards were kept in the dark!0

Because when Commander Lu revealed the big secret that King Yuan was impotent and killed three consecutive Queens, Yuan Kaizhi was terrified.0

The matter pertained to King Yuan's manly dignity, which was linked to the imperial throne…0

Yuan Kaizhi didn’t dare to think about it. If King Yuan was impotent, how did the current Crown Prince come to be, how did the other princes come to be, and the suspicion that the imperial lineage might've been muddled freaked him out!0

He was afraid that King Yuan would find out that he knew the secret and would kill him to silence him. Yuan Kaizhi regretted bribing Commander Lu.0

That Commander Lu deliberately roped him into this, tethered him to this sinking ship, told him this utterly useless secret that only brought potential disaster!0

Yuan Kaizhi resented Commander Lu to his core. To save himself, he later took care of the accountants who managed the 100,000 taels of gold, the stewards, and the servants who accompanied him out that day one after another.0

"All those who could possibly know are dead!"0

Yuan Kaizhi bulged his eyes out, looking at Xiao Yunzhou as though he had seen a ghost.0

"I dealt with them within the six months of returning to my fiefdom..." Making it look like 'going home', 'visiting relatives and not returning', 'absconding with stolen silver'...0

Dead people tell no tales!0

Moreover, Yuan Kaizhi killed those people just to be safe. In fact, on the day when Commander Lu revealed King Yuan's secret, the stewards and servants were left outside the room!0

Most probably didn't hear anything.0

So how did the Emperor of Jing Country find out?0

Yuan Kaizhi's eyes widened in shock, "Did you, Jing Country, also buy off Commander Lu Nan!?"0

That was the only explanation. Yes, it must have been that!0

The look of horror on Yuan Kaizhi's face dissipated by a significant margin. There were no ghosts or deities in this world, only traitors.0

He blathered on and on without context, but the King of Zhou and King Chu standing by were very clever and managed to deduce most of the conversation's content.0

King Zhou also breathed a sigh of relief on the spot. Jing Country relied on buying out inside informers rather than shamans, which was much better.0

Even if Jing Country was capable of the former, it was still frightening. However, it was slightly more comfortable than relying on shamans.0

Once it comes to the methods of the enlightened, no stone is left unturned, they're close to celestial beings. It made the King of Zhou lose his courage to compete!0

The King of Zhou dare not fight with the heavens!0

But as soon as the King of Zhou relaxed a bit, he heard Yuan Kaizhi going crazy again.0

"No, no, no, it's not bribery!"0

"If you guys bribed Lu Nan from the Imperial Guards, then how did you know about me and General Ma Sheng, who's on my side? Lu Nan didn't know anything about it!"0

"Also, the Duke of National Defense is despised by Yuan King..." Yuan Kaizhi glanced up fearfully.0

No matter how many unpleasant truths the Duke of National Defense told, he was bound to be killed by the Yuan King sooner or later. This was something no one had told him; he discovered it on his own!0

Because the way Yuan King looked at the Duke of National Defense was the same as his gaze towards Princess Ronghua, after being patient for many years, he couldn't wait any longer, itching to take the other party down.0

Yuan Kaizhi understood Yuan King's patient and disgusted gaze as he had similarly experienced it, and he never talked about it with anyone!0

Because no matter whether it was the Yuan King's intent to kill the Duke of National Defense, or his murderous intentions towards Ronghua, they were secrets that nobody else should know about!0

So, how did Jing Country find out about this secret that he himself never spoke of?0

Yuan Kaizhi felt like he was losing his sanity.0

"Have you been following me all along?0

"Do you practice dark magic?"0

Xiao Yunzhou coughed lightly, displeased, "It's not dark magic, it's divine magic."0

But he didn't want to argue with Yuan Kaizhi and told him, "Yuan Kaizhi, give up everything you know."0

Xiao Yunzhou gestured to the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, "You record what he says, and present it to me later for review."0

"Yuan Kaizhi, if what you say doesn't match up with what we know—"0

"For each discrepancy, I'll chop off one of your fingers."0

Yuan Kaizhi shivered in terror.0

*0

In less than half a day, sitting in the rest room while reading Jing Country's best-selling booklet, the lotus handkerchief-twisted Princess Ronghua, can’t help thinking about the end of Yuan Kaizhi, when she saw Xiao Yunzhou and the second king approaching.0

Sensing something, Princess Ronghua finally revealed a trace of sadness in her eyes, but it was soon replaced by resolution.0

She stood up and bowed most respectfully to the third king, especially to Xiao Yunzhou, "I'm so grateful to the country of Jing for saving me."0

"Helping me see the wolf's ambition, avenging the deceit of ten years."0

"If, in the future, there's anything Jing Country needs from me, I'll do my utmost to help." Upon hearing this, King Zhou Ling and King of Chu, standing behind Xiao Yunzhou, twitched their lips.0

Princess Ronghua was not a subject of Jing Country, and her own uncle, the King of Zhou, was present there.0

Yet, she knew very clearly who it was that had saved her!0

"Uncle Emperor," Princess Ronghua cast a blushing glance at King Zhou Ling, "Not only did Jing Country save my life, it also saved my heart."0

She spread the book “Back Five Years Later” in her hand.0

"Had it not been for Concubine Liu taking me to see plays and read books, I might have been still weeping day and night, feeling that my life was ruined."0

"But now, Jing Country has shown me," Ronghua took a breath, "my journey is just beginning."0

"It's not that I was abandoned."0

"It's that I abandoned Yuan Kaizhi!"0

Princess Ronghua commended that Jing Country could produce such female-empowered stories insisting ‘there are no abandoned wives in the world, only those who abandon themselves', and spread these books across the nation, portraying the evil men beneath their feet, speaks volumes about the enlightened environment in Jing Country!0

Even more than her environment in the Zhou Xing Kingdom, she now finds much comfort here.0

"Uncle Emperor, I'm sorry, but I wish to remain in Jing Country for the time being."0

"Until I can figure out what I can do, I'd like to buy a small villa in Jing Country and live there."0

The King of Zhou was speechless.0

His very own beloved niece, whom he has treasured like his own daughter since childhood, stays one night in the Jing's royal palace and suddenly wants to switch sides?0

Is she moving to Jing Country!?0

Damn Yuan Kaizhi!0

Damn him!0

King Zhou Ling deeply regretted not kicking Yuan Kaizhi, who had fainted from having three fingers cut off earlier.0

"Ha ha," King of Chu couldn't help laughing, "I finally understand today. The wise man did not deceive me. Those who value daughters over sons will avoid disaster and enjoy good fortune."0

King Zhou Ling: "???" What does that mean?0

Yet Xiao Yunzhou gave Princess Ronghua an offhand smile, as if all of this was very normal, "Welcome. Jing Country has policies to facilitate foreigners buying houses."0

King of Zhou, King of Chu: "...This Xiao Yunzhou... poaching right before our eyes... He's getting more and more hateful!"0

“Princess Ronghua unexpectedly appears in the Elite Album."0

Xiao Chuchu noticed the elite album system floating before her eyes, and a new line of text was added:0

"Princess Ronghua: Good with cooking (originally a cook for her husband) and fragrance making."0

"Princess Ronghua: Treated well by King Zhou Ling, she was the center character among the noble ladies of Zhou Xing Kingdom before her marriage. Now, she still has certain influence in the high society of Zhou Xing Kingdom."0

Xiao Yunzhou heard his daughter's wishes, and he was torn between laughter and tears. 0

Our young lady is going to build up an army of women, isn't she?0

Xiao Yunzhou cleared his throat and pulled out a document from the pile in his hand, giving it to Princess Ronghua.0

"Princess Ronghua, this is one of the confessions of Yuan Kaizhi. I think you might be the one to really understand it compared to your Imperial Uncle."0

King Zhou Ling was puzzled.0

Princess Ronghua curiously received the paper. She quickly glanced at it and her complexion changed drastically.0

The paper contained alarming statements— 'Each empress was a virgin, Yuan King was impotent', 'Yuan King intends to kill the Duke of National Defense.'0

Although she had seen Yuan Kaizhi in an appalling condition in prison, Princess Ronghua was not as shocked and angry then as she was now after reading this paper, both hands trembling in rage and fear.0

"How can this be!"0

"What should we do!"0

She was shocked and enraged by the knowledge of Yuan King's impotence, feeling a sense of joy for her friend, the new Queen Yuan, as their secret crush on Duke of National Defense might actually become reality. But the news that the Yuan King intends to kill the Duke of National Defense...0

Xiao Chuchu lightly coughed, "Princess Ronghua is very furious and feels her pairing might come to an end, damn it, she can't just sit still as a 'shipper'."0

"Wait... In Princess Ronghua's subconscious, she's speculating that the Yuan King might act in 3 days? Possibly sending the first scouts to Jing Country? Or perhaps planning an assassination attempt on the Duke of National Defense in 3 days?"0

"Because she once heard the new Queen Yuan say, the Yuan King had people do fortune telling for that day's luck!"0

"And behold, the power of gossip!"0

Xiao Yunzhou was momentarily taken aback.0