Emperor Yan withdrew his hand from opening the wooden box and pushed it further away. Silently, he took Jiu Yue's hand and, without hesitation, used the hem of his dragon robe to wipe it clean.
"That filthy thing—Zhaoning, you should have just handed it to Wu Liang to deal with. It’s unworthy of your touch," Emperor Yan said, his brows furrowed in disgust.
Jiu Yue, however, patted her father’s hand and smiled faintly, her expression one of quiet resolve.
"Everyone who harmed Muling… I’ll deal with them myself," she said.
Emperor Yan was momentarily stunned, feeling both heartache and pride, unsure of what to say.
He was still useless, after all.
"By the way, Father," Jiu Yue suddenly remembered, "have you brought Muling and the others back?"
Emperor Yan’s mood darkened further, but he forced a smile. "Don’t worry. I’ve already sent people to retrieve them. I originally wanted to wait for your return so we could see them laid to rest together, but I…"
He seemed unable to continue.
Xue'er’s body had been preserved with incense, so it should still be in relatively good condition despite the passage of time.
But Muling’s… it had been far too long.
Jiu Yue smiled gently. "It’s alright, Father. Muling probably wouldn’t want us to see her like that anyway."
Emperor Yan remained silent.
Not wanting to give him time to dwell on his grief, Jiu Yue pressed on, "Has Tianqi offered any reparations?"
Though the Emperor of Tianqi wasn’t directly responsible for Muling’s death, as the ruler of his nation, he ought to bear the consequences. Besides, Jiu Yue hadn’t forgotten how that very emperor had forced her into a desperate escape—one that had nearly cost her life!
She could heal herself, yes, but that stab wound had been excruciatingly real.
Killing the emperor was out of the question. Jiu Yue understood that differing stances led to differing decisions, especially when it came to the throne.
But demanding compensation? That was perfectly reasonable!
From the start, Jiu Yue had urged Emperor Yan to make Tianqi pay dearly—to demand an exorbitant price.
This was what the Emperor of Tianqi owed her.
Hearing her question, Emperor Yan’s spirits lifted slightly. "Of course. Three border cities of Tianqi will now belong to Great Yan. Additionally, for the next ten years, Tianqi must pay an annual tribute of thirty thousand taels of gold, along with other concessions…"
Jiu Yue had no real grasp of what such tributes meant for a nation.
But her system chimed in, "Originally, Tianqi and Great Yan were equals in terms of national strength, despite Tianqi being slightly weaker. But now, with this decade-long tribute, from an economic standpoint, Tianqi has effectively become a vassal state of Great Yan."
Hearing this, Jiu Yue felt a surge of satisfaction.
Her father had truly gone all out with his demands.
Suppressing a smug grin, the system’s reminder brought another pressing matter to mind.
"Father!" Jiu Yue’s playful expression vanished as she prepared to sternly question him about the arranged marriage—but Emperor Yan spoke at the same time.
"Zhaoning, it wasn’t just territorial concessions and reparations. I made Tianqi pay another price," Emperor Yan said, his gaze meaningful. "You’ll never guess what kind of royal consort I’ve secured for you."
Jiu Yue: "…"
Jiu Yue: "?"
Her eyelid twitched inexplicably. Covering her eye, she asked warily, "So… this consort is from Tianqi?"
Emperor Yan nodded. "He’s currently imprisoned in your princess manor. Once your injuries have healed, you’ll marry him immediately—we can’t let him escape back to Tianqi."
"If he returns to Tianqi, he’ll become a threat to us," Emperor Yan said gravely. "Zhaoning, you must keep a close eye on him."
Jiu Yue: "…"
She hurriedly pressed for the man’s identity, but Eunuch Mao entered just then with the imperial physician in tow. Emperor Yan insisted she be examined first.
"Don’t rush. Let the physician check your poison," Emperor Yan said, stepping aside with a frown. "We’ll discuss this matter in detail later."
Jiu Yue: "…"
She was practically dying of impatience.
The poison had long since been metabolized—how could the physician possibly detect it? Worse, she had no way to explain it away. After all, Emperor Yan hadn’t given her an antidote.
The excuse she’d used on Wu Liang wouldn’t work here.
Watching as the physician unpacked his needles, Jiu Yue’s heart lurched. Without hesitation, she bolted.
"It’s fine, Father! I’ll come find you later—" Tossing the words over her shoulder, she dashed out of the palace and straight to her manor.
If the man was already at the princess manor, she might as well see for herself.
Sprinting through the streets, she analyzed the situation with her system.
How many eligible candidates could Tianqi possibly have for a political marriage?
How many of them would be considered a threat to Great Yan?
And how many unmarried princes were even fit to be the consort of Great Yan’s crown princess?
After narrowing it down… Jiu Yue couldn’t think of a single Tianqi prince who fit all these conditions.
Her unease grew as she finally arrived at the manor.
The gatekeepers spotted her from afar and rushed to inform the steward. Uncle Fu hurried out to greet her, his face alight with reverence.
"Your Highness has returned! Why didn’t you bring attendants?" he asked, both concerned and eager. "Will you be staying the night?"
It was already evening.
After a moment’s thought, Jiu Yue nodded. It would be convenient to meet Fu Yan’an later.
Uncle Fu happily went to prepare dinner while Jiu Yue strode confidently toward her courtyard, her fierce expression making it seem like she was ready for a confrontation… only to find it empty.
Her future consort wasn’t there?
Puzzled, she checked several other courtyards—all deserted.
Jiu Yue: "…"
Finally, she turned to Uncle Fu for answers.
The steward smacked his forehead. "Forgive this old servant, Your Highness! I forgot to mention… the prospective consort is currently locked in the woodshed."
Jiu Yue gaped. "The—the woodshed?!"
Uncle Fu nodded. "By His Majesty’s order… though he did say that once you returned, the matter would be entirely up to you. That said, His Majesty still hopes you’ll… make things difficult for him."
Jiu Yue: "…"
She was speechless.
Just which despised Tianqi prince was this?!
Rubbing her temples, she suddenly realized Emperor Yan’s true motive: this "marriage" was likely just a pretext to eliminate a potential threat from Tianqi.
As for why she was chosen—first, as the crown princess, her status made her the ideal candidate to handle this "consort." Second, among the remaining princesses, she was the most suitable in age.
Well, whatever.
Too drained to run anymore, Jiu Yue told Uncle Fu to bring the man to her.
He arrived swiftly.
Before she could finish her tea, she heard movement outside.
A few coughs later, a voice—calm yet laced with sarcasm, slightly hoarse—drifted into the courtyard.
"Now that Your Highness has returned, I assume the woodshed no longer requires my… warmth?"
That familiar tone… Jiu Yue’s bad feeling intensified.
As if drawn by some unseen force, she found herself walking to the window, peering through the crack at the figure in the courtyard.
With a sharp "thud," Jiu Yue expressionlessly shut the window.
Damn it—the poison still hadn’t metabolized. It was messing with her vision now.
But then her system piped up, confirming the unthinkable: "Your future royal consort is actually the Regent of Tianqi!"
Jiu Yue: "..."
Well, damn.
