Chapter 79 Prison Break at Fenghuang Pass

hat his mother was up to. Looking out through the window where high-rise buildings stood in rows like a forest and cars sped by, with people hurrying on their way, young people full of vigor going to...Chapter 79: Phoenix Pass Crisis

Not long after Ling Lian left, Prince Yun came to Qianyue Pavilion.

Prince Yun entered the room and saw Yun Qianyue's serious expression. There were over twenty red pavilion secret letters in front of her. His gaze swept across them before he walked over.

"Father!" Yun Qianyue remained seated and called out.

"Is there something important" Prince Yun sat beside the bed, confirming with his question.

"Yes, please look at this!" Yun Qianyue handed one of the secret letters to Prince Yun, pointing at a small message on it.

Prince Yun took the letter and glanced down, his expression also turning serious.

"A spark can start a prairie fire." Yun Qianyue looked at Prince Yun. "Father, I think this cannot be seen as a minor matter. Many major events begin with small sparks that go unnoticed. If not promptly stopped, the consequences are unimaginable. This is the Heavenly Water Cliff of Phoenix Pass, and we must be cautious."

"You're right!" Prince Yun nodded, setting down the letter and said seriously, "This may seem like a minor matter but it might not be. I'll immediately send a pigeon message to Rui and your mother. If something happens at Phoenix Pass, then not only would the southern part of Heavenly Holy lose its strategic advantage, but also thousands of civilians there."

"I've already ordered Hua Sheng to dispatch Red Pavilion members to investigate at Heavenly Water Cliff, but I think it's necessary to inform my brother and mother as well. After all, this is a checkpoint for Southern Liang. If this small matter turns out not to be minor, then there might be something wrong with the general of Phoenix Pass."

"The general of Phoenix Pass is one of the important ministers favored by Emperor Southern Liang since childhood. He followed him closely and was later sent to guard Phoenix Pass when the emperor ascended the throne. Although he isn't upright, he's loyal to Southern Liang’s king. Father can vouch for that. Fifteen years ago, if it weren’t for him, I might not have returned to Heavenly Holy. Back then, he used half of his life energy to save me when my internal organs were damaged."

"Is this so" Yun Qianyue frowned. "Can we be sure that a person's heart won't change over the years"

"Back then, he owed Southern Liang’s king for saving his life as an orphan. There are some people who would remain unchanged regardless of others' changes. The general of Phoenix Pass is one of those."

"Could it be that I'm overthinking this" Yun Qianyue wondered if she was making too much out of a small matter after hearing her father’s words, considering his sharp eyesight as an experienced fox.

"Perhaps not," Prince Yun shook his head. "But Phoenix Pass isn't solely dependent on its general."

"Right! The defense at Phoenix Pass doesn’t rely only on the general." Yun Qianyue immediately added, "Below him, there are countless officials who must also be considered."

Prince Yun nodded. "Especially in this troubled time when various regions are undergoing tug-of-war stages. But there's always a weak point, and Phoenix Pass being where Southern Liang meets Heavenly Holy, if it becomes that weak spot, it will not bode well for Southern Liang."

"More than just bad! If the floodgates open now during autumn harvest season, thousands of acres of fertile land and households at Phoenix Pass would be destroyed instantly. This is a matter concerning lives!" Yun Qianyue continued, "Moreover, there's no guarantee that the flooding won't affect other prefectures outside of Phoenix Pass as well. The water storage capacity at Heavenly Water Cliff is substantial."

"Father will go back to send messages immediately! Once Red Pavilion relays information, inform me instantly," Prince Yun stood up.

"Alright! Father, hurry!" Yun Qianyue waved her hand.

Prince Yun quickly exited the room and left Qianyue Pavilion shortly after.

Yun Qianyue gathered the secret letters on the table. A hundred years ago, Heavenly Holy unified all regions; each year, they paid tribute to Heavenly Holy as subordinate states. Southern Liang, Southern Frontier, Westward Expansion, and others became part of Heavenly Holy's territory in form but not in culture or ideology. This was partly due to the top leaders' influence. The founding emperor of Heavenly Holy ruled with an iron fist, making his people look down on those from other regions, feeling they were superior by a notch. This led to weaker states gradually gaining strength and independence over time, refusing to pay tribute or remain subordinate. Such defiance threatened Heavenly Holy's authority, leading them to counteract it. Especially Southern Liang. After this Blue Family incident, Nan Ling Rui emerged victorious with the support of Feng, Chu families, and Red Pavilion. This made Heavenly Holy feel threatened, making actions against Phoenix Pass possible.

Though she was a citizen of Heavenly Holy, her brother being the crown prince and mother the princess of Southern Liang meant that she could not ignore this matter. Fifteen years ago, her father fell ill protecting Phoenix Pass for Southern Liang, while internally, there were attempts to eliminate Yun王府; thus, she couldn't just sit idle.

"Miss, the message has been sent out! Hua Sheng said she will immediately send people back to Heavenly Cliff to investigate at Heavenly Water Cliff," Yixue returned and whispered to Yun Qianyue.

"Hmm! Once the news is out!" Yun Qianyue nodded and instructed, "Inform me immediately upon receiving any information."

"Yes!" Yi Xue quickly responded.

Yun Qianyue handed all the secret letters to Yi Xue and instructed again, "Bring them to me every day for review."

Ii Xue nodded and left with the secret letters.

Yun Qianyue rubbed her forehead. She hoped she was overthinking things. The Heavenly Saint Dynasty was currently unstable internally. Ye Tianyi and Ye Qingran were seriously injured, while Ye Tianqing and Ye Tiandyu's actions were continuous. The old emperor looked frail, with the new regime taking power, prioritizing stabilizing the government; there wouldn't be any thoughts of action against the Southern Liang. Moreover, the West Yan Guardian Goddess was ill, leaving King of West Yan extremely anxious and unlikely to act; even if they did, it would likely not happen as South Liang had always been obeyed by areas like Nanzheng and Western Yan. With the fall of Southern Liang, the Heavenly Saint's next target would be weaker West Yan. Since Nanzheng borders Southern Liang, they wouldn't act either.

Still, one should never let their guard down against anything unpredictable.

This night passed without incident.

The following day dawned clear and pleasant, a rare good autumn weather. The capital was peaceful, with no major news circulating in the realm. In court, from the emperor to the officials, everyone fulfilled their duties peacefully.

The day went by swiftly.

On the third day, the same calm prevailed in the capital. It seemed that the old emperor had forgotten about Seventh Princess being detained in Heavenly Prison and didn't care about Yun Wangfu's plea for a divorce from Yun Li. Court officials also pretended to be deaf and blind, taking an observational stance toward the matter. No one was foolish enough not to realize this was a showdown between Emperor Tian and Yun Wangfu.

Deep into the night of the third day, just as Yun Qianyue had fallen asleep, she sensed unusual wind sounds outside her window and opened her eyes.

"Who is it" Linglian and Yi Xue's voices softly asked from outside.

"It's me!" Hua Sheng said.

"Sister Hua Sheng" Linglian and Yi Xue were alarmed, quickly drawing back their swords.

"Has the young mistress fallen asleep I have urgent matters to report!" Hua Sheng whispered urgently.

"Come in, Hua Sheng!" Yun Qianyue sat up abruptly, sensing something amiss.

Outside, Hua Sheng responded and pushed open the door. She hurried inside, reaching Yun Qianyue's bed in a few steps and said, "Young mistress, it's bad news! The protective sluice at Tianwater Cliff has collapsed, causing floods that threaten Phoenix Pass."

"What" Yun Qianyue’s expression changed, "When did this happen"

"I just received a letter from Mt. Towering Heaven. Since you instructed me about this two days ago, I took it seriously and sent people to investigate immediately. It's difficult to infiltrate Tianwater Cliff but someone managed to get in. At first, nothing was found out of the ordinary, so they stayed at the sluice gate. But last night at 9:12 PM, for unknown reasons, the sluice gate suddenly collapsed without any prior warning signs; water gushed out and overran Tianwater Cliff. They tried to act but couldn't do anything except send a message immediately." Hua Sheng quickly reported.

"9:12 PM It's now 2:30 AM," Yun Qianyue pushed back the covers, put on her shoes and headed out.

"Where are you going" Hua Sheng asked anxiously.

"Tell Mt. Towering Heaven to mobilize all forces for rescue operations; save as many people as possible; cut rafts from bamboo and wood, and move the civilians to higher ground." Yun Qianyue stopped in her tracks before instructing Hua Sheng and added, "I'm going to find my father."

"Yes!" Knowing time was of essence, Hua Sheng lightly touched her feet and leaped away from the Yueluo Pavilion.

Yun Qianyue left the room and used light body techniques to head towards Yun王爺's courtyard.

Upon entering Lord Yun's courtyard, this was the first time in years that Yun Qianyue had set foot there. She did not bother to knock and pushed open the door directly, shouting, "Father!"

"Moonling" The Cloud Prince seemed to have just gone to bed; he got up from under his blankets when he saw Yun Qianyue rushing in.

"The Phoenix Pass’s floodgate on Tianshui Cliff has collapsed, and the water is pouring down. The Phoenix Pass is in grave danger," Yun Qianyue said urgently.

The Cloud Prince's expression changed but he wasn't too alarmed. He sighed and said, "I had a premonition when you told me two days ago. I thought something must have happened, indeed it did. But I didn’t expect that things would happen so fast, leaving us no time to react. It looks like the people who orchestrated this planned beforehand on Tianshui Cliff; they couldn't have done it in just one or two days."

"What should we do Father, are you going to Phoenix Pass Or shall we leave now" Yun Qianyue asked. She knew all too well how destructive the flood could be. Corpses everywhere, what a gruesome scene! In her private heart, she felt that this was also the Phoenix Pass which fifteen years ago her father had risked his life to protect from falling into disrepair.

"Even if we leave now, it's too far; eight hundred miles away is too late for us to do anything," said Lord Yun as he shook his head.

"Then what can we do We can't just watch Phoenix Pass be flooded!" Yun Qianyue pursed her lips. Perhaps due to her profession, she always immediately thought of the flooding waters overwhelming not only farmlands and houses but also countless lives. It was also his father's Phoenix Pass that he had struggled so hard for fifteen years ago.

"Moonling, have you instructed Red Pavilion to do everything they can to save people" The Cloud Prince was more calm than Yun Qianyue.

"Yes!" Yun Qianyue nodded.

The Cloud Prince sighed, "That's all we can do. We cannot help anymore. I hope that Ren and your mother have already made the fastest arrangements based on my message two days ago. The Phoenix Pass has always been a strategic stronghold for Southern Liang; in addition to deploying heavy troops, over recent years measures have also been prepared for emergencies. Hopefully they will be effective."

Yun Qianyue frowned and said with a dark expression, "If the people who acted had planned ahead of time against Phoenix Pass, wouldn't it be likely that they would tamper with its protective measures as well It’s quite possible that the protection system has already collapsed."

"There's nothing we can do about it! We have to rely on Red Pavilion and your mother, Ren, and see if their actions are fast enough and how many people they can save," said Lord Yun with a look of compassion in his eyes. "The江山will eventually fall one day; trampled upon will only be human bones. It’s not surprising that the Phoenix Pass is where this bloodshed starts. Fifteen years ago it avoided calamity, but fifteen years later, who knows Because it's a strategic stronghold, if it isn’t targeted, it would be unexpected."

"But tens of thousands of lives being drowned and killed in the water is too ruthless," Yun Qianyue’s earlier urgency had calmed down slightly; her tone was chilly.

“Moonling, a hundred years ago when the country was in chaos, how many more than ten thousand people died Once the江山falls, countless lives will be lost; this is inevitable. The land will be filled with wailing and weeping, blood flowing like rivers, bones piled up higher than mountains—no place on earth can remain unharmed or provide shelter for life. Even monks from Lingtai Temple at that time could not escape the tragedy. How could common people survive” Lord Yun sighed deeply. "In this situation, countless hands are pushing behind the scenes; you are also one of them. This is a catastrophe, everyone cannot avoid it."

"Although I know that division and unification are inevitable, such bleakness is hard to accept," Yun Qianyue’s face was dark and uncertain; she had some sarcasm and helplessness in her voice. "Father is right, I am one of those hands. Even though I believe up until now I haven't done anything, my existence itself means that I have."

The Cloud Prince patted Yun Qianyue’s shoulder gently, saying, “I know you are a kind-hearted child! Try your best and leave the rest to fate!”

Yun Qianyue nodded. She was not kind; in necessary situations she might be as ruthless as anyone else, but her ruthlessness was not aimed at innocent civilians. How could the person behind it bear to harm tens of thousands of people in Phoenix Pass She couldn't imagine who that person would be if it wasn’t the old emperor—someone familiar or unfamiliar

A slight unusual breeze blew past the window, and a figure dropped down.

The Cloud Prince and Yun Qianyue turned their heads towards the window simultaneously. A white shadow stood outside the gauze-patterned window, faintly visible but elegant and refined. No guesswork was needed to know who it was.

"Uncle Yuan!" Rong Jing’s voice came from outside.

"Little Jing, come in," Lord Yun's expression softened somewhat as he called out.

The door was pushed open and the curtain lifted; Rong Jing walked in with a slight coolness about him. Though there was a hint of chilliness around him, his entire presence exuded warmth. After entering, he flicked off the cold air from his body, looked at Yun Qianyue without surprise at seeing her there, then stepped towards her.

Looking at him, Yun Qianyue’s sense of bleakness and darkness, as well as her anger toward the person behind Phoenix Pass's predicament, suddenly lessened. He was like a beam of moonlight in her life, warming her wherever she looked.

"What's wrong Are you feeling unwell" Rong Jing came to Yun Qianyue’s side and stroked her head gently with his jade-like hand; his tone was low, soft, and warm.

"Hmm!" Yun Qianyue responded softly.

"If it's something inevitable, why feel uncomfortable" Rong Jing rubbed Yun Qianyue's head vigorously. "Everyone thinks you're kind-hearted, but only I know that when your heart turns cold, it’s colder than anyone else's. The fall of the Phoenix Pass was bound to happen sooner or later anyway. Even without today's incident, something else would have happened; there is no way to preserve everything intact. Don't feel bad."

Yun Qianyue remained silent.

"Little Jing, when did you find out about this Do you know who was behind it" Marquis Yun looked at Rong Jing.

Rong Jing didn’t answer and bent down to scoop Yun Qianyue into his arms. He sat on a nearby couch with her in his lap, smoothing her three-foot-long black hair that had fallen loose from sleep, revealing her face. With affection, he patted her cool body, then looked up at Marquis Yun and said, "I found out just two days ago."

"Then you and Yueer received similar information." Marquis Yun sighed.

"Southern Liang is too overbearing; these past few months have been smooth sailing for them. The internal situation in Tiensheng is a mess, and it takes time to consolidate power. In order not to be disrupted by Southern Liang during this period, a balancing point must be found, and that can only be the Phoenix Pass. It’s hard to say who was behind it without avoiding multiple people's eyes and plotting over time; it’s not something that can be done overnight or even by someone with great ability. From this we can guess who it might have been." Rong Jing said gently.

Yun Qianyue felt her heart sink upon hearing this. Although she had a vague suspicion, she still didn't want to believe he was capable of being so ruthless.

"Now there are many people walking on the edge; some things have no choice but to be done. If today’s situation with Southern Liang and Tiensheng were reversed, your brother might also take such drastic action because it is the fastest and most effective method. It will take months for Southern Liang's Phoenix Pass to recover from this crisis. This gives Tiensheng enough time to clean up its internal mess." Rong Jing said slowly.

Yun Qianyue didn't speak, although she felt uncomfortable in her heart, but had to admit that what he said was right; in fact, she understood it herself too.

"Cloud Shanyue, you’re not a child anymore! You can handle this. If you can’t even bear today's situation at the Phoenix Pass, my future might be worrying!" Rong Jing sighed lightly.

"I can take it; I just find it too sudden." Yun Qianyue shook her head. Her voice had returned to its calm and self-controlled state, devoid of any emotion: "If it were me, if something is in my favor, I might do the same. There’s no right or wrong here, only innocent people."

"Hmm!" Rong Jing responded.

Yun Qianyue looked at Rong Jing and said solemnly: "Rong Jing, if one day you are forced into a corner, even if it's very advantageous for you and you must do something, I hope that you will at least have some compassion and think of the innocent people."

Rong Jing nodded with a smile, poked Yun Qianyue’s nose gently, then said in amusement: "It seems I was wrong; you are not heartless but truly kind-hearted." Seeing her raise an eyebrow, he said tenderly: "I promise."

Yun Qianyue smiled and her face softened.

Marquis Yun looked at the two of them with a pleased smile in his eyes.

The three continued talking for a while when someone rushed into Marquis Yun's courtyard shouting urgently, "Your Excellency! Someone from the palace is here to invite you. The Emperor has instructed that court should be held immediately; something important happened!"

"Understood!" Marquis Yun responded. "I’ll go to the palace right away."

The person outside stopped and retreated.

"There must also be someone conveying messages to Honor王府 for you now, Little Jing. Let’s head to the palace together!" Marquis Yun stood up while putting on court robes.

Rong Jing hummed in agreement, looking down at Yun Qianyue and asked, "Do you want to go with us to take a look"

"I don’t need to attend court!" Yun Qianyue said.

"You can sneak a peek. Anyway, you probably won't be able to sleep." Rong Jing suggested.

"No!" Yun Qianyue shook her head and stepped out of Rong Jing's embrace, leading the way out of the room. "I'll return to my Shallow Moon Pavilion; you all go ahead."

The Cloud King said upon seeing Yun Qianyue leave, "She doesn't like the imperial palace, so she’ll find other ways to keep herself occupied when she can’t sleep. There’s no need to worry about her."

Rong Jing nodded and smiled before standing up.

After returning to Shallow Moon Pavilion, Ling Lian and Yi Xue rushed forward to ask if the king had any way out. Yun Qianyue shook her head at both of them, causing their faces to darken as they fell silent.

Since it was already an irreparable situation, Yun Qianyue no longer dwelled on it. Unable to sleep, she lit a lamp and curled up on the soft couch reading books.

The next day, news of the collapse at Phoenix Pass Tianwater Gorge Dam shocked the entire world.

Floodwaters surged out, submerging the entirety of Phoenix Pass. The two neighboring cities could not escape either; fertile land and soil were inevitably submerged, resulting in countless casualties among civilians. Among them was Qing Mountain City near the boundary between Heavenly Saint and Phoenix Pass, which suffered similarly due to the flooding.

This was the first major disaster since the establishment of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty a hundred years ago—worse than the heavy rainstorm that lasted seven days and seven nights and resulted in widespread water disasters. The Tianwater Gorge's reservoir burst forth, overflowing over a hundred miles around Phoenix Pass with such force that no living creature could survive.

Upon receiving news of this, authorities across nations immediately paid attention to the situation at Phoenix Pass.

The old emperor of Heavenly Saint was informed when Qing Mountain City under Heavenly Saint’s jurisdiction was affected. He immediately dispatched Fourth Prince Ye Tianyu to lead efforts in Qing Mountain City. Prince Ye Tianyu received his orders and quickly left the capital city.

When news of the flood at Phoenix Pass reached the citizens of the capital, their innate benevolence led them to burn incense before household Buddha statues, praying that more innocents might escape this disaster. But everyone knew that with such a major flood, the half-submerged Phoenix Pass garrison and submerged houses made survival nearly impossible.

Phoenix Pass's flood overshadowed the three major incidents previously circulated, becoming the top event of concern.

Upon receiving news, the Southern Liang King was furious and spat blood. The Wise Crown Prince requested permission to personally go to Phoenix Pass with his retinue. The king granted permission, but since the distance between Southern Liang’s capital city and Phoenix Pass was considerable, distant waters could not extinguish nearby fires.

On the third night, news came from Red Pavilion that due to the massive flood, wooden and bamboo rafts were overturned by waves, useless in rescue efforts. Fortunately, all personnel at Red Pavilion were skilled martial artists; over a thousand of them mobilized from Mount Overheaven Rescued two thousand people.

Two thousand lives saved marked the full extent of Red Pavilion's capabilities.

Seeing this news brought Yun Qianyue some comfort, knowing that at least these were two thousand souls saved.

On the fourth day, floodwaters slightly abated but did not cease. Countless corpses floated on the water’s surface; within a hundred-mile radius of Phoenix Pass, river surfaces were covered with bodies. There were civilians from both Southern Liang and Heavenly Saint in their clothing.

The general commander of Phoenix Pass escaped unscathed, while all other officials perished.

In the afternoon of the fourth day, Nan Ling Rui arrived at Phoenix Pass where it was hard to walk. He immediately ordered men to build several small boats for corpse retrieval. It’s said that Crown Prince Nan Ling Rui only gave this one order and remained silent for an entire day and night.

The floodwaters ceased on the fifth night when Tianwater Gorge no longer spewed water, but it was easy to imagine Phoenix Pass had become a vast sea.

Over the next seven days, Nan Ling Rui presided over Phoenix Pass without eating or drinking. He coordinated efforts for retrieving civilian corpses and gathered all of them halfway up the mountain. Another seven days were spent transporting soldiers from a hundred miles away to dig graves on the mountainside for ten thousand people. Crown Prince Nan Ling Rui personally buried soil at each grave in mourning for both Southern Liang and Heavenly Saint’s deceased citizens.

Following this, he invited monks from temples unaffected by the flooding within a hundred-mile radius to chant scriptures for the dead. On the mountain where tens of thousands were interred, chanting never ceased day or night for seven days straight.

From the collapse of Tianwater Gorge’s floodgate until the end of the chanting ritual for ten thousand souls, twenty days passed amidst mourning songs. Everywhere from Heavenly Saint's capital city to every corner of the world was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere of post-disaster despair and death. Even mansions of pleasure-seeking noblemen were silent.

Compared to Phoenix Pass’s major disaster, Qing Mountain City suffered less, but still lost hundreds of acres of fertile land and over a thousand lives.

Night Tianyu arrived in Green Mountain City five days after the flood broke out. For the first time, this pampered prince shed his carefree and enigmatic aura and shared hardships with the people of Green Mountain City. Twenty days later, Green Mountain City had managed to stabilize the situation regarding personnel and public sentiment but still faced severe losses due to the ongoing flood.

Twenty days after the initial outbreak, both Phoenix Pass and Green Mountain City, as well as Nan Liang Zhangcheng within Phoenix Pass, were still under water. Boats accommodating more than ten people could navigate freely without getting stranded, indicating just how vast the volume of water was.

Nan Lingrui, who rarely fell ill despite his twenty-day laborious work schedule, issued an order to mobilize troops for flood drainage efforts.

Yun Qianyue had been studying books on the terrain and topography of Phoenix Pass in her room recently. Combining this with her personal experience there, she devised effective methods for clearing channels and draining water, which she instructed Hua Sheng to relay to Nan Lingrui.

After these measures were implemented, Yun Qianyue stood by the window, contemplating that she could do little more at present.

Twenty days later, the old emperor seemed to remember that it was Fourth Prince Night Tianyu's birthday and hurriedly sent people to recall him from Green Mountain City for his birthday celebrations. He appointed Cang Ting, who had just returned to the capital from Cang Family Manor, as a specially designated imperial censor by imperial decree to travel to Green Mountain City to take over Night Tianyu’s duties.

Cang Ting accepted the mission and went to Green Mountain City while Night Tianyu awaited orders and returned to the capital.

This simple order appeared to show the emperor's love for his son by not forgetting the birthday of the Fourth Prince under such circumstances. But wise people knew that it was an attempt by the emperor to strip the Fourth Prince of power, ensuring he would not establish a base in Green Mountain City at this opportunity. Everyone knew Cang Ting served as a mentor to Seventh Prince Night Tianyi; now with someone from Seventh Prince's circle stepping into the role and reaping the benefits of his work in Green Mountain City, it was evident that the emperor favored Seventh Prince as his successor, clearly indicating that the Fourth Prince had neither the qualifications nor the opportunity.

The biased winds within court politics swayed further towards Seventh Prince.

Seventh Prince Night Tianyi and Young Marquis Ye Qingran had been recuperating from injuries during this period. However, while Seventh Prince attended court daily, Young Marquis stayed at home to recover without ever stepping outside or attending court.

The day the old emperor’s edict reached Green Mountain City, Yun Qianyue received a letter from Night Tianyu asking her for help in getting rid of Cang Ting.

Holding the letter for a moment, Yun Qianyue replied with her pen: "Impossible! Return to the capital and enjoy your birthday as the emperor wishes. Green Mountain City is just a small town. Since my father-in-law wants to celebrate your birthday, return happily. The mountains remain unchanged, the water flows on; the capital remains the heart of the empire. There are always opportunities there."

That night, Night Tianyu received Yun Qianyue's letter and, despite his reluctance, immediately set off for the capital.

Yun Qianyue was unsure what role she had played in this tragic situation—whether merely a spectator or an unseen savior. However, she clearly understood that this great tragedy demonstrated how the path of imperial power was steeped in blood and lives, not to be taken lightly as jest. She had never been more acutely aware that the world could crumble.

In recent days, peace prevailed in the capital. Rong Jing hadn't visited Yun's Mansion since he and Cloud Prince attended court together; it was said that he accompanied Chancellor Qin daily at the Hall of State Affairs to manage government affairs, as support for the aftermath of the flood in Green Mountain City was necessary.

Three days later, Fourth Prince Night Tianyu returned to the capital with only a day remaining until his birthday.

The old emperor lavishly praised Night Tianyu's performance during the recent flood and granted him rewards. Smiling, Night Tianyu gratefully knelt in gratitude for his father’s affection; on that day at Golden Hall, it was said to be a scene of filial piety and harmony.

The next day, with the emperor's approval, Fourth Prince held a banquet at his mansion. Although there should have been no celebrations during national calamities, the old emperor stated that celebrating Fourth Prince’s birthday would dispel misfortune. Thus, officials from all sides congratulated him, turning what should have been a simple birthday celebration into a grand affair of joy. Even before it began, one could sense its magnificence.

Yun Qianyue arrived at the Fourth Prince's residence early as per his invitation.

Ladies, why are you in such a hurry Stay calm! When things should speed up, they will definitely do so. Trust me!

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Thank you to everyone who sent diamond tips and flowers! Kissing all my dear readers! lowered it again and asked.The man was uncertain whether what he had said was right or wrong, so he sat down uneasily.After Rong Jing finished speaking, another person stood up. It was a young noblem...