"Your Majesty, your legs?"
"It's nothing serious."
Yan Ruyu took a soft breath. It was just his legs. It wasn't a big deal.
"Your Majesty, does Miss Zhao know what you've done for her?"
Yan Ruyu replied, "Why should she know?"
Ting Bai fell silent.
The love of His Majesty was different from everyone else's.
If he fell for someone, he would treasure her carefully and spare no expense of his life to protect her. Unlike others, who would flaunt their love for someone every day, His Majesty's love was like a gentle lake, tender and soft.
But who knew that this cold and aloof emperor would also disregard his own status when doing things for that girl?
Some sacrifices need not be spoken.
Once spoken, love would turn into a deal for return.
Yan Ruyu loved Zhao Shuning, and this was something only he was allowed to know.
Before Xiao Ning'er grew up, Yan Ruyu would never reveal his feelings rashly, at least not too blatantly.
Love was like a raging fire, but affection was like a gentle breeze.
Yan Ruyu's legs were crippled.
So in the past few years, he had to rely on a wheelchair to get around.
However, no one dared to question his existence.
The mysterious being in the Ghost Domain, who had lived for at least five hundred years, was easily suppressed by Yan Ruyu.
In the Ancient Wilderness, where corpses were strewn everywhere and fierce beasts roamed, Yan Ruyu was able to seal them all within a short period of time using all his cultivation.
As he left, Yan Ruyu couldn't shake the feeling that the aura from the Ghost Domain was faintly disturbing, full of unrest.
He just hoped that the worst-case scenario would never come true.
"Your Majesty, the King of Qingyun Kingdom has prepared your clothes for this year. They are mainly in cyan and white."
"Change them all. Darker colors would be better."
"Your Majesty?"
"Dark purple or dark blue would do."
Yan Ruyu smiled faintly, and the smile on his face was like the warm sun in winter.
At this moment, in the land of Daliang, Zhao Shuning had successfully convinced the five envoys. From then on, they would change their allegiance and recognize the Zhao family as their master.
The Xuanfu Division was a juicy piece of meat, and now it was in the hands of the Zhao family.
Presumably, the Lin and Wang families would be furious when they got the news.
What Zhao Shuning needed to do now was to hurry back to Yanqing City. But before that, she had to go to a place first to settle the matter of the Xuanfu Division's allegiance to the Zhao family.
In the past two years, the Zhao family had grown too fast. Their development speed had far exceeded that of the Four Great Families back then.
Based on Zhao Shuning's understanding of those old men from the Four Great Families, they would surely come to the Zhao family to cause trouble within three months.
Either they would force the Zhao family to submit, or they would wipe out the Zhao family.
"Xiao Shuning, are we going back to Yanqing City now?"
"No. Going back now would just be sending ourselves to our deaths."
"Then where did you get the courage to snatch the business from the Lin and Wang families? Do you have a backer?"
Feng Zhan glanced at her and said, "What backer could she have? This little girl doesn't use her brain when doing things. She only starts to think of a way after she's done."
Zhao Shuning wanted to refute, but didn't know where to start.
Feng Zhan was just a black-bellied and venomous person.
Ling Sese said, "Xiao Shuning, what should we do about the Zhao family now?"
"It's okay. The Zhao family used to be weak, but now it's different."
Feng Zhan gave Zhao Shuning a slightly skeptical look and asked, "How is it different?"
Zhao Shuning deflated instantly.
Yes, compared to the Four Great Families, the Zhao family was still very weak. To them, the Zhao family was just like an ant. If they could be recruited, that would be fine. But if not, killing them wouldn't make much of a difference.
"I said, can you stop being so discouraging? I've already found a way."
"What way?"
"Let's find a bigger backer, at least one that will make the Four Great Families dare not touch the Zhao family."
Feng Zhan said, "Don't you think it's embarrassing to look for a backer?"
Zhao Shuning tilted her head and retorted, "Embarrassing?"
Ling Sese silently walked to the back. She didn't know if the young master and Xiao Shuning were natural enemies. Their tendency to argue at the drop of a hat was really something.
"Little girl, let me tell you—"
"Don't call me little girl."
"Then what should I call you?"
"Zhao Shuning! Zhao Shuning! I've told you many times. My name is Zhao Shuning. I'm not younger than you."
Feng Zhan's facial expression was a bit strange. He pointed at Ling Sese behind them and said, "Why can she call you Xiao Shuning, but I can't call you little girl?"
"Can that be the same?"
"Why not?"
"She's a girl. Are you a girl too?"
Feng Zhan couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Zhao Shuning continued, "As a man, you don't have a bit of gentlemanly demeanor. Girls should be spoiled!"
"Do you need to be spoiled?"
"I'm not a girl."
Hearing Zhao Shuning's words, Feng Zhan almost choked on his own saliva and couldn't help but cough.
It was rare to hear a little girl say that she wasn't a girl.
"Forget it. Why did you say it was embarrassing before?"
"Saying it's embarrassing is because your act of looking for a backer is like a child having a conflict with a playmate and not getting the candy he wants, so he goes home and asks his parents to help."
Zhao Shuning rolled her eyes and said, "If you have help, why not use it? Wait to be beaten to death?"
"I didn't say anything. Besides, who do you want to find as a backer?"
Zhao Shuning raised her head and said, "The Zonghui in the capital city of Chang'an should be okay. That little brat Ji Qinglin should help me."
"Pfft!"
Ling Sese was so shocked that she almost fell off her horse.
Was the name Ji Qinglin something Zhao Shuning could mention casually?
"Sese, what's wrong with you?"
"I—I'm fine."
As Zhao Shuning's friend, Ling Sese naturally couldn't discourage her. She could only follow behind her with a bitter smile.
Ling Sese had heard of Ji Qinglin's name. Not only Ling Sese, but presumably nine out of ten people in the Eastern Wilderness had heard of this name.
He was Ji Qinglin, an eighth-rank alchemist and an elder of the Zonghui, one of the most prominent figures in the capital city of Chang'an. How did Zhao Shuning know such a person?
"Anyway, it's on the way. I'll take you all there."
Coincidentally, the Alchemist Competition of the Zonghui was about to start. If one won a prize, they could successfully enter the Zonghui.
And Zhao Shuning was going to the capital city of Chang'an with this in mind.
But before that, she had to settle the young master and Sese first.