He remarried after his mother's death, seized power over the world, and slept on the emperor�

"Hook up with?"

Jiang Bingning was slightly taken aback.

She raised her eyes and looked at the handsome yet arrogant King of Yue.

I don't know if it's just my imagination.

She always felt that Ji Ling harbored an inexplicable hostility towards her.

My caution towards him stems from our real-life encounters on the battlefield in my previous life.

But what about him?

Could it be that my actions at Xiufeng Mountain aroused his suspicion?

She couldn't figure it out.

Jiang Bingning was about to speak in her defense.

Ji Chengyun, who was in front of him, spoke first.

His voice was icy.

"If Your Highness has nothing else to do, you should pay more attention to the military affairs of the Wolf Guard."

"Although the Prince's residence is small, Your Highness need not worry about it all the time."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Bingning, his tone clearly protective.

"There is no need for Your Highness to come here and mock my distinguished guest from the Prince Xin's residence."

Upon hearing this, Ji Ling's cold smile deepened.

"Distinguished guest?"

He stepped forward and stared intently at Ji Chengyun.

"Cousin, you probably don't know who this 'distinguished guest' in front of you really is, do you?"

"Getting so close to her like that, you might get yourself into trouble!"

Ji Chengyun's expression remained unchanged.

He just looked at Ji Ling with disdain.

"Then tell me, cousin, who exactly is this Miss Jiang?"

Ji Chengyun and Ji Ling were not particularly close.

Ji Ling was a few years older than him, and when they were children, he often took him out to play.

Later, Ji Ling joined the army and took charge of the Wolf Guard, spending most of his time fighting on the front lines, and the two gradually drifted apart.

A few years ago, in particular, he wanted Ji Ling to use the Wolf Guard's power to secretly help him investigate the truth behind his mother's sudden death and to find out the background of Consort Lin.

But Ji Ling refused without even thinking.

It is said that the Wolf Guards are only loyal to the King and do not get involved in matters within the royal palace.

From that time on, the bond between the brothers completely faded.

Ji Ling looked at his stubborn cousin and felt a sudden tightness in his chest.

He didn't know where to begin with what he wanted to say.

There is currently no conclusive evidence that Jiang Bingning is a spy for the Zhou Kingdom.

Everything was still just his speculation and deduction based on the Xiufeng Mountain incident.

How could I possibly say such unfounded things to Ji Chengyun?

Are you suggesting that I think there's something wrong with her, so you should stay away from her?

Thinking of this, Ji Ling felt a sense of powerlessness.

He ultimately just gave a heavy "Hey!" and shook his head.

The atmosphere inside the warm pavilion instantly turned icy cold.

Seeing this, Jiang Bingning slowly stood up, breaking the suffocating silence.

"May I ask what brings Your Highness, the Prince of Yue, here today?"

Her tone was calm, as if the conversation between the two people had nothing to do with her.

Ji Ling glanced at her, then sat down opposite the two of them with an air of nonchalance, picked up his teacup, and drank it all in one gulp.

The tea was ice cold, but he didn't care at all.

"Heh, I've come here, naturally there's something I need."

"The Great Zhou delegation has arrived in the capital."

He leaned back lazily in his chair, his gaze fixed on Jiang Bingning's face.

"I have come specifically to ask you whether you wish to meet your father, and your siblings?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Chengyun frowned and looked at Ji Ling with a puzzled expression.

"What siblings could she possibly have in the mission?"

"Does this mean that everyone from the Great Zhou is a brother or sister?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Ling burst into laughter.

"The people of Zhou are nowhere near as united as we Northern Di people!"

After he finished laughing, his eyes became playful again as he stared intently at Ji Chengyun.

"However..."

"The chief envoy of this delegation, General Jiang Chengxuan of the Great Zhou, is indeed the biological father of this Miss Jiang in front of you."

Ji Chengyun's body stiffened abruptly; he was unaware of Jiang Bingning's true identity.

In his eyes, she was simply a woman whom his grandmother had taken a liking to and brought back, and with whom he shared common goals.

He never even considered delving into her background.

At that moment, he turned his head in shock to look at Jiang Bingning.

Jiang Bingning's heart also trembled heavily at that moment.

The mission finally arrived.

So what awaited his father, the entire delegation, and himself next was the chaotic palace banquet of his previous life.

In her previous life, Consort Lin colluded with people in the palace to plot against Jiang Yuerong at a banquet and frame her father, causing the Great Zhou delegation to lose face and making the Jiang family a laughing stock in the capital.

But this time...

Consort Lin's scheme will not succeed again!

Thinking of this, Jiang Bingning met Ji Chengyun's probing gaze with a calm expression.

Then, she turned to Ji Ling, her voice cold.

"Thank you for informing me, Your Highness."

"However, I am currently in the Prince Xin's residence, and my position is awkward, so it is inconvenient for me to meet with the delegation in private, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble."

Ji Ling raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by her answer.

Jiang Bingning didn't give him a chance to continue his attack, and changed the subject, asking:

"Your Highness is well-informed; do you have any news of my mother?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Ling smiled slightly.

"I have no time to pay attention to a woman from the Zhou Kingdom."

"With Uncle Wang and your mother together, nothing unexpected should happen."

He then changed the subject.

"But it's you."

"I heard that the Prince Xin's mansion caught fire last night, and the fire was quite large."

He slammed the teacup down.

"It's best to be careful with your words and actions in this Prince Xin's mansion."

He glanced meaningfully at Ji Chengyun.

"Not just anyone, you can get along with them."

Jiang Bingning remained outwardly calm but inwardly clear-headed; he was warning her to stay away from Ji Chengyun.

But Ji Chengyun's focus was entirely on something else.

"etc."

He interrupted Ji Ling.

"You just said that my father... was with Miss Jiang's mother?"

Ji Chengyun's mind was in a bit of a mess.

"What exactly is going on?"

Seeing his puzzled look, Ji Ling curled up a cold smile and was about to speak.

"snort!"

A cold snort came from the entrance of the warm pavilion.

The arrogance and mockery on Ji Ling's face vanished the moment he saw who it was.

The Dowager Princess, supported by Zhang Mama, slowly walked in.

"May the Dowager Empress be well!"

Ji Ling jumped up immediately, his face plastered with a fawning smile.

The Dowager Consort, however, was not swayed by his act and merely glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"You little monkey!"

Her voice carried a hint of mockery.

"Is my Prince Xin's mansion already chaotic enough?"

"You've come all this way just to spout nonsense and gossip!"

"No, no!"

Ji Ling waved his hands repeatedly, adopting an extremely humble posture.

"How could I dare?"

His eyes darted around, and he immediately found an excuse to get away.

"This is because... I heard there was a fire at the mansion last night, so I came to see if the Dowager Princess was frightened."

"Since you seem to be in such good spirits, I'm relieved."

As he spoke, he quietly moved toward the door.

"Um... I have a ton of urgent military matters to attend to with the Wolf Guard, so I'll take my leave now!"

Before he could finish speaking, he had already slipped outside the door.

"Now that you're here, don't leave!" the Dowager Empress said, stopping Ji Ling from making a runaway attempt.