Favored concubine deposed empress? I'll seize your throne and marry you to a powerful minister.

Ling Xianru's entry into officialdom through the imperial examinations caused quite a stir in Yunjing.

The reason was that the day the late emperor summoned him was the Flower Festival, and all the noble ladies in the capital happened to be out in the streets.

The story of this third-ranked scholar's horse patrol became a topic of conversation in Yunjing that day.

Some say the new third-ranked scholar is as handsome as the emperor.

Some say that the third-ranked scholar's literary talent is unmatched in the world.

In short, overnight, the threshold of the Ling residence was almost worn down by people coming and going, some with the intention of getting to know each other, and others with the intention of getting married.

However, the third-ranking scholar was young and arrogant, and disdained to tie his marriage to his official career.

Through sheer willpower and strategic brilliance, he rose to the pinnacle of power in the Great Jing Dynasty amidst the changing of the guard between the previous and new emperors.

His very existence can be considered legendary.

Wei Rong never imagined that this person had formed a connection with her fourteen years ago.

"It should have been over," Ling Xianru's expression seemed to show a hint of regret: "When I was young, I traveled to a Buddhist temple and listened to the abbot preach. Fate is determined by heaven. People who are destined to meet will meet even if they are separated by thousands of miles, while people who are not destined to meet will eventually separate even if they cross thousands of miles. I thought that we were also destined to meet but not to be together."

Otherwise, why would they meet, yet always miss each other due to various reasons?

Ling Xianru did not believe in fate, but he saw in Wei Rong that fate was playing tricks on him.

On the day Wei Rong donned the wedding robes, he felt that the events of the past fourteen years, with Wei Rong's choice, would finally come to an end.

But he forgot to consider that human nature is not eternal.

He was in the carriage on that day at Changhua Temple.

Watching Xiao Heng's carriage arrive, then watching him rebuke Wei Rong for her narrow-mindedness as the Empress, and then watching him take Shen Mingxiu away.

The snow was knee-deep, and Wei Rong stood like a lone tree between heaven and earth.

The scene mirrors that of fourteen years ago, where the young girl who once needed someone to protect her while riding a horse now finds herself isolated and helpless.

It was at that moment that he began to feel a deep sense of regret.

That night, he couldn't sleep at the Prime Minister's residence. Late at night, Mo Bai came to report that the Empress was stopped at the palace gate. The dignified Empress couldn't even return to the Phoenix Palace.

He used the excuse of heavy snow to speed up his journey and arrived at the palace two hours earlier than usual for court.

Sure enough, she was subjected to all sorts of difficulties by Shen Minglan.

But Wei Rong is Wei Rong; she never sits idly by and waits for death. She brought in Grand Tutor Nian as a savior, which not only relieved her predicament but also embarrassed Xiao Heng.

She even knew to feign fainting to escape Xiao Heng's blame.

However, her gaze towards him was unwavering, clearly indicating that she had never recalled the boy she had rescued from the desolate mountains fourteen years ago.

That's fine. With just a casual remark, Xiao Heng dealt with Shen Minglan.

He picked up the hairpin from the snow.

The velvet flowers were made by someone who was unfamiliar with the craft and lacked skill, resulting in a rather rough and haphazard appearance.

However, the hairpin is old, indicating that Wei Rong wore it frequently.

He gathered the hairpin into his palm.

He was twenty-six years old at the time.

After a life of constant wandering, fortunately, the overall situation has been stabilized.

He gazed at the tracks left by the imperial carriage along the Phoenix Palace and thought to himself that it would be a great pity to enjoy all the fruits of his many years of escaping death by himself.

Ling Xianru doesn't consider himself a good person. He was born into a family obsessed with profit, where people are always trying to make a living and scheming.

He doesn't trust people, yet he's willing to negotiate with a tiger for its skin; he's always scheming to gain the trust of others.

Wei Rong was one of the very few people he wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with and overcome all obstacles.

The camp was silent.

Only the occasional chirping of summer insects could be heard outside the tents.

The candle burned out, and the candle wax piled up into a thick tower.

"The story is very interesting," Wei Rong said, snapping out of her reverie. She tilted her head back, her eyes calm and clear. "It's kind of you, Prime Minister, to have spent so much time with me."

Fourteen years have passed.

It would be a lie to say that Wei Rong was not amazed by the wonders of fate.

However, even if she had saved Lingxian's life, it was nothing more than a small favor she had done.

She herself had never thought about it during those fourteen years.

She didn't think Ling Xianru needed to treat this life-saving grace as something she owed her, something she should constantly remember and never be able to repay.

Ling Xianru's dark eyes narrowed: "You're just listening to a story?"

"Yes, love between men and women is based on mutual consent. Since I am unwilling, I hope that the Prime Minister will be more mindful of his actions in the future. As for the life-saving grace, let's call it even with the hairpin incident at the New Year's banquet. We are even now."

"We're even."

Ling Xianru spoke in a low voice, repeatedly pondering these two words.

Wei Rong could clearly feel his burning gaze falling on the top of her head, sharp and penetrating.

Her injured leg suddenly started to ache slightly. She bit her lip and leaned over to check it.

Ling Xianru thought she was going to run away, so she grabbed her wrist halfway and leaned down on her.

She had always thought that Ling Xianru was a carefree and nonchalant person, but she also knew that he was extremely shrewd. Otherwise, even as a top scholar in the imperial examinations, he could not have risen to the position of prime minister in just three years.

But his desire for control is also so strong.

A dull pain shot through her wrist—Ling Xianru was angry.

Then her chin was grabbed and forced up.

Their eyes met, and she saw a gaze as deep as a still pool.

Her eyelashes trembled, and she tried to turn her head away, but was held back even more tightly.

"We're even now, but what about that bite Her Majesty took just now?"

Their breaths were almost touching, and the powerful aura made Wei Rong tremble slightly. She gathered her strength and suddenly pushed Ling Xianru away.

"No matter what the Prime Minister says, I will not get involved in matters of love."

She hadn't forgotten what Xiao Heng had brought her.

Those who risk everything suffer the most.

She won't give anyone a second chance.

"Don't mention it again in the future."

Looking at her expression, Ling Xianru saw that she was completely frightened.

Wei Rong must have thought of Xiao Heng again.

"Never mind," he sighed softly, rising from the couch. "You've been frightened today, so get some rest."

Wei Rong was indeed exhausted.

Ling Xianru pressed her relentlessly, forcing her to distract herself from destroying the evidence, and her leg was injured.

Moreover, upon suddenly hearing the truth, her mind was in turmoil.

She didn't know how to face Ling Xianru.

Why, of all times, did Ling Xianru tell her these things when she didn't believe in love?

Amidst her chaotic thoughts, she felt a lightness in her body.

Ling Xianru actually picked her up!

She had just finished speaking and was already frightened when this happened. Before she could even exhale, she cried out, "What are you doing?"

To everyone's surprise, Ling Xianru simply took two slow steps and placed her on the bed.

"It's chilly at night, go back to bed."

He settled Wei Rong in, then covered her with a blanket. His jade-like hands performed these trivial tasks with surprising ease.

He spoke so fluently that Wei Rong didn't even have a chance to refuse.

She had no choice but to turn over, her back to him: "Prime Minister, please return."

Her slender shoulder blades were covered only by a thin inner garment, made of silk, which made her look extremely frail.

After watching for a while, Ling Xianru got up and left the tent without anyone noticing.

Even Qiaoyu in the outer room didn't notice.

When Qiaoyu noticed that there had been no movement inside for a long time, she went in to check and found that her mistress had been placed on the bed, but was not asleep and was staring at the top of the tent.

"Your Majesty, has the Prime Minister left?" She tucked the blanket around Wei Rong.

She knew the Empress was in a bad mood, but didn't know how to comfort her.

Just then, someone else walked right into the line of fire.

"You audacious, lowly slave! What are you burning?!"