He was King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, who was said to be untalented and useless and had been sent to the Yan Kingdom as a royal hostage.

Mo Xuetong was one hundred percent positive about that and then knitted her brows. In her last life, King Ning, Feng Yuzhen really even didn’t return to the Qin Kingdom and directly died in the Yan Kingdom. When Bai Yihao led his soldiers, this King Ning was affected and died in the battle even without putting up a fight.

In Mo Xuetong’s eye, Mo Xuetong always found King Ning, Feng Yuzhen, the most innocent person.

The Yan Kingdom sent the crown prince as the royal hostage, thus the Qin Kindom at least should send a prince. Who knew that they sent none of Emperor Zongwen’s sons but King Ning, Feng Yuzhen?

However, if one thought about it carefully, he would found it make sense to send King Ning. He was the Empress Dowager’s legal grandson and succeeded his father’s position as the new King Ning. His father, who should take the throne, died early, therefore, Emperor Zongwen came into power. If his father hadn’t died so early, he would have been the real crown prince.

No one would feel peaceful after such an incident.

After that, everything could make sense.

The Empress selected King Yan because as his legal mother, she would become the Empress Dowager. Moreover, she supported King Yan the most, and after his succeeding to the throne, King Yan must respect her, rather than treating her as a nominal and powerless Empress Dowager. However, the current Empress Dowager didn’t think so. She just wanted to make her grandson ascend the throne because he was her real legitimate grandson.

That being said, if her legal grandson wanted to become the emperor, he must dethrone Emperor Zongwen. When Emperor Zongwen fell out of power, the Empress would lose her status as well and the Empress Dowager dream would break. Therefore, in terms of this, the Empress and the Empress Dowager would never stand together. In terms of benefit, King Yan taking the throne was much more beneficial than King Ning descending the throne for the Empress.

The Empress could clearly tell the difference between an Empress Dowager and a prisoner.

Feng Yuran slightly smiled and his languid voice flowed like moonlight in the dark night. “Don’t worry. King Ning won’t succeed.”

The room was warm. It seemed to be equipped with heating. Mo Xuetong sat beside the table and considered, saying with a frown. “King Ning came with Yan Kingdom’s First Prince. Then, Yan Kingdom’s First Prince is already here?”

Feng Yuran smiled and warmness filled his eyes. He gently tapped on the table. “The Yan Kingdom’s First Prince hasn’t arrived, but I guess it’ll be soon. He’ll arrive about tomorrow.”

The closed door was opened, and a maidservant-looking girl walked in, carrying a tray.

There were two cups of tea on the tray.

Gently placing the tea and respectfully curtsying before Feng Yuran, the maidservant quietly left and thoughtfully closed the door for them.

Mo Xuetong said in surprise. “This is your place?” When they entered, it was already heated in the room. Feng Yuran skillfully jumped through the windows. The maidservant behaved herself and remained quiet… suddenly, a trace of displeasure flashed in her eyes, and she rose, saying slightly angrily, “Send me home.”

Feng Yuran laughed and sounded languid like a touching melody, carrying a hint of teasing. However, he saw through Mo Xuetong’s mind. “Relax. It’s not my manor. How will I disrespect you like this? If I want to take you to my manor, I’ll marry you in a grand wedding and send you to my manor in a large sedan chair carried by eight people. How can I have you secretly in my manor like now as if we were afraid of being seen?”

Mo Xuetong flushed and very awkwardly glared at him. Biting her lips, she couldn’t help asking, “Where is here?”

Feng Yuran casually said and glanced at her with his attractive and shining eyes, looking quite smug. “This is my private property outside the palace. Even a wily rabbit has three burrows, and I must be smarter than a rabbit, right?”

“In the future, when you miss me, you can meet me here.”

“Who will miss him? And who will see him? Why is he so thick-skinned?”

Mo Xuetong looked at him with a glower of annoyance, but didn’t expect her bright eyes, while on an angry face, looked cute. At the sight of this, Feng Yuran felt sweet and stared at her as if he were possessed.

Being stared at by him with his passionate eyes, Mo Xuetong didn’t feel comfortable. She looked away and gently coughed, saying, “Though you said he hadn’t arrived today, his men are already in the city. How can he not enter the capital?”

Feng Yuzhen must hide in the guards of Yan Kingdom’s First Prince. The guards protected the First Prince, and only when First Prince entered the city, those guards would show up. Mo Xuetong knew Feng Yuran must know the causality. However, she couldn’t help reminding him. “Have you sent people to watch him?”

The Yan Kingdom’s First Prince hurrying to the Qin Kingdom was already very suspicious. Now, when he was almost here, he delayed his entering the capital, which aroused more suspicion.

Feng Yuran smiled widely. “Don’t worry. I have sent people to watch this Yan Kingdom’s First Prince’s whereabouts.”

While saying this, he suddenly looked cold. His smile seemed to carry a blood-thirsty and devilish feeling, and a trace of fierceness flashed through his eyes. “The Yan Kingdom’s First Prince should have Tong’er’s portrait. Who sent it? If one can do this without anyone’s notice, he must be Bai Yihao.”

Bai Yihao was really trying to set Tong’er up with that prince.

Feng Yuran smilingly patted his forehead. “Tong’er, I really can’t attend the party when Princess Royal adopts you tomorrow. Luckily, the Yan Kingdom’s First Prince didn’t publicly enter the capital today, or I couldn’t have spent the Lantern Festival with you. Ah, don’t go out since tomorrow. Only when the Yan Kingdom’s First Prince returns can I have the time to keep you company.”

He sounded very shameless. Mo Xuetong glowered at him. In terms of being thick-skinned, Feng Yuran was definitely the top one.

Though angry, Mo Xuetong detected the more profound meaning in his words. After consideration, she looked melancholy and picked up the teacup beside her to sip at the tea, asking, “I heard the Yan Kingdom’s First Prince is here to marry someone. Is she one of the princesses?”

Feng Yuran shook her head and looked worried, but the hint of a smile in his eyes betrayed his feeling. “I guess Father hasn’t decided. I heard Aunt wants Fifth Sister, but Fifth Sister loves Bai Yihao. It’s really a tricky love triangle.”

It seemed that Fifth Princess’s pestering Bai Yihao made him happy.

Mo Xuetong didn’t notice his smug face, frowned, and asked the question on her mind, “Princess Royal Yunruo, Bai Yihao’s mother, of course should think for her son. Even if she marries his son to some princess, she should pick Fifth Princess for his son. So, Bai Yihao will have the Qin Kingdom behind his back and take the throne in the Yan Kingdom. But, now…”

Mo Xuetong couldn’t understand the current situation!

If the Yan Kingdom’s First Prince successfully married Fifth Princess, the prince would have a powerful backing, the Qin Kindom. With such strong power, how was the Yan Kingdom’s First Prince willing to give up? He definitely would fight for supremacy. Letting other’s kid steal the throne from her own son, what was Princess Royal Yunruo thinking?

Feng Yuran chuckled and his fingers gently flicked on the table, looking casual and calm. Though somewhat enchanting and lazy on his handsome face, his smile greatly comforted people. “Tong’er, you don’t have to worry about these things. My aunt isn’t a nice person. You should just make sure you stay away from her.”

He changed the topic, walked to the nearby big windows, and waved at her. “There’ll be a firework show. Come and have a look.”

Looking at his brightly smiling face, Mo Xuetong suddenly felt tender for him. For some reason, she didn’t reject him and rose to follow him there. Feng Yuran lifted the curtains, and then Mo Xuetong found it was the liveliest market down there. It was crowded and brightly lit. From time to time, the wind would carry laughter of joy here.

Feng Yuran smiled. “Come here. It’ll start soon.” Just as he finished, a shrill sound rang, and big fireworks surged up to the sky, making the night bloom like a flower. One and another iridescent fireworks exploded in the air, and the falling sparks were glowing like jade.

Mo Xuetong couldn’t help leaning against the windows like him. The fireworks were reflected in her eyes and as beautiful as a dream.

“Is it beautiful?”

Mo Xuetong nodded and looked up to watch the fireworks in the sky, remembering the firework show when she was 11. It was her birthday and when her mother had slightly recovered. To celebrate her birthday and amuse her mother, his father spent a lot of money to have people prepare many beautiful fireworks.

On that day, they also set off the fireworks outside the city like this.

Back then, she was smiling while running and joyously clapping. Her father personally held the fuse to ignite the fireworks. When the fireworks soared to the sky, he held her hand, and they ran to her mother’s carriage, with her hiding by her mother.

The curtains on the carriage were lifted high, and her mother leaned against the lounge, all smiles. A rosy glow of health appeared on her pale and colorless face. Looking at the chuckling father and gentle mother, Mo Xuetong felt full of happiness.

She thought days like that were perfect.

However, since her mother was gone, nobody remembered her birthday. Evert time during her birthday, only Mother Xu would make a bowl of “long-lived” noodles with two eggs in it…

Looking at the sky, she felt her eyes turning hot. Biting her lips, she suppressed the pain in her heart!

Her clenched fingers clung to the window frames. Thinking that the vicious woman killed her mother, she felt her heart ache so much that she became breathless.

Feng Yuran’s voice rang beside her. “Tong’er, Tong’er…”

Mo Xuetong blankly turned back. Before she could see it clearly, he wrapped his arms around her and gently whispered to her, “Don’t be sad. I’ll set off fireworks for you on your birthday, OK? Just like the time when your mother was still with you, alright?”

He sounded so anxious that he didn’t seem as carefree as usual at all. At that moment, Mo Xuetong should feel at ease.

His chest was broad and seemed able to protect her. Blinking her eyes, she gave up suppressing the urge and let tears well up in her eyes. She clung tightly to his robe and for some reason, she knew she didn’t have to be so tired now and didn’t have to fake it to hide her sorrow.

The firework show took place in Cloud City, and only a few first maidservants knew what happened on her birthday. He should ask around to know so much and that her father and mother used to celebrate her birthday with firework shows. How could he, like this, not moved her?

Though she knew he was dangerous, and when he camouflaged himself with a rakish image, he must be up to something, even the supremacy, at this moment, she forgot he was the unreasonable King Xuan who was as handsome as a devil, and that he was so cold-blooded that he would kill his biological uncle, letting his family’s blood stain the noble royal court.

She only knew that he really moved her now!

At some point, he was no longer the devilish and difficult King Xuan. Instead, he was the gorgeous man who would smile languidly from time to time. When he looked at her with a half smile, his every look reassured her…