"Your Highness, why are you so sure that Young Emperor Yunqi is no match for Princess Yongning?" Si Chen asked, bewildered. Young Emperor Yunqi was ruthless and not to be trifled with. Princess Yongning would be in danger facing him.
"Because he dares not kill her!"
He knew of Murong Shengrui's twisted feelings for Xiao Man. Murong Shengrui had searched for her madly everywhere. Now that he had finally found her, how could he dare to kill her again?
"Your subordinate does not understand."
"You don't need to understand," Nangong Yu said slowly. "Where are the envoys from Lanyue?"
"If nothing unexpected happens, they should arrive in three days."
Nangong Yu pondered for a long time and decided to see Xiao Man. For some reason, Xiao Man's actions made him feel very concerned.
As soon as Nangong Yu entered Shuiyue Xiaozhu, he saw that the window was open. Xiao Man was cooking in the room. Seeing Nangong Yu appear, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. "I thought you wouldn't have eaten enough tonight, so you'd definitely come here for a meal. Come in quickly, I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Nangong Yu entered the room and sat opposite Xiao Man. He saw that Xiao Man was preparing a clear broth hot pot. "Why aren't we having spicy hot pot today?"
"You don't eat spicy food, so I made a clear broth. However, I made a spicy dipping sauce." Xiao Man's gaze shifted to the dipping sauce bowl. "Do you want to try it?"
Nangong Yu dipped his chopsticks into the sauce Xiao Man had prepared and put it in his mouth. At first, his tongue felt a little numb, then spicy. Afterward, it felt as if countless chili peppers exploded in his mouth, making his tongue and lips numb. Nangong Yu quickly downed a cup of tea.
"Eating so much spicy food, can your body handle it?" Nangong Yu drank three cups of tea before the spiciness in his mouth subsided, but his mouth still felt like it was on fire.
"I like spicy food. This little bit of spiciness is nothing to me." Xiao Man said as she placed the thinly sliced meat she had just cooked into Nangong Yu's bowl. "If you can't handle spicy food, don't force yourself."
"The envoys from Lanyue will arrive in the imperial capital in three days." Nangong Yu really wanted to eat spicy food with Xiao Man, but he truly couldn't tolerate such spicy food. The last time he ate spicy hot pot with Nangong Yi and the others, he suffered from diarrhea for several days and his stomach felt extremely uncomfortable.
"It's faster than I imagined." Xiao Man said nonchalantly while eating, as if she didn't care about Lanyue's arrival. However, a while ago, Xiao Man had clearly asked him to delay their arrival until Lanyue entered the capital.
"For some reason, I've been feeling very restless lately. I always feel like something is about to happen, which makes me very uneasy." Nangong Yu looked at Xiao Man and asked slowly, "The incident where the Lanyue kingdom's imperial seal was used to frame the Cen family last time, was that your doing?"
Xiao Man looked at him with a frank expression. "Half and half."
"Half and half?"
"Yes, Xiao Xiang used Qiu Tong to bring the forged imperial seal trinket into my courtyard. It was originally intended to frame me, so I took the opportunity to drag the Cen family down with me and also cleared out the spies Lanyue had planted in the General's Mansion." Xiao Man's eating speed was not slow at all, and she spoke to Nangong Yu while she was cooking the meat.
"Cen Yu has disappeared."
"He no longer has a place to stand in the imperial capital, and Mo Han has also broken ties with him..." Xiao Man pondered. "I suppose he's hiding in some dark corner, thinking about how to scheme against me."
"Why didn't you strike a fatal blow?" Nangong Yu said disapprovingly. "Letting a tiger return to the mountains will bring endless trouble."
"Who said I let a tiger return to the mountains? I just didn't want to get his blood on my hands." Xiao Man said slowly. "He... won't live much longer."
"Cen Yu, if he truly hides well, he'll be hard to find."
"No matter where he hides, I will find him," Xiao Man said with a faint smile. "He gave me several poisons, so I should at least give him one in return. The Fourth Concubine was a pawn he used to plot against me. How could I not use the Fourth Concubine to plot against him?"
Nangong Yu couldn't help but smile. "I almost forgot, you never let yourself be at a disadvantage. After Cen Yu schemed against you repeatedly, how could you possibly let him leave safely?"
"He didn't leave safely at all! My father almost stomped his brains out!" Xiao Man cooked a slice of beef and put it in Nangong Yu's bowl. "The reason I stopped my father from killing him wasn't to save him, but because I didn't want him to die too easily!"
"What kind of poison did you give him in return?"
"Myriad Gu Poison." Xiao Man smiled, her eyes twinkling. "This poison currently has no antidote. I modified it based on the masterpiece of the elder Wan Du Zi. The Gu worms will gnaw at his body bit by bit, his internal organs, making him wish he were dead, yet unable to die easily. He won't be able to kill himself until his lifespan ends."
"That is truly a fitting end for him," Nangong Yu said slowly. "Does Wen Mo Han know?"
"Although Cen Yu is cruel, he treated Mo Han extremely well. They have also been friends for many years. I don't want him to know about this," Xiao Man said softly. "I don't want his hands to be stained because of me."
"You are exceptionally protective of him," Nangong Yu felt a pang of sourness in his heart. Xiao Man was always protecting Wen Mo Han, which made him very jealous. "I am jealous."
"A'yu has changed a lot compared to before," Xiao Man teased. "The old you would never have spoken the word 'jealous'."
"I am indeed jealous. Before, I was jealous of Murong Shengrui because he received your wholehearted care. Now, I am jealous of Wen Mo Han because you always subconsciously protect him, even if your positions are different, you still choose to protect him."
Xiao Man smiled. "But I have taught you all my lifelong skills."
Nangong Yu's brows furrowed even deeper. "I always feel like I'm a generation lower, and it makes me quite unhappy."
Xiao Man burst out laughing. "Well, it feels like we're the same generation as Murong Shengrui. How about you call me 'Master'?"
Nangong Yu glanced at Xiao Man and snorted. "You wish. How about you call me 'Husband'?"
Xiao Man put down the bowl in her hand, propped up her chin with one hand, and cooked meat with the other. "You wish even more."
Nangong Yu couldn't help but smile. "Of course, I wish for it. When Yunqi's matter is settled, you will break off your engagement with Wen Mo Han. I have already prepared the betrothal gifts."
"Oh, what kind of betrothal gifts?" Xiao Man asked with a smile. "Are you going to give me twenty cities?"
Nangong Yu paused. "You want twenty cities?"
"I like to conquer cities myself!" Xiao Man said slowly, her eyes like autumn water filled with starlight, captivating.
"Why do you need to conquer them? Just tell me which city you like, and I will snatch it back for you!" Nangong Yu said decisively. One day, this world would only have one ruler, and he would possess the entire realm. Whatever Xiao Man wanted, he could get it for her.