Nan Gongche was the Crown Prince of Nan Qi, Si Ruian was the Crown Prince of Da Qin. As for the royal members of the Turkic Khanate and the original three southeastern kingdoms, they probably disdained them.
In this way, all the mysteries were solved.
Lu Qingwan sighed softly, "Nan Gongche, truly a masterful schemer of a man. I suspect that if I tell old man Liu the truth, he might not be able to resist drawing his sword and cutting him down on the spot."
Her good daughter, after meeting Nan Gongche, had become so foolish she was unbearable to look at.
Si Fengwu amusingly pulled her into his embrace and played with her like petting a cat. "Although you often say love makes people lose their minds, it shouldn't be to this extent. Liu Hanyan doing these things must have a purpose, but we don't need to worry about them. I'm more curious, with Liu Hanyan's character and my mother who doesn't practice martial arts, who was that masked woman who saved you and me multiple times in secret in Northern Wei and the streets of Xindu?"
Lu Qingwan, who had just finished her surgery and was dozing off in Si Fengwu's arms, instantly regained her spirits upon hearing this. "Right, I always thought it was Liu Hanyan or Mother before. Since it's neither of them, then who could it be?"
Back then, in Guihua City, Northern Wei, she was almost killed by people from the Hanxiao Hall. Later, when apprehending Lin Dongye in Xindu, it was also a near-death experience. Both times, it was that mysterious black-clothed masked woman who saved her. And how many other times that black-clothed woman had helped them without their knowledge was countless. But now that both Liu Hanyan and Gu Shenci were ruled out, the identity of this mysterious black-clothed masked woman suddenly became very enigmatic.
"Tsk, I should have asked Meng Fusu earlier." Lu Qingwan regretted, "Among the female companions we know, besides Liu Hanyan, she's the only one I can think of who can come and go around you and me without a trace. I suspect it's her protecting us in secret." Although Meng Fusu wasn't the one doing the bad deeds, it was impossible for a truly kind person to stand by indifferently while Liu Hanyan, using her body, committed so many atrocities. Moreover, considering how Meng Fusu had risked her life to save them the first time they met, it wasn't impossible for her to protect them in secret.
Si Fengwu thought about it and agreed, "If it really is her, we truly must thank her properly." Having said that, he bent down and picked Lu Qingwan up directly. "Why don't we go back now?"
"Didn't we agree to leave tomorrow morning? Why do you suddenly want to leave now? Acting on a whim, Father hasn't woken up yet, aren't you afraid Mother will be left alone to overthink things?" Si Fengwu just wasn't used to spending extended periods with his parents, but he never intended to truly hurt their feelings. Upon hearing this, he silently placed Lu Qingwan back on the bed. "I just want to resolve these matters as soon as possible and have a few days of peace. Six years, six years since we got married, constantly preparing to deal with the deceit and cunning from all sides, I'm tired of fighting."
It was like this every day, let alone Si Fengwu, even Lu Qingwan felt a bit weary. But seeing his exhaustion, she felt she could endure a little longer. She affectionately rubbed Si Fengwu's cheek and smiled, "This won't do, Your Highness. People say one should establish themselves at thirty, and you're still far from thirty, how can you admit defeat so soon? The vast empire we've built ourselves still awaits our governance, how can you be tired already?"
Si Fengwu clung to her playfully and whined, "Aren't you still here, my Princess? I'll hand over the empire to you, letting you rule the world with a clear mind and rest your head on my lap when drunk, how about being an Empress who has both the empire and beauty in her hands?"
"Dream on!" Lu Qingwan unceremoniously pushed him away. "I'm already doing these things for your sake, and you still want to throw such a heavy burden on me. Don't you know being an emperor is a troublesome profession where you wake up earlier than a rooster, sleep later than a dog, and work harder than an ox? Handing the throne over to me, and a female emperor at that, do you want to work me to death?" Lu Qingwan did have some ambitions. If the person becoming emperor wasn't Si Fengwu, she would have already snatched the throne and done it herself. But her initial intention for snatching the throne was to do as she pleased in this special time and space, without being constrained by others, not to be a public servant. Since Si Fengwu as emperor could also guarantee her a life of leisure, eating and sleeping, she naturally wanted to do as little work as possible. Why would she be foolish enough to take on the throne herself and tie herself up?
Si Fengwu squatted at her feet and pretended to sob pitifully, "You've changed, you don't love me anymore. The you of the past would absolutely not bear to let me suffer so much..." Lu Qingwan's mouth twitched, she grabbed Si Fengwu's ear and roared, "Get up!" He was such a big lump, squatting there and sobbing, she was going to throw up.
Si Fengwu, seeing that he had gone far enough, stopped acting but still complained stubbornly, "You are truly hard-hearted and wicked. I'm crying so earnestly, yet you won't comfort me?" Lu Qingwan remained expressionless, just watching his performance. Si Fengwu performed his solo act for a while and reluctantly suppressed his inner dramatic soul. "I really don't want to stay with Father and Mother for too long, but wanting to go back early isn't to avoid them. Have you ever thought that Liu Xunran, knowing full well the dirty deeds Liu Hanyan and Nan Gongche have done, and knowing that you wouldn't let it go, never pleaded on their behalf to you and me? Perhaps it's not that Liu Xunran didn't want to make things difficult for you, but that he knew the reasons for Liu Hanyan's many changes from the very beginning?"
Si Fengwu's deduction seemed abrupt, but Lu Qingwan didn't immediately dismiss it. Because she also felt that given Liu Xunran's understanding of Sansheng Tower and Hanxiao Hall, Si Fengwu's guess was not impossible. However, if this were the case, it would be difficult to say what role Liu Xunran played in her past life.
"If so, we can't go to Lunhui Hall anymore." Lu Qingwan puffed her cheeks and tried to twist her little head. "What if we get trapped in Lunhui Hall, and the empire we worked so hard to build will fall into the hands of outsiders!"
"Write a letter to Liu Xunran and ask him to send Yuan'er over. Also, set a meeting place and return the Blood Raven Token and the Empress Qinghuang's handwritten notes to him. If you still want to help Lunhui Hall, you can tell him your previous thoughts. Liu Xunran is a smart person. If he listens to you, with his abilities, he should be able to arrange a relatively satisfactory conclusion for Lunhui Hall." Liu Hanyan was detestable, and Nan Gongche was disgusting, but Lunhui Hall had indeed helped Lu Qingwan a lot over the years. Si Fengwu didn't want Lu Qingwan to still feel indebted to Lunhui Hall when they parted ways.