The dragon, plucking a vermilion cherry, sailed into the harbor, its voice like a warbler's song, yet trembling as if in pain or joy, neither knowing which.
In a grand mansion in Mengdie County, Princess Xinyue lay resting on her bed.
Though she hadn't fought on the battlefield, the mere act of traveling by carriage was tiring, especially with so many gaunt, starving commoners along the way, which made her feel even more weary.
In her sleep, she seemed to dream of Chu Chen. Just as she was about to rush into his arms, the scene abruptly shifted, and Chu Chen was already in the embrace of her second sister, Li Mengdie.
"Chu Chen! Come back, Chu Chen! You belong only to this princess!"
In her dream, Princess Xinyue shouted angrily, wanting to step forward and separate them.
But no matter how she advanced, she couldn't close the distance. What infuriated her even more was that they began to act intimately right before her eyes.
"Ah~!"
In reality, Princess Xinyue suddenly awoke from her dream.
"What is this? A dream?"
Princess Xinyue looked around blankly, the images from her dream still lingering in her mind.
After a moment, she fully regained consciousness.
"Damn it! How could this princess have such a dream? Could it be that this princess misses that detestable scoundrel too much?"
Princess Xinyue frowned, unsure why she had such a dream, but a trace of sourness and displeasure remained in her heart.
"Never mind, I'll find that scoundrel first!"
Princess Xinyue got up, opened the door, and ran towards the royal palace.
"Your Highness! Your Highness!"
Behind her, her personal guards, who didn't understand what was happening, hurriedly chased after her.
This was the rebels' stronghold. Although it had already been captured by the Prime Minister, no one could be certain if there were any remnants of the rebels. If their princess were to encounter danger, they would lose their heads.
As Princess Xinyue burst into the temporary office, she saw Chu Chen lightly massaging his waist, looking tired as he held a teacup with his other hand.
"Chu Chen!"
"Y-y-y-you? Why are you here?"
Chu Chen stammered, almost scared out of his wits.
"What? Can't this princess come?"
Princess Xinyue approached Chu Chen with an unfriendly expression, staring at him suspiciously.
"You can, of course, you can. But weren't you sleeping? Why did you suddenly decide to visit me?"
He was very flustered inside but pretended to be calm as he asked.
"I've slept for at least two hours. I've slept enough."
Princess Xinyue walked around him, not noticing anything amiss, and reluctantly sat opposite him.
"Huh? Isn't that tea leaves in your cup? Aren't those goji berries? What are you doing brewing these?"
Princess Xinyue stretched her neck in surprise, looking at his teacup.
"Uh~ It's because we've been fighting recently. The war is over, but there's no rest. We still have to work hard to handle military affairs, arrange for the prisoners, plan the route for the return march, and deal with those severely exploited commoners."
A drop of cold sweat appeared on Chu Chen's forehead as he replied tremblingly.
"Is that so?"
Princess Xinyue glanced at him, feeling that he seemed even more exhausted, and said with some concern, "You really are something. You're the Grand Marshal now. Can't you delegate these trivial matters to your subordinates?"
"Looking at you, you're so tired your face is pale, and you're sweating."
As she spoke, Princess Xinyue stood up, took out an embroidered handkerchief from her sleeve, and wiped his face.
"Thank you."
Chu Chen breathed a sigh of relief inwardly and smiled.
"You're welcome. You should go rest quickly."
Princess Xinyue shook her head, grabbed his shoulder, and said earnestly.
"Alas~ Alright, it seems I can only deal with it tomorrow."
Chu Chen glanced at the documents on his desk, feeling both physically and mentally exhausted.
"That's more like it. Hurry up and go."
"Mm."
Chu Chen nodded, summoned someone from the dark division, gave them instructions, and then left.
Watching Chu Chen's retreating back, Princess Xinyue suspiciously clapped her hands.
Immediately, a member of the dark division appeared before her.
"Where did Chu Chen go just now?"
Xinyue stared at the dark division member in front of her and demanded.
"The master has been here handling military affairs all along."
The dark division member replied indifferently without looking up.
"...You may go."
Princess Xinyue couldn't find any fault, so she waved her hand.
"Yes."
After the dark division member left, Princess Xinyue smiled and said, "Really, it seems I was influenced by that dream. How could Chu Chen be with my second sister? My second sister has already fled."
Speaking of which, Princess Xinyue sighed and said, "I wonder where my second sister has gone. I hope she doesn't cause any more trouble and get discovered by Mother. Really, is the throne that important? To the point of rebellion, and calling Chu Chen a villain, when this country is gradually improving because of Chu Chen."
Princess Xinyue glanced at the unfinished goji berry tea, stood up, and left.
In Mengdie County, at the temporary Prime Minister's residence, Chu Chen lay on the bed, patting his chest. "That scared me to death. Why did that girl Xinyue suddenly show up? If she had come half an hour earlier, it would have been really hard to explain."
Recalling what happened half an hour ago, Chu Chen's expression gradually contorted, as if savoring something.
"Damn it! I can't keep thinking about it. I can't take it anymore. I didn't expect that Princess Liu to be so seriously ill that even three injections from me couldn't cure her!"
"Ahhh~ Speaking of which, how could I be so weak-willed and fall for that girl's trick! Now I'm in trouble! I originally planned to send her directly to the southern Chu barbarians and arrange for her to become a local wealthy landowner. Now what?"
Chu Chen covered his face with one hand and clutched the quilt with the other, full of helplessness.
If this wasn't handled properly, the Empress might become enraged and make a move against him prematurely, and that girl Xinyue might side with her mother. He would be in a difficult position no matter what.
Indeed, since ancient times, the honey trap has been hard to resist.
But who could blame him for not being Tang Sanzang and unable to refuse to admire national treasures late at night?
"I'll take it one step at a time. If all else fails, I'll send her directly to the neighboring Chen Kingdom. With Zhu Wushi, that charlatan, interfering in the Chen Kingdom's court, he should be able to protect a fallen princess and a disgraced prince. It shouldn't be a problem."
Chu Chen sighed, thinking of a not-so-good, not-so-bad place to arrange for her.
"I won't think about it anymore. The future will take care of itself."
With that, he pulled the quilt over his face and closed his eyes to sleep.
On the other side, in the boudoir in the backyard of the royal palace.
Li Mengdie opened her eyes and touched the bedside. "Has he left already?"
"I am very curious, Chu Chen. You, who have just learned to fly and are no longer a fledgling bird, how will you choose?"
Li Mengdie's eyes looked at the pillow beside her, whispering with a sickly smile, her hands tightly gripping the quilt.
Clearly, her heart was not as indifferent and calm as she appeared.