The letter reminded Xiao Shan of the unkillable army of Qi Rong. The pill Lu Yanmo had given her had not yet been dissolved, and Linglong had only said it contained blood components.
Connecting this to the woman's unusual abilities, she suspected the same method was used, albeit a more wicked version.
She mentioned nothing of the events that had transpired here, only explaining that the weather had suddenly warmed, all things were being reborn, and she had been busy praying for the people, which had delayed her reply.
She knew Xiao Shan might not believe her, but busy with the campaign, he had no time to investigate the truth and only hoped that more frequent letters would dispel his doubts.
Following the epidemic and the court's machinations, the royal family's status in the hearts of the people had been elevated.
By June, the weather was dry and the fields parched. Ling Yao, along with the Imperial Observatory, performed a rain prayer at the altar. The rain was abundant, falling for three consecutive days, and the goddess's reputation reached its zenith.
Da Jing began to show signs of vigorous life.
During this interlude, Qu Linglong broke ties with the King of Jiangbei, moved out of the royal residence, and returned to the deserted Qu Mansion with her maid, Su Mian, and her child.
Ling Yao specifically summoned the King of Jiangbei to the palace.
Feng Shihao was even more dissolute and unrestrained than before, with a hint of decadence hidden in his eyes. He even proposed leaving the capital.
"Eldest Imperial Brother, you weren't like this before. You tried your best to protect Jingguo at the beginning. How have you become like this now? You are a prince of Jingguo, and the court is in need of people. It's one thing to resign your posts, but why have you become so absurd? Do you wish to emulate Prince Ru Nan?"
"Don't you really know?" Feng Shihao looked at Ling Yao and smiled mockingly. "I worked hard, I strove for progress, I fought to the death for Jingguo, and what was the result? I merely died faster."
"What are you talking about?"
Ling Yao was confused by his words. She had called him over intending to discuss the issues between him and Linglong. After all, with a child, how could the royal family's offspring be left to wander? Linglong leaving alone with the child, it was obvious it was the Eldest Imperial Brother's fault.
How could a man have no sense of responsibility?
But what did his words mean?
"Explain yourself clearly."
Ling Yao was a little angry. She had always been grateful to her Eldest Imperial Brother. Although he had forcefully pulled her out of the small mountain village, it was also he who had made her understand all the truth, preventing a great nation from truly falling into the hands of barbarians.
She could say that he was Jingguo's bell-ringer, its foremost warrior.
Yet, as Jingguo gradually recovered its vitality, he withdrew indifferently, as if this country had nothing to do with him anymore.
He was one of the few remaining members of the royal family. If he, like his uncle, Prince Ru Nan, wished to wander through mountains and rivers, indulging himself in the world, he needed to consider Jingguo's current situation and whether it had the capacity for such indulgence.
"Explain clearly? Very well, then I shall explain clearly. I am the son of the traitorous Prince An! Is that clear enough?"
"How do you know?"
Ling Yao shot to her feet, exclaiming in shock, "Who told you?"
"So you knew as well!"
Feng Shihao smiled wryly, his expression indescribably grim. He had wondered why his father treated him that way; was he truly merciful?
If he were truly merciful, he should have simply thrown him out of the palace to be the child of an ordinary person, rather than adopting him into the palace and then showing him disdain.
Allowing everyone to bully him...
"I truly regret it. I should have let this country rot and decay. What does the fall of the nation have to do with me? They are clearly my enemies, my enemies!"
When he was young, how he wished that man would look at him. He had been so well-behaved, so much more sensible than anyone else.
It was laughable; he was kept close only to be controlled and destroyed more effectively.
"Eldest Imperial Brother, you cannot think like that. Prince An was killed by Imperial Grandfather. He usurped the throne first. You are too extreme."
"I am extreme? Do you know what I have been through? Your father, your good father, is a hypocrite, and he is the most wicked!"
Feng Shihao's phoenix eyes widened, the corners of his eyes tinged with crimson, and a faint glimmer of light flickered within.
His unrestrained face held a hint of madness, subtly revealing a touch of morbidity.
"You will never know. You are the little princess showered with countless favors. While you were chasing butterflies in the resplendent Fengque Tower, I was being threatened and pricked with needles. While you were lamenting your misfortunes with no real cause, I might have been stripped naked, hung from the beams, and subjected to endless humiliation."
No, how could that be? He was a prince! Ling Yao shook her head, disbelieving.
Feng Shihao, however, had already approached her. Looking at her still clear eyes, unchanged by all the hardships, he truly wanted to destroy her.
She was born into wealth and privilege, her life always bright. Even in her misfortune, Xiao Shan saved her and helped her regain her esteemed position.
How could her life be so fortunate!
He leaned close to her ear and said maliciously, "You summoned me here, didn't you, to ask about me and Qu Linglong? Tell me, a man who has been toyed with by eunuchs, a man who is impotent and unable to perform, what right does he have to marry, what right does he have to disgust or harm others!"
His reason had burned away. He looked at Ling Yao as if she were one of the dirty, lowly women who had humiliated him.
His body began to tremble violently, and his eyes welled up with a madness that seemed intent on destroying everything.
His mind began to blur: the dim little room, the women's laughter, the suffocating, cloying fragrance...
"Ah—" His face contorted, the veins on his forehead bulging as if he could not bear the pain.
A ferocious beast seemed to be trying to break free from his body.
Just as he was about to completely lose control, a soft body embraced him.
A clear, refreshing scent filled his nostrils.
"Eldest Imperial Brother..."
A choked voice, so soft, so wronged, so... full of concern.
Concern? Would anyone ever feel concern for him?
"Eldest Imperial Brother, I'm sorry."
She didn't know, she knew nothing. How a well-behaved boy had gradually become sinister and absurd; it turned out he had endured such unbearable past experiences.
She was indignant, her heart ached, she wanted to kill, but she could not go back to the past to protect him.
Feng Shihao's contorted face gradually relaxed. His dull gray eyes began to regain clarity. The person embracing him was Ling Yao, that sweet little girl who always smiled at him.
The most favored, and the most innocent, little imperial sister in the palace.
He still remembered that when he was eight years old, he had encountered Feng Shijin, who was skipping class, in a corner of the side hall. Feng Shijin had pulled him into Fengque Tower. It was his first time entering the tallest building in the palace. The dazzling array of jewels had blinded him; it turned out there was such a bright place in the palace.
But the brightest was the soft, delicate little imperial sister.
It was also her first time seeing him, and she was a little shy, yet very curious.
Feng Shijin chattered around her, coaxing her. As she happily chatted, she didn't forget to glance at him from time to time.
Perhaps she was afraid he would be bored, or perhaps her upbringing did not allow her to neglect guests.
She would occasionally instruct the palace maids beside her to bring him more delicious snacks.
He was hungry, and he accidentally ate a lot.
It was so delicious; he had never eaten or seen such things before.
He looked at her, and she was smiling, her eyes like a brilliant galaxy.
He really liked Fengque Tower, and he really liked this little imperial sister.
However, he had no right to enter Fengque Tower.
He could only secretly, using a few small stratagems, get Feng Shijin to bring him in, until he was discovered by his father...