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  The news of Madame Han's death reached the Zhennan Gongfu on the second day.

  The young master's wife, Yang, first sent a close maid to the Han residence as an advance scout, and then immediately tidied up her appearance and went to offer condolences. Although the two families had no particular connection, they could even be considered sworn enemies, but etiquette cannot be abandoned. Madame Han was an imperial-sealed duchess, representing not only the dignity of the current General of the Guards, Han Xiu, but also the majesty of the imperial family. Yang was still shaken by her natal family's affair with the empress and did not dare to fall behind others in the face of public opinion.

  The ladies of the other houses moved at the news and closely followed Madame Yang, only Jingyi Courtyard remained unmoved.

  It's also because Pei Jingchen broke his leg and needed care, and Mingxuan and the Han family had that kind of relationship. In this situation, she went and it would be awkward, so Yangshi didn't even ask about her and left her behind.

  Ming Xuan stood under the eaves, wrapped in a thick gray cloak, gazing out at the courtyard filled with snow. She let out a gentle sigh, and in the vast and desolate winter landscape, the warm air from her mouth had just escaped when it turned into wisps of white smoke that drifted lazily into the air before disappearing without a trace.

  Mrs. Han passed away shortly after she left yesterday, which troubled her a bit.

  Even if she was clear in her heart, Mrs. Han's body had been able to drag on for so many years and it was already a miracle, the imperial physician also cut off that within these few days, it would be the time when Mrs. Han would exhaust her lamp and leave the world of the living. The birth, aging, illness, and death of a person are all natural laws, a patient who had originally reached the end of their life dying had nothing to do with her.

  But in my heart, there is always some melancholy and annoyance, this feeling is very awkward.

  At this time, Pei Jingchen's warm and thick hands gently stroked Mingxuan's face, and he softly said in her ear, "Everyone has their own destiny, some things can't be forced, how do you know that the death of Mrs. Han isn't a kind of liberation for her? The deceased has already transcended, why should the living bother themselves, just to make her feel sad?"

  He gently rubbed against her. "It snowed heavily last night, and the snow that was finally shoveled away has accumulated again. It's cold outside, don't stand here and catch a chill. If you get sick, I'll be heartbroken."

  Ming Xuan turned around, furrowed her brow, "I know you've been practicing walking seriously for the past few days. You can barely take a few steps now, but you can't be so careless with your body, not even bringing a cane, and just walk to the corridor like that. It's cold and slippery outside, if you fall and hurt yourself, don't you think I'll feel heartache?"

  Jingyi Courtyard's iron bucket was generally airtight, and no one would spread the news that Pei Jingchen's legs were getting better, so he often pushed open his wheelchair and practiced walking with his custom-made crutches. But this time, his hands were empty. Apparently, he hadn't taken Ming Xuan's reminder to heart.

  She thought he was a bit too proud, too arrogant. Unknowingly, she felt a little angry in her heart, but more worried, she finally saw how fragile life was, and the people she loved became even more important to her, she couldn't bear him getting hurt, "Don't do this again. If you don't listen to me and get hurt, I'll be angry!"

  Pei Jingchen gazed at her quietly. His eyes were piercing, focused and full of emotions. Suddenly, he bent down, leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her, his scorching lips covering hers to silence her words. After a long while, he finally said, "On the fifteenth day of the first month, the Lantern Festival, the palace will hold a banquet for relatives as usual. I don't know why, but this year's guest list also includes you and me."

  He took out the invitation card with gold foil from his bosom, and on it was written in bold letters "Xiang Chu Wang's grandson Jing Chen and his wife Gu Shi", with a seal of the Imperial Clan Court at the bottom, and the private seal of the current emperor, indicating that this was an imperial family banquet, which looked very eye-catching.

  Ming Xuan was surprised, "Could it be that Your Majesty intends to fulfill the promise of the previous emperor and let him inherit the throne from his maternal grandfather?"

  Xiang Chu Wang's grandson, Jing Chen. This statement is really too strange and makes people think of this association. However, the emperor's move is quite thought-provoking. If he really wanted to grant this favor, he could have given the king title to Pei Jing Chen at the beginning of his reign when he was enfeoffing the whole country, without waiting until now.

  She suddenly thought of something and her complexion changed slightly as she asked, "Will Prince Lin Nan attend the Lantern Festival banquet?"

  Bai Jingchen's eyes showed surprise and approval, he nodded and said, "According to the rules, Lin Nan Wang should come. However, I think he won't come, most likely he will claim illness and refuse, then let the Crown Prince come."

  He paused, "I've been thinking, the Emperor's recent concern for Lin Nan is too deep, and he's being so good to me at this time, it must be that he has ulterior motives. The Zhou Dynasty royal bloodline is thin, but only the Lin An Wang lineage has a rich heritage, he controls the vast territory of the southern border, although it's barren, but it borders the coast, with countless treasures, vast resources, and taxes are solely collected by the Wang Fu, and also has an extremely powerful army, I think the Emperor's fear has reached its peak."

  Ming Xuan exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that Your Majesty wants to abolish the vassal states?"

  King of Lin Nan and the Emperor are both descendants of Taizu, but they have been separated by several generations. If we talk about blood ties, it's actually quite distant. However, as hereditary vassal kings, neither their fiefs nor their titles can be changed, which were all determined by Taizu. In previous generations, there were emperors who had the idea of abolishing the fiefdoms, but they were deterred by King of Lin Nan's wealth and military power, and also did not dare to bear the name of disobeying their ancestors, so in the end, they could not take action.

  Unlike the current emperor and his father, his birth mother was only a low-ranking palace maid. Among the many princes of the previous emperor, he was the most humble and inconspicuous, yet he was able to get the support of Pei Xiang and ascend to the throne. He must have had extraordinary abilities. From his actions, it can be seen that he is an ambitious person with great aspirations, who can also be ruthless when necessary.

  From his firm insistence on going to war with Western Xia, it can be seen that he also has a strong desire to expand the territory. Such an ambitious emperor, eager to make great achievements to prove himself, how could he bear to see Lin Nan Wang occupy such a large area of land and taxes in the south? How could he tolerate Lin An Wang continuing to own private troops without regard for him? This is a potential threat to him!

  Abolish the vassal states, it is inevitable. Since His Majesty has chosen to do so at this time, he must have found some evidence of Prince Lin Nan's wrongdoing during Gu Yuanjing's last trip to Lin'an.

  Her eyebrows furrowed deeply, "In that case, will my brother be in danger?"

  Pei Jingchen's eyes were uncertain, "Han Xiu is not here, the Emperor will certainly entrust his uncle with an important task. I'm afraid the Emperor will also use his relationship with Huang Yi to make the chief of Lin Nan Miao Village betray Lin Nan Wang."

  "He sighed and said, 'The Miao Village Gu Tribe is not someone you can easily mess with!'"

  Ming Xuan's eyes slightly lowered, and she said in a low voice, "That can be discussed later. What I'm more worried about now is that today is the ninth day of the first month, only six days away from the Lantern Festival... The emperor wants to let me inherit my grandfather's throne, but it's not out of kindness. He's probably trying to use me to control the Northern Army. The Northern Army is closest to Shengjing, and if Lin Nan Wang invades, the imperial city will be threatened, and they are the fastest army that can come to rescue the emperor."

  She gazed at him and said quietly, "Even if the old general had gone to the West on a crane for twenty years, those old subordinates were still loyal to him. If I'm not mistaken, the Northern Army is now in his hands, or it's also possible that he's the one who can influence General Zhenbei's actions to the greatest extent."

  The smile in Pei Jingchen's eyes represents affirmation.

  Ming Xuan let out a breath and said, "I think that's the real reason His Majesty invited us to attend the family banquet."

  If her husband were to become the king, then she would be the queen, but there was not a hint of joy on her face. Instead, she became even more solemn and said, "However, since the emperor can see through this point, he must also be wary of it. There is no ruler who does not care about the ownership of military power. If it were General Zhenbei, then he might not find any fault with him. But it's not, and he doesn't even have a title or official position. The emperor is not a petty person, but his tolerance will also not be very great. I'm afraid that after King Lin Nan, the next one he wants to deal with will be him!"

  King of Lin Nan was forced to be tight, if it's treason, that's still passable, after all he is the grandson of Taizu, with the surname of Zhou Dynasty, but Pei Jingzhen was stared at, even rebellion was not possible, and he was granted the title of King, which was only the great-grandson of the Zhou family, he had been crowned with the surname Pei for many years, even if he was granted the surname Zhou, it's not a legitimate descendant of the Zhou family.

  Only obediently accept punishment is one's lot.

  "Alas, plotting with a tiger to get its skin is not a long-term solution. However, since it's the king's order, I have no choice but to comply. This banquet, even if we don't want to go, we must attend. We can only be cautious and careful with our words, lest we give others a handle to use against us."

  He gently stroked Ming Xuan's forehead, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "As the saying goes, when a car reaches the foot of a mountain, there must be a road ahead; when a boat reaches the bridgehead, it will naturally go straight. I'm telling you this not to make you frown or worry excessively. I don't have the ambition to usurp the throne like Emperor Lin Nan. Holding the military power of the Northern Army in my hands is only for one purpose: to investigate the true cause of my grandfather's and mother's deaths, and to avenge them. Once my revenge is fulfilled, returning the military power to the Emperor would be no big deal."

  The world is vast, where can't one find a place to settle?

  He didn't care much about the title of Wang, compared to power, he wanted to hold hands with his loved one, travel the world, have a few children and live a simple yet fulfilling life.

  Ming Xuan nodded and leaned into Pei Jingchen's arms, her eyes gazing through the thick snowflakes into the distance.

  She bit her lip, but in her heart, she was thinking that if the emperor really wanted to harm her and her husband at that time, she would never give up, even if she wasn't a born politician. With her transcendent vision and experience spanning thousands of years, she didn't believe there wouldn't be an opportunity to turn the situation around in desperate times.

  Moreover, she still has her sister's keepsake in her hand. If there is a chance, she would like to ask the Emperor about the so-called conjugal love and the unchanging affection between husband and wife. Those promises and vows he had made before, he has already wantonly broken; but those written words on white paper with black ink, as the ruler of a country, does he still acknowledge them?

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